Maybe somebody here has some experience with doing freelance work on a canceled title, but what would happen if you were a freelancer that worked on a title that was canned? Would you be allowed special permission to show off work, or would you have to deal with it like everybody else? I'd imagine if a freelancer lost 7 years of work, that could very well be career ending (at least for a while, until they could make an updated portfolio assuming they weren't doing personal projects outside of being contracted.)
In most cases, you can work out an arrangement where a limited selection can be shown if you password-protect it. It's something you'd have to negotiate either in advance or after, but on the whole they're going to understand that you need to keep your portfolio up to date.
Maybe somebody here has some experience with doing freelance work on a canceled title, but what would happen if you were a freelancer that worked on a title that was canned? Would you be allowed special permission to show off work, or would you have to deal with it like everybody else? I'd imagine if a freelancer lost 7 years of work, that could very well be career ending (at least for a while, until they could make an updated portfolio assuming they weren't doing personal projects outside of being contracted.)
depends on the client. one of the reasons we have barely anything to show in public for 4 years, is cancelled projects. Thats how it goes...
the world is probably ready for another MMO as good as WOW is but with a different setting/style...
but it just goes to show it isn't easy to make...wasn't wow cancelled *before* it officially came out?
the world is probably ready for another MMO as good as WOW is but with a different setting/style...
but it just goes to show it isn't easy to make...wasn't wow cancelled because it officially came out?
no.
even Blizzard can't replicate the phenomenon that was WoW, and they know it.
To be honest I was wondering how Blizzard would of handled having two separate MMOs without competing with itself (Business-end wise), unless Titan was supposed to be vastly different from WoW.
I've worked for 20 years and I have nothing I can show people ... how is that any different? It's a job, if you get to do something you love (3d/2d art or any part of that pipeline) and get paid for it at a excellent company to put on your CV where is the 'waste of time' value in that?
Timing was very crucial to WOW's success when it first launched. At the time, there wasn't anything quite like it, now the MMORPG market is quite saturated. The industry as a whole has leveled up quite dramatically as well.
I hope they find a way to use some of the assets that were created for Titan on a different project. It would be a shame to not see some of the amazing work done.
I am a huge Blizzard fan. After having played WOW for 10 years I was really looking forward to Titan. Such a shame. I assume this means we won't be seeing a new MMORPG from Blizzard.
you get to do something you love (3d/2d art or any part of that pipeline) and get paid for it at a excellent company to put on your CV where is the 'waste of time' value in that?
Its not a total waste of time but it will certainly be harder to get another job if you cant show how much you have improved in the last 7 years. Companies don't trust individuals to do a job unless they can prove it and Art speaks louder than words.
Its not a total waste of time but it will certainly be harder to get another job if you cant show how much you have improved in the last 7 years. Companies don't trust individuals to do a job unless they can prove it and Art speaks louder than words.
its not like they are all laid off now,
as far as i understand it they are all still working at blizzard... so why talk about this nonexistent issue
Goeddy, that was in response to Gilgamesh, not Titan.
I've worked on quite a few cancelled projects (I'm not cursed I swear!) and I've found the best way to deal with it is the same way to deal with life... enjoy it moment to moment, and don't get hung up on the past too much. If I'm working on something awesome, with a great team, that's the best thing right there.
can someone please convince them to release a Titan Art book and make some money back while letting the rest of us get a glimpse at stuff that would otherwise never be seen
Re not being able to show anything for 7 years of work, I can imagine that would hurt. Real bad.
But 7 years worth of experience, friendships, good times, artistic growth at one of the best games developers on the planet isn't something that any game artist should cast aside - just because. That's like a tenth of your life spent with people you probably spent more time with than your own family. I would hope that *if* you were unlucky enough to walk away from that without being able to show your work, that you were at LEAST able to walk away from that a better artist, better person and with a handful of really solid friendships.
If you had neither, then I have no doubt you would probably be ready to split someones atoms :P
Sad to hear Titan got canceled. I was looking forward to what Blizzard might have shown. MMOs dont seem to be as big as they were say 4 or 5 years ago. The people who made WOW hit 13 million subs ( i think it was 13 mil) like and including me have all aged a fair deal and dont have time for the massive time sink an MMO requires. Like others on this thread have said, there just aren't enough hours in the day and the interest isn't there.
If i had someone tell me that I wasted 7 years on a dead project and couldn't at least use some of the art I did in my portfolio, I would want heads on pikes. I wouldn't want to be that person with an inactive resume/portfolio and have to look for a new job (if i were layed off). Hopefully all on the project were resigned instead of let go.
Sad to hear, but at the same time, it takes courage to make the right call and realize when something isn't working, rather then trying to fit a square peg into a circle hole so to speak. We've seen lots of sub-par games released or rushed because they needed to get -something out-.
Still, I can see it being disheartening for the people who worked on it, especially if any of them were there for the entire time.
I would be curious to know how much of that time was spent in pre-prod and how much was actual full development with a larger team.
What's the average length of an MMO Development Cycle?
I'd say anywhere between 3-5 years but I can see that timeframe getting longer based on art complexity. I've shipped 2 MMOs in 7 years, so it's not like working on an annual or semi annual release cycle.
I am sorry, but I don't understand whats the big deal about not being able to show artwork from Titan? I mean, if you spent 7 years working for one if not the most famous game company, that means you have the skills and experience to be among the best.
