Seems like a great way to cut your average people and grab the rock stars to go build something new and interesting. Sucks for those losing their jobs, but it does seem to be part of working in the gaming industry.
Irrational Games being shut down
- Thread starter Gavinmad
- Start date
Mist
Eeyore Enthusiast
- 30,478
- 22,325
I'm imagining it went something like this:
2K: Make more Bioshock games and make them faster and cheaper.
KL: Can I make one with a female protagonist?
2k: No.
KL: Well, I can make them faster if I get rid of the shooty bits.
2K: No. In fact, make them more like Call of Duty. A lot more.
KL: Can't do it.
2K: Okay, we're cutting your team down to 15 people and your budget down to a tenth of what it was, and we're going to have someone else make Bioshock games.
KL: You can't do that because the gaming industry will cut you to shreds.
2K: No we're not, because you're going to take the fall for it. Have fun trying to make art with the 5 PCs and a ham sandwich we give you. You'll be begging for a job at 2K SanFran, at half your current pay, in a year.
---
I'm also going to guess that Elizabeth kills herself at the end of Burial at Sea just so 2K can't use any of his old characters.
2K: Make more Bioshock games and make them faster and cheaper.
KL: Can I make one with a female protagonist?
2k: No.
KL: Well, I can make them faster if I get rid of the shooty bits.
2K: No. In fact, make them more like Call of Duty. A lot more.
KL: Can't do it.
2K: Okay, we're cutting your team down to 15 people and your budget down to a tenth of what it was, and we're going to have someone else make Bioshock games.
KL: You can't do that because the gaming industry will cut you to shreds.
2K: No we're not, because you're going to take the fall for it. Have fun trying to make art with the 5 PCs and a ham sandwich we give you. You'll be begging for a job at 2K SanFran, at half your current pay, in a year.
---
I'm also going to guess that Elizabeth kills herself at the end of Burial at Sea just so 2K can't use any of his old characters.
OneofOne
Silver Baronet of the Realm
- 6,674
- 8,254
I missed the part where this guy owes everyone a job? I mean, it's HIS company right? As has been said, there are a lot worse ways to go. I've been through the "we're laying off half the staff and going solely by seniority, so stay here while we go get your stuff for you, then escort you out" - this guy is doing it a helluva lot better.
TrollfaceDeux
Pronouns: zie/zhem/zer
- 19,577
- 3,743
- 16,428
- 7,440
OneofOne
Silver Baronet of the Realm
- 6,674
- 8,254
Utnayan
F16 patrolling Rajaah until he plays DS3
- 16,314
- 12,083
He created the company. You said...
I am not sure how anyone here is supposed to read other than that we think it means.
Amzin
Lord Nagafen Raider
- 2,917
- 361
There's plenty of other ways to read that, you just don't WANT to. For example, he was not obligated to do those things, but they would have been objectively or just humanely better options. The facts we have from Ken's single post make it out to be a fucking dumb way of handling things, but likely he didn't actually have as much control as he appears to in the process.
Vorph
Bronze Baronet of the Realm
- 11,019
- 4,782
I read what you said exactly the same as he did.
Levine isn't beholden to those employees, and this isn't even a blip on the radar compared to shitty things that have been done to employees, at game companies or otherwise. If Irrational Games was still really Irrational Games ca. 2005 you'd have a point, but it's not. It's a small division of a huge corporation. Ultimately the decision to shut down Irrational was made by 2K management; if they wanted to keep it running without Levine they would have done it.
- 16,428
- 7,440
Well, then you're an idiot too. Congratulations. Is everyone here just fucking dumb? It's been stated multiple times by multiple people that this could have been handled a different way based on the PR. Yeah, sure, there's quite likely more going on than what's stated, but that's speculation.
And really good job on the "well, at least they're not THIS fucked!!" to excuse away shitty behavior.
And really good job on the "well, at least they're not THIS fucked!!" to excuse away shitty behavior.
OneofOne
Silver Baronet of the Realm
- 6,674
- 8,254
Who gives a flying fuck if they were necessary or not. Personally, I think there's more to it that we aren't aware of it, but really it doesn't matter. He has changed the goals of HIS company, and doesn't need all his staff. He's even trying to help them land on their feet, which is more than a lot of other companies will do. Businesses don't owe their employees lifetime employment.
- 16,428
- 7,440
Hey buddy, still waiting for you point out where I said they are owed jobs. All I said is that there are different ways for him to work with a small team again and not all of them involve layoffs. Wouldn't you prefer not to get laid off if it wasn't necessary? See that? These last few sentences aren't necessary but I'm including them because you don't seem to understand basic word concepts.
khalid
Unelected Mod
- 14,071
- 6,775
Curt Schilling fucks up and his company is dissolved. Utnayan thinks he is a horrible person for abandoning all these people.
Ken Levin voluntarily shuts down his company and is going to fire everyone. Utnayan thinks the guy is a fucking hero.
Such logic, such consistency.
Ken Levin voluntarily shuts down his company and is going to fire everyone. Utnayan thinks the guy is a fucking hero.
Such logic, such consistency.
- 16,428
- 7,440
Ok, "necessary" and "false assumption". Let's see what else we can add to the list of words you don't know how to use before thread implosion.
I'm not going to post the same shit over and over. Plenty of people have explained how he can achieve what he wanted without laying anyone off. That's the exact opposite of necessary.
No strong opinions on the PR itself. Bioshock games were marred by poor gameplay so I'm not fretting over any wasted potential.
