Madison Magazine’s Post

Lay-off is the new cool in the games industry! Please repost to help 🙏 Three more studios joined the bandwagon and have one thing in common — quality F2P games. Stating to restructuring and the escalating cost of game development, Singularity 6 underwent its third round of layoffs by reducing 40% (36 folks) of its staff, Phoenix Labs had to let go of 100 talented game builders, and Gameloft’s Cluj Studio in Romania will shut down completely with all of its 136 employees forced to leave. Palia by Singularity 6 is a very comforting MMORPG that has equally attracted gamers and non-gamers by its simplicity, unique farming elements and mostly big social party plays. Palia has only one in-game purchase option of coins for premium clothing and no more hidden in-game transactions. Dauntless is another free-to-play action RPG that Phoenix Labs has made. I remember running out of paid big titles to play on my PS4 one evening and checking if the PlayStation Store had something to offer for free before investing money in another game. Not that PlayStation’s Free Games catalogue has much to offer but that’s when I came across Dauntless. Hands down, Dauntless turned out to be the best title in the PS's free-games library immersing me for hours with its beautiful art pushing me to the point of questioning if this game deserves to be Free. And you and I both know how most of Gameloft’s games are free for iOS and Android with Asphalt being the universal go-to racing game (not everyone can afford heavy gaming PCs and consoles). Hell, I even remember enjoying Gameloft’s versions of Prince of Persia and Assassin’s Creed on my Nokia’s Symbian OS even before Android and iOS, simply because I didn’t have access to play those original titles. I can go on reminiscing about the titles that have been made by these companies and their game devs but let's keep nostalgia for another day. If you were impacted and are seeing this post you will find extensive resources below gathered by me and my team for months so you don’t need to waste your precious time searching for them: Resource 1: 100% Scholarship on our Full Stack Game Dev Program We are offering a 100% scholarship on our flagship Full-Stack game programming BootCamp priced at $11k to everyone affected by the layoffs. Send an email to community@outscal.com. Resource 2: Layoff Support Kit - https://lnkd.in/gCCXW_Wp A wide range of top internet resources for game development. You will find top YouTube channels on game dev, Unity & C# Bootcamps, and much more. Check out even more resources in the comments below! ⏬ (My dear LinkedIn, please let me create bigger posts) I am also requesting Kelly Bender, Alexander Rehm, Caitlin Cooke, Jordan Mazer, Ruty Rutenberg, Hailey Rojas, Kevin F., Kat Craig, and Lord Amir Satvat to help this reach the folks in need and drop in their resources in the comments below. #layoffsupport

Great video on the game industry bubble or echo chamber. Laura Fryer goes into one of the best explanations of why certain aspects within gaming could be happening. Laura Fryer has many other videos on gaming subjects with a high level take from deep rooted experiance in game dev herself, she brings more nuance than many others. I am glad people like her are opening up on these situations not to criticize, but point out. Her stances have been very fair and informed. I am deeply personally uncomfortable how much gamers get blamed for not buying a game or not liking certain aspects. I have spoken with many developers and many blame gamers as of late for the lack of success. As a game developer we have one end goal and it is to make a product that sells. Within those boundaries we can make whatever game we want. But, forgetting what the gamers want is foolish and down right irresponsible not just for yourself, but your studio you work in. As we have seen games have had consequences for certain aspects as of late. In the end I still feel good gameplay is above the most important factor. BG3 has many of the aspects that some segment of gamers find controversial yet it still did well. Because beyond the gameplay subject matter was taken in a mature more nuanced well written approach. Game devs can be in a bubble or echo chamber. When you are dealing with the amount of money to make games and you have studios full with devs who have families and or other real life events that need continued health care and funding; it can be downright irresponsible being in an echo chamber. It is fine if you disagree with gamer takes. That is totally fine. But, what is not fine is ignoring it. When I hire and have talked to individuals, I talk about the importance of being an artist in studios and that we are part responsible for those millions or more that we get funding for to maintain success. If you as a game developer does not understand the weight of that and how decisions can cause problems and long lasting consequences for a studio by being in an echo chamber; that is a massive problem. Many reasons why layoffs are happening. Let’s not make up more reasons by ignoring the player base.

