The announcement made last week that BioShock developer Irrational Games is closing shop sent a shockwave through the gaming world. In the case of BioShock Infinite, chieving millions of units sold and one of the highest Metacritic ratings of 2013 doesn’t happen by mistake. The studio had talent that seldom do you find anywhere else in the world.
Nonetheless, displacing over a hundred talented developers has caused distress for those who previously were hard at work on one of last-generation’s greatest gems. One level designer is selling several valuable BioShock related collectibles in order to put food on the table while he looks for a new opportunity.
A couple examples of what he’s selling are a 14″ BioShock Infinite Murder of Crows Vigor and a BioShock Sander Cohen Statue, each of which already have bids for over $2,500.
The problem is that it isn’t just Irrational Games employees being let go. Yesterday, over 50 talented employees at Santa Monica Studios similarly found themselves jobless after years of hard work, although the studio won’t close its doors. This large influx of artists, programmers, and more has saturated the job market leading to difficult times for many.
We hope that these developers are able to find a job at another great studio. The last thing the video game industry needs is a loss of development studios.
[Via: GamesAbyss]
