This just sucks for all the hard working employees, hope they find there feet.

Can't help but think the loan was a bad idea from the beginning, but at the same time you can't blame the state for now showing realism. MMO's are far from profitable nowadays. Though they were stupid to agree the loan in the first place.

Wish all employees well, seemed like a talented group with potential.

Damn, sucks to be them. Here's to hoping they all land somewhere.

@Dallas_Raines said:

@Bizen247 said:

I like how so many of you are quick to jump on Curt Schilling because he doesn't vote the way you want him to. Do GB a favor and leave the political fanaticism wherever your news site of choice is.

And before anyone continues to propagate the lie, the Boston Globe reported that Schilling actually invested $30 million of his own money into the company.

"Fuck Obama and the Government, it falls on us, the individuals, to find a way out of our own personal crisis! ...Oh, but thanks for that loan, Rhode Island, can I please have some more?"

It's not about politics, it's about the delicious hypocrisy.

Protip: if you're going to post a rebuttal to what someone says then don't make yourself into the exact stereotype they point out.

@SimplyTron said:

@Jace said:

@SimplyTron said:

@zombie2011 said:

@SimplyTron said:

@UnrealDP said:

@Jace said:

CBS, please go grab Rich. GB needs a decent east coast correspondent. Most of the GB community already loves the guy, he would be a great fit.

Real classy, mate. Way to be a dick...

Sorry but he is right. I mean, this whole story just reeks of someone just reading game forums and other sites to write their own article. Check out patricks journalistic work and interviews to see how its done.

Alex reports news, and this is news. Some people (like me) don't go to other game sites, they rely on GB for everything related to video games. Where is Patricks coverage of this? Oh right, there is none so fuck off.

Whatevers man. You been brainwashed. Imagine the possibilities if Rich actually wrote this stuff and how united the community would be. No more fighting. No more suffering. No more eyes rolling when something unfunny is said or written. We would have peace.

All I meant by "decent" is well-liked. Rich seems to be liked by the majority of the community. While I personally have no problem with Alex's writing/reporting, it's no secret that the community is divided on him. That fucking panel.... but I digress.

Anyway, I meant no disrespect to Alex. It's just that Rich has a lot of people pulling for him in the GB community and it would be great to see him here.

I do, cuz I had no actual problem until I saw how he responded to peoples complaints, which are by all accounts a matter of opinion. How he talks, acts on that panel as we saw or just writes. But telling the community no one at Giant Bomb gave a shit what we thought, that was over the line and I think clearly not how the other guys respond to the community. We all saw that with Ryan and his apology. Manned up to say he was wrong and didn't tell anyone he was better than them. All he had to do was leave the comments section alone but instead he showed his true colors. And that panel...

Well, I think Alex needs to work on his people skills and I don't think he performs well in front of an audience, but honestly I think his writing is fine. He just doesn't have the same backing as the other GB guys do. Some people don't like Brad or Patrick, but I don't think anyone is offended by them. The same can't be said for Alex, and that's his own fault.

What are the odds that the same day I decide to re-install Kingdoms and give it another try that this happens. Now I will be mad if I really enjoy it this time around and get into the lore knowing I will never seen more of it.

Hope the few folks that had talent in that place land jobs else where in the industry, and everyone that made that game bad find jobs not in the industry.

When over a million sales is not enough to even stay in business there must be problems with the model. Unless you're making either a hugely popular game or a small game with less sales requirements there doesn't seem to be much sustainability.

.

It sucks for those who lost there jobs, but let's be honest: KoA was not a good game, at least not a game that should have been expected to sell 3 million.

That fucking sucks.

Wow, this is bummer news. I was really hoping this would turn around.

I don't know why we're talking about Alex, but count me as someone who gained more respect for him after his community call out. The guy was getting relentlessly shit on, calling for his firing, or trying to antagonize him to quit, and he essentially said he was going to keep doing what he was doing. The fact anyone is still talking about something he said awhile ago is kinda scary. And yes it's pretty clear from some of the comments of the crew that they do in fact listen to the community and in some cases correct mistakes. But still, some people are entitled assholes, and obviously that's who Alex was talking to.

