After the Layoffs Sony is Now Working on Hiring Again; Insider Explains What Happened

It’s no Mystery that multiple studios within Sony Computer Entertainment have undergone a thinning process lately, with multiple rounds of layoffs, and hiring has slowed down as well, but apparently recruiting is starting again, with the hiring of new... recruiters. In the meanwhile insider Pete Dodd explains what probably happened at Worldwide studios.

[NYC_Gamer]

I figured that Jack like Marc from MS both left due to being offered more money else where.

[xHeavYx]

Wow, Stig spent $100M on a game that failed? No wonder he was kicked out

[AsimLeonheart]

When you make huge mistakes and become a liability for the company instead of an asset then you are bound to get the axe. People who are criticizing Sony for developer's leaving act like it is Sony's moral duty to hire all these developers for their lifetimes and raise their families regardless of their performance. Sony is running a business and when employees perform poorly or hurt the parent company then they need to be relieved of their positions.

[chrismichaels04]

Before people start raising alarms, they need to understand that maybe Sony has very good reasons to let go of certain people based on poor performances (like Stig Asmussen that spent close to $100 million rebooting a game over and over that just wasnt turning into anything good). Sony is a global company that has been in the videogame industry for over 20 years. i think its safe to say Sony knows what they are doing.

[cell989]

I think it was too soon to put him at the helm of a new IP, must have sucked for him to be under all that pressure, but he stepped up to the task, and failed. GOW 3 was amazing, but that was an established IP, which helped him out. This new IP after the 2nd time they should have given up on it and move on to something completely different, instead of sticking to the same concept. 70+ million dollars is a lot of money, I hope they at least kept the game assets that can be used by some other creative director in another game.

Sony loves putting out new exclusives all the time, so when their game directors cant deliver, they have to move on.

I take all this with a bucket full of salt, but it does make sense

[Charybdis]

Would be nice to know why those games failed to deliver and were delayed and or cancelled

[nicksetzer1]

"nsider Pete Dodd explains what probably happened at Worldwide studios."
.
.
So we are taking the "probable" word of an insider (who is wrong more than right) as fact now????

[Abriael]

@nicksetzer1: No, that's why it's a "rumor." and not "news."

Mind you, the recruitment ads are fact.

[GameNameFame]

Sony is recruitying. So they are not down sizing at all

[SniperControl]

Back in the day, a colleague of mine worked for a big well known game maker based in the UK, he says that staff movement with-in the industry is quite common, in fact he came to my company about 10 years ago because we offered him a better wage. It happens people move jobs, people get sacked.

Folks on here like to make mountains out of molehills.

[Pon4]

No kidding really shirlock

[redwin]

Or they are trying to please the investors by going in the black by way of attrition . Whatever the case maybe, it seems that Sony is gearing up for some big guns in a few years.

[ZodTheRipper]

I am not worried about these layoffs, I think that all this shows that Sony is
1.) aiming for high quality in their games
2.) not rushing anything out
3.) seriously trying to make profits again

I could imagine that Guerilla Games will be next if their new IP isn't fulfilling expectations ...Shadow Fall did good but we all know that it could have been much better in many departments. Just make sure you don't lose the wrong people, I'm sure every studio has some seriously talented developers.

[Kayant]

@nicksetzer1

"who is wrong more than right" - Wait you definitely can't be talking about Mort here. He has the best track record last year and this year of all the big three (CBOAT and thuway). He's been right almost every time. As like Abriael said this is also classed as a rumour you don't have to believe it if you want.

[hellzsupernova]

Yeah there is a fine line that Sony is trying to tread, between developer freedom and profitability.

[abzdine]

i like this article.
Thanks to the writer!! it was also what i expected.

Great times coming, great times!!!

[asmith2306]

"Stig spent $100M on a game that failed?" - What game was that??

[guitarded77]

This is the way I pictured it... this happens all the time, but we don't notice as much because it doesn't happen all at once.

One thing I think Sony should have done was hang on to Jack. He is worth the extra money. Even if he can't "move up" right now, give him another title and pay him more. Make him stay.

[-Foxtrot]

See isn't it nice when we get some insight on the situation.

Now we know...

"Amy Hennig has creative differences about the direction that UC4 should go in"

Hang on...she's the creative director, so if it's differences between her and the team, especialy like the rumours claimed was with Neil then it's none of their business really. The concept of Uncharted came from her, she planted the seed and the team watered it. Being the creative director if she believed in her idea, she most likely would of wanted to see it through. If it succeeded the team would look like fools for arguing, if it failed she would take responsibility and most likely leave then

If it was differences from Sony then different story....they are above her.

God I hope they haven't done something bad to Uncharted. Imagine if they actually did get rid of Nathan Drake or set it far in the past where the game doesn't look like the Uncharted we all know and love.

Neil wanted to kill off Elena in Uncharted 2.....says it all really. I love his writing but if he has taken over and now has more of an input I hope he doesn't make the game go dark.

EDIT

Holy shit I never knew Justin Richmond left aswell. So there goes the Creative Director and the Game Director....what the f***.

