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Trion Worlds Layoffs

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word is almost 40.

Hope you guys land on your feet.

As always, let us know and we'll keep an ear out for you guys!

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  • Mrskullface
  • MainManiac
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    MainManiac polycounter lvl 11
  • daphz
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    daphz polycounter lvl 13
    Major bummer! Best of luck to those affected.
  • skylebones
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    skylebones polycounter lvl 10
    Not to mention the trouble with End of Nations. Really sad to hear this.
  • D4V1DC
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    D4V1DC polycounter lvl 18
    Always bad news, best of luck ladies+gents!
  • wester
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    wester polycounter lvl 13
    Do you know which studios? I have some friends at the san diego studio. My thoughts go out to everyone! It really turns my stomach to hear these things.
  • d1ver
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    d1ver polycounter lvl 14
    So much awesome talent there. I hope the guys and gals get picked up fast.

    Fingers crossed.
  • ex-trion
    They actually laid off a few in October, and then about 20 to 30 (maybe more) in November from Austin. That one went undetected and never hit the media.

    Today's layoffs were actual RIFT developers in Redwood City. RIFT isn't having horrendous problems, but the subs aren't where they should for the quality of the game, and quite frankly End of Nations has trashed everything monetarily. RIFT was paying for that game and now it's suffering for it.
  • Thegodzero
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    Thegodzero polycounter lvl 18
    Wait what?? But they are still on the fucking front page of polycount still!
  • Justin Meisse
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    Justin Meisse polycounter lvl 18
    frell wrote: »
    :(

    Because copying WoW with better graphics was sooooo promising, I saw it coming sadly

    not cool, man
  • Geezus
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    Geezus mod
    This is certainly not the place for "I told you so."

    RIFT was a fantastically gorgeous game and damn fun. Great game all around. Best wishes
    to everyone affected.
  • reverendK
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    reverendK polycounter lvl 7
    @frell - it's my understanding that the culprit of the layoffs was End of Nations, not Rift..so your "i told you so" is not only wrong, but a moot point.
  • Dan!
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    Dan! polycounter lvl 6
  • Fuse
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    Fuse polycounter lvl 18
    How's Daz? Is he still at Trion ?
  • Mathew O
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    Mathew O polycounter
    Sorry to everyone involved, good luck in your search for work :)
  • ebagg
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    ebagg polycounter lvl 17
    Hope everyone lands new gigs quickly.

    Can anyone comment on the nature of the layoffs? They were hiring people this past summer... was the staff meant to be ramped up then cut down for the release of the new Rift expansion from the beginning or did they tell people the hiring was for long term positions? Do most people these days assume they're likely to get cut by the end of a project, regardless of anything they are told about job security?
  • skylebones
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    skylebones polycounter lvl 10
    Ebagg- This is all speculation, but I think End of Nations turned out to be a bigger problem than expected. In the summer things were on track and suppose to launch this fall. But from articles on gamasutra and kotaku it had some big problems. Launch was pushed back, it was brought in house, and when you have a big hit to your schedule like that it can cause some damage.
  • rockstar6
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    rockstar6 polycounter lvl 11
    I thought Rift was an amazing game, feel sad for the people who got laid off. Good luck to the people involved.
  • Reverenddevil
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    Reverenddevil polycounter lvl 9
    So I was one of many laid off today. If anyone knows of any opportunities please feel free to hit me up. Good luck to my fellow artists who are also now looking or will be looking for work in the future. PMA!!!
  • Sean VanGorder
    I was one of the artists laid off as well. If anyone is looking for an environment artist, please let me know. Best of luck to the others affected by the lay offs.
  • MainManiac
  • ex-trion
    ebagg wrote: »
    Hope everyone lands new gigs quickly.

    Can anyone comment on the nature of the layoffs? They were hiring people this past summer... was the staff meant to be ramped up then cut down for the release of the new Rift expansion from the beginning or did they tell people the hiring was for long term positions? Do most people these days assume they're likely to get cut by the end of a project, regardless of anything they are told about job security?

    NO ONE expected to get cut from Trion. Something happened somewhere down the line. Could have been a deal in the background that went bad or never went through. Could be anything. But I can tell you that End of Nations was a drain.
  • ex-trion
    skylebones wrote: »
    Ebagg- This is all speculation, but I think End of Nations turned out to be a bigger problem than expected. In the summer things were on track and suppose to launch this fall. But from articles on gamasutra and kotaku it had some big problems. Launch was pushed back, it was brought in house, and when you have a big hit to your schedule like that it can cause some damage.

    This is not speculation and you are right on the money.
  • ex-trion
    frell wrote: »
    It wasn't meant to be offensive at all

    If I heard my studio was planning to compete with Blizzard I would have started looking for a new job early after excessive facepalming. History shows that it isn't possible and it will hurt the entire studio/company.

    Its as simple as this: If people want WoW they'll play WoW.

    Actually, RIFT is the only game that's pulled it off. Personally, I think they should have focused solely on RIFT and MAYBE Defiance, but having three games going when RIFT was just getting going wasn't the best idea. Especially when third party companies were involved that aren't even located in the same state.