I have been losing hope for this companies survival with every update. It really is a shame though. Reckoning, while not very engaging was still quite impressive from a gameplay standpoint. The MMO though sounded like a bad idea from the start.

"how not to run a business", the illustrated handbook

@boocreepyfootdoctor: well said sir.

Seems ridiculous to skip paying your employees so you can pay the state. Then lay off everyone anyway. So now you have a large group of people who haven't been paid in almost a month and a huge debt that will never be repaid to the state....

There's really something wrong with this industry if a game selling a million copies is somehow a failure. :/

I'm sure it's been mentioned, but PLEASE get Rich come to come to GiantBomb!

So, I guess this means no Rise of Nations 2. Dammit.

Snap. I did kind of expect it though. I hope the staff lands on their feet after this. Especially Rich!

@Marshall109 said:

So, I guess this means no Rise of Nations 2. Dammit.

God dam, RoN is still one of the best RTS games ever made. Now I need to re-install it, thanks.

This is great news. They were all really bad people.

@Jace said:

@SimplyTron said:

@Jace said:

@SimplyTron said:

@zombie2011 said:

@SimplyTron said:

@UnrealDP said:

@Jace said:

CBS, please go grab Rich. GB needs a decent east coast correspondent. Most of the GB community already loves the guy, he would be a great fit.

Real classy, mate. Way to be a dick...

Sorry but he is right. I mean, this whole story just reeks of someone just reading game forums and other sites to write their own article. Check out patricks journalistic work and interviews to see how its done.

Alex reports news, and this is news. Some people (like me) don't go to other game sites, they rely on GB for everything related to video games. Where is Patricks coverage of this? Oh right, there is none so fuck off.

Whatevers man. You been brainwashed. Imagine the possibilities if Rich actually wrote this stuff and how united the community would be. No more fighting. No more suffering. No more eyes rolling when something unfunny is said or written. We would have peace.

All I meant by "decent" is well-liked. Rich seems to be liked by the majority of the community. While I personally have no problem with Alex's writing/reporting, it's no secret that the community is divided on him. That fucking panel.... but I digress.

Anyway, I meant no disrespect to Alex. It's just that Rich has a lot of people pulling for him in the GB community and it would be great to see him here.

I do, cuz I had no actual problem until I saw how he responded to peoples complaints, which are by all accounts a matter of opinion. How he talks, acts on that panel as we saw or just writes. But telling the community no one at Giant Bomb gave a shit what we thought, that was over the line and I think clearly not how the other guys respond to the community. We all saw that with Ryan and his apology. Manned up to say he was wrong and didn't tell anyone he was better than them. All he had to do was leave the comments section alone but instead he showed his true colors. And that panel...

Well, I think Alex needs to work on his people skills and I don't think he performs well in front of an audience, but honestly I think his writing is fine. He just doesn't have the same backing as the other GB guys do. Some people don't like Brad or Patrick, but I don't think anyone is offended by them. The same can't be said for Alex, and that's his own fault.

Do none of you find the term "the community" a little creepy? I pay $50 a year of GB, I would pay more, I want no say in how they run things.

Sad news for 38 Studios employees. Good news for Giant Bomb; time to secure Rich Gallup!

Biggest sad face on right now.

@hawkinson76: How is it creepy? Everything with a following of people has a "community." It is being used as its literal definition.

When the hell will these game companies learn? 
It seems like the video game industry is more unstable than a drunking Jenga tower. 
Mind you,  the evolution of MMO to F2P was always going to be a real killer for indev companies. 
To those who lost there jobs, may I recommend drowning your hrs of sorrow in a pool of diablo III... 
Chin up!

@Jace said:

@hawkinson76: How is it creepy? Everything with a following of people has a "community." It is being used as its literal definition.

maybe everything with a following has a community, but not every follower is part of that community. I was here for years before visiting these boards (and I never visit boards anywhere else), this is the kind of thing that turns me off immediately. I am not here to be part of anything, GB editorial content is the best entertainment I have found, my kids have grown up seeing me watch/listen to very little else (except play games). It deserves my money, but they could shut down all the social aspects tomorrow and I wouldn't care, I'd probably enjoy it more because I wouldn't let myself get trolled (damn vodka). I feel disturbed when consumers feel ownership. I feel ownership over the things I create and own, not of things I am fan or supporter of.

