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SOCOM Developer Suffers Layoffs

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by Jeff Marchiafava on May 22, 2011 at 03:27 PM
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Hot on the heels of the releases of SOCOM 4: U.S. Navy Seals and MAG, Sony has confirmed that developer Zipper Interactive has cut a portion of its staff.

Sony confirmed the layoffs to Gamasutra, describing it as "normal business practice and a result of cutting back on production resources after the launch of two major franchises." Sony wouldn't confirm how many employees had been fired, but Gamasutra's sources put the number at 30 or more. Whether or not such layoffs have become normal business practice, the news is unfortunate, but Sony says the Zipper will continue to support the games it has already released, and will continue creating new games in the future.

The news comes roughly a month after word that SOCOM 4's lead designer Travis Steiner left Zipper to start a new company.

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  • by Sunday, May 22, 2011 at 03:36 PM

    This sounds bad, but who knows it may be a blessing in disguise; some layoffs just can't be prevented sadly. I hope Zipper continues to see success and brings more SOCOM games in the future.

  • by Sunday, May 22, 2011 at 03:36 PM

    That sucks..

  •
    by Sunday, May 22, 2011 at 03:36 PM
    start making good game's instead of *** and you wouldn't have this problem of losing money.
  •
    by Sunday, May 22, 2011 at 03:48 PM

    i wonder whats going to happen after there lead designer left.

  •
    by Sunday, May 22, 2011 at 04:13 PM

    ***. That sucks.

  •
    by Sunday, May 22, 2011 at 04:25 PM
    the psn shutdown is whats likely to blame... however, "normal business practice..." i dont call getting your job done, then getting fired normal.
  • by Sunday, May 22, 2011 at 04:30 PM

    well this stinks i hope they get back on their feet and start making games

  •
    by Sunday, May 22, 2011 at 04:31 PM

    Yet another bunch of lay offs. This sucks.

  • by Sunday, May 22, 2011 at 04:41 PM

    that sucks. I really liked MAG

  •
    by Sunday, May 22, 2011 at 05:04 PM
    Lol I wonder why? I didnt even get the chance to play M.A.G because it was so unpopular the game stores didnt even have any copies, neither did the video stores. And I couldnt be bothered finishing SOCOM 4 because it just got very bizzare at the end.
  •
    by Sunday, May 22, 2011 at 05:04 PM

    Soccom 4 was not that good

  • by Sunday, May 22, 2011 at 05:06 PM
    This is a normal business practice. Developers balloon while making games, particularly when close to finishing the product. After the release, they have nothing for those extra employees to do, so they slim back down for the early stages of the next game. Would you rather see developers have higher development costs for keeping people on and pay them to literally do nothing? It makes sense, however unfortunate it may be.
  •
    by Sunday, May 22, 2011 at 06:54 PM
    I Haven't Played SOCOM 4. Someone Tell me; Was it good?
  •
    by Sunday, May 22, 2011 at 08:27 PM

    Well considering both games ended up pretty mediocre, i'd say its a smart move on there part

  •
    by Sunday, May 22, 2011 at 08:37 PM

    They do this in Zipper Interactive every time after a new game comes out from them. Its a pratice so it doesn't matter people in there knew about this when they signed up for the job. They knew there is a chances they will get layed off after their new games comes out. So its not sad at all. They are prepared.

  • by Sunday, May 22, 2011 at 10:49 PM
    Well, they single handedly ruined the SOCOM franchise...
  •
    by Sunday, May 22, 2011 at 11:47 PM

    This also could have resulted from the lack of online - pairing that with a weak single player outing didn't help.

  •
    by Monday, May 23, 2011 at 02:26 AM

    That sucks for Zipper, but if they are going to just put out an average game, that is what happens.

  •
    by Monday, May 23, 2011 at 03:51 AM

    Still, I do always get that tiny pain in my heart whenever I have to hear about layoffs. Coming from experience I can tell you they aren't much of a picnic even if it is "standard business practice."

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