Last year Rockstar Leeds took a break from mobile development and focused on PC development, specifically the well received PC version of L.A. Noire which was released in November of last year. It looks like Leeds isn't done yet with PC development as they have recently posted a brand new job opening for a PC systems programmer. Looking over the job details, it seems that this is for ports of other studio's titles rather than a Rockstar Leeds led development or brand new PC games as the details specifically mention working with other Rockstar studios. Rockstar Toronto, which was previously the go-to studio for PC development, looks like it may be refocusing on console development with a number of recent openings specifically mentioning console. In addition to the PC opening, Leeds also has an opening for a mobile console programmer. With the previous announcement of Rockstar working on a game for the PlayStation Vita, could Rockstar Leeds be making a come back into the mobile space as well?
Rockstar Leeds are currently looking for a talented systems level programmer to help bring the latest titles to the PC platform. Working together with the other Rockstar studios, you will be responsible for delivering an optimal PC experience across a wide range of system specifications.
ResponsibilitiesWork within a team of skilled developers on genre defining, next gen PC games.QualificationsEducated to degree level or equivalent1+ year of AAA title experience working to different hardware constraints.Demonstratable problem solving in the optimisation/file access domain.SkillsExcellent C++ skillsStreaming knowledgeLow level and I/O optimisationProfiler and metric collection experience.Passionate about games
For a very long time, Rockstar North has had a flash site as their main website featuring small glimpses into the development of Grand Theft Auto III and Vice City as well as fan goodies such as desktop wallpapers and artwork. However, this website stopped recieving updates after the release of San Andreas. It seems as Rockstar is finally in the process of giving the website an overhaul as the website has now been replaced with a "Coming Soon" placeholder page. It's interesting to note that while Rockstar North's page is getting an overhaul, other Rockstar studios are having their websites taken down and just redirected to their respective Rockstar Games' jobs page. Could this mean we're in for something really special with Rockstar's North new website? Not all is lost though. As we announced last year, we have setup our own Rockstar website archive which features the old Rockstar North website in its entirety as well as the old websites for other Rockstar studios.
Source: Rockstar North
Thanks to D.E.L.B. for the head's up!
I wanted to take some time to address what's been in the news recently about San Diego. I've been thinking about and working on this since the news first broke. The reason I didn't post about this story as soon as it broke was because I wanted to get all the facts. If you've been living under a rock for the past week, heres the low-down: spouses of current and former Rockstar San Diego employees posted a blog post about the working conditions of the studio. This is similar to an incident with EA back in 2004. According to their blog post, everything was good until March of 2009. From what I can gather from comments on the various news stories, after completing the South Central expansion, the Midnight Club team was "slowly dismantled". Some were laid off, some quit, and the others were merged into the Red Dead Redemption team. A source told Joystiq this:
"At first, the team was told there was going to be another. That lasted a few months until the team was told, 'Well, we're going to do another, but it will be all outsourced ... but there will be a core team of 5 - 15 people at RSSD working on it.' Then, after a while longer, it was just not going to happen at all."
While it is sad that Rockstar had to dismantle the Midnight Club team, it's not the only company letting people go. Right now the economy is in a bad state. Couple this with the high costs of operating a business in California and the fact that SD had three teams (MC, RDR, and Rage Tech teams), there may not have been a choice but to merge the two game teams into one. Does this mean the end to Midnight Club? Not exactly. If San Diego stays open after Redemption, it could very well be their next project. But back to the issue at hand, the treatment of the employees. The spouses tell that the studio has started doing 12 hour days and mandatory Saturdays. While this is unfortunate, this is sadly the norm within the industry when it comes to crunch time. Even a former developer of the studio before Rockstar aquired SD admitted this has been the norm there even before the Rockstar days. However, the spouses tell about new studio managers being appointed who have little game production experience and if that's true, it definitely cannot help the situation at the studio.
The big question is, do all the developers at San Diego feel the same? A current developer at SD who is going by the name of "Code Monkey" doesn't feel exactly the same way. While he does admit to a rather unplesent and unusual work environment for some, he still loves RSSD.
