Headline RePLAY – 7.26.12

Today on Headline RePLAY: Warner Bros. Games Seattle is struck by layoffs, Zynga insiders cash out before massive stock loss and Final Fantasy XIV receives a much needed reboot.


A Tweet by 3D Realms founder George Broussard has revealed that Warner Bros. Games Seattle, which consists of Monolith Productions, Snowblind Studios and Surreal Software, was hit by another unknown number of layoffs.

“Another Warner Brothers layoff going on as we speak,” Broussard Tweeted. “In progress now. Shame. Hope people land safely.”

The layoffs were later confirmed by WB, although the numbers and whether if it will affect any ongoing projects remain unknown.

“Due to shifting business imperatives, WB Games Seattle has made staff reductions,” WB has confirmed. “The group will continue to remain an integral part of Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment.”

The studio was hit by layoffs last November, and reportedly affected around 60 people.

|Source: Joystiq


Zynga insiders dumped 43 million shares of stock at $12 a share, collecting $156 million back in April—four months before the stock crashed to a dismal $3.

The timing is raises a lot of questions because the stock plunged after the makers of Farmville reported a terrible quarter, the very same quarter that the insiders cashed out.

Yahoo! Finance reports that all of the stock was sold by Zynga insiders, and none of the cash raised went to the company.

Notably, the selling shareholders include Zynga’s CEO, Marc Pincus.

|Source: Yahoo! Finance


Rebuilt and redesigned, Square-Enix announced news of Final Fantasy XIV: A Realm Reborn, a 2.0 reboot of the troubled MMO of 2010.

“Still announcing our plans for the future of the title last October, we have been working tirelessly to include all of the elements that we have promised in Final Fantasy XIV: A Realm Reborn,” said Producer/Director Naoki Yoshida. “This new title not only becomes a symbol of a completely new Final Fantasy XIV, but also marks the beginning of a new stage as the latest title in the Final Fantasy series. I hope you’re looking forward to it!”

The re-launch will include a new world to explore, storyline, map system, client software and more.

|Source: Square-Enix

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