Please support Game Informer. Print magazine subscriptions are less than $2 per issue
World Of Darkness MMO Put On Back Burner
CCP Games, the developer and publisher of space MMORPG Eve Online and the upcoming PS3 tie-in Dust 514, has announced that it is laying off 20 percent of its global workforce and shifting development resources to better focus on launching Dust and creating Eve expansions. The World of Darkness MMO, announced some time ago but never shown, is not cancelled, but the number of staff working on its development has been greatly reduced.
Most of the layoffs are hitting CCP's Atlanta studio, which will also see teams "redeployed" from World of Darkness to supporting Dust 514's launch.
CCP insists that Eve's playerbase is in "good health," while admitting that subscriptions are down from their all-time peak two months ago (though still higher than they were this time last year). The company attributes the drop in subscribers to "our own mistakes and poor communications with our players." Eve's latest features, centered around allowing players to finally walk around their ships and see their characters, have been poorly received by the community due to the fact that this long-promised addition to the game doesn't affect the gameplay at all. Well, that and the company is selling cosmetic monocles for $70.
CCP obviously hopes that this "realignment" will let it dig itself out of the hole it finds itself in with regard to the Eve playerbase. My initial reaction (after feeling awful for those who have lost their jobs) is that it's a good idea. CCP admits that it is stretched too thin right now, and while laying off a bunch of people doesn't seem like an ideal move, focusing on the products it has out right now sounds like a step in the right direction.
I’d like to ask you to support Game Informer’s continued coverage of games with a subscription. For less than two dollars per issue, we mail you a full year of 10 print magazines, each with cover stories and preview features filled with exclusive details about the most exciting upcoming games. We profile and interview game creators. We look back on the rich history of gaming, and we celebrate what’s next.
Here on the website, we offer much of our content for free, including game reviews, daily news, videos, event coverage, and more – all with minimal ads.
We do so with a small editorial team, alongside contributing paid writers from around the world – over 65 individuals from 9 countries around the world, just in the last couple of years.
It’s not possible without support.
In a time when game makers and games coverage have faced hard struggles and layoffs, the future of this 30+ year magazine and community is at risk. Our new standalone magazine subscription is the number one way you can keep us alive – and we believe you’ll get a pretty fantastic gaming magazine in your mailbox every few weeks for your trouble.
Thank you.
