Curse

Tarun · Jun 24, 2006, 02:05 AM // 02:05

You obviously don't comprehend what you just posted.

They're having a slowdown in their launch pattern, meaning they have to cut costs. To do this they have to reduce their workforce. They reduced their staff from 300 by appx. 70 people (this is from your posted clip), so they've got about 230 now.

Notice how nowhere in the article does it state that this was from the launch teams only? Did you bother to read the first paragraph which is the one I quoted which clearly tells everyone (except you unfortunately) that the staff has cut GMs, tech support and QA staff.

The article says there will be no impact, but that's said for press. That means that those who did not get laid off are going to be working harder, with more hours to pick up the slack so there will (hopefully) be no interruption to service.

GMs are for game support
Q&A staff are for game support and more.
Tech support is for game support and more.

Do you understand yet?

You call it official, yet there isn't anything on the NCSoft site about the layoffs. So it's rather hard to say what's official and what is not. Yet numerous websites are reporting already that it's 80% of GM's, 90% of tech support, 75% of QA. Which covers everything NCSoft has to offer.

Funny thing is here they have a link for "Now Hiring".

f13.net also has one of the key sources for the layoff news.

See here to read it in full

It says,

Quote:

Someone posted this on a dev only message board...

NC Soft (US) just had a big layoff today:

80% of GM's
90% of tech support
75% of QA

Numerous other staff, from producers to marketing/pr.

They are blaming the declining subscriber numbers for City of Heroes/COV which has slowly dropped to just over 100k total. Also to blame has been the disaster that is Auto Assault, which has yet to climb over 10k total subscribers since its launch in the third week in April.

Tabula Rasa continues to suck massive amounts of cash, yet still has no release date in sight.

... thus confirming some rumors that had been sent to me. That is all.

Ninja Edit: I feel the NEED to point out that WoW's success was not to blame, though it's very obvious that much of the pain felt is probably a direct result of Blizzard's success. Also, it's fairly arguable that NCSoft has not yet had a runaway hit in America and (obviously?) could use one right now.

Get it yet, Loviatar? It says it quite clearly here as well.

80% of GM's
90% of tech support
75% of QA

So, you can stop spewing out that crap about it being launch, cause; sorry bud but it just is not correct.

viper008 · Jun 24, 2006, 02:59 AM // 02:59

Quote:

Originally Posted by Tarun

You obviously don't comprehend what you just posted.

They're having a slowdown in their launch pattern, meaning they have to cut costs. To do this they have to reduce their workforce. They reduced their staff from 300 by appx. 70 people (this is from your posted clip), so they've got about 230 now.

Notice how nowhere in the article does it state that this was from the launch teams only? Did you bother to read the first paragraph which is the one I quoted which clearly tells everyone (except you unfortunately) that the staff has cut GMs, tech support and QA staff.

The article says there will be no impact, but that's said for press. That means that those who did not get laid off are going to be working harder, with more hours to pick up the slack so there will (hopefully) be no interruption to service.

GMs are for game support
Q&A staff are for game support and more.
Tech support is for game support and more.

Do you understand yet?

You call it official, yet there isn't anything on the NCSoft site about the layoffs. So it's rather hard to say what's official and what is not. Yet numerous websites are reporting already that it's 80% of GM's, 90% of tech support, 75% of QA. Which covers everything NCSoft has to offer.

Funny thing is here they have a link for "Now Hiring".

f13.net also has one of the key sources for the layoff news.

See here to read it in full

It says,

Get it yet, Loviatar? It says it quite clearly here as well.

80% of GM's
90% of tech support
75% of QA

So, you can stop spewing out that crap about it being launch, cause; sorry bud but it just is not correct.

Same for you aswell

Following rumors yesterday that NCsoft's U.S. MMO division had instigated significant layoffs that included 80 percent of its GMs, 90 percent of its tech support staff, and 75 percent of its QA staff, as well as a number of people from other areas within the company, the company has now issued an official statement confirming 70 redundancies

A post on website f13.net, which cited an unnamed developer-only message board as its source, attributed the layoff numbers to a drop in subscribers for the company's flagship City of Heroes/City of Villains PC MMO titles, which is allegedly at just over 100,000 subscribers, as well as poor sales of the recently released Auto Assault (which it claims has yet to see more than 10,000 subscribers since its April launch), as well as costs attributed to the ongoing development of Tabula Rasa.