Can't this person just walk away, spend a month doing a couple of top notch characters for his or her portfolio?
Unit, you really shouldn't have an attitude towards Blizzard like that. That is how people get crappy wages being told "You should be honored to work for us." kind of thing going on.
You should never feel lucky to work somewhere because that is when the company can start taking advantage of you. It is probably one of the worst mindsets you can have and is part of how things like the Disney wage fixing in the special effects/animation industry came to be.
Have you worked on any canceled game? Sure I got to work with some of the best in the business at TCB but it still hurt when I found out our game was canceled, I wasn't even with the studio when that happened.
Unit, you really shouldn't have an attitude towards Blizzard like that. That is how people get crappy wages being told "You should be honored to work for us." kind of thing going on.
You should never feel lucky to work somewhere because that is when the company can start taking advantage of you. It is probably one of the worst mindsets you can have and is part of how things like the Disney wage fixing in the special effects/animation industry came to be.
I didn't mean that.
What I was saying is if you have managed to get hired there, you must be quite good at your craft. And working in this company surely improved your skills, which means even if you cannot show any art from cancelled game, you can always make something new for your portfolio.
And yes, I've worked on cancelled game and cancelled movie, I know it hurts, but it's not like your art skills were cancelled too :P
I didn't mean that.
What I was saying is if you have managed to get hired there, you must be quite good at your craft. And working in this company surely improved your skills, which means even if you cannot show any art from cancelled game, you can always make something new for your portfolio.
And yes, I've worked on cancelled game and cancelled movie, I know it hurts, but it's not like your art skills were cancelled too :P
This is pretty much how I look at it. First of all, as far as I know, there haven't been layoffs from this. It looks like everyone is getting moved to other projects so, unless people are leaving of their own accord, not showing off assets in a portfolio is a moot point. (though I still imagine it sucks)
I agree with Unit187. If you're working for Blizzard, I can imagine that your skill level is pretty high. Those skills don't go out the window suddenly. You can always work on personal portfolio stuff in your off time.
Replies
depends on the client. one of the reasons we have barely anything to show in public for 4 years, is cancelled projects. Thats how it goes...
but it just goes to show it isn't easy to make...wasn't wow cancelled *before* it officially came out?
no.
even Blizzard can't replicate the phenomenon that was WoW, and they know it.
It sucks. Sorry to hear it blizz-guys
To be honest I was wondering how Blizzard would of handled having two separate MMOs without competing with itself (Business-end wise), unless Titan was supposed to be vastly different from WoW.
I hope they find a way to use some of the assets that were created for Titan on a different project. It would be a shame to not see some of the amazing work done.
I am a huge Blizzard fan. After having played WOW for 10 years I was really looking forward to Titan. Such a shame. I assume this means we won't be seeing a new MMORPG from Blizzard.
Its not a total waste of time but it will certainly be harder to get another job if you cant show how much you have improved in the last 7 years. Companies don't trust individuals to do a job unless they can prove it and Art speaks louder than words.
Right, rockstarski??
Just say'n
its not like they are all laid off now,
as far as i understand it they are all still working at blizzard... so why talk about this nonexistent issue
I've worked on quite a few cancelled projects (I'm not cursed I swear!) and I've found the best way to deal with it is the same way to deal with life... enjoy it moment to moment, and don't get hung up on the past too much. If I'm working on something awesome, with a great team, that's the best thing right there.
please
But 7 years worth of experience, friendships, good times, artistic growth at one of the best games developers on the planet isn't something that any game artist should cast aside - just because. That's like a tenth of your life spent with people you probably spent more time with than your own family. I would hope that *if* you were unlucky enough to walk away from that without being able to show your work, that you were at LEAST able to walk away from that a better artist, better person and with a handful of really solid friendships.
If you had neither, then I have no doubt you would probably be ready to split someones atoms :P
If i had someone tell me that I wasted 7 years on a dead project and couldn't at least use some of the art I did in my portfolio, I would want heads on pikes. I wouldn't want to be that person with an inactive resume/portfolio and have to look for a new job (if i were layed off). Hopefully all on the project were resigned instead of let go.
Still, I can see it being disheartening for the people who worked on it, especially if any of them were there for the entire time.
I would be curious to know how much of that time was spent in pre-prod and how much was actual full development with a larger team.
I'd say anywhere between 3-5 years but I can see that timeframe getting longer based on art complexity. I've shipped 2 MMOs in 7 years, so it's not like working on an annual or semi annual release cycle.
Can't this person just walk away, spend a month doing a couple of top notch characters for his or her portfolio?
You should never feel lucky to work somewhere because that is when the company can start taking advantage of you. It is probably one of the worst mindsets you can have and is part of how things like the Disney wage fixing in the special effects/animation industry came to be.
What I was saying is if you have managed to get hired there, you must be quite good at your craft. And working in this company surely improved your skills, which means even if you cannot show any art from cancelled game, you can always make something new for your portfolio.
And yes, I've worked on cancelled game and cancelled movie, I know it hurts, but it's not like your art skills were cancelled too :P
This is pretty much how I look at it. First of all, as far as I know, there haven't been layoffs from this. It looks like everyone is getting moved to other projects so, unless people are leaving of their own accord, not showing off assets in a portfolio is a moot point. (though I still imagine it sucks)
I agree with Unit187. If you're working for Blizzard, I can imagine that your skill level is pretty high. Those skills don't go out the window suddenly. You can always work on personal portfolio stuff in your off time.