Kevin Saunders has joined Nexon to head a new RPG studio - SHUT DOWN

[LESS T_T]

http://www.mmorpg.com/news/nexon-shutters-california-based-nebula-studio-1000045056

NEXON Shutters California-based "Nebula" Studio

Sources close to the in-development game have reported via social media that NEXON Korea has indeed closed down the California-based NEXON Studio responsible for the forthcoming Nebula, a game we'll now never know much about.

We've reached out to NEXON's PR team for confirmation, but from what we understand the actual main office of NEXON West hasn't been told as of this writing either. The team behind Nebula formed last year and have been working hard on developing a prototype and passing the NEXON Greenlight process.

Then today? Poof. It's over, finito, caput.

From what we've been told about Korean companies and layoffs, they don't like having to announce such restructuring. Instead, they much rather take departments, form new companies out of them, and then close them down. This way, they can say, "Layoffs? We didn't do layoffs. We closed the studio."

How is this better? I really don't know, but it seems like semantics at best.

Once again we've reached out to NEXON for confirmation, but are you sad we'll never know more about the mysterious Nebula?

 

[Darth Roxor]

rip in pepperoni

 

[Darth Roxor]

Wait, this also means no new game stuff by nealiios

FFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUU

 

[Infinitron]

https://www.linkedin.com/in/kevindsaunders/detail/recent-activity/

Haydn Dalton Creative Director at Nexon 2d

The Nexon Nebula experiment has come to end. I’ve never had the luxury to explore lots of different game types before, so when a new opportunity to do so came along, I grabbed on and rolled the die. I got to work with some great people and even managed to create something interesting, unique and fun along the way. Unfortunately, this adventure has come to a close. From today, I’ll be taking some time to assess what is next for me. New opportunities welcomed.

ksaun What's up.

 

[Abu Antar]

They should all go to Obsidian if they can't start their own thing.

 

[ksaun]

https://www.linkedin.com/in/kevindsaunders/detail/recent-activity/

Haydn Dalton Creative Director at Nexon 2d

The Nexon Nebula experiment has come to end. I’ve never had the luxury to explore lots of different game types before, so when a new opportunity to do so came along, I grabbed on and rolled the die. I got to work with some great people and even managed to create something interesting, unique and fun along the way. Unfortunately, this adventure has come to a close. From today, I’ll be taking some time to assess what is next for me. New opportunities welcomed.

ksaun What's up.

We experimented with several ideas, and ran with one. It would have been a lower cost ($10-20) premium title. Rich and fascinating world (that we used for all/most of our game ideas), conceived by Neal Hallford and expanded upon by Adam Heine. The game had some "RPG elements," but was more in the RTS direction. The Orcs Must Die games are perhaps the closest comparisons, but it wasn't quite like those. Our prototype showed well, but ultimately Nexon decided it wasn't a good fit at this time. I'm very sorry to my team (of ~10) -- they did a great job as a new team. I don't really have more to say about it.

I'm not sure what I will do next. At least I'm able to see my kids at night again. (For the last year+, I was staying at a hotel during the work week (at my own expense) because I found the commute too taxing.) I grow weary of the difficulty I have providing financial stability to my family in this industry. I suspect it only gets harder as I grow old(er).

 

[Zorba the Hutt]

Sorry to hear it, good luck man

Perhaps the key is to make a game over 23 years in one's free time.

 

[ERYFKRAD]

Rich and fascinating world (that we used for all/most of our game ideas), conceived by Neal Hallford and expanded upon by Adam Heine.

Hope you get a better gig. You, nealiios and the rest.

 

[LESS T_T]

He has joined a robotics/AI company called Embodied last month: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kevindsaunders/

I'm currently a principal natural language processing designer at Embodied, where we're developing life-like robots to revolutionize care and wellness for humans.

I imagine in some way this is similar to his job before inXile, making communication training simulations for army? Anyway good for him!

 

[IHaveHugeNick]

Dude has spend years trying to comprehend McComb's story for Torment. After that experience, teaching robots to process language is a cakewalk.

 

[Grauken]

Good for him, I'm always surprised how long some people hold out in the game industry, given the shit pay and work conditions. As much as I like games, I would never work in that industry.

 

[Latro]

he will be designing our future robo wives

 

[Grauken]

Wait, is that good or bad?

 

[laclongquan]

Insert dubious emoj ~

 

[Trashos]

Wait, is that good or bad?

Good for him, bad for us.

 

[LESS T_T]

Inb4 MCA writing their robot's personality.

 

[Davaris]

he will be designing our future robo wives

Robo wives with choices and consequences.

 

[ERYFKRAD]

Inb4 MCA writing their robot's personality.

Fuck then the romances with the Robo wives will be unrequited.

 

[Sacibengala]

he will be designing our future robo wives

Robo wives with choices and consequences.

Do you screw then oil, or do you oil then screw? Both options have engrossing consequences.

 

[Sitra Achara]

https://www.linkedin.com/in/kevindsaunders/detail/recent-activity/

Haydn Dalton Creative Director at Nexon 2d

The Nexon Nebula experiment has come to end. I’ve never had the luxury to explore lots of different game types before, so when a new opportunity to do so came along, I grabbed on and rolled the die. I got to work with some great people and even managed to create something interesting, unique and fun along the way. Unfortunately, this adventure has come to a close. From today, I’ll be taking some time to assess what is next for me. New opportunities welcomed.

ksaun What's up.

We experimented with several ideas, and ran with one. It would have been a lower cost ($10-20) premium title. Rich and fascinating world (that we used for all/most of our game ideas), conceived by Neal Hallford and expanded upon by Adam Heine. The game had some "RPG elements," but was more in the RTS direction. The Orcs Must Die games are perhaps the closest comparisons, but it wasn't quite like those. Our prototype showed well, but ultimately Nexon decided it wasn't a good fit at this time. I'm very sorry to my team (of ~10) -- they did a great job as a new team. I don't really have more to say about it.

I'm not sure what I will do next. At least I'm able to see my kids at night again. (For the last year+, I was staying at a hotel during the work week (at my own expense) because I found the commute too taxing.) I grow weary of the difficulty I have providing financial stability to my family in this industry. I suspect it only gets harder as I grow old(er).

You've made the right choice. Though I hope you have some time aside for hobby projects in the evening