capcom-europe
Latest
Rumor: Capcom Europe to lay off more than half its staff
Capcom's European branch is to lay off over half its workforce following restructuring, according to MCV who "understands more than half of the European arm faces redundancy, with a number of jobs set to merge." Both MCV and GamesIndustry International confirmed with Capcom that its European arm is facing a restructuring process similar to that endured by the American team in the summer. The Capcom US layoffs saw several employees lose their jobs, including former senior VP of planning and business development Christian Svensson. Capcom provided the following statement: "Following a restructure at its US operation, Capcom's European organization is currently evaluating its structure to ensure it is in the best position to take advantage of the changing market conditions the industry is facing." It's unknown how many employees are based at Capcom's European offices, although Capcom reported a global employee count of 2,476 as of March 2013. MCV's report follows Capcom announcing a special loss of $73 million earlier this year due to game cancellations, some of the blame landing at the foot of overseas teams apparently providing poorer quality due to "excessive" outsourcing. Capcom said it wants marketing and development divisions to be better in sync overseas, its western teams suffering from "insufficient coordination."
Former Konami Europe boss hops over to Capcom Europe
Former Konami Europe President Kunio Neo has joined Capcom Europe, GamesIndustry International reported. The news comes after David Reeves stepped down as COO of Capcom Europe in December.Neo was succeeded by Shinji Harano as president of Konami's European branch in February 2012. Since no official announcement of Neo's role with Capcom has been made, we've reached out to Capcom and will update as we learn more.
Capcom Europe COO David Reeves stepping down
David Reeves will step down from his position as COO of Capcom Europe at the end of January 2013, MCV UK reported. He will resume the advisory role he held at Capcom prior to becoming COO of the company in March 2010."Over the past three years I have been very fortunate to be able to manage Capcom at an operational level in Europe but I want now to take up several new global consulting opportunities in non-competing industries, which, when combined with my existing and extensive charity commitments, means I cannot commit full time to my existing role at Capcom Europe," Reeves said.Reeves was President and CEO of Sony Computer Entertainment Europe for 14 years before stepping down in April 2009, at which point he predicted the PS3 would be dominant in three to five years.
Remember Me's plans extend to next-gen consoles, Capcom looking to build 'into a major franchise'
When Nilin's finished exploring the Neo-Paris of Dontnod Entertainment's Remember Me, that likely won't be the last of her adventures. Capcom senior producer Mat Hart says that the publisher wants more than just a one game from Dontnod. "We're looking to build a long-lasting relationship with them [Dontnod] as a developer, and built this into a major franchise," Hart told me in an interview this week.He was responding to a question about the game's release window – May 2013 – and the risk Capcom takes in launching a new IP during a very, very crowded release season. "The thing is, if you leave it too late into next year, then you are starting to straddle that line where you're starting to move into the next generation consoles. And what we wanna do is make sure we launch this on the current generation of consoles, to really sell it in, and establish it as a new IP. And then build the franchise out in line with the new consoles coming out."New properties can be hard to find in the final years of a console cycle, with many publishers instead choosing to launch alongside new hardware. Hart understands that risk, of course, but pointed out that "there's a clear difference between a risk and gamble."Specifically, he said, "You've seen the footage we've released of the game, and it's easy to see that Remember Me has the hallmark qualities of a top tier title. So we're very confident it competes in that particular landscape."%Gallery-162365%
Capcom Europe: Mega Man Legends 3 canceled due to lack of Devroom participation
The Mega Man Legends 3 Project "Devroom," a forum where fans could vote on elements to be added to the game, always seemed like a stunt to drum up interest in the 3DS game. However, it appears to have been used as a gauge of existing interest ... and the numbers it presented were unsatisfactory. Speaking on Capcom Europe's Twitter account, one representative said, "Unfortunately so few fans took part in the creation of the game. It was felt the project was not worthwhile." The rep later clarified that the disappointment didn't lie with fans as it appeared, but with the Devroom as a marketing tool. For a fan perspective, Game Informer spoke to one of the most dedicated Mega Man fans anywhere, Brian "Protodude" Austrin, who runs the excellent Protodude's Rockman Corner. He explained his dedicated work in the Devroom, and then gave an indication of how even the most loyal Capcom fans are feeling right now. "I really think that their trust bank has been shattered," he said. "This isn't the first thing that they've done, not just with Mega Man, this is the second Mega Man cancellation within four months," he says. "Then we have the other stuff like the Mercenaries 3D DRM, and it just keeps going and going, and they're establishing this track record."
Capcom appoints new CEO of US and European branches
Capcom has promoted Kazuhiko Abe, former director and managing corporate officer of Capcom's worldwide operations, to the position of CEO and President of Capcom USA and Capcom Europe. (Well, we assume it's a promotion.) Abe joined Capcom in 2003 as general manager of management planning and also served as CFO. Previous to this announcement, Capcom had only one CEO worldwide, founder Kenzo Tsujimoto. The assignment of a separate CEO for Western operations -- even an executive from Capcom Japan -- suggests that Capcom plans for its US and European branches to act more independently from the home office. [Image credit: Capcom.co.jp]
Former Sony Europe head David Reeves joins Capcom
David Reeves, who "retired" from Sony Europe last year, will take up the Mega Buster at Capcom and charge up the publisher's European operations. Reeves states he had a "close working relationship" with Capcom during his 14 years with Sony. He will replace COO Mark Beaumont in the region, who passed away suddenly earlier this year. Reeves was a very public and outspoken figure during his Sony days. He was also the executive who, back in 2007, kinda stole broke Sony's thunder by stating that the first PS3 price drop was actually a clearance sale. It'll be interesting to see how public a role Reeves takes with his new employer.
