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Lord of the Rings Online: Turbine Enters Another Round of Lay-Offs
SBFord
Former Associate EditorMember LegendaryPosts: 33,129
Gamasutra is reporting that Turbine has entered another round of lay offs at the Warner Bros. Interactive owned and operated games studio. There is no indication which teams were affected, specifically whether or not Lord of the Rings Online or Dungeons & Dragons Online development teams have been let go. According to the report, Gamasutra is reaching out to Warner Bros. for more specific information.
Warner Bros. Interactive issued the following statement:
"As part of our normal business process, we’re routinely looking at the strategic alignment of our company. Unfortunately, in order for us to invest in growth areas at Turbine, we have to eliminate some positions."
"These are always tough decisions, which we don’t approach lightly, but it’s crucial that Turbine is structured in a way that reflects the current and coming marketplace."
Read more at the Gamasutra link above.
Comments
Lotro remains to this day the game I've been sub'ed to the longest. Was a fantastic launch, a slight dissapointment with Moria, everything after that was a downhill, and after WB took over it was a steep downhill fall (imo).
Wish the x-staff members the best of luck in their pursuit of a new job in a recession.
21 year MMO veteran
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Amlug and producer Hannah Foell have confirmed they have left
I So wanted to love LOTR. Played it for like 5 Months at launch. Was in a great Guild, then just hit the wall with it like no other game. I have downloaded it like 3 times since then but I have a gag reflex when I get to the character selections screen. RIP LOTR.. DDO is not a bad game I still get on every once in awhile and shield bash some stuff.
Maybe the laid off Devs will go out and create the greatest MMO of all time.. Maybe?
http://stream1.gifsoup.com/view6/2207524/saving-private-ryan-helmet-o.gif
not good signs, at all, for LOTRO
thank God I dumped my sub, last summer
"As part of our normal business process, we’re routinely looking at the strategic alignment of our company. Unfortunately, in order for us to invest in growth areas at Turbine, we have to eliminate some positions."
What an insulting piece of PR LIE.
The IP was wasted the minute this company got the rights to it.
I wish the Staff the same... best of luck, I hope they land on their feet with a better situation than they have now.
I've been with LotRO since 2006. Was waiting for it before that since 2003. Still playing, my Wife and Daughters still play, several of my real life friends play.
This news just kind of kicks you in a bad spot.
I seriously hope Movie Conglomerates stay the eF out of MMOs from now on.
That sucks, but isn't surprising considering the Sapience post on what to expect in 2014.
https://www.lotro.com/forums/showthread.php?&postid=7042572#post7042572
Precisely. They squandered the IP with poor design decisions from the start.
Yes, because SWG with a LOTR skin would've been so much better, right?
Up until post-Moria, they did a damn good job of filling in blank spots & adding to the lore, all while leaving what was established more or less alone.
Anyway, good luck to those let go. It's a terrible time to be looking for work in any field, and I hope they find new jobs quickly.
AN' DERE AIN'T NO SUCH FING AS ENUFF DAKKA, YA GROT! Enuff'z more than ya got an' less than too much an' there ain't no such fing as too much dakka. Say dere is, and me Squiggoff'z eatin' tonight!
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I tried LOTRO, dropped it within maybe 10 mins. Nothing about it interested me deeply.
The words Turbine and business plan have never really fit together imo. They make good games; they make really bad plans on how to pay/upkeep/grow them. That's why AC2 closed like 2-4weeks after a brand new expansion. Thats why the creditors came calling after the crash when the were over-leveraged. That's why it was bankruptcy if WB hadn't scarfed em up to add to the licensing stable. That's why they pulled all the experienced personnel off profitable titles like lotro and put them on IC. That's why they hired a bunch of Zynga creators to "revamp" lotro. Should work well for them.
List of known layoffs so far:
+Verizal, +RockX, +ZombieColumbus, +Amlug, +Scarycrow, +Vastin, +Drachyn, +Mithilin
Producer Hanna Foell
It's not just lotro that got hit.
Pretty sure after ddo get done with the few things they are working on like the level cap raise to 30 it will go into maintenance mode along with lotro, not sure about AC.
Brenics ~ Just to point out I do believe Chris Roberts is going down as the man who cheated backers and took down crowdfunding for gaming.
Wow, unemployed via email what a classless act.
LOTRO is soo old. 7 years, and Fellowship only got to Helm's Deep last year.
They should have used the train that the movies created and ride on it, instead they milk this for too long, so a lot of players got bored and left.
Sad news indeed. I wouldn't say totally unexpected since the 2014 schedule (and the Q&A last week) showed that this year will be about slowing down and focusing on revamps and smaller updates. But still, even those plans will tough to finish with a reduced crew... not to mention the list has a few "big" names as well... :I
Yesterday was an another hobbit taking to Isengard (it was great fun btw, my low-level hobbit lad survived all the way), this announcement was cleverly timed after that, so Sap was spared from a massive storm of questions. Maybe not a coincidence either, that the next one on Brandy will held more than 2 weeks from now, the biggest gap in the event schedule... I'm sure, 2 weeks or not, there will be a lot of questions towards him during the run.
Indeed, I hope the people affected land on their feet and find something quickly.
Brenics ~ Just to point out I do believe Chris Roberts is going down as the man who cheated backers and took down crowdfunding for gaming.
Interesting to see how the first Western P2P MMOs that made the big switcheroo are not doing as hot as some of the "F2P" flag wavers would have you believe. I said from the beginning that it was nothing more than squeezing the sponge, I'm just surprised they lasted as long as they have.
Anyways, shit news for all of those good people affected by this. I hope you all find new jobs as quickly as possible.
"Mr. Rothstein, your people never will understand... the way it works out here. You're all just our guests. But you act like you're at home. Let me tell you something, partner. You ain't home. But that's where we're gonna send you if it harelips the governor." - Pat Webb
You know what's really stupid about this game?
Having ZERO cross marketing with the Hobbit trilogy to promote interest in the game
Like... really?
I can honestly say Sapience and I do not get along... we exchanged some harsh words during the F2P conversion years ago. I never feel comfortable seeing His name mentioned even now, and I make a point of not being ingame on my server when He comes around.
He probably hasn't got a clue who I am anymore.... too may people for Him to deal with. It's better that he forget me outright. I wish I could do the same.
But I don't wish THIS situation on him at all. Sapience is going to bear the bull's brunt of all this, and that's going to suck. yes that is his job, but I had a position like that once and I know how crappy the job is sometimes.
I wish Mine Enemy well. I hope he makes it thru this.
Let's see:
1) complete WOW clone
2) Single faction game - that was their biggest mistake. They blamed it on Tolkien Enterprises, but that's BS if you look at the other games TE has and continues to license.
3) Rather than capitalize on casual fans knowledge of places, they started west of Moria in places like Forochel and Angmar. The released game should have included Moria and Lothlorien. the first expansion should have been 2 years later with Rohan and Isengard. Two years after that Gondor. Two year after that Mordor.
4) Boring combat
I bought a lifetime account when they went down in price. I never even broke even though but I must have come close when I count what I bought with the free turbine points. The game was decent with strong potential but I knew the game was doomed once they went to Mirkwood instead of Rohan.
BTW I never played SWG and WOW is my favorite MMO. I just don't want to play WOW clones without half of the appeal or features.