I honestly didn’t think this needed explaining, but given the current state of critical thinking in both game development and broader society, let me break this down Barney Style for all the developers out there. If you create a game with messaging that less than half of your potential audience supports—and your staff actively attacks those who don’t agree with that messaging—you shouldn’t be surprised when your sales reflect that. But let’s go beyond just the U.S. Gaming is a global industry now. If America scores a “5” on the scale of acceptance for certain ideas, much of the rest of the world is at a “1.” This means you’re not just alienating half of your American audience; you’re potentially cutting your global market share to a fraction—around one-sixth of what it could be. Unless you’re an indie studio creating for the love of the craft or artistic expression, you’re working for a corporation. Corporations are profit-driven. If you’re handed a $200+ million budget to make a game and fail to deliver a return on that investment, start packing your bags. That’s just the reality. The blame for these failures lies squarely with the individuals attacking communities for not buying their games and blaming CEOs for financial shortcomings. These are the same people who sold out and allowed corporations to dominate gaming. Let’s look at 343 Industries as a prime example. They were given a blank check and creative freedom to develop Halo Infinite. What did they deliver? One of the most expensive flops in gaming history. This isn’t new for them either—just look at the disaster that was Halo: MCC at launch. Who paid the price for these failures? The cleanup crew brought in to fix their mistakes, after layoffs and restructuring hit the studio hard. What’s baffling is the narrative that emerged: instead of holding the leadership responsible (like Bonnie Ross and her team), people blamed the executives tasked with fixing the mess. The mental gymnastics in those articles and posts are wild. The bottom line: success in gaming, especially on a global scale, requires understanding your audience, delivering quality, and keeping personal biases out of the equation if you want your product to succeed. It’s not rocket science—it’s business.

Among several uncontrollable variables - the speed within which things change in today's media/gaming/trending landscape has to be #1? https://lnkd.in/dQRTysQT

There have been 11,400 layoffs in the game dev industry since the start of 2024. In contrast, 2023 had around 10,000 in its entirety. 11,400. And I was part of that unfortunate group. Let's stop calling these events "restructuring". Because by how it felt like, it was "getting rid of people's livelihoods to optimize the company's earnings." I even had to beg my former company to send my severance package earlier because I won't have enough to get by with my loans about to default and my eldest son was starting school soon. These companies won't ask their employees how they are doing, how's their welfare, finances, or mental health. They just kick them out with a quick, callous notice. 11,400 left their companies and were thrust into a volatile job market. Many of my former collegues haven't found a full-time job yet. If I didn't have a rare stroke of luck, I won't get the job I have now. Many others won't be as fortunate. Once upon a time, game development was one of the most lucrative careers. Today, I can't even give my students a straight face whenever they ask me about their chances of landing a job. It breaks my heart to see so much passion and creativity in this industry that just goes to waste. I fear that it might still get worse before it becomes better. But I hope I'm wrong. I hope everyone affected by these layoffs would soon find a way to get back to the grind, building games they love without worrying about losing their livelihoods or whether or not to skip another meal. #gamedev #layoffs #opentowork #unity #unreal #godot #games #indiegames #casual #aaa #hybridcasual #midcore #ai #gamedevelopment #3d #console #mobile #pc #pcgames

🚨 Kaedim3d.com is HIRING 🚨 Send resumes to recruiting3d@kaedim.com Image: Summer Game Fest Geoff Keighley’s de facto E3 replacement has a date Summer Game Fest, the annual event that presents itself as a “global celebration of what’s next in video games,” returns June 7 for its fifth year, organizers announced Wednesday. This year’s Summer Game Fest will stream new gaming announcements and trailers that Friday, starting at 2 p.m. PDT/5 p.m. EDT, on YouTube, Twitch, TikTok, X, Steam, and other platforms. While not yet confirmed, expect The Game Awards host Geoff Keighley to be at the center of Summer Game Fest 2024’s livestream. SGF has effectively replaced the annual E3 convention, an event put on by the Entertainment Software Association for more than 20 years that was officially canceled last year. Summer Game Fest’s kickoff livestream will be followed by Day of the Devs: SGF Edition, which will be streamed immediately following the Summer Game Fest live showcase on June 7; and SGF Play Days, an invite-only media and influencer event in downtown Los Angeles that will run June 8-10. Last year’s Summer Game Fest event was watched across some 34 million livestreams, organizers said in a news release. Summer Game Fest 2023 included reveals from Mortal Kombat 1, Alan Wake 2, Marvel’s Spider-Man 2, Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth, Baldur’s Gate 3, and an appearance from Nicolas Cage. ⭐ The world's best game studios ship 7x faster with Kaedim3d.com - try it today to turn sketches into game assets in minutes #gdc #gdc2024 #a16z #GameIndustry #GameIndustryUpdates #Gaming #VideoGameDevelopment #GameDesign

🚨 Kaedim3d.com is HIRING 🚨 Send resumes to recruiting3d@kaedim.com Image: Summer Game Fest Geoff Keighley’s de facto E3 replacement has a date Summer Game Fest, the annual event that presents itself as a “global celebration of what’s next in video games,” returns June 7 for its fifth year, organizers announced Wednesday. This year’s Summer Game Fest will stream new gaming announcements and trailers that Friday, starting at 2 p.m. PDT/5 p.m. EDT, on YouTube, Twitch, TikTok, X, Steam, and other platforms. While not yet confirmed, expect The Game Awards host Geoff Keighley to be at the center of Summer Game Fest 2024’s livestream. SGF has effectively replaced the annual E3 convention, an event put on by the Entertainment Software Association for more than 20 years that was officially canceled last year. Summer Game Fest’s kickoff livestream will be followed by Day of the Devs: SGF Edition, which will be streamed immediately following the Summer Game Fest live showcase on June 7; and SGF Play Days, an invite-only media and influencer event in downtown Los Angeles that will run June 8-10. Last year’s Summer Game Fest event was watched across some 34 million livestreams, organizers said in a news release. Summer Game Fest 2023 included reveals from Mortal Kombat 1, Alan Wake 2, Marvel’s Spider-Man 2, Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth, Baldur’s Gate 3, and an appearance from Nicolas Cage.⭐ The world's best game studios ship 7x faster with Kaedim3d.com - try it today to turn sketches into game assets in minutes #gdc #gdc2024 #a16z #GameDevCommunity #VideoGameIndustry #gamedev #GamingIndustry #IndieGames

