Test Drive 2 dev Eden goes on strike

By Robert Purchese Published 11 May, 2011

Atari "mismanagement forces lay-offs".

Alone in the Dark and Test Drive Unlimited 2 developer Eden Games has gone on strike against parent company Atari.

The protest comes as the French developer finalises cuts of 51 jobs from its 80-strong team.

"Eden Games pays now for Atari mismanagement," wrote Eden in a statement provided to Eurogamer sister site Gamesindustry.biz.

"For several years we are witnessing multiple leader changes at its head, they did not hesitate to get rich despite financial difficulties.

"Atari does not play the game of negotiations with employee representatives on the redundancy plan measures. Employee representatives of Eden until now have been extremely collaborative, respecting the very tight deadlines of the redundancy plan."

The strike, described as a "symbolic day strike", hopes to demonstrate "determination and mobilisation" to Eden employees. The result Eden hopes will be an audience with Atari CEO Jim Wilson, "who has never introduced himself to his employees".

The ultimate goal of the strike will be to ensure that "an employee of Eden Games is compensated the same way as an employee of Atari".

Atari is yet to respond.

Yesterday, Atari told Eurogamer that Test Drive Unlimited 2 will "continue to evolve" through "regular releases of DLC". The publisher was responding to a forum post that referred to the imminent Exploration Pack add-on/patch as the "final update".

Looking ahead, is this the end of Test Drive Unlimited? TDU2 was released in February. Eurogamer awarded 7/10.

The first 15 minutes of Test Drive Unlimited 2.

Picture of Robert.

About Robert Purchese

Bertie is Eurogamer's Senior Staff Writer. When he's not hunting down news stories he's often found playing with his kids or gabbling about fantasy games and strange online worlds. @Clert on Twitter.

Read more articles from Robert by visiting the Robert Purchese archive page.

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Comments (24) Latest comment 1 year ago

Comments for this article are now closed, but please feel free to continue chatting on the forum!

  • TheNinkyNonk #1 1 year ago

    Funny, I'd have thought their output of decidedly average games was more to blame
    Edited by TheNinkyNonk at 11/05/11 @ 15:12

  • Ranger101 #2 1 year ago

    @TheNinkyNonk - who says the mismanagement isn't responsible for their output of decidedly average games? ;-)

  • Machetazo #3 1 year ago

    "Eden Games pays now for Atari mismanagement," "For several years we are witnessing multiple leader changes at its head, they did not hesitate to get rich despite financial difficulties. "

    Is that intended to be read as Eden, the TDU2 developers having been subject to continual leadership alterations, or is it Atari where that's taken place? As illuminating as this might be, I'm not happy with the things they're suggesting, especially for TDU series, that I hoped for good future for, and thought it was headed in a good direction to begin with.

  • TheNinkyNonk #4 1 year ago

    @Ranger

    I do.

    Publishers might green light concepts based on market demands or business strategies but it's down to the developer to execute. There's room in the market for a AAA driving MMO or survival horror but not ones that are as middle of the road as Eden's games are. There's just no life or personality to them IMHO.

  • homerramone #5 1 year ago

    Mr nonk,
    I dont see how the dev can be held solely responsible. Its quite often the case that its the publisher who calls the shots re game design and features. If the publisher is paying the bills, and this publisher wants feature putting in then that feature goes in. Regardless of the dev team saying 'thats a shit idea and it wont work'
    Oh and to suggest that the only driving games have to be AAA ones is just plain crazy.

  • asphaltcowboy #6 1 year ago

    "Publishers might green light concepts based on market demands or business strategies but it's down to the developer to execute.

    Hehe, have you worked in the games industry?

  • agparrot #7 1 year ago

    The whole TDU2 release thing has stunk, from the beginning, of publisher needs overriding the state of the product for release, and indeed of having meddled in the inclusion of many things that have made the transition from TDU1 to TDU2 a bumpy and backwards one.

    Of course, if these things are the fault of Eden, they have nobody to blame but themselves, but if they've allowed Atari to call all the shots, and that is why TDU2 is the mishmash of brilliant ideas and poor execution that it is, then the blame lies at both their doors.

    Sadly, this tiny, diplomatic 'strike' won't reveal what really went wrong, and the loser in the long run is the gamer, which is a shame.

  • neilka #8 1 year ago

    French stop working, film at 11

  • RodHull #9 1 year ago

    A mate of mine used to work at Reflections and his experiences under Atari are quite horrifying. Not quite as bad as say the military junta in Burma, but pretty Draconian. Think New Labour crossed with a shift supervisor in McDonalds.

  • Daeltaja #10 1 year ago

    The moment these money obsessed execs fuck off, the better.

    Anyway, putting out average, broken games doesn't help either.

    I tell you what though, the current rise of the indie developer, is a beautiful thing.
    Edited by Daeltaja at 11/05/11 @ 15:52

  • Eldritch #11 1 year ago

    Judging by the game's quality they went on strike way before the game went gold.

  • HL706 #12 1 year ago

    "Hehe, have you worked in the games industry?"

