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Bummer Morning: Nintendo Power Closing, PopCap And Funcom Layoffs [UPDATED]

PopCap hasn't yet commented, but Nintendo Power news seems legit.

No Caption Provided

UPDATE 2: PopCap has also confirmed layoff reports in a lengthy, surprisingly classy post from co-founder John Vechey.

"Today’s news is something you expect periodically from a company in a fast-changing industry, but it sucks if you’re one of the people losing his or her job," said Vechey. "These people are our friends and we don’t like doing this."

Make sure to read the whole post over here.

--

UPDATE: Funcom has also acknowledged layoffs, though it won't confirm various reports the changes have impacted more than 50% of the company worldwide.

"As we announced in the stock notice that went out on August 10th," said the company in a statement, "Funcom is in a process of reducing operational costs and this process includes temporary layoffs as well as other initiatives. As we are currently in the middle of this process we can not provide any further comment at the present time. Rest assured however that we have long-term plans for the company and that we remain fully committed to all of our games."

Here's how Funcom phrased this in its stock notice from August 10:

"Funcom is currently implementing several cost-adjustment initiatives due to the expected lower initial revenues from The Secret World to secure future positive cash flows."

--

It’s a sobering morning for the video game industry, as news reports indicate longstanding publication Nintendo Power is closing, and layoffs have hit fan-favorite PopCap Games.

Ars Technica initially reported on Nintendo Power’s demise, which was later confirmed by some of its writers on Twitter.

“Well, that got out,” said writer Phil Theobald on Twitter.

“For what it's worth,” he told me in response, “we have something pretty sweet planned for the final issue.”

The officially-sanctioned Nintendo publication, today distributed by Future Publishing, has been running since 1988.

Elsewhere, there's word of layoffs at PopCap Games. 3D Realms co-founder George Broussard claimed on Twitter that roughly 50 employees were laid off at PopCap’s Seattle studio, and PopCap Dublin and Shangai have been either shut down or "shrunk."

The company recently announced a sequel to the incredibly popular Plants vs. Zombies is coming next spring. PopCap was purchased by Electronic Arts in June 2011 for its success in mobile and social.

PopCap has so far not responded to my requests for comment, but I heard about impending layoffs from multiple sources this morning. I’ve been unable to nail down specific details. Stay tuned.

Patrick Klepek on Google+

219 Comments

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MrKlorox

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Edited By MrKlorox

Nintendo Power was great in its heyday. But it hasn't been very good since the end of the N64 era. Perhaps a little before. I'm frankly surprised it lasted this long.
 
edit: I think I started around Issue 3 or 5. Still have nearly every one of them in boxes in my closet or garage or something.

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AngriGhandi

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Edited By AngriGhandi

People coming in here to talk about the death of Nintendo Power as some kind of "long overdue progress-related casualty" is like somebody coming to your grandma's funeral to complain about how unfunny her jokes had gotten ever since the dementia set in.

Which is to say: "technically correct, but still, fuck you."

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sins_of_mosin

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Edited By sins_of_mosin

I read Nintendo Power back in the early 90s.

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TrackZero

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Edited By TrackZero

@ChrisTaran: 3 seconds with Google answers: no.

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deactivated-5e60061752a57

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Really enjoyed my time with The Secret World, but Funcom was trying to give it to me two ways with (not so)micro-transactions and a sub.

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MrKlorox

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Edited By MrKlorox
@AngriGhandi: That might be a better analogy if, you know, Grandma's ability to tell jokes were what magically kept her alive. But no, Grandma died because she was old, and that's what happens to living things. Nintendo Power died because it became a publication that was not worth subscribing to.
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circlenine

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Edited By circlenine

Hopefully everyone laid off will be able to find work elsewhere.

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Rawson

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Edited By Rawson

The video game industry's bubble is finally starting to burst.

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agentboolen

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Edited By agentboolen

Sad for Nintendo Power, I remember buying those mags when I was a little kid back in 1988. For me I think I stopped when I learned that they were bias towards Nintendo. Thats the main problem for a mag solely for one game console, but over 2 decades is a good score that no other console specific mag will ever hit (I'm looking at you PlayStation: The Official Magazine).

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AngriGhandi

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Edited By AngriGhandi

@MrKlorox: You are technically correct!

Which proves you didn't get my point.

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sl1ppyfist

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Edited By sl1ppyfist

I had Nintendo Power back when it was Nintendo Fun Club! Very sad to see them closing

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dream431ca

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Edited By dream431ca

Sup Patrick! Glad your back! Congratulations on your wedding!