Rumors is the keyword Since you cut that part out of your post.

NCSoft has now responded with an official statement confirming layoffs, though not necessarily in the percentages cited in the F13 posting, commenting: “NCsoft's Austin business has announced an immediate restructuring within its organization that included the difficult task of reducing members of its workforce. The online games industry is one that is continually changing with the scaling up and down of business based on product launches and product development schedules. Over the past two and a half years NCsoft has launched six major titles into the North American market and has grown with each title launch.”

The statement concludes: “As the company continues to grow its live products and prepares its next set of major online game releases for later in 2006 and 2007, the company sees a slowdown in its launch pattern and the need to streamline its business. For this reason, NCsoft has reduced its 300 person workforce in Austin by approximately 70 people to accommodate this change. This decision has no impact on the schedules of any projects currently in development and service to NCsoft's current games will continue without interruption.”

So the fact is that we don't really know how people got fired from which department/s within NCSoft Austin. All we really know is that 70 people lost their jobs and support will still go on for their games. Proof here
And quess what it was posted after some of them got laid off also and they still have QA for testing so work goes on.

If you believe rumors over official statements then I have some ocean front property in Kansas to sale you.

Loviatar · Jun 24, 2006, 02:09 PM // 14:09

Quote:

Originally Posted by Tarun

You obviously don't comprehend what you just posted.

Get it yet, Loviatar? It says it quite clearly here as well.

80% of GM's
90% of tech support
75% of QA

So, you can stop spewing out that crap about it being launch, cause; sorry bud but it just is not correct.

do you comprehend how tiny a spot on NCSofts map the Austin facility is?

they lost 70 personel from one minor facility and you act as if it were per cent of the whole company.

also if the support is gutted by 70 people leaving what about the remaining 230?

Omega X · Jun 24, 2006, 09:00 PM // 21:00

Quote:

Originally Posted by Loviatar

do you comprehend how tiny a spot on NCSofts map the Austin facility is?

they lost 70 personel from one minor facility and you act as if it were per cent of the whole company.

also if the support is gutted by 70 people leaving what about the remaining 230?

Their Austin offices weren't so small. 300 people is a lot. ALSO the reports are saying that they reduced the staff from 300 to 70 which means that they are firing 230 people not 70.

Also, there is the issue about the post on the Auto Assault forums that are RAN internally that confirms the reports that news sites are reporting.

http://boards.autoassault.com/showfl...4#Post16 7634

Loviatar · Jun 24, 2006, 09:27 PM // 21:27

[QUOTE]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Omega X

Their Austin offices weren't so small. 300 people is a lot. ALSO the reports are saying that they reduced the staff from 300 to 70 which means that they are firing 230 people not 70.

QUOTE]

you have it bas akwards.

from the OFFICIAL release

The statement concludes: “As the company continues to grow its live products and prepares its next set of major online game releases for later in 2006 and 2007, the company sees a slowdown in its launch pattern and the need to streamline its business. For this reason, NCsoft has reduced its 300 person workforce in Austin by approximately 70 people to accommodate this change. This decision has no impact on the schedules of any projects currently in development and service to NCsoft's current games will continue without interruption.”

Loviatar · Jun 24, 2006, 09:38 PM // 21:38

sorry for dp but here is another bit of info

lose 70 jobs here and open a whole new branch over there.

Quote:

South Korea-based NCsoft Corp., an online gaming company with its U.S. headquarters in Austin, will establish a wholly owned subsidiary, NCsoft Europe.

The company is spending $6 million to open its London office.

NCsoft already has offices in Japan, Taiwan, China, Thailand and the United States.

Company executives say the European gaming market is expected to be worth $5 billion in 2005, up from the current $3 billion.

"NCsoft is a business that has captured the imagination of gamers across Asian and U.S. markets," says Geoffrey Heath, who will lead NCsoft Europe. "Europe is the next step for the company as it grows a global online games network."

