Skate developer going through mass layoffs as player base continues to dwindle: ‘I can’t believe they missed the mark so hard’

Well, it would seem that EA’s revival of the Skate franchise is slowing to a crawl, as developer Full Circle is going through restructuring that will “impact” some of its employees. To put it bluntly, the company is likely performing a mass layoff as player counts are at two percent of their launch-day peak, when the title had attracted some 134,000 concurrents.

“As Skate continues to evolve, we’re transforming as a studio,” a note from Full Circle reads. The studio claims it is being “reshaped” so as to allow for a more efficient approach to supporting Skate in the long run. It will “focus the team on the things that matter most to you and making those things great,” but “some roles will be impacted” to enable the team to shift priorities.

“The teammates affected are talented colleagues and friends who helped build the foundation of Skate. Their creativity and dedication are deeply ingrained in what players experience today,” the studio noted.

The game is not being shut down, despite the softly worded layoff. It will continue chugging along, with this downsized studio supposedly having a clearer vision of what players want and how those things can be implemented.

“Our work on Skate continues. We look forward to working with you as we move faster, listen more closely, and deliver consistently for all of you. Our commitment to Skate, and to the millions of players who believe in it, remains strong,” the studio concluded.

These layoffs come as Skate suffers from massive player count issues, with the game fluctuating around two percent of its all-time high achieved around launch last summer. In raw numbers, some 2,400 concurrents play Skate on average, whereas it peaked at around 134,000 only half a year ago. The free-to-play revival of the beloved Skate franchise had amazing prospects initially, and even I praised it in my preview back then.

However, it would appear that Full Circle failed to engage with the live-service model effectively enough to retain its player base, prompting many to leave and, evidently, never return. Even when it first launched, players were dissatisfied with its new “cartoony” art direction, which contrasted heavily with the more gritty, edgy, and altogether 2000s style of the older Skate games.

EA and Full Circle said that, among other things, it was a top priority for the live-service model to improve. Instead, Season 3 of Skate will have part of its map locked behind a paywall, available only to those who purchased a Premium Pass for the first month or so. It could be that monetization practices pushed the fans away from the game and into the embrace of its predecessors, despite a solid mechanical and gameplay base.

Fans discussing the studio’s downsizing on social media emphasized how Skate started off strong but wound up riding itself off a cliff for no apparent reason. “I can’t believe they missed the mark so hard with this one,” one user noted.

They emphasized that just bringing back the old Skate and marketing it to its core audience would have been a formula for success, but that “instead we have an out-of-touch mess that they seemingly aimed at the Fortnite demographic, but that isn’t the crowd that was wanting Skate so bad.”

Others wanted a clearer explanation. The studio’s wording doesn’t really reveal what exactly happened behind the scenes. Whether it’s financial woes or developers not meeting deadlines is anyone’s guess, and unless EA comes clean about it, it’ll remain shrouded in mystery.

The fact of the matter, unfortunately, remains: Skate is slowly fading, its players are nowhere to be found, and its creators are now fewer.

The post Skate developer going through mass layoffs as player base continues to dwindle: ‘I can’t believe they missed the mark so hard’ appeared first on Destructoid.

Rainbow Six Mobile is now available on mobile devices worldwide, and there are a fair number of operators to unlock at launch.

Operators in Rainow Six Mobile are broadly categorized into Attackers and Defenders. Suffice to say, every Operator is different in terms of how they operate. Despite the game being in its early days, some Operators are simply better.

This guide will help you figure out which Operators are pretty strong in the current meta, and which ones are best avoided at all costs.

Complete Rainbow Six Mobile Attackers tier list

To separate the Operators, I have used four different tiers.

• S-tier Operators are the best choices in their respective roles, and they’re extremely strong at launch.
• A-tier Operators are pretty close to the names on the S-tier, but they have a few weaknesses.
• B-tier Operators are strong characters to consider, but they’re not exactly meta.
• C-tier Operators are either clunky or just poor overall. They’re best avoided unless you’re a fan.

First, let’s look at the Attackers.

