Why did Shafer leave?

[CivFanaticMan]

Honestly why would he do this? I know Shafer was once a modder and loved the Civ games, but if he really gave a damn about Civilization and Civ5 wouldn't he stay to help patch and fix the game? Did he really put his heart and soul into this game or was it just another project...

 

[SHaW1986]

hell man, i dont think any of us really know, it might not have even been his choice.

 

[nokmirt]

Honestly why would he do this? I know Shafer was once a modder and loved the Civ games, but if he really gave a damn about Civilization and Civ5 wouldn't he stay to help patch and fix the game? Did he really put his heart and soul into this game or was it just another project...

I talked to him in a message once. At the time he was working on Civ 5 although he would not say it, he was not able to tell me anything about his projects. He seemed to be quite happy about his work and where it was leading. I don't know what happened lately, but your not going to leave a job your happy with are you? So something happened there, and I am guessing Civ 5 is the cause. He left of his own free will, so something made him want to leave. Added pressure from the game's ongoing problems. Who knows?

 

[charon2112]

Honestly why would he do this? I know Shafer was once a modder and loved the Civ games, but if he really gave a damn about Civilization and Civ5 wouldn't he stay to help patch and fix the game? Did he really put his heart and soul into this game or was it just another project...

I suspect the following:

Most seem to think it has to do with Civ V being a failure, but I think it's the opposite. Whether one likes Civ V or not, it has enjoyed critical and financial success. He probably got an offer from another company.

 

[Mutineer]

Who cares?

 

[AfterShafter]

It's rare that there is a thread made for no purpose but for a bunch of people who don't actually have an answer on a subject to speculate and gossip about it. Cue dozens of people who have no idea rushing in to put their spin on "he was fired."

 

[nokmirt]

It's rare that there is a thread made for no purpose but for a bunch of people who don't actually have an answer on a subject to speculate and gossip about it. Cue dozens of people who have no idea rushing in to put their spin on "he was fired."

Welcome to America pal! He was not fired, at least from what the gossip tells me, lol! My guess is that someone PO'ed him! I was wondering what is your hunch? And from what country do you hail from where they don't gossip?

 

[lietkynes]

lol a speculation thread about things that we will never know

 

[valamas]

i think he was there for 5 years. Man, I am a programmer and I am totally bored with a job after 2 years. Could be as simple as that. Or could be as complex as the dude in the next cuplicle humming all day.

 

[Horizons]

He was laid off from Firaxis so that Sid could get a massive pay-bonus for Christmas.

 

[Anthropoid]

Given the Civ5 development process is still very much ongoing (patches, DLCs, expansions) it makes no sense for a lead developer to leave immediately after the release of such a big deal game if it was acknowledged as having been a success. More likely he or his employers acknowledge it was a failure and that is the underlying reason, whether he left voluntarily or not.

 

[Dralix]

I heard that he fell in love with a girl, but she didn't respect his work. She said "maybe if you worked for Greenpeace or something ..." and so he quit.

I hope he doesn't get killed ...

 

[Anthropoid]

I heard that he fell in love with a girl, but she didn't respect his work. She said "maybe if you worked for Greenpeace or something ..." and so he quit.

I hope he doesn't get killed ...

You're kidding right?

 

[Dralix]

You're kidding right?

More paraphrasing than kidding.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Pilot_(Seinfeld)

 

[timtofly]

You're kidding right?

Why is the word "kidding" used in a speculation thread? No one can start a thread: "the truth behind Jon Shafer leaving Firaxis." No one knows the truth outside of Jon and Firaxis that is willing to publish it without fear of being sued or "dismembered".

 

[Anthropoid]

Why is the word "kidding" used in a speculation thread? No one can start a thread: "the truth behind Jon Shafer leaving Firaxis." No one knows the truth outside of Jon and Firaxis that is willing to publish it without fear of being sued or "dismembered".

That is hard to believe in a world where WikiLeaks can publish boatloads of "state secrets" and nobody can decide for certain what law they broke.

@ Dralix: Nice Seinfeld reference that I totally missed

 

[Androrc the Orc]

Why is the word "kidding" used in a speculation thread? No one can start a thread: "the truth behind Jon Shafer leaving Firaxis." No one knows the truth outside of Jon and Firaxis that is willing to publish it without fear of being sued or "dismembered".

Because speculating isn't simply throwing random hypothesizes, but rather ones that make sense given the (little) information that we have now.

 

[timtofly]

That is hard to believe in a world where WikiLeaks can publish boatloads of "state secrets" and nobody can decide for certain what law they broke.

Because WikiLeaks has no fear. I did not say it was impossible, just not very likely to happen.