Comments on: Game over for hundreds of EA employees

A day ahead of its third-quarter earnings call, the world's largest video game publisher said it's cutting 5 percent of its staff.

[Vetter83]

EA got greedy!

"pigs get fat...hogs get slaughtered..."
EA puts out a piece of software that barely runs, is full of bugs and 8 months later it has already sold one add on game but havent fixed the original game! I personally wont buy ANYTHING done by EA til they make good on BATTLEFIELD 2. Enjoy unemployment EA Whiteshirts!!

[i_am_still_wade]

Yeah, I'm boycotting EA too.

Ever since they couldn't beat Sega's football game and got exclusives rights to the NFL, I decided to boycott EA. A classic case of we can't beat them, so we'll destroy them.

I hope EA goes under.

[City_Of_LA]

Been boycotting them for years now.

Got tired of playing a rehash every year of the same games. The day they actually come up with something good, I might consider buying again.

[heystoopid]

Well

Well, someone has to pay for the CEO & Chairman's pay rise and stock options, along with the cost of the games emulation software license fees for Xbox360 , Sony PS#? & Nintendo games platfoms, together with full compliance to all employment laws that the standard company employment contracts failed to mention!

Oh well, the remaining staff, will now be expected to work 10% harder,at same renumeration to compensate!

welocome to corporate america

This is not only the case in game companies - it is happening all over the place in corporate america - the mantra: do more with less. Why we do value our time off work, it is hard to argue against the revenue per emplyee numbers of some of the asian/indian companies I suppose. Thus you could argue that over time as people get lazier over there and we get more productive, an equilibrium will be reached eventually.

[markdoiron]

My Take

it takes fewer employees to recreate the same games that they've been making for years now. sales were down for the holidays? duh! try being creative and develop some original games!

mark d.

[AlphaTwo]

Devil's advocate

Original games? I typically like to bash EA myself, but I will play a game of Devil's advocate now: What was the best selling game of 2005 in North America? What was in the top 10 in North America? (Hint: All sequals/yearly updates). Why should EA bother with originality if their main market doesn't care?

In contrast, look at the other side of the pond: Japan, and you will see that if a market cared about originality, EA would not stand a chance in selling games.

[Jake Leone]

Message to EA employees "Game production is a cut-throat business"

Game companies are always on hiring and laying off. EA has been doing this for years (often quietly).

The CEO does have a high personal dollar motivation to maintain extreme profitability, definitely a greed oriented layoff.

Layoffs at game companies don't promote competitiveness, software quality, or originality. Just as in the movie industry (where we are seeing constant remakes) having fewer employees just encourages re-use, re-makes, and re-packaging. So really the gamer is also going to lose out in these layoff as well.

I would encourage all EA employees to seek employment in other areas of the Software business, I did more than a decade ago, and I haven't looked back. The game production environment is a cut-throat, politically charged, painful environment. You will find that other industries have customers, managers, even CEO's who can appreciate your hard work and reward you well for your hard work.

[bobby_brady]

EA is a programmers sweat-shop

No way would I recommend anyone work there, unless you have absolutely no life.

[jwarren.carroll]

Uh... huh...

There was a guy in my major with some serious social problems (which was kinda the norm) who went to work for EA. And yes, he had absolutely no life outside of programming. Considering he just got hired in May of 05 I wonder if he still has a job.