Urg. What would you do?

#95306Mon 03/03/08 19:54

So here's the deal.

6 years ago I got made redundant and moved to the current company I work for. At the time they were part of a sort of collective of computer game companies, and we were pretty much the only company that made any decent games. Hence the collective ground to a halt through lack of money and we were up shit creek. SCI owned 10% of our company, and since we'd had some top 10 hits with them and made them a lot of money, they bought us and rescued us.

Fairly recently SCI bought Eidos (makers of Tomb Raider)...and then, for various reasons, the share price dropped and dropped and now they're cutting back. 14 games have been discontinued and some 25% of their company staff are being made redundant.

At the moment we have no idea what's going on - there isn't really much information coming in. As far as I can tell I have two choices - wait and see what happens, or go looking for another job immediately.

I was pretty sore at them recently because I never seemed to get any promotion, and just as I was seriously considering leaving they suddenly gave it to me - unfortunately it's only recently taken effect so I haven't been in the new role for very long.

On the flip side, it must be said that this company is a vast improvement over the previous two with proper pensions, health plans, the works, hence me being reluctant to go in the first place.

I suspect that if I suddenly start taking days off "sick" and holidays all over the place it's going to look dead obvious that I'm looking for another job, thus making me an obvious target. There aren't that many games companies round here so I might have to move, which I don't want to do. I've considered leaving the games industry before but I'm not sure where to aim. My mother also pointed out that I've been here for quite a while so I should get a reasonable amount of redundancy pay if things go tits up. On the other hand I don't want to be out of work for any length of time. I've saved up a pretty hefty deposit to buy a house and I don't want to see it dwindle away to nothing if I have to use it to support myself.

It's complicated. What would you do?

markx1Mon 03/03/08 20:18

I still play Tomb Raider I now, sometimes.

cosmicbearMon 03/03/08 20:28

not sure if that's a big help, but i had a few interviews with game companies and a couple of them were actually willing to have the interview on a weekend...

can't you have an open word with them about your future in the company? maybe "hidden" in an appraisal?

#95306Mon 03/03/08 20:31

open word

Not sure what you mean there. As for getting an appraisal out of them, that was like trying to get blood out of a stone.

I'm happy with my position there at the moment - I'm just not sure whether to stay or go.

cosmicbearMon 03/03/08 20:48

sorry, that's probably a very german saying...

open word means to ask directly :)