Seriously if Uncharted 4 dosen't look or feel like an Uncharted game at least we know who NOT to blame.

[TheDarpaChief]

Nd is heading that way due to tlou. I called it immediately.

[N311V]

It may well have been creative differences from Sony. I recall that it was Sony calling for Uncharted to target an older demographic.

"So the big push from Sony, not just at Naughty Dog but at all of Sony’s development companies at the time, was to craft games for PlayStation 3 that were much more realistic."

"We had a lot of internal grumbling about the realist bent. More of the old dogs were from the Crash and Jak era and preferred that more whimsical style. But alas, that was a losing battle.”

http://gamerant.com/unchart...

[Ducky]

This is an intentional move on the part of ND.
By getting rid of the creative and game directors, they can now learn what being uncharted is all about.

Gotta admire their devotion to authenticity.

[Jay70sgamer]

This is coming from dual shockers always pro Sony ....this is all a spin as to why Sony is having problems in their Sony gaming division ...I can make a spin and say the reason why all these executives are leaving is because Sony playstation Parent company Sony corp wants to cut the salary of their top execs and cut spending in the gaming division ....see how that works it's all a spin no company losses this many execs in such a short period of time when the (gaming)company is doing well at the moment ...maybe the execs know something you and I don't know ...ever think of it as that .....

[_FantasmA_]

Elena was lame anyways. Typcial boring, blonde. Chole was hot and had a mischevious but mysterious personality. I don't care for Uncharted but after 4 games of the same thing, they need to do something new.

[Thatguy-310]

Uncharted 3 wasn't all that great. Character dynamic and a lot of the things were off when released. Neil in Bruce were one of the main once behind Uncharted 2. Whatever they decide to do with the series I know they won't do wrong. They proved it with Among thieves and they knocked it out of the park with The last of us.

[Dee_91]

To be honest, I thought she left because she was tired of working on UC.. I mean any creative person wouldn't want to keep working on the same thing year after year.
With that said I think the "creative differences" was her wanting to end the series and start something new.. Sony wasn't having that lol

[ssj27]

games just like music and movies.. news and books have a agenda by the publisher who are usually the controlled and ruled by the Illuminati and yes they are real..

[Conzul]

Uncharted doesn't need to go all dark, but as it is - it's just too lightweight. A happier medium should be found.

OT: This is one of the best/most informative articles I've read on this site since, like, Ever.

[QuickdrawMcgraw]

I am a UC fan,but UC3 was weak compared to 1 and 2...I thought TR bested it by a long shot...Now I am looking forward to a great UC4 made by a refreshed and motivated team.....

[Angeljuice]

@Foxtrot

" Hang on...she's the creative director, so if it's differences between her and the team, especialy like the rumours claimed was with Neil then it's none of their business really."

I take it that you've never been involved with a collaborative creative project then? When creating something in this way, you all have to be singing from the same hymn book. It is extremely difficult to get a decent result when your team doesn't share your creative vision.

When everyone is excited and engaged by a project, the creative ideas flow, when there is a split in the vision of the project's future it can destroy the project before it starts. You don't come up with good ideas when you have no faith in the path the project is taking.

If you were asked to produce a 10,000 word dissertation on your favourite subject, you would have no end of good ideas, ways of engaging the reader, you'd likely have interesting ways to make your points and personal opinions really hit home. You may even have difficulty condensing all you have to say into 10,000 words.

Now imagine having to write that dissertation about a subject you have no interest in whatsoever. You'll likely struggle to get past 500 words before the ideas dry up. It will be a much harder paper to write and the end result will not be nearly as good.

In a situation where there is a big rift in the aims of the senior management, it is almost always best to restructure the team accordingly.

[Evilsnuggle]

This is what I said !! everything that Pete Dodd said and I'm not a insider. Anyone who is looking in from the outside can see The last of us guys wanted to reboot Uncharted . Drive Club should be in 1080p 60fps just like forza 5 . Do you know how much crap Microsoft and the xbone fanBoys would talk if Drive Club is not in 1080p 60fps. The PS4 fans have been rubbing the PS4 spec in Microsoft and the xbone fanBoys face sense the launch of Xbone. But now forza 5 is in 1080p 60fps and Drive club can't be released unless it's equal. That would be a P.R nightmare After Sony has been bragging . That PS4 is more powerful than X1. Sony is cutting the dead weight an people are given Sony Flack for that . Fanboy should shut the hell up and let Sony run it's business stop arm chair quarterbackin. This guy lost a 100 million dollars now Sony is serious about it 1 party studios . Sony should fire everyone who is not performing. You FanBoys would be mad as hell if Sony released a bad game and you bought it. This is great news that Sony is firing people and hiring new people in their place. People who can get the job done right. Jack trent need to be fired letting a studio waste 100 million dollars. Sony needs someone to be a hard @$$ mofo ball breaker As CEO of Sony games studios.

[kenshiro100]

Just as I suspected...Sony is trimming the fat. There may have been people in their company who was wasting money in the first place.

