DriveClub game director leaves Evolution Studios

DriveClub's game director Col Rodgers has left Evolution Studios, VideoGamer.com can reveal.

[-Foxtrot]

Right Sony need to put a statement out and tell us what the f*** is going on.

Key people are leaving and they can't keep making us think it's the "Oh well everyone leaves at one point" excuse.

Amy Henning
Brian Karis
Jaime Griesemer
Seth Killian
Stig Asmussen
Jack Trenton

Other lay offs at Sony Santa Monica/Superbot

Then we have Guerrilla Cambridge and SCE London

Now Col Rodgers

This really can't be ignored, they need to make a statment on this. Who else am I missing....anyone?

[HyperBear]

And don't forget this is Jack Tretton's last week with SCEA as well :(

...lots of unknown stuff going on behind the scenes with Sony lately. I can only imagine the response "IF" Andrew House or Shu Yoshida would be the next to leave, Utter Chaos!

[danny818]

I agree, but if it was Microsoft, people would be flipping out, even the media

[PSN-JeRzYzFyNeSt]

Maybe this driveclub director left because he doesnt want to delay the game again and he got into a arguemnt because of it?? idk just a guess,,

next week Driveclub canceled

[PoSTedUP]

my theory is that Jack let too much money get spent getting the PS4 up and doing this well (why he "left"), and this is the after effect; they need to save money and why pay ppl top dollar when someone else can do it better for cheaper. its not a good tactic or even smart to let everyone know things that they do not need to, especially the competition (hense why they arent going to say anything publicly)

or MS is buying them out or sony is collab-ing them and forming a super studio. :p

[GarrusVakarian]

Rodgers left in February to start an indie studio, why is this only being reported now?

This has absolutely *nothing* to do with today's lay-off's. The title should read "Driveclub Game Director left Evolution Studio's in February to start indie company".

Jesus, people need to read the damn article before going crazy. It's funny to see all the usual Xbox fanboys who don't care whatsoever about Sony or the PlayStation brand not bother to read the article and spread FUD and pretend to be concerned.

[Army_of_Darkness]

I will tell you all the reason why those well know Sony developers left their studios....
It's because they are forming a new Sony studio for a new AAA IP... There I said it. *drops mic*

[Hatsune-Miku]

When a company has a lot of bloat and are losing money on unnecessary spending they don't have to do then you get rid of expenditures. A lot of people sony has been getting rid of have been with sony for a while and were collecting massive cheques and probably wanted raises on new contract which sony doesnt want to pay at the moment so they leave. Most of these people are easily replaceable.

If bill gates steps down from his ceo position from Microsoft do you think Microsoft will cease to exist or suffers? There are people there to replace him that can do what his job entails or better. He left and Microsoft is ok

[youndamie]

Nooo not Yoshida, he's awesome. Seriously this is kinda unsettling.

[PoSTedUP]

@hatsune. yup, i agree, and its very common practice.

[HammadTheBeast]

I don't know, but this isn't looking good.

[Dee_91]

@-Foxtrot
I said it before
http://n4g.com/news/1477022...
and I'l say it again.. Invest, in waffles, now..

Seriously though, this cant all be a coincidence. Hopefully we will hear some answers near E3... just thinking of E3 without Jack makes me sad...

[Realplaya]

@ Hatsune-Miku

Gates stepped down as chief executive officer of Microsoft in January 2000. He remained as chairman and created the position of chief software architect for himself. In June 2006, Gates announced that he would be transitioning from full-time work at Microsoft to part-time work, and full-time work at the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. He gradually transferred his duties to Ray Ozzie, chief software architect, and Craig Mundie, chief research and strategy officer. Gates's last full-time day at Microsoft was June 27, 2008. He stepped down as chairman of Microsoft in February 2014, taking on a new post as technology advisor to support newly appointed CEO Satya Nadella

[MazzingerZ]

Wasn't the PS4 back to PS1-PS2 dev times?
This is not different from other companies getting modern systems or automatising tasks, people gets fired

Devs teams grew too big during PS3 era...usually when big adjustment are planned bosses and leaders leaves first as they don't agree nor wanna be part of it.

SONY is heading towards a most cost effective direction, but don't worry about the games, they'll keep coming, have lots of talented people...worrying would be if they did't do anything to prepare for the future.

I would be worried if I was a SONY employee not if I'm a gamer.

[fr0sty]

Why should Sony release a statement? It is a big no-no in the business world to speak publicly about why a former employee left, unless there is a mutual agreement between both parties that it should be publicly disclosed.

Sony has their reasons. They're riding high right now with PS4, probably trimming the fat to keep things running smoothly. Also, it is very common for studios to hire and fire in large numbers when a game is ramping up or down its production. When a game is in pre-alpha stage, only a small team will be working on it. If that studio doesn't have any other projects going on, it only makes sense for them to hire on as many as they need. When the game goes on into full production, the team sizes swell up to as many as a few hundred people. Once the game is finished or if it gets canned, that team is reduced back down to the core elements.

Not everyone left for those reasons, I doubt Amy Henig did. That was probably a creative difference within Naughty Dog, rather than her being fired by Sony itself. Jack Tretton may have found a better job for all we know, or just wants to retire.

Also, we don't know how many of these people will end up at other positions within Sony or SCEWWS.

This sort of thing is common. Sony has been losing a lot of key people, but even if Sony fired some of them (like Stig's team when they canned his game), they probably had good reason. If you're investing 60 million dollars or more into a AAA masterpiece, it damn sure better be a AAA masterpiece. Sony wants 100% top quality so they can make some money, as software sales are a huge part of what makes PlayStation profitable. Sony is looking for those killer franchises that take over the industry... look at Halo's sales, or gears of war last gen. Sony's only real answer to those sales out of one of its exclusive franchises is Gran Turismo, which sells well each time reliably. However, games like Uncharted, God of War, etc. don't sell as well (even though they still sold millions of copies each) as games like Gears or Halo did despite being flagship titles for the PS3. Sony needs more huge selling games, so they're probably being pretty strict about which projects they are willing to put their money behind. Kaz is trying to make Sony profitable again, and since PS4 is turning out o be one of their biggest cash cows, he is probably being very careful about what kinds of big-budget risks they are taking with their software. A $50 million game or two that flops is a good way to erase a huge chunk of a console's profit. Hell, even several $10-20 million games. They all add up.

@mazzengerz, definitely not PS1/2 dev times, as games today are far more complex than they were back then, but definitely far less dev time than PS3 required.

[AndrewLB]

You ever hear the expression "rats over the rails"? With so many prominent people leaving before the game's released, combined with no clarifying statement... it seems that ship may be sinking.

[abzdine]

the guy left months ago! read the article before going berserk in the comments

"Rodgers left the studio in February to form indie startup Big Red Switch Games, a development studio that he says is working on "some cool game concepts""

[thorstein]

How do you know what or why this happening? Why should they release a statement? Have you seen any industry that tracks the comings and goings of employees from one firm to another?

It would be great if they were all leaving to form a new studio.. that is a perfect hit list to make new IPs.

[Alex_Boro]

Kind of hard to imagine so many people significant to the studio leaving at once. Something is obviously going on that we don't know about and we as fans and the ones who pay them for their games deserve to know what's happening.

