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Wildstar Carbine studio Lays off 60

StephenVyas
polycounter lvl 18
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StephenVyas polycounter lvl 18
http://www.polygon.com/2014/10/23/7050545/wildstar-carbine-studios-layoffs

"...Carbine was especially hard-hit by the layoffs. The studio reportedly lost over 60 members of its team of a few hundred. Our source says the layoffs included Carbine employees across all levels, not just entry level or less senior staff."

:(

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  • Mstankow
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    Mstankow polycounter lvl 11
    At this point people should assume they will be laid off if they are shipping an MMORPG.
  • atomander
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    atomander polycounter lvl 7
    Good luck, those affected. I hope everyone lands on their feet quickly.
  • GarageBay9
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    GarageBay9 polycounter lvl 13
    Mstankow wrote: »
    At this point people should assume they will be laid off if they are shipping an MMORPG.

    Which is ridiculous, and my answer to that would then be that people should stop helping worthless mismanaged businesses make MMORPGs.
  • Quack!
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    Quack! polycounter lvl 17
    Mstankow wrote: »
    At this point people should assume they will be laid off if they are shipping an MMORPG.

    There are a small number of companies that don't do this...

    To those affected, Cryptic likes to hire: http://crypticstudios.com/openings
  • Jason Young
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    Jason Young polycounter lvl 14
    Sorry to hear. :(

    We're hiring for most departments at https://www.kingsisle.com/jobs
  • Blaizer
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    Blaizer interpolator
    Sorry to hear this. In certain grade i foresee this, there are too many mmorpgs and the market is overbloated. Their game is good but not enough competitive compared with the ones produced in South Korea.
  • Zack Maxwell
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    Zack Maxwell interpolator
    Quack! wrote: »
    There are a small number of companies that don't do this...

    To those affected, Cryptic likes to hire: http://crypticstudios.com/openings
    Cryptic also has the most lack standards for artists I have EVER SEEN.
    I'd love to see what the portfolios of some of those people looked like when they got hired.
  • radiancef0rge
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    radiancef0rge ngon master
    Grimwolf wrote: »
    Cryptic also has the most lack standards for artists I have EVER SEEN.
    I'd love to see what the portfolios of some of those people looked like when they got hired.

    wo. that was unnecessary
  • Zack Maxwell
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    Zack Maxwell interpolator
    wo. that was unnecessary
    Well, I suppose I've seen other recent studio-made games with as bad or worse art than Champions Online.
    It's just that with art of that level, I honestly don't see it as being a terribly hard place to get into, assuming they have openings.
    Personally I wouldn't even see most of it as being at a professional level, but different people have different standards in that regard. Obviously they would disagree, at least.

    In hindsight I guess basically calling it the worst was untactful, since some people who work(ed) on it may read these forums.
    I stand by my statement though that they have very low standards.
  • JasonLavoie
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    JasonLavoie polycounter lvl 18
    Very sad to hear about the layoffs at Carbine, some incredibly talented people there, I'm sure everyone will land on their feet not too long from now.

    I'm not sure if we're looking for any artists at this time, but check out the Ubi job site for Toronto here - https://www.ubisoftgroup.com/en-US/careers/search_for_jobs.aspx?LinkId=18351

    Grimwolf - There are MANY professionals from tons of studios that visit Polycount everyday (TONS from Cryptic), it's fair to have constructive criticism where applicable but I would suggest refraining from posting things like that within threads like these. Post up some of your work here and focus on building your portfolio before you start hating on studios you don't work for :poly142:
  • Zack Maxwell
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    Zack Maxwell interpolator
    Ah, I see the issue now. Yeah, this wasn't the right thread for a comment like that.
  • Funky Bunnies
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    Funky Bunnies polycounter lvl 17
    Grimwolf wrote: »
    Cryptic also has the most lack standards for artists I have EVER SEEN.
    I'd love to see what the portfolios of some of those people looked like when they got hired.

    lol


    Sorry to hear about this from the Carbine guys/galz :[, best of luck to those affected
  • stickadtroja
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    stickadtroja polycounter lvl 11
    Grimwolf wrote: »
    Well, I suppose I've seen other recent studio-made games with as bad or worse art than Champions Online.
    It's just that with art of that level, I honestly don't see it as being a terribly hard place to get into, assuming they have openings.
    Personally I wouldn't even see most of it as being at a professional level, but different people have different standards in that regard. Obviously they would disagree, at least.

