- Randy Buehler (VP of digital gaming)
- Andrew Finch (director of digital games)
- Stacy Longstreet (senior art director)
- Julia Martin (editor)
- William Meyers (creative manager, digital design)
- Dave Noonan (game designer)
- Jennifer Paige (online community manager)
- Jennifer Powers (marketing)
- Jonathan Tweet (game designer)
I guess we should all send them a Happy Holidays Card...
Makes me a bit sick to my stomach to be honest...
Yeah, I saw my unread posts explode on the Google Group and wondered what was afoot.
ReplyDeleteToo close to the holidays for my taste. It must take a ruthless SoB to be able to give someone their pink slip this close to Xmas.
I wonder if WotC will be making an "organizational" announcement soon...
There's no doubt this stinks. I'm sorry to see a lot of talented folks go. They cut a lot of folks right after 3e as well, though, but this time around it looks like the digital side of the house took some hits.
ReplyDeleteRANDY NOOOOOOOOOO
ReplyDelete;_;
You should've stayed with M:TG Randy! We wuved you!
Yeah.. bad bad news. I predict 4E will be the last edition, and then game will be inherited by the internetz...
ReplyDeleteAs an insider I can say 4e was barly a success. They almost did not make the deadline. The words "4e Strike Team" at the front of your 4e PHB are not without significance. Someone completely dropped the ball on the art, and development was hampered from the beginning. There is much more drama than is seen. The layoffs are not arbitrary.
ReplyDeleteOK! Assuming that you are a real insider
ReplyDelete... (you can email me directly - trust me I will not "out" you - jonathan.jacobs@gmail.com - that would be _real_ cool too) ...
then.. what are the prospects / future of 4E? as an insider, what do you think is going to happen to the development cycle/schedule? Is DDI dead, as I believe it will be if not already? And.. last question.. _who_ is pulling the strings at WotC? Who made the decisions to make the layoffs?
thanks a million for dropping by. /hatsoff and congrats on NOT getting the axe yourself!
I choose my words carefully. There is a reason I said "insider" instead of "employee." WotC can't fire me because they don't employ me. But as a ghoul I find myself in interesting places to hear interesting things.
ReplyDeleteQuestions:
1. Prospects are good. Financials doing well. Monetization of D&D doing what it is supposed to do. Development cycle will continue unabated. The stars are right.
2. DDI is not dead. That is not dead which can eternal lie, and with stranger eons, even death may die. DDI is essential, but they are going back to the drawing board. No more farming out to a 3rd party. All in house. Brass has decided that WotC must learn to do software for real. They were not prepared and now understand. Natch. Now they think they understand more...
3. Layoffs- hard to say. My information comes in same way that loose lips sink ships. But if lips tightend products could not be made. Digital layoffs are to make room for new gaurd. Art layoffs are due to part of the ball dropped in development. (see strike team) Personal Speculation: development layoffs mix of ball drop (see strike team) and ego. Other layoffs: reason unknown.