"As a R* employee for a certain amount of years, let me first say that I feel like a proud citizen of my clan, but I like many of my peers seek a reprieve from the issues that the wives have boldly brought to the media's attention. I suppose I've been one to personally let things slide a lot over the last few months as I work many long hours, many of which I feel have been somewhat forced upon me, because I love my job so much, and every second I spend in my chair in front of my screen is only a second that comes completely natural to me. I like to make games, and I like to solve game problems. That being said, I also have a very supportive significant other half, and we have no children to feed and spend time with. Also because I'm in fairly good health, I don't find myself complaining about quality of life so much as I may complain of other issues at the studio that directly affect me. But I also do have close friends at the studio who have had their health and lives deteriorated in some way, and whether or not the long hours have directly contributed to these ailments, it certainly hasn't helped. And just because I may feel just fine today doesn't mean I'll still feel fine tomorrow or months down the road when it all catches up to me. And I acknowledge the day we have a child of our own may be a day of reckoning. ...When it's all said and done, I love my studio, I love my game, and I love my team, and I wouldn't give this up for the world. I just would like to see things improve for all of us, including our management."
On the 11th, Rockstar sent this email to the folks over at SD:
"Dear Rockstar San Diego
No doubt you are all aware of the comments made on Gamasutra regarding some internal dynamics at the studio and some people's dissatisfaction with the environment. We take issues related to working conditions extremely seriously and will look to address any genuine concerns immediately.
It’s been a challenging few years, and a tough last few months as the game moves towards completion, but the final product of all that incredible effort is on the verge of finally being received by the public: the stellar game that is Red Dead Redemption, a game of which you all should be justifiably proud and which you should be excited to see come to market.
We do not agree with the allegations in the Gamasutra post (e.g. there has been no reduction in health benefits or ancillary benefits and perks (such as free dinners and massages etc), wage increases across the studio have kept track with cost of living increases, and anyone who feels they have been overlooked for a bonus for a game they worked on please contact HR to discuss as soon as possible). Nevertheless, we do know that the team is working very hard right now, and we care deeply about the physical health and mental well-being of every single person on our team. We are committed to working through any issues anyone at the studio may have, and to providing support wherever possible. Please, if you have concerns, discuss them with Sarah Shafer or with Rob Spampinato who heads up HR for the whole of Rockstar and who will be on-site in the studio for the next few days (Rob is sitting in the “new york” office). If you would prefer to speak to someone in confidence outside of Rockstar, please contact Chris Casazza, who oversees HR for Take Two.
Red Dead Redemption is rightly one of the most anticipated games of 2010, and we’re incredibly proud of the entire team for the truly outstanding work that’s gone into making this remarkable game as good as it is. Here’s hoping we can give this game the reception it deserves this April.
Sincerely,
Jenn"
Due to all this, people have cried for a boycott of the game. However, "Code Monkey" disagrees with a boycott.
"We want people to play our game. Forget about the money and any possible job security for a second. We made a great game, and we just want people to play it and see that."
In the end, hopefully everyone can get past the finger pointing and make this a learning experience for all parties in this incident and even other studios. We wish the folks at San Diego, current and former, good luck. Hopefully at the end of RDR, you guys will enjoy a long, well deserved break while we spend weeks of our lives throughly enjoying the fantastic game that will be Red Dead Redemption.
This story is still developing. We will continue to update as more information comes available. If you believe I have missed something or want to make a correction, please contact me.
Sad news today coming out of Rockstar New England. Kotaku is reporting that the QA team at NE, around 10% of the studio, were laid off on Monday. The QA team was singled out due to the fact that Rockstar already has a dedicated QA studio, Rockstar Lincoln. Rockstar has offered the affected employees a "fairly generous" severance package and are helping them find other jobs. Our hearts go out to the laid off employees of New England and wish them the best of luck at finding a new job.
Source: Kotaku
Today, Rockstar has added it's newest studio, Rockstar New England, to it's jobs page. Currently, the site states that there are no open vacancies yet, but we think that will change soon. The site does however give us some details about the studio and the town it's located in.
At Rockstar New England, we think it's a matter of pride to make games that carry our name, and we're committed to ensuring they reflect who we are. We are a close team of dedicated industry vets, led by Dr. Ian Lane Davis. Rockstar New England is experienced in every aspect of game development with an unmatched expertise in artificial intelligence. We're constantly pushing the envelope. Our most recent project was the Xbox 360 adaptation of Bully: The Scholarship Edition.
Rockstar New England is located in the heart of New England, just outside of Boston. With easy access to the highway, we're just a short drive from the big city, surrounding small town charm, and all the beauty and world-class sport and culture they have to offer. From the Red Sox to the Boston Ballet, from historic Harvard Square to Newbury Street, from the playhouses and the club scene - to the ocean and mountains abounding - the beauty of New England awaits.