[iamnsuperman]

Jack leaving was pretty obvious. Where else could he go in Sony? He is at the head of the biggest wing of Sony and it would be highly unlikely for a Japanese company to hire an American to even senior management position. Jack is leaving because he wants to head up a bigger company and one day he might even be the CEO of one. Which I wish him good luck.

[showtimefolks]

We all agree layoffs suck but bottom line is sony has been one of the best publishers in the world. They allow games that won't sell that much to be made and released

games like Ratchet and clank,sly,jak,journey,rain etc,

stig deserved all the credit for GOW3 but let's be honest if you have had that much time and let's even say 50 million and nothing to show for it than sony has every right to cut its losses and even than offered to move him to another team

I for one and glad sony is making these decisions early in the next gen than loose millions upon millions

[Christopher]

***And Jack Tretton was about money and inability to move up. He will make more money and have more power somewhere else – something Sony simply could not offer him. Shit happens.***

I actually don't believe this. I could be wrong, but I've never seen Tretton as a guy who did it just for the money.

[Kayant]

Wait Stig's project cost nearly 100million and was *REBOOTED* 3 times in 4 years. Damn! If this is true then probs to Sony for trying but I think they should have given up soon.

[ltachiUchiha]

Yeah Sony is fair with their devs & if u keep screwing up especially when that much money is wasted then I would have done the same thing. I wouldve cut him way before this.

[cell989]

yeah if this indeed was true, big props to SWWS for giving Stig so much opportunity and give him the freedom to do what he wanted on his project, it just sucks that in the end it didnt work out. Other Publishers would have never allowed that much freedom and retries.

[PoSTedUP]

well, that clears That up. no more need to worrie and blow things out of proportion with crazy conspiracies.

[robtion]

But how will sites get hits without blowing things out of proportion and sensationalising things? Actual journalism you say? Sounds like too much hard work ;)

[PoSTedUP]

...? what is this "je-r-r-nal-ism" you speak of?

[robtion]

He he, touche ;)

[sparta76]

Makes sense

[spunnups]

Based on the Campaign alone....U2 > U1 > U3

Was not a fan of the villain in U3 or the story in general. I looked
forward to playing throught the previous two installments of the series and Platinumed both in no
time...but Uncharted 3....i dreaded, it almost became a tiresome, SOMEWHAT boring chore.

The multiplayer and coop were amazing and that
is what kept the disc from being ejected for
so long.

My point is, if Mrs Hennig was the main person behind U3s direction, no offense, but good riddance.

[OpieWinston]

There's the damage control rumor thread.

I honestly hope that they start hiring again. Or else my PS4 turns into a door stop until they fund Jak and Daxter/TLOUS Sequel.

Also...just reading this "article" you can tell it's some BS damage control.

Please Sony start hiring again.

Sony/Microsoft/Nintendo need to keep hiring.

[Abriael]

If they didn't want to hire again, why they'd hire a recruiter and a recruiter coordinator, at the same time?

Considering the recent rounds of layoffs, I seriously doubt they intend to hire people to warm desks.

[OpieWinston]

Dualshockers article is more damage control.

Everyone understands that they intend on hiring people for further game development but it's not hard to connect some of the dots here.

Amy Hennigs leaving when TLOU movie is announced a few days after. Pretty easy.

Company has finally started to be making a profit and could finally start to offset some of it's "liabilities". So yes they will be hiring but no where close in the numbers that they've been laying off and losing.

And we all know that Uncharted PS4 will HOPEFULLY be getting delayed since it's been taking some major creative hits. Don't want the game to have a lack luster ending.

[Abriael]

@OpieWinston: LOL. A game loses two people and should be delayed?

Do you have the slightest idea of how big is the team of a game like Uncharted? It's not made by individuals or star players, but by a LOT of people working together on it. Two people, as relevant people as they may be, won't impact it one bit.

Almost no one is indispensable in game development.

And by the way, especially a company like Naughty Dog is made by a whole lot of "star players", starting by an incredible engineering team all the way up to great leadership. Losing two won't even make a dent.

[OpieWinston]

So Uncharted lost two of the biggest devs who are responsible for bringing Uncharted to where it is today...and your response is that it won't be effected? We'll see when Uncharted PS4 comes out...

Probably see an amazing looking game with overused combat scenarios and a shitty predictable story.

Bring on the Disagrees N4G Sony fanboys.

And yes game development is like sculpting...If you keep changing people up you get a morphed final product because they all had different ideas of what they wanted the final product to be.

[Kayant]

Not only that remember that nintendo new piece I commented on. They are still hiring just look on there jobs sections on their site. But if Mort is to be believed on what happened at SSM then it all makes sense so does the driveclub departure for not meeting the target. The Naughty dog case also makes sense in a way and sounds plausible.

https://twitter.com/PlaySta...
https://twitter.com/PlaySta...

99 listed here atm.
https://playstation.taleo.n...

Is this damage control? Who knows. However, this is a very good explanation on how things could have gone down. The SSM case I believe maybe not the 100m but I believe that project was not going well considering the amount of people that were laid offs compared to for insist what happened to SCEE studios.

[scott182]

Some people want games to be affected by this so much they wont listen to reason and wont even consider the fact that Sony hired a recruiter and recruiter coordinator.

