A reminder that Mr. Bruce does still have a private City of Heroes account and will probably continue playing despite not working on the game anymore. He may start posting under his private forum account and we'll never know who he is!
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Originally Posted by ransim
Or more likely, this post from OCR was coming and simply wasn't finished. The original lead on the layoffs was an anonymous tip from someone probably trying to stir the pot.
I think Paragon was just as caught off guard by this announcement as we are and unfortunately now with the leak they may not be able to say anything because of labor laws. |
Good point, I forget that we only know about this because of a leak. That could change things.
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Keep Calm & Chive On!
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Babs-Man: The dev team could totally add animated hair without much work if they wanted to.|
Originally Posted by GuyPerfect
He may start posting under his private forum account and we'll never know who he is!
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Forum-Boy: Oh look another n00b with no idea how the code works telling us what the devs can do! LOL!!!
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Originally Posted by Grey Pilgrim
 Well, I'm a little confused as to why there is nothing official on this. |
Companies as large as NCSoft are bastards when it comes to layoffs/firings, usually once you meet with upper management they walk you back to your cube, you collect what you can carry then pick up everything else early the next morning (before anyone other employees show up), or they just send it to you.
I bet everyone's really chipper at PStudios these days.
All the best to you Chris, someone of your talents shouldn't be unemployed long.
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Still, an official comment would be better than the rampant speculation all over the internet.
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Honeybuns, you can always have a hug. You just have to ask, I mean, that's why I've put it on my sig and all.|
Originally Posted by Utopia
I'm scurred. Should I be scurred? Can I have a hug?!
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*hugs*
Plus I find people who use the "word" 'scurred' to be endearing, so have an extra one.
*hugs again*
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You mean like this? |
Originally Posted by Zyphoid
Still, an official comment would be better than the rampant speculation all over the internet.
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Is Ocho's confirmation not enough?
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Case in point: Richard Garriot vs. NCSoft |
Originally Posted by Chase_Arcanum
Simple: THE LAW.
BaB wasn't a "public figure or face" for the company (his role on the boards was an informal one, in no official capacity as spokesperson). That means state and federal employment privacy law applies- those SEVERELY curtail what you can say about a person and the circumstances of their departure. I know California's privacy laws are even tougher than my own states, and here we cannot NAME who was let go in what layoff or for what reason. Heck, even if we're called for an employment referral, we can't really say anything specific. Things are a little different when you're the head and/or spokesperson. There, your role officially involves the public, or in interfacing with shareholders. This more-visible position sometimes gives a little more latitude to what a company can say about a departure, but even then, you'll rarely find anyone on the record with anything negative to say. |
The press release they put out for his departure got NCSoft in a lot of (legal) hot water. I'm sure the whole stocks thing didn't help either though
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Important Distinction: It wasn't that they made a statement; It was that they completely forged it as his statement, which created very real issues for him.
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Originally Posted by Obsidius
Case in point: Richard Garriot vs. NCSoft
The press release they put out for his departure got NCSoft in a lot of (legal) hot water. I'm sure the whole stocks thing didn't help either though |
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Tis true, but the root issue remains the same. Privacy laws are VERY protective about who has the right to say what about someone's term of employment and how they end.
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Originally Posted by Marcian Tobay
Important Distinction: It wasn't that they made a statement; It was that they completely forged it as his statement, which created very real issues for him.
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Well, I'm sad to hear that it was a LinkedIn glitch, and he wasn't really picked up right away by Cryptic. Even if I'm not a Cryptic fan anymore, I liked the guy and didn't want him to have to deal with being unemployed.
Good luck, BAB!
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i'd be very disappointed to hear this is the case.
there are effectively only 2 devs that commented in very nearly any way to player questions and statements, or even just joked around on occasion. castle and bab.
reviewing the dev digest, even that has been severely curtailed for months, and not likely due to strictly available time issues.
troubling, troubling indeed.
all the best Mr. Bruce, all the best.
Kittens give Morbo gas.
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Which is why you can at least acknowledge that _________ has left the company or no longer works for the company. We have been introduced to a slew of new devs over the years but have almost never had acknowledgment of when they left. If positron, castle or war witch left tomorrow would you be ok with never being told they were gone?
