Thursday, December 15, 2011

Traditional Xmas bloodletting at WotC

You have to be a real glutton for punishment to work for WotC. Every year around this time, the Christmas layoff notices get dropped off to undeserving game designers and their families. This year, it's longtime employees, Rich Baker and Steve Winter. I understand how business works and sometimes costs have to be cut, but guys like Baker and Winter bring something to the table that some nameless desk jockey in accounting never will, creativity. That's worth more than a few dollars on a spreadsheet. I suspect much of the decline in the quality of WotC's products results from the annual loss of talent and the inevitable drop in morale that follows.

-Rognar-

2 comments:

Aaron E. Steele said...

No surprises really. Capitalism at its best.

Rognar said...

I have to disagree with that. Capitalism may be amoral and even ruthless, but the ultimate goal of any good capitalist is to maximize profit. I do not get the sense that many of the business decisions made by Wizards of the Coast have served the goal of longterm profitability.