Turbine hit with another round of layoffs.

[Treadstone87]

http://massively.joystiq.com/2014/02...h-new-layoffs/

"As part of our normal business process, we're routinely looking at the strategic alignment of our company. Unfortunately, in order for us to invest in growth areas at Turbine, we have to eliminate some positions. These are always tough decisions, which we don't approach lightly, but it's crucial that Turbine is structured in a way that reflects the current and coming marketplace."

My guess is that the 'eliminated positions' are content creation positions, and 'growth areas' basically means the cash shop and further implementation of microtransactions.

[BigLotroFan]

http://massively.joystiq.com/2014/02...h-new-layoffs/

"As part of our normal business process, we're routinely looking at the strategic alignment of our company. Unfortunately, in order for us to invest in growth areas at Turbine, we have to eliminate some positions. These are always tough decisions, which we don't approach lightly, but it's crucial that Turbine is structured in a way that reflects the current and coming marketplace."

My guess is that the 'eliminated positions' are content creation positions, and 'growth areas' basically means the cash shop and further implementation of microtransactions.

best of luck to those affected. this is sadly common in the tech industry now. especially with larger companies. there isn't a lot of investment in employees and they become disposable.

[Jamesm429]

65 laid off from full time staff
Last few weeks 25 from temp staff

[Cerridwen]

If you're going to post direct quotes from other people, James, maybe let people here know that you are taking a quote from someone's FB page (and anywhere else you get the info). You don't have to give a name, just let people know you are quoting someone else from whatever site.


I don't know if any of them will see this but I wish the best of luck to those who were laid off.

[Ioci]

I've been unemployed for 3 months, I can offer empathy for these people. It's a tough place to be right now.

[LethalLethality]

Some people can be absolute jerks.

People get laid off, and immediately, someone jumps in gloating because because those people "ruined" a game they played. You lost a game, they lost the means in which they supported themselves and their families. They can't even be compared, so stop being a ******bag about it.

My best wishes to those who lost their jobs. Hopefully they'll be able to find another position or find a way to be transferred to another game being run by Turbine.

[Crell_1]

65 laid off from full time staff
Last few weeks 25 from temp staff

Can I ask where you got these numbers?

I saw a 'half of all dev team' quote somewhere, but nothing that specific.

I am sorry to hear +Amlug was among those affected, I enjoyed his work immensely over the past few years. I shall think of him every time Hobnanigans is mentioned, and every time I visit Lalia's market!

[quote]jhd ?@amlugDev 27m
https://twitter.com/amlugDev/status/433712115674017792

I hope that most of the team members will take the opportunity to let us thank them for their many efforts over the years. I still think of the Warden's salute every time +Orion is mentioned, and miss +Clover as well.

[Angadan]

(1) Very sorry for those Turbine team members who lost jobs. Hoping you find something even better going forward, and soon. We'll pray for you and your families' well-being.

(2) This might be the closest thing we'll get to an announcement that LOTRO is entering "maintenance mode." Fairly certain that when Kate Paiz and team made their plans for 2014, they were counting on the efforts of the 90 or so folks who no longer work there (or whatever percentage of those 90 worked LOTRO specifically). So, good chance that we will not see in 2014 all those things Kate's letter noted we would see. Might not see much of it at all, except what was already well along toward completion.

(3) Please one of you folks who are now looking for employment, consider writing a book or blog about life "behind the scenes" at Turbine and LOTRO over the past couple of years; I for one would be fascinated to read it, and find out answers to questions like:

-- (3a) -- when, how and why was it decided to shift in the direction of solo play, and was that seen in retrospect as a bad direction to take?
-- (3b) -- what, if any, resource cross-over took place between LOTRO/other existing games, and the IC project?
-- (3c) -- when did it become evident that the income stream for LOTRO was no longer supporting growth at previous year rates? and what was the leadership's initial reaction, then reaction over time?
-- (3d) -- what relationship did Turbine and WB have, from the beginning to today? How did the relationship evolve?
-- (3e) -- what was the turnover of staff like, and what impact did turnover have on continuity (or discontinuity) of game development? How about turnover of leadership specifically?

And so on...it would be a really interesting game industry business case study, of course, but it would also be fascinating to all the players who have ever wondered about the changes in direction of the past few years.