[Palitera]

Yeah.

My bet: Candy Clash Run or some garbage like that.

-

@Foxtrot:

I don't think any statement would help. Everything they'd say probably wouldn't be the real reason. NO company speaks the truth on these matters.

[-Foxtrot]

I don't know thats what I'm saying gamers need a statement since this is a little worrying. Too many people have left now and it can't be ignored any longer.

"Have you seen any industry that tracks the comings and goings of employees from one firm to another?"

No but gaming isn't really like other industry's is it. I've seen more info when a screen writer or director leaves a project in Hollywood then I have here. Least then you get a reason like they aren't interested in it anymore or have scheduling issues.

"It would be great if they were all leaving to form a new studio.. that is a perfect hit list to make new IPs."

Honestly thats just wishful thinking to try and cover up what's going on here. Kind of like a "everything's fine, everything's fine, everything's fine" reassurance approach.

We shouldn't be ignoring this or letting it slide. If it was anyone else in this gaming industry the same questions would be asked.

[Kenshin_BATT0USAI]

That would be crazy news, make all of these seem like layoffs and resignations then boom, new studio with all those people. Doubt it though. Just seems like they're downsizing their gaming division to offset how poorly their tv division is doing.

[thezeldadoth]

at one point do sony people on this site stop being delusional? All these people joining forces in one company? Hopefully you're joking.

At some point you would think that religious corporate fanatics could find a bit of logic somewhere and stop spinning every single piece of news into a positive for sony.

[iMaim]

Industrys changing man.
I didn't think we'd see headlines about some guy not deciding to make apps anymore.

God damn flappy bird.

[gameon1985]

Now dude, you truly are in denial. It's time for you Sony fans to wake up; there maybe a major shake up coming at Sony, and there's no need to keep making excuses hoping nothing is wrong.

[thorstein]

Pardon me, I didn't realize that some people didn't understand the phrase "It would be great if..."

This is a phrase used in pure speculation. It should never, ever be confused as if someone were stating a fact. I am trying not to snark here as I am left with two conclusions: one that the readers of my comment really don't know the connotation of that phrase, or that two their reading comprehension is really poor.

I am speechless about that, I imagine that is where the disagrees come from: me thinking that it would be really cool if these people came together to make a new studio.

But to think that I intended that statement as fact.... speechless.

[rainslacker]

It's possible the people leaving don't want a statement to be released. Since they're leaving they're open to be hired elsewhere, and the wrong statement can put a damper on finding employment elsewhere. If the net takes things the wrong way, which they often do, then all of a sudden that statement can become a liability.

[air1]

I don't think anyone is not understanding your wishfull thinking... I think it was the kool-aid before the "phrase" that has ppl like STFU..

You're like that guy that ALWAYS lets everyone down, you're the what if... Then it never happens kind of guy.. I bet you use the words "maybe, what if, and did you know?" a lot, bet you're very optimistic too..

[kenshiro100]

Did anyone read what Lukas said? Anyone? The guy left to start his own studio...

[Dark11]

This won't end well.

[Palitera]

Not saying it is the cause, but maybe because the big money for little risk is on mobile?

[ginsunuva]

you mean big money for little risk with very slim probability of success

[ABeastNamedTariq]

I'm concerned. It's all happening too fast for my liking.

[dodgemoose]

sorry but no, they don't need to do anything of the such. it's internal matters and there's no reason they should go public about it just because you want to be kept in the loop.

[-Foxtrot]

We're all consumers who are expected to buy their product....I think with the amount of people leaving and people being let go we kind of deserve to know a little about whats going on

If it was one or two fine....but not this much.

Honestly, why do people such as yourself get ticked off when people want to know whats going on. You can't silence people who want the truth, we're all human and with being human comes curiosity.

[Utalkin2me]

@-Foxtrot

Are you concerned with people getting laid off or fired that makes your shoes? Or what about your clothes? Maybe the people getting laid of that makes your vehicle?

[thezeldadoth]

yes because complete lack of transparency is progress and a good thing.

[rainslacker]

@Fox

They get ticked off because you come across as demanding a statement. It's really none of your business. You buy the product, and if this change also changes the product, you can decide not to buy the product. The reasons for the change though are really between Sony and those leaving. It's really up to them if they want us to know what's going on.

[-Foxtrot]

@rainslacker

So what am I supposed to say...pretty please

To say it's the way I say it in my comments is ridiculous....it's text, you can't get a sense of any emotion or feeling in text people write on screen.

If your thinking it's "demanding" then that's your fault for perceiving it that way.

I just find it hilarious how people are saying stuff like that now and saying this doesn't matter but if it was Microsoft or Nintendo then everyone would be asking what the hell is going on bringing in doom and gloom articles.

[Magnes]

Exactly Sony has been around for a long time I think they know how to handle business, they didn't start making video games and consoles this year. If there is a problem sounds like steps are being taken to fix things.

[rainslacker]

Well fox when you say,

"We shouldn't be ignoring this or letting it slide"

"Right Sony need to put a statement out and tell us what the f*** is going on"

"This really can't be ignored, they need to make a statment on this"

then I'm not really sure how I'm supposed to take it. That seems pretty demanding to me. My fault if I perceived it wrong, which I'm sure I didn't. It may be text, but those are pretty strong words.

You come across as you feel that you are special in some way and deserve an answer to what's going on. But you aren't special. You're just coming across as an entitled gamer. The article stated why he was leaving. Otherwise, anything else is really none of your business unless you have some stake in the company itself, and even then, decisions such as these are between the company and the employee. It's up to them to decide if they want to disclose the reasons or not.

If that somehow affects the game in the end, then you can not buy the game to make your dissatisfaction known.

[Jay70sgamer]

@rainslacker well said

[joab777]

Its very odd. On the back of a successful launch of the ps4, increased vita sales and new VR tech, everyone is leaving.

3 possibilities exist. Coincidence...which isnt true. Everyone is moving on after a few hard years in which it all seemed to work out pretty well....like they held on to see next gen launch through and r now moving on to new things. Or...something is very wrong and we r not cued in.

I tend to think the 2nd simply b/c . I believe we would have heard something...and by all accounts, Sony seems to be soaring. Very strange though. I just think the industry is moving in a particular direction and many ppl want to move on to smaller independent projects and use their talents to make some money.

[dodgemoose]

It's not that odd. Sony isn't doing too well as a whole and hasn't for quite some time. It doesn't really matter if the Playstation department is making profit, cuts still need to be made across the whole company in order to survive/return to a positive balance sheet.

Sony execs have probably laid down financial budgets to all the department managers and one amongst many ways of reducing costs is laying off people.

[aragon]

Or maybe they found higher paying jobs????? Could be that simple, these people gotta eat and if they making 6 million a year with sony and a company offers them 20 million a year they gonna go for the money simple human logic.

[trancefreak]

I think Adam is on the money here. We all know Sony has lost lots of it and perhaps they would really like to keep some of their key players in the industry but fat contracts or being slashed.

I don't like this at all being a Sony supporter but there are tough business decisions being made to trim the company it appears. After a successful launch of the PS4 Sony might feel they are on the right path with current talent with in that do not get paid as much and are contributing. This is very unfortunate but this is happening to a lot of business of late.

