NC Soft Downsizing

[Lyrical]

I have said it the last few months, and was laughed at. Something is up with management at NcSoft. IN 2006, the devs at NcSoft haven't been acting the same, and there has been alot of turnover there lately. I really think this is a poor move to do in a growing market. If the market was shrinking, it might make sense. Everyone that I know that has left Coh has been for a lack of content (end game, itemization) and Lineage II sounds like more of the same from what people have been saying about it. Now is the time to be fixing the holes in your content, and laying off about 15% of your workforce is just going to make it worse. I mean, come on, it took the Coh devs seven to eight months for the last patch. I don't see Blizzard or SOE laying people off in droves like this. Aren't Blizz and SOE increasing staff?


http://boards.cityofheroes.com/showf...v=#Post5847488

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06-23-2006:

"NCsoft’s Austin business has announced an immediate restructuring within its organization that included the difficult task of reducing members of its workforce. The online games industry is one that is continually changing with the scaling up and down of business based on product launches and product development schedules.

Over the past two and a half years NCsoft has launched six major titles into the North American market and has grown with each title launch. As the company continues to grow its live products and prepares its next set of major online game releases for later in 2006 and 2007, the company sees a slowdown in its launch pattern and the need to streamline its business.

For this reason, NCsoft has reduced its 300 person workforce in Austin by approximately 70 people to accommodate this change. This decision has no impact on the schedules of any projects currently in development and service to NCsoft’s current games will continue without interruption."

[Zarcath]

Blizzard increases in-house staff, SOE outsources it.

And really, it seemed like NCSoft hired too many people anyway, the downsizing may make things run more smoothly.

[Itzena]

Hmm, I wonder if any of them are the ex-Blizzard people?

Oh, and rumour has it that it was a little more severe than that forum post suggests:

NC Soft (US) just had a big layoff today:

80% of GM's
90% of tech support
75% of QA

Numerous other staff, from producers to marketing/pr.

They are blaming the declining subscriber numbers for City of Heroes/COV which has slowly dropped to just over 100k total. Also to blame has been the disaster that is Auto Assault, which has yet to climb over 10k total subscribers since its launch in the third week in April.

Tabula Rasa continues to suck massive amounts of cash, yet still has no release date in sight.

[BirgittePovar]

This is not intended to be a sarcastic question, but what do cuts at NCSoft have to do with development cycles for City of Heroes/Villains?

Cryptic develops it, NCSoft is the producer. Has this changed in some way?

GM and support sure. But development cycle?

[Quineloe]

80% of GM's
90% of tech support
75% of QA

so 4 GMs, 9 Techs and 3 QA people layed off? man!

[Iannis]

Blizzard and SOE also have contenders. I don't think anyone plays any of NCSoft's games for more than 1 to 2 months at a time before leaving their accounts cancelled for months on end. I've heard Full Auto Assault is dead already...didn't that game just come out awhile ago?

Maybe there were just too many manservants about the castle, and verily Lord British had to have some heads roll.

[Soygen]

I don't know what it is, but Lord British castle jokes never get old.

[makist]

rumor is Full Auto is getting a spot on xbox 360

[Bizanich]

Wasn't NC Soft pushing the concept of the non-addictive and numerous MMO business model?

Subscription numbers for CoV/CoH dropping to 100k = sad. It's not a great game, but has so much potential it's maddening..

[Iannis]

SOE's all-access pass has more games on it than NCSoft has now :P

[Cybsled]

NC Soft (US) just had a big layoff today:

80% of GM's
90% of tech support
75% of QA

Translation: *Ring Ring* Hello, India? We need your help...

[Lefazz]

I wonder if SoE outsources their artists?

[Szlia]

Originally Posted by Itzena

Hmm, I wonder if any of them are the ex-Blizzard people?

Oh, and rumour has it that it was a little more severe than that forum post suggests:

How do you deduct it's more severe from these numbers? This can very well amounth to 70 people since it's percentages of sub groups of the whole workforce.

[BirgittePovar]

Originally Posted by Bizanich

Subscription numbers for CoV/CoH dropping to 100k = sad. It's not a great game, but has so much potential it's maddening..

I'm one of those people who resubscribes to CoH/CoV every time an issue comes out, plays for a bit, and then quits again.

Mayhem missions in Issue 7 are the most fun I think I've ever had in an MMO.

Individual things in CoX are so entertaining.

Supposedly they are having another pay expansion in 2007, and this is supposed to introduce level 50 character advancement...which was described by Positron as being near infinite. What they have in mind I have no idea, but CoX may become scary if they actually finally come up with an end game.

[Lyrical]

Originally Posted by BirgittePovar

I'm one of those people who resubscribes to CoH/CoV every time an issue comes out, plays for a bit, and then quits again.

Mayhem missions in Issue 7 are the most fun I think I've ever had in an MMO.

Individual things in CoX are so entertaining.

Supposedly they are having another pay expansion in 2007, and this is supposed to introduce level 50 character advancement...which was described by Positron as being near infinite. What they have in mind I have no idea, but CoX may become scary if they actually finally come up with an end game.

Actually, Posi said the endgame loot will start up in I8 (and continue for a few patches and in the expansion), which he expects to be in September of this year. Why it has taken them two years to get off their asses, and for sub numbers to fall so low is beyond me. Statesman getting moved away from the big decisions is good for the game. How can a guy who has never played MMO's decide to design one?