[BitbyDeath]

'The Last of Us' movie was announced last year.
Also she had nothing to do with the game or the movie.

[Bundi]

Dualshockers to the rescue!! Seriously, they need to knit you guys a costume over at Sony. Does anybody know if Captain Damage Control is taken?
We just need a catch phrase now; "Captain DC on the case!"...we may have to talk to Warner Bros bout that one...Maybe "CDC here to eradicate the problem" ...dammit, all these brick walls!

Don't worry champ, we'll burn the midnight oil and come up with something original and fitting of the damage control DualShockers does for Sony...DC DS 4 Sony...there could be something there....

On topic: this article is damage control. I vote Dualshockers to be one of those shill sites we hear about. Just my opinion, hope N4G can respect my right to conclude and share that.

[tiremfej]

@Bundi from what I can tell...Abriel makes money for every click to that site. So why not sensationalize a bit?

It's great the way the internet economy works. "I'll just post crap articles on a website that generates clicks based on headlines, and I'll make money".

Have to hand it to him. I wish I had the idea. So he is a shill, at the very least for his own website.

[kenshiro100]

What damage control?

If people would have waited for actual news instead of flying to conclusions like they own stocks or something, they would have seen that maybe Sony got rid of people who was wasting time and money.

Oh wait....its only damage control who want Sony to fail.

[MrDead]

Well this is no good, speculation articles get all the kiddies excited and generate way more hits.... this explanation just makes it all seem boring.

[Bonkerz]

Not gonna lie this seems like a bunch of damage control. Obviously they are going to hire, BUT that still doenst cover up the fact that they laid off a TON of people. 50+ from SSM that were making a new IP. I understand new talent, but alot of the people they have lost are all pretty respected in creating great games. SSM is one of the best studios out there. ND another one lost some great people, your not gonna be able to replace these guys you lost easily. So if you really are saying o man this makes sense and just getting new better talent your full of crap. These people they lost are reputable and very talented.

[Dark11]

Don't worry sony is fine

http://i.imgur.com/MBlS7Wr....

[TheRealHeisenberg]

http://image.b4in.net/resou...

[arkard]

Did you read the article? The people from SSM made 3 or 4 years of shit products, you only get so many chances. ND was a difference in game direction. Its not just to get new talent in.

[Bonkerz]

Do you realize that this is not even posted by Sony? This is some theory that some consumer has come up with. So dont even go on believing everything you read. Sony has not come out and said anything about what is going on, and definitely needs to soon. Open you're eyes and allow yourself to leave your fanboyism state just for a few minutes.

[arkard]

Why do they have to release a statement saying why they chose to lay people off. I have never seen a business HAVE to explain to the public why it was laying off employees, or why so and so was fired.

[BladerunnerZX]

Completely agree.

Im sure that Uncharted 4 will be great, but the rest of the development teams have lost a LOT of talented people.

No matter how you spin it this is bad news for some of Sonys important first party studios like Santa Monica and a couple others.

[Joe913]

Respected lol weather he lost 100 mill or not he was working on a game for 4 years and had nothing to show for it you can't do that and not lose money so you lose your job what job do you work in were you will not lose your job I am in I.T. do you think I would be able to keep my job if I keep messing up computers lol

[AaronPS]

It's simple business, trim the fat and remove the weaker or failing projects and focus on more innovative or worthwhile projects. People act like it's all doom and gloom for Sony but the fact is that it happens in every single business sector. People get layed off or move on to somewhere with a bigger paycheck all the time. It isn't nice but it's life. These studios will continue and so will Sony, it could be worse they could be releasing half assed games but they're streamlining the business to be more effective.

[TheFallenAngel]

Makes sense. I'm not really worried about these layoffs or quitting. I know naughty dog and Sony Santa Monica will come out with great games. I think the media is blowing this out of proportions. I'm sure Sony will be attracting more talent now that the PS4 is kicking ass.

[choujij]

The stakes are upped this gen, and they need to trim the fat if they're going to be successful. It's as simple as that.

Or you can choose to believe there's a conspiracy. The choice is yours.

[darthv72]

Abriael you are missing the part that says these are "probably" or "may have" happened. quite honestly this is one person opinion on the situation yet you present it (in the title) as some sort of unquestionable statement of events.

if anything, Dodd doing damage control is not very reassuring. Let these who left come forward and reassure people with their side. not some guy who 'thinks he knows' what happened.

[Abriael]

Dodd already demonstrated multiple times that his sources as Sony are very solid. So he doesn't just "think he knows." One thing is for sure. He knows better than you do :D

[darthv72]

Seriously man...dont become another national inquirer type of gossip site. you will get crap for doing these things (if you dont already).

Be better than those site with real verifiable evidence. not 'insider' this and sources that cant be named.

[RPG_Lover]

Sorry but these fake insiders are getting on my nerves.

Another person was layed off today, how does he explain that?

It is not a coincidence. Sony is going through financial troubles.

[Abriael]

The person that was "layed off" left on his own accord for another job.

You really don't miss a chance to be wrong.