I think they are trying to rebuild/rebrand the company so they can thrive in the future. I really don't think they wanted Jack Trenton to leave but it is cost savings at work. I hate it but if slimming the company down so they can be around for long term and re profit they probably had no choice. I doubt it has anything to do with complacency and more to to do with big business survival.

[andibandit]

"It's not that odd. Sony isn't doing too well as a whole and hasn't for quite some time"

and then they pull this VR rabbit project out of a hat....gotta wonder whats going on

[SourShoes]

They need to get Cerny on the line stat! He can straighten out this mess.

[incendy35]

Or Knack it all up :D

[gameon1985]

I don't think Sony are the ones who are using the "Oh well everyone leaves at one point" excuse. That excuse have been coming from the Sony fan boys who are in denial that Sony financial problems is effecting their games division. I really don't want to sound like I'm trolling but I think Sony's problems is just karma coming back on their fan boys. They are regularly posting Xbox is doomed articles when their is no reason for them to even be posted in the first place. You people act like the xbox one sales are horrible ( along with the bias media) when compared to Sony, but never mention that the PS4 is in 4 times as many countries. Not only that you people trash the console simply because they are Sony competitors, and no other reason. Some people claim they can't forgive them for DRM but the bible says you have to forgive someone even if they kill your own child(impossible to do I know, but it does say that). Yet, you fan boys can't let go of the past When the man who was pushing for it (Don Mattrick) isn't even in the company any more. Look know one is happy about this and I guarantee You wont ever see one Xbox fan say I hope the ps4 dies. We are not that brain washed as to where we would want see Microsoft as the only console maker. We understand that Sony and Microsoft need each other and the industry need them as a whole. But how Many of you Sony boys can sit there and say that you never wished for the death of the xbox one. See, that's what blind loyalty gets you...Karma.

@Foxtrot I'm not calling you a fan boy just posting this for all the fan boys to see. the first part of the post about the "Oh well everyone leaves at one point" was the only part where I was responding to you. The rest was me getting stuff of my chest lol.

[SniperControl]

Oh the irony.........

[Jdoki]

Congrats. That is the most ridiculous wall of text I've read on N4G.

My particular highlight " I really don't want to sound like I'm trolling but I think Sony's problems is just karma coming back on their fan boys"

Wow. You really need to get out in to the real world more.

[Majin-vegeta]

China called they want their wallback.

Such dribble
much nonsense
Wow

[kenshiro100]

That has to be the biggest pile of FUD I have ever seen here.

[Death]

The information has all been right in front of us for quite some time. You have to want to see it though. Sony has been bleeding money since the recession hit in 2008/2009 like all companies did. The tsunami that hit Japan made it even worse. The differance between Sony and their competitors is they have been able to recover since then. Sony hasn't been able to stop their losses let alone recover. They should have made cuts years ago so they would be stronger today.

Gamers are a fickle bunch. Microsoft "stopped supporting" the 360 according to many gamers. The reason for this was due to the cuts Microsoft made in 2008 when the recession hit. Once they recovered they started to rebuild their first party studios.

Sony didn't make these cuts when the timing was right so now they are being forced to react now. Once the reports surfaced that Sony was going to lose a billion this fiscal year, they started making cuts. What we are seeing this week is the making of the cover page for Sony's CEO's letter to investors that will be coming out in the near future. This is the beginning of the plan of action needed for Sony to survive without bankruptcy protection.

Sony will be fine, but more cuts are needed and it will take time to recover. Fans have been in denial far too long. The best thing we can do as gamers is support Sony in the only way we trully can and that is to buy more new software.

[Ricegum]

Haha, you seem to know everything about Sony. Congratulations to this guy. Heck, he should be in charge at Sony, you know, to sort everything out. Oh wait, your comment history suggests you spout rubbish all the time, never mind.

[Xsilver]

Sony http://sureasimbreathingnoc...

[B-radical]

I highly doubt they are delaying driveclub again.

But to foxtrot it could either be a huge coincidence that key people are leaving. Or it could be Sony's rearranging of the company.

[Evilsnuggle]

This is how business works people come and go. If DriveClub's game director can't get the job done get someone who can. Bravo Sony Don't waste your time and money when you see these problems. I said it many times got down votes and disgrees Drive Club should be in 1080p 60fps. Because if your closest competitor Forza5 is in 1080p 60fps. Then Drive club should be in 1080p 60fps. If Sony going around saying it's the most powerful consoles then prove it. You look like a hypocrite When you criticize Xbone for not running games in 1080p 60fps. But defender PS4 if Drive Club is not in 1080p 60fps.
I'm not a fanboy every game should be in 1080p 60fps if it's next-gen. There are some exceptions Like The Order 1886 that games graphics are too intense too Run in 1080p 60fps. Fanboy are blind and brainwashed robots who rubber stamp everything That there Favorite company does. I know there's a big difference in Graphics between Drive club and forza5 . But if PS4 is 50% more powerful than X1 it should be able to run Drive Club in 1080p 60fps. Drive Club should be in 1080p 60fps the should optimize The game until it does.

[candy_mafia]

Totally agree with you Evilsnuggle.

Why are so many folks concerned about what Sony is doing? Y'all don't need answers and Sony don't have to answer to none of y'all. Most of y'all don't even know who these 'key' people are. We purchased a product (console) not the keys to Sony HQ, so quit acting like Sony need to inform you on internal business practices.

We're all gamers and consumers, but some of you are delusional, thinking you're Developers, Shareholders and Analysts. What a bunch of dumb###s some of you are.

PS4 is going to be FINE, that's all y'all need to know, not reasons why people exit companies. Always crying on the same old bull shiiiiii....I don't care what y'all wanna come back with, or the tons of disagrees. Grow the F'up. Sick of y'all over privileged, selfish 'lil....Why y'all ain't worried about real world problems??? My precious hobby, I'm gonna die...ya spoilt fools aww shucks! Whatever you clowns pfft!

[ruefrak]

Nobody wants to think making games is a business, but it is. These studios put out one product every few years and if it's not great and doesn't sell then everybody suffers. Sony has taken too long with releasing games that don't sell well and it's time to reign it in.
Naughty Dog had too many creative directors so one had to go.
Seth Killian is a fighting games expert at a studio not making a fighting game, so he had to go.
Drive Club was a launch title that will be delayed up to a year. That is unacceptable and it's the director's responsibility, so he has to go.

Sony doesn't have cash to burn despite the success of the PS4. Failure is not an option.

[maniacmayhem]

Why would they release a statement? Wouldn't it just be all PR nonsense and telling you absolutely nothing that would be useful.

What could they say that would make you feel any different in your choice of the Sony PlayStation brand?

[-Foxtrot]

Oh get off your high horse maniac...if I said ANYTHING else you would of called me a fanboy.

"What could they say that would make you feel any different in your choice of the Sony PlayStation brand?"

Oh look at that you did...very subtle. Why make this into an argument

I don't see my comments above defending them....huh.....do you because obviously you see things differently on here to me.

"Wouldn't it just be all PR nonsense and telling you absolutely nothing that would be useful."

Really because when Phil Spencer spews his PR bullcrap you seem to be the first person to eat it up.

