LoreHound writes: "The situation at 38 Studios is obviously terrible. Bad for the video game industry, bad for the MMOG genre and (likely) bad for the taxpayers of Rhode Island. The saga is far from over, yet most outlets – even an article on LoreHound – have placed most of the blame on Curt Schilling, the former Red Sox pitcher. To be frank, it’s unfair.
For starters, the man knew his role. He didn’t think he’d be the game designer, producer or programmer. To this point, 38 Studios was filled with highly-experienced and successful people at the upper management levels and experienced creators at lower levels. He began the company because he’s a fan of the lush worlds, storytelling and gameplay that MMOGs offer. Essentially, he did what most gamers would do with a large quantity of disposable income, try to fund the creation of the experience of their dreams."
Why do game studios keep imploding?
Dysfunction is baked into the video game production process, as it currently exists. The big-budget games industry is dominated by a few large companies, the publishers. Like book publishers, they are responsible for distributing and marketing games (much but not all of this is entirely digital now, but most of the publishers established themselves when game distribution meant getting physical discs and cartridges on retail store shelves). Games are actually made by studios, which are generally either owned directly by the publishers or independent. Making big-budget video games takes an enormous amount of highly specialized labor. It is possible for one person to make a game, and even for that game to be a hit, but the biggest, most profitable games released each year are nearly always made by enormous teams of people, working directly or indirectly for those publishers.
Create their own studio ala Activision but never forget where they came from ala Activision
Unions breed garbage product no matter what’s being made. Passion and drive to make awesome stuff goes out the window and it’s replaced by laziness, seniority over skill, office politics and all around horseshit. As a welder of 23 years, I’ve seen it first hand, over and over again.
I’d say there’s a time and a place for unions. If work conditions have gotten so bad because the company is run by tyrants, unions will help.
But, on the contrary, I work for one of those rare companies that is better for the employee than a union is. Family owned, we purchased a new facility in Jersey and the workers voted the union out based on the offer (pay, hours, benefits, etc). Now we have UNION scabs, hired by the union, to protest against us at various locations.
The 4-year investigation of video game developer 38 Studios comes to an anti-climatic conclusion.
The Rhode Island Attorney General announced today that it would not be filing charges against individuals involved in the failed 38 Studios loan in Rhode Island.
Great game, but I stopped playing due to a major glitch before a boss fight.
It was a fight inside a cave and I placed all my saves inside the cave...approaching the boss would start a cut scene but my game glitched and the scene never starter. I could not exit the cave too... :(
Was probably 3/4 done the game too.
Schilling was in charge and his bad choices ruined everything for the whole studio
This is what happens when the government gets into bed with business. Just doesnt work, the venture may of never got off the ground without the Governments handout. And thats the way things are meant to be.
The economy blatantly showed that the project is not viable so money shouldnt of been invested into it. Any money poured into business ventures should always, always come from private sources.
Government should not be in business with anyone. End of.
The article talks about how he made around "100 million" during his playing days, but that's before taxes. Taxes probably ate at least 30 mil of that, if not more. So for him to have sank a reported 50 million or so of his own money in the company... clearly he risked a lot to make this happen.
It's a shame all the way around.