[ThunderSpark]

I really don't understand why RPG hasn't been banned from this site yet. Despite that, I look forward to the big things Sony is going to do this generation.

[RPG_Lover]

He left on his own accord? Says who?

Who is to say Sony did not tell him to leave and he found another job but was forced to sign a statement at the end?

That is just as believable as your "insider" from neogaf, seriously? Come on dude. I actually like your source as a person, but nobody else reports 50-50 neogaf rumors.

Sony has cut over 100 jobs in a month, lost a President, heads of studio, and you really think it is normal?

[WAR_MACHINE77]

@RPG-Lover
"He left on his own accord? Says who?"

Um... says the man that left.

"I have in fact made the decision to leave Naughty Dog," Richmond told IGN. "I love the company and the people and know that they will continue to create awesome games going forward. On a happier note, after careful consideration and exploration I have joined Riot Games. There is some really innovative stuff going on here that I can't wait to be a part of."

[tiremfej]

@Warmachine

It is called a PR notice...you leave a great studio to join an unknown? Because you want to get back to your roots? No. You leave because you were pushed out or let go. I wouldn't start at square one with another company unless I was forced to. If that were to ever happen my spin would be the same. Read between the lines.

[il-JumperMT]

While I hate LoL, Riot Studios makes gazillion more money then ND due to pay to win shit game

[arkard]

He explained it in the article. He was offered more money elsewhere.

[Jay70sgamer]

RPG you are correct ..people are trying to spin this situation ....this article was from dual shockers a pro Sony site ....I can spin things also how about Sony playstation 4 parent company Sony corp forcing the firing or (resignations) of these execs to cut cost and spending in the Sony gaming division because of their bad financial situation ..see how I put my own spin on things also it's not a coincidence in the last month or two Sony execs have left or moved on to other things maybe they know something you or I don't know and they are bailing out , also in business usual when you leave or forced to leave they give you an option to say you resigned or moved on to bigger things ..so honestly people don't know if these people left on their own or was forced to leave ....these people are leaving when Sony playstation 4 is successful at the moment and leaving in the middle or end of successful projects

[arkard]

Nope, it has to be that Sony is so close to bankruptcy they had no other choice than to fire these people. /s Newsflash just because you make tenure, or hold an important position, doesn't mean you can make shit products and keep your job.

[scott182]

Well said... Some people NEED this to be about Sony is DOOOOMMMED!

[kenshiro100]

The ignorance is just staggering, isn't it? Please don't use logic, you're just destroying the FUD mongers here.

[izumo_lee]

Like i said in numerous other articles about these layoffs & people leaving is that games by Sony's 1st party are held at a higher standard than most games cause of their reputation for delivering those standards in the past.

Yeah it sucks that people are let go or leave but they are held accountable when those standards aren't met. If it is true about Stig's project it shows the commitment from Sony to try to make it work even after the failings.

Even with all the financial difficulties surrounding the parent company of Sony they are still willing to sacrifice a lot to live up to the high quality standards that we gamers have come to be use to from them.

There is still a lot of talent within Sony Worldwide Studios even after all these high profile departures. Sometimes injecting 'new blood' is what you need to reignite the fire within.

[ltachiUchiha]

Yeah alot ppl also forget that most of these devs who left or got layed off worked for other companies before joining sony & made a name with Sony because of the great all around talent they were surrounded by. Remember its not an individual that makes great games, it also takes a team of dedicated & talented devs to bring out the best in a game.

[tigertron]

A logical assessment of the situation. The whole "the sky is falling!" thing that people were getting all worked up about was pointless.

Sony are in a great position right now, the PS4 is the market leader, you bet things are looking up for Sony.

[MCTJim]

I am not believing any of it. They needed to trim $$'s off so they will hire, young, but talented programmers and designers etc for less money. They let the ones that commanded big $$'s go...They can then hire 2-3 people for a position that cost them for one. That is exactly what happens in business all around the world.

I dont think Sony is going anywhere, nor do I think MS is selling off the X1. But enough with the doom and gloom. Each company is doing fine with their gaming consoles. Insiders here is a inside tip story..go get a job and work for a living.

[Mithan]

Companies are constantly restructuring, this is nothing new, except to this website where most of the people are nubs.

[AutoCad]

of course someone has to come to the rescue.

[Bundi]

It wasn't even a matter of whom but rather WHEN he'd strike.

[Silly gameAr]

You guys actually sound disappointed. :/

[MRMagoo123]

It didnt need rescuing in the first place lol, some ppl get sacked some ppl move on to other things some ppl die some ppl live, thats the way the business works.

I am glad we dont get an article about everyone that gets hired at Sony because then you guys would say some stupid thing like "Sony are spending up big before they go bankrupt" I would guess it would be something more stupid but i cant lower my IQ enough to think like you guys......perhaps i could go to misterx site im sure that would take away a good 50 or so points but then i would still have 70 IQ more than i needed anyway.

Did you guys notice that sony are actually recruiting at the mo? looking for recruiting staff and management ? no ......because if you had you would know that the sony is doomed crap was just BS.

[Lionalliance]

Now i'm worried :/

[Goku781]

Im pro Sony but really, what the freak is going on?

