CONFIRMED: Pandemic Studios closing down. Ricci, you've got some 'splainin' to do!

Cao Cao

Cao Cao

CAGiversary!
http://kotaku.com/5406830/confirmed-ea-closes-pandemic-studios-says-brand-will-live-on

Yes, according to this Kotaku article, Pandemic Studios (Full Spectrum Warrior, Mercenaries, Star Wars Battlefront I & II, The Saboteur) is closing down. Always unfortunate to hear about a studio closing up, though it usually isn't much of a surprise (In this case: Brisbane studio closed down earlier, very few, if any, major hits after the EA buy-out). Sounds like Saboteur is still going to be released, though it will be finished by EA Montreal.

Confirmed: EA Closes Pandemic Studios, Says Brand Will Live On

Early this morning we broke the news that Electronic Arts planned to close down Pandemic Studios, laying off 200. Now we have confirmation.

An internal Electronic Arts memo confirms that Pandemic Studios was shut down today with a "core IP team" being moved to Electronic Arts' Los Angeles office. Among those let go were the studio's top three employees: Andrew Goldman, formerly the studio's CEO; Josh Resnick, formerly the studios president; and Greg Borrud, vice president of product development

"I want to make it clear that the Pandemic brand and franchises will live on," Nick Earl, EA Games Label Senior Vice President, wrote in the memo. "In the months ahead, we will announce plans for new games based on Pandemic franchises.

"This type of change can be difficult. But the situation calls for us to act decisively, to take control of our destiny and to run a stronger, more focused development operation. That's how we will continue to make great games in our LA studios."

Earl said that the move was made to "improve our cost structure, ensure quality and build schedule integrity for this studio."

Electronic Arts confirmed that about 200 people were let go.

Pandemic was formed in 1998. Following on the success of Full Spectrum Warrior, Mercenaries and Star Wars: Battlefront, they were purchased in 2007 by Electronic Arts.

After the purchase Pandemic released a succession of lacklustre sequels culminating in the cancellation of the costly Dark Knight game, which resulted in the closure of Pandemic's Brisbane studio.

These cuts appear to be part of EA's latest cost-cutting measures which includes the elimination of 1,500 jobs, cutting a dozen in-development games and closing "several facilities." According to multiple sources, those cutbacks include studios like Pandemic, Maxis and nearly the entire Command & Conquer team.

We first heard of the Pandemic layoffs a week ago. The same sources told Kotaku that the team working on Command & Conquer 4: Tiberian Twilight was warned of its fate last week, with almost the entire team expected to be let go after the real-time strategy game ships some time in 2010.

Also said to be affected heavily are Spore and former-Sims studio EA Maxis, social network gaming acquisition Rupture Studios, and Mercenaries and The Saboteur creators Pandemic Studios LA. Those development studios are said to be hit with substantial layoffs, according to a source, with remaining employees relocated to EA headquarters in Los Angeles and Redwood Shores.

EA is rumored to have already laid off staff at Tiburon, Mythic Entertainment and Black Box, reports which the company has yet to confirm.

The closing of Pandemic Studios is the latest in a long line of acquisitions and then closures or "integrations" in the company's long history. Over the years EA has acquired and later closed or absorbed employees from Origin Systems, Bullfrog Productions, Black Box Games, Maxis, Westwood Studios and Pandemic's Brisbane, Australia and Los Angeles locations.
Click to expand...
 
Last edited by a moderator:
I'm disgusted with Kotaku and how they reported this whole thing.

I couldn't imagine learning that I was loosing my job from a blog post. Kotaku first reported this "rumor" last week and then again this AM.

Does Kotaku realize they were the ones hinting at pink slips last week and physically handing them out this morning? In other news if it is your job to let others know that they have been laid off you can now send 'rumor tips' to the blog of your industry or send an anonymous tip to the most popular social network person and have them break the bad news for you. It will take the shock factor down a notch. /sigh
 
[quote name='62t']Westwood Studios anyone?[/QUOTE]

I miss Westwood Studios. I used to drive by there all the time and even had a friend who worked for them in high school (intern, I think). :cry:
 
[quote name='spoo']I couldn't imagine learning that I was loosing my job from a blog post. Kotaku first reported this "rumor" last week and then again this AM. [/QUOTE]
There are far worse ways to learn that you lost your job. At least they had a heads up.
 
