• EA gets layoffs. Again.
    41 replies, posted
[QUOTE]In sad news, mega-publisher EA has laid off a number of employees. While the exact number of people suddenly finding themselves looking for new work is currently unknown, reports claim that EA Mobile Montreal was the primary focus of the job cuts. That studio employs 300 people, and while specifics are unknown, it seems likely that a relatively sizable percentage of the firm was let go. Polygon questioned EA about these cuts, and the company was as diplomatic and evasive as you'd expect a major corporation to be when discussing firing decisions. "EA is sharpening its focus to provide games for new platforms and mobile," the firm states. "In some cases, this involves reducing team sizes as we evolve into a more efficient organization. These are difficult decisions to let go of good people who have made important contributions to EA, and whenever possible we retrain or relocate employees to new roles. Streamlining our operations will help ensure EA is bringing the best next-generation games to players around the world." So, business as depressingly usual then? It's sad, but the reality of the games industry is that the vast, vast majority of people who work in development are eternally expendable, particularly once a given project has been completed. This is why you always see an increased likelihood of layoffs after a major game hits store shelves. These layoffs are undoubtedly sad news, but those working at EA Mobile Montreal and the other wings of the corporation affected by the recent cuts should be well aware of the volatility of the industry in which they work. Unfortunately, with so many people seeking out gaming industry jobs as their "dream profession," corporations like EA are free to hire at will, comfortable in the knowledge that there will always be someone else out there capable of doing the same job for less money - much less if we're talking about recent college graduates, who are a prime target for publishers and developers as they're usually too poor and naive to demand proper treatment from their employers. We wish all former EA employees luck in finding employment elsewhere in the industry, and further hope that this transitional period is a positive, and that they end up better off than they were before.[/QUOTE] Water Source: [url]http://www.escapistmagazine.com/news/view/123232-Layoffs-Strike-EA-Mobile-Studio-Hit-Hardest[/url] Not even EA workers deserve this... EDIT: Why is this so funny? I know that EA's response was stupid, but people just lost their jobs...
[QUOTE=The golden;40253139]Always sucks that people are losing jobs, but when a company treats its customers like criminals and produces products so dysfunctional they should be considered illegal then it is nobodies fault but their own. EA has been in the business longer than most. They know what to do and what not to do. Don't give them your sympathy because they don't deserve it. The average working employee? Maybe, but not the company itself. Especially not the suits.[/QUOTE] I'm giving the workers the sympathy, not the suits. Heck, even the Shareholders have abandoned ship. Yeah, EA is a pile of garbage, but the workers certainly didn't need this.
[QUOTE=EpicRandomnes;40253156]I'm giving the workers the sympathy, not the suits. Heck, even the Shareholders have abandoned ship. Yeah, EA is a pile of garbage, but the workers certainly didn't need this.[/QUOTE] i'm sure other companies are snapping up those dev's because everyone knows the suits fucked it up, not the dev's.
You can't seriously believe that this is damage control for that award.
I bet Maxis is an empty shell now.
If only Disney bought EA. Think of the calamity that would ensue.
[QUOTE=Tudd;40253192]If only Disney bought EA. Think of the calamity that would ensue.[/QUOTE] Why did this come to mind [media]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3YkC-lgdKeU[/media]
isnt this the second montreal office theyve targeted for cuts recently? and why mobile? didnt EA claim gaming is all about mobile now?