[BlakHavoc]

Wow who would have thought, Stigs created one of my favorite games from last gen in GoW3. Im honestly shocked his project sucks balls lol, but I guess that says a lot about his creativity, to have 5 years and 100 mill to spend on the project and you still cant come up with something great? Wtf!

[candy_mafia]

"Out with the old, in with the new" ...now make awesome games :)

[Pancit_Canton]

I'll be more worried if Neil Druckman, Shu and Kaz leaving Sony. Then there's definitely something wrong with Sony.

[Soldierone]

To me this is a GOOD thing. They are keeping teams that are not performing thin. What that means is when they churn out crap (like Socom 4, or whatever the hell GG Cambridge is planning lol) then they just thin them out more, but keep them around.

I rather see studios get thinned out than see entire studios close. Zipper closing house sucked, now Socom and MAG are thrown out the door until someone else picks it up. Smaller studios that get big off one great title, but then slip on the next title will just see layoffs instead of complete shut down.

Stig Asmussen just completely screwed up. What happened there would have forced the entire studio to shut down if they were under any other publisher.... Imagine that happening at EA?

[WeAreLegion]

That's comforting. I'm shocked that Stig wouldn't stay though, especially working with Corey and his team. :/

[intellegent]

He left because he didn't want to go from game director to something lesser... Good luck to Stig on trying to find a job as a game director somewhere else after he wasted over 70 million dollars on a failed project that was rebooted 3 times.

[Lionalliance]

Though the reasons why the layoffs, do make sense.

[kevinsheeks]

SO basically Amy hennig was forced out like previous articles stated but it's nice to know she got a "big ego" on a project she helped make what it is -_-

[younglj01]

Wow how you restart 3 times from the ground up and still fail?Also if this happen in the span of 4 years.Was this being developed for the PS4,because if the PS4 is that easy to develop for then holy crap.But the $100 million price tag is just insane.I can see why Sony was losing money last-gen,it was caused by some of their employees.I wonder what other projects Sony have been 'investing" on that we do not know of.Something is telling me we are in some huge and I mean megaton gaming news at E3 or before.

Now I'm starting to see why Sony have this Indie developer movement going.If Sony can manage to publish exclusive titles from indies that sell well.I think we could see those same indie developers become 1st party studios.To be honest I wouldn't be shocked if Sony announce exclusive titles from 3rd party developers within the next 2 months.

There will be a Pre-E3 related event for the PS4 either late April or mid May.What if Criterion Games and Sony announces Black 2 :)

[Bundi]

This "rumour" in a gif
http://i.imgur.com/MBlS7Wr....

[kevinsheeks]

That gif kills me lol

[candy_mafia]

Lol I like :)

[OC_MurphysLaw]

Come on Dualshockers! Did you really need an "insider" to give you a common sense look at this to create an article? Jesus, it would have been mind blowing if you guys had actually just written your own thoughts for once! But nope... you just cannibalize someone else's thoughts to make your article.

Without NeoGaf & Twitter Dualshockers is pretty much nothing.

[No_Limit]

They pretty much broke the rules of submission an article as the link of twitter should be the main URL and forum post should be prohibited unless it is actual news from reliable sources. They are getting special treatment here and I know why but I am just going to keep my mouth shut.

[OC_MurphysLaw]

All I know is every article they post hear is either someone's twitter response or an excerpt from a Neogaf thread. Nothing they post here is original content and its been that way for awhile.

[bleedsoe9mm]

Pete Dodd is a know nothing moron he's never been right about anything that wasn't just a lucky guess, but he says positive things about sony so he must be a brilliant insider

[kevinsheeks]

Were about to have a much different uncharted 4 O.o I just hope none of the main characters die >.>

[Lawboy2]

Lol...just lol

[ironmonkey]

its a money issue and sony is working to rebuild profit. let the ones that want more money go. they will easily find another home with their huge rep.

[MasterCornholio]

That was interesting.

[Lonnie18]

Stig was probably paid by Microsoft to mess up on purpose so there would be no competition for that sack Forza lol. I mean how can you mess up with $100mil!?!

[Eyesoftheraven]

You don't "just mess up." These insiders either don't know as much as their ego's would like them to feel they do or they're just keeping it as simple as possible because Twitter. These insiders, especially Pete Dodd, seem to be treating these people more like products than the products they were working on. Probably very similar reasons surrounding Ken Levine's decision to leave Irrational and create his own indie passion-team.

[Eyesoftheraven]

Stig failed 3 times at making his new game work at all? C'mon.. I don't know about that, there has to be more to it to his benefit. I'm definitely taking all this 'insider news' with that "proverbial grain of salt."

Socom 4 failed because they didn't listen to what the fans wanted. Seriously simple as that. Completely ignore or play ignorant to what the established fan base loves about your IP and all you're going to do is weaken if not completely ruin what made you great in the first place. Imagine how awesome Uncharted 4 would be if it played more like Heavy Rain and with primary focus on the Move controller (sarcasm).

