WildStar's Chad Moore Tries To Reassure Players

WildStar had a rough go of things last week, as Carbine Studios laid off reportedly 40% of its staff on Friday. Optimism reigns supreme, however -- which is easier to do if you're still collecting a paycheck -- as Game Director Chad Moore said in a statement on the WildStar forums yesterday.

Moore assured players that the game would continue on, with the Destination Arcterra update still scheduled for launch "within the next three weeks," with more updates coming later this year. The game's Steam release is still on track as well, along with several new systems and live events, and there are "still exciting days ahead for WildStar."

Maybe I'm just extra-cynical regarding empty PR promises following the Daybreak/EQN debacle, but it's hard to take Moore's words at face value. Certainly, it's his job to try and make things sound good, but it's my job to see through all that. I thought WildStar could at least stabilize and maybe even grow, following its solid Q4 financials, but the layoffs -- with the specter of more hanging over remaining employees' heads -- dashes pretty much all of that.

The content plans are especially ambitious, and sound to me like a lot of things that are "on the table," akin to a Kickstarter that promises the moon if you'll just give it money. If you can do all this with 40% of your staff gone, why were those people there in the first place? Seems like they were just dead weight. More likely, staff was cut without any actual plans being adjusted and those remaining will have to work extra hard to try and get it out, which will lead to delays, incomplete content, broken promises, and bugs. The next big update might be in a finished-enough state to get released on time, but after that? Don't hold your breath, Cupcake.