Assessing the damage at 1UP [update]
While Ziff-Davis CEO Jason Young's message to his company -- including current 1UP Network staff -- today, along with coordinated press releases regarding 1UP's sale to UGO, painted a picture of strength in (and growth of) the 1UP brand, we've begun to hear reports quite to the contrary. Several key members of the 1UP staff have announced their termination via Twitter messages and posts to the NeoGAF forums.
There's very little in the form of official word as to changes at 1UP at present, apart from Young's assertion that "more scale is necessary [for 1UP] to effectively compete in this market segment." Based on what we do know, the only scaling going on is in a backwards and downwards direction. Joystiq -- and many of our readers -- are great fans of the 1UP team's work, and care about what happens to these folks. We'll be keeping you posted after the break with the latest as it develops.
1UP products affected:
Based on Twitter and forum posts by (now former) 1UP staff, it appears all but certain that the 1UP Show video podcast and 1UP Yours audio podcast are no more.
Speaking to MTV Multiplayer, 1UP editorial director Sam Kennedy could not confirm changes to its products / programming. "Will we have as many shows as we have in the past? Probably not, but we have – we've had – a lot of ideas for future shows and we're pretty excited about what we'll do in the future," Kennedy told MTV. "Right now, we're going to go through the process of really figuring out what kind of shows and products we want to keep going in the future. Our intention is to keep as many going as we can."
1UP staff affected:
At present, the following 1UP staff have indicated -- either in tweets, forum posts, or directly to us -- that they have been let go: Andrew "Skip" Pfister, Matt Chandronait, Ryan O'Donnell, Jay Fresh, Cesar Quintero, Philip Kollar, Nick Suttner, Anthony Gallegos, Shane Bettenhausen, James "Milkman" Mielke.
[Update: Joystiq has obtained what is, according to our sources, the full list of 1UP / EGM staffers laid off in the wake of the ZD/UGO deal:]
Adrian Frieg
Amy Mishra
Amy Moran
Andrea Garcia
Andrew Fitch
Andrew "Skip" Pfister
Anthony Gallegos
Cesar Quintero
Christina Rosa
CoyLou Steel
Derek Chinn
Doug Parsons
Eric Ellis
Giancarlo Varanini
Greg Ford
James "Milkman" Mielke
Jason Bertrand
Jason Wilson
Jervilyn Jaramillo
Justin Frechette
Leslie Gelfand
Marci Yamaguchi
Matt Chandronait
May Tong
Meredith Stowe
Michael Donahoe
Monique Convertito
Ndubuisi Madu
Nick Suttner
Norris Boothe
Philip Kollar
Rey Serrano
Robert Bowen
Rosemary Pinkham
Ryan O'Donnell
Ryan Scott
Shane Bettenhausen
Simon Cox
Tammy Ross
Tipler Ubbelohde