    I'm not saying anything bad about Petroglyph at all, I'm just saying that RIFT should have been the primary focus.
  • MainManiac
  • wasker
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    wasker polycounter lvl 7
    Sorry to hear :( I thought Rift was pretty cool.
  • ex-trion
    Actually, with the low renderer, RIFT's requirements aren't that steep. It's pretty versatile, and I still think it's one of the best MMOs out there. Just because I've been laid off, I can't be spiteful and say someone's game sucks.
  • r_fletch_r
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    r_fletch_r polycounter lvl 9
    Hope you all land on your feet guys.
    frell wrote: »
    It wasn't meant to be offensive at all

    If I heard my studio was planning to compete with Blizzard I would have started looking for a new job early after excessive facepalming. History shows that it isn't possible and it will hurt the entire studio/company.

    Its as simple as this: If people want WoW they'll play WoW.

    Who gives a shit Frell, have some tact. 40 People are looking for jobs just before Christmas. The last thing they need is some wise-ass saying they had it coming.
  • Daz
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    Daz polycounter lvl 18
    It's a shame that my first pc post in forever has to be somewhat negative. But Frell, speculating on something you know absolutely nothing whatsoever about and stating it as if it's fact is at best naiive but in this particular context actually a little shitty If I may say so. Whatever your personal opinion on Rift (which you're perfectly entitled to have, obviously), it's always done well, and the strategies of any company in this bizz are usually dictated by far more than one products performance. But you're essentially also saying we're all idiots for working here (both those gone and those remaining). Perhaps a little insensitive, no?

    I'm really, REALLY bummed to discover this news today, I'm actually out of the office with a new kid so wasn't around and of course had absolutely no idea. I wish all of my ex co-workers the absolute very best and hope they fall on their feet soon. If there's anything I can do to help then please let me know.

    And I'm OK, thanks Fuse.
  • ex-trion
    True enough. If only these companies could wait to do this until January.
  • Anuxinamoon
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    Anuxinamoon polycounter lvl 14
    So many of my mates have been affected and it's pretty stink that they were laid off before the holidays.

    Hears to all who will find bigger and better jerbs in the new year :D
  • ex-trion
    luke wrote: »
    this is sad :( rift looks gorgeous and looked a treat to work on, hope you all find something soon

    It definitely was a treat. One of the best studios (or places for that matter) that I've worked for. Though they've been hiring some questionable people as of late. And none of use really saw this coming, so it does indeed suck.
  • low odor
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    low odor polycounter lvl 17
    heh.....Daz lives.. a true PC OG..Rifts looks masterful man, you should be proud...it's a shame about the layoffs...but with the quality of work as high as it is...no one on that team should have trouble
  • slipgatecentral
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    slipgatecentral polycounter lvl 13
    frell wrote: »
    Personally the biggest thing WoW had on Rift was the fact that you could play WoW on a family computer

    famicom was 8-bit and couldn't run windows
  • MainManiac
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    MainManiac polycounter lvl 11
    r_fletch_r wrote: »
    Hope you all land on your feet guys.



    Who gives a shit Frell, have some tact. 40 People are looking for jobs just before Christmas. The last thing they need is some wise-ass saying they had it coming.
    Way to put words into my mouth.

    But you're right. Lets all just be polycount and not even look into the reason WHY the company issued lay offs. Lets all be sitting ducks and let the industry throw us around.

    Ok.

    Daz wrote: »
    It's a shame that my first pc post in forever has to be somewhat negative. But Frell, speculating on something you know absolutely nothing whatsoever about and stating it as if it's fact is at best naiive but in this particular context actually a little shitty If I may say so. Whatever your personal opinion on Rift (which you're perfectly entitled to have, obviously), it's always done well, and the strategies of any company in this bizz are usually dictated by far more than one products performance. But you're essentially also saying we're all idiots for working here (both those gone and those remaining). Perhaps a little insensitive, no?

    I'm really, REALLY bummed to discover this news today, I'm actually out of the office with a new kid so wasn't around and of course had absolutely no idea. I wish all of my ex co-workers the absolute very best and hope they fall on their feet soon. If there's anything I can do to help then please let me know.

    And I'm OK, thanks Fuse.


    My post was never meant to offend, and it was not a wise ass comment. Rift was a great game, yes, I enjoyed it for the 5 days I played but I was already neck deep in WoW and didn't feel like starting over. If I had found Rift first id be playing it right now. Its obvious how Rift could be responsible, but it was never a bad game at all. It goes past that.

    I never said anyone was an idiot. Im saying personally if I heard development had began on a product competing with Blizzard I would start to look into a back up plan. NO ONE deserved this.

    Why can't we look into the reason for the layoffs? Why is it frowned upon on this community to look deep into anything? Stop taking everything for what it is on the surface.

    ex-trion wrote: »
    Actually, with the low renderer, RIFT's requirements aren't that steep. It's pretty versatile, and I still think it's one of the best MMOs out there. Just because I've been laid off, I can't be spiteful and say someone's game sucks.


