| |  What is happening at Black Isle?
| 
07-30-2001, 07:03 AM
|  | Twisted Sister | | Join Date: May 2001 Location: Some Girls Wander By Mistake
Posts: 8,573
| |
From www.Gamespy.com
"It's official. Interplay has now sent out a brief note on the cancellation of Black Isle's fantasy RPG TORN, which was revealed just four months ago at the Game Developers Conference. When contacted by HomeLAN after receiving this note, a spokesperson for Interplay would not comment on why the game was cancelled nor on what the remaining Black Isle team members are currently working on. Here is the note we just received:
Black Isle Studios' title, TORN, has been canceled. In conjunction with the cancellation, five of the 56 member Black Isle Studios staff were laid off. All of the remaining members of the TORN team are now working on other internal Black Isle Studios RPG products"
Maybe they are panicking about meeting the promised release date for NWN?
We should get these five members onto Gamebanshee!
[ 07-30-2001: Message edited by: Yshania ]
__________________
Parachute for sale, like new! Never opened!
Guinness, black goes with everything.
| | |
07-30-2001, 07:12 AM
|  | Exalted Member | | Join Date: Oct 2000 Location: Dead End Street
Posts: 11,274
| |
Shouldn't this be in the RPG discussion thread?  
IT is a sad state of affairs, i am bemused, why would they sack 5 members of staff if they were under stress about Neverwinter. 
It is suprising to see you about at this time Ysh
__________________
I'd have to get drunk every night and talk about virility...And those Pink elephants I'd see.
| | |
07-30-2001, 07:27 AM
| | Twisted Sister | | Join Date: May 2001 Location: Some Girls Wander By Mistake
Posts: 8,573
| |
Hi Sleep!
Whoops - I was switching between boards sorry! I will post it on RPG! lol!
It was my guess on Neverwinter.
I am around at this time as I am working earlies at the moment
Ok - too late! It is already on RPG. I am slow on the uptake again....
I thought I would pop in and see what was going on....
[ 07-30-2001: Message edited by: Yshania ]
__________________
Parachute for sale, like new! Never opened!
Guinness, black goes with everything.
| | |
07-30-2001, 08:04 AM
| | Exalted Member | | Join Date: Oct 2000 Location: Dead End Street
Posts: 11,274
| |
Lots of strange things are afoot
__________________
I'd have to get drunk every night and talk about virility...And those Pink elephants I'd see.
| | |
07-30-2001, 10:16 AM
|  | Exalted Member | | Join Date: Dec 2000 Location: Soviet Canuckistan
Posts: 13,420
| | |
Let's all hope interplay isn't in finaical trouble...
| | |
07-30-2001, 11:41 AM
| | Twisted Sister | | Join Date: May 2001 Location: Some Girls Wander By Mistake
Posts: 8,573
| |
Maybe Weasel could sub them a few quid
__________________
Parachute for sale, like new! Never opened!
Guinness, black goes with everything.
| | |
07-30-2001, 12:05 PM
|  | Super Moderator | | Join Date: Mar 2001 Location: The sun, the moon, and the stars.
Posts: 30,310
| | |
@Aegis, I don't think Interplay is hurting. They've posted good profits for several years. But a company doesn't get that way by producing games which only do well--they have to smell like fantastic success. Perhaps the odor of success around TORN just wasn't strong enough for Fargo.
__________________
To the Righteous belong the fruits of violent victory. The rest of us will have to settle for warm friends, warm lovers, and a wink from a quietly supportive universe. | | |
07-30-2001, 12:55 PM
| | Exalted Member | | Join Date: Dec 2000
Posts: 1,597
| | |
4-5 people of Torn have been laid off of Black Isle.
The remaining were reassigned.
I belive that Interplay itself did fired more people.
The end result is about 50 people but Black Isle itsef lost only 4-5 people.
__________________
- Waterdeep city constrution.
- Shadowdale low level adventure module.
- Rashmare /Thay high level adventure module.
| | |
07-30-2001, 03:04 PM
| | Super Moderator | | Join Date: Mar 2001 Location: The sun, the moon, and the stars.
