Activision and Blizzard Layoffs

July 18, 2008July 18, 2008| schommerschommer| 0 Comment| 10:03 am
Categories:

If you’ve ever been through an acquisition or merger you’d have expected this news to come, but for those new to the concept it’s simple: you can’t keep everyone. After a complete merger you end up with two sales departments, two IT departments, etc.

Do you really need them all? No, not really. You’ll need to keep some on board in order to “brain dump” your job onto others and hopefully stick around for the long hall. Some employees will probably be shuffled to other job responsibilities while some get packages and a thank you card.

These are some of the growing pains when working towards a successful merger, so don’t be surprised or start spreading rumors when a few people are let go. As someone who’s gone through it in two big mergers I can say that certain departments already know their fate ahead of time. Many IT and sales folk start looking for new jobs the minute the merger is announced.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Related Post

Xbox 360, PS3 and Wii: Who’s Winning And HowXbox 360, PS3 and Wii: Who’s Winning And How

People see facts and figures constantly and brush them off as, well, facts and figures. But, when people see charts and graphs they “oooh” and “aaaah” over them because the visualization is easy to understand. Now, thanks to the NPD Group and Deutsche Bank, people are seeing some pretty graphs about the console battle. These show just how well the race is going on all fronts of the war.

Hardware Sales chart, via gamedaily.com

Although the data is fairly small the colors show it all, the Wii crossed over the Xbox 360 numbers in unit sales and hasn’t stopped since the launch. Here we are, on the third holiday season since the Wii launch, and people still cannot find them in stores. Shortage? Doubtful. Considering the massive sales numbers and the fact that they did take the 360 in numbers it seems the supply just can’t meet the over-the-top demands, but why is the demand so high for the little Nintendo bundle of joy? People just can’t get enough Wii.

The Xbox 360 has much to brag about as well, they’re not first in the race but their nearest next-generation graphic console, the PlayStation 3, isn’t even close. The chart shows them both rising in much the same way, with the same “pops” along the sales chart but in a completely different scale. Since Microsoft doesn’t want to consider Wii a competitor, they’re clearly winning the war in their eyes.

Oddly enough, one of the big pops in Xbox 360 sales where around the PS3 launch. Perhaps these consumers were waiting for both consoles to launch before making a decision? More than likely, it was holiday related and had little to do with the PS3 launch but it is fun to ponder anyway.

What about software sales? We’ve heard the Wii has little to offer in terms of games while the 360 wipes the floor with the competition.

Software sales charts, via GameDaily.com

To our surprise, the Wii is rocking the sales figures in terms of software but still doesn’t compare to the Xbox 360. Microsoft pulls out 93-million units while Nintendo takes home a modest 73-million units in software… yet again Sony doesn’t show up to the fight. Looking at November 2007, you can see the Wii jumps significantly in unit sales, no doubt related to the Super Mario Galaxy launch — once they hit that figure they never looked back and continued to climb.

Although a few of us expected Sony’s PlayStation 3 to make huge progress this year, each month they have marginal growth is causing their competitors to excel beyond anyones imagination. We’re starting to wonder how well Sony’s “10 year plan” is going to work out with their competitors taking advantage of the market now when, in 10-years, they will be sitting on their pile of cash to re-invest in the 8th generation of consoles.

(Thanks, GameDaily)

Read MoreRead More

Bejeweled Twist Launched, Casualites RejoiceBejeweled Twist Launched, Casualites Rejoice

After four years of development, Popcap lit up Seattle Monday night with the launch of Bejeweled Twist sparing no expense to show off their new casual game. It took four years to complete but Popcap isn’t going to release a game until it’s perfect. You won’t play it until they believe it is a game their mom would love.

“Popcap builds games for people, not demographics,” says CEO David Roberts. At the launch the founders, John Vechey, Brian Fiete and Jason Kapalka talked about the casual game market while the “Gem Girls” walked around looking sexy and flashy. Roberts talked about the casual game industry and forecasts it growing to become an $8 billion market — not too shabby for USD $19.99 games.