    In hindsight I guess basically calling it the worst was untactful, since some people who work(ed) on it may read these forums.
    I stand by my statement though that they have very low standards.

    dude not only is this super rude, its also super off topic. your two post in this thread is among the worst ive seen on polycount. and ive been in some pretty shitty threads.
  • monster
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    monster polycounter
    We are looking for programmers down near Dallas.

    http://playfulcorp.com/jobs.html
  • Zack Maxwell
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    Zack Maxwell interpolator
    dude not only is this super rude, its also super off topic. your two post in this thread is among the worst ive seen on polycount. and ive been in some pretty shitty threads.
    Ah, I see the issue now. Yeah, this wasn't the right thread for a comment like that.

    I wasn't thinking about the thread itself when I posted that, or how appropriate it would be therein.
    It was a kneejerk reaction to someone bringing up Cryptic, which as you can already tell I have an amazingly low opinion of.
    Taking jabs at me after I already apologized will just drag it further off topic.
  • SecretPro
    Pro Advice, for those affected with the layoffs, knowing how volatile the game industry is, please do a lot of search on the business side for the next studio you decide to join. Recently after Irrational Games was hit by the sad news, some employees found hope at Turbine Studios, later they again were hit with sad news. My point is, I know paying the bills comes before choosing comfort, but if you can please look for a studio that can last past a few release titles.
  • Perlinfalcon
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    Perlinfalcon polycounter lvl 5
    Grimwolf wrote: »
    Cryptic also has the most lack standards for artists I have EVER SEEN.
    I'd love to see what the portfolios of some of those people looked like when they got hired.

    Dude, I have some good friends working on this game. Of course I am not going to show them this thread, but it makes me really sad and angry that they will probably come across it anyway.
  • Torch
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    Torch interpolator
    Grimwolf wrote: »
    Cryptic also has the most lack standards for artists I have EVER SEEN.
    I'd love to see what the portfolios of some of those people looked like when they got hired.

    I know a guy who was working at Cryptic up until recently, not sure if I should post his folio but he's pretty active on here and his work is insanely good :)
  • iniside
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    iniside polycounter lvl 6
    1 year at most till WildStar will be shutdown. The game was doomed to fail since it was announced. And you don't need to be wizard to predict that. Hell, you just need to play some MMOs and see how that market works. And how NC Soft treats games which do not meet profit requirements.

    My advice to everyone wroking at Carbine. Abandon ship, while you can do it on your own terms.
  • Visum
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    Visum polycounter lvl 7
    Tons of luck, turbo motivation and lots of strength to all affected by this situation.

    **EDIT

    Maybe get together and start your own studio / game project?
    I see a lot of people don't even consider taking this step and with so much talent being "free" at the same time this looks like a massive opportunity.
  • ZacD
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    ZacD ngon master
    Come on guys, you really shouldn't be shitting games and art in a thread about fellow artists losing their jobs.

    I hope everyone lands on their feet. This is just another example of studios laying people off shortly after a game ships. If the studio you are working at is releasing a game, that's a perfect time to update your portfolio.
  • Progg
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    Progg polycounter lvl 11
    Best of luck to everyone affected. Most of us have been through this situation a few times. It never gets easy, but it also means that you are able to take a step back and make some changes that you might not have tried before. Don't get discouraged!
  • yodude87
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    yodude87 polycounter lvl 5
    ZacD wrote: »
    Come on guys, you really shouldn't be shitting games and art in a thread about fellow artists losing their jobs.

    I hope everyone lands on their feet. This is just another example of studios laying people off shortly after a game ships. If the studio you are working at is releasing a game, that's a perfect time to update your portfolio.

    qft. good luck to everyone who's in this.
  • iconoplast
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    iconoplast polycounter lvl 13
    Best of luck to all who are looking for new jobs.
  • Neox
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    Neox veteran polycounter
    god damn! its so sad you guys did an inspirational job

    any of the carbine character or hard surface guys who got hit, please contact me if you feel like freelancing for a bit
  • Kraftwerk
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    Kraftwerk polycounter lvl 18
    Quality game and then this yeah thats NCsoft for you sorry to hear hope people get a better job this time. I should really not put money into anything NCsoft related anymore...
  • soulstice
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    soulstice polycounter lvl 9
    Hope everyone lands on their feet. It's always sad to see a quality game release follow up shortly by lay offs. However, that seems to be a common theme of today.