@hawkinson76 said:

@Jace said:

@SimplyTron said:

@Jace said:

@SimplyTron said:

@zombie2011 said:

@SimplyTron said:

@UnrealDP said:

@Jace said:

CBS, please go grab Rich. GB needs a decent east coast correspondent. Most of the GB community already loves the guy, he would be a great fit.

Real classy, mate. Way to be a dick...

Sorry but he is right. I mean, this whole story just reeks of someone just reading game forums and other sites to write their own article. Check out patricks journalistic work and interviews to see how its done.

Alex reports news, and this is news. Some people (like me) don't go to other game sites, they rely on GB for everything related to video games. Where is Patricks coverage of this? Oh right, there is none so fuck off.

Whatevers man. You been brainwashed. Imagine the possibilities if Rich actually wrote this stuff and how united the community would be. No more fighting. No more suffering. No more eyes rolling when something unfunny is said or written. We would have peace.

All I meant by "decent" is well-liked. Rich seems to be liked by the majority of the community. While I personally have no problem with Alex's writing/reporting, it's no secret that the community is divided on him. That fucking panel.... but I digress.

Anyway, I meant no disrespect to Alex. It's just that Rich has a lot of people pulling for him in the GB community and it would be great to see him here.

I do, cuz I had no actual problem until I saw how he responded to peoples complaints, which are by all accounts a matter of opinion. How he talks, acts on that panel as we saw or just writes. But telling the community no one at Giant Bomb gave a shit what we thought, that was over the line and I think clearly not how the other guys respond to the community. We all saw that with Ryan and his apology. Manned up to say he was wrong and didn't tell anyone he was better than them. All he had to do was leave the comments section alone but instead he showed his true colors. And that panel...

Well, I think Alex needs to work on his people skills and I don't think he performs well in front of an audience, but honestly I think his writing is fine. He just doesn't have the same backing as the other GB guys do. Some people don't like Brad or Patrick, but I don't think anyone is offended by them. The same can't be said for Alex, and that's his own fault.

Do none of you find the term "the community" a little creepy? I pay $50 a year of GB, I would pay more, I want no say in how they run things.

What I find creepy is how some people on here seem to be semi-obsessed with members of the GB staff to the point of me questioning if they have any close relationships in their real lives. I mean I enjoy everything these guys do; from all the passionate game discussions to Ryan making a mid-'90s Puff Daddy song reference in the Singularity Quicklook. I get it, and it's cool to hear people that seem to act and think the same way as I do. But some people on here are borderline stalker-ish in the way they come across when talking about these guys on the forums that it's scary.

@hawkinson76 said:

@Jace said:

@hawkinson76: How is it creepy? Everything with a following of people has a "community." It is being used as its literal definition.

maybe everything with a following has a community, but not every follower is part of that community. I was here for years before visiting these boards (and I never visit boards anywhere else), this is the kind of thing that turns me off immediately. I am not here to be part of anything, GB editorial content is the best entertainment I have found, my kids have grown up seeing me watch/listen to very little else (except play games). It deserves my money, but they could shut down all the social aspects tomorrow and I wouldn't care, I'd probably enjoy it more because I wouldn't let myself get trolled (damn vodka). I feel disturbed when consumers feel ownership. I feel ownership over the things I create and own, not of things I am fan or supporter of.

That's fine, but it's a little silly to participate in the communal aspects of a website and then act surprised when you see the word community thrown around. Also, I fail to see how making suggestions implies a feeling of ownership. I give feedback because I know that's how I want my company to operate. If our clients never gave us feedback, we'd be slower at making effective changes sometimes. Is that to say feedback is always useful? No. But is it out of place? Of course not.

They needed Amalur to sell three million copies to be considered a success?

What in the actual fuck?

@Ujio said:

@hawkinson76 said:

@Jace said:

@SimplyTron said:

@Jace said:

@SimplyTron said:

@zombie2011 said:

@SimplyTron said:

@UnrealDP said:

@Jace said:

I Think Boxes are cool as a great fit.

My box is better than your box dick.

