GRIN! LAYOFFS
polycounter lvl 12
Sounds shitty is it true?
http://kotaku.com/5271661/rumor-mass-layoffs-hit-bionic-commando-developer-grin
grin is one of the companies i would love to work at! sux if these rumors are true
http://kotaku.com/5271661/rumor-mass-layoffs-hit-bionic-commando-developer-grin
grin is one of the companies i would love to work at! sux if these rumors are true
Replies
Were you one of those cut, Peris?
we're looking for a technical animator and a graphics programmer if anyone wants to pass stuff along.
It really seems like a lot of places are getting made redundant recently - bad times indeed.
I imagine it was also a choice of having all three games finish so soon from each other. All of a sudden you're faced with 3 full teams and not much work to do.
Gotta stair step those projects.
I think you're right.
Also, when you get into full production mode on such a huge scale, and have to blow up the team sizes, maybe it would be smart to in-house contract the positions. So they know that after the game is done it's time to move on. I know that has it's issues too, But really, It's wrong to hire somebody at the "Polish Phase" of a project, treat them like they are gonna be with the company forever, Get them all comfortable so they decorate their cube and get all cozy, then at the end of the project Lay off everybody but the core team. Mentally, it would just be nicer to know strait up the when the project is over, the Team will Deflate.
Like I said though, this does have it's issues too, like relocation expenses and whatnot.
But I hear that's how they roll in Hollywood with the carpentry and set building positions, they know they are only gonna be there for a while, but it's cool because the next gig is just across the street.
QFT
best of luck to everyone affected !
Frankly I'd rather have the false sense of security. At least I'd get severance on the way out if they'd made it a permanent position, which really helps ease the transition.
Yep. It's also tough that all three titles were licensed IP. GRIN could neither monkey with the release dates (especially with the movie IP), nor could they plan for sequels or follow on projects. They are entirely at the whim of the license holders, and its the employees that suffer the consequences.
I was very impressed with GRIN and what they were able to do with these games, but it's still a tough way of doing business that has sunk many developers. Maybe a publisher will give them a shot with an original title now and give them a chance to control their own destiny. If that doesn't happen, they will need more investment or a buyout very very soon.
Bad planning? act of precaution? to many projects not enough revenue? act of total betrayal against employees? pfft, really weird.
considering their buisnessplans or whatever its seems crazy they opened these offices and wanted to shop more.
well, best of luck to all ! if somebody plans on moving to germany, shall drop me a line.
shame, watching from the sidelines i thought grin was shaping up well. best of luck to the affected ones indeed!
I imagine they didn't sell too many copies as to compensate the investment on the different projects.
But seriously with the caliber of work they've been cranking out I hope they land something, long and lasting.
Metacritic.
Wanted: 62 / 100
Terminator: 48-50 / 100
But then again. Bionic commando rearmed did well and so does the remake. So maybe it´s the studios themselves that weren´t handled properly? (The 2 good ones were made in Stockholm and yes it would be cool if they got to do something of their own this time)
I was hoping they would score better, since I have tons of friends there and looked forward to play it.
the messed up part is that the people being sacked are probably artists and whatever kind of programmers. not the gamedesigners and gameplay programmers, the people who messed it up.
gamedesigners, who in my book are the worst kinds of people in gamedev to begin with..
Bionic and Terminator looked good and both looked fun. Maybe some stiff animation in Terminator but the environments and models look good. I haven't played either of them yet so both could be steaming piles of crap, but based on what I've seen online Terminator looked good and looks like it might be fun. I think it just shipped didn't it? And people always trash movie IP tie-in's.
Trailer looked all right:
http://www.gametrailers.com/video/spike-vga-terminator-salvation/43637
And i agree with flow3d.
PS: I tried Wanted and it did have some cool things in it though.
I wish best not only to those let go but also to those who still have their job, its gotta be hard seeing so many mates leave and it cant be easy on the morale.
http://www.gametrailers.com/video/review-hd-terminator-salvation/49399
Of course I don't trust a review blindly, but a 4 hour long campaign and no online multiplayer... doesn't sound like a game I'd buy. Ever.
But about the only good thing about it is the Gears style cover system. The art, animations, models and voice acting are terrible...
Trouble is with the T:S game, it could of been VERY well done if the devs actually cared for it, but they wanted it out in time for the film, which is a classic mistake.
Er, pretty sure it's the publishers who push the release date, not the developers. The developers may well have cared a lot, but if the publisher is leaning on them and won't take no for an answer, there's absolutely nothing they can do other than finish the game on time and on budget.
For someone who claims to know a lot about game development, you really do make some monumentally silly remarks a lot of the time.
I wonder how anyone can think it's a good idea to release a four-hour-at-best long game with no multiplayer and expect people to pay full price for it. I've played indie freeware games with much, much better longevity and incentive to keep playing.
Yeah, I remember seeing screens for Terminator and thinking it looked really good, visually speaking, for a movie tie-in. It's a shame that artists are being let go because frankly it sounds like the art production is not the reason that the games suffered. All of GRIN's games that I've seen had good visuals, but I'm guessing they just aren't injecting the proper degree of fun and addictive game design. What they need to do is get better designers.
It's a bummer, but that's what can happen when you're dealing with such a wildly multidisciplinary medium, eh?
No I dont think they are shutting down, they are letting some people go.
I wish everyone the best of luck, you're all crazy talented and I know you'll land back on your feet in no time!