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Sony drops bombs (and employees) like Galvatron photo

Kotaku has word that between 80 and 100 employees at Sony Computer Entertainment of America's Foster City headquarters were given pink slips earlier today.

The layoffs came as a surprise to everyone, aside from all of those people with memories lucid enough to recall Sony's recent financial reports which, spurned on by the disappointing performance of their PlayStation 3 console, were covered in enough red ink to choke a tampon.

Here's a quote from SCEA's Dave Karraker regarding the layoffs:

In an effort to accurately align the company to meet the changing needs of our consumers and of our industry, Sony Computer Entertainment America has found it necessary to analyze our current business and to restructure the company as necessary to continue our standing as the market leader

How this will affect Sony's future is unapparent, but there's simply no way to spin this as a positive for the company. I mean, I could lie to you and say that everyone fired was actually a werewolf, but you wouldn't believe me anyway.

Jerk.








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56 comments | showing # 1 to 50
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next 50 comments

Topher Cantler's Avatar - Comment posted on 06/06/2007 02:20
Topher Cantler
I totally would have bought the werewolf thing.
Aaron Mxy Yost's Avatar - Comment posted on 06/06/2007 02:25
Aaron Mxy Yost
You mean they weren't werewolves? Oh shit oh shit what the fuck am I going to do!?!? Okay, I need to calm down, think things through...
GnappyAssassin's Avatar - Comment posted on 06/06/2007 02:28
GnappyAssassin
You think they finally realized the PS3 was a tad too much?
Ignignokt01's Avatar - Comment posted on 06/06/2007 02:28
Ignignokt01
Layoffs are gay.



and by gay I really do mean homosexual.
Aaron Mxy Yost's Avatar - Comment posted on 06/06/2007 02:31
Aaron Mxy Yost
I have to hide this silver before the cops get here.... GOD DAMN IT Nex!!!
ArrestedDeveloper's Avatar - Comment posted on 06/06/2007 02:48
ArrestedDeveloper
Well if they weren't werewolves maybe they were zombies? Or worse Zombie Werewolves.

I just got an great idea for a movie. Zombie Werewolves from Hell: The Killering. Someone get me Uwe Boll's number.
Aaron Mxy Yost's Avatar - Comment posted on 06/06/2007 02:59
Aaron Mxy Yost
STOP READING MY DREAM JOURNAL!!!
Aaron Mxy Yost's Avatar - Comment posted on 06/06/2007 03:09
Aaron Mxy Yost
Wait, what are we talking about again?
cbebop007's Avatar - Comment posted on 06/06/2007 03:21
cbebop007
Werewolves don't wear pink dog slippers.
Rainbowblack's Avatar - Comment posted on 06/06/2007 03:26
Rainbowblack
Impossible was the best Wu-Tang song ever
Fana7ic's Avatar - Comment posted on 06/06/2007 03:49
Fana7ic
"...to continue our standing as the market leader"
I lol´d
domataos's Avatar - Comment posted on 06/06/2007 03:58
domataos
That dog is so cute ^_^!!!!
Burnt Meatloaf's Avatar - Comment posted on 06/06/2007 04:36
Burnt Meatloaf
Worse than SEGA. At least the Dreamcast was affordable from the start, so people had a shred of a reason to be surprised when the restructuring started.
BlackDove's Avatar - Comment posted on 06/06/2007 05:17
BlackDove
What's funny about the "market leader" note?

Sony is the current console market leader, due to consistent sales of PS2 and the content coming out for it. It's just the Xbot and the Gamecube that died. And even if they counted when it comes to market share, Sony would still be the market leader.
some_dude's Avatar - Comment posted on 06/06/2007 05:31
some_dude
Come on 'dove. How much longer do you think Sony can use the PS2 to claim "market leader", 6 months, a year if they're lucky? Most people have tunnel vision and focus on the current gen of consoles. The PS2 is so '90's.
10BobMarleys's Avatar - Comment posted on 06/06/2007 06:20
10BobMarleys
Dat puppy's sox is kewt. No further questions.
Tempus's Avatar - Comment posted on 06/06/2007 06:32
Tempus
PS2 is 90's? That makes so much sense considering it was launched in 2000 /sarcasm.

Sony are the market leaders in samey sequels and last gen consoles :D
BluDesign's Avatar - Comment posted on 06/06/2007 07:04
BluDesign
@Black Dove

How long do they get to keep up the dog and pony show for "market leader"? So long as PS2 games are being released? Nah. I think you'd have to look at consoles being sold to asses that, because the wishy-washy misnomer of "market leader" is going to seem awfully stale in another 2 years because there's a strong chance SOMEONE will still be developing games on the PS2 for that long. Especially in Japan. There's still new DC and Saturn content that trickles out occasionally.
BlackDove's Avatar - Comment posted on 06/06/2007 07:27
BlackDove
So long as it's making them a significant amount of money (I'm pretty sure all of the actual PROFITS from consoles are from the PS2 department, the rest is currently incurring heavy losses, hence the layoffs). It even outsells the 360 on some months (on all months in Japan actually).

