PlayStation Studios Development

[the-pi-guy]

Sega and Namco Bandai? I don't buy it

Any reason why?

[the-pi-guy]

As video game companies reckon with the debate over remote work, some of 2023’s best and biggest games were made by developers who were allowed to ditch the commute. This week’s newsletter: https://t.co/33r6jXR0Mx pic.twitter.com/HXBUquA2uU

— Jason Schreier (@jasonschreier) October 27, 2023

[Legend]

Lol lists star wars as an example. It has a 64% rating on steam.

There has never been a debate that great games can be built from home, the first Ori was all remote. It's a debate on if they're more or less likely to work.

[Horizon]

Any reason why?

They're not known for Sony style games. Capcom and Square would make more sense.

[the-pi-guy]

Destiny 2 developer Bungie is the latest PlayStation studio to have layoffs. Full scope isn't clear yet, but CEO Pete Parsons emailed the company this morning to say they'll be having a team meeting today to talk about "some news today coming out of Bungie" as staff are informed

— Jason Schreier (@jasonschreier) October 30, 2023

[the-pi-guy]

NEW: Bungie laid off an undisclosed number of staff today, part of ongoing job cuts across PlayStation. The company recently delayed the upcoming Destiny 2 expansion The Final Shape to June 2024 and the new game Marathon to 2025, sources tell Bloomberg https://t.co/UiLwy28VyG pic.twitter.com/aN2BgOROj8

— Jason Schreier (@jasonschreier) October 30, 2023

[Legend]

What's happening with Sony, why all these layoffs around the same time?

[the-pi-guy]

What's happening with Sony, why all these layoffs around the same time?

A review period.
This year has also been very bad for developers in general.

Axios: Video Game Layoffs

The cuts include more than 800 jobs eliminated this month by Epic Games, earlier cuts of hundreds of workers apiece by Niantic, Electronic Arts and Unity and scores of other smaller trims and outright studio closures like Embracer's shutdown of Volition since the start of the year.

"2022 was probably the best year to break into games," she says. "However, 2023, many agree, is worse than 2009," when much of the world was in a recession.

Everything I've been saying about #Sony's G&NS profit margin is, unfortunately, coming true.

A business entity posting record revenues, only to drive a shrinking operating income (in comparison to previous results) is not a good look to investors. It screams "costs are out of…

— Game Over Thirty (aka RallyCarDelta) (@GameOverThirty) October 30, 2023

[SWORDF1SH]

I thought Bungie was still independent

[the-pi-guy]

I thought Bungie was still independent

They're still making internal choices.
But Sony is the one who pays them.  

[kitler53]

What's happening with Sony, why all these layoffs around the same time?

tbh,.. some of it is just because they can.   the tech industry is shedding jobs like crazy these days so sony cutting a few people goes pretty much unnoticed.   i can't speak to places outside of america but companies frequently use "lay-offs" to disguise "firing" a person.    it's super hard and expensive to fire someone but not so bad to lay someone off.   tell a division they need to "lay-off" 5% of their staff and I can assure you its the worst performing 5% that gets cut.  

it's why you can frequently see a company do a massive layoff and then almost immediately turn around and start doing a hiring spree.   i blame shareholders which of course is me.   

[the-pi-guy]

MS laid off over 10,000 employees while in the midst of the Activision acquisition.

[the-pi-guy]

Over 6,000 developers have been laid of this year. The same year that studios have received unprecedented praise for the quality of the games they’re making. The same year that the industry has maintained its trajectory of reaching 320 billion in revenue vs. 120 billion in 2017.

— Jess Howard (@awildjessichu) October 30, 2023

[Legend]

Over 6,000 developers have been laid of this year. The same year that studios have received unprecedented praise for the quality of the games they’re making. The same year that the industry has maintained its trajectory of reaching 320 billion in revenue vs. 120 billion in 2017.

— Jess Howard (@awildjessichu) October 30, 2023

lol what about this year has been unprecedented praise?

tbh,.. some of it is just because they can.   the tech industry is shedding jobs like crazy these days so sony cutting a few people goes pretty much unnoticed.   i can't speak to places outside of america but companies frequently use "lay-offs" to disguise "firing" a person.    it's super hard and expensive to fire someone but not so bad to lay someone off.   tell a division they need to "lay-off" 5% of their staff and I can assure you its the worst performing 5% that gets cut.  

it's why you can frequently see a company do a massive layoff and then almost immediately turn around and start doing a hiring spree.   i blame shareholders which of course is me.  

I know of a few tech industry layoffs but most of the "close to home" ones have been from companies in poor situations or looking to be sold.

You're definitely right though that not all layoffs are the same. This could just be Sony cleaning up because they can.

[Horizon]

tbh,.. some of it is just because they can.   the tech industry is shedding jobs like crazy these days so sony cutting a few people goes pretty much unnoticed.   i can't speak to places outside of america but companies frequently use "lay-offs" to disguise "firing" a person.    it's super hard and expensive to fire someone but not so bad to lay someone off.   tell a division they need to "lay-off" 5% of their staff and I can assure you its the worst performing 5% that gets cut.  

it's why you can frequently see a company do a massive layoff and then almost immediately turn around and start doing a hiring spree.   i blame shareholders which of course is me.  

Yep capitalism is like a cancer