Lightforge Games, Founded By Former Blizzard and Epic Devs, Lays Off | MMORPG.com

System · May 11

Lightforge Games, Founded By Former Blizzard and Epic Devs, Lays Off | MMORPG.com

Due to a lack of funding, the independent games studio behind the now-cancelled social TTRPG-inspired sandbox RPG Project ORCS will be slowly shuttering.

Read the full story here

ZenJelly · May 11

I know! Someone should go and find the Lightforge Games CEO's Fallout 76 base and nuke it because that will really give comfort and relief to all the people getting caught up in the layoffs.

richrem1 · May 12

I don't know how people find stability in this day and age. Maybe it's better to be a freelancer?

Vercin · May 12

richrem1 said:

I don't know how people find stability in this day and age. Maybe it's better to be a freelancer?

Trade skill jobs. Basically all the job "they" told you to not go and learn when "learn to code" was the call to arms. Now AI can do any job other than fix a toilet.

Scot · May 12

And another one, this game really sounded interesting as well, quite innovative. Well, at least they did not mention Covid hiring as the reason. That Wikipedia page, I recon the numbers are underreported. You lay of some people and the first thing you do is update Wikipedia, I don't think so, but its a base line at least.

ugur51 · May 12

so they couldn't make a game with 15m$ huh?

Xiaoki · May 12

This sounds more like the game being cancelled because no money and the studio probably shutting down.

But, video game lay offs is the hot button thing right now so you have to say that any time a person that works on video games loses their job it's part of the "MASS video game layoffs, how will the video game industry survive."

If a night janitor at Activision was to lose his job the next day you would have articles about "more layoffs at Activision, the current number of video game layoffs is at eleventy billion"

Angrakhan · May 12

richrem1 said:

I don't know how people find stability in this day and age. Maybe it's better to be a freelancer?

Don't work in the gaming industry. I'm a software developer by trade with 27 years of experience at this point. In that time I've been involuntary out of work for 2 weeks. The rest of the time if I wanted a job I had a job. Ironic part is that I make more than most gaming developers despise not needing to be as technical. I don't know shit about Direct X or rendering stuff in a 3d space. I don't need to. However I rarely work overtime, and get paid more to do less. That's not to say I'm not good at my job. My employer is very happy with me.

Anyway, yeah, gaming developers have always been a dime a dozen and they usually get let go once a game ships. I don't know why anyone goes into that line of work other than they have some extremely fantastical expectations of their job being mostly about playing videogames and going to conventions and treated like a god. Wonder how long it takes reality to set in that they're just another butt in a seat to fill a role that there's a literal list of people lined up to replace them at any moment willing to do the same job for less. One screw up and they're gone.

Ridrith · May 12

Angrakhan said:

richrem1 said:

I don't know how people find stability in this day and age. Maybe it's better to be a freelancer?

Don't work in the gaming industry. I'm a software developer by trade with 27 years of experience at this point. In that time I've been involuntary out of work for 2 weeks. The rest of the time if I wanted a job I had a job. Ironic part is that I make more than most gaming developers despise not needing to be as technical. I don't know shit about Direct X or rendering stuff in a 3d space. I don't need to. However I rarely work overtime, and get paid more to do less. That's not to say I'm not good at my job. My employer is very happy with me.

Anyway, yeah, gaming developers have always been a dime a dozen and they usually get let go once a game ships. I don't know why anyone goes into that line of work other than they have some extremely fantastical expectations of their job being mostly about playing videogames and going to conventions and treated like a god. Wonder how long it takes reality to set in that they're just another butt in a seat to fill a role that there's a literal list of people lined up to replace them at any moment willing to do the same job for less. One screw up and they're gone.

Could it be it be that they go into that line of work because they're passionate about video games and really love the idea of making them? Go figure. People who get into games and stay making games, despite the high turnover rate, shit hours, etc, just like the work. They're passionate about their jobs and want to make good games despite everything.

Sovrath · May 12

The problem with some of these game companies is that they are run by people who are "willing take a chance." Risk takers. I worked under a guy like this. Nice, guy, but he was willing to start something knowing that it was possible not to finish it but with the hopes that it would work out.

Same with these guys, they have enough to start and they see what happens. I guess I'm not like that as I would want enough money budgeted to see it through.

I suppose the caveat to that is that there could be starts and stops and some bloat that then increases development time but perhaps with better management that could be managed.

So much money and effort is wasted on all these efforts.

Herithius · May 12

Id be curious how many people worldwide are in the gaming industry. We hear stats about 9500 being laid off in 2024 but it would help with context.

Update: Google shows 330,000 worldwide. So about 8-9% combined over the last 3 years have been let go. However its reasonable to assume a portion of that found work since then.

Sovrath · May 12

Ridrith said:

Angrakhan said:

richrem1 said:

I don't know how people find stability in this day and age. Maybe it's better to be a freelancer?

Don't work in the gaming industry. I'm a software developer by trade with 27 years of experience at this point. In that time I've been involuntary out of work for 2 weeks. The rest of the time if I wanted a job I had a job. Ironic part is that I make more than most gaming developers despise not needing to be as technical. I don't know shit about Direct X or rendering stuff in a 3d space. I don't need to. However I rarely work overtime, and get paid more to do less. That's not to say I'm not good at my job. My employer is very happy with me.

Anyway, yeah, gaming developers have always been a dime a dozen and they usually get let go once a game ships. I don't know why anyone goes into that line of work other than they have some extremely fantastical expectations of their job being mostly about playing videogames and going to conventions and treated like a god. Wonder how long it takes reality to set in that they're just another butt in a seat to fill a role that there's a literal list of people lined up to replace them at any moment willing to do the same job for less. One screw up and they're gone.

Could it be it be that they go into that line of work because they're passionate about video games and really love the idea of making them? Go figure. People who get into games and stay making games, despite the high turnover rate, shit hours, etc, just like the work. They're passionate about their jobs and want to make good games despite everything.

I'm going to say "this." It's why people go into the arts. They know the chances of "making it" is small and hopefully they can eke out a living.

But most know the score. Heck, I'd go into video game development but I'd do so knowing that I'd be laid off. My girlfriend made a living as an actor for a good 20 years. Mostly tours, summer stock, regional work. Not enough to get rich but she didn't starve. However, sometimes she would have to temp once a gig was done. Or do a job like showcase products in a supermarket for 2 or 3 months. then a gig would happen and she would do that gig.

That's what one does if one is passionate about a thing.

Robokapp · May 13

another wowkiller for the funeral pyre.

Neoyoshi · May 13

Vercin said:

richrem1 said:

I don't know how people find stability in this day and age. Maybe it's better to be a freelancer?

Trade skill jobs. Basically all the job "they" told you to not go and learn when "learn to code" was the call to arms. Now AI can do any job other than fix a toilet.

There's a South Park episode that touches exactly on this subject, and does a great job highlighting the real danger of undervaluing the importance of manual labor and handyman jobs; the thing that technology could never actually replace.

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Lightforge Games, Founded By Former Blizzard and Epic Devs, Lays Off | MMORPG.com

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