Red 5 has issued a press release regarding a "reorganization effort" leading up to Firefall's launch. As a result, some layoffs have hit Firefall employees.

Red 5 Studios announced today that the studio is being reorganized prior to the launch of Firefall.

"As Firefall matures, we must transition our priorities and our development strategy to focus on streamlined operations and live product support," said Mark Kern, CEO and founder of Red 5 Studios.

As part of the reorganization, Red 5 Studios confirms that it has released about 10 percent of its staff, the majority from Red 5's video internet entertainment channel, Stage 5 TV. Development of Firefall is unaffected by the reorganization and Open Beta Stage 2 is well underway with a major patch scheduled for later this month.

“See this grin on my face? I love talking about this game!”

After spending an hour talking to David Williams about FireFall, it’s easy to see why. As one of the lead designers at Red 5 Studios, Williams spends much of his time adding to a post-apocalyptic vision of Earth. But his passion for the game runs deep, sprawling into eSports and beyond.

After I’d caught up with everything the team is planning for Stage 2 of open beta (and there’s a lot of it), he tells me about a recent Jetball final. Following on from all the work the team had poured in over the past year, with an impressive spectator mode, new game types and new PvP gear, I’d asked how the competitive scene was going.

 “The European team – Epsilon – they’re probably the top FireFall team right now. And they were up against a team that’s been surprising everyone recently. It went to the third round of the third match, and it was 3-0 to Epsilon. The other team, they were pushing and pushing, Epsilon was bunkered in and it was a done deal.”

“The other team did this crazy push with about 30 seconds to play, got in and dunked the ball for three, and tied it up. Everyone in the chat room is going berserk. ‘Oh my god, we’re going to extra time.’”

“Wait a second. Ball just respawned. Epsilon’s going for it.”

“Five. Four. Three. Two. He’s taking the shot.”

“One. Bank shot. Ball goes in. One second to play, Epsilon wins by a point. It was nuts. So yeah, to answer your question, it’s going pretty well.”

Red5 Studios has revealed a deadly new toy this week for Firefall players to get their hands on as the new "Arsenal" Battleframe makes its way to the game. As hinted in the pretty scientific reveal for this new Battleframe, the Arsenal is an offensive frame that boasts high damaging capabilities and utility. Combine this with its deadly array of weaponry and you'll have enemies—and players—thinking twice before approaching you head on.

Looking to get into some high-flying sci-fi action this weekend? The development team at Red5 studios is giving you just the thing, as they've announced the final Beta Weekend Event for their upcoming MMO, FireFall, will be held this Friday, June 7.

Over the last few years, cloud computing has become a marvel of the business world. By being able to order computing power on demand, IT departments have been able to eliminate the costs associated with commissioning servers and kitting out data centers. It also provides flexibility, supporting firms like Netflix, Spotify and Pinterest as their user base grows.

Can cloud computing support a full-fledged MMO while still providing a stable, low latency experience to gamers? The developer behind sci-fi shooter MMO FireFall believed that it could, going on to convincingly prove it during an evolving, long-term beta that started earlier in 2012. You can even judge the fruits of their endeavour yourself this weekend, as Red 5 Studios are holding an open beta from February 22nd to 25th.

For those of you itching at a chance to get your hands on some open world jet-pack flying action this weekend, well you may be in luck. The team at Red 5 Studios has just announced their second "FireFall Beta Weekend event".

If the thought of flying through the air and flaying your enemies didn't get you pumped already, this "Verticality Trailer" that was released with the beta announcement just might do the trick.

Red 5 Studios announced today that the goal for the Founders Rewards program has been achieved. These exclusive rewards included Virtual Camouflage Goggles, the "Locust," Warpaint, and a Custom Thumper. To top it off FireFall's latest feature has been launched: integrated Twitch broadcasting. It is still possible to pick up a Founders pack and get in on the rewards.

Red5 Studios, the studio behind Firefall, has announced that they have finalized enough of the design decisions behind the battleframe and tier changes to outline the changes and why they were needed. "It is not possible to provide a balanced and entertaining experience in both PvE and PvP," the recent blog post states, "if both realms use the same gear."

"Players can, through time and crafting, gain a significant advantage over other players – this is not desirable in PvP.  The outcome of a PvP battle should be determined by skill and teamwork, not by which team spent more time and/or got luckiest in the open world."

If you've been itching to strap on your jump jets and try out the fast paced combat of FireFall, you now have an ideal opportunity.

As the first of three Public Beta Events in the next few months, this weekend, January 25 to January 28 you can pit your reflexes and wits against other players and NPCs without the need for a beta key.

FireFall is also getting cheaper! For the holiday season, why not buy yourself a Founder's Package? The Ensign, Lieutenant, and Commander packages ($20, $50, and $100 kits) are now $15, $37, and $75. Each upgraded kit brings you more stuff, including permanent experience increases, name reserves for the live game, access to the beta, real-world swag, and the Commander kit even snags you a personal transport. 

Julian "Mirai" Williams