Vapourware System Shock 3 by OtherSide Entertainment - taken over by Tencent!

[Efe]

i wouldnt get the tag cos i dont really care about otherside..
im here to keep lobar company

 

[MasterLobar]

Efe

 

[taxalot]

With their standards, they can just hit the Build button, publish to Steam and call it a game if they feel like it.

Haven't they been deliberately vague about how far along the game was ?

 

[MasterLobar]

I am wondering how they are currently funding operations. Starbreeze advances for SS3 stopped in January and the last time they raised money was the $3.5 million stock sale more than a year ago.

Since then, they have been running two teams based in two offices in super-expensive locations. How far are they going to get before they need more cash?

 

[LESS T_T]

Did another layoff happen at Otherside?

Art Director on SS3 gave Linkedin recommendations to four developers in relatively lower positions, on October 10th.

Francisco Cruz III, Senior Environment Artist

Also confirmed. One of the ex-Arkane artists: https://www.linkedin.com/in/franciscoc3/

Sr Env Artist

Company Name OtherSide Entertainment
Dates Employed May 2018 – Nov 2019
Employment Duration 1 yr 7 mos
Location Austin, Texas Area

System Shock 3
+ Environment modeling.
+ Creepy lighting (Enlighten).
+ Technical arts (Emissive blinks, scrolls, upvectors, and WPO in Shader graphs).
+ Performance.
+ Unity, HDRP.
+ Surviving Shodan.

 

[Steamboat Willie]

Last one out get the lights.

 

[Terenty]

One by one... Shodan really doesn't want these pathetic creatures messing with her legacy. I'm afraid for Warren Spector's wellbeing now

 

[Nano]

I'm thinking that some of these former employees weren't laid off, they actually secured employment elsewhere before shit really starts hitting the fan at OtherSide.

 

[MasterLobar]

Nano People started running away even before Starbreeze cancelled.

They published some concept art in 2017. It looked like a Kandinsky painting.

https://www.ign.com/articles/2017/05/10/system-shock-3-concept-art-images-released

Soon after that, the design director left the team.

https://www.othersideentertainment.com/forum/index.php?topic=1395.0

UA redux.

The technical director left, too.

https://www.othersideentertainment.com/forum/index.php?topic=1865.0

Seems to be a toxic place to work.

 

[MasterLobar]

Digital Bros reports $17.7 million in sales for Control so far, indicating 400-500k units sold.

https://www.reddit.com/r/pcgaming/comments/dw9n69/control_revenue_to_505_games_of_177_million/

Assuming the SS3 budget will be $10-12 million and the sales price quite a bit lower than Control (currently selling at $60), 350-400k copies is probably the range where the game would start to break even (the publisher usually gets a 20% surcharge).

So that game almost has to do as well as Control (which was developed by a competent studio with a $30 million budget) just to break even, and to make a good return that could keep the studio going, they'd probably have to sell north of 500k copies.

So even if a year from now SS3 sold 300-400k copies (UA sold 20k or so), they'd still have no money (just breaking even), a terrible reputation and had fired most of their team.

Given what we've seen so far (essentially nothing), I wouldn't bet a penny on Otherside.

 

[Efe]

all you need to do is believe.

 

[LESS T_T]

Did another layoff happen at Otherside?

Art Director on SS3 gave Linkedin recommendations to four developers in relatively lower positions, on October 10th.

Elizabeth LeGros, Senior Graphics Programmer

Also confirmed: https://www.linkedin.com/in/elizabeth-legros/

OtherSide Entertainment
Total Duration 2 yrs 6 mos

• Senior Graphics Programmer
  Dates Employed Jun 2019 – Nov 2019
  Employment Duration 6 mos
  Location Austin, Texas Area
• Programmer
  Dates Employed Jun 2017 – Jun 2019
  Employment Duration 2 yrs 1 mo
  Location Austin, Texas Area

 

[MasterLobar]

Also confirmed: https://www.linkedin.com/in/elizabeth-legros/

The woman who spoke at GDC 2019.

 

[anvi]

If SS3 can only get $10-12 million budget... fuck this world.

 

[Sordid MCA/Prosper Hybryd]

If only SS3 can get a competent developer team... fuck this world.

FTFY

 

[Glic2000]

So if all the employees are leaving OS, should we assume SS3 is dead?

 

[Roguey]

If SS3 can only get $10-12 million budget... fuck this world.

Why would you want more? More budget means making it accessible to more people like Dishonored and Prey (oh and Bioshock).

 

[MasterLobar]

So if all the employees are leaving OS, should we assume SS3 is dead?

I think more likely is we are looking at a SS1 reboot-type scenario in which a very small core team works to develop a low-ambition, low-cost version of the game over 2-3 years.

I remember the CM once said, it will take "years" to launch if no publisher is found. So that seems to be the plan. SS1-reboot still has no playable alpha or pre-alpha nor a launch date several years into development.

 

[Jenkem]

So if all the employees are leaving OS, should we assume SS3 is dead?

What is dead may never die.

 

[LESS T_T]

And they hired ex-Ion Storm Austin, ex-Junction Point developer Robb Thomas as Senior Software Engineer: https://www.linkedin.com/in/robb-thomas-b94933/

AI lead on System Shock 3

He also is no longer working at Otherside:

Senior Software Engineer

Company Name OtherSide Entertainment (Full-time)
Dates Employed Jul 2017 – Nov 2019
Employment Duration 2 yrs 5 mos
Location Austin, Texas Area

AI lead on System Shock 3
Created Parallel Behavior Tree system for AI in Unity.
Adapted Behavior Tree system in UE4 to run multiple trees in parallel,
Responsible for four NPC archetypes with variations.
Implemented behaviors and animation code to make movement look realistic.

Layoffs of Fall.

 

[Tito Anic]

If SS3 can only get $10-12 million budget... fuck this world.

Cleve had much bigger capital

Spoiler

talent, passion and belief

 

[Steamboat Willie]

I wonder if anyone is still working there. With all the high-level employees that have departed I don't even know who they have left.

 

[LESS T_T]

Austin studio, as listed by Linkedin:

Warren Spector
Chase Jones - Design Director
Arturo Pulecio - Art Director - Probably (going to be) left, from what I've seen. I won't provide citation.
Herbert Piland - Senior System Designer - Probably also left, from what I've seen.
John Sizemore - UI Programmer
Hannah Walker - Gameplay Engineer
Chris Douglas - Senior Environment Artist
John Ford - Animator - Likely left, he's one of the developers received Art Director's recommendation.

Of course there could be more people who's not registered on Linkedin or who's already left but not updated their profile.

 

[Nano]

You guys are getting too stressed out over this. As we know, Warren developed Deus Ex 1 all on his own, he can do it here too easy-peasy.

 

[MasterLobar]

Of course there could be more people who's not registered on Linkedin or who's already left but not updated their profile.

Assuming the Boston staff is now also working on SS3, there is also Tim Stellmach (per linkedin), Walter_OSE (head of marketing, still posting in the forum), Doug Church (haven't heard otherwise), Michael Dornbrook (board member according to linkedin), Geoffrey Hyatt (bord member according to SEC filing) and Paul Neurath.

Also assuming the big guys don't take a salary, that's at least 10 people they have to pay, plus two offices in prime locations, plus likely some support staff and external services.

What's their monthly bill for all of that that? I'd say $150k minimum.

Revenues: Zero.