All in all, I feel for anyone who might be going through an unexpected transitioning process, but I'm not too worried about the games and studios at this point. However this is what sucks about the U.S. and world economy - art is never the truly first important thing, it's always Money! Money! Money! That's why we have shit reality TV shows that are thoughtlessly scrapped together and so few movies with any real substance and games like Call of Duty that play it super safe every single time. Something certainly has to change and it's not just who's directing or writing what. I know high school students who can write better stories than any of the last Call of Duty or Hang Over tales.

[Ginesis]

How convenient is it that an article like this pops up on the same day that news breaks that another Sony employee left. Dualshockers and insiders to the rescue I suppose. Also, just because they're recruiting does explain people leaving it just means they're finding replacements and a few new hires.

[larrysdirtydrawss]

PS4 fans have been rubbing the PS4 spec in Microsoft and the xbone fanBoys face sense the launch of Xbone. But now forza 5 is in 1080p 60fps and Drive club can't be released unless it's equal

2 dif games,ones a sim and the other is arcade.. both sides know this and everyone knows that dc is 30fps from the beginning... dc last we seen looked(graphics) easily better than the watered down looking forza from e3.. thats what sony dont want,a game that once looked gorgeous,and then one minute,look like monkey feces... dc looked like it ran very smoothly at 30fps.

[larrysdirtydrawss]

Parallax_Films + 58m ago

Stig failed 3 times at making his new game work at all? C'mon.. I don't know about that, there has to be more to it to his benefit. I'm definitely taking all this 'insider news' with that "proverbial grain of salt."

face it,he fuked up,looks like he took on a genre/project he just wasn't ready for. he bit off more than he could chew... you think if this wasn't turning out to be a monster hit gem,they would have canned him and the project? he's human and everyone fuks up,not everything certan ppl touch turns to gold.. this was a huge expensive all-time money eating shitpile. 100M is absolutely insane, what a fukup.. don't let the door hit your asses on the way out,and stig,stick to 3rd person linear action. actually im starting to think anyone can make gow a hit.

[BOLOisBACK]

This thread is filled with keyboard, arm-chair opinions from people who don't run multi-billion dollar corporations...Let Sony do their thing.

[KeePeR_21]

I don't think that their departures from the company is necessarily a bad thing. When you do as good as a job as some of these guys did in gaming, you reach a ceiling, where you cannot be promoted any further, so you take new job opportunities elsewhere to move up in your career. It's like when a team wins the super bowl, the head coach stays put but the assistant coaches move one step up elsewhere and become head coaches and coordinators elsewhere. On the flip side, it allows new ppl to come in with fresh ideas, preventing things from becoming expired. This is how Sony stays ahead of the game.

[DJ]

This NEOGAF post explains everything fairly:

http://www.neogaf.com/forum...

I actually understand what's going on now.

[ALLWRONG]

insiders

[MultiConsoleGamer]

None of this is true. None of it.

A quick check of the usual hiring channels shows nothing. So unless they're hiring people in secret, which they're not, this "insider" is just blowing smoke up your ass.

[MaximusMagna]

What amazes me is even though Stig game cost 100mil, Sony didn't want to loose him.
They offered him a position on Cory team.

[feraldrgn]

3 Insiders.
You don't get more confirmation than that.

[fonduktoe]

Lookin forward to destiny and evolve.

[fonduktoe]

The order 1886 looks sweet too.

[USMC_POLICE]

I still say zipper should have not been shut down. SOCOM 4 was crap because they made it run and gun and simplified everything as if it was call of duty. The online was a mess, maps sucked, game modes sucked,almost no customization, single player had lone wolf missions.....still cant comprehend that one. Socom was always a team based game that took strategy and a long time per mission. Its like they sat there and said hey what was great about socom 1-3......ok we wont put any of that in 4. They tried to appeal to the cod diehards and lost their entire fan base in the process. We NEVER wanted socom to play like cod or battlefield. It was a hardcore thinking mans shooter not a game for kids. It was a game us military and law enforcement guys loved and most of us only played socom and granturismo and madden....thanks sony for killing our game trying to be cod

[WitWolfy]

All I read in this article was "Shit happens" in every second sentence. What a shitty journalist.

[Adolph Fitler]

"Though the reasons why the layoffs, do make sense."

