-
Ever wanted an RSS feed of all your favorite gaming news sites? Go check out our new Gaming Headlines feed! Read more about it here.
Layoffs hit Sony Interactive Entertainment Europe
- Thread starter Deleted member 31092
- Start date
The Playstation already became an American console with the PS4, considering its architecture was designed by Mark Cerny as opposed to Japanese hardware design team formerly comprised of Ken Kutaragi and Shuhei Yoshida.
The design influence and direction in terms of hardware hasn't been led from Japan for the entirety of this generation. The PS4 being a American designed console has not impacted software output from Japanese publishers and developers this generation in a negative manner, so why do you think with the PS5 this going to change at all?
The design influence and direction in terms of hardware hasn't been led from Japan for the entirety of this generation. The PS4 being a American designed console has not impacted software output from Japanese publishers and developers this generation in a negative manner, so why do you think with the PS5 this going to change at all?
I'm not happy about management centralizing with SIEA. I don't want to sound harsh or mean but in terms of mass consumers products I don't trust American management system one bit. others are not angels of course, but American companies always made the most anti-consumer decisions in my eyes, and has never been consistent in terms of reliability and quality.
So the Playstation brand is going to become more US-centric (or whatever). Which is a shame, because I often gravitated towards the first or second-party European Playstation titles because they very much have a certain feel (see: Driveclub, Wipeout).
Oh well, one less thing I'll find appealing about next gen I guess.
Oh well, one less thing I'll find appealing about next gen I guess.
This is one of the most sensible posts in this thread. One of the main reasons Sony has been successful in Europe is because it's had its own European marketing strategy. If Sony decide to consolidate marketing efforts to one location that won't bode well. Europeans, especially the UK, don't engage with American marketing tactics much at all. As Kyser quite rightly put, it's down to tone.
Sad to hear about their job losses, but unfortunately this is a case of a large corporation with tunnel vision.
This is my fear with the news. The European marketing game this generation has been strong, particularly in the UK. It's one of the main things that sets it apart from competitors. If the consolidation means they're canning that, Americanised marketing just isn't going to appeal to the wider European public in the same way. Unless you've spent time on both sides of the big pond it's not really something that's easy to appreciate.
The thing is Jim Ryan is the man behind a lot of the success in Europe, so if anyone is ever going to understand this, it's him.
I'm sure it'll be fine, even if it does seem a bit odd from the outside.
Some of those games' exclusivity have nothing to do with Sony though.
Apparently the EU marketing teams were not even in the know about the recent PS5 info blow-out in Wired.
I am guessing that marketing/PR at the brand level will be centralized in the US hence the lay-offs.
There is whiffs of Late stage Xbox 360 around PlayStation for the last while.
It doesn't inspire confidence.
It doesn't inspire confidence.
Because they are restructuring divisions and it resulted in lay-offs?
Restructuring happens at firms no matter how successful they are. This is not some sony exclusive situation
This consolidation of power into just the US Branch is a major turn off. We've already seen results in terms of censorship and stuff... A lot of first party output has been homogenized as well.
Their JP studios output is low, and doesn't get the marketing or push it deserves. (RIP Gravity Rush.) Really wish they'd try out a 1st-party JRPG tbh.
Their JP studios output is low, and doesn't get the marketing or push it deserves. (RIP Gravity Rush.) Really wish they'd try out a 1st-party JRPG tbh.
The signs were already there when Sony chose to announce the PlayStation 4 in New York City.
I think this will be a good move in the long run for PlayStation, but the job losses and growing pains here and now definitely hurt.
Except for part about promising next gen hardware and still releasing amazing games right up until the end of the generation then sure. Exactly same. This thread is a trip. Funny watching people that clearly know nothing about business trying to analyze this situation.
The PS4's strongest year of exclusives will arguably be its final year. That's about as far removed from late gen Xbox 360 as you get.
The conflicting reports lately about the state of Sony is in itself creating uncertainty, at least looking from the outside in.
I think there is some concern that they are essentially restructuring large internal parts of their operations 1 year out from a massive worldwide console launch. Surely this type of restructuring and layoff of staff should not be happening 1 year out from a launch of your new console?
I think there is some concern that they are essentially restructuring large internal parts of their operations 1 year out from a massive worldwide console launch. Surely this type of restructuring and layoff of staff should not be happening 1 year out from a launch of your new console?
Creative services team... Those are often temp contracted roles where you can re-interview to stay on as permanent if your work is good enough and where your portfolio indicates you're capable as an art worker/graphic designer role etc. Like 2-3 months for junior artworker or a year or two senior. Also a lot of stuff now is heading towards getting external contractors rather than internal teams only as it's cheaper/faster as they're larger. Portfolios are normally built in these temp roles.
Be interested to know if the employees made redundant were temp/contracted/perm.
A lost job is never great, especially if you love it but if it was agreed contracted temp period then the situation is slightly different. A whole team seems odd though.
Marketing/PR similar thing not sure about that but could be beneficial long-term, if promotion offers and deals are global... global store? hopefully those it affects finds jobs quickly.