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Originally Posted by Chase_Arcanum
Tis true, but the root issue remains the same. Privacy laws are VERY protective about who has the right to say what about someone's term of employment and how they end.
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I think I know what the reason why BaBs has gone:
CLOWNS!
Thelonious Monk
I'd make a quick vid for him as a sendoff, but I'm not sure what music to use - part of me wants to use Chris Isaak's "The End of Everything," while another part of me wants to use the Reprise of "Blue Blue Sky" by Alan Parsons.
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THE COURSE OF SUPERHERO ROMANCE CONTINUES!
Book I: A Tale of Nerd Flirting! ~*~ Book II: Courtship and Crime Fighting - Chap Nine live!
MA Arcs - 3430: Hell Hath No Fury / 3515: Positron Gets Some / 6600: Dyne of the Times / 351572: For All the Wrong Reasons
378944: Too Clever by Half / 459581: Kill or Cure / 551680: Clerical Errors (NEW!)
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Correct. The phrase "optimize the refocus" is a particularly hideous example of marketing-speak.
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Originally Posted by ArwenDarkblade
Is Ocho's confirmation not enough?
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I thought Positron was the one who was supposed to be scared of clowns? BAB seemed way more scared of an underwater zone |
Originally Posted by Scarlet Shocker
I think I know what the reason why BaBs has gone:
CLOWNS! |
@Golden Girl
City of Heroes comics and artwork
Sorry to hear that BABs/Chris Bruce is no longer with Paragon Studios.
Good luck on your future endeavors sir!
Please know that there will always be a spot for you at the table!
I wonder when I'm going to have the opportunity to extend the invitation?
*stares hard in the Community Development Team's general direction!*
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So you still think BAB is at Paragon Studios? |
Originally Posted by Zyphoid
nope.
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@Golden Girl
City of Heroes comics and artwork
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Originally Posted by Golden Girl
So you still think BAB is at Paragon Studios?
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No, I think he would have spoken up by now. I would love to be wrong though.
I am not sure how long he has been gone though. I found it really odd when he broke off all communication with the community he had been a large part of.
If he left before now, I wish he would have said good bye. If they laid him off, I wish they had let him say bye, or told us he was no longer with the game.
No matter what, I am sure he is looking at this and going "HAHA!". Because there are people none of us would miss.
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He's been gone as of yesterday. He didn' break off all communications with the community, he set his PM box to refuse PM's and cut back on his posting. He still posted during Beta testing and there were some in the community that he had more interaction with.|
Originally Posted by Zyphoid
I am not sure how long he has been gone though. I found it really odd when he broke off all communication with the community he had been a large part of. |
There are still some in the community he interacts with through other sites as well.
Anytime they've had layoffs or a reduction of force in the past they haven't allowed those leaving to post a goodbye post. Usually it's only been the Community Team that we've seen posts from that they were leaving, but then we've not really had a Dev as well known and as well liked as Chris leave before except Sean's off and on work for the game and possibly Zeb Cook (another we didn't get a goodbye post). Of course, Jack didn't really post a goodbye post either, we got the news that he was really and truly gone at the Bay Area Meet & Greet when they announced that NCSoft had bought out Cryptic's share of the game.
If the game spit out 20 dollar bills people would complain that they weren't sequentially numbered. If they were sequentially numbered people would complain that they weren't random enough.
Black Pebble is my new hero.
"In an effort to put a greater focus on the City of Heroes franchise, Paragon Studios is shifting resources within the studio. In order to optimize the refocus, there has been a reduction in force that has impacted a small amount of people. Paragon Studios is an integral part of the NCsoft West family and will continue to prosper, delivering the worlds most popular superpowered hero MMO game, City of Heroes, to fans around the world."
So. Um. I just want to make sure I understand...
Reducing workforce = Increasing focus?
Wow. My MBA school got it all wrong.
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Sometimes having too many people working on something at once is just as bad as having too few people working on something.
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Originally Posted by JohnX
So. Um. I just want to make sure I understand...
Reducing workforce = Increasing focus? |
I'm sorry to hear that BABs has moved on to other endeavors, and wish him nothing but the best. He definitely left his mark on the game and the community.
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