Non-RPG General News - 2023: Great Games and Layoffs

[HiddenX]

Dualshockers reports that 2023 had some great game releases but at the same time many devs loosed their jobs:

2023 Was The Best Year For Games And The Worst Year For Gaming

Industry layoffs have plagued the hard-working developers who bring us our amazing games. During the boom of 2023, thousands are now without jobs.

It's heartbreaking to see so many people suddenly out of work in their fields of expertise while major companies boom with resounding success. In a year that has gone gangbusters with highly rated games and huge sales numbers, it also feels pretty confusing. The last thing a worker would expect is to be laid off in the middle of a successful run. It also creates a culture of fear. If you're one of the people who just witnessed a long-time coworker let go in the middle of one of gaming's biggest years, you'd have to wonder if you're next. After all, who's safe aside from the people at the very top?

[...]

Thanks Couchpotato!



More information.

 

[Redglyph]

It's always amusing to see how they gather 'facts' in their articles.

For example, this article states that 'The LA Times estimates that about 6,500 layoffs have taken place in 2023', without specifying whether it's global or not. If we follow the link, the L.A. times claims that 'The result: Roughly 6,500 video game workers have been laid off globally since January, including hundreds at California-based companies, according to industry estimates' and links for that 'fact' another of its articles on Fortnite that only mentions the 830 employees Epic Games has laid off in September, apparently in the US, Canada, and Brazil.

So much for 6500 and globally. Maybe it's true, but who knows.

The above article then raises the bidding with 'The site Videogamelayoffs estimates that more than 9,000 people have been laid off this year.' The linked site presents some numbers that sum up to 5674 people - checking a few links made me very sceptical even about those values - but estimates that the total should somehow be 10000 (not 9000). Why not.

We know it's been a bad year, and throwing in numbers should make it look more trustworthy... until you realize those values are mostly made up. Now I'm only wondering if anything else in the article has been as thoroughly checked.

 

[Couchpotato]

I don't know if that number is true but the amount of articles on the topic all year shows it was a bad year for layoffs. Just not in game development as well.

 

[Couchpotato]

This article claims the total is now over 7,800.

Which Video Game Companies Had the Biggest Layoffs in 2023?

Over the past several months, some of the biggest names in video-game development have announced layoffs. How many workers have actually been cut, and what does this mean for game developers?

www.dice.com

 

[screeg]

Thanks, @Redglyph, for proving even the tiniest bit of research shows games journalism is basically a joke! (maybe I don't have to specify "games")

 

[Couchpotato]

PCGamer also has a similar article.

2023 was a decade-defining year for game releases, but so brutal for the industry it's hard to imagine another one like it happening for a long time

Was 2023 good for the world? No. For the industry? Also no. But the games themselves? Boy did they rule.

www.pcgamer.com

 

[Redglyph]

Bad, but not 1977 or 1983 bad, thankfully. Not as bad as 2008 for the job market either. So, with a little bit of luck, the unfortunates will be able to quickly find a new job.

 

[Couchpotato]

Something interesting from that article above as well.

One bright spot on the industry side has been Larian Studios' well-deserved success with Baldur's Gate 3, but as Bloomberg's Jason Schreier pointed out in August, this isn't easily replicable. While the gaming giant Tencent has a 30% stake in the company, Larian is privately owned by Swen Vincke and his wife, with Vincke also taking on a director role in the developer's games.

Now we know were the cash for BG3 came from. Tencent.

 

[Redglyph]

They're everywhere...