HWSW Interview with Alf Covey & Andrew Humber

Since the bad or good news (I guess views do vary about this issue) about the end of 3dfx arrived, we have seen quite a lot of Q&As done with NVIDIA PR on how they see the event etc. However, only a few asked reps of the perishing company. In the name of fair play, we believed that we should ask the opinion of the other side as well - though it must be added that former 3dfx employees are not easy to reach these days. Alf Covey, ex-PR Manager at 3dfx, has always been one of my most informative interviewees; this time again he helped us out and gave us his last interview on behalf of 3dfx.

UPDATE: While I was posting Alf's answers, I received another package of answers to the same questions from Andrew Humber, European PR Manager of 3dfx. As Andrew's replies are rather interesting too, I added them to Alf's so that you can compare their views...

HWSW: Even though everyone was aware of the fact that 3dfx has been struggling with financial problems lately, your selling your intellectual property rights and certain assets to NVIDIA Corporation as well as the dissolution of the company struck the gaming community and all people following the stages of the cruel battle going on in the 3D chipset market. About a month ago, when rumor began to spread webwide about such a plan, we asked PR reps of both companies; and needless to say they claimed that this was but groundless speculation. Did you know about this deal? Or was it some sort of top secret negotiation between the high executives of 3dfx and NVIDIA?

Alf: I think it's safe to say that all options were kept open right to the end and at the time we were asked, it was groundless speculation. After all, there were rumors about NVIDIA buying out... well, virtually every one else in the industry too at that point.

Andrew: Like most negotiations of this kind it was handled by only the most senior executives in the company and due to its sensitive nature it was not announced internally. We were only made aware of it at the very last minute.

HWSW: Your number one fan and customer support site, 3dfxgamers was shut down all of a sudden. This means that all 3dfx users are left without technical and driver support. Though we could read in your official press release that you might consider maintaining a support company; is this really a possible alternative? Or otherwise, what exactly will remain of 3dfx?

Alf: 3dfxgamers.com was down temporarily due to technical problems. It should be up and running as we speak.

Andrew: 3dfxgamers.com is up and running, I can only assume that it was down when you checked it for another reason. As for tech support the USA parent has confirmed that technical support services will continue to be offered until February 15th to assist end-users, and that warranty obligations continue to be met. Local multi-language technical support in Europe will continue to be offered until at least January 15th. Arrangements for the long-term support of products will be advised shortly.

HWSW: Many analysts say that your downslide began with the introduction of the V3 series, a card, which – despite its popularity – was lagging behind your competitors’ rival products as far as features go. What went wrong? What are the reasons for this sudden ruin of a formerly prosperous company?

Alf: The direct reason for the recent events was six or seven quarters of substantial losses. There are a number of factors involved, but let's not forget that despite the lack of certain features, the Voodoo3 series is still a strong retail item.

Andrew: 6-7 quarters of making losses basically but there has been a dramatic shift in the retail market over the past quarters. We have experienced a significant slowdown in demand for our products, especially the Voodoo 3 and Voodoo 5 boards. This slowdown is consistent with the overall softness experienced by the PC market. In addition, we've experienced pricing pressures in the channel. Finally, our inability to secure a bank line of credit has impacted our ability to build inventory to meet even the existing demand.

HWSW: What will happen to the current employees of 3dfx?

Alf: 3dfx is doing what they can to ensure that employees are taken care of and move on to prosperous careers with other people. In addition, NVIDIA announced in their shareholder conference call, that they would be extending offers to approximately 110 3dfx employees. You can listen to both the 3dfx and NVIDIA conference calls at www.bestcalls.com.

Andrew: I know that around 100 engineers have been offered positions by NVIDIA in the US, however for most of the company, including all of Europe we have been made redundant and will be in the offices up to January 15th. After that, well, who knows!!

[oldal:Q&A 5-8]

HWSW: Did you like working for 3dfx? Or was it a gloomy place?

Alf: You gotta love working for a place that lets you wear shorts! Seriously, I enjoyed my time here and the people I worked with. I also really enjoyed my job working with the Internet community. Not only that, any company that does a promotion where Lara Croft hand-delivers a Voodoo5 to your door, is very cool.

Andrew: If I could do this all over again, I would still take the job with 3dfx! I've had the opportunity to work with some great people and 3dfx, despite the problems it had towards the end was a true pioneer in its field and has been overall a very positive experience.

HWSW: Also, do you know anything about your future prospects? Are you planning on moving to NVIDIA's staff?

Alf: As for my own personal plans, I am looking forward to bringing my strengths over to a winning team and moving on with developing corporate/end-user internet relations. I'm talking to several people currently.

Andrew: Personally I've had some interesting offers but I'm taking my time to ensure that I end up with something that I really want. I'm owed some holiday so I'll be taking some time off and then I'll be back all guns blazing very soon. Any interactive companies out there looking for a PR Manager, give me a call :)!!

HWSW: How do you envision the future of the 3D market without 3dfx? Will this cruel battle continue? Are we to face the emergence of a dominating giant company, i.e. NVIDIA?

Alf: As with any such battle, gaps tend to be filled in. Personally, I expect healthy competition to continue in the market. It can't be denied that NVIDIA got some cutting edge technology in this deal and I'm sure that we're all anxious to see how that pans out.

Andrew: NVIDIA acquired all of the 3dfx technologies, trademarks etc. so I can't see how there could be any existing battle between 3dfx and NVIDIA. As for the state of the market from now, I'd suggest you speak with them!!

HWSW: What would you suggest to the huge community of 3dfx card owners? Are they supposed to throw their card out into the dustbin?

Alf: Absolutely not! It's still a great product, has fantastic image quality, and the reasons to purchase it have not changed. Support will continue for as long as we are able, and both hardware and software are stable and compatible and should continue to be that way for some time to come.

Andrew: Until we have confirmed our long-term plans for tech support and warranties, I certainly wouldn't suggest anyone throws away their cards. We had possibly the best no-returns situation with our boards with very few issues occurring that required boards be replaced. Drivers will continue to be available on 3dfxgamers.com and we will do all we can to ensure that our loyal customers and fans are not left out in the cold – keep your eyes open for announcements regarding this particular issue.

Thank you Alf and Andrew, and best wishes for your pursuits!