Originally posted by maplestone
My sympathies to all affected.  Sorry I don't have infinite pockets.

It is sad that it happens. I have been there and it is not fun.

Here is hoping the people who are laid off find postions quickly and to have a Good Christmas.

Originally posted by Kuppa

Originally posted by DMKano

The insider word on the street was that GW2 was underperforming, this pretty much confirms those rumors. 

I hope all those affected land on their feet - layoffs during holiday season is just heartless.

Where did you get this "insider word on the street"?

Obviously from the street o.o

Originally posted by thetimes

Originally posted by Gaia_Hunter

NCSoft West isn't Arena.net.

In fact a few years back (2008) NCSoft moved some people from Anet to NCSoft West, most notably Jeff Strain and Patrick Wyatt.which both left in 2009.

 

"NCsoft is consolidating their European and U.S. subsidiaries, including ArenaNet, under a single lable, NCsoft West,..."

I don't know what happened but ArenaNet, NC Interactive and NCSOFT West Europe still exist as separate subsidiaries and they are included in the earnings reports, opposed to NCSOFT West.

Originally posted by TalulaRose

Originally posted by evilastro

Originally posted by FromHell

I'm not saying this. In fact I think GW2 would never work as a sub game.

Fact is they don't earn a lot of steady money each month because there is no sub fee and player numbers are rather dwindling.

The heavy cash shop focus might work for some, but I doubt the broad masses buy treasure chest keys and the other stuff they are selling.

You keep throwing 'heavy cash shop focus' around in every single GW2 thread. I haven't spent a cent on the cash shop in GW2 and have had no desire or need to.

What exactly was so essential for you to buy?

Oh whats that?

Nothing?

Then stop being a fool and saying it has a 'heavy cash shop focus'.  The business model they have worked fine for GW1, and it will work fine for GW2. Just because you are used to years of being exploited by companies that charge you for effectively doing very little, doesnt mean that another company cant operate without doing the same.

 

I haven't spent a cent on the cash shop in GW2 and have had no desire or need to.

 

Maybe if you and all the others who haven't spent past the box price things wouldn't be looking alittle grim over at NCSoft.

If the game is so good, why not support it?

The game doesn't need a cash shop. Thats just a bit of added profit on top. I supported the game by buying it, and will support it when they release an expansion by buying that. Just like in GW1.

The cash shop is for people who want fluff items, there is a market for it, but I am not part of that market. Nor is anyone who only cares about gameplay.

Originally posted by Terranah

Well, I'd be surprised if GW2 fails anytime soon.  It's a good game for $50.  But then again, I have not bought a single thing off of their store.  Nothing interests me.  What would interest me?  How about purchasing functionality.  Examples...

 

1) Housing

2) More armor skins

3) Sell appearance tabs

4) Sell the ability to change your character appearance.  The current system is bla.  I suggest it would be an optional functionality you could add to your house.  A mirror in your bedroom that would allow you to change your appearance any time.  Charge $15, only good for the character you purchase it for.

5) The ability to send items coins to other toons.

6)  The ability for level 80 characters to transfer experience to alts.

7) Hair packs. 

8) Face Packs

9) Emote packs.

 

Bla bla bla.  These are just a few ideas.  Charge $15 for each one.  Housing opens the door to a lot of things, like furniture, decorations.  Honestly, I have more creative ideas in my toe nails than their entire store team. 

Wow, 6 of 9 things in your list are vanity items.....

"While we are indeed a wholly-owned subsidiary of Korea-based NCsoft Corporation (read NCsoft HQ), we are also our own entity. ArenaNet has not been affected by the NCwest realignment. And indeed, we are hiring:[1] " -Martin Kerstein

lol, so what's up now guys? they'll probably be hiring those NCwest guys....

Originally posted by Kumapon

It looks like there are some bad news coming from Ncsoft. Almost the entire NCwest staff in Seattle has been wacked, and numerous other staff from their other companies. It has also lead people to think their Seattle office may be shutting down.

 

Rumors have now been going on that Ncsoft will be doing a major 'realignment', putting all their studios under one house. I guess we will have to wait and see...

 

This could effect all off Ncsofts games including GW2.

 

PC Gamer

Massivley

This is mainly because of City of heroes / Paragon shutting down. Very little, if anything, to do with GW2. Companies layoff people all the time, ArenaNet won't be affected and that is all that matters. They obviously had to fire some people and move some people around within the company to the accomodate CoH shutdown. Its sad that several news sites (Gamespot, namely) are spinning this as negative PR towards GW2. Hell, some don't even mention CoH in the article.

The ironic part is that ArenaNet is actually hiring. One of the few developers that hire (rather then fire) people this close to launch. Hell, they have been hiring since launch.

Originally posted by rnor6084
Cannot find where in the article it says "massive" layoffs. All i read was "several" employees were affected. Stop lying and stick to the truth op.

It does not. Basically, the small group of dudes who were still managing CoH got canned. Now alot of press are spinning this to be something related to GW2 when it will not affect it in any way. 

This is not to say that CoH being shut down was an ethical choice, as it was not. NCSoft is certainly in the wrong there, but this does not have anything to do with ArenaNet. 

Originally posted by QSatu
MK on official forums: "While we are indeed a wholly-owned subsidiary of Korea-based NCsoft Corporation (read NCsoft HQ), we are also our own entity. ArenaNet has not been affected by the NCwest realignment. And indeed, we are hiring: http://www.arena.net/jobs/".

Exactly what I thought.

Originally posted by RizelStar

Originally posted by QSatu
MK on official forums: "While we are indeed a wholly-owned subsidiary of Korea-based NCsoft Corporation (read NCsoft HQ), we are also our own entity. ArenaNet has not been affected by the NCwest realignment. And indeed, we are hiring: http://www.arena.net/jobs/".

Exactly what I thought.

Yep. Just let the MMORPG.com trolls keep dreaming that this has any impact on GW2. They are going to keep producing monthly content and making lots of money. Sorry, haters.

Originally posted by Abuz0r

NCSofts revamping of every game as free to play shows their desperate twisting and turning to try to show some sort of profit.

I remember from the very first NC game I played (Lineage 2) I got the sincere feeling they were not customer oriented. 

In AION the game was so imbalanced from release that every single server on the network had almost the same outcome.  (One faction had 4 times the amount of  world bosses -spawn 1 time a day- as the other faction, and that faction dominated the other in all outlets of the game due to gear imbalance)

Guildwars 2 had so much potential, another poster summed up how I felt in the game as an underperforming weakling as opposed to an influential hero.

 

NC has always shown to be unimpressive and typically inundated with Bots and no desire what so ever to please paying customers.

So true man,i got the exact same feeling and going into that game,i heard so many good things about Lineage1.

You know  what has happened badly to gaming?The MEDIA/MARKETING.Full of lies and misleading inmformation to fool consumers into buying their products.

Originally posted by Castillle

Originally posted by Kuppa

Originally posted by DMKano

The insider word on the street was that GW2 was underperforming, this pretty much confirms those rumors. 

I hope all those affected land on their feet - layoffs during holiday season is just heartless.

Where did you get this "insider word on the street"?

Obviously from the street o.o

 

Walken said so:    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PSH0dhDdoLs

Originally posted by gipper36
things go better with milk!!

what?

So this is what years of CoH makes with the brain

Originally posted by dinams

Originally posted by gipper36
things go better with milk!!

what?

 

So this is what years of CoH makes with the brain

 

indeed