[quote] These are difficult decisions to let go of good people who have made important contributions to EA, and whenever possible we retrain or relocate employees to new roles.[/quote] here's a thing most of you probably fucked off and didn't read
[QUOTE=milkandcooki;40253256]here's a thing most of you probably fucked off and didn't read[/QUOTE] yo dog why you always protectin and white knightin for EA in erry thread
[QUOTE=kanesenpai~;40253269]yo dog why you always protectin and white knightin for EA in erry thread[/QUOTE] i don't even really like EA that much it's just that it annoys me whenever i see people having a huge angry shitfit about something as trivial as "ea lays off employees at a development studio that doesn't really affect anything at all, but gives you a reason to cry about it on forums." all of this dumb EA shit is easily avoided, in by [b]not buying EA games, and not going in and complaining in EA threads because it won't change anything[/b]. not only that, but a lot of people are completely terrible at reading these articles as they come in and just start spewing out dumb buzzwords like "evil" "money-grubbing" and "greedy." remember the dead space 3 press last year, and the dozens of copy-cat gawker-tier shit articles that falsely reported that the game would be less scary because of co-op? yeah shit like that. i really wish people could channel all of this [i]completely[/i] unneeded hatred into something else. [editline]11th April 2013[/editline] [QUOTE=The golden;40253277]Uh that kinda goes without saying. [b]Even companies like EA don't just throw good employees out the window just like that.[/b] But EA has been closing studios all over US and Canada, and I'm sure elsewhere. Not everyone can afford to move long distances just to keep their position. EA employees are losing their jobs and studios are closing down. There is no denying that.[/QUOTE] [url]http://www.gamespot.com/news/layoffs-at-valve-report-6403850[/url] why are people giving EA a ton of shit for laying off employees for internal reasons that don't concern the consumers, but a few months ago people railed on me for calling valve a bunch of fucks for doing the same thing? my view on this entire ordeal is that we shouldn't give a shit unless it has an absolutely noticeable affect on the products that people end up buying because they don't know how to properly protest disagreeable business practices. we really don't know shit about the layoffs either, all we know is that some people were laid off, some are possibly going to be retrained and given new jobs, and that the layoffs were supposedly at the mobile montreal studio, based off of a single tweet that an employee shot out earlier
[QUOTE=milkandcooki;40253256]here's a thing most of you probably fucked off and didn't read[/QUOTE] Dude that's a generic corporate feelgood response #36 do you seriously think he meant that? I can hear the monotonous tone in my head as I read that....
[QUOTE=TheJoey;40253212]isnt this the second montreal office theyve targeted for cuts recently? and why mobile? didnt EA claim gaming is all about mobile now?[/QUOTE] Nah, they said the future of gaming was all about social networks, which made me cringe so hard when I read it.
Poor fellows.. well at least EA is seen as a "big company" that'll look good on their cv's... [sp]Even if it is such a terrible company[/sp]
[QUOTE=ATribeCalledQ;40253298]Dude that's a generic corporate feelgood response #36 do you seriously think he meant that? I can hear the monotonous tone in my head as I read that....[/QUOTE] Companies always lie
[QUOTE=milkandcooki;40253286]i don't even really like EA that much [b]not buying EA games, and not going in and complaining in EA threads because it won't change anything[/b]. i really wish people could channel all of this [i]completely[/i] unneeded hatred into something else. [/QUOTE] Oh sorry I forgot we weren't allowed to voice our opinions here.
[QUOTE=ATribeCalledQ;40253298]Dude that's a generic corporate feelgood response #36 do you seriously think he meant that? I can hear the monotonous tone in my head as I read that....[/QUOTE] a prime example of the shit that grinds my gears in these threads why is the gaming community as a whole so untrusting and skeptical about the dumbest shit? i understand people raising eyebrows at maxis spewing out dumb shit like "yeah the drm is there to do cool stuff i guess," but whhhy are people going "HMPPH. YEAH RIGHT" at the most trivial statements? what would you rather have the EA rep. say? "we're evil and we fired them and burned down their houses?" it doesn't matter because anti-ea bandwagoners would still find a way to bitch. even if they're 100% honest, it doesn't fucking matter. instead of going in and challenging every single thing that comes out of EA's corporate/developer/publisher/ facehole, why can't people who detest them so much just ignore news related to EA? getting mad about shit that doesn't affect you because you don't buy EA games doesn't make sense at all. everybody should love everybody and not get mad about the dumbest and most useless things
[QUOTE=The golden;40253317]EA has been slowly but steadily canning its studios for several years now. It's not exactly a secret. One of the EA Sports head studios here in my city was closed a few years ago.[/QUOTE] there's also been a recession and game publishers in general are starting to not make as much money as they did back in the day, so no duh they're cutting corners so they can ship out the titles they've got in the works. it's unfortunate to see so many people lose their jobs, but since our only window into the internal affairs of EA is biased copy-cat journalism that jumps at every opportunity to get pageviews, we can't really say exactly why it's happening for sure.
