Mass layoffs at Activision Blizzard on the way

[Akston-bloodhoof (Akston)]

I think you’re talking about the incentives programs being cut from Blizzard. there was a Youtube video of a former Blizz dev talking about the pay rates for Blizzard employees being sub-average, but people were speculating he was a bit tipsy.

Was that the former Blizzard employee with an ax to grind, that was drunk on a youtube video…and hadn’t even worked at Blizzard for 15 years…and started his whole drunken speech with “I have no data to back this up, its all speculation”?

[Kanthinus-moon-guard (Kanthinus)]

that was not the main problem.
The biggest problem and the most complaints around the web is that it felt like a table top version of a video game. Every ability, spell, etc was a combat move for the most part. They entirely removed the role playing from the game.

And you’re blaming this to 4E rather than 3.5E and its awful legacy of ‘Rules for everything?’ that lead to that? “It feels like a table-top edition of a video game” is something I can slap on practically every edition of the game, 3.5E AKA, the Edition That Had A Warcraft Set Based On It, especially. What was the old phrase people used to describe that? “Diablo but tabletop” was what people were calling 3E back in the 2E days.

And uh, I don’t see how that lowers roleplay. It just gives fighters something to do that they know they have codified responses on rather than the bloody “GM May I?” wishing game previous editions were

it was fantastic for miniature battles and had it been marketed for that type of gaming it would have done very well, Id think.

I mean, they’ve tried to advertise that for every edition from the first set.

I liked the mechanics of it. I didnt like having to buy like 9 rule books before figuring out where the ‘familiar’ spell was that should ahve been in the player handbook #1

One legacy spell does not a failed edition make

[Kittredge-azjolnerub (Kittredge)]

Yeah, I think that’s him, if we’re talking about the same guy. It was a fun video but who knows how accurate it was.

[Fastestdots-alleria]

Man reading is such a hard skill…

[anon66757435]

I think you’re talking about the incentives programs being cut from Blizzard. there was a Youtube video of a former Blizz dev talking about the pay rates for Blizzard employees being sub-average, but people were speculating he was a bit tipsy.

Id like to see that, but it was something else.
I cant post links in here apparently, so Im having to find exact quotes from weeks ago.
I’ll find it eventually.

[Kittredge-azjolnerub (Kittredge)]

Hey don’t make fun of me… oh I didn’t read who you were responding to.

[anon66757435]

I cant post links…but here is a bit of crap

Blizzard Entertainment Program Manager yearly salaries in Irvine, CA

$51,128 per year
34% Below national average

Great work life balance
Program Manager (Former Employee) – Irvine, CA – May 16, 2017
Fellow employees friendly and helpful. Fun place to work. Always food, drink, snacks around and lots of after work functions. Hardest part is limited advancement and below industry standard wages.

[Deathmonger-lightnings-blade]

oh yeah, the devs seem to enjoy it. The bad part is that it adds to incidents of Alliance bullying.

[anon66757435]

And you’re blaming this to 4E rather than 3.5E and its awful legacy of ‘Rules for everything?’ that lead to that? “It feels like a table-top edition of a video game” is something I can slap on practically every edition of the game,

Eh…I played red box. It was NOTHING like 4e. Not one bit.
I Didnt like that D20 crap that they licensed out or whatever and the other company who makes the Pathfinder RPG uses. Hated that system as well.
D&D4E is what pushed me over the edge to never play a commercial game again. They honestly did me a favor and save me lots of money since I just make my own systems for our games now.

4E was good mechanically. Too many books for what could ahve been in less than half that many had they not kept adding so many combat related abilities that werent necessary.

[Sabbia-moonrunner (Sabbia)]

I think Activision/Blizzard’s quarterly earnings call is next week so maybe the layoffs are going to coincide with that. Supposedly the stock drop this week might have been related to the call coming up with many thinking it isn’t going to be pretty.

[Yasudra-malorne (Yasudra)]

If the information in the article precedes an official press release, then it may be insider information.