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Sankis

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Edited By Sankis

Motherfucker. If this leads to Funcom delaying or canceling Dreamfall Chapters further I'm going to be quite upset! I don't care about your dumb MMOs, continue your amazing series.

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Metric_Outlaw

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Edited By Metric_Outlaw

Is next month their last issue?

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fisk0

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Edited By fisk0  Moderator

@mosespippy said:

@fisk0 said:

@mosespippy said:

The worst part is that it sounds like Nintendo Power would have been just fine if Nintendo would just let them make a digital version. Their refusal to adapt to the business models of modern technology will be their downfall.

Have Nintendo actually had anything to do with it since 2007? Never having read or really kept up with Nintendo Power I have no idea, but looked like Future Publishing took over in 2007, in that case I don't think Nintendo are to blame.

Nintendo wouldn't let Future publish a digital copy and Future can't make it profitable without it so they won't sign an extension on their deal. Nintendo doesn't want to publish the magazine themselves and no one else will without digital versions so the magazine will stop existing.

Oh, well, then I guess Nintendo deserves some blame. I thought they had just sold it off.

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Sergotron

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Edited By Sergotron

I am glad I do not work in this industry. You can't go a week in news without hearing some story about massive layoffs.

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PandaBear

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Edited By PandaBear

@fisk0 said:

@mosespippy said:

@fisk0 said:

@mosespippy said:

The worst part is that it sounds like Nintendo Power would have been just fine if Nintendo would just let them make a digital version. Their refusal to adapt to the business models of modern technology will be their downfall.

Have Nintendo actually had anything to do with it since 2007? Never having read or really kept up with Nintendo Power I have no idea, but looked like Future Publishing took over in 2007, in that case I don't think Nintendo are to blame.

Nintendo wouldn't let Future publish a digital copy and Future can't make it profitable without it so they won't sign an extension on their deal. Nintendo doesn't want to publish the magazine themselves and no one else will without digital versions so the magazine will stop existing.

Oh, well, then I guess Nintendo deserves some blame. I thought they had just sold it off.

Countdown until someone buys the Nintendo Power name and makes it like EGM. Seriously, it's a strong brand, it may change but it won't die yet... well that or you'll get a nintendopower.com worth looking at

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MrKlorox

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Edited By MrKlorox
@AngriGhandi said:

@MrKlorox: You are technically correct!

Which proves you didn't get my point.

No I got your point. I just thought it was bullshit.
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deactivated-5ffc9b0923f9f

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No more Nintendo Power - that's the end of an era right there.

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deactivated-5ffc9b0923f9f

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@Sergotron said:

I am glad I do not work in this industry. You can't go a week in news without hearing some story about massive layoffs.

Seems like, right? Whenever there's a layoff, they layoff hard.

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MjHealy

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Edited By MjHealy

Big shame to see Pop Cap Dublin get hit. It was kind of the sole flag-bearer of high-grade game development in this city. There's some EA customer support stuff elsewhere in the country, but PopCap seemed to be the biggest name and it also appeared to be an actual dev house. Pouring one out as I type.

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korolev

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Edited By korolev

In a way it is a remarkable achievement that Nintendo Power lasted this long

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DarkbeatDK

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Edited By DarkbeatDK

Will there even be anyone LEFT to make video games in 10 years?

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cthomer5000

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Edited By cthomer5000

@Brodehouse said:

I'm beginning to find layoff news to be useless. Because there's never hiring news. If we went by layoff news, every person in this industry is out of work. The only positive news I've ever seen posted on this level is excitement over the Minerva's Den people forming a studio. Otherwise it's non-stop negativity. I'm not even blaming our news guys for it, it just seems like its a big oversight.

While i generally agree, Epic opening a Baltimore studio was big news, especially since it worked out well (for them) in terms of timing...they brought over a lot of Big Huge games which had all been axed in the 38 studios collapse. So you cant say this stuff is NEVER reported.

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iam3green

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Edited By iam3green

wow that is terrible. i remember getting nintendo power back when i had n64.

popcap were great with plants vs zombies.

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donfonzie

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Edited By donfonzie

@TripMasterMunky said:

No more Nintendo Power - that's the end of an era right there.

You're right, Its saddening...

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catpowerd

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Edited By catpowerd

@iAmJohn said:

Okay seriously, what the fuck does George Broussard even do anymore? It seems like his job ever since 3D Realms closed down has been breaking studio closures and downsizings on Twitter.

After DNF the big bosses put him in game development hell. Condemned to break depressing studio news till the end of time.

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That1BlackGuy

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Edited By That1BlackGuy

Damn what a bad break, my thoughts go out to everyone affected.

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Edited By BawlZINmotion

@BannerThief said:

What the hell is happening with social games companies?