I just want to see what they say and see how much Sony tries to worm their way out of this one.

[LOGICWINS]

They don't really "need" to put out a statement. Most PS4 owners don't know who these people are. Clearly Sony is moving gaming forward not back. Whatevers happening, obviously its being done for OUR benefit.

Believe it or not, but there are people out there that are more talented than the ones you listed.

[TitanUp]

Im thinking that not everyone agrees with VR

[ThunderSpark]

I kind of have to agree. I love Sony and think they're great because of all their studios. So for people to leave breaks my heart a bit because they were pivotal in the playstation family and greatness.

[maniacmayhem]

"Oh get off your high horse maniac...if I said ANYTHING else you would of called me a fanboy."

Wow, aren't we sensitive. Once again on the defense and scared of any comment. What else could you have said that doesn't already paint what a Sony fanboy you are. What does that have to do with me saying that no matter what Sony would tell you it wouldn't change any view you have of the PlayStation brand.

And as others on here pointed out this guy left a while ago.

"I don't see my comments above defending them..."

JESUS, I never said you were defending them, I asked you what could they say that would change anything? It would be a marketing statement if anything. PS4 is still selling well and games are still being made for it, what else is changing?

"Really because when Phil Spencer spews his PR bullcrap you seem to be the first person to eat it up."

And you are the first person to call it PR crap and not believe anything he or others say and yet you think a statement from Sony will be any different.

"Sony tries to worm their way out of this one."

WORM their way out of what? They are not in any trouble that would concern a PlayStation fan or their fanbase. You are being beyond ridiculous.

[Bruce_Wayne]

Some of the people on that list left voluntarily. That's the good thing.

[candy_mafia]

@Foxtrot 'Right Sony need to put a statement out and tell us what the f*** is going on'

It's none of yours or anyone's business who Sony hires and fires. Dude, why don't you get your 'A' off the couch and join Sony HR Dept?

Then YOU can deal with this (so-called) mess and put a statement out and get your 'A' fired!

See how you started a pointless stupid argument...You should totally be a zillionnaire, cos you know how to make something outta nothing. Get a freekin' grip Groucho.

www.wastedtalent.com

[frostypants]

This industry like many in the tech world is a revolving door of personalities. This isn't unusual. People on this site are just paying a freakishly abnormal amount of attention to internal HR moves. No, Sony isn't going to comment on developer turnover to customers because frankly it doesn't involve us. Next people on this site will be demanding to monitor the sleeping and social habits of developers, for fear that going out for dollar beer night will hamper their design efforts. Seriously, let's get a grip...

[candy_mafia]

@Frostypants

Common-ass-sense!!

Bubble for you! ...You're freekin' awesome dude :)

[liquidhalos]

Yeah, so what's happening with this game now? Sony need to speak up, is it coming out or not? I wish Sony would be less translucent and more transparent

[Flutterby]

The guy left in February. The game will still be coming out. Also who they hire fire has nothing to do with anyone besides Sony lol. Most of the people have left voluntarily, probably onto things they want to do.

[Skate-AK]

Jaime Griesemer issues statement on his departure, says "please don’t look too hard for some sinister pattern."

[andibandit]

Now thats exactly what I would say if there was a sinister plan in motion.

[thehitman]

Superbot wasnt a lay off. They were hired for 1 game on a contract and it was up. Never full-time employees that story about the studio going away was way overblown to people who have no idea about the situation. Everything else is just life. People dont stay at companies forever they are in the spotlight because they are either liked/successful but people come and go all the time its nothing new. Not everytime its a bad thing so Sony doesnt need to say whats going on it is what it is. They create studios and get rid of 1s all the time.

[nukeitall]

The ship is definitely not right....

In my long gaming experience (think many decades=, I have not seen this sort of mass exodus from anyone single company in the time span.

This is massive exodus from Sony! WTF is going on? These are people from key positions as well. Maybe this is Kaz Hirai's Japanese leadership....

[Flutterby]

Oh look another one that can't read articles. Some have left to make there own studios , some have left to join new studios , some have just been fired. Which is a normal thing for companies, some of these people left last year and only just making the news now.

[ninsigma]

@Foxtrot
Why do they need to make a statement? It's their business leave them to it...as long as the top quality games keep rolling out what has it to do with anyone other the people involved. This crap happens in all kinds of industries and no one bats an eye lid...why should this be any different??

[showtimefolks]

whatever is going on at PlayStation we need to know because too many people are leaving or being let go

Kack Tretton hurts the most but Stig is right behind him

for a brand as strong as PS is right now why are all these things taking place? also what the heck is going on with Drive club?

[Metfanant]

This is what happens when high budget titles are not meeting deadlines and are not developing properly...

Nothing more than that

[Pon4]

What's going lmfao is Sony is history and facing bankruptcy the way things are with them and then want to bring out that morpheus crap too lmfao oh geez Samsung is buying Sony it's official

[blakstarz]

I know Sony is going through some financial issue but this seems a bit disturbing.

[incredibleMULK]

Something ain't good. I hope they pull through this. I really don't want to go back to gaming on xbox. I got 17 platinums too, damn it!

They are cutting all of these big salary positions. I am guessing that they are having money troubles.

No one leaves at 19 years career with a quarter a million a year salary. Its the combination of Jack Denton's departure, Santa Monica layoffs, and ip cancellation all in close proximity that has me concerned. Not to mention that big wig broad at naughty dog that got fired.

What the hell? Something ain't right, this game keeps getting pushed back and now this......Its probably going to be vaporware....or it may be crap like quantum theory.

Maybe all these first party studios are draining sony like too many ticks on a dog.

I know Japan has the highest corporate tax in the world and us is second highest and look how shitty we are doing. That can't be helping sony.

[LexHazard79]

Thank you....I was thinking same thing. What is Sony not telling us?! Say what you will people but these are key figures!

[otherZinc]

@-Foxtrot,

What a post! Way to not have your head in the sand & demand more, I respect that. You are to be commended.

[hollabox]

Another one bites the dust!

[TitanUp]

imo i dont believe they all agree with the VR stuff the time these rumors started is also the same time people started leaving.

[joeorc]

@Foxtrot

Hmm, where were you when i posed this?

"The Change up over @ Microsoft and why Hard core gamer's may be worried"

http://forums.n4g.com/The-C...

You say "If it was Microsoft" well?
The people Leaving @ Sony is nothing like what happened @ Microsoft, but yet you demand a statement from Sony? How about Microsoft, its one thing to loose people here and there, but not the entire founding father's Team! where was you asking this very Question about the freaking Entire Founding Father's team that developed the Platform that is xbox? The entire Team of 13+ CEO's all left and are gone now from Microsoft.

An the direction of xbox changed or is it the same?

the fact you are trying to make a claim this is some "big , Huge , Giant " Problem for Sony and Not Microsoft shows that hint of Bias showing through.

Yes it would be one thing is more than 10 big CEO's that helped develop the playstation platform are all gone, but that is not the freaking case.

