MCV/DEVELOP News, events, research and jobs from the games industry
Layoffs have been administered to some of the development force responsible for Activision’s new Wolfenstein game. Though the game’s principal developer – the US-based Raven Software – remains unscathed from the new round of layoffs, staff at UK-based outfit Endrant Studios have been handed their notice. Speaking to Develop, a …
Read More »GRIN uncertainties intensify
The European independent developer GRIN, once tipped for greatness after securing major contracts with Japanese publishers and Hollywood studios, could be on the verge of closure. That’s according to reports on the web, including a previously uncovered report in a Swedish newspaper that has since been corroborated by Gamasutra. According …
Read More »41 jobs lost at Sony Online Entertainment
Californian developer Sony Online Entertainment (SOE) has axed 41 of its employees, representing a workforce cut of 5 per cent. The SCEA subsidiary cited cost-efficiency as the key reason behind the job losses, though it was not prepared to discuss who had left the studio. SOE is responsible for popular …
Read More »60 jobs go at Midway Chicago
Over sixty employees at Midway’s Chicago-based HQ have been handed their notices and will leave the company by early September. The news follows the closure of Midway’s Newcastle arm as the company looks to tie up its Chapter 11 bankruptcy proceedings, and at the same time work through Warner’s $33 …
Read More »Nokia closes N-Gage studio
Nokia has shut down its Vancouver-based game studio, affecting some 100 jobs in the process, Develop understands. Nokia’s N-Gage Design Studio in Vancouver had developed a significant number of titles for the first and second generation N-Gage systems, as well as for mobile phones. The group worked on franchises such …
Read More »Blue Omega lays off entire workforce
As revealed in a tweet by Blue Omega Entertainment programmer Geoff Rowland, the entire workforce at the developer has been laid off. "The entire Blue Omega team was laid off today (well, starting Friday)," said Rowland’s post. "If anyone has job openings, send them my way and I’ll pass them …
Read More »100 staff out of the door at Grin?
Speculation has surfaced suggesting that widespread redundancies have taken place at Swedish developer Grin. Early reports indicate that between 100 and 160 employees may have been made redundant. Games news site Kotaku, citing anonymous sources, has suggested that the the redundancies come with Grin closing two of its several studios. …
Read More »Further job losses at troubled Nokia
Nokia has announced that a further 490 employees will be joining the 3,500 who have already lost their jobs as the telephony behemoth attempts to head off an anticipated decline in the mobile market. Reuters reports that 170 positions are to be lost in logistics, production management and production support …
Read More »Apple ditches 10% of retail workforce
Apple has cut around ten per cent of its workforce during the second quarter of 2009, according to documents released to the Securities and Exchange Commission. According to the document, Apple cut its full-time workforce from 15,600 to 14,000 during the second quarter. It is unclear if the retailer made …
Read More »US: Job losses and wage cuts at Best Buy
Best Buy has reportedly told staff of a slew of job losses and wage-cutting measures in North America as the leading electricals retailer aims to restructure in an effort to cope with the nation’s tightening of economic belts. StarTribune reports that 1,000 assistant store managers are to see their jobs …
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