[anon66757435]

I cant post links…but here is a bit of crap

Blizzard Entertainment Program Manager yearly salaries in Irvine, CA

$51,128 per year
34% Below national average

Great work life balance
Program Manager (Former Employee) – Irvine, CA – May 16, 2017
Fellow employees friendly and helpful. Fun place to work. Always food, drink, snacks around and lots of after work functions. Hardest part is limited advancement and below industry standard wages.

For the person I was responding to before. I’ll keep looking for the exact material I read maybe 3 weeks ago. But it honestly just says what this quote above does from this employee.
Really sucks that I cant post links in here.

[Kanthinus-moon-guard (Kanthinus)]

I Didnt like that D20 crap that they licensed out or whatever and the other company who makes the Pathfinder RPG uses. Hated that system as well.

You gotta understand that edition, 3.5E, had a ridiculous following who layed the hell on to 4E for not being that edition again. A lot of its is a direct result for the nightmare that edition was, what with it having classes who were so stupidly powerful they would outdo everything, and classes so laughably weak they couldn’t even do the job they were advertised to do

[Bonekollektr-azjolnerub]

King games seems to be doing well so don’t think many layoffs will happen there.

[Akston-bloodhoof (Akston)]

Great work life balance
Program Manager (Former Employee) – Irvine, CA – May 16, 2017
Fellow employees friendly and helpful. Fun place to work. Always food, drink, snacks around and lots of after work functions. Hardest part is limited advancement and below industry standard wages.

I would be curious to know what exactly a “program manager” is in relation to the 1 specific person posting that and giving that review.

Because its obviously not a dev or anyone actually working on the game from a technical side.

From what I just looked up, these are the jobs at Blizzard that Indeed states are “program managers”

1. You’re an excellent people manager, and can still balance your daily program responsibilities. You’ll be leading a team of IT program/project managers…

2. The Overwatch League is seeking a star brand manager who is passionate about implementing large-scale marketing campaigns that foster loyal, engaged fans…

3. Blizzard Entertainment is looking for an experienced and creative Senior Human Resources Manager to join our HR team in Irvine, CA…

https://www.indeed.com/salaries/Program-Manager-Salaries-at-Blizzard-Entertainment

And considering this whole line of conversation was specifically how the developers at Blizzard were paid well under the industry standard…doesn’t sound like those jobs are relevant.

[Thunderson-dathremar]

This is what happens in a competitive market, when your trying to flog off sub par products for top dollar against far superior competitors. Ive said it before, Blizz needs to git good, theres NO way around that atm.

[Doormouse-sisters-of-elune]

We have much more fun with them than we ever did the games that clearly were designed to make a lot of money but really sucked at their core …cough cough D&D4E cough.

4E was a great system designed to make every class play well, it just had math problems at the start? It was designed to make the game better by chopping off the nightmarish legacy of 3.5E

Been years but how could they do better than AD&D second edition… Temple of Elemental evil was a fun module as well as Giants etc. Think that was TSR stuff though and not Gary G.

[Kanthinus-moon-guard (Kanthinus)]

Been years but how could they do better than AD&D second edition… Temple of Elemental evil was a fun module as well as Giants etc. Think that was TSR stuff though and not Gary G.

I mean, every time I see the old way of armor classes I have a slight aneurysm, plus, well, making psionics actually work and smoothing out the harder points

But then 3E happened instead

[Bluspacecow-muradin (Bluspacecow)]

Yeah, I think that’s him, if we’re talking about the same guy. It was a fun video but who knows how accurate it was.

Not especially - I watched that video and the crux of his argument appeared to be that Activision was reducing pays and the proof of that was the phasing out of the Blizzard Bonus Program.

Except submissions to the SEC showed that in fact the Bonus program was still a thing and that it was the Blizzard Holiday Bonus plan that had been phased out … and the money employees would of normally gotten for that plan was added to employees salaries , done at the request of those employees so they could get the benefits of the holiday bonus throughout the year.

[anon57392818]

Are you familiar with the phrase misery loving company? Pretty much explains a lot of players these days. They won’t actually leave lmao