    Good luck guys!
  • StephenVyas
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    StephenVyas polycounter lvl 18
    Thanks goes out to those posting availabilities at their studios! -Love seeing this community band together to help folks hit by hard times :icon60:
  • reverendK
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    reverendK polycounter lvl 7
    Despite what some people have said Cryptic is a great place to work if you're not really into the project layoff cycle. We've got some amazing artists here, too - (except for quack!. he's godawful. we pretend he's not here.)
    we're also growing and hiring at a pretty regular cadence. I would love to see some of the carbine guys make their way up here.

    I know apologies have been made and people have moved on - but I work at cryptic and I would just like to add something: it's not fair to judge an entire studio's art capabilities based on a 5 year old game that's running at MMORPG specs..from 5 years ago.
    a 5 year old MMORPG that's still turning a profit, by the way, and hasn't had any mass layoffs in it's lifetime.
    stability is a good thing.

    /rant.
    Hope everybody makes it to their next job ok. always a bummer.
  • StephenVyas
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    StephenVyas polycounter lvl 18
    Yea, pay no attention to comments like that bud. They're as fierce as a fart in the wind
  • Bertmac
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    Bertmac polycounter lvl 17
    That's some Shitty news, Hope the best for all.

    @ Grimwolf,

    You are

    injuries_forweb-980x648.jpg

    Of ending your Career right here.
  • Kwramm
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    Kwramm interpolator
    Loved the art style, hated the game and UI. Shame, I really wished they would have succeeded.

    For me the case doesn't look like bad management though. More like bad market research where someone just judged the demand for such a game wrong.Here I really disagree with old Yoda: You gotta try! "Do not" is just the wrong attitude for making games. At least the game got people employed for a while, allowing them to work in the industry, letting them gather experience and make connections, and hopefully they had a good time while working on this game!
    I worked on some games that didn't do too well (Age of Conan anyone?) and while the game wasn't so great and people got laid off, it was a heck of a time and I had the honor to work with many great artists. I rather work on a game that gets canned, canceled, whatever over doing anything else, because making games is fun! I hope the same is true for the Carbine guys and they find new jobs soon!
  • reverendK
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    reverendK polycounter lvl 7
    I can't be the only one who doesn't like that these threads almost always turn into some sort of outlet for critiquing the game the studio made or the studio itself.
    can we leave that to threads about the actual games? i'm pretty sure you can dig up an old Wildstar thread if you want to subject everybody to your opinion about it.
  • ZacD
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    ZacD ngon master
  • Wahlgren
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    Wahlgren polycounter lvl 17
    Good luck fellas. As a man that started his career in MMO's, Never again! Way to chaotic :(

    Getting canned was a blessing in disguise for me. Hope it is for you guys too!
  • PyrZern
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    PyrZern polycounter lvl 12
    I don't think the artists, any artist, should be blamed or held responsible for this. For any game. It's not like we are the one designing the game, or the game mechanics/features, or even art style.

    Out of all the games I have played, and I play a lot of games, NOT ONCE have I thought "Man, this game is so much fun, but the graphic sucks so bad." Nada. Never. Ever.

    0d5239250ade29986bae3aa343b31e54.png
  • Fuse
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    Fuse polycounter lvl 18
    Grimwolf wrote: »
    Cryptic also has the most lack standards for artists I have EVER SEEN.
    I'd love to see what the portfolios of some of those people looked like when they got hired.

    And in one fell swoop, you've significantly diminished your chances of employment at a few studios represented on the forum :)

    Hey guys we're looking for people at DE! Hope all is well!

    http://www.digitalextremes.com/careers/postings
  • Ace-Angel
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    Ace-Angel polycounter lvl 12
    >Layoff happens
    >Thread made
    >Artists get blamed for layoff (lel, logic)
    >Socio-Political analysis about game in said thread

    C'mon peeps, you're better than this...
  • Cheez
  • katana
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    katana polycounter lvl 14
    "We're done here...you can go now."

    Never ceases to amaze me.
  • Renaud Galand
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    Renaud Galand polycounter lvl 19
    SO SORRY to hear, this SUCKS so much...

    You guys should be proud, though. The art produced for this game is absolutely amazing!

    As usual, please take a moment to look at the Blizzard's current openings :

    http://us.blizzard.com/en-us/company/careers/index.html

    Best of luck, guys!

    -R
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