Just because you want them to suck, doesn't mean that they do. Your Xbox is very nice, but it does not have the same dent in the entire market that Sony holds (which is one of the reasons Xbox has been abandoned wholly, just like the Gamecube).

If you look at the cold hard numbers, they are the market leader (as in Sony console/games products in people's homes > everyone else). End of story. What you "think" matters regarding "Only this gen counts" or whatever, has no relation to the topic.
Snaileb 's Avatar - Comment posted on 06/06/2007 07:37
Snaileb
lol @ Colette
TheStripe's Avatar - Comment posted on 06/06/2007 07:51
TheStripe
We're really sorry for your loss, BlackDove. We all knew Sony, but none of us as well as you. We know you guys were close, but you really need to let go.

It's a dark day when you can convince fanboys that you're still at the head of your industry when you're only able to sell last year's product. A failing multi-billion dollar investment make you automatically NOT the market leader. Even if you're going to base it on pure economics, Nintendo is taking Sony to school. If you're talking library of games released before 2006, yeah, the PS2 is still king there, no argument.

If you're talking about the current gaming industry, you know, here in 2007, even thinking about beginning to believe that sony is the market leader takes a drug much stronger than anything in my little black box.

That drug is called denial.
subnet6's Avatar - Comment posted on 06/06/2007 08:11
subnet6
":but there's simply no way to spin this as a positive for the company."

You mean, now that Summa's gone?
Ambulance-Y's Avatar - Comment posted on 06/06/2007 08:31
Ambulance-Y
i don't see why you guys are questioning their market leader status. we all know they are the market leader for blu-ray players, blu-ray disks, mini disks, and beta max tapes.
ArrestedDeveloper's Avatar - Comment posted on 06/06/2007 08:36
ArrestedDeveloper
@DanGale

Zombie Werewolves can walk on the bottom of the ocean so no one is safe. Another Idea, Zombie Werewolves from Hell 2: The Underwater Killering
BluDesign's Avatar - Comment posted on 06/06/2007 08:57
BluDesign
@Ambulance-y

I totally spaced on MD's. You're right, they have a stranglehold on the market. ATRAC 4 LIFEZ YO!

@Blackdove

Yes, we understand that Sony's sold 150 quadrajillion PS2 units, and that Rachet and Clank 13 sold well as well. But this "market leader" phrase sounds tired when you're trying to pimp hotter wares like the PS3 and your old platform is stomping all over your new one in sales.

Or looking at the self-admitted angle that the PSP has no "hit" game to drive sales, and that its been 2 years since it launched. I would hardly call the PSP a failure, but it's been maddeningly lackluster compared to the DS.

This angle of Market Leader is the same house of cards that MS lives in when pitching people on Vista.
Ambulance-Y's Avatar - Comment posted on 06/06/2007 09:08
Ambulance-Y
psp's hit game is and always will be lumines.
subnet6's Avatar - Comment posted on 06/06/2007 09:20
subnet6
If Sony is currently the market leader, I would hate to see how badly the market losers are doing.

I think what they meant is that they are the current market LOSS leader. They should be proud. I never thought anyone could lose more money in a year than MS did on the original XBOX, which is clearly a strategy that ended up working for them, so I can kinda see why Sony is doing it.
Colette Bennett's Avatar - Comment posted on 06/06/2007 09:22
Colette Bennett
HAHAHHAHA
morbo47's Avatar - Comment posted on 06/06/2007 09:35
morbo47
You can argue for or against Sony being the market leader, but the fact is that a healthy company almost never has to let employees go...
Crunshii's Avatar - Comment posted on 06/06/2007 09:52
Crunshii
correct.
how much of a bad market was xbox1 and n64+GC for nintendo?

you would have predicted they would never ever sell another console just like sega. but since M$ could flop on each system they come out with and still no dent to the M$ empire, nintendo made tons of money in the nes+snes+gameboy days, nintendo managed to pull the ds and wii, not to mention the DS has gone through how many re-designs? 2-3-4? idk lost count, PSP hasnt changed its re-design since day one, but the fact doesnt change that just because PS3 hasnt had a great start, that sony is going down.

