Codemasters facing redundancies
Digital and publishing teams affected, reports suggest 80 jobs could go
Codemasters has confirmed that it has entered a period of consultation which could result in staff layoffs. The move will mainly affect its digital and publishing teams.
"As the Company realigns its operations to focus on areas of increased strategic importance and decrease resources in areas that are not delivering value for the business, the Company has proposed the restructure of certain aspects within its digital development and publishing units in line with future product strategy," the company said in a statement.
"As a result of the proposed restructure, the Company has therefore entered into a period of collective consultation with the affected employees."
"The restructure is not company-wide and is not anticipated to impact the development of its core console and PC titles such as GRID 2 or its annual FORMULA ONE title."
A strong source has told GamesIndustry International that there are around 80 redundancies, the majority from Codemasters' Southam operation. The 500 strong studio is responsible for the company's racing titles, and houses the technology team and the online department. Codies' statement suggests it's the latter that will be affected by the move.
heard such a ridiculous statement.
All the same, always crap to hear about people getting laid off. Hopefully they all find something soon.
Edited 1 times. Last edit by Andrew on 18th January 2013 2:27pm
In any case, all the best to those people effected.
Edited 2 times. Last edit by Andrew on 18th January 2013 2:57pm
Fingers crossed for everyone involved and their family's.
Obviously I am. I just can't seem to recall any of my friends that got laid off back then citing PS1 piracy as the main reason that they were redunded. Perhaps it was being kept secret for some reason ? I am pretty sure that the general consensus at the time leaned towards lack of foresight and poor management as the overriding factors behind the lay-offs, with a smattering of greed and pettiness. Though, of course I may be wrong about that too....simply passing on what I garnered at the time.
And that list of companies that you have stuck up there, what the hell has that got to do with anything ? Almost all of those companies were part of the Codemasters group when I was there, over 10 years ago. Hardly 'breaking news' is it ? Surely you could ask a certain person at Kwalee about them, rather than randomly stick a list up here ?
And it doesn't really help all the people that are facing lay-offs does it ?
These are indeed challenging economic times though - in a fast-moving and hit-driven industry. As their statement stays, it's important to continually review operations within any business to ensure it remains competitive and sustainable.
That said, it's a real shame when that leads to job losses. All the best to those involved.
Good luck to all those involved - hopefully the casualties will be minimised and you'll find other roles asap. And hopefully Codies will get back on an even keel and start to grow again.
What we should be focusing on here is yet MORE fellow devs, some of them good friends, potentially losing their jobs in times of hardship. Hope it all works out for you guys. :(
Edited 1 times. Last edit by Neil Watts on 18th January 2013 7:15pm
And as for your "Codies ongoing collapse" comment, as many clients will tell you, I never make anything from redundancies - nor should any agent. I always tell my clients to get in touch with distressed studios direct, because they'll save a small fortune on agency fees. I get that you don't like agents, and you don't like me (or maybe you just don't like me because I call you out here all the time on your self serving waffle), but don't try and distract from your own distasteful gloating above by turning me into something I'm not.
And Codies won't collapse, don't be stupid. They'll be fine. Frankly, I wouldn't be at all surprised if they outlast 90% of the studios in what you refer to as Silicon Spa. The day they start doing games like Pussy Flip is the day I'll start worrying for them.
[Edit - double post.]
Edited 2 times. Last edit by Fran Mulhern on 18th January 2013 8:13pm
Edited 1 times. Last edit by Fran Mulhern on 18th January 2013 10:59pm
In light of what's happening what we need to do is watch out for each other's backs and hope that we all find suitable roles.
Edited 1 times. Last edit by Wai Keen Lam on 19th January 2013 12:26am
Going back to the actual content of the article though, good luck to all the staff at Codies under threat at the moment, even for those who ultimately keep their jobs, the consultation period can be an unpleasant and stressful time for all involved.
As a "two times" Codemasters employee, I have a huge respect for the development teams, but was always wondering what those other departments were doing besides losing money! About time to focus on the money making operations and shed the weight from everywhere else.
I only endorse these steps because I see it necessary to secure jobs for rest of the employees.
Edited 2 times. Last edit by Tamas Strezeneczki on 19th January 2013 1:24pm
As Colin McRae once said : "We make our own luck in this life".
Edited 2 times. Last edit by Luke Harris on 19th January 2013 1:42pm
Funny thing is, the OFP games done by Codies were some of my favourite games over the last few years - I'm a big fan of modern military tactical shooters (of which there are very very few these days). Sure, the games had issues, and didn't sell desperately well - but they're still keeping me entertained at times. so, those of you who worked on those - thanks!
Edit to add a bit more. MW, etc = shooters on rails, albeit gorgeous shooters. The Codies OFP games were completely different. Big issues with the timings, but aside from that some of the missions were really well designed. There was one where you had to take out a PLA group in a small village, then head up the hill to take out their mortar spotters. If that had been MW, you wouldn't have had an option - follow the route laid out. But in OFP (I believe this was DR), you had a choice. go straight up the middle and hit the enemy head on, but with your flank insecure. Go right, but cross your own side's field of fire. Or go left, and come at the village from up the road, and immediately render the first line of enemy cover as useless. Absolutely brilliant, real kudos to those of you who worked on it.
Edited 2 times. Last edit by Fran Mulhern on 21st January 2013 11:59am
Edited 1 times. Last edit by Dan Fletcher on 21st January 2013 11:19am
I can honestly say that I loved working there. An absolutely awesome team, with real technical prowess. It's a really sad situation that they appear to be running into difficulties, and like everyone else, I wish everyone all the best (get in contact if you're interested in a move North!)
