Rumor: EA Job Cuts Hit Warhammer Online Dev
Citing anonymous sources, the site claims that all of Mythic's playtesters were let go, along with 21 customer service employees and half of its quality assurance team.
When reached for comment, studio owner Electronic Arts once again stated that no specifics on the latest round of cost-cutting measures would be provided until early February--the same response given to rumors that EA axed Pandemic Brisbane.
Electronic Arts had previously announced that it would cut roughly 10% of its global workforce by March 31, and close "at least" nine facilities. Skate and Need for Speed developer Black Box is among those slated for closure, with the studio's teams and "associated game franchises" moving to a nearby office in Burnaby, British Columbia.
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Visceral Monkey
reply"that all of Mythic's playtesters were let go,"
DOH.
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This article sums everything up. It' a brief history of EA. I think many of you will see the irony and how money truly is the root of all evil.
http://www.businessweek.com/innovate/content/aug2006/id20060828_268977.htm
I'm an Amiga guy, and I've known the EA story for a long long time.
It's too bad they've done the money dance, done a 360 and started buying up all the competition. The NFL contract was a deal killer for me.
Mythic holds a very special place in my heart. DAOC and it's RVR ( Realm vs Realm ) now called PVP was just an awesome experience and I wish more of you could have the privilege to have see Emain and The Mile Gates first hand.
Mythic sold to EA to survive as a brand name and as a company. I can only imagine all the hours Mark and Rob spent alone thinking long and hard about if he should sale, or not sale to EA. They knew they were getting in bed with the devil. And it seems that Satan did indeed do what he does best in bed. You get fucked nice and hard.
There is nothing wrong with making money but where do to draw the line? Most companies, there is no line in the sand so to speak, they will push the market envelope to the edge and get every penny they can from the consumer. Very few companies protect the artist, the employee or vision / product name the founders had envisioned.
EA destroys these companies in one way or another. Dead lines, budget cuts, firing play testers. It's a vicious cycle, and sadly, it's not over. More companies are out there with great products.
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Also EA's history of handling MMOs just continues. I've always despised EA for what they did to MMOs and sadly enough I see how they are starting to drop Warhammer just because of shareholder interest and because basically EA does not give a shit. I totally agree with you that Mythic Entertainment got in bed with the devil, this is a shame, they were a great company before.
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