[QUOTE=milkandcooki;40253315]a prime example of the shit that grinds my gears in these threads why is the gaming community as a whole so untrusting and skeptical about the dumbest shit? i understand people raising eyebrows at maxis spewing out dumb shit like "yeah the drm is there to do cool stuff i guess," but whhhy are people going "HMPPH. YEAH RIGHT" at the most trivial statements? what would you rather have the EA rep. say? "we're evil and we fired them and burned down their houses?" it doesn't matter because anti-ea bandwagoners would still find a way to bitch. even if they're 100% honest, it doesn't fucking matter. instead of going in and challenging every single thing that comes out of EA's corporate/developer/publisher/ facehole, why can't people who detest them so much just ignore news related to EA? getting mad about shit that doesn't affect you because you don't buy EA games doesn't make sense at all. everybody should love everybody and not get mad about the dumbest and most useless things[/QUOTE] I have this disposition towards every major company, stop getting all fired up. We all know you're a secret public relations worker from EA trying to spew propaganda. [editline]12th April 2013[/editline] [QUOTE=milkandcooki;40253315] everybody should love everybody and not get mad about the dumbest and most useless things[/QUOTE] Yet here you are getting mad over people getting mad, then telling us to not get mad.
[QUOTE=ATribeCalledQ;40253332]I have this disposition towards every major company, stop getting all fired up. We all know you're a secret public relations worker from EA trying to spew propaganda.[/QUOTE] Even Valve?
[QUOTE=ATribeCalledQ;40253332]I have this disposition towards every major company, stop getting all fired up. We all know you're a secret public relations worker from EA trying to spew propaganda. [editline]12th April 2013[/editline] Yet here you are getting mad over people getting mad, then telling us to not get mad.[/QUOTE] "An opinion that's different than mine and speaks reason. Must be propaganda." Come on, really?
the gig is up i am secretly an ea marketer and get paid 5.60 USD for every pro-ea post i make, and a .25 percent multiplier for every dumb rating i receive
[QUOTE=milkandcooki;40253353]the gig is up i am secretly an ea marketer and get paid 5.60 USD for every pro-ea post i make, and a .25 percent multiplier for every dumb rating i receive[/QUOTE] Let me help you with that. But in exchange I want a share of it.
[QUOTE=milkandcooki;40253328]there's also been a recession and game publishers in general are starting to not make as much money as they did back in the day, so no duh they're cutting corners so they can ship out the titles they've got in the works. it's unfortunate to see so many people lose their jobs, but since our only window into the internal affairs of EA is biased copy-cat journalism that jumps at every opportunity to get pageviews, we can't really say exactly why it's happening for sure.[/QUOTE] Also happens to be that we're moving into next gen. Layoffs also typically occur around there as well.
[QUOTE=T2L_Goose;40253351]"An opinion that's different than mine and speaks reason. Must be propaganda." Come on, really?[/QUOTE] I don't smoke nearly enough crack to honestly think that paranoid. I was just trying to get a rise out of the guy.
[QUOTE=darkrei9n;40253366]Also happens to be that we're moving into next gen. Layoffs also typically occur around there as well.[/QUOTE] yeah, makes sense for a big publisher like EA to want to focus on getting release titles out on the PS4, WiiU (maybe not because of nintendo and EA's bickering), and the new Xbox instead of pumping out a ton of titles for the current gen that will probably be overlooked. they can get mad cash by having the next big game out on the PS4 as soon as it's out in consumers' living rooms
It's easy to brand someone as evil when you only look at one side of the story. The hard part is actually learning both sides and trying to figure out what is actually happening. You have to set aside your agendas and bias and look at a situation without jumping to silly conclusions.
[QUOTE=T2L_Goose;40253378]It's easy to brand someone as evil when you only look at one side of the story. The hard part is actually learning both sides and trying to figure out what is actually happening. You have to set aside your agendas and bias and look at a situation without jumping to silly conclusions.[/QUOTE] hopefully some people who were laid off will shed light on the situation, because right now we have minimal information 1. some laid off, no exact number 2. laid off to streamline, possibly to get a bigger game released or to focus on the upcoming 8th gen consoles and mobile games 3. POSSIBLY from ea montreal, because of some guy's tweet. other than that we're groping around in the dark
[QUOTE=milkandcooki;40253407] other than that we're groping around in the dark[/QUOTE] sounds like my kinda party
[QUOTE=T2L_Goose;40253419]sounds like my kinda party[/QUOTE] imagine that you're groping around at this dark party, accidentally grab john riccitiello's cock and he goes [img]http://media.heavy.com/media/2013/03/john_riccitiello.jpg[/img] [i]"7.50 has been charged to your credit card"[/i]
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