I noticed this earlier today on VoodooExtreme but never got an idea to post it, since they're just rumors.. but all the major sites are reporting of this so I thought I would share with you loveable caterpillars.
Basically, Havas Interactive (who owns Sierra) has supposedly gone and laid off 500 people or so from Sierra Home. They include greeting card designers, home landscape software techies and uh.. e-CookBooks. On top of that, the company who owns WON.net has also been fired. WON is the master server and authorization server for all Sierra multiplayer games and yes, that includes Half-Life, Counter-Strike and other games and MODs. Actually, check out the WON site, they're now merged with FlipSide.
These are all rumors right now, official word will probably get out on Monday. Another one of Chris O'Brien's sources says:
Oh and just to cheer you up, look at the new CS-Nation Scroll Bar™. It seems we're getting hip and trendy, on with the sex, drugs and Britney Spears!
Basically, Havas Interactive (who owns Sierra) has supposedly gone and laid off 500 people or so from Sierra Home. They include greeting card designers, home landscape software techies and uh.. e-CookBooks. On top of that, the company who owns WON.net has also been fired. WON is the master server and authorization server for all Sierra multiplayer games and yes, that includes Half-Life, Counter-Strike and other games and MODs. Actually, check out the WON site, they're now merged with FlipSide.
These are all rumors right now, official word will probably get out on Monday. Another one of Chris O'Brien's sources says:
This is actually the 3rd lay off in the past year (I think). I remember reading an article in PC-Gamer about another lay off of about 100 people, one year after the first one. Oh and yes Keyser, no WON might possibly mean you cannot join a server, since you need to authorize yourself on WON first. But that's just my guess.The deal (as I understand it) is all non-profit making products are being cancelled. If you recall a year (or so) ago Sierra laid-off many teams (150 people) including Babylon that were either over budget or not making a profit. This continues today. Sierra Home was unaffected by the first round of layoffs, it was (for the most part) predictably profitable and was considered to be the cash cow of Sierra.
Given the economic slow down this summer, many products did not make their projections. Havas was not impressed. That said not all of Sierra Home will be flushed, however most Sierra Home products have been cancelled.
Oh and just to cheer you up, look at the new CS-Nation Scroll Bar™. It seems we're getting hip and trendy, on with the sex, drugs and Britney Spears!