[quote name='Chibi_Kaji']There are far worse ways to learn that you lost your job. At least they had a heads up.[/QUOTE]

Sure like coming into work and this song was playing:
[quote name='Strell']♪♪You didn't paaaaaaaaay me what you oweeee me, so now it's over for youuuuuuuuuu♪♪[/QUOTE]
and when the song finished everyone was handed pink slips.

As far as the heads up goes it really isn't a heads up but more like a week of no sleep wondering how you are going to take care of your family or if it is just an unfounded rumor.

I'm not sure I would want to find out about my job security while drinking my mourning coffee while reading a blog or getting a text from a coworker that said, "OMG...READ KOTAKU NOW :(" Then a week later getting ten texts before you get your AM coffeee that say "Did you read kotaku yet? 11AM today might suck :("

The news is going to suck no mater how you find out about it but reading about loosing your job from reading a blog seems like one of the worst ways of finding out.
 
I don't see how hearing from a blog post is any different from being called into an office to be told.

[quote name='spoo']
As far as the heads up goes it really isn't a heads up but more like a week of no sleep wondering how you are going to take care of your family or if it is just an unfounded rumor.[/QUOTE]
Considering what went down last week I wouldn't have lost any sleep thinking it was an unfounded rumor. And I would have immediately started looking for another job.
 
[quote name='Chibi_Kaji']I don't see how hearing from a blog post is any different from being called into an office to be told.
[/QUOTE]
I guess I'm old fashioned and would rather hear bad news face to face or at least over the phone rather than from a 3rd party in text form. Things might be different if I was part of the IM generation.
 
[quote name='diddy310']How much more work could there be on The Saboteur if they are still going for the December 8th release date.[/QUOTE]
Good question. Edit: per the gamespot article title (So I am guessing it is "in the can.")-
Saboteur launch unaffected
 
The Saboteur is probably already finished and they just need to print and ship.

It's a fucking shame though, they made some pretty sweet games. I can't tell you how much time I sunk in to the Battlefront series...
 
[quote name='Chibi_Kaji']There are far worse ways to learn that you lost your job. At least they had a heads up.[/QUOTE]
Like how Free Radical went down:

"Staff arrived for work this morning to find the locks had been changed and notices on the doors advising them to attend a meeting at a nearby Novotel [a hotel chain] at 12 noon today," said the source, who preferred anonymity and worked with Free Radical in better times. "Heavy duty security staff was patrolling the buildings."
Click to expand...
 
[quote name='Hydro2Oxide']The Saboteur is probably already finished and they just need to print and ship.

It's a fucking shame though, they made some pretty sweet games. I can't tell you how much time I sunk in to the Battlefront series...[/QUOTE]

That seems to be the most likely case, sort of like what Lucasarts did when they had those layoffs last year that affected the SWTFU and Fracture teams. If anything, EA Montreal will probably work on any patches or DLC.
 
It sounds like Ricci has got some 'splainin' to do (to EA's shareholders):
http://www.marketrap.com/article/vi...wn-company-and-closes-it-down-two-years-later

Outrageous: Electronic Arts Inc CEO Riccitello Buys His Own Company and Closes it Down Two Years Later

By Perry H. Rod, Published: November 17th, 2009 1:33 PM PST

What is it about greedy video game publisher executives?

Just two years ago at Electronic Arts (NASDAQ:ERTS), with only eight months on the job as Chief Executive Officer, John Riccitello announced a buyout of Pandemic and Bioware studios from his former firm Elevation Partners, of which he was one of the founders. The purchase price looked astronomical for a developer: 840 million. To put that in perspective, Take Two (TTWO) Interactive, Inc. purchased Bioshock developer Irrational Games for 11 million and Civilization publisher Firaxis for 27 million in 2006.

Today, we are learning that Pandemic Studios, one half of that 840 million dollar acquisition, is being closed down, suggesting that the studio is worthless to EA at this point – only two years following the deal.

According to SEC documents, Mr. Riccitello pocketed up to 4.9 million on that deal, and no doubt helped his fellow co-founders of Elevation Partners walk away making a nice profit on that deal. EA’s shareholders have been left with the bill - and a stock that has fallen 70% since that deal was completed.