Unlike Xbox the Majority of founding father's of"Playstation" platform CEO's are still there at Sony the one's in charge hell Kaz is the current CEO of Sony as a whole. People move on and change jobs and position's all the Time, it really does not mean much since even with all 13 of the CEO's that founded the xbox project all left, the xbox platform is very much alive and doing great, yes the direction has indeed changed some, but still the xbox as a platform is here to stay.

For One Sony's playstation is a private held LLC there is no public buy in for stock, so its already split from Sony as a single entity but its stock is not for buy in outside of Sony! do people not get this?.

That is exactly why Sony told Hedge fund Dan Loeb that the entertainment arm was not for sale.

So as i have stated many times before playstation may change direction, may have new CEO's in charge of new project's and may indeed grow or shrink, but as the fact of the matter Sony's playstation as a LLC is not for public IPO! and for that to change a entire change in the board of directors and the current prez Kaz would have to step downand the new board and prez would have to bring it to a vote. for playstation to go public as an IPO.

which in general sense, means "since its mainly' japanese ran and completely 100% owned, the very fact that for 40 d@mn straight yeas in a row no japanese company the size of Sony has had a Hostile Take over Happen shows that its not anywhere near the same as the west.

Like i stated before the small number of people leaving and some not even in real big leadership positions for playstation leaving is nothing like what happened to Microsoft's xbox, but did that really effect Xbox as a platform? not really so its even less an effect on Sony's playstation!

Hell Sony's reinvested billion's now right back into playstation, a few CEO's leaving is bound to happen here and there.

[Gamer1982]

I'm thinking there all waiting for best possible time to get out to form a new studio..

[goldwyncq]

With all these names I could already fill a bingo card.

[Seraphim]

you're making a big deal out of nothing. People leave major corporations all the time. Be it for a better position elsewhere, to chase their dream, because they feel they've accomplished all they can or what they set out to do, etc, etc. Whole is greater than the sum of it's parts. There's still infinite amounts of talent working at Sony on all kinds of projects. Perhaps some of these moves are good not only for each individual who left but to the franchises and work studios are or will be doing. Also as pointed out. let's not forget that between projects layoffs are common. Once a new project get's green lit they'll bring in more talent when needed. No need to keep all the part time help around during down time. That's wasted expenses.

[Blastoise]

Some worrying thing's going on behind the scenes at Sony. Far too many people are leaving for it to just be a coincidence, what's weirder is the PS4 is doing really well so games like this have a better chance of being a success than they ever did on PS3.

Oh well, I wish this dude all the best and hope Driveclub is awesome. Feels like this game has been a long time coming

[Dark11]

I agree this has to be serious and can no longer be downplayed
i wonder if ND is next.

@ABeastNamedTariq

no one is safe with sony .. who would have thought that SSM will get hit by layoffs? hell even their new IP was ready for E3 but sony canceled the game

[ABeastNamedTariq]

You keep saying variations of "I wonder if ND is next".

I'm squinting my eyes at you. Enough with the funny business.

[Bruce_Wayne]

Sony's best studio is ND hands down. I don't think Naughty Dog will be affected. I think that ND is so highly regarded, that they can make any decisions regarding their studio.

[LexHazard79]

@Batman,

Didnt ND lose Amy Hennig? ND is not immune of anything going on at Sony. Seems everyone is on notice!

[-Foxtrot]

" PS4 is doing really well so games like this have a better chance of being a success than they ever did on PS3. "

This is a crazy theory of mine but I was wondering because the PS4 is doing better then the PS3 and their gaming division is the most profitable they are cutting back people on the gaming division to try and save their other ones which aren't doing so well....like their TV ranges, Laptops, Music etc

I know they want to have a grip on electrical market but with it changing so much over the years as technology has surged forward they are going to have to let go of them eventually if they can't turn a profit on them. Other companies can do better laptops and better TV's now, I know they want to compete as a business but what's the point of losing money when they could be saving it and then investing it in their most profitable division...the Playstation, since they finally have a better hold on the market now with the PS4's great launch.

[Kenshin_BATT0USAI]

This is my theory, the current flow of things, their gaming division is pretty much self-sufficient at this point, so they're downsizing to make up costs in other divisions.

[XboxFun]

Bu bu bu bu bu sony's gaming division is doing so well, their other departments would never hurt the playstation brand.

it is so good to see the sony fanboys n4g analyst scramble to make sense of what is going on. Some stay quiet because of foot in mouth syndrome as others like fox here DEMAND that sony address them.

didnt you say something about MS PR in another article? Oh nooooo, im twisting his comments!!

[-Foxtrot]

So let me get this straight XboxFun

User says something good about a company = Fanboy

User criticize something about company = Still a Fanboy

Your logic is hilarious, no one can really win with you can they.

But no go ahead and post off topic, immature comments, twisting peoples words because for some strange reason you get a kick out of all this. Not like you have any other bubbles to loose.

[bjmartynhak]

My theory is worse.

PS4 is doing well. So Sony does not need to spend a lot on games. Leave just the most popular franchises/devs and call the exclusive DLCs/Marketing deals: Watch Dogs, AC, Thief, Destiny...

I guess I prefer Sony trying to catch up with MS...

So you are completly right, Sony need to put things straight with gamers before even fanboys like me start thinking the worse.

[Bruce_Wayne]

Isn't Sony's fiscal year almost over? I think that since they're starting a new one, and with the PS4 being ultra successful, they're laying off people to invest in PS Vita! Imagine that. A new start for the Vita to compliment the PS4's success.

[danny818]

you do know that sony ia making very little money on every ps4 that is sold right?! just because they are selling a lot doesn't mean that sony is back on track to becoming profitable. Maybe they are leaving before sony files for bk

[LexHazard79]

I'll just say this. I have a feeling that at $399 Sony is losing money or selling at cost(which is unlikely)! Thats the reason for the lay offs and key figures with big salaries leaving!

@fox trot,

If Sony gaming division is best thing going for it, why make cuts there for failures of their other divisions(tv, music, etc). I would be making changes in those other divisions not my best one!

[rainslacker]

My theory is that people leave one company and go to others all the time. Staying at one company in the game industry for more than a couple years is actually rather rare. These people being reported on are the upper echelon on the industry. They get offers all the time to go do their own thing, or they just want to do something different. Maybe many just waited it out until things were set to go.

Now, here's the kicker. Lately it seems that every change in any kind of management or direction position gets reported on a lot more than they used to, so it just seems like more people are moving around. Before a year or two ago, most people would probably never have heard of half the people leaving, as those kinds of reports were saved for CEO status people.

I may be wrong of course, but someone above listed about 5 people that left in recent months. No one knows the reason why. The only one that seemed dubious was Amy Henning due to the fact that UC4 was in production. All others just seemed to be that their projects were finished, or some milestone had been met, which is typically when people do change jobs.

The only thing that may be affecting all these changes though is the current restructuring of a lot of Sony studios. It is quite possible that they are affecting these people's work environments. However, as professional courtesy, these kinds of things are rarely ever mentioned in a press release, and doing so just puts a black mark on many people's resume's, as the industry itself is rather secretive.

[Crossbones]

Oh God!!! Everybody Is Leaving!!!!

[SourShoes]

I'm starting to worry that we will not see this beautiful racing game until autumn. Don't piss off Sony with delays or you'll soon be an indie startup.

[Dark11]

Sony just can't catch a break .. what is going on with their first party studios.