They built their business on people who left as fast they came?

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LegalBagel

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Edited By LegalBagel

I was back home sorting through my old stuff and found my old Nintendo Powers - the first magazine with the mis-colored Mario all the way up until the mid-90s. Man those were amazing before the Internet for game-loving kids. I read those things cover to cover many times. Sad but not unexpected in today's world.

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Residentrevil2

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Edited By Residentrevil2

You brought us some terrible news Patrick. But, I'm still glad you are back!

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TheKing

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Edited By TheKing

The Nintendo Power news is heart breaking.

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NathHaw

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@Deathpooky said:

I was back home sorting through my old stuff and found my old Nintendo Powers - the first magazine with the mis-colored Mario all the way up until the mid-90s. Man those were amazing before the Internet for game-loving kids. I read those things cover to cover many times. Sad but not unexpected in today's world.

I remember when that first strategy guide Nintendo Power did, the Final Fantasy one, was mailed to me. I was so excited.

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Slag

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Edited By Slag

@TheKing said:

The Nintendo Power news is heart breaking.

indeed

although I can't remember the last time I bought or read one. Which I suppose is why they are going away.

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Spiritof

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Edited By Spiritof

GOD SAVE THE (jeff) GREEN!

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godzilla_sushi

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Edited By godzilla_sushi

It's definitely the end of the definitive magazine from my childhood. I read Nintendo Power from issue one all the way up through the end of the Nintendo 64 era. That's priceless for too many reasons to count. I learned how games are made and the theory behind them. Limitations of the consoles, pre-internet buzz from Space World and E3. I would read the magazines cover to cover for any game good or bad.

This is the inevitable end to one of the few sacred magazines.

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deathbyyeti

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Edited By deathbyyeti

George Fan who made Plants vs Zombies was let go after the announcement of Plants vs Zombies 2. That is real classy

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Portis

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Holy shit, Nintendo Power is done? Man, just seemed like it'd be around forever. Phil Theobald :(

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LegendaryChopChop

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Nintendo Power has been terrible since the Gamecube, but still, seeing it go away is indeed heartbreaking. I think all of us here have that first issue of the claymation-looking Mario 2 stuff on the cover.

Seeing EGM go away the first time was equally tragic for me, as I beloved EGM as my "mature" gaming mag after I outgrew Nintendo Power in the N64/PSX era.

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LordAndrew

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Edited By LordAndrew

@DeathbyYeti said:

George Fan who made Plants vs Zombies was let go after the announcement of Plants vs Zombies 2. That is real classy

This does not bode well.

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Edited By Hemlock

Man, Nintendo Power going out of print. I read those religiously from age 6 to like 12, it was a great magazine. I still have the issue where one of my questions made it in the mail bag, and a special Pokemon card I won in one of their contests. Guess I'm getting old, and so is print media.

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Edited By Christoffer

By the rate these lay-off reports get out I'm surprised there's anyone left in the game business at all. Could it be that other companies are concurrenlty hiring at the same rate as new projects need more staff than finnished ones?

That said, I hope the affected people softly lands on their feet.

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warningcrazy

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Edited By warningcrazy

Remember when social games were the unavoidable future and the next generation of consoles was gonna be the last? Oops.

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Zapbrader

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I just got old today.

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Thelyfe

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I just stumbled onto a stash of old Nintendo Power video game trading cards. Some fond memories of that magazine. RIP

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ArchTeckGuru8

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Seeing reports on twitter that the original creator of Plants and Zombies was "let go"

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Stache

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Edited By Stache

@Little_Socrates: The social games staff for Pop Cap seems to be mostly in San Francisco. And they are in fact, hiring.

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kraznor

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Edited By kraznor

Why are these two, very different things lumped together? I was kind of confused by the headline for a bit, made it sound like Nintendo Power broke a story about Popcap laying off people, but no, they are closing and also layoffs elsewhere. I guess it's douchey to complain about that but these are big names that may have warranted their own pieces? Like, the long and storied history of Nintendo Power, a picture of Howard and Nester, or something?

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Cloudenvy

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@LordAndrew said:

@DeathbyYeti said:

George Fan who made Plants vs Zombies was let go after the announcement of Plants vs Zombies 2. That is real classy

This does not bode well.

Man, that is going to be a feel-bad game knowing this.

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Edited By Seriousface

Funcom should get in to making more modern adventure games. Take some notes from Telltale. Try to re-invent the genre. They are so good at storytelling, creating univerces and interesting settings. Would have loved to see a telltales The walking dead style adventure game from them.

I want to give you money Funcom, just give me an excuse.