Warhammer maker gives staff PS2,500 Christmas bonus
No one should be the first to mention how amazing 2018 has been for games while being terrible for their creators.
Never has there been such an intense year filled with multiple Game of the Year candidates as we saw in 2017. Unfortunately, this occurred against a backdrop of mass layoffs at companies including Codemasters, Phoenix Labs, Humble Games Amazon Games Digital Extremes Ubisoft Bungie Media Molecule Visual Arts Frontier Telltale Games Mediatonic Creative Assembly Ascendent Striking Distance BioWare Niantic CD Projekt Red Riot Games to name just some examples that have experienced layoffs or studio closures this year – making us sad as players know these studios helped create the games we love by talented developers not being properly taken cared for in return. It makes no sense seeing these companies struggling while everyone can appreciate all their contributions made from people working behind these great titles that developers were being treated poorly! It makes one sickened feeling.
Mass layoffs have occurred within games media as well, creating an alarming tipping point in the industry – it was unfortunate not to witness Geoff Keighley call upon it at The Game Awards as one of its most iconic voices in calling upon it.
Warhammer creator Games Workshop recently made good on its promise of rewarding all staff with a year-end bonus of PS2,500 – some bright news in an otherwise difficult year! Dicebreaker reported that Games Workshop generated PS235 million in core revenue during its final six month earnings versus 213.3 million during the initial half.
According to reports, this company boasts a profit share scheme which funds bonuses; according to estimates this year’s bonus pool may have increased by 66% year over year – something desperately needed by industry stakeholders. We hope 2024 brings stability.
