SOE layoffs detailed, EQII and Vanguard affected
Layoffs in any industry are never pleasant, and in a smallish community like that of the professional game developer, they can be even more trying. As we reported yesterday, Sony Online Entertainment recently announced the decision to serve 35 employees with their walking papers, and speculation has run rampant in the absence of official information.
Two of the developers now looking for work checked in on the EQ2Flames forum to confirm the news and thank the community for their support. SOE's big-budget fantasy titles look to be the most affected by the moves. EverQuest II loses Brett "Timetravelling" Scheinert, responsible for various raid designs on the Sentinel's Fate expansion. Rumored Vanguard losses include William "Wigin" Bidermann and Jason "Ikik" Weimann, as well as Joel "Raijinn" Sasaki, the game's community manager.
Finally, Steve "Saavedra" Kramer, a former EQII designer and most recently working on The Agency, was also let go. SOE also terminated two as-yet unnamed marketing employees.
[Update #2: While we now have confirmation that Jason "Ikik" Weimann was not among those let go (as originally rumored), we're still attempting to clarify the rumored departure of the other Vanguard dev. Joel "Raijinn" Sasaki's departure has been confirmed as well. We'll update the post as soon as we receive additional info.]