Count your chicken before they hatch, the real game war hasnt started yet. M$ took 14 months to come out with GoW, and sony is doing equal or better than M$ in months comparison since system launch. The only system selling hot right now is the Wii because its cheap and its made for fun with last gen graphics for pokemon kids and therapy for parkison old people.

Let me remind you of the "REVOLUTION" Nintendo was going to phail big time if they stayed with their original plan against Sony and M$, because they were going to invest big on Next-gen graphics as well, then changed their minds.

A bold smart and lucky bet move by nintendo is what got them ahead on the console war. Now, where are all the 3rd PArty developers for nintendo? ah thats right, people want to move forward with technology, not backwards.
realyst's Avatar - Comment posted on 06/06/2007 09:56
realyst
Werewolves would explain the whole GoW2 goat thing...
deanhatescoffee's Avatar - Comment posted on 06/06/2007 10:11
deanhatescoffee
@ Nex:
"covered in enough red ink to choke a tampon"

That's the most disgusting analogy I've ever heard. Well played, sir. Well played.
TheStripe's Avatar - Comment posted on 06/06/2007 10:13
TheStripe
@Crunshii - I never said they were going down, they're just clearly not the market leader. Not even a little bit. Not even an eentsy weentsy teensy tiny little bit. Not even close. Wow, Nintendo was going to fail big with this plan that never saw the light of day! Man, that really makes me think. I wonder what might have happened if nintendo took the sony road: Come up with a bad idea AND go through with it. Classic fanboy technique there, too. When we're talking about Sony and their own spin about their own failures, talk about nintendo an the failures they're not having.

1. "Count your chicken before they hatch, the real game war hasnt started yet."

And

2. "Now, where are all the 3rd PArty developers for nintendo? ah thats right, people want to move forward with technology, not backwards."

How can statement 2 be true if you're not alreading doing statement 1? It's too early to judge Sony with one might-own title and a box that's losing exclusives like nicole richie loses weight, but it's a safe bet to put nintendo into a shallow grave? If you're going to make baseless arguments, you could at least be consistent.
morbo47's Avatar - Comment posted on 06/06/2007 10:22
morbo47
3rd party developers have already said that they hung back from the Wii party because they weren't sure what was going to happen. Now that it's pretty much busted every record ever made (including 'most people inside a soap bubble', 'world's largest inside beach', and 'longest midget toss'), they're scrambling to get games out for it. EA's even gone on the books saying they underestimated it and they screwed up
Corncobtacular's Avatar - Comment posted on 06/06/2007 10:25
Corncobtacular
@arrestedDeveloper,

If they walk on the bottom of the ocean wont they be crushed from the water pressure on top of them? Zombies are pretty flimsy and tend to fall apart rather easily....maybe the werewolf/zombie combination hardens them up?
TheStripe's Avatar - Comment posted on 06/06/2007 10:26
TheStripe
I have a hard time calling SSX Blur, Tiger for Wii and Madden for Wii screwups. If EA Canada thinks those games came out sub-par, I'm all giddy for the coming year. But remember, we're not talking about Nintendo.

Where are the awesome 3pty games for the PS3?

Oh yeah, Resistance.
Crunshii's Avatar - Comment posted on 06/06/2007 10:29
Crunshii
correct stripe,

Honestly, how does my #2 counteract my #1? every1 and their mothers know nintendo is not breaking any graphics barrier innovation; you think 3rd Dev want to make kiddie games or more games like GoW, FF13, Assasins Creed, ect, after all the $$$ they put into technology and liscences. I dont see 3rd Dev working any huge titles for the Wii cept 1st party nintendo games.

now that thats clear, at least tell me Stripe, of a game u can say, "omfg this game is going to r@ck! my s@ockorz!!!" from the Wii?

is that consistent enough 4ya?
Crunshii's Avatar - Comment posted on 06/06/2007 10:39
Crunshii
lets see possible games that can rox my s@xs in the near future for PS3?
Ace Combat 6, Age of Conan, Assassins Creed, Bio shock, BlackSite Area 51, burnout paradise, GTA4, Unreal 3, Warhawk, Elveon, FarCry 2, Fear2, FF13, God of War 3, GT5, Haze, Kingdom Hearts 3... ect, and some of these titles coming to xbox as well.

thats just to name a few, now can you tell me a nice lineup coming from the wii that can compete?
realyst's Avatar - Comment posted on 06/06/2007 10:41
realyst
@Crunshii

You seem awfully focused on graphics. Lest we forget the following:

1) The PS2 was, graphically, one of the worst last-gen systems. It barely beat the Dreamcast in terms of appearance, which, by the way, handled textures way better.

2) The biggest selling PC title nowadays continues to be WoW. Which has last-last-gen graphics. Meanwhile, still on the Bliz front, Korea prays to Starcraft(last-last-last-last gen) like a Bible belter does to Jebus.