    If I had a pound for every time I've heard;

    "The guys at (Studio X) had (Killer Feature Y) in (Smash Hit Game Z). I think our game should have the same feature!"

    I'd be on the Forbes rich list by now :-(
    Edited by HL706 at 11/05/11 @ 16:02

  • Murton #13 1 year ago

    So let me get this straight, Eden Games and Atari are two separate companies, but one is owned by the other and the people at Eden think they should get the same perks and treatment as the guys over at Atari? Which company do they work for again? Who have they signed terms and conditions with, is it Eden or Atari?

    Now you guys are losing your jobs, around 60% of you in fact, and that's terrible and you have my sympathy, but how exactly did you figure out that you're somehow entitled to something that isn't in your terms and conditions?


    But then, the French do love a good strike, carry on.

  • kristo #14 1 year ago

    Sympathy will come when they make complete non broken games and not the steaming pile that is TDU2.

    Might be better now, patches and whatnot but its been consigned to the bin of "meh"

  • metalangel #15 1 year ago

    Good thing that patch has already been sent for certification, it might be the last thing we see for a while.

    I might never get my bikes!

  • RobotRocker #16 1 year ago

    Hooray. The industry is getting some balls. If only this became a trend.

    Though French Law is probably helping Eden. If this happened in America, the entire studio would probably be canned out of spite

    Good thing that patch has already been sent for certification, it might be the last thing we see for a while.

    I might never get my bikes!

    People are fighting for their jobs, livelihoods and the right not to be abused and taken advantage of in the work place, and all you can care about is a patch for the game and additional features.

    I am completely speechless at how callous people can be over videogames. What the hell people. WHAT. THE. HELL.
    Edited by RobotRocker at 11/05/11 @ 17:40

  • Anthony_UK #17 1 year ago

    Whoever was responsible for releasing TDU2 in the state it was in needs to hang there heads in shame, whether that was Atari or Eden. These days people won't stick around until DLC time and trade your game faster than you can say 'laggy unfinished mess'

  • Tryhard #18 1 year ago

    They posted this on the TDU2 forum.Sadnews for all.

  • TheNinkyNonk #19 1 year ago

    @hommer

    There is an abundance of evidence to suggest that games that aren't AAA (regardless of genre) aren't selling well in the current climate (for a variety of arguable reasons). All I'm saying is that if you push average games out of the door at the moment yet ask a full RRP, you're asking for trouble. Blaming it all on your publisher just stinks of sour French grapes.

    @asphalt

    No, but I have worked in the web and music industries and am quite familiar with the publisher-client-designer relationship and the respective politics and bullshit that go with it.

    And unless I'm misreading it, there's nothing in this article to suggest that the problem between Eden and Atari was due to Atari interfering during development, more that they're being fucking ruthless now the game isn't bringing in the bucks, which having played it, is no surprise.

  • mrboshingles #20 1 year ago

    Frogger remake confirmed.

  • Subdominator #21 1 year ago

    So that's pretty much it for Eden. With only a core team left all they can do is release DLC for TDU 2. Might keep them going for a year and then it's game over. I admire that they strike for better payment (as any employee should) but with TDU 2 they don't exactly have good arguments on their side. Aside from the game's quality (I thought TDU was better) if your product doesn't sell once you're on probabtion. If it doesn't sell twice you're pretty much done. Eden even got a third try after the commercial failures of both TDU (despite being released as a budget title in the US from launch day) and Alone in the Dark and now TDU 2's bug infested launch and lower than anticipated sales. To want more money in such a situation can only lead to the publisher saying "You want mo money? Ok, we fire half the team and give their money to you. Because there is no way we pump even more money into this company".

    But racing game developers are going down right and left these days. :(

  • metalangel #22 1 year ago

    @RobotRocker: Fuck off and take your high horse with you. I have loved and defended this game and Eden in the face of tiny-minded haters throughout its difficult times since launch. The original TDU was the game that sold me a 360 in the first place. The sequel should be huge as it is a unique experience in a fairly stale genre but unfortunately it's now better known for its bugs due to a botched launch, and it's a tragedy that the developers are now paying the price when it sounds like it's published stupidity that's to blame. We've known they had big plans for it but because it was rushed out the door they're being forced to do damage control in the form of huge patches.

    Further, don't fucking put words in my mouth. I never said I didn't care what happens to Eden so long as I get my patch, and I love how having made up an 'evil' stance for me that you then feign concern for a group of people you've never met so as to put yourself on the moral high ground.

  • RobotRocker #23 1 year ago

    Further, don't fucking put words in my mouth.

    Then put words in that support the developer in the first place instead of whining about it when others call your post out on sounding callous, skippy.

  • metalangel #24 1 year ago

    @RobotRocker: You're the one who decided it was callous, and immediately passed over-the-top judgement on the grounds of your own misinterpretation.

    As I said, I've never met anyone from Eden and I doubt you have either, so I find it hard to believe you were genuinely rendered 'speechless' by my upset that they might not continue making the products I love. Saying, "oh no, those poor people" won't do them any good, but supporting them by being their customer will.