Rebellion has allegedly let go approximately 20 staff from its main studio in Oxford, UK, while its Derby location has been shut down, reports Develop. Rebellion, which most-recently released Aliens vs Predator, has yet to confirm the details
As is typical with these types of stories, it’s hard to tell if the layoffs were part of the natural game development cycle after a major release, or if there’s an actual “issue” going on. As for the Derby studio, which once upon a time was Core Design (Tomb Raider), it has been on the chopping block for months. If you are a member or representative of the studio, please don’t hesitate to contact us (whether on or off the record) with clarification.
[Via Edge]
Report: Rebellion cuts 20 staff, Derby studio shuts down originally appeared on Joystiq on Wed, 10 Mar 2010 11:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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A U.S. District Court for the Central District of California has dismissed a lawsuit against Sony Corporation of America and its related gaming branches (SCEA and SOE) which alleged the company denies access to its services for people with disabilities. According to court documents, plaintiff Alexander Stern argued that his “visual processing impairments” prevent him from enjoying titles manufactured by Sony and its game divisions.
Stern had filed the suit last October, claiming Sony’s practices had violated Title III of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). According to Game Politics, the court stated that in order to prove a violation of Title III of the ADA a plaintiff must show: “(1) [the plaintiff] is disabled within the meaning of the ADA; (2) the defendant is a private entity that owns, leases, or operates a place of public accommodation; and (3) the plaintiff was denied public accommodations by the defendant because of her disability.”
In the dismissal notice (PDF), the court ruled that because Sony is not a “place of public accommodation” it was “not liable” for violating Title III of the Americans with Disabilities Act.
Court tosses disabled gamer’s suit against Sony originally appeared on Joystiq on Sat, 27 Feb 2010 03:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Given the current economic climate, most of us go to bed praying we’ll have a job in the morning. However, what’s a job when you can’t live off the wage? Develop’s salary survey found that nearly 36 percent of developers aren’t satisfied that their income covers their cost of living.
Of course, given the immense variety of jobs, locations and lifestyles that people can have, grasping exactly what that statistic represents isn’t easy. For example, a Junior QA, scraping by on an average $23,000 annual salary, is likely having a fairly rough time no matter where they live. However, a studio head, making an average of $106,000, could also be struggling — with a coke, hooker and ego habit. It’s all relative.
Over 400 industry members from around the world participated in the survey. If you’re a member of the industry or want to be, check out the average salaries.
Source — Third of devs unsatisfied by wages [Develop]
Source — Salary Survey: Are you getting enough? [Develop]
Develop: One third of devs aren’t satisfied their wage covers cost of living originally appeared on Joystiq on Wed, 24 Feb 2010 22:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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The avalanche of bad days keep rolling at the SouthPeak offices as today the UK High Court has once again sided against the publisher in its longstanding legal battle against distributor CDV. In the most recent decision, the court ruled in favor of CDV that SouthPeak was liable for inducing copyright infringement. In 2009, the same high court ruled that Gamecock, a SouthPeak subsidiary, had failed to submit four titles early enough for the 2008 holiday season, costing the publisher to the tune of about $3.1 million.
In the current legal battle, German distributor CDV claimed SouthPeak had induced copyright infringement and breach of contract and legal costs. While the new ruling favors the distributor’s claims of infringement and legal costs, the court did not find SouthPeak in breach of its contract with CDV. SouthPeak also faces claims from other former partner companies.
In a statement to the court, the preceding judge said she had noted that CDV was able to prove SouthPeak US “has both participated in, and authorized, the infringing activities in relation to the making, distribution, and sale.” According to GamesIndustry.biz, SouthPeak’s recently reported loss of $2.6 million for its second financial quarter ending on December 31, 2009, can (in part) be attributed to the UK high court’s previous ruling.
UK court rules in favor of CDV against SouthPeak again originally appeared on Joystiq on Wed, 24 Feb 2010 06:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Stargate Worlds and Stargate: Resistance developer Cheyenne Mountain Entertainment has suffered the slings and arrows of economic turmoil for months now, leading to a number of unflattering reports about the company’s finances. However, it seems the studio is taking steps to get itself back on the right track: A representative for Cheyenne recently announced on its official forums that the developer has filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy.
In the aforementioned forum post, the representative assured fans of the Stargate games that, should the bankruptcy filing be approved, that the company won’t simply shut down while it restructures. He explained, “our entire staff is in-house working on upgrades and expansions for Stargate: Resistance, and we continue to be motivated and excited by the response we’ve received from our customers.” We wish everyone the best of luck with turning the good ship Cheyenne back into more prosperous waters.
