Massively^™

Well, that was fast.

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You hate to see anyone lose their jobs.

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Yeah, it's sad when people lose their jobs, in particular a few weeks before Christmas.

On the other hand, the game wasn't very good, and IMO partnering with a company like Gamecock is a risky path to tred. They piss off so many people with their antics..I suppose the theory is that they attract more than they piss off. I know the Gamecock affiliation was part of why I wasn't going to give them any of my money.

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Fury was a bad idea to start with, and badly executed. I think it's petty to judge a game based on its "affiliations" (Oh noes, they're associating with the WRONG PEOPLE, horrors!) but Fury's concept held no interest whatsoever for me.

Might and power and fighting prowess is only relevant within an interesting CONTEXT. Fury had NO CONTEXT, it was just fighting for no particular reason; FOR UBARNESS!!1!

So of course it was made of epic fail. I would have been shocked and dismayed if it had done well, because it would have been a big victory for the "Dragonball Z"-like mindless conflict trend in MMO's.

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I don't see how they can say that all staff members have been let go, the Trainz (another Auran game) team still seems to exist and they still have a team working on updates to Fury...unless these are all outsourced I don't get it

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People need to understand that the story is a press release and was a specific market announcement about "Auran Developments". The parent company is "Auran Holdings" and their other operational subsidiary, "Auran Games" are doing quite fine.

Since Fury and Trainz are now in their operational phases, they don't need development any more. Instead of winding up the development company and paying a truckload more cash, they simply put it in to "administration". It is an effective strategy for reducing costs and quickly offloading staff. I am not suggesting it is either an ethical or moral way to treat people but that's the way the world works.

The positive outcome is that the Australian gaming development community lives on - all staff will be paid out according to contract and the industry is eager to re-employ them, and those staff will get industry experience with a new organisation. Rinse and repeat. Blizzard staff beget Guild Wars staff. The world gets better.

Auran as a whole will live on too.

Judge Fury on its merits. Does it suck as a game or not? It's a fairly subjective opinion. And since the game now appears to be FREE, give it a go and make up your own mind.

I reckon everyone should download it and give it a go. At the very least show support for the oldest Australian games company that has put Australia on the world map as an outstanding creative developer - Dark Reign, Trainz, and Fury. All big projects. And with Fury they put more money into a single development than any other Australian games company ever.

Fury: http://www.unleashthefury.com/free2play/

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