Caleb · Jun 24, 2006, 09:50 PM // 21:50

Thought I would link you guys to Gaile's response to this situation:

http://www.guildwarsguru.com/forum/s....php?t=3064071

Loviatar · Jun 24, 2006, 10:04 PM // 22:04

Quote:

Originally Posted by Caleb The Pontiff

Thought I would link you guys to Gaile's response to this situation:

http://www.guildwarsguru.com/forum/s....php?t=3064071

i asked her to give an answer here and she gives it there

viper008 · Jun 24, 2006, 11:04 PM // 23:04

Quote:

Originally Posted by Omega X

Their Austin offices weren't so small. 300 people is a lot. ALSO the reports are saying that they reduced the staff from 300 to 70 which means that they are firing 230 people not 70.

Also, there is the issue about the post on the Auto Assault forums that are RAN internally that confirms the reports that news sites are reporting.

http://boards.autoassault.com/showfl...4#Post16 7634

http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&i...=Google+Search

Doomlord_Slayermann · Jun 24, 2006, 11:33 PM // 23:33

Hey everyone, let's flame each other for something we don't really know much about!

Here's some points I would like to make:

Google search does not yield pure truth 100% of the time
We don't know from any of the articles you guys are citing whether or not this affects the actual Guild Wars staff
Gaile said it doesnt, so it probably doesn't
Flaming each other about reading comprehension accomplishes nothing
Flaming in general also accomplishes nothing

/endbulletpointedrant

Loviatar · Jun 24, 2006, 11:37 PM // 23:37

Quote:

Originally Posted by Doomlord_Slayermann

Hey everyone, let's flame each other for something we don't really know much about!

Here's some points I would like to make:[LIST][*]Google search does not yield pure truth 100% of the time[*]We don't know from any of the articles you guys are citing whether or not this affects the actual Guild Wars staff[*]Gaile said it doesnt, so it probably doesn't

from the OFFICIAL NCSoft release

The statement concludes:[QUOTE] “

Quote:

As the company continues to grow its live products and prepares its next set of major online game releases for later in 2006 and 2007, the company sees a slowdown in its launch pattern and the need to streamline its business. For this reason, NCsoft has reduced its 300 person workforce in Austin by approximately 70 people to accommodate this change. This decision has no impact on the schedules of any projects currently in development and service to NCsoft's current games will continue without interruption.”[/QUOTE]

GW is a current game

viper008 · Jun 24, 2006, 11:37 PM // 23:37

Quote:

Originally Posted by Doomlord_Slayermann

Hey everyone, let's flame each other for something we don't really know much about!

Here's some points I would like to make:

Google search does not yield pure truth 100% of the time
We don't know from any of the articles you guys are citing whether or not this affects the actual Guild Wars staff
Gaile said it doesnt, so it probably doesn't
Flaming each other about reading comprehension accomplishes nothing
Flaming in general also accomplishes nothing

/endbulletpointedrant

Hmm google search is saying the same thing as everyone else that 70 people got laid off and not 230 people as Omega X claims. It doesn't give any hits back saying 230 people got laid off so what more do you want?

Doomlord_Slayermann · Jun 24, 2006, 11:45 PM // 23:45

Quote:

Originally Posted by viper008

Hmm google search is saying the same thing as everyone else that 70 people got laid off and not 230 people as Omega X claims. It doesn't give any hits back saying 230 people got laid off so what more do you want?

For you to cite something besides Google Search as a source of information. Actual articles on the subject would do nicely, and there are plenty of them in this thread. Google Search does not count as a source because all it does is find sources and does not filter them for their credibility, at least not to my knowledge.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Loviatar

GW is a current game

Not of NCsoft. True, NCsoft owns ArenaNet, but I am under the impression that ArenaNet pretty much runs Guild Wars on its own. Yes, it does indeed suggest that Guild Wars is unaffected, but does not explicitly say so. Anyways, it's irrelevant because we can certainly trust Gaile on this one. After all, she works there.

viper008 · Jun 24, 2006, 11:49 PM // 23:49

Actual articles just click the links in search link how hard is that?

