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116 Comments
- MikeonTV, on 10/29/2007, -18/+100Sony executives were quoted as saying "Wii should have seen this coming"
- aliengoods, on 10/11/2007, -23/+100They couldn't pick up their stuff?! Was Sony afraid they were going to take the secret recipe for PS3 failure. We already know that.
1. Overprice
2. Treat your customers like *****
3. Overprice some more
4. Throw in spiffy graphics, but with the same gameplay we've had for 10 years
5. Remove rumble pack
5. Overprice one last time - iluvatar, on 10/29/2007, -13/+68Best of luck to all those that have lost their jobs.
And I've got two words for those who are still working there: sinking ship. I would dust of those resumes before the entire division is restructured. - SocialPoison, on 10/29/2007, -6/+59If it was marketing people then they probably deserved to be laid off :P
- chaesar, on 10/29/2007, -8/+59Well I'm sure they're hiring over at the Wii factory.
- Philluminati, on 10/11/2007, -6/+53First comment and you wasted it!
- benitojuarez, on 10/29/2007, -2/+28"Those laid off were told to leave their belongings at the office and schedule an appointment to pick them up or ask their boss to pack them up for them"
That is completely bogus. I wouldn't trust somebody else to pack my ***** up. And how are you supposed to steal office supplies on your last day as a small "***** you for laying me off"? - imikedaman, on 10/11/2007, -6/+32"And before you label me as a "Wii60 fanboy", let me just tell you that I own a PS3 60GB, a PSP, and am likely to get a Sony home audio system."
Sony fanboy. - Philluminati, on 10/29/2007, -5/+26"I believe I had a hat"
-- homer simpson - TheG2, on 10/29/2007, -1/+18Most of the marketing for the PS3 was outsourced and done by contractors.
- ElRayQuieres, on 10/11/2007, -0/+17Lots of Engrish to be corrected.
- Typhoon2009, on 10/29/2007, -10/+26They'd be market leaders if they had some bloody games on their system. And before you label me as a "Wii60 fanboy", let me just tell you that I own a PS3 60GB, a PSP, and am likely to get a Sony home audio system. There's a difference between fanboyism and acknowledging a system's issues.
- djSyndrome, on 10/29/2007, -6/+20My guess is testers. Sony has so little first-party product in the pipeline for any of their systems (PS2, PSP and PS3) they were probably overstaffed.
(disclaimer: I have a PS3 and love it, but goddamit one good game every three months is starting to get old). - inactive, on 10/29/2007, -2/+15@Daedalus81
They need those former employees pay checks to compensate the top level executive who screwed the company up. - KibibyteBrain, on 10/29/2007, -5/+18Oddly enough, I am certain Nintendo is is need for new employees soon as they go from being a minority player in the home console market to a market leader. Microsoft seems to have been hiring in their gaming division since they started thinking about entering the market. And of course, this could be a great time for many people working for these big gaming firms to realize that they could get better playing, less demanding jobs in other industries. Gaming is fun only to those on the outside.
- readme, on 10/29/2007, -4/+17Trim the fat, refocus, and get back in the game. Forcing Ken Kat out was a start. Now drop the price and Sony might actually be back in the game. Say "OMG S0NY IZ D00MED" all you want, but the PS3 is not going to up and fade away, even if it stays in last place this generation.
- djSyndrome, on 10/11/2007, -6/+19"Also... Sony audio is horrible, I would look somewhere else."
But...the PS1 is the best CD player ever! The internets told me so! - willoc1, on 10/29/2007, -5/+17My brother was one of the laid off employees. Maybe he will admit the PS3 was a huge failure now, he was kind of in denial but I kept razzing him about the big stack of PS3's I keep seeing at my local Costco. Selling out at every store, my ass! He worked there since the beginning, even before the original Playstation came out. Fortunately, he got a decent severance package, and was already looking to jump ship, anyway. Good luck to him and all the other employees that were let go...I'm sure there is something better out there. Sony's arrogance really cracks me up. They should have priced the stupid thing at $400 so they could actually find some buyers. I guess I'm getting old, I hardly play my PS2 any more and there is no way I'm shelling out $600 for a game system. Totally ridiculous.