[Mr-Dude]

You blow it all out off proportions... like nearly all your comments

[lifeisgamesok]

This is madness. It sounds like Sony has some huge internal problems going on

[scott182]

Really? You don't say.... hmmm ya think? Keep hammering that point home for people, you're doing a good job.

[liquidhalos]

Why be rude? What does that solve?

[scott182]

^
Good point, not a thing. Just getting tired of all his Sony financial doom comments due to his known bias.

[GarrusVakarian]

Lol, quit it with the false concern, we all know you here and know your intent.

If you read the article you would see he left over a month ago and says himself it has nothing to do with today's lay-off's.

As for "huge internal problems", way to state the obvious. Companies don't restructure if things are going swimmingly, do they? Sony have been having financial issues for years now, but they didn't stop them from releasing all those great exclusives on the PS3.

And Rodgers wasn't let go because of Sony's financial problems, he left to form an indie studio. Please, in future, read the damn article before commenting.

[kenshiro100]

Lukas, what have I told you about using logic?

[joeorc]

@Lukas_Japonicus

Thank you 100%, the fact that this happens in this part of the industry = many on here have never worked in this part of the industry at all. many times a change happens because the person wants one! not because they have too!

Hell some people who was in acting may choose to be a director for a while, and some may leave some time than come back later.. look at CEO stephen elop!

Left Microsoft , now he's back again at Microsoft

[ABeastNamedTariq]

Okay something bad is going on.

EDIT: I mean in light of the recent key departures, all in a short timeframe.

[Flyingdog670]

What's going on? It can't just be restructuring, maybe they're having problems with these studios behind the scenes we don't know about :/ Hopefully the game doesn't get delayed again.

[Activemessiah]

The director of the game just left... a delay is but inevitable.

[TIER1xWOLFPACKx]

This is just getting blown way out of proportion. Because one person leaves a certain team everyone seems to think holy sh*t sony must be having problems has it ever occured to those people that said developer wants to move on and try something new. If I remember correctly last year devs on Microsoft exclusive games left to join naughty dog etc and that was reported completely differently by journalists. Yet when something sony related pops up due said dev leaving it gets reported as this is a bad thing they must be in real trouble. One person leaving doesn't mean bad things!! Just God damn click bait!!

[Mr-Dude]

Agreed

[Paulie_gualtieri]

It's just the usual trimming of the fat.And as a big publishers with some 17 studios with hundreds of devs per studio, they have a lot of fat to trim so to speak.

Sucks for the people that lose their job but that's the business.Sometimes you don't need 15 graphic designers for a new game, just 5.Or you don't need 20 program coders, just 10.In this case, you don't need a creative director that has directed the game into a 6+ month delay.

This is norm stuff.Hell, Don mattrick left MS.Then marc whitten.Corrine Yu left to join naughty dog of all place and Blacktusk game they were working on for years got scrapped.It happens.Especially with a shift in High up management and the dawn of a new console gen.

People need to cut the drama and stop pretending to be armchair business analysts.

[TIER1xWOLFPACKx]

I know it's just got to me as all day I've seen Xbox fanboys spreading doom tweets saying sony is dying they are going to sell their IPs to Microsoft and start shutting studios down. It just aggitates that lay off instantly mean trouble like you said above they might not need 20 graphic designers, sometimes having to many people working on a certain aspect of a game can cause issues so trimming down teams to streamline the development process can be more efficient and effective to the games progress. I'm going to use dice as an example they probably have a team close to 300? Look how messy that game turned out.

[saint_seya]

Stop making sense.. this is not allowed in N4G, the MS fanboys need to say that sony is about to go down. Let them have 5 mins of happines, till next worlwide numbers appear and they go back to their usual self.
I for once, ill let them feel the joy of this news.

[christocolus]

@zeldas

Its not a good thing to see devs or employees been let go like this but pls stop bringing MS into this or comparing the three guys who left at MS to whats happening at these studios..

Sony is doing a mass lay off for their own reasons, Ms isnt doing that. Don left cos he was doing everything wrong since the xbx unveiling,every xbx fan found his resignation to be a huge relief.. Corrine yu left 343i to ND but since her depature 343i has gained more than 6 new senior staff and a few devs from eidos, ssm ,irrational and lucas arts.its the same story with Black tusk who just got some new devs including fergusson and some ex irrational devs.

Ms is hiring like crazy all their studios including rare, turn10 and lionhead are hiring..they have been building up their studios and even starting up new ones i.e LXP theyve also got joseph staten back from bungie and tim longo too.

Marc Whitten started his career at Ms straight from college if you ask me i think the guy has definitly paid his dues to MS, xbx and its fans. Joining sonos was a career choice for him....so focus on the article and stop dragging MS into this...MS isnt doing a mass lay off. Sony is.

[gameon1985]

And you are just Got damn brain washed. And the dev leaving Microsoft didn't leav in the middle of a massive layoff; So that's not even comparable. You know it's not just one person leaving So why be so defensive?

[TIER1xWOLFPACKx]

The dev that left, left back in February not when these evolution studios lay offs hit read the article first before commenting

[Paulie_gualtieri]

I assume you're speaking to me? How am i brainwashed? Everything i just said is common among big businesses.Yes, it sucks.It's unfortunate.But considering their fiscal year earnings are coming up in April, it's crunch time.

Nothing defensive about that.Carry on being an arrogant shmuck tho

[ltachiUchiha]

If E3 comes & Sony has a bad E3 then we know something is definitely wrong. I understand that layoffs come & go but damn thats alot of ppl. If I start seeing lead directors from Naughty Dog go, I will be pissed off at Sony. PS4 is selling well why dont u fire the a holes from your tv division or other divisions thats doing sh**ty.

[maniacmayhem]

I think some people here are taking these things a little too far.

And as for there other divisions, they are also seriously downsizing those. I just read that Sony killed off their computer division. This is probably the re-org that was mentioned a while ago as Sony tries and streamline their company to be more profitable.

http://www.theverge.com/201...

And contrary to what some where saying on here the effects of divisions not doing well do impact all of Sony despite if their gaming division was doing very well.

Sony's E3 is going to be spectacular. I have no doubt that this E3 will be the best we have had in a long time.

[iceman06]

That's what they did FIRST! They killed of their computer business and restructured their TV and camera business. They sold off buildings and then, instead rented space in some, saving them tons in overhead alone. I think that the last place that they wanted to touch was the games division. However, with their financials being what they are, they had to. So, budgets were issued and changes were made accordingly. Now, in other businesses, we wouldn't have batted an eye...other than to say layoffs suck. But, because gaming is more "personal" I guess we start looking for something more. This is a necessary "evil" in business. Businesses grow...and sometimes they grow too much. So, it is necessary to restructure or condense the business to get the maximum efficiency at minimum cost...which they hope leads to profitability.
So, it's not the best thing for a company to be going through. BUT, it's also not the end of the world.

[Mr-Dude]

It's weird and worrying but i have big hopes for the E3. Maybe a surprise new studio with all these people. No one of them have spoken of there depature so maybe there is some good hopes...

if not then All Is Doomed! /s

[Silly Mammo]

While I do find it a bit strange. Though not being in the industry, I have a feeling this happens on a regular basis. But in this day and age where everything is reported and information needs to come immediately to the readers this might sound more drastic than it is. Again this is my interpretation and I could be completely wrong.

