News broke yesterday, that nearly all the Quality Assurance (QA) in Champaign, Illinois were being laid off. All laid off employees (both full-time and temporary) have been given at least sixty days’ notice and THQ says they will do what they can to assist them in finding work in the community or elsewhere in THQ.
PerezStart spoke to one of the ‘former employees’ of Volition on what exactly went on, and how was it communicated to the staff. The message is below:
We knew it was bad when the VP of Volition spoke first at the meeting. Yesterday we had gotten calendar invites in Outlook to a QA Town Hall. We usually have town halls to discuss the status of current projects, for new projects to be announced, and for the management team to field questions from the testers. If this was a normal meeting, there would have been no reason for the VP to be there.
“I’m here today to speak on behalf of corporate THQ HR, who can’t be here today.” He could have stopped there.
Over the past six months, THQ has been shedding studios left and right. Six studios were cut last October and another two were closed in the past few weeks. Fewer studios means less titles. Less titles means the company needs less QA. From a business standpoint, it makes perfect sense.
Except that it doesn’t.
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