2023 has not been kind to game developers.

Do the stars on the development team get their bonuses ahead of the game turning big profits or even release or is it all based on percentage of revenues or profits?

I would guess that some people associated with previous mega hits will demand more money for sequels?
 
Scott_Arm said:
kotaku.com

What Hacked Files Tell Us About The Studio Behind Spider-Man 2

Internal documents show how a big PlayStation studio plans its future
kotaku.com kotaku.com

Seems like budget and personnel cuts are coming to Sony studios.
Click to expand...
Although the article "hints" (speculates) this is the case, the leaks that I saw don't support this. Sony have put in place measures across their internal studios intended to stop costs spiralling upwards the way they have been. This looks to be about games costing tens of millions of dollars above their original budgets.

Insomniac looks to be one of the least bad offenders and it looks like they're are burning through extra money to deliver games on tight timescales. Take that extra money away and the games take longer, the question is would that be overall more profitable? Presumably Sony have crunched the numbers and think so.

I'd hate to think what this means for Naughty Dog who delivered four brand new titles on PlayStation 3; then their output dropped dramatically for PlayStation 4 and almost three years after PlayStation 5 launched, they have released no new games for PlayStation 5. They cannot live off The Last of Us IP forever and they need a serious kick up the arse.
 
DSoup said:
Although the article "hints" (speculates) this is the case, the leaks that I saw don't support this. Sony have put in place measures across their internal studios intended to stop costs spiralling upwards the way they have been. This looks to be about games costing tens of millions of dollars above their original budgets.
Click to expand...

They aren't hinting or speculating. From the article:

But a September email from Sony specified a full-time employee max headcount of 470, down from its current estimated 485 employees.
Click to expand...

And...

A more recent presentation in November points to potentially more drastic cuts. “Slimming down Ratchet and cutting new IP will not account for the reductions Sony is looking for,” reads a PowerPoint note attributed to Insomniac head Ted Price.
Click to expand...

Regards,
SB
 
Silent_Buddha said:
They aren't hinting or speculating. From the article:

"A more recent presentation in November points to potentially more drastic cuts. “Slimming down Ratchet and cutting new IP will not account for the reductions Sony is looking for,” reads a PowerPoint note attributed to Insomniac head Ted Price."
Click to expand...
The presentation is in the context of actual budgets exceeding the predicted budgets and that teams have been spending more to hit released schedules (which presumably Sony authorised), and options for hitting budgets rather than release schedules or doing both. The presentation is fairly easy to find and it looks reporters have given a take on later slides and ignored the context of the previous slides. :???:
 
Johnny Awesome said:
The industry media is always going to report layoffs and not often report hirings. I'm curious about what the net job gain/loss is.
Click to expand...

I think just about every big game company is cutting costs so probably net negative.

Might be able to search through here.
layoffs.fyi

Layoffs.fyi - Tech Layoff Tracker and Startup Layoff Lists

[LIVE] Tracking all tech startup layoffs — and lists of employees laid off — since COVID-19. This page is constantly being updated.
layoffs.fyi layoffs.fyi
 
Johnny Awesome said:
The industry media is always going to report layoffs and not often report hirings. I'm curious about what the net job gain/loss is.
Click to expand...

From an earlier article that I linked...

“Paired with tight economic conditions, the impact of layoffs has been amplified by reduced hiring and increased job competition,” said International Game Developers Association executive director Dr. Jakin Vela in an interview with Polygon. “This has been one of the most volatile periods in the games industry in the last 15 years.” Vela said that the IGDA is “deeply concerned” about the layoffs.
Click to expand...

Regards,
SB
 
Big layoffs at Riot Games

www.riotgames.com

Changes at Riot and the Road Ahead

Here’s what these changes mean for our games and what players can expect from us going forward.
www.riotgames.com www.riotgames.com

Sounds like they grew too fast and now have to shrink, just like everyone else. The entire software industry seems to be going through the same exercise in an attempt to become sustainable long term. Crazy stuff.
 
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