[aragon]

you have a point and i dont think this really affects gamers as much as we think, its just life people find better jobs, something happens in life, its just life, i got laid off before, i found another job

[Majin-vegeta]

Why are people flipping??He left back in February.His work is probably done.

[porkChop]

It's because there have been many departures at Sony recently, and they've all been key people. It just doesn't make any sense.

[porkChop]

Edit: Double post.

[SoapShoes]

Yeah his work was likely done, I'm not really worried by any of the recent news. People just freak out because this is all they hear, they don't hear about all the rest of what's going on. It's funny how people complained about Sony announcing things too early and now that they are tight lipped on things people don't like it. lol

[Majin-vegeta]

Too many daft people who didnt read the"He left back in February" part.

[Bundi]

Hey genius, this guy was in some nobody who was hired on a contractual basis, he was the director of the game!
As a director of the game, his work was not done until the game is at least completed. On top of that as a high ranking person at the studio, it is difficult to believe that he would just up and go start an indie studio after many many years at Evolution.

Also, there's a difference between announcing games too early and keeping tight lipped about something like this! Game announcements and key figures leaving a studio are not the same thing

[Bundi]

what are you high? He was the director of the freaking game! He left midway project before it was even completed let alone released! So how could you possibly believe that his work was done?!

This guy has bean @ Evolution for many many years and now he leaves in the middle of a project and your brilliant conclusion is that that his work was done?!

You better stop drinking that Kool Aid and open your eyes.

[porkChop]

What the hell is going on over at Sony? They just launched the fastest selling console in history, and yet so many key people at their best studios are leaving. Even Jack Tretton is leaving.

[saint_seya]

You know how many they hired in the last year? i bet you dont, but u can call the people that left or was fired..
Its funny how people says "oh they fired 100 devs in one year".. Maybe they hired 150.. But you know that? No, why? because that is not getting hits to internet sites, noone cares of the good things, but bad things, they make it into the news faster than you can think about it.

[Borma]

From the article (which seems some people didn't even bother to read) "Rodgers left the studio in February to form indie startup Big Red Switch Games, a development studio" He left a month ago and this is now coming out. Possibly because of the other layoffs we heard about today to Sony studios. Also, "Rodgers also confirmed to VideoGamer that his departure is not connected to today's wave of layoffs, which saw redundancies at Evolution, Guerrilla Cambridge and Sony London Studios." Maybe it is possible when Driveclub was "taken-back to the drawing board" he was let go/he wanted to leave. Don't get me wrong, I am not trying to be a Sony defender, as these layoffs are troubling to at least some extent, hopefully these moves will be for the better good.

[Kenshin_BATT0USAI]

I wouldn't be shocked if Drive Club is bad...like really bad.

[Borma]

Well it certainly is possible with all the delays. I hope not though. The graphics shown most recently looked really good.

[thejigisup]

The driveclub was a lie.

[Bonkerz]

Definitely glad i went with X1.

[Silly gameAr]

Whatever helps you sleep man.

[B-radical]

Why must you troll and not have any good input.

[TimeSkipLuffy]

There will be more ppl leaving... This is only the beginning... very sad development...

[Speak_da_Truth]

WTH!!!! is going on Sony another Dev leaving????

[Flutterby]

He left in February to start an indie studio of his own, you guys really need to read more rather than jump the gun.

[HeartlessGamer]

Wtf is going on ?

[Agent_hitman]

I think it's a domino effect that most of the prominent sony personnel were leaving and the ones who are left felt sad which cause them to leave as well rather than to stay without their original team guiding them... Just my opinion

[thejigisup]

This whole mass exodus from camp Sony didn't feel good, even worse games are being affected. All of this doesn't look so hot for consumers rooting for team Sony. A statement may give some insight or atleast prevent the hysteria from building. I love my ps4 I love the games but it's hard to be hopeful when there's so much bad news.

[AutoCad]

said this in another article and got disagrees.

Sony is struggling financially,they need to cut weight.
Like i said as a sony fan or investor you should be worried

[saint_seya]

You should be worried of MS getting ride of xbox if it doesnt catch ps4 ;)
You see, saying stupid troll things is so easy, and i can do it without even trying hard...
Go back to your cave.. noone needs you here, thx.

[AutoCad]

the truth hurts..
its okay buddy

[Infernostew]

Old news, this dude left months ago.

[Brugal]

Facebook is acquiring Occulus Rift for 2 billion.

[MegaDan]

Sony has some explaining to do.

[frostypants]

Do you have statistics to prove that this is an abnormal turnover rate? Furthermore, do you base your game purchases on internal HR practices? If the answer to either of these questions is "no", then no, Sony (or any other company for that matter) doesn't have any explaining to do.

[jobboy]

is it just me thinking that behind all that there is the hand of Shu Yoshida?? he looks so quite but i think he is a real headhunter...

[GiantFriendlyCrab]

well sonys stocks are down almost 90% since 2000. https://www.google.com/fina...

[frostypants]

Not really relevant. Their games division is thriving.

[gamer1138]

@joab777

I'm not post this to be inflammatory. You raise some good points but to say: "Sony seems to be soaring" when this is being forecast:

http://www.bloomberg.com/ne...

I think it's time to take the heads out of the sand. The PS4 is doing well for Sony but other areas of the business are starting to drag down the Playstation Division.

Jack Tretton has put PS4 at number 1 in the US, surely he would expect a bonus or pay rise?

Risky Santa Monica IP cancelled? Probably didn't want to take the gamble on a new and maybe expensive IP.

Lastly, Project Morpheus. I'm intrigued by it and hope it does well but it is a MASSIVE investment and gamble for Sony. We could be seeing the "kinect effect" here that happened at MS. Sony shifts its focus to VR and so more traditional or non VR games get sidelined, much the way everything had to be "better with kinect" on xbox.

You can feel the vultures circling. Google, Apple or others are just waiting to rip Playstation away from Sony. Or HELL, just buy Sony outright!

[Edsword]

He left in February to start his own Indie firm. You don't just get laid off and then start your own business. I am pretty sure this was planned. As for the other lay offs, there is definitely a re organization happening. It is necessary, Sony needs to make money again. These positions may have been redundant or no longer necessary. Let's not forget how much harder the PS3 was to develop for, if the PS4 is a lot easier, they might not need as many developers.

[hkgamer]

making a console easier to develop for doesn't really affect the game director.
also PS4 is not that much easier to produce for since there is more things to do now. but lets keep on topic.

Agree with what you said. For him to start an indie studio already means that he should have planned it for a while now. or if he did get laid off then he gets more money to start off his business.

Hopefully this indie studio will make good indie games and not money grubbing mobile apps.

[silkrevolver]

What in the hell is going on over at Sony?

Too many layoffs/people leaving to not suspect something strange...

[GiantFriendlyCrab]

Kaz knows thats its the end of the world, he will be last one to leave the building http://i.imgur.com/89bMMZZ....

[silkrevolver]

The guy who runs that account is hilarious.