Bottom line has to echo the top line: praying for those of you who lost jobs, best of luck.

[Creston]

http://massively.joystiq.com/2014/02...h-new-layoffs/

"As part of our normal business process, we're routinely looking at the strategic alignment of our company. Unfortunately, in order for us to invest in growth areas at Turbine, we have to eliminate some positions. These are always tough decisions, which we don't approach lightly, but it's crucial that Turbine is structured in a way that reflects the current and coming marketplace."

My guess is that the 'eliminated positions' are content creation positions, and 'growth areas' basically means the cash shop and further implementation of microtransactions.

I of course feel bad for the people who lost their jobs. However, everything that has happened the last few months to year has left a really bad taste in mouth. It makes me believe that I am just holding onto hope that the game will be good again, but it seems like I am wasting my time exploring and perfecting my character in a game that will be shut down sometime soon at the worst or incredibly neglected for the future month.

[Jamesm429]

[QUOTE=Crell_1;7099993]Can I ask where you got these numbers?

I saw a 'half of all dev team' quote somewhere, but nothing that specific.

I am sorry to hear +Amlug was among those affected, I enjoyed his work immensely over the past few years. I shall think of him every time Hobnanigans is mentioned, and every time I visit Lalia's market!

jhd ?@amlugDev 27m
https://twitter.com/amlugDev/status/433712115674017792

I hope that most of the team members will take the opportunity to let us thank them for their many efforts over the years. I still think of the Warden's salute every time +Orion is mentioned, and miss +Clover as well.

I went to High School with someone who use to work at Turbine and things were posted on her Facebook page..

[Cerridwen]

Can I ask where you got these numbers?

He copy/pasted a status update, and a comment on that status update, from a former (not recent) employee's facebook page.

[Glumposneak]

(2) This might be the closest thing we'll get to an announcement that LOTRO is entering "maintenance mode." Fairly certain that when Kate Paiz and team made their plans for 2014, they were counting on the efforts of the 90 or so folks who no longer work there (or whatever percentage of those 90 worked LOTRO specifically). So, good chance that we will not see in 2014 all those things Kate's letter noted we would see. Might not see much of it at all, except what was already well along toward completion.

I actually believe the opposite is true, I believe the management new full well these layoffs were coming and that's why the announcement of no new expansion this year was made.

They don't have enough staff at the moment, so it's pretty obvious WB don't want to invest anymore in this game and are happy to just stop anyone else having the license.

It's exactly what I and others have been saying is happening since her letter and we've been accused of doom mongering etc when we have said so.

Many of you were gullible enough to take in every word of her letter as positive things about Lotros future when most people could read between the lines.

A sad day for Lotro (and a sadder day for those that lost their jobs)

[Glumposneak]

Well if this isn't the most repulsive comment I've read today..

I disagree.

What they are saying is their frustration of what this game has been turned into and it is blatantly obvious to many of us that the route turbine took would loose countless players, hence countless income, and when you do that, loosing staff is a sad inevitability

[Nyrion]

I actually believe the opposite is true, I believe the management new full well these layoffs were coming and that's why the announcement of no new expansion this year was made.

They don't have enough staff at the moment, so it's pretty obvious WB don't want to invest anymore in this game and are happy to just stop anyone else having the license.

It's exactly what I and others have been saying is happening since her letter and we've been accused of doom mongering etc when we have said so.

Many of you were gullible enough to take in every word of her letter as positive things about Lotros future when most people could read between the lines.

A sad day for Lotro (and a sadder day for those that lost their jobs)

There's jumping the gun and then there's leaping the cannon. What you're doing is the latter. You have NO solid evidence to confirm your vision of what's going on at Turbine at the moment. These layoffs suck, no question about that, and it's certainly not a good sign in any event, but even so claiming it's a sign of the game's imminent demise at this stage seems to me to be more born of wishful thinking out of a desire to be 'proven right' more than anything else.

I disagree.

What they are saying is their frustration of what this game has been turned into and it is blatantly obvious to many of us that the route turbine took would loose countless players, hence countless income, and when you do that, loosing staff is a sad inevitability

No. Frustration is absolutely no excuse for such a demonstrated lack of empathy. Not now, not ever.

[Angadan]

I actually believe the opposite is true, I believe the management new full well these layoffs were coming and that's why the announcement of no new expansion this year was made.

