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Sony Online Entertainment is the latest company to join the series of layoffs hitting the games industry. The company confirmed to me this morning they are laying off a total of 35 employees.
The layoffs themselves do not appear to be targeted at a particular development team. Here's the company's full statement, provided to me just moments ago:
“In a move to better align the company’s resources against areas of growth that meet consumer demand in today’s online market as well as improve operational efficiency, Sony Online Entertainment has eliminated just over 4% of its full-time workforce, equaling 35 people. The changes will better position SOE to deliver against its emphasis on developing games for a wider, more diverse audience and remaining a worldwide leader in online gaming.”
The EverQuest publisher is gearing up for the fall launch of their long-in-development superhero MMO, DC Universe Online, being released on both PC and PlayStation 3. Response has also been positive for their upcoming Star Wars: The Clone Wars Adventures, modeled after the publisher's other successful free-to-play MMO Free Realms. Clone Wars Adventures is due to launch around the same time as the premiere of Cartoon Network's third season of Star Wars: The Clone Wars.
There have been several waves of layoffs in games recently, with Take-Two Interactive letting 20 employees go from Maryland-based Firaxis. The studio's Civilization V is due in September. Rockstar Games has also confirmed news of layoffs (reported to as high as 40 employees) at Rockstar San Diego, the developer behind May's extremely successful Red Dead Redemption.
Have something to share? Sitting on a news tip? E-mail me. You can also follow me on Twitter.
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Comments
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electricgeisha
Not to be non sympathetic to those whom lost there jobs but it does seem to be a trend to write about every layoff be 5 - 500 in any company at the current time. People do just lose there jobs sometimes regardless of economic times due to restructuring etc... The article earlier about Rockstar Games is evident of that.
goldbar
Maybe that's why the PSN has been so laggy tonight, and I got booted from BF:BC2 three times. Coincidence?
firefist
TROLLS!
DragonQuestFanboy
Good lord 360 fanboys on an article that has nothing to do with the PS3.
InHumanMarine
Stories about layoffs affect everyone, so i chose to read it. That being said, I've seen plenty of Sony(PS3) haters on Xbox issues, Xbox haters on Wii issues, Wii haters on PC issues, PC haters on Xbox issues.... See where I'm getting at? Freedom of speech and no restrictions on the internet is a bitch ain't it?
g4ismediocre
Who cares? This is not news, many companies are laying off their workers, just because you have nothing to write about doesn't mean that you have to write about something that's going to start flamewares in the internet. Oh well, people never learn. A famous adage once said "It's always darker before dawn"
Angelicsin87
What kind of propaganda does microsoft feed you anyways? Most of the crap said above me by 360 mongers isn't true. Shut up and learn.
Angelicsin87
Seriously! Leave you F@#$ING 360 TROLLS!!! You have no business here and you're just haters! I feel sorry ffor those people who got laid off, I wish them luck.
crapgamer
That company is going to be in serious amounts of trouble when they realize people aren't going to flock to 3-D like they had hoped. They are already the only gaming company losing money now, almost a billion a year.
THey have hundreds of Millions invested in 3-D which is historically a fad and comes and goes, upgraded and upgraded and never sticks. Nothing has changed. Sucks for the employees, but who didn't see this coming? Who doesn't see massive layoffs for that company in the future?
jimmyquinella
http://www.industrygamers.com/ news/sony-online-entertainment -hit-with-layoffs/
Was posted last year ... does this mean 10 percent layoffs within 12 months?
Mac_Lopez
Where's EverQuest?
MJH243
And the hits just keep on coming... I wish everyone who has been laid-off nothing but the best in the future.
That statement from SOE sounds harsh to boot, like it came from a quarterly report as opposed to a general statement.
ZoyosJD
@Kronik
You should check out the forum thread I just posted in titled : Microsoft's new hardware; what are YOU willing to put up with? Anyways layoffs suck for our economy anyways.
@Littlebigthreat
I hope that is sarcasm.
CDAT1AD
Well that sucks for the jobs lost, good luck to those affected. But in reality Sony is a dead horse, they just don't know it yet. They are charging for demo's and "free" games that you lose when your subscription ends. What a load of crap. And to top it off they addressed no issues of their free sub-par online service! They are slowly circling the bowl already. Failstation 3 all the way baby!
CDAT1AD
Well that sucks for the jobs lost, good luck to those affected. But in reality Sony is a dead horse, they just don't know it yet. They are charging for demo's and "free" games that you lose when your subscription ends. What a load of crap. And to top it off they addressed no issues of their free sub-par online service! They are slowly circling the bowl already. Failstation 3 all the way baby!
CDAT1AD
Well that sucks for the jobs lost, good luck to those affected. But in reality Sony is a dead horse, they just don't know it yet. They are charging for demo's and "free" games that you lose when your subscription ends. What a load of crap. And to top it off they addressed no issues of their free sub-par online service! They are slowly circling the bowl already. Failstation 3 all the way baby!
ImpurestCrowd
@Kronik
You might want to learn to read first before making a statement like that. It mentions nothing about the PS3, this is Sony online which affects PC gaming idiot. Besides PS3 is the best system, you don't know that by now?
macross2012
Horrible games, horrible company
Littlebigthreat
@Kronik
Wow, good one bro.
Kr0nIK x kiLLa
its ps3 , who cares. XBOX 360 ALL THE WAY. its a shame for the people who got layed off though.
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