S-tier

Name	Reason
Hibana	Hibana is the best breacher in the current roster, all thanks to her X-Kairos Launcher. She can breach fortified and softer walls equally well and open new areas for her allies.
Dokkaebi	Having information on your hand is crucial, and that’s where Dokkaebi comes in. While I don’t like the fact that you have to get at least one kill with her, the ability is absolutely overpowered.
Thatcher	Thatcher is arguably the best supporter in the entire game and his EMPs are great to disable opposition gadgets. This can put the enemy team on backfoot and hand your allies an unexpected advantage.
Lion	Similar to Dokkaebi, Lion can reveal enemy movements. His signature weapon helps to restrict the enemy movement, and you can also use it to corner isolated targets.

A-tier

Name	Reason
Thermite	Thermite is almost as effective as Hibana when it comes to breaching doors. However, his Exothermic Charges can be slightly clunky to handle, which puts him in the A-tier.
Twitch	She is one of the easiest characters to master as her Shock Drone auto-targets and disables enemy gadgets. She’s A-tier since the enemy can shoot at her when she’s controlling the drone.
Capitao	Since he can cover the enemy’s vision of the map, you can force your opponents to play in certain zones. This allows your allies to corner and flush them out for easy kills.
Ash	A solid breacher who can open up multiple entry-points and secure them due to her incredible speed. However, you’ll still need to master the art of rushing in, as timing it poorly can end with you getting killed instead.

B-tier

Name	Reason
Sledge	While Sledge is limited as a breacher due to the slow speed of his hammer, his melee ability makes it easy for you to learn the basics with him.
Deimos	This is one of the hardest attackers to master, and he also struggles when playing alone. Deimos can be considered as A-tier in a well-coordinated team.
Buck	Buck is the perfect example of an Operator who can do almost everything without specializing in any area. His ability to break soft surfaces without having to change his primary is really cool.
Ying	The Candela Flash Charge is amazing at blinding the enemy, but aiming it with precision is extremely difficult on a mobile device. You’ll also need other allies to max out its effectiveness.

C-tier

Name	Reason
Glaz	The Therman Flip Scope allows Glaz to see enemies in smoke, or when you’re hidden in smoke. The problem is the heavy reliance on smoke. If there’s no smoke, Glaz’s ability has zero value.
ATK Recruit	Good starting operator with an extra gadget, but should be replaced at the earliest possibility.

Rainbow Six Mobile Defenders tier list

For Defenders, I have once again used a four-grade tier system, with similar logic behind every rank.

S-tier

Name	Reason
Mira	Mira’s Black Mirror allows you to view enemies through soft and reinforced surfaces, which is such a fun ability to have. Moreover, the enemy will have no idea that you’re well aware of their movements.
Bandit	Arguably the best Defender in the current meta, his Shock Wires are absolutely stunning. The gadget can nullify almost all Breacher abilities and prevents them from breaking the surface.
Mute	He becomes a must-have if the opposition has Dokkaebi. Mute can deny all opposition information with his drones. His jammer also activates against enemy gadgets that can be detonated remotely.
Maestro	Maestro’s Evil Eye is great at detecting enemies with its laser, and the high durability is a bonus.

A-tier

Name	Reason
Smoke	Smoke is a classic Defender who uses his Gas Grenade to keep enemies from entering specific areas. The effects last for a decent amount of time.
Jager	Jager has one of the simplest gameplay. Once you plant his Magpie Defense Systerm, it’s job done. Your remaining task is to hold the strategic points and shoot at the opposition attackers.
Kapkan	Kapkan’s Entry Denial Device is a brilliant hybrid that can either hinder enemy movement, or even get kills (thanks to the five charges).
Frost	Her Welcome Mats, if placed properly, can restrict enemy Attackers for the rest of the Round. However, the placement is key to maximize their effects.

B-tier

Name	Reason
Caveira	If you’re good at takedowns, Caveira is S-tier. She can locate all enemies by completing an interrogation (which requires you to take down a single enemy).
Valkyrie	While her Black Eye Camera can provide information to the team, it takes a lot of time to set them up effectively. Sometimes, rounds might be over before you can properly set up all her cameras.
Castle	His Armor Panel is great at slowing down enemies when they’re trying to push on to the objective.
Rook	A very basic Defender who has extra HP to take more damage. However, he is slightly slow to move.

C-tier

The DEF Recruit is a good operator to learn the role of a Defender, but he doesn’t have much use otherwise.

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