[Reupload]
The guys discuss EA closing servers for older games, the Red Dead Redemption controversy, Tekken 8 and Killer Instinct.
The news includes:
Let us know what you think.
This week’s podcast has been seriously delayed due to Jonah’s computer going belly up, then having to deal with reinstalling everything. Not to worry, however, since everything on the old hard drive was saved, learn more at desky.com.au. If that weren’t enough, Jonah is enjoying his new Xbox One X Project Scorpio Edition.
The news of the week includes:
If that weren’t enough, there’s about 30 minutes of outtakes we’re saving for the future as the gang talks about 2018. But that’s for an Outtakes episode.
This week’s gaming podcast we’re looking back at Elevator Action and we give our audio review of Plants v.s. Zombies, which you can find on CasualGamerChick as well.We tackle the question of the week, lots of great game points on games you just couldn’t finish but wanted to and, game news:
No New Game Consoles Until 2013This weeks “Question of the Week,” when will we see the next generation of consoles released and, will the iPhone overtake other hand-held gaming platforms?
Electronic Arts is planning to lay off 1,000 employees, approximately 10% of their employees. In this layoff their also consolidating EA Black Box back into EA Canada. EA Black Box was spun off as a studio outside of EA Canada to work on such titles as Need for Speed but, with the layoffs arriving, they’re going to be merging the remainder of EA Black Box into EA Canada by June 2009. The remaining EA Black Box employees will continue working on Skate 2.
The pink slips should be issued by March 31, 2009 and we’re hoping the folks that have lost their jobs will find new jobs as soon as possible. An Electronic Arts representative said:
“This does not mean that the Black Box studio is closing. The studio is moving to our Burnaby campus to share the facility with EAC and other EA teams that operate out of our state-of-the-art facility. We will operate two distinct studios, each with their own distinct culture and teams, out of our Burnaby facility.” (gamespot)
EA hasn’t mentioned any specific franchise cancellation but we’re going to assume something is going to slip, it’s hard to imagine a company can lose 1,000 employees without impacting business operations. If EA was able to layoff 1,000 people without impacting day-to-day business, then they’re definitely hurting in the management department because that would be a ton of waste.
Big companies may cut costs during hard times but they said they’re, “implementing a plan to narrow its product portfolio to focus on hit games with higher margin opportunities. The company remains committed to taking creative risks, investing in new games, leading the industry in the growing mobile and online businesses, and delivering high-quality games to consumers.”
We’re curious just how much EA is willing to risk on “creative” endevours considering publishers are already hesitant to break new ground. The next few years should yield great opportunities for smaller developers to put on their creative hat and open new doors and opportunities for themselves.
Hi guys.
Thanks for the episode as usual 🙂
I am still playing a lot of Pokémon Go cause I walk around a lot. My life is too fucked up at the moment that I don’t want to start a new game like baldurs gate. I really want to play it, all my friends are playing it and they love it.
Jonah is the first person I know who doesn’t like it and talks that bad about it …. But that’s ok for sure… it’s everyone’s personal thing to like something or don’t like it. Even if it’s only to be against 96% of all reviews ?
The other games you talked about, I really don’t know … besides suikoden .. that’s the only one I heard of from the Original PlayStation.
I did not play any sf6 but I like that tmnt costume idea, but I don’t like the price 🙁
I still want to watch the evo, especially the Street Fighter tournament … so I had to skip the last minutes of your podcast… I was afraid you talk about it ?
Ok, that’s all for today.
Stay healthy and happy 🙂
Greetings from Germany,
Ralf