When Emily Dickinson wrote, "I think New Englandy," we knew what she meant. It has to do with small towns, and rugged individualism. It's variety, too. New England's identities are many. It's the rejuvenated city of Providence, the serenity of the Cape Cod Seashore. It's the granite peaks of New Hampshire's White Mountains, the booming biotech world of Boston. It's sheep shearing festivals and sleigh rides, a sailboat breezing by, a run on the slopes. It's world-class education, and gorgeous housing. It's old world charm, and new age thinking. It's a great place to call home."
Jobs: Rockstar Games
A couple of hours ago, I published an article about Rockstar changing the Mad Doc Software page to the Rockstar New England logo. I noted that I had make a comprehensive back up of the site before it was changed. I had some time today and fixed all the links on the pages to point to our servers and not the defunct Mad Doc Software servers. I have browsed the backup and everything seems to link ok, no broken links so I have decided to release the backup now. The backup was done on 4/6/ 08 at 7:19 P.M. so it should be the latest backup of the site. I think I got most of the other files such as educational documents and various intro videos. If I am missing something and you have it or a link is broken, please email me at aj [at] rockstarwatch.net. Also, this morning I was looking around some sites and I was able to come across behind the scenes videos for their previous games. Some feature video clips taken inside the Mad Doc Studio's studio. If you would like to view them, the link is below.
Site Backup: Mad Doc Software
Insider Videos: Empire Earth III
As expected, Rockstar has changed the old Mad Doc Software page to a generic Rockstar New England page featuring a bigger version of Rockstar New England's logo. As a tribute to the history of Mad Doc Software, I was able to pull just about every page of their site I could find just before the site was changed. I'm planning on fixing up the page links and re-publishing the site on RockstarWatch when I get some free time. I'm not sure if I have everything they had on their site, but it's pretty close. Keep on the look out for it.
Website: Rockstar New England
EDIT: We have published the website backup. You can view it here.
Rockstar has just announced moments ago that they have acquired the brains behind the Xbox 360 port of Bully, Mad Doc Software. Personally, I was expecting this as this is the same thing that happened to Rockstar San Digeo and Rockstar Leeds. Also, keeping in line with the other studio's, Mad Doc Software will be renamed Rockstar New England. This brings the total of Rockstar's studios to 9. That includes Rockstar's dedicated QA studio, Lincoln. The press release is as follows:
Rockstar Games, a publishing label of Take-Two Interactive Software, Inc. (NASDAQ: TTWO), announced today the formation of Rockstar New England through the acquisition of substantially all of the assets of Andover, MA-based Mad Doc Software, one of the premier independent development studios in North America.
"The team at Mad Doc Software is extremely talented," said Sam Houser, Founder of Rockstar Games. "Bringing them within the Rockstar Games family will enhance our core technology and further support our commitment to creating progressive and innovative gaming experiences."
Established in 1999 by Dr. Ian Lane Davis, Mad Doc Software has led development on and provided contracting services for triple-A titles, with a particular focus on artificial intelligence and networking. The studio most recently worked with Rockstar Games on the Xbox 360 version of the critically acclaimed Bully: Scholarship Edition.
"To be a part of Rockstar Games is an amazing opportunity for everyone here," said Dr. Davis, Studio Head of the new Rockstar New England. "We're eager to bring our expertise to bear in the character-driven, open-world stories that make Rockstar Games titles so uniquely compelling."
About Take-Two Interactive Software, Inc.
Headquartered in New York City, Take-Two Interactive Software, Inc., is a global developer, marketer, distributor and publisher of interactive entertainment software games for the PC, PLAYSTATION®3 and PlayStation®2 computer entertainment systems, PSP® (PlayStation®Portable) system, Xbox 360® and Xbox® video game and entertainment systems from Microsoft, Wii™, Nintendo GameCube™, Nintendo DS™ and Game Boy® Advance. The Company publishes and develops products through its wholly owned labels Rockstar Games, 2K Games, 2K Sports and 2K Play, and distributes software, hardware and accessories in North America through its Jack of All Games subsidiary. Take-Two's common stock is publicly traded on NASDAQ under the symbol TTWO. For more corporate and product information please visit our website at www.take2games.com.
Something not mentioned in the press release, Mad Doc's SpellWeaver, will most likely be published by Rockstar. Before the acquisition, Mad Doc was looking for a publisher for the game.
Press Release: Rockstar Games Acquires Mad Doc Software
EDIT: The official Mad Doc Software website has been changed. You can view the article here and a backup here.
