Okay, this is a little complicated, so pay close attention.
If you were following along earlier this year, we learned of a disappointing development concerning Namco Bandai's upcoming over-the-top action title, Splatterhouse . Back in February, Namco Bandai took the game away from the original development studio, Bottlerocket, citing a "performance issue." Since that time, an internal Namco team – the same guys who gave us Afro Samurai – have been working on the game, but, well…they want some of the original help back. So, according to The Cutscene , "Namco Bandai has quietly opened a new office in San Diego to finish production" on the game, and they've recruited somewhere between "10 and 20 designers, artists, programmers, producers, and other staff from Bottlerocket Entertainment to work on the game." So…er…it seems they fired the whole studio, found they didn't want to finish the game on their own, then snuck back and took a few of the Bottlerocket teamsters to complete the project…? Alrighty then.
As far as we know, the game is still scheduled to arrive some time later this year and if we get any more details and info, we'll fill you in. But this is just…weird.
Related Game(s): Splatterhouse
Hmmm,
Wonder if Namco's been doing anything like the unsavory crap that a lot of unscrupulous businesses have been doing…
firing the higher paid employees, then hiring them back later(but only so they could get them for less pay & lowered benefits)???
Really? Lol, priceless. I feel bad for the people that didn't get hired back though.
@BikerSaint
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Doesn't bode well for the game.
Might not bode well for the industry either WEWM. With the price we pay for games looking unlikely to fall and devs being so panicky over studios right now we could see a lot of the same kind of squeezing of those in employment like this.
I often think economics, at the highest level, are a complete mystery. I do know greed when I see it though and when a pub/dev wants to get something finished faster/cheaper but isn't lowering the price AND expects it's staff to get messed about financially it looks like they want their cake and eat it when we all seem to have to live with hard times except them.
I despise this kind of emplyee wrangling. It would be more honest to just ask your teams to take a cut in wages if the company higher up is in a state. Generally people understand when the world's in this state and are thankful just to have a decent and steady paycheck. The hiring of recently laid off staff at lower rates just makes you look heartless and thoughtless-can that be as good for productivity?
Splatterhouse the remake this title has SUCK written all over the changing of devs. dosent help either its Like 6 different names of writers attatched to a film never good.
take the game away to make it better? TAKE IT AWAY!! TAKE IT ALL AWAY!!!
is this a light gun game?(other uses for guncon 3)