    Truth is the game looks like crap on anything except High, but thats true for all next-gen games

    Its amazing how I never stated an opinion on the game (in previous posts) yet everyone assumes I said it sucks.
  • Fuse
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    Fuse polycounter lvl 18
    Because more often than not, we are just skilled artists here and don't get involved in the politics and economics of running a game studio.

    That's why when we hear things like this we focus on getting people back on their feet rather than go on a tangent on matters we have no influence on.

    Daz: I am glad everything is alright with you, especially sensitive time of the year with the holidays and a new child in the mix.

    Trion guys: we're hiring http://www.digitalextremes.com/careers/postings
  • ErichWK
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    ErichWK polycounter lvl 12
    famicom was 8-bit and couldn't run windows

    Ugh. What was the point of me buying one while I was in Japan, then??
  • Hazardous
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    Hazardous polycounter lvl 12
    Sorry to hear this guys, even though weve been gone for just over a year it still has a very real saddening effect, hope all my chums get something good happening real soon! Special hugs for any of the people on visa's who are looking at returning to their home countries if they cant find another gig - argh!!!

    Frell:
    facepalm-captain-picard.jpg
  • Goat Justice
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    Goat Justice polycounter lvl 10
    Sorry to hear the bad news. Hope you folks land on your feet soon.
  • MainManiac
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    MainManiac polycounter lvl 11
    Fuse wrote: »
    Because more often than not, we are just skilled artists here and don't get involved in the politics and economics of running a game studio.

    That's why when we hear things like this we focus on getting people back on their feet rather than go on a tangent on matters we have no influence on.

    Well of course, but artists play a huge role in the industry. We're thrown around, fired and hired constantly at the expense of a single idea all the time.

    Did I say "they had it coming" No. Did I say "I saw it coming"? Yes. Probably because im always interested in the economics behind it. I mean a jobs a job, I get it. You have families and bills to pay and if it was the only option at the time then thats excellent, its a shame to be cut off so soon though.
    Hazardous wrote: »
    Frell:
    facepalm-captain-picard.jpg
    Sorry I brought up economics in a layoff thread

    lolwut
  • Oniram
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    Oniram polycounter lvl 15
    it seems to be a trend now that every time theres a thread about something series it gets fucking derailed into a pointless OPINIONATED arguement. if you're going to argue about which MMO you prefer.. make a thread for it..this isnt the place.

    It got me pretty upset to hear about this. Truly sorry to all who were affected. If any of the trion guys/gals are looking to stay in the bay area, feel free to let me know and i'll see if i can put in any word here at sledgehammer.
  • Fuse
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    Fuse polycounter lvl 18
    Frell Rift is the game that Trion was built on.
  • MainManiac
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    MainManiac polycounter lvl 11
    Well yes Rift was an excellent game, I never said it crashed and burned. The expansions were very promising to its success.

    http://www.google.com/trends/explore#q=%22rift+game%22
    http://www.google.com/trends/explore#q=riftgame.com

    compared to:
    http://www.google.com/trends/explore#q=%22the+secret+world%22
    and
    http://www.google.com/trends/explore#q=swtor.com

    You can see Rift delivered, but it was only a matter of time.

    Was just reading up and Defiance seems like it will be really cool
  • Cybrinsanity
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    Cybrinsanity polycounter lvl 9
    I also got layed off today from Trion ... any Freelance or gigs people can forward on I'd much appreciate Thanks!!

    http://bingsblogfog.blogspot.com/
  • almighty_gir
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    almighty_gir ngon master
    Frell man, you need to spend less time telling people how it is, and more time making art... either that or just gtfo i guess?
  • Two Listen
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    Two Listen polycount sponsor
    Damn, shit sucks, heart goes out to those impacted by this. Really kind of surprising and odd to see this after that awesome Rift art dump in P&P recently.

    Good luck to you folks affected.
  • gavku
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    gavku polycounter lvl 18
    Bummer guys, hope everyone lands on their feet. Seems there was a tonne of talent over there.

    @frell....classy....
  • Tokoya
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    Tokoya polycounter lvl 7
    Frell, not to pile on but when everyone tells you that your comments are rude or unwanted you should probablly take the hint instead of trying to defend yourself. Just suck it up and offer your best wishes to these guys, because frankly it makes you come accross as an uncaring jerk, even though i know that isnt your intent...
  • Jeff Parrott
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    Jeff Parrott polycounter lvl 19
    Crap guys. Sorry to hear. Talented group of Artists. I'm sure you'll all land something quick.
  • aajohnny
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    aajohnny polycounter lvl 13
    Frell man, you need to spend less time telling people how it is, and more time making art... either that or just gtfo i guess?
    Amen

    On-Topic- Trion was truly blessed to have such talented artists, its their loss. That art dump was absolutely fantastic btw. Keep your heads up guys, with the talent you all have you will have no problem landing another job that's even BETTER! :)
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