There is practically no chance that you're right on this point. The timing is way too far off. Remember, there was a PREVIOUS round of staff cuts, back in October of last year. It was those cuts that probably convinced the team they couldn't swing an expansion in 2014. This newest round of cuts, I would bet--knowing how closely management tend to hold decisions like this to the vest until the last minute--most of Turbine staff did NOT know anything about until just this week. Did Kate know a week or two in advance as a 'trusted agent'? Maybe, maybe not. But not back in December, I would imagine this round of cuts weren't even a decision to be made two months ago when her letter was drafted.

[Crell_1]

Warner Brothers press release, which you can find on a variety of gaming/business sites by googling it.

Surprisingly, my google fu isn't turning up the official press release , I'd appreciate a link.

[Glumposneak]

There's jumping the gun and then there's leaping the cannon. What you're doing is the latter. You have NO solid evidence to confirm your vision of what's going on at Turbine at the moment. These layoffs suck, no question about that, and it's certainly not a good sign in any event, but even so claiming it's a sign of the game's imminent demise at this stage seems to me to be more born of wishful thinking out of a desire to be 'proven right' more than anything else.

You need to read my post history.

Time and time again I have said and I stand by this that nothing would please me more than to be proven wrong.

Just because I can see a mile away whats happening (have witnessed this thing numerous times through my working life) does not mean I wish it to actually happen, and I do really really hope I am wrong.

I have been wrong before and I have held my hands up and admitted when it was so.

[Angadan]

Surprisingly, my google fu isn't turning up the official press release , I'd appreciate a link.

Crell, try the Massively pages, as well as the vg247.com site. Both picked up the press release, as did other sites. One correction: the press release only said "an unspecified number" of layoffs. It was, as another person noted above, an insider facebook page that gave the actual numbers being quoted.

[BangoTwinkletoes]

Never good to hear about people losing their jobs. Here's hoping that all those affected will look forward and move on to new and better things.

Also hope that as a result of the situation that they now find themselves in, that Turbine reassesses their overall strategy and does something to get more people playing and paying.

[ChromiteSwiftpaw]

Crell, try the Massively pages, as well as the vg247.com site. Both picked up the press release, as did other sites. One correction: the press release only said "an unspecified number" of layoffs. It was, as another person noted above, an insider facebook page that gave the actual numbers being quoted.

This is massively's:

http://massively.joystiq.com/2014/02...h-new-layoffs/

Gamasutra and Twitter are reporting that an unspecified number of Turbine employees have been fired today in a new round of layoffs.

A Warner Bros. representative responded with an official statement: "As part of our normal business process, we're routinely looking at the strategic alignment of our company. Unfortunately, in order for us to invest in growth areas at Turbine, we have to eliminate some positions. These are always tough decisions, which we don't approach lightly, but it's crucial that Turbine is structured in a way that reflects the current and coming marketplace."

Massively has reached out to Turbine for additional comments.

Nothing much there.

This is VG247: http://www.vg247.com/2014/02/12/turb...rner-confirms/

Turbine has suffered a round of layoffs, parent company Warner Bros. has confirmed to CVG.

The Boston-based developer focuses on online games development, with the latest to the fold, Infinite Crisis, slated for later this year.

According to Warner, the layoffs were part of its “normal business process,” as it routinely looks at “the strategic alignment” of its company.

“Unfortunately, in order for us to invest in growth areas at Turbine, we have to eliminate some positions,” said Remi Sklar, WBIE’s vice president of worldwide public relations. “These are always tough decisions, which we don’t approach lightly, but it’s crucial that Turbine is structured in a way that reflects the current and coming marketplace.”

Turbine employed more than 400 employees before October 2012, when it cut staff due to “fluctuating market conditions.”

Dungeon & Dragons Online and Lord of the Rings Online are just two of the other titles under the developer’s roof.

Nothing there, either.

[BillBones]

It is surely frustrating to see. The game has gambled to attract new eyes with such big revisions, like mounted combat and the class update, when I think they would have been better off appeasing the existing core of players with a combination of casual and raid content within existing systems. I can't be surprised, given how divisive Helm's Deep was. I think it is pointless to argue about whether this news was implicit in the announcement about the direction for 2014. It is possible they they knew some people might go, but not how many or how few. Either way, we should hope the vision for 2014 is intact. I am somewhat a refuge from City of Heroes. Not looking forward to replanting myself quite yet.

