Max Payne 3 Studio Closing Its Doors

[kitsuta]

Max Payne 3 Studio Closing Its Doors

Rockstar Toronto is absorbing Rockstar Vancouver.

Things are looking tough for the AAA gaming industry. Shipping over a million copies of a title no longer necessarily means a studio's continued success - Kaos Studios closed back in 2011 despite the fact that whole thing with 38 Studios [http://www.escapistmagazine.com/news/view/113160-Crytek-Invades-Homefront-Sequel-Ousting-Kaos]. Joining the unfortunate list of closed studios is Max Payne 3 developer Rockstar Vancouver, which Rockstar Games is shuttering despite its last game's success.

Fortunately, Rockstar Games isn't intent on laying off employees - it's closing the studio in favor of expanding its other Canada-based studio, Rockstar Toronto. It has offered all 35 Vancouver employees jobs at the Toronto or any other Rockstar studio. Rockstar Toronto is itself moving to a new, larger office, and Rockstar has stated it plans to add 50 new positions to the studio in the coming months. The expansion is, according to Take-Two Interactive, "being supported by the Ontario government," although financial details are unavailable.

Rockstar hasn't said whether the expanded studio will take on a larger role in creating titles - so far Rockstar Toronto has been chiefly supporting other Rockstar divisions, with its last major role being the lead developer on The Warriors back in 2005. Rockstar Vancouver had only released two titles after being bought in 2002: Bully, which came out in 2006, and of course its second and final game Max Payne 3.

While it's good that no one seems to be losing their jobs, it's no small endeavor for the people involved - to put it in perspective, the 2,000 mile trek between Vancouver and Toronto is roughly the same as the distance between California and North Carolina, give or take a few hundred miles. It's not currently known if the team has decided to move to Toronto as a unit or will be spreading to other studios, nor is it quite clear whether the company is funding employees' relocations to their new studios.

Source: Take Two Interactive [http://www.gamasutra.com/view/news/173824/Max_Payne_3_developer_Rockstar_Vancouver_closing_its_doors.php]

Permalink

 

[SecondPrize]

I'd look harder at "While it's good that no one seems to be losing their jobs." This company has a long tradition of long crunches and then sacking the lower level employees after launch.

 

[Symbio Joe]

So is this a long term plan? I mean what does blow costs for a videogame so out of proportion, that you have to close down (in this cas "a studio) your studio when it does not sell "x" copies. Or better question where is the "break even" point in AAA games today?

 

[Fordo]

weird heading. Was 'Rockstar studios re-organizing' already taken?

 

[josemlopes]

Wow, negative much?

Next time choose a better title, closing a studio is very diferent of relocating it.

Closing a studio usually means that the studio is doing bad while relocating can mean that they are doing bad or good, in this case good.

 

[Kargathia]

to put it in perspective, the distance between Vancouver and Toronto is roughly the same as the distance between California and North Carolina, give or take a few hundred miles.

The moment your reader is better informed by "give or take a few hundred miles" is when you might want to consider using a metric that is understood by more than half of your audience.

Not to mention the blatantly sensationalist coverage of a company reshuffling its assets. You also publicly declare your acquintances to be "forcefully evicted" whenever they move in with their partner?

 

[cynicalsaint1]

Signs the AAA-game industry is on its last leg:
You release a successful game and your studio still goes under

 

[Major_Tom]

A fitting punishment.

 

[Woem]

to put it in perspective, the distance between Vancouver and Toronto is roughly the same as the distance between California and North Carolina, give or take a few hundred miles.

The moment your reader is better informed by "give or take a few hundred miles" is when you might want to consider using a metric that is understood by more than half of your audience.

Not to mention the blatantly sensationalist coverage of a company reshuffling its assets. You also publicly declare your acquintances to be "forcefully evicted" whenever they move in with their partner?

You are absolutely correct. This "article" is highly sensational and no so much news worthy.

 

[Kirky]

Signs the AAA-game industry is on its last leg:
You release a successful game and your studio still goes under

It didn't go under. It got relocated, with all the employees moving with it. The headline is misleading.

An inconvenience for those who will have to move, to be sure, but the studio didn't go under.

 

[kitsuta]

Signs the AAA-game industry is on its last leg:
You release a successful game and your studio still goes under

It didn't go under. It got relocated, with all the employees moving with it. The headline is misleading.

An inconvenience for those who will have to move, to be sure, but the studio didn't go under.

Rockstar Toronto already exists - the Rockstar Vancouver studio is not simply being relocated to Toronto. Rockstar Vancouver is closing, but thankfully its employees are being offered new jobs elsewhere.

to put it in perspective, the distance between Vancouver and Toronto is roughly the same as the distance between California and North Carolina, give or take a few hundred miles.

The moment your reader is better informed by "give or take a few hundred miles" is when you might want to consider using a metric that is understood by more than half of your audience.

The California-North Carolina comparison was done for the benefit of US readers, as many are familiar with the idea of moving coast-to-coast. I've added the approximate mileage to the OP.

 

[XandNobody]

to put it in perspective, the distance between Vancouver and Toronto is roughly the same as the distance between California and North Carolina, give or take a few hundred miles.

The moment your reader is better informed by "give or take a few hundred miles" is when you might want to consider using a metric that is understood by more than half of your audience.

Not to mention the blatantly sensationalist coverage of a company reshuffling its assets. You also publicly declare your acquintances to be "forcefully evicted" whenever they move in with their partner?

Yea, it would have really helped if he'd actually put the sense of scale of the move in more relatable terms for people outside North America. Near as I can figure it's like, aprox. 4,300km/2,700 mi. by roads.

Saying it's like California to Carolina probably has about the same impact on people outside the continent as if I'd have written "Oh, it's about the same distance as Brisbane is from Perth" would have inside North America.

OT: Happy they still have jobs, but good lord that is one hell of a move. If that happened to me I know full well that it would equate to just a fancy way of me losing that job. Beyond just the costs of moving (Like, a 50 hour drive can not be cheap in a moving van), you'd literally have to now live nearly a continent away from your family/everyone you know? Yea, no.

EDIT: Ninja'd by author a bit there apparently ^_^

 

[ksn0va]

This isn't bad news...

 

[Casual Shinji]

Does this mean no hope for a Bully sequel, 'cause that would suck.

 

[Vkmies]

Well, fuck. I bought and loved Max Payne 3. I thought it sold well(?)

 

[cynicalsaint1]

Signs the AAA-game industry is on its last leg:
You release a successful game and your studio still goes under

It didn't go under. It got relocated, with all the employees moving with it. The headline is misleading.

An inconvenience for those who will have to move, to be sure, but the studio didn't go under.

A rather moot distinction.
Fact is the studio is closed down. Rockstar decided that despite the success of its releases that it wasn't worth keeping the studio around and producing games. Just because the people working there got transferred to other studios within Rockstar doesn't change that.

 

[Rainboq]

Sounds like Ontario, the province is in financial trouble, so they're trying to get as many businesses as possible to go there.