- meltingrobot, on 10/29/2007, -9/+21I doubt it was factory workers. I'm sure the Playstation is made and assembled overseas. I'm curious if it was loads of marketing people.
- inactive, on 10/11/2007, -1/+13^ I hate to get on Sony's good side but PS2 was a leader of the trio.
- spudnic, on 10/29/2007, -2/+14"an effort to accurately align the company to meet the changing needs of our consumers and of our industry"
I ***** hate managerial bollocks. Seriously, that doesn't mean anything. - LogicBomB, on 10/11/2007, -1/+12I don't see how the scheduling an apointment to pick up their things is even a talkable point. It's standard practice.
If you give 2 weeks notice on good terms, they usually let you stay the 2 weeks and give you a heartfelt goodbye. If you get laid off or fired for any reason, you are told to leave right then and come back to pick things up. You never know how people who thought they had solid jobs will act once you tell them they are no longer an employee. - mal1964, on 10/29/2007, -2/+12Arguing on the internet is like running in the Special Olympics - even if you win, you're still retarded.
- NYC10004, on 10/11/2007, -2/+12@Zyth
Easy answer.
The majority of 360 players don't have or want the wireless adapter or the HD-DVD drive. It's optional and the great majority opts out. - MCHampster, on 10/11/2007, -3/+12@Zyth
I don't need a high definition movie player yet. So subtract that $199 from your equation. Oh, and I don't need wireless either, so subtract $129 (and even if I did, I could use a $40 wireless bridge, rather than purchasing the overpriced MS branded one).
Yes, feature for feature, you would end up paying more for the 360. But unless you are using everyone of those features, the 360 is cheaper. And has a much better game selection now. So has a purely gaming console, you can see why people believe it to be the better value when it comes to price. - fkr3, on 10/11/2007, -0/+9It's not uncommon for corporations to have policies like that when employees are fired. Usually they'll have you escorted from the building directly after the deed.
Downsizing and layoffs are sad, but who actually expects a job to be a lifetime commitment anymore? At least they got "a fair severance package" and didn't have to fight for it. - pukiman, on 10/11/2007, -2/+10And in Microsoft:
http://kotaku.com/gaming/microsoft-game-studios/microsoft-games-studios-expands-into-europe-257689.php - neuros, on 10/29/2007, -1/+9As a former Sony employee, let me say that the place was a sinking ship in 2003 when I decided to leave. Just, now there's a lot less of the boat above water.
I heard this just earlier today, an old coworker told me he and half the crew I worked with are now gone. At least they got decent severance. - inactive, on 10/29/2007, -0/+8I worked there, and was also laid off. The general consensus was that Sony was quite heartless and was known to layoff entire departments at the drop of a hat. But, that is any company that has a bottom line.
The good news it that the majority of staff will be hired at other game studios around the world. Time to apply at RockStar, Activision or EA. - Ace25, on 10/11/2007, -8/+16I would like to see two examples of a media format that Sony developed that stood the test of time. The only media that they created that lasted was the 3.5" floppy.. anyone have any other examples that made it? Here is the list of failures though:
BetaMax (1975)
Mini-Disc (1991)--custom disc format, and used ATRAC audio compression, which is proprietary.
Sony Dynamic Digital Sound (1993)--a competitor to the Dolby Digital 5.1 standard.
Multi-Media Compact Disc (1994)--Sony's proprietary format for high-density optical storage, developed in conjunction with Phillips.
HiFD (1998)--a competitor to Iomega's Zip drive.
Memory Stick (1998)--proprietary memory device as a competitor to SD and Flash memory.
Digital-8 (1999)
Music Clip (1999)--Sony's first digital player, used ATRAC audio compression.
Super Audio CD (1999)--an optical disc format with higher fidelity than the CD.
PSP (2004)--Uses Universal Media Disc (UMD) media, a proprietary media format.