🚨 Kaedim3d.com is HIRING 🚨 Send resumes to recruiting3d@kaedim.com Image: Summer Game Fest Geoff Keighley’s de facto E3 replacement has a date Summer Game Fest, the annual event that presents itself as a “global celebration of what’s next in video games,” returns June 7 for its fifth year, organizers announced Wednesday. This year’s Summer Game Fest will stream new gaming announcements and trailers that Friday, starting at 2 p.m. PDT/5 p.m. EDT, on YouTube, Twitch, TikTok, X, Steam, and other platforms. While not yet confirmed, expect The Game Awards host Geoff Keighley to be at the center of Summer Game Fest 2024’s livestream. SGF has effectively replaced the annual E3 convention, an event put on by the Entertainment Software Association for more than 20 years that was officially canceled last year. Summer Game Fest’s kickoff livestream will be followed by Day of the Devs: SGF Edition, which will be streamed immediately following the Summer Game Fest live showcase on June 7; and SGF Play Days, an invite-only media and influencer event in downtown Los Angeles that will run June 8-10. Last year’s Summer Game Fest event was watched across some 34 million livestreams, organizers said in a news release. Summer Game Fest 2023 included reveals from Mortal Kombat 1, Alan Wake 2, Marvel’s Spider-Man 2, Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth, Baldur’s Gate 3, and an appearance from Nicolas Cage. ⭐ The world's best game studios ship 7x faster with Kaedim3d.com - try it today to turn sketches into game assets in minutes #gdc #gdc2024 #a16z #Blender #gamedev #VideoGameDevelopment #GameDevelopment #GameNews

Disturbance in the Force : Gumi in Japan. A rare instance of Japanese game industry layoffs. Why rare? Under Japanese law its hard to justify and almost impossible to do layoffs without showing extreme financial distress. When people praise Nintendo for not doing layoffs they usually haven't looked into how Nintendo does layoffs in North America and Europe. Nintendo legally can't do game layoffs in Japan. Ever. they're too profitable. Gumi however was not. ----- GameDeveloper: "Japanese studio Gumi wants 80 people to accept voluntary redundancy. The mobile and web3 game maker said it must downsize to achieve 'sustainable growth.'" "Specifically, for the time being, we will not develop original titles that are highly risky, and instead will distribute low-cost titles with a high probability of profit by combining our proven game engine with powerful IP, as well as develop more commissioned titles. With this acquisition, we will quickly transition to a system that can continuously generate stable earnings." GameDeveloper: https://lnkd.in/gxA7MvaZ ----- GameWorldObserver: "Final Fantasy: Brave Exvius dev Gumi to lay off 80 employees after posting net loss of $37 million. "Mass layoffs in the games industry have reached Japan. Mobile developer Gumi has decided to cut roughly 11% of its 689 employees." (Evgeny Obedkov) (Jun 7, 2024) --Gumi will lay off 80 employees next month, according to the official announcement. The company described it as “voluntary retirement,” offering staff to file applications until July 5. It will spend around ¥100 million on severance pay and other packages. --Speaking of reasons for the job cuts, Gumi cited the underperformance of its latest mobile game, Aster Tatariqus, which “fell far short of expectations.” --It resulted in an annual net loss of ¥5.9 billion ($37.8 million). In the last quarter ended April 30, its operating loss doubled quarter-over-quarter to $13 million. --The Japanese developer said it will revamp its development strategy. It will stop making “risky” titles based on original IP, instead focusing on games with lower budgets and projects created in partnership with other brands. --According to Gumi, the changes are necessary to ensure “sustainable growth” for the company. --Kantan Games CEO Serkan Toto noted that such a situation is a “very rare case,” as “it is generally not possible to just fire employees in Japan.” Founded in 2007, Gumi was originally known as Atmovie Pirates. In 2014, it was listed on the Tokyo Stock Exchange at a valuation of around $890 million. Shortly after its IPO, it cut about 100 jobs and has made several rounds of layoffs since then. Gumi has several mobile games in its portfolio, including For Whom the Alchemist Exists and the now closed Brave Frontier. It also operates the global version of Final Fantasy: Brave Exvius, which has over $625 million in IAP revenue on iOS and Android. GameWorldObserver: https://lnkd.in/gRrqX4tZ #gamedeveloper #gamelayoffs #gumi #japan