Loviatar · Jun 24, 2006, 11:54 PM // 23:54

Quote:

Originally Posted by Doomlord_Slayermann

Not of NCsoft. True, NCsoft owns ArenaNet, but I am under the impression that ArenaNet pretty much runs Guild Wars on its own. Yes, it does indeed suggest that Guild Wars is unaffected, but does not explicitly say so. Anyways, it's irrelevant because we can certainly trust Gaile on this one. After all, she works there.

according to the site Arenanet is a *wholy owned subsidiary* of NCSoft.

Anet is the maker of the game and NCSoft is the publisher with all the oversight rights/control of a publisher

i trust Gaile also

Doomlord_Slayermann · Jun 24, 2006, 11:55 PM // 23:55

Quote:

Originally Posted by viper008

Actual articles just click the links in search link how hard is that?

That is irrelevant. Google does not give you credible sources. Just a lot of them. We cannot debait the credibility of the source until we know where in comes from. To be fair, I see your point in discrediting Omega X's misreading with the raw number of results from Google, but quoting from the official release or any of the other articles already here would have been better, because their validity is already being discussed and thus you are not introducing any new articles to this debate before we finish the ones we're already on. As it is, you basically introduced every hit from Google as a new topic to argue about (although I hope that argument never starts).

It's not a big deal at all though. My main point is not really the whole Google search thing.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Loviatar

according to the site Arenanet is a *wholy owned subsidiary* of NCSoft.

Anet is the maker of the game and NCSoft is the publisher with all the oversight rights/control of a publisher

i trust Gaile also

This is. Regardless of what all the other articles say (even the rather vaguely worded official press release), we can trust Gaile on this simply because she works there.

viper008 · Jun 25, 2006, 03:36 PM // 15:36

Quote:

Originally Posted by Doomlord_Slayermann

That is irrelevant. Google does not give you credible sources. Just a lot of them. We cannot debait the credibility of the source until we know where in comes from. To be fair, I see your point in discrediting Omega X's misreading with the raw number of results from Google, but quoting from the official release or any of the other articles already here would have been better, because their validity is already being discussed and thus you are not introducing any new articles to this debate before we finish the ones we're already on. As it is, you basically introduced every hit from Google as a new topic to argue about (although I hope that argument never starts).

It's not a big deal at all though. My main point is not really the whole Google search thing.

This is. Regardless of what all the other articles say (even the rather vaguely worded official press release), we can trust Gaile on this simply because she works there.

Discrediting Omega X's misreading was the whole point of the Google search link and nothing else. Since I and several others have already link, posted, quoted the official NCSoft response in the thread.

So their's nothing really left to talk about and this thread should just left to die.

Doomlord_Slayermann · Jun 25, 2006, 03:50 PM // 15:50

Quote:

Originally Posted by viper008

So their's nothing really left to talk about and this thread should just left to die.

Agreed.

koneko · Jun 25, 2006, 08:41 PM // 20:41

DailyTech - NCSoft Lays Off 25% of Staff
Techgage - Review: NCSoft Austin Lays Off 25% of Staff

Nothing to see here, move along.

Linking to a GWG thread that links to a GWO thread on the subject...how odd.

Gaile Gray · Jul 01, 2006, 02:02 AM // 02:02

Quote:

Originally Posted by phangarrot

I'll repeat, regarding GW, the support staff and QA staff is gone, with no plans to replace them or support/QA the game from this point on. Please see my original post for details on how to contact the company.

Goodness, then during my weekly call with Customer Support in Austin this Wednesday, I was... speaking to myself? And those good folks from whom I received emails today are... nonexistent? A ghost of their former selves?

Sorry to resurrect this, but I was asked to do so, and here I am. No one is denying the layoffs, or the fact that 70 people were affected by that. It's very sad and regrettable. But would that affect Guild Wars? Render our game or our players "supportless?" Rest easy. Guild Wars will continue to receive support. Tickets will be answered and handled and reports will be investigated and bad people will be blocked and all such necessary things will be done in support of the game.

And keep in mind, anonymous "lunches with someone in the industry" are as reliable as "I heard it from the lead designer's sister-in-law's cousin's younger half-sister's hairdresser's pool boy."