3) The DS is outselling the PSP countless times over internationally despite there being very few games that actually use the damn touchscreen(fewer still properly).

Lower graphics means cheaper dev costs. Cheaper console means bigger demographic. Currently, the PS3 has few exclusives(fewer by the minute) fewer decent games, is more pricey then both competing consoles, doesn't fit well with the Japanese 'I like em' small' electronics aesthetic and very few actual incentives to buy.

Right now, it's Resistance or Final Fantasy. Granted the latter will move some consoles, but I doubt that's "Market Leader" material.



realyst's Avatar - Comment posted on 06/06/2007 10:43
realyst
Ace Combat 6, Age of Conan, Assassins Creed, Bio shock, BlackSite Area 51, burnout paradise, GTA4, Unreal 3, Fear2, GT5

Are all coming out for another cheaper console with probably comparable or even better graphics as we've seen with many of these multiports. Oh yeah, and many of them for PC too with a guarantee of better graphics if you are into the pretties.

TheBrain's Avatar - Comment posted on 06/06/2007 10:44
TheBrain
Firing people is one of the least effective ways of cutting costs, but the quickest. lame.
TheStripe's Avatar - Comment posted on 06/06/2007 10:51
TheStripe
@ Crunshii - Your fanboyesque prattle doesn't change the fact that you just said "Don't judge Sony yet," and then proceeded to judge nintendo. You can't talk about Nintendo like it's failed already, then list a huge number of upcoming "PS3" titles that most gamers are going to get on the 360 anyway.

Talk of Nintendo's future is irrelevant in this discussion of Sony's present, as is Sony's future. Either judge both consoles now, or abstain and judge them in the future. You can't use the merit of Sony's promise vs. what Nintendo has already delivered.

And of course you don't see a nice Wii lineup, because you already hate anything that would ever come out on the Wii mostly because it's coming out on the Wii, and won't be in HD with a comfortable, familiar two analog stick control setup. If you weren't a gaming bigot, you could see the potenital in the next incarnation of the EA sports titles, the Upcoming baseball title, The Bigs, EA's upcoming Boogie, as well as the gamut of AAA 1st party titles, like Metroid Prime 3, Super Smash Bros. Brawl, Super Mario Galaxies, Super Mario Strikers . . .

. . . but like I said, I don't expect these to mean anything to you, since you've already discounted the Wii.
OPTIMUS PRIME's Avatar - Comment posted on 06/06/2007 11:15
OPTIMUS PRIME
Crushii - I present you with the fanboy troll of the year award. Who would you like to thank?
Snaileb 's Avatar - Comment posted on 06/06/2007 11:23
Snaileb
Crushii : Most/All of those games are either coming to the XBOX 360, or have a TBA date.

Also, no KH3 until 2011. I know I hurt as well.
DoctorEuphony's Avatar - Comment posted on 06/06/2007 11:26
DoctorEuphony
Crunshii: I remember you saying you weren't biased against any system in a thread a couple of days ago, yet I'd like to point out you're always in the Wii-bashing threads adding fuel to the fire, and in the Sony-hate threads trying to sell the system like a desperate Best Buy employee.
TheStripe's Avatar - Comment posted on 06/06/2007 11:55
TheStripe
Oh, and a further testament to Sony's market-leadershipness is the potential price drop discussed by their president, as reported on joystiq. Everyone knows a sure sign of success is massive layoffs and cutting prices on a unit that already loses money when sold at the MSRP.
Crunshii's Avatar - Comment posted on 06/06/2007 12:01
Crunshii
oh my, come back from lunch n i get awards and all, hmmm how to explain...
@ stripe. Hey, someone gotta keep the Summa legacy.
@ Optimus. I would like to thnk all the wii/360fanboys-trollers in here for it :)
@ snail. Some/Most/All fixed.
@ euphony. couple of days ago the only tru-ps3-fan left, now whos going to keep that trend up? check my @strype comment.

point in all, you all might/are disagree with me, but thats just my thoughts. like it, hate it, love it, take it as you want. I don't always bash the wii/360 if u really read all my comments. euphony u should double check on that.
Christian's Avatar - Comment posted on 06/06/2007 12:05
Christian
I was gonna buy a PSP, then I sobered up.

Also, Sony sucks cocks.
TheStripe's Avatar - Comment posted on 06/06/2007 12:27
TheStripe
@Crunshii - " I don't always bash the wii/360"

Just when the post is about Sony?
DoctorEuphony's Avatar - Comment posted on 06/06/2007 13:31
DoctorEuphony
Persistant use of the term "M$" probably says otherwise. And for the record, you are no Summa.
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