well, it is common around release time - but this long prior to it? Especially since they moved to a format of distribution where it is actually possible for them to offer a largeish patch from the start to allow development to go until really close to release day - seems weird.
The quote you pasted is baffling to me because the writer has no idea what he's talking about. It is by no means abnormal for people to begin ramping off a title in the last 3-4 months. Here's a little bit of insight as to how things usually go.
Usually in the last few months of production just before release the team (designers, programmers, artists, animators, etc.) begin the process of shifting off to their next team. You have to keep in mind that games follow a schedule, and when work runs out for certain members it's time for them to move on otherwise they become dead weight to the project.
If the people running out of work have no where to go, then it's usually up to the Producers and the rest of the company to figure out where they can help out temporarily. Each team has a budget to work with, sometimes it's just not possible to move individuals over right away. There's sometimes a little bit of politics involved, and you also have to keep in mind that each Producer / Designer is going to have preferences on who they'd like to fill roles on the team. Regardless most studios try to retain the employment of their workers, even if some individuals aren't an exact fit for the project that they're moving into.
In the last few months a game is almost always feature complete and simply running the course through alpha, beta, certification/localization, and submission stages. Civilization V is not required to go through cert however since it is a PC only title, so this means that the process tends to be faster than a console release. Essentially the final few months are tied to bug fixing and polish, not content creation.
The need to have a full staff is virtually diminished at this stage, and usually teams are trimmed down to sizes equal to what they were in pre-production. In other words, teams become very small and all of the people previously involved in the project better have a new team or project to work on otherwise they're draining company funds. Just like any business if you have manpower that is going unutilized you're usually put in a position where you do have to make some cuts.
It sounds like Firaxis has three teams, and I'm willing to bet that the Civilization Facebook game has really mixed things up at the company. I say this because Civ on Facebook represents a very new direction of game development which is also less reliant on the talents of those who work with current generation graphics and engine technology. This is just speculation on my part though.
So long story short, I don't view this as being abnormal at all. The layoffs most likely occurred because there were simply not spots available on the two other teams, and that much manpower is not needed yet for the next project that the Civ V team works on. The needs during pre-production are minimal, and pre-production probably won't even start for the next title until sometime in early Fall. Most of the Civ V team will be enjoying some vacation / sabbatical time off, and then jump into their next project.
Yeah...to anyone who thinks this isn't business as usual, look at Modern Warfare 2 and Infinity Ward...they release the best selling game of all time...and then Activision fires the people in charge. It's unfortunately an ugly business, so I wouldn't be surprised if 2K let go of people who didn't have much else left to do.
The game's only 2 1/2 months away and the game will probably go gold with around a month to go, give or take. Maybe a little early, but not that early.
Completely different situation. Vince and Jason at IW were accused of significant breaches of contract, and insubordination. They were fired, not laid off. The staff at Firaxis were laid off, not fired. Huge difference.
), it looks like a panic reaction "to cut costs at all costs" and I am very curious if this won't have some impact on quality.
If Firaxis were to go then one of the last defenders of PC gaming will be gone and it may well be the start of the end.
