Sorry-sorry, but it's just not cool. And to be clear this is probably the first time a major publisher has done it. But it makes my blood boil, as it should make other people's blood boil. It's a well-documented fact that .skate hasn't fared well on the long-term Steam charts, and as a live-service title, that's never good news. In an age of tweaks, tweaks, and all more tweaks, I'm surprised they're hitting up the game's developer, Full Circle Studios.
still I'm not sure a “difficult decisions were made, please understand” tweet would have gone down much better, but a blog post trying to hype “the next chapter” is bad, bad, viewing. Few can say how well Game Health has fared on PlayStation and Xbox, but perhaps not the greatest. All the same, I'm sick and tired of hearing about EA layoff rounds and studio shutdowns. Alas, as CJ famously declared, despite explaining that Google doesn't hate me for adding a misnomer, “Here we go again.”
I'm tired…
“For our Skate. Community,” EA's post begins, setting a cordial tone…
“Since launching Early Access in September, you've stepped into tens of millions of San Vansterdams. Your passion, creativity, and feedback have strengthened our belief in what Skate can become. As Skate. As evolution continues, we're transforming as a studio. We're reshaping full circle. — and making those things great.”
“Reshaping full circle” is definitely better than that Closing a full circle. It means, at least, that people still, in fact, Works at Full Circle. Talking about development and transformation is the silliest kind of corporate-speak, but EA is a corporation. This is to be expected. This talk of supporting the long-term future of the game is admittedly welcome – it's all relative, right? You don't want to hear about pulling the plug. The fact that it has to happen speaks for itself, remember.
“These changes mean changes to our team structure, and some roles will be affected. The teammates affected are talented colleagues and friends who helped build the foundation of Skate. Their creativity and dedication are deeply intertwined in what players experience today. This decision is not a reflection of their influence and we are committed to supporting them through this change.”
So, like, here's the thing. To a lesser extent, Electronic Arts is probably mandated by law to do little to help the team. If I'm wrong, and someone gets in touch, I'll update it. I am not a lawyer. But I've heard that before. That aside, it's… nice, I guess… that they're saying kind words about the developers. Would it be worse if they didn't? Ah, sure. But look at this. The blog post strikes a happy tone, or at least is tinged with good news. “Some roles will be affected.” I think no company wants to use the real word, which is layoffs. That would make sense, right?
I should note, and perhaps I should have already, that it was written by Full Circle. Not electronic art. But I'm referring to this as EA's blog post for a reason. Whoever wrote it, EA called here. If they Technically Didn't, still did. Developers don't nix their own locations. That way it doesn't work at all.
“Our work at Skate. Continues. We look forward to working with you as we move faster, listen more closely, and consistently deliver for all of you. Our commitment to Skate., and the millions of players who believe in it, remains strong.”
We'll see how it all lands. If and when we hear how many people's livelihoods have just been lost, I'll update this article accordingly.
Weird Bits of Resident Evil Requiem Advertising Features Umbrella Corporation Suing Cup Noodles
Good luck, Nisin.