Fuck you this is totally a superior box

Your mum's a box

This box totally outclasses all previous boxes I win

This is the most mature box you'll see today

Wait all this from one little box?

Your box is a douche, this box is fine

This needs more box

Boy we really love boxes

I agree, boxes are pretty rad

It's a pity, for Reckoning isn't a bad game at all, but I think the problem here is that they started all out with big investments and no realistic forecasts on sales. You can't expect to sell at least 3 million copies of your first game, a fantasy-themed action RPG, which is quite an abused genre.

This is truly sad. For a short time I looked forward to Reckoning but somewhere in the mix it fell of my radar. Probably due to the luke warm reception, or Skyrim.

But I can't help to wonder what state the video game bussiness is in when tripple A titles must sell 3 mil units to go around. I hope that was a miscalculation by them because if they thought a newly found franchise would easily sell that amount, well that would be plain stupid.

I was just thinking this site needs more Richard K(ay) Gallup. His first order of business, bring back goofycrap.com

It is very sad that 300+ people have lost their jobs today. Have not been compensated for the last four weeks. The question remains what will happen going forward? I think the state of Rhode Island is not going to let this slide. All the parties involved in approving the deal--state legislators and 38 studio's management -- need to held accountable for their actions.

I guess the moral the story is if you want to start a game company. Don't build a MMO with other people's money.

The whole idea sounded like a lame duck from the start. Was this a long term con?

Sad day for all those employees :(

But does this mean we get the crew back together? Rich Gallup come on in! :D

@Hailinel said:

They needed Amalur to sell three million copies to be considered a success?

What in the actual fuck?

Perfectly reasonable expectations for a brand new IP, right?

Damn, that sounds like some gross mismanagement if they needed to sell 3 million copies just to stay afloat. A debut title? That's insanely optimistic.

Poor Rich and Ben. Hope they find safe shores somewhere. And hey...Doofy Crap making a return?

Sad news for some talented folks. Good luck to you guys.

Does anyone else feel this is down to pure egotism on Curt Shilling's part?

I mean, with a company motto like 'If you can't do it better than it's ever been done before, work for someone else' and the fact that he seemed to focus on big names (McFarlane and Salvatore) rather than actual talent? Those big names may or may not be good, but pulling in people with that level of success already is just going to drive up your costs for their wages.

And having a vision is one thing but I think he overreached and tried to make the company too big too fast.

well, there goes project copernicus

Giant bomb, offer Rich a job ASAP!

@Ujio said:

@hawkinson76 said:

@Jace said:

@SimplyTron said:

@Jace said:

@SimplyTron said:

@zombie2011 said:

@SimplyTron said:

@UnrealDP said:

@Jace said:

I Think Boxes are cool as a great fit.

My box is better than your box dick.

Fuck you this is totally a superior box

Your mum's a box

This box totally outclasses all previous boxes I win

This is the most mature box you'll see today

Wait all this from one little box?

Your box is a douche, this box is fine

This needs more box

Boy we really love boxes

I agree, boxes are pretty rad

wow this is pretty bad but most importantly they expected the game to sell 3 million? Come the fuck on! Really?

Games like Assassin's Creed ruined the video game industry. People aren't content with 1-2 million copies sold any more.

"the game needed to sell closer to three million." and sold 1.2 million so far.

Around this amount of time after Heavy Rain came out it sold a bit more than a million. HEAVY RAIN. A much much better game than KOA. It also sold way way better than they expected it to sell. They expected KOA to sell way more than Heavy Rain did.

They failed when they had the arrogance to think they were going to sell that much, they failed when they made that big of a bet on their ego.

@xbox420: its doofycrap if i remember it correctly.

Holy shit..how can they develope an MMO and realize at one point that they have to fire everyone because they are out of money? Don't they...plan stuff??

Well, I am totally blown away to see almost 400 pink slips in the industry today. Sounds like twitter is coming to the rescue. Good luck everyone.... someday I think all this sordid business at 38 will make a god damn fascinating study. But for now, it's about the people hurt.

@divakchopra said:

well, there goes project copernicus

The real Copernicus went gentler into that good night...

@Ujio: You ain't wrong, brother.

Jesus christ, what the fuck is going on with this industry.