Downloads of Bejeweled, of course, show no signs of stopping and Popcap explained that 40% of their revenue comes from the old concepts of “Diamond Mine.” Phil Spencer, Microsoft Game Studios’ General Manager, hopped on stage and explained how Microsoft saw Popcap’s vision in their Diamond Mine flash game and suggested a rename to Bejeweled, the founders hated the name but took the big companies suggestion on the change.

Since then, we’ve had many folks attempt to clone and replicate the success in Popcap’s flagship product. Complete with open bar, Gem Girls, camera flashes and glitter this game launch shows the growing casual games industry the great power and momentum of “simple” casual games.

Nothing about Bejeweled Twist is simple. The game play of Bejeweled Twist aggregates all the knowledge Popcap has acquired over the last seven years to design one blockbuster title. From classic Bejeweled to Chuzzle to Peggle, the game takes pieces of each successful title and combines the game play, sounds, graphics and modes into a product that will bring casual gaming to a new level. Bejeweled Twist is going to be the new bar to reach in the industry in terms of addictive game play and a unified casual vision.

Stay tuned for the full review as we get deep into the full features of Bejeweled Twist. Special thanks to Dale North from Destructoid for hanging out for some drinks during the after party.

Read MoreRead More

Call of Duty: World at War Beta – Coming SoonCall of Duty: World at War Beta – Coming Soon

I don’t know anyone that can’t pass up a good beta, Call of Duty: World at War is no exception to the rule, especially for those gamers that pre-ordered the title already. It’s a great opportunity when you’re able to buy a game ahead of time because you’re a fan and get into the beta early.

Santa Monica, CA – October 13, 2008 – The dogs of war are being unleashed today, as Activision Publishing, Inc. (Nasdaq: ATVI) and developer Treyarch announced the launch of the multiplayer beta for Call of Duty: World at War on the Xbox 360® video game and entertainment system from Microsoft.  Console players can guarantee themselves a token by pre-ordering the game at North American GameStop retail locations,* or online at http://www.gamestop.com/Catalog/ProductDetails.aspx?product_id=71812. Call of Duty fans that register to become members at www.callofduty.com are also eligible to receive a token, but these tokens are limited in supply, so register today.  Windows PC fans can expect a multiplayer beta soon.  For more information about either beta and the opportunity to secure a beta token or key, fans can also visit www.callofduty.com/beta.

The Call of Duty: World at War multiplayer betas will provide players with an opportunity to play as U.S. Marines, German Wehrmacht, Japanese Imperial Army and Russian Red Army factions in a variety of game types (Team Death Match, Free-For-All, Capture the Flag and War), across three different maps:

  • Castle: The Imperial Japanese Army faces off against the Marine Raiders in a daytime battle, located on the grounds of an ancient, Japanese castle.
  • Makin: The U.S. Marine Raiders square off against the Imperial Japanese Army in a nighttime fight, set in an outpost on the Makin Atoll in the Pacific.
  • Roundhouse: The Wehrmact will fight the Red Army to the bitter end in a daytime struggle that features tank and infantry combat, set in a desolate, war-torn European train depot.

The betas will last for a few weeks; however, the full battle will commence on November 11, 2008 when Call of Duty: World at War is released to retailers nationwide.

Call of Duty: World at War is in development for the Xbox 360® video game and entertainment system from Microsoft, Games for Windows®, PLAYSTATION®3 computer entertainment system, Nintendo® Wii™ and Nintendo DS. The title has been rated M for Mature for blood and violence by the ESRB. The Nintendo DS version has been rated T for Teen by the ESRB.

For more information and exclusive updates about Call of Duty: World at War, visit www.callofduty.com

About Activision Publishing, Inc.
Headquartered in Santa Monica, California, Activision, Publishing, Inc. is a leading worldwide developer, publisher and distributor of interactive entertainment and leisure products.

Activision maintains operations in the U.S., Canada, the United Kingdom, France, Germany, Ireland, Italy, Sweden, Spain, the Netherlands, Australia, Japan and South Korea.  More information about Activision Publishing and its products can be found on the company’s website, www.activision.com.

Read MoreRead More