It would be a sad statement for shareholder activism and shareholder rights if Mr. Riccitello were to continue his tenure as CEO of Electronic Arts without a challenge. If a high profile chief executive essentially buys his own company, a deal like that should be put to the highest of standards. These results are the lowest of lows. There has not been a single developer in the video game industry that has been purchased for anywhere near this deal’s 840 million dollar price tag, but the fact that it blew up in this way only two years later is what is especially outrageous. Mr. Riccitello ought to consider resigning his position for committing such a blatant act of self serving greed at the expense of EA’s shareholders.
Click to expand...
 
so for all their trouble they got the IP to Mercenaries and Saboteur, as well as losing over 100 million dollars since they couldnt get Dark Knight game out in time.
 
[quote name='spoo']Damn that is some shady business. He pockets $5 million and sends a few hundred to the unemployment line. What a dick.[/QUOTE]

For some reason, I immediately thought of this.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Kh1CqCAc2fE

And this, but there's no clip of it online:
Mike_Eisner.jpg
 
[quote name='FriskyTanuki']Like how Free Radical went down:[/QUOTE]
I was thinking about that but I couldn't remember the company.
 
Unfortunately, after the glitchy abortion that was Mercenaries 2, I can't say I'm sorry to see Pandemic go.

The first Mercenaries was incredibly fun, the second one seemed to just be a mess in spots.
 
I'm glad that The Saboteur is still coming out but I'm worried about what adverse effects may result due to development being moved to a different team when the game is so close to release.

It's pretty shady what that Riccitello fella did. The rich get richer and the poor get fucked over.
 
[quote name='IAmTheCheapestGamer']Actually, they did the same type of printer smashing in the movie "Office Space" towards the end of the movie. Same song and all.[/QUOTE]

Yes, congratulations, you get the reference.
 
Sucks they all lost their jobs but after playing Mercenaries 2, I'm not shedding any tears. I did love Battlefront though, and the Destroy All Human games were a lot of fun.

Maybe now with their downtime they can actually release a version of Mercenaries 2 that isn't filled with glitches up the ass.
 
wait pandemic are closing down
damn i was hoping for another destroy all humans. just not another failure like big willy unleashed and path of the furon :(
 
[quote name='fyffem']Wasn't Battefront 3 cancelled a long time ago? I thought THAT was when Pandemic had closed?[/QUOTE]

But there was always that hope they were just saying that to surprise us.
 
[quote name='momouchi']But there was always that hope they were just saying that to surprise us.[/QUOTE]
Do many places do that?

Claim they're closing down to surprise people with games, I mean?
 
[quote name='Blackout']Sucks they all lost their jobs but after playing Mercenaries 2, I'm not shedding any tears. I did love Battlefront though, and the Destroy All Human games were a lot of fun.

Maybe now with their downtime they can actually release a version of Mercenaries 2 that isn't filled with glitches up the ass.[/QUOTE]

Thisthisthis!

How they went from stuff like Battlefront 2 and Mercenaries to utter garbage like Mercs 2 is way beyond me.
 
Didn't Pandemic do that last, awful LOTR game too? The EA CEO is a shady motherfucker, but this studio wasn't putting out. Doesn't mean he shouldn't be held responsible though.
 
[quote name='Halo05']Thisthisthis!

How they went from stuff like Battlefront 2 and Mercenaries to utter garbage like Mercs 2 is way beyond me.[/QUOTE]

No doubt. You can't put out several shit games in a row and expect to stick around. I think every person who worked for Pandemic was responsible for at least one glitch in Mercs 2. That would explain how so many got in the game.
 
[quote name='Mr. Anderson']Didn't Pandemic do that last, awful LOTR game too? The EA CEO is a shady motherfucker, but this studio wasn't putting out. Doesn't mean he shouldn't be held responsible though.[/QUOTE]
I know I often did the same to my dates that didn't put out in high school.
 
[quote name='CaptainJoel']Do many places do that?

Claim they're closing down to surprise people with games, I mean?[/QUOTE]

I was referring to them announcing that they weren't planning a third Battlefront, not the shutdown.
 
[quote name='Mr. Anderson']Didn't Pandemic do that last, awful LOTR game too? The EA CEO is a shady motherfucker, but this studio wasn't putting out. Doesn't mean he shouldn't be held responsible though.[/QUOTE]
Yes he should. Unless he was paying 839 million dollars for Bioware, they overpaid for Pandemic. And it seems like he overpaid for his own benefit.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
bread's done
Back
Top