Former Firefall Producer: "Everyone From Red 5 Has Been Let Go"
Is this the end for Firefall and Red 5 Studios?
That seems like a possible outcome following the recent news that the studio suffered mass layoffs, with former employees saying things like "Everyone from Red5 has been let go" and "Everyone I know of who was still there (there weren't many left) was let go today" (meaning Monday). You can find the grim news on the Firefall subreddit.
It's not all that surprising, considering Red 5's actions as of late, such as layoffs back in November and that thing about missing payroll in December. Looking around the web for the exact reasons behind yesterday's culling, it's easy to point a finger at the recent collapse of the stock value of the Cayman Islands cashmere company (no, really) that owns 30.6% of Red 5 -- seriously, look at that chart. It's so bad, the stock has been suspended from the Hong Kong Stock Exchange.
If you're still playing Firefall, I'd suggest getting your fix while you can. This sounds more like the sort of MMO game closure that doesn't come with fanfare and events to celebrate the community but with a quick and casual flipping of the switch from "on" to "off." Our condolences go out to those affected.
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Jason Winter is a veteran gaming journalist, he brings a wide range of experience to MMOBomb, including two years with Beckett Media where he served as the editor of the leading gaming magazine Massive Online Gamer. He has also written professionally for several gaming websites.
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Then as the release came closer and everything got dumbed down, PvP arenas taken out and it started to slowly die with each update as the core devs/staff members got suppressed/kicked/left.
Really hope the talented guys restart somehow and manage to make the game they wanted to b4 all those wastes of airs let them down.
Still... this is a bitter/sweet day for me, as on one hand i loved playing Firefall a while back and even though i don't play it anymore it is still sad to see it close. On the other hand, Ember forums launched just hours ago and even if Ember (aka Firefall's spiritual successor) it's still far from being a real game it's a step closer to it and that makes me happy.
I hope they will find a place to fulfill their dreams elsewhere.