Blu-Ray - Too be Determined. - DollaDollaBill, on 10/29/2007, -2/+9i don't know why your being dugg down. It is very true, 80-100 is nothing, drop in the bucket. Didn't ford just lay off 50,000? now those are numbers of a company in trouble
- RAiNsTorm, on 10/11/2007, -4/+10Well, let me tell you. I worked for Sony for a number of years in the area of gaming and media/retail relations. The reason people "dog" Sony is because it is deserved and a pattern that has held true. They built a huge CRT and glass manufacturing plant less than 10 years ago investing massive amounts of money and resources in PA. This was in the face of HDTV, plasma, and LCD technologies. Every worker lost their job and the plants were shut down. Sony held onto the minidisc (popular outside the US in their defense) far too long, and could not move quick enough to recover even into the time of the MP3. They still have yet to figure it out and keep flailing with the new walkman MP3 players. Nintendo did a major restructuring to become lean and nimble, it has worked for the most part except their main problem of third-party developers and their attitude toward them. Sony has not. Sony has continued to lay off employees from every area steadily for years now, continuing to fail to address the real problems.
I left Sony on my own accord and long before the PS3 launched because I did not believe in it or the vision. I'm glad I did. - Typhoon2009, on 10/29/2007, -1/+7Doomed is a pretty strong word. A company tends to lay-off people because it can't afford to keep them employed. Ford and GM have been laying off all those employees because American auto makers are in a slump right now. Maybe I'm reading too much between the lines too, but it could also negatively affect the rest of the company by reducing morale so to speak; nobody likes to know that their job security could be getting weaker.
- idc5, on 10/11/2007, -4/+10now hiring at nintendo
- Typhoon2009, on 10/11/2007, -2/+7@zyth
Dude, that's apples and oranges. I could make an Acura TL more expensive than a base BMW 325i if I lay on all the options and then some. If you compare the base systems, the 360 is cheaper than the PS3 regardless of which version. The 360 has more quality games. You might pay more for all those accessories, but in the end you won't have to wait god knows how long for a AAA game. - RAiNsTorm, on 10/29/2007, -5/+10Naw, layoffs? Really? but my console is soo much cooler than yours!!11!eleventy!
I worked in the gaming media for a few years and mainly with Sony. A few years back when I did not believe in the Cell processor or the system that was shaking out from it, I was lambasted by both fans and from many other Sony employees. I put my money where my mouth was and left because I had lost complete confidence. This isn't an "I was right" post but more of a reality check post.
What kills me is why normal people glom onto brands or consoles and defend them and pour more time into knowing about them than even the folks working on them! You get no rebate for being a loyal fan, you get to wait in the same line and pay the same price for games. The other thing is how small of a number "hardcore" game fans are and always have been. The game industry has always worked to trump up the numbers and make them seem large and powerful... they aren't. More people play Euchre on Yahoo than all of the hardcore gamers combined.
It is a self-fulfilling market, and the bottom has been dropping out for years. But instead they say sales are higher than ever and again spin it any way they can. Innovation is lacking and development costs are so high only "safe" games get made so the market has nowhere to go but down and then restructure which is slowly happening now. FPS, racing, licensed and sports games cannot sustain a whole market. The market is set for a crash even with consoles like the Wii and DS Lite.
Spore and Hellgate are going to help a bit, as well as Project Offset, and hopefully this brings things back to reality where smaller talented teams and normal budgets become the target so that innovation and fun can come back again. - Daedalus81, on 10/29/2007, -3/+8I hate that companies lay off employees to improve the bottom line instead of using those people to make the company and its products better.
- sjbdallas, on 10/11/2007, -3/+8I would argue that the 360 Elite wasn't being marketed as a next-gen console and the greatest thing ever because of blue-ray and the cell processor like the PS3. The Elite was just a newer version of something that already existed and wasn't being held to the same standard.
- rowlodge, on 10/29/2007, -1/+6like the dreamcast, good idea, bad marketing?
- sjbdallas, on 10/11/2007, -0/+5yeah, if they were wanting to meet the changing needs, they'd fire the guys that supported developers and the guys that picked the price. They need work in both areas if they want to survive.