[Cerridwen]

Surprisingly, my google fu isn't turning up the official press release , I'd appreciate a link.

Just Google 'layoffs at turbine' and set the date to past 24hrs to get these results and more.

http://massively.joystiq.com/2014/02...h-new-layoffs/

http://www.gamasutra.com/view/news/2...th_layoffs.php

A number of employees at The Lord of the Rings Online developer Turbine lost their jobs today, though it's not clear how many people were affected or how this affects the studio's future operations.

A representative of Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment, Turbine's parent company, confirmed the news to Gamasutra and issued the following statement:

"As part of our normal business process, we’re routinely looking at the strategic alignment of our company. Unfortunately, in order for us to invest in growth areas at Turbine, we have to eliminate some positions."

"These are always tough decisions, which we don’t approach lightly, but it’s crucial that Turbine is structured in a way that reflects the current and coming marketplace."

Gamasutra is reaching out to find out how many people were affected and how this affects Turbine's current operations, including work on the studio's upcoming MOBA Infinite Crisis.

http://www.gamebreaker.tv/news/turbine-hit-layoffs/

http://www.vg247.com/2014/02/12/turb...rner-confirms/

[Glumposneak]

There is practically no chance that you're right on this point. The timing is way too far off. Remember, there was a PREVIOUS round of staff cuts, back in October of last year. It was those cuts that probably convinced the team they couldn't swing an expansion in 2014. This newest round of cuts, I would bet--knowing how closely management tend to hold decisions like this to the vest until the last minute--most of Turbine staff did NOT know anything about until just this week. Did Kate know a week or two in advance as a 'trusted agent'? Maybe, maybe not. But not back in December, I would imagine this round of cuts weren't even a decision to be made two months ago when her letter was drafted.

While I mostly agree, I don't think it's as simple as that.

Sure, I've been in meetings in the morning where they are discussing huge plans for the future, even promoting staff, and the entire departments been laid off in the afternoon, so I do agree that the staff (and often the management) are the very last to know.

But I also suspect those higher up gave orders in one way or another to stop them bothering stating an expansion as it would simply be wasted time as those higher up knew what would likely happen. Maybe they cut their budget for the year or found other ways to convince them to not do an expansion.

When her letter came out, it did look to me and many others like Lotro was being put into a maintenance mode, everything was very vague.

It looks to me like Lotro is probably doing worse than many people think if just after 3 months, more people are laid off, I'm not trying to say "told you so" at all, but it does look like the amount of people who said they or their kin mates were leaving and people saying their servers were empty, weren't lieing at all. Time and time again the same handful of people on this forum that think Turbine could do no wrong, slagged such people off, said how great the game now is, when the majority around them could see the mess it had become.

Many many people read between the lines and saw that Turbine/WB were taking a good look at how HD sales went and how well the game did over the next few months, and most of them had posts deleted or were banned for saying so.

Sadly it's a self fulfilling prophesy.

More cutbacks now mean less dev time. less dev time mean more unhappy players, more people leaving and then a few months down the line more people get laid off.

Just seen on Twitter that one of the Lotro guys has been laid off

https://twitter.com/amlugDev/status/433712115674017792

[Angadan]

This is massively's:

http://massively.joystiq.com/2014/02...h-new-layoffs/



Nothing much there.

This is VG247: http://www.vg247.com/2014/02/12/turb...rner-confirms/



Nothing there, either.

Yeah, that's kind of how businesses tend to prepare bad-news releases: minimum amount of information they can get away with, to diffuse (and maybe defuse) the negative impact.

[DelgonTheWise]

Well when your produce and publish junk....

its what you get with the latest expansion pack did you expect anything else. I have no remorse for anybody at turbine they took a GAME I LOVED AND ENJOYED and ruined it for at least me. No raids....OK No challenging content....OK... here is my reaction

A really nasty attitude towards folks who need to support themselves/their family and who had a really really bad day. Decisions on game direction/priorities/content very likely come from relatively few of those who have been let go. Bet they are as a whole nice, hard working folks who actually love LOTRO and were doing their best with the constraints they were handed. But paint them all with your broad brush strokes and bile...

I don't like the game direction myself, but the venom above is really uncalled for.