Yeah, argh, as a Sony fan, & a huge fan of many of there 1st party development studios, I fail to see the sense in many of there layoffs & studio closures.....especially considering that much of there failures of games & IP's, was largely due to Sony almost NON-EXISTANT marketing for most of the developers & games....This was a Sony ploy after PS1 & PS2's huge success & MASSIVE install bases....these machines sold incredible amounts, & I truly believe that Sony sat back on there laurels & EXPECTED PS3 to just sell 150+ million units within 5-6yrs..... It wasn't ONLY the PS3's price difference that hurt Sony's sales, at 1st....it was a complete & utter lack of good advertisement & marketing....Hell, not even good ads & marketing, ANY would have been nice.... Awesome titles like Starhawk, Twisted Metal, GOW:A, Unchartered 1-3, & the list goes on of games that got bugger all advertisement & marketing...I mean SOME of these did get some forms of ads & such,.....BUT, nowhere f^cking near enough for new IP's, & AAA sequels, such as in Unchartered's case....many of these games deserved to get massive amounts of hype & such leading up to release, & absolutely crazy advertisement for titles like Unchartered & Motorstorm series. They really dropped the ball, & whomever is responsible for managing that aspect of Sony should have been held accountable for the abysmal PS3 marketing & advertisement push...Why weren't there ads that just rubbed the fact PS3 had Blu Ray, had FREE online ( & highlight the price difference between machines with a few years Live charges added in, & the price of the Wi-Fi add on that early 360's required), point out the fact almost any Bluetooth headset was PS3 compatible for voice chat, & exactly that point, that controllers & peripherals were the only console that were Bluetooth wireless instead of the "OUTDATED" RF tech, and that PS3's were FULLY backwards compatible with PS1 & PS2 games (had the machine sold far more, it would have remained a permanent feature in PS3's & maybe PS4 would have included the cell chip & emotion engine (that would warrant an extra $100-$150us to PS4's value for me to be able to play PS1,PS2, PS3 & obviously PS4 games), Sony should have rubbed in EVERY facet of PS3, that was an advantage over 360....I mean the massive disk space of Blu Ray for DVD9, the many usb ports that the initial units sported, the fact that it had a HDMI input, whereas 360 was strictly component of rca....There was so much missed opportunity by Sony in the whole advertising & marketing campaign....

[Adolph Fitler]

The fact that they didn't help Insomniac market the living sh1t out of Resistance 3, & instead focused marketing on Killzone 3 & released it around the same time as the exclusive & superior R3. And that is just 1 of the many stupid mistakes Sony made with games like this, I mean, I believe that fact is the main reason Insomniac had to go multiplat, as R3's, unfair, commercial failure cost Insomniac too much money to do anything else. And why would they close developers that released a constant flow of solid to excellent titles (also all poorly marketed), developers like Zipper that released 2 PS3 games (& even though many Socom purists hated Socom:SF's, it was actually a pretty great title), not to mention 1 or 2 PSP titles & a great PSVita title called Unit 13, then there is London Studios that released 3-4 games in the Wipeout series, & the best of series in the 2 PS3 Wipeouts.... I mean these 2 studios pumped out 6 or more titles between them, whilst Ico Studios didn't & STILL haven't released a goddam thing since PS2's stellar SOTC... I mean seriously, I love both Ico & SOTC, they are 2 of the best games EVER made (especially the EPIC SOTC).... So many developers were lost with PS3 & in these early PS4 days.... The Twisted Metal & Warhawk/Starhawk teams are gone to mobile ONLY games....yeah great that is..... Wipeout developers Psygnosis/London Studios, Zipper, Cambridge Studios, Team Soho, half of SSM team, Insomniac as exclusive, & this is just the tip of the iceberg, & I know I have forgotten some great developers, meaning not only the death of these studios, but little chance of some truly PS-centric IP's, such as Wipeout, Warhawk & Twisted Metal, Medievil, The Getaway, Socom & the list goes on. Bloody sad, & I hope Sony gets some of these developers back in the fold & strong again, so I may see the return of Sir Daniel Fortesque, Wipeout, 8 Days, The Getaway 3, Warhawk, Twisted Metal, Syphon Filter, MAG 2, PS All Stars, The Mark Of Kri 2, Primal 2, & this list could just go on & on, as the amount of talented developers & the quantity of high quality AAA+ titles that they could have kept delivering into PS4's life, couldn't be seen as anything other than a good thing for gamers everywhere. I pray to my false videogame GODS that Sony re-assemble teams like Zipper, Team Soho, Cambridge, London studios, SSM, & ALL the other high quality developers we Sony fans lost over the past 8 of so years.

[Gamerita]

wow $100 million on a failed game !! how many copies do they need to sell to make profit? 10 million copies ?

[gamedebater]

Office politics goes on in any industry, this sounds very realistic and I'm sure it's no big deal.

[Illusive_Man]

Pony logic: layoffs of major development teams and project leads leaving within all small time span = everything is just fine.

If 343 Remedy or Rare etc had major layoffs = MS is in trouble

[Gamer666]

I agree that there are constant changes and adjustments at studios.

To me, the most concerning was Amy H. at ND. But, change happens eventually.

What concerns me more is Sony's lies on DriveClub. They continued to market it full tilt until the end of October. Only a few weeks before PS4 launch. No one can tell me they didn't know the game was in trouble. A major launch title that went to the brink and is now delayed indefinitely... That is BS.

Gamers massacred MS on DRM and mandatory Kinect last summer. MS never hid those things. They spelled out their DRM approach and they were up front that they wanted Kinect hooked up. Gamers revolted, they caved, but it was all in the open.

DriveClub as with other Sony titles like The Last Guardian are hyped only to be delayed indefinitely. MS learned their lesson on Alan Wake and Too Human. Sony hasn't because gamers haven't figured it out yet...

[zodiac909]

Was he saying that the $100 million game, which i assume was God Of War 3, was a bad game? Cause it was a pretty fricking epic game..

[PurpHerbison]

Wait so this week we are okay with Dualshockers?