It's always surprised me just how much Codemasters is hated - really has to come from either people who have no idea about game development or through people gossiping and building up stories from singular disgruntled 'haters'. I really hope they can continue, going forward.
I'm truely saddened at the prospect of possible job losses here. On the positive side, our industry is a small world indeed and no doubt we'll cross paths again.
For me, mentioning Codies to people is more likely to result in an "I've got friends who worked there and hated it" response than mentioning almost any other studio. But often - not always, admittedly - the friends worked there a long time ago, certainly before the Southam redevelopment., and usually at a time that Codies today would probably agree they could have done better. My advice is always the same - go along, have a look, get a feel for the place. I've placed a fair few people at Codies in the past, and while some have subsequently left, not a single one has left because they hated it. I've got a lot of friends there (hence why I know, for example, that Bruce's comments on this thread haven't been taken very well by most of the people there right now, and have certainly affected their views on Kwalee), and nearly all seem genuinely happy enough to be there. Usual grumbles during crunch etc, but on the whole the feeling is that it's a solid enough place to work.
Sure, I'm a recruiter and as a species we have a reputation for being economical with the truth, but there it is - take it or leave it, makes no difference to me or the people who actually do enjoy working there.
As such, if the project, staff culture and folks appeal to you, then why not go and try it out!
I hope you're not including yourself in that description!
Edited 2 times. Last edit by Justin Biddle on 21st January 2013 2:00pm
Whoops, almost forgot the most important part which is good luck to all those affected..
Edited 1 times. Last edit by Darren Adams on 21st January 2013 2:34pm
Thanks, James.
Edited 1 times. Last edit by James Grant on 21st January 2013 2:35pm
Additionally, a thank you to everyone for your work and effort into helping those affected by the news, and all of your support. There are a lot of awesome people there, and I hope they all land on their feet.
The only thing I will add is I had no problem with your first post. It is what followed later.
Edited 1 times. Last edit by Justin Biddle on 21st January 2013 4:32pm
Edited 2 times. Last edit by Sandy Lobban on 21st January 2013 4:39pm
Sorry to hear that guys, good luck to all those affected. :(
I hope you will all find a new opportunity in these difficult times, you're a talented bunch. :)
Piracy - Currently the main cuts appear to be on the Digital Division of Codemasters, if true we can conclude Piracy is NOT the cause of these cuts - there's no sense in "pirating" a game which is Free to Play.
Company Accounts - While I can't speak for Codemasters on the above figures; we need to be extremely careful in drawing any conclusions without context and detailed understanding. Rockstar North lost £12.6M last year. It's relatively common for major companies to maximise "losses" - simply to minimize their tax bill. Amazon & Starbucks are prime examples. Nobody is expecting these businesses to collapse or announce massive redundancy rounds.
There may well be a time and a place for asking why Codies Online appears to have underperformed but it's not now, not when affected staff AND their families are worrying about their future. If there is criticism lets be constructive, identify & share lessons which all companies could learn from.
I'm pretty sure you don't make a lot out of nothing. Unless you get good rebates on all those £400 office chairs.
Thankfully several friends in those areas have kept their jobs. Really feel for the rest and hope Codies do right by them.
There are quite a few jobs going in the leam area so good luck all.
@Andreas Gschwari: you don't agree with anything that Bruce said. He actually reported some real world numbers tho. Can you demonstrate they are not accurate? Then why would you not agree with somebody digging up the reality? Would you prefer to be made redundant with no notice, or maybe to have time to retouch your cv and have a look around before getting laid off? Can I remind you that some people have loans and other things to pay back that can't really be postponed?
@Bruce: Piracy has only really killed the Amiga. Though back then the culture of videogames was very different from now. I wonder if any Humble Bundle could've existed at all. I think you can dismiss whatever they told you in the past as cheap excuses. In one of my past jobs, during an annual salary review that should've encompassed the one from the preceding year as well, I've been told that "due to second hand sales the market was slow", hence my raise after two years was naught. Though the contract with our publisher hardly ensured us any percentages on sales.
@Fran Mulhern: so much trolling, please stop https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Cdiz0k0Rudw
What should have been a comments section filled with 'well wishes' and 'good lucks' - has turned into anything but.
@Bruce - seriously, please try and be a little more considerate to people's feelings...
Whilst your arguments might have validity - this 'thread' is neither the time, nor place to discuss.
It's like turning up at a Funeral and trying to flog life insurance... Is that how you want people to view you?
You owe it to yourself, Codemasters and Kwalee to show a little more tact on this thread...
ANYWAY - Good luck to everybody involved - especially @Mr Rowlands - enjoyed working together, great guy!
Edited 1 times. Last edit by Murray Rigluth on 22nd January 2013 2:16pm
Give it up already.
Edited 2 times. Last edit by Fran Mulhern on 22nd January 2013 3:30pm
I wouldn't worry, this appears to be a personal issue - unfortunately, those people should address this, not bandy around the names of Codemasters, Kwalee etc. in widely sweeping statements.
The main focus should also be the 'well being' of all those involved in such a traumatic time...
While I understand the business must go on, it's hard not to take it personally.
Please do feel free reach out to me over email (peter.lovell at Jagex.com) or LinkedIn http://www.linkedin.com/in/peterlovell to discuss opportunities here. We have many openings across online, marketing, publishing, tech and commercial disciplines so I would hope we can find a way to help during this difficult time.
Edited 1 times. Last edit by Peter Lovell on 23rd January 2013 2:43pm