Layoffs?

http://massively.joystiq.com/2012/05/22/star-wars-the-old-republic-hit-with-layoffs/

I'm digging around for this subject. Is this normal for a team to get massively laid off after a release?

Not really. It would probably stem from the fact that the game was overly hyped and did not deliver completely what the fans were hoping for.

Edit. Hmm kind of a trend now isn't it?

It can happen, It's rare though.
If your game is bug free, you're not making DLC, and the studio isn't working on a new game, you usually downsize.

Seen this with The Matrix Online, and I've been loyal to the game since 2005. Unfortunately, it got downsized to five programmers because of shitty management, and it died out by 2008, if not, 2009. and I'm not too surprised about this sort of thing.

The game "stabilized".... that is, there does not appear to be explosive growth anymore. Given the nature of the game, there was no need to keep on that large of a staff. Layoffs were expected, but I don't have enough experience to know if this was a larger number than expected.

All Points Bulletin by Realtime Worlds, six weeks after release. It was a promising game but it seemed like they made no effort to make appropriate changes when they received feedback during their beta testing and during release.

Oh, and the "restructuring" and "reshuffling" of Squeenix's development team after the FFXIV disaster.

Someone over at BSN mentioned that Stalney "End of the Line" Woo, was fired too. I didnt see his name on the moderators list. Whether i like it or not it is always sad for person to lose his/her job and i hope to all the people and Woo to find a better job.

Indeed.

I am a bit surprised Woo wasn't let go after some of his comments during the Dragon Age 2 debacle, though...

Fired? I thought he left voluntarily?

Here's Stanley Woo's statement regarding this in his own blog: http://worstninjaever.blogspot.com/2012/05/bye-o-ware-yay.html

Sounds like he wasn't really enjoying his job, something his superiors picked up on, so he was "let go." I remember being let go in a very similar way, when my supervisor realised my heart wasn't in my work at all.

Brent Knowles, Drew Karpyshyn, now Stanley Woo...I wonder how many people are still left from the company's glory days?

Please dont compare Brent Knowles and Drew Karpyshyn to Stanley Woo. The man's greatest achievement was spawning a meme because of his arrogant behaviour after the DA2 debacle. Bioware are no less of a company at his loss, unlike the loss of Knowles or Karpyshyn.

i just saw a Moderator called Ninja Stan closing a thread using the End of Line. Acolyte or Woo never left the building? Bioware is hiding people as well?

He was allowed to continue to work as a mod, I believe.

May be do to the fact that everyone i know who's played it says its no where near as cool as they were led to believe. The game is tanking. They were expecting to challenge WOW, and now they are a laughing stock. Personally i am a little shocked. I remember being really irritated because my laptop wont play it, and i thought it was going to be awesome. Well now i'm maybe it was just my good fortune. PS i expect Woo to find a better job quick.

The only incentive I had to level my Agent to the cap was the class story. I was enjoying the possibility of playing it as a single-player as much as possible. I got my agent to level 20+ before I just lost interest with the game. For the record, I have been a
Star Wars fan for as long as I can remember, but the Force was just not strong in this one to keep me coming back for more.

"Eyes grow distant to the music of John Williams imagining how awesome Kotor 3 could have been..."

Their mistake was making it an MMO, i have no desire to play them, my time is already strangled by real life that the tought of an MMO sickens me.