- skrowl, on 10/29/2007, -2/+7This was inevitable. You can't price yourself out of the market for long before you're forced to make some cuts to keep your head above water. PS3 will eventually catch on, but Sony is in for some more billion dollar losses before it does.
- Ghentz, on 10/11/2007, -7/+11This is probably a negative result due to slumping in PS3 sales and the price drops on Blu-ray players affecting Sony's profit margins. I'm sorry for the loss and wish those who were affected best of luck in the future.
- benitojuarez, on 10/11/2007, -10/+14@linkedlist ,
Acutally you should block for that. Enough blocks = ban. - Typhoon2009, on 10/11/2007, -2/+6djgm, I didn't coin that phrase ;) But it's certainly a funny one =p
- jason469, on 10/11/2007, -3/+7I hope Sony has a good year. I own the 360, but I really hope PS3 makes a comback because compition is good for all us, it makes the big companies fight for our dollars and they try soo much harder.
- artoisval, on 10/29/2007, -7/+10First : that very sad for who lost their job
But with the ps3 fiasco,psp drm lockdown and their refusal to listen to costumers, no wonder they are losing their market share.
What about releasing a ps3 lite, with only a dvd drive at the xbox 360 price and sell an blue ray add-on , but oh wait ! Sony always to try to impose their new format (wich are always drmlocked) and fail ! I still laught at my friend who bought a mini-disc - martinnn, on 10/11/2007, -0/+2> logicbomb wrote
> If you get laid off or fired for any reason, you are told to leave right then and come back to pick things up. You never know how people who thought they had solid jobs will act once you tell them they are no longer an employee.
Just want to give you another perspective on it. Here in Sweden most people with "normal" jobs (where you work at a office, construction site, etc) have at least 3 months notice when being fired. So if my employer would fire me today, I would still have work for three more months and still have right to use my 6 week-a-year vacation during this time. A lot of colleagues and friends working with software development were fired a few years ago (after "bubble burst") but each one of them continued to work at the office for three months and then left. The downside is that if I want to quit my job, my employer can tell me to stick for 3 more months (payed though of course). But this still feels like a more "friendly" way of handling it than over there. - wageslaven, on 10/29/2007, -0/+2"PS3 will eventually catch on" thats not guaranteed. The rub is the Install-base as a target market for the Studios. As time goes on, the Studios are going to see so few PS3s in the world and either A) focus on the larger base (Xbox / Wii are both far bigger) or B) Go cross platform (more likely go Xbox 360 & PS3 due to Wii's GC1.5 hardware and Wii-mote-ness)
So, as time goes on, the Game Catalog becomes affected. The buyers in this new market look at the catalog and it affects their decision... and thus the viscous circle turns.
The 3DO and the CDi were decent machines too, but the high price kept them out of the homes at first -- and then the software didnt come, and _that_ also helped keep people away.
Its toying with this viscous circle that Sony has by coming in the market as such a high price compared to Xbox 360 and Wii. The PS3 just doesnt really offer any intrinsic hardware advantages over either, and the catalog may start to suffer.
If Sony trys to drop the price, it doesnt matter, MS is already lower. MS may drop the price just a little to keep the price-point "high." and keep the pressure on. If Sony _doesnt_ lower the price, the situation remains in this same state.
Sony is in a really tight spot. - staticneuron, on 10/11/2007, -0/+2Not really this restructuring has been going on ever since stringer entered his job.
- conkers209, on 10/11/2007, -0/+2I guess this is what happens when you release a game system without any games for it. All I see for the PS3 are just ports from other systems. People are not buying PS3's for blue-ray, they are buying PS3's for the "GAMES." If you don't have the good games for a system, people are not going to buy it. People are buying Wii's because they have the games people wants. The Xbox 360 is selling because it has the games people wants. What good games the PS3 have that people want? All the games I wanted to play on PS3 I can get for the Wii or 360, so for that I don't see a need to get a PS3. My brother has a PS3 and it just sits there gathering dust. Same thing with the Handheld, the DS has games people want, the PSP has stripped down PS2 games, but to be fare about the PSP (I do own both a DS Lite and PSP) I am seeing new games made just for PSP, Crush looks cool.
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