Seen some nastiness in business methodically worse than this, entire group of regional directors all let go. Immediate effect. That was crazy... Crazy world, but its sadly not all roses.
On another note job wise some temp/perm:
A lot of jobs available in Playstation UK careers page. Primarily games dev though, Manchester and Liverpool included I think.
And... a lot more on US PlayStation careers including interning various places, dev/non dev related. So anyone here wanna get in might be worth looking. I think there's next gen stuff there too like cloud and ui.
Be interested to know if the employees made redundant were temp/contracted/perm.
A lost job is never great, especially if you love it but if it was agreed contracted temp period then the situation is slightly different. A whole team seems odd though.
Marketing/PR similar thing not sure about that but could be beneficial long-term, if promotion offers and deals are global... global store? hopefully those it affects finds jobs quickly.
Seen some nastiness in business methodically worse than this, entire group of regional directors all let go. Immediate effect. That was crazy... Crazy world, but its sadly not all roses.
On another note job wise some temp/perm:
A lot of jobs available in Playstation UK careers page. Primarily games dev though, Manchester and Liverpool included I think.
And... a lot more on US PlayStation careers including interning various places, dev/non dev related. So anyone here wanna get in might be worth looking. I think there's next gen stuff there too like cloud and ui.
Post 299 - it was an image in spoiler tags so it didn't show up in the quote, showing Jim taking SIEE out to be shot along with Liverpool, Evo and so on.
Which hasn't happened. There've been layoffs in the marketing and PR arms at SIEE and SIEA.
I'd like to add to my earlier post that marketing - especially when its as important to the company as it is to PS - is one area where wage budget oversight is often poor because its fast moving, has lots of contract work and so on.
Success is another factor leading to poor cost control as growth often means Opex spending rises quickly if headcounts aren't regularly reviewed, and when opex cost growth starts to outpace actual P&L growth, you review and retrench to control costs.
It's interesting to note that a lot of the roles are duplicated - I'm guessing a lot of those going are middle management, as that's the least productive (in terms of output) but also the quickest bit of a company bureaucracy to grow.
Edit again - do we know where in SIEE these people were made redundant? Just London, or across the EMEA offices?
Last edited:
I mean, during those weeks they did have other stuff to "hide", like Layden leaving. Sony doesn´t produce news of that calibre every week, let alone three weeks in a row. Coincidence or ill intentions is up to you, but it´s not true that they always have something like that to gather attention.
Is the marketing team/pr team that is getting restructure not the entire company.
So a potentially more Americanized Sony? No thanks. I'll be keeping a close eye on Sony and their practices even more now. I wonder if the spread of different games that Sony is renowned for is gonna shrink so as to ensure more resources are spent in producing games that appeal more to an American market?
I knew this was coming. Sony been licking American balls far too much for my liking. In TLOU mp, almost all the time I'm getting fucked on via a tick rate disadvantage, is when I'm playing Americans. Why does the tick rate advantage always seem to favour those from the US?
Pricing is another one...
I would not be surprised if more shitty stuff happens to those outside of the US.
I knew this was coming. Sony been licking American balls far too much for my liking. In TLOU mp, almost all the time I'm getting fucked on via a tick rate disadvantage, is when I'm playing Americans. Why does the tick rate advantage always seem to favour those from the US?
Pricing is another one...
I would not be surprised if more shitty stuff happens to those outside of the US.
Dumb post. Plus your exact words from another thread on why ps4 suceeded....
Also, you probably have an iphone
In this particular round of layoffs yes but we remember Layden and other top execs leaving less than a week ago right?
Also restructuring the balances between all the SIE divisions in terms of turning them all from relatively autonomous divisions into a more centralised global division which would change reporting structures and likely result in further layoffs all while seriously prepping for their biggest hardware launch in 6 years just sounds concerning...
That is their decision, beign 1 year before the ps5 is their best time to do it.
2 exect left the company last week, Layden and president of SIEJ which has already replace. Is just bussines, not quit sure has why you peopel are soo concerne about this, if they fucked up the lauch you will have other options to choose.
Talk about doom and gloom. It's still a Japanese company, get a grip.
At least a more unified Playstation will hopefully leave behind the issue of publishers having to make multiple submissions processes and pass several different, potentially costly certification processes. It lead to niche/indie games sometimes launching later in Europe, or not launching at all if the American release did poorly. Stranger of Sword City Revisited never getting a European release still hurts.
Sorry what? Laying off PR and marketing people one year out from SIEs arguably biggest hardware launch when as we know the bulk of that work would be in motion right now is not concerning? Surely the best time for these restructures would have been either a year ago or a year after launch of PS5.
It is by far doom and gloom - Sony is in a commanding position and will hold it going forward but that doesn't mean that you can not be concerned about some of the recent news coming out of the company either - people lost their jobs in what has been a very successful generation for them.
This restructuring has been happening all year, nothing to hide. Just because posters repeat the same thing over and over again doesn't make it true.
Im not concern because the PR/Marketing team has nothing to do with the console/games and it happen now because a new CEO took over in April, soo yes, it is the best time( as company).
And acordly to the tweet, it has been happening since the beginning of the year, soo it start around 2 years before the lauch of the new console.
