Is FASA closing its doors?
by Richard Mitchell 
{ Mar 20th 2007 at 11:45AM }
With all the hype Microsoft is trying to generate around Shadowrun, you'd think team morale at FASA would be riding high. A thread on the official Shadowrun forums would seem to indicate otherwise. A poster by the name of Boomstick, claiming to be an employee of FASA, has declared that FASA is shutting its doors. Boomstick notes that FASA has serious human resource problems and poor management, mentioning several names in the process. He adds that Shadowrun brings nothing new to the FPS genre and is graphically subpar. While we (almost) see his point about the game's graphics, we know from personal experience that Shadowrun has plenty to offer hardcore FPS fans.
Naturally, we questioned Boomstick's identity as an employee, but a post by FASA's lead program manager gives him validity. The lead program manager, whose user name is Kimona, stated that many of FASA's workers may choose to leave at the end of the Shadowrun project, noting that this kind of turnover is normal and even healthy. Furthermore, Kimona states that FASA's contingent staff is required to take a mandatory "break" after working for a certain amount of time. Kimona closes the statement saying that Boomstick's personal attacks (in a public space no less) are inappropriate.
Is there a real problem at FASA, or are these simply the ramblings of one disgruntled employee?
[Thanks, Lorul2]
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
Jonah Falcon @ Mar 20th 2007 11:48AM
Disgrunted employee. I enjoyed Shadowrun (think "enhanced Counter-Strike"), and there's no way Microsoft, WHO OWNS FASA, will shut it down.
No. Way.
beardsly43 @ Mar 20th 2007 11:51AM
I have been enjoying it as well.
Tob3z @ Mar 20th 2007 1:50PM
The guy should be fired for not being professional about it. I don't care if the guy doesn't fit in with the team. But there is no way the graphics are subpar from what we have seen.
joe @ Mar 20th 2007 12:13PM
FASA wont get shut down...Why?
one word...
MechAssualt 360.
not while MS is secertly developing this game, im sure.
frodo @ Mar 20th 2007 2:02PM
Sorry to break it to you guys, but it's coming down. Confirmed by a contact who works for them.
Rob Stevens @ Mar 20th 2007 1:19PM
"Furthermore, Kimona states that FASA's contingent staff is required to take a mandatory 'break' after working for a certain amount of time."
To clarify this statement, FASA is a Microsoft company, and per Microsoft policy, contractors (the so-called "contingent staff") can only work for nine months before being laid off for a minimum of four months before they can be rehired. This is to avoid having to pay benefits as decreed in a lawsuit a few years back.
Now it's very strange that they brought up this point? Is the ENTIRE STAFF contracted? If so, shutting down the studio after the game ships would make sense, but that doesn't mean it wouldn't be reopened shortly after.
FusionWhite @ Mar 20th 2007 3:17PM
Contracter personnel are probably play testers etc. The actual programming is most likely handled in house. A pissed off playtester is what this sounds like.
Jonah Falcon @ Mar 20th 2007 1:46PM
No. Not the entire staff - "FASA's contingent staff" (aka contracted devs).
I think Boomstick knows neither FASA nor Microsoft will re-hire him, perhaps proving why by his statement.
Jonah Falcon @ Mar 20th 2007 9:38PM
"Sorry to break it to you guys, but it's coming down. Confirmed by a contact who works for them. "
Okay, who? LOL
Number 01 @ Mar 21st 2007 4:18AM
No actually he sounds like a Contract Programmer since he could name names of people on the team. If he was a playtester he wouldn't even know these names and wouldn't be getting paid, he probably wasn't a paid "software tester" which you meant to say. Microsoft has screwed so many people by making them contract and not offering them benefits, if you look for jobs right now on the MS website you can see how many jobs are contract. I bet Microsoft hires 5 to 1 contract to permanent, their benefits for the full timers are very nice and include health club benefits and discounts at retailers. If your a contract your usually treated like a b.i.tch and dealt with by a temporary agency instead of MS itself and your not treated like a full timer by those that are. So I totally feel this guy.
marius @ Apr 20th 2007 6:09PM
While I can not comment on the quality of the gameplay I can say that FASA has upset the original market for the game Shadowrun. This may or may not effect the success of this game but hearing comments from beta testers saying the game is subpar in one way or another does not seem to help their case.
While I myself would not wish harm on the company I definetly do not wish them success either. The devs have shown a clear lack of respect for anyone that is a fan of any of the old versions of Shadowrun.