[hkgamer]

Sony is having heavy financial problem. laying off people they believe as overpaid might be one. Other things such as not giving employees a high enough bonus or payrise may make employee leaves.

Obviously I wouldn't know whats actually going o, but if you look at sony like any other companies and these employees like any other employees then it probably isn't anything big.

[brandonb21]

"rodgers left the studio in February to form indie startup Big Red Switch Games," that was awhile ago people.

[fanboysmackdown]

I think it's safe to say now that Driveclub is a train wreck. All the Sony fangirls can make up all the excuses they want but this game has disaster written all over it. It looked good but so did Lindsey Lohan at one time. Oh well, guess I have to wait for GT7.

[aragon]

lindsay lohan lol

[PrinceOfAllSaiyans]

Guess most of you dumbasses didn't read the article. He left on how own to form an indie team. If Sony's E3 sucks then I'll jump on the gloom and doom wagon. But as of now I will try to stay optimistic. They better not touch Naughty Dog or Sucker Punch tho, that will be the day I sale my PlayStation. It seems like Nintendo is the only company out of the big 3 that knows what they're doing. They have the best handheld ever with a huge library. And they are starting to make the Wii U into am awesome console with their recent releases in Super Mario 3D World, Wind Waker HD, and DKCTF. And with a lot of amazing games like Mario Kart 8, Smash Bros 4, and Bayonneta 2.

[Gamerita]

first of all the guy left he was not asked to leave,secondly it's not like you kids own massive share in this giant sony company to complain about staff leaving or even to demand answers. just play the damn games.

[windblowsagain]

Who cares.

SONY is doing fine with PS4.

DRIVECLUB Will be ready when it's ready.

The only problem i have is the price of games these days.

£50-55 uk. ripoff central.

[Kavorklestein]

Gran Turismo 5 will be ready when it's ready.
Oops, wrong generation.

[windblowsagain]

But when it was ready. It was sweet. Loved GT5. Missing GT6 for GT7 On PS4.

[choujij]

They're probably reducing wages across the board to save money. Everything usually boils down to money.

[Gamerita]

i agree with you the game will be ready they probably delayed it for the VR headset or just tweaking it. sony will not shoot itself in the foot by sacking key people which are needed this company has brains like no other,every single step they take is calculated,sometimes they don't do well & that because this company is INNOVATOR & when you are like this you take risks & this is the most thing i respect sony for add to that the quality of their hardware which is top notch. sony is a leader not a follower like most.

[AceofStaves]

I'd rather see Sony making moves like this in an effort to improve its corporate health and bottom line than to see it do nothing in the face of the difficulties it has been going through in the last several years and pretend that nothing is wrong. It has to do something to strengthen itself. Action is better than inaction.

Sony's stock gained 3.4% on the NYSE in spite of today's news of the layoffs, so investors see something positive in the company's current course of action.

As for Col Rodgers, I hope his new venture is a success. The same goes for those affected by today's layoffs.

[seroxat]

@Hatsune
Bill Gates isn't MS CEO and hasn't been for many years. Steve Ballmer is the current CEO. Just sayin' :-)

[_FantasmA_]

I've been waiting for this game since the 20th of February last year. I'm dying over here. Give me Drive Club or give me Midnight Club 5!

[AnEwGuY]

If you believe certain media outlets, every dev on the planet loves working with Sony, and working with their consoles. It's looking more and more like that's not necessarily the case.

[feraldrgn]

He's probably finished his work on DriveClub & now wants to have a go at other things.
Good luck to him & hope he can make some interesting games.

[Kavorklestein]

Probably trying to avoid a half decade debacle like Gran Turismo 5.

[Azzanation]

Unfortunately PlayStation is the best thing Sony own right now and it is unsettling when these moves happen. People will believe that PS will be ok even if Sony go down however they also forget that Sony will bring PS down with them. They will most likely sell the brand to another Corp but before they end up doing it expect quality drops, they will sell departments inside PS, they will get rid of there best talents to save on money. Once the ship has finally sunk, they will sell PS to (eg Apple) where they will start over again.

My comment is also referring to this article as well.

http://n4g.com/news/1480794...

[welly300]

Think this is just the start, sony are reliasing that its to expensive to make AAA games and will leave it to 3rd party studios. They will keep people on to finish projects then we will see studio's shut down over the next 12 months.

[kalbo14]

Sony is still quiet. i wondering if they are cooking under their sleeves with this layoffs and moving out..coz if this is serious issue big boss will come out and explain

[ColonelRex]

lol I can't believe this has drawn so many panicking comments. Guys, people are replaceable. Ever here of the term, "everyones replaceable"? That term couldn't be more true.

[ArbitorChief]

God damn, Sony are screwed! If Morpheus fails, oh lord, RIP Playstation.

[SynestheticRoar]

W@W. Never saw so many fanbots pulling at straws. 2funny.

[isarai]

OK seriously WTF is going on in SCE studios?

[UltraAtomic]

i dont currently own a ps4, but this news is starting to get worrisome for any ps4 owner.

[marcofdeath]

If the game was good it would be out but it was never as good as FMS5. Just like KZSF never looked as good as RYSE.......

[Flames76]

Another smart person leaving the sinking ship that is the PS4.The playstation division has lost billions and hasnt turned a profit in over 8 years it cant keep going like this

[HumanatPlay]

Evolution Layoffs: Drive Club isn't up to par with GT standards, Evolution should have made a street racing game to kill NFS franchise not a game similar to GT. Sure you get an avatar and you get to look at your

SONY Santa Monica: Lets be honest that last God of War was watered down and disappointing. A prequel (money scheme) was not what fans where interested in after GOW3.

Super Bot: PS All Stars was fun for a little while but the roster lacked the very thing required to sell it - Iconic Playstation Characters from iconic Playstation games. I love Gravity but how was Kat iconic and FFVIIs Cloud not?

What to do when your leg starts to rot?

[Lordofrankness]

Wow all this talent Sony is losing. $$ issues is a reality i guess. If MS was smart they would hire the talent sony lost for MS first party studios especially (Jack Tretton he would b great for MS PR). Because the gaming industry isnt about fanboyism for devs. its about whos paying right now and working on games is all they want to do. tough business.

Hope sony can keep the talent together and get these exclusives made right.

And drive club WTF is going on?

[Mkai28]

Feb ain't far from March ppl..

[heisenberguk]

Hope this isn't going to be another racer that promises perfection but doesn't come near ala GT5

[mikedemo]

Folks are reading way too far into this news.

[CuddlyREDRUM]

I knew the game was in trouble. Hopefully they just release it already so it is free with Plus, polishing a turd is still a turd.

[CrossingEden]

This game is now officially in development hell.

[goldwyncq]

It's becoming a plague now.

[fluxmulder]

Newsflash: In 100 years time, EVERYONE in EVERY studio will have left.

[goldwyncq]

Were bound to have centenarian game developers in the future, trust me.

[Illusive_Man]

Dear Ex Sony employees,

We have plenty of room over here. We have unlimited Mountain Dew, Pizza, and Titanfall. In the afternoons we have a wonderful selection of Zumba Fitness classes. We also have a great benefits package and fans will actually buy your games! Come join the fun, X marks the spot.

With Love,
Microsoft