Recent layoffs and closures in the gaming industry have made the dark realities of game development more apparent than ever. If you don’t have a project in the pipeline, or if your publisher can’t justify the overhead to keep your studio running, you’re out of a job. In fact, hundreds of your colleagues may be left looking for work – just look at last month’s 38 Studios debacle.
If you aren’t a frequent visitor to PlayStation Home, you may not be aware of Juggernaut Games, but in dedicated circles, the team’s Cutteridge Estate and MiniBots: Battlebox releases are favorites to many. In a recent interview with PS Home Source, Juggernaut Games project manager Elena (Jugbot_One in the site’s forums) described her team’s recent projects and what’s in the pipeline. Perhaps the most interesting bit comes when the interviewer asks her what she would change about the industry if she could:
“I think the lack of stability for employees. For a huge chunk of the industry the job cycle is: Work on game title > Game release! > Get laid off > Find new job > Repeat. This is very hard on employees and families. Not to mention . . . the employees must be so busy worrying about potential layoffs that they can’t fully celebrate the release of their product. Its [sic] depressing and it happens literally every week in this industry.”
Speaking from her position at a relatively small developer, Elena’s words show that this trend doesn’t just affect mid-tier developers of blockbuster games. In fact, the post-release DLC that often attracts the ire of gamers might just be the only thing keeping some studios afloat.
Does Elena’s testimony concern you? Do you think she’s full of rubbish? Sound off in the comments section below, and let us know which game developer you couldn’t stand to lose.