Posts: 30,310
| | |
On a slightly more upbeat note, I've been told that yes, Pool of Radiance *is* set to release in October, and that the folks who are designing it are alreadly in negotiation with Ubi Soft on another CRPG followup title. I've also heard the same thing, with mention of the word "engine improvements," for Troika Games' contract with Sierra, following the expected release of Arcanum in September.
__________________
To the Righteous belong the fruits of violent victory. The rest of us will have to settle for warm friends, warm lovers, and a wink from a quietly supportive universe. | | |
07-31-2001, 04:50 AM
|  | Paladin of Torm | | Join Date: Nov 2000 Location: Reading, England
Posts: 5,085
| | |
I would hate to say this Ladies and Gentlemen but all is not well at Interplay. Their stock has dropped by 41% and they have laid off a total of 15 members of staff. At the moment Interplay, even though the quality of they games they release is fantastic, are in serious trouble. They are one of the worst out there at the moment. It really does sadden me to see that. Most of my games are Interplay...
__________________
Perverteer Paladin
| | |
07-31-2001, 05:27 AM
| | Exalted Member | | Join Date: Oct 2000 Location: Dead End Street
Posts: 11,274
| |
This is quite a state of affairs. Why is it that companies like EA can release crap titles or sports titles that are all the same and make a huge profit and a company who produces innovative and stylish products are running into financial trouble.
I will lament at the loss of such a fantastic company as Interplay, why do i get the feeling that fairly soon it will be EA and Microsoft as the only people producing games for the PC. Which in this little spammers opinion is not a good thing 
__________________
I'd have to get drunk every night and talk about virility...And those Pink elephants I'd see.
| | |
07-31-2001, 06:33 AM
| | Paladin of Torm | | Join Date: Nov 2000 Location: Reading, England
Posts: 5,085
| | |
@ Sleepy I definitely agree. I have the Freespace series, Giants: Citizen Kabuto (hilarious game btw), Sacrifice, the BG series. What is good is that Interplay go for the smaller development companies and make them big. Who ever heard of Planet Moon before Giants?
__________________
Perverteer Paladin
| | |
07-31-2001, 06:55 AM
| | Exalted Member | | Join Date: Oct 2000 Location: Dead End Street
Posts: 11,274
| | |
__________________
I'd have to get drunk every night and talk about virility...And those Pink elephants I'd see.
| | |
07-31-2001, 07:05 AM
| | Super Moderator | | Join Date: Mar 2001 Location: The sun, the moon, and the stars.
Posts: 30,310
| | | I would hate to say this Ladies and Gentlemen but all is not well at Interplay. Their stock has dropped by 41% and they have laid off a total of 15 members of staff.
Now, wait a sec. Let's check this out for a minute.
I can't speak to the loss of 15 staff, but has anybody else discovered where those 15 came from? Were they actual layoffs, or were they people temporarily hired for a given project who were terminated when that project concluded? Concerning at least 5 of the above, I'd heard they were the latter.
Regarding Interplay Entertainment (NASDAQ: IPLY), they're not doing fantastically well, but they're doing fair. Their stock has always been volatile. They reached a high of about 4 in November last year (which you'd expect from a computer games company), and a low of about 1.30 is April. In May, they were up at 4, again. Earlier this month, they were around 1.4. Now, they're at 1.8.
I wouldn't worry about 'em, yet. The time to start worrying isn't when the stock nosedives or some people are laid off, but when they stop delivering at least a couple of big hits a year. Those hits fuel the employment and the stock highs.
[ 07-31-2001: Message edited by: fable ]
__________________
To the Righteous belong the fruits of violent victory. The rest of us will have to settle for warm friends, warm lovers, and a wink from a quietly supportive universe. | | |
07-31-2001, 07:17 AM
| | Exalted Member | | Join Date: Oct 2000 Location: Dead End Street
Posts: 11,274
| | |
Thanks for clarifying things Fable. What are your opinions on EA and Microsoft?
__________________
I'd have to get drunk every night and talk about virility...And those Pink elephants I'd see.
| | Thread Tools | Search this Thread | | | | | Display Modes | Rate This Thread |  Linear Mode | | 
Posting Rules
| You may not post new threads You may not post replies You may not post attachments You may not edit your posts
HTML code is Off
| | | |
Quote:
