NCsoft's today to a single new label for their studios marks more than
just a shift in management teams and consolidation of subsidiaries. It's also
the first step in the company's decision to refocus their efforts on large,
triple-A massively multiplayer games, David Reid, NC West president of
publishing told Kotaku.
"This transition is really about ratifying a completely dedicated business to
the triple-A titles," Reid said. "We would consider ourselves in the class of
five-ish companies in the world that can be successful in this market. We are a
leader here and we are doubling down in those efforts."
"If you are successful in this business, you are fabulously successful."
In so doing, NCsoft plans to shed some of their lighter fare, including
"moving away from" Dungeon Runners, Reid said. He declined to say if that meant
killing the free-to-play, humorous online game, saying only that there were no
announcements about the game at this point.
Reid says that another important step in the company's strategy is their deal
with Sony to create several online games for the Playstation 3.
"You can expect us to be a big player in the console space," he said,
pointing to Electronic Arts' successful transition from a PC-only game publisher
to a cross-platform company.
The move to Seattle itself, though, will have little impact on the day-to-day
operations of the company and its subsidiaries, Reid said.
A total of 12 of the 250 to 260 positions in Austin are being cut to prepare
for the move. NCsoft will continue to have a sizable presence in Austin, Reid
said.
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