Stargate: Resistance developer files for Chapter 11 bankruptcy originally appeared on Joystiq on Sat, 20 Feb 2010 15:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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According to IndustryGamers, a report from market intelligence firm Strategy Analystics predicts that the video game industry is primed for some serious growth in the coming years. Specifically, the report states that the worldwide game industry will like reach revenues of $64.9 billion by 2013. As the industry just recently reached a value of 46.5 billion in 2009, that’s an increase of $18.4 billion, or 39.5% over the next three years.
The report notes that sales of packaged software will increase, but increased sales of digital goods, in-game ads and subscriptions will play the primary role in growth. Specifically, online games are expected to grow to $24.8 billion by 2013, accounting for 38 percent of the overall games market. The firm expects social games to take up a major portion of growth, specifically the sale of virtual goods for use in online games (think Farmville).
Now, if you’ll excuse us, Joystiq Publishing really needs to get to work on Social Networking Town, the social networking game in which you buy virtual people to fill your virtual in-game social networking friends list. Once that’s done, you can play virtual social networking games, in which additional virtual goods are available. The only way to win is to never stop playing!
Report: Games industry to $65 billion by 2013 originally appeared on Joystiq on Fri, 19 Feb 2010 23:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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EA Chief Operating Officer John Schappert dropped five tips for making money in the industry over the next three years on the D.I.C.E. audience today. Before getting to those, though, Schappert acknowledged that EA didn’t give Dead Space or Mirror’s Edge the marketing support those titles deserved. He confessed, “We could have done better and these titles deserved more.” He referenced the Dante’s Inferno Superbowl ad and the marketing deluge for Mass Effect 2 as examples of the kind of marketing the publisher should be doing for more of its games.
As for Schapper’s tips:
- Commit yourself to quality. (Okay, that’s fairly self explanatory and definitely a motto all publishers should practice.)
- Get more from your marketing. (In other words, don’t do what EA did to Dead Space and Mirror’s Edge.)
- Invest in the future. (EA’s pushing this one with its sweeping DLC and online strategy.)
- Don’t abandon your consumer base. (Digital distribution is important, but Schappert believes that discs aren’t going the way of the dodo anytime soon. He warns, “Don’t jump off that shiny disc too soon.”)
- Illegitimi non carborundum. (A polite translation might be: “Don’t let the cynics get you down,” even when things look really bad. A more colloquial expression of this phrase: “Don’t worry, be happy.”)
EA’s Schappert shares five money-making tips originally appeared on Joystiq on Fri, 19 Feb 2010 16:05:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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The office of New York Attorney General Andrew M. Cuomo is investigating several well-known retailers, including GameStop, for deceptive advertising practices. According to the office’s announcement, GameStop and 21 other businesses are directing consumers to fraudulent discount programs where they unknowingly share credit card information with a third party. These third-party programs then place recurring charges on customers’ accounts. “Well-known companies are tricking customers into accepting offers from third party vendors,” said Cuomo, “which then siphon money from consumers’ accounts.”
Online movie ticket company Fandango has already agreed to stop the practice and pay $400,000 to a consumer redress fund. The Attorney General’s office rightly warns that consumers should take care in reading all fine print when signing up for any kind of discount offer.
Are there any Joystiq readers out there that have run into this problem with GameStop? (You might want to check your credit card statement before you answer that.)
[Via GI.biz (account required)]
GameStop one of several retailers accused of deceptive advertising originally appeared on Joystiq on Sat, 06 Feb 2010 00:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Game Crazy can’t catch a break as parent-company Movie Gallery has filed for chapter 11 bankruptcy. When the dust settles, only 250 Game Crazy locations will remain. The company already closed over 200 locations late last year. In total, Movie Gallery plans to immediately liquidate and close 760 stores in its financially fallible trinity of brands: Movie Gallery, Hollywood Video and Game Crazy.
The company hopes to emerge from the “restructuring” with a “new and sustainable business model centered on a smaller base of profitable stores.” The only division of the business unaffected by the bankruptcy is the company’s Canadian operations. At least that’s one good thing, eh?
[Via Industry Gamers]
Game Crazy parent files for bankruptcy, 250 stores to remain originally appeared on Joystiq on Wed, 03 Feb 2010 19:20:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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IGN reported yesterday that Codemasters, after disappointing stateside sales last year, was laying off staff at its U.S. office and was planning on shuttering it. But according to an official statement from the company, the story’s only half right: Though six employees were laid off (three from marketing, three from elsewhere), Codemasters told Edge there are no plans to close the U.S. operation, saying “Codemasters’ office in Burbank CA remains operational under the management of Bill West and we look forward to a focused relationship with our distribution and marketing partners going forward.”
So, not to say it won’t happen eventually, but it looks like this is one death certificate that was issued too soon.
Codemasters denies US closures, admits layoffs originally appeared on Joystiq on Wed, 03 Feb 2010 14:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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