Layoffs at Valve - Report

I want HL3!

Well at least we know that the reasons are not financial xD

I am really curious about what the big move is.  However, I don't think it's a financial decision, since Gabe resisted selling the company or going public.  For him, money isn't the biggest issue, PLUS Valve is doing very well financially!

Here is a concept Valve, try working on what people want: Half Life 3, L4D 3, Portal 3. Maybe even work on a new Source Engine.

thats what they get for never delivering Half Life 2 Episode 3.  and also for coming out with a new software title every 10 years

Valve probably decided to work with an outside company for their hardware products instead of developing them internally. That's probably why they did the layoffs. This is just speculation of course.

First off, rough time for the employees, hope they got some kind of notice and or healthy severance packages. Layoff/termination of jobs is one of the most difficult times in anyones life. 

After reading gamesindustryinternational, valve has possibly laid off employees across the company from artists, game testers, to dept heads. The way I see it, there are a couple ways of looking at it: 1 steambox device is out, new changes to network are completed, and valve/steam is just contracting like any other company after pushing a new line. 2 The other is, projected sales forecasts for the next couple of years will be harsher then previously thought. All computer video games sales decrease when new consoles come to market for a couple of years and then bounce back late in the consoles life. 

Either way steam will be fine and continue to grow and perform well, especially once they release their new games. Steam sales will be luke warm for the next couple of years and the steambox, I think, will not get enough penetration to have been worth the development. Still yet steam is the future whether you agree with the way they distribute their games or not. 

Today, businesses hire and fire like teenage girls on facebook. It is to keep the company nimble and flexible to changes in the industry. Well I feel those companies that develop talent and endure hard stormy times instead of throwing people overboard at the first sign of clouds do much better long term. A lot of companies will not hire for yearly contracts for fear of losing talent to competitors or losing ideas if a worker knows their contract will be up in a year. Still when you surprise fire and lay off your employees not many will bother coming back to a company that puts business over everything else, especially its  people.  

Valve is swimming hard to surivive but a fact is that it is about to sink..

FUCK VALVE 

FUCK GABE

FUCK STEAM

All I know is I want Half-Life 3, if it doesn't happen I am going to kick steam to death.

I've have seen a lot of layoffs in the industry world lately and this one seems the most sad one to me.

Any way, I'm hoping Valve will stabilize their company soon enough so they don't lose any staff by resignation.

To all the bed wetters worrying about the layoffs: Most of those folks probably have bank and side gigs. So they should be okay.

To everyone who thinks Gabe is Jesus: Remember, Steam uses DRM. Which means they can stiff you blind anytime they see it profitable. Last time I checked, very few 'businesses' were clean. Very, very few.

hahah what would Gaben know about swimming?

Maybe if they'd actually release a game they wouldn't have to lay off people.

Wru Half Life 3? 

Man that's rough. Though this may have something to do with a potential major lawsuit being launched against them

It all depends really I mean we can all sit here and speculate but none of us have their actually track record or their work history perhaps these were infact somewhat dead weights who hung around and never contributed much or perhaps they were unjustly fired who knows. 

Personally I'm curious to see what comes of it as many have all ready said Valve is not hurting in terms of profits unlike Sony who's cutting and slashing ATM to try and get the books back in the black.

Valve is a company that needs people who can work on their own, and not follow orders or what others have to say. Notice that the majority of the laid off are developers. Valve is a sink or swim company, and if you cannot keep up with their kind of mind set, then you are not cut out to be an employee.

That's where EA comes in and swallows the left overs. ^_^ Joking, of course.

I wonder what's the exact reasoning behind this, clearly it's not money. Odd.

I trust Gaben. 

Let's not come to conclusions simply because we don't know anything.

My thoughts are that they are maybe reconsidering going into the hardware field.  it's just such a hard way to make profits.

Valve has never been an easy going company to work for.  Even reading their manual, its an extremely competitve place to work - just like the article says - its very much a sink or swim company.  i think its great to really cultivate some of the best of the best,  but i also know some great programmers and designers who were scared off from working at valve due to the somewhat cut throat culture of the company.

Am I the only one getting a little worried here?

I mean Valve firing people? Easy going Valve?

And fuck EA is actually making sense this week....this can not be good.