Bioware is evil!

Drunken Irishman · Feb 17, 2008

Well, it's nothing really new to anyone who has paid some attention to game development, but it's always nice to read bitter memories. Just like when all those Sierra developers started to talk about how shitty life was in Sierra even back in the golden days. Thought it would be a nice uplifting reading.

Noticed it in the Surfer Girl. Here's the link.

And here's an excerpt.

"EA gets a lot of the grief for their employment history.

For anyone considering work at Bioware, beware of them as well.

They use seriously cult like tactics to keep their employees towing the company line, but don't be fooled. The second you don't tow that line you'll be walked out the doors.

They love out of country workers because they don't understand the Canadain labour laws. They continually fire people with out warning. This is illegal in Canada. You must warn people of performance problems and give them a certain amount of warnings before you are allowed to fire someone."

Schauman · Feb 17, 2008

Quite few software developers do it like that, not just Bioware. It is a rather sad state of the business though and the fear of getting "blacklisted" is more serious than you may think.

Rockstar already did this with Manhunt 2. They killed the Rockstar Vienna studio which had worked on MH2 for two years and "somehow" forgot to credit the 55 peeps working on the game. While it may appear as a minor inconvenience it becomes rather fun trying to explain MH2 in your CV while the game fails to credit you. Rather painfull today when developers demmand +3 years of experience and 2-3 AAA titles released for off the street recruits.

Recall reading how couple of guys actually wanted their names removed from the credits for Manhunt 1. There were quite few anonymous developers spilling the beans on how the producers demmanded the people to go way beyond the limits of good taste and quite few involved were actually disgusted on the game they were making. But hey, it was either that or guys upstairs would boot you out. Good luck trying to find a stable job after that when you are a mere code monkey without proper CV or way to prove you have honest experience.

sabishii · Feb 17, 2008

Queue Warden

MetalCraze · Feb 17, 2008

that's why indies may be the next best thing.
they are democratic, based more on normal relations rather than on business deals.

if only that was enough and they actually could make games.

also - the possibility to get sued firing an employee without warning and explanations - isn't that a norm in every normal country?

peak · Feb 17, 2008

There's an interesting comment to that article allegedly written by a Bioware employee who has another POV of what's going on there. They hardly seem worse than other game developers (at least from what I've heard 'til now), which is just more things pointing toward the sad state of the industry.

obediah · Feb 17, 2008

skyway said:
that's why indies may be the next best thing.
they are democratic, based more on normal relations rather than on business deals.

Ha! I'm sure indie development is just as full of disagreements and bitter cunts as AAA studios. Maybe less abuse of hourly meat, but the clashing egos probably make up for it.

ghostdog · Feb 17, 2008

Who cares... we have this great Bibleman RPG to wait for.

thesheeep · Feb 17, 2008

skyway said:
that's why indies may be the next best thing.
they are democratic, based more on normal relations rather than on business deals.

Democratic? Well, that surely sucks... I'd rather have a dictatorial dev studio (nvm if it is indie or not), where the "leader" is not some kind of retarded idiot like it seems the case at Bioware, but one that cares for his employees.

Then again, I'd always prefer "good" dictators over democracy.

JarlFrank · Feb 17, 2008

thesheeep said:
skyway said:

that's why indies may be the next best thing.
they are democratic, based more on normal relations rather than on business deals.

Click to expand...

Democratic? Well, that surely sucks... I'd rather have a dictatorial dev studio (nvm if it is indie or not), where the "leader" is not some kind of retarded fag like it seems the case at Bioware, but one that cares for his employees.

Then again, I'd always prefer "good" dictators over democracy.

Same here. I plan on founding a game studio one day [wish me luck] and I'd set myself as the... say, "Benevolent Monarch" who is the lead designer and tells the other guys how the game should look like. But being a dictator doesn't mean being a dick [or a dick-tator, so to say], you should still keep a good relation towards your co-workers and treat them like humans rather than just some disposable guys who are necessary so you can make teh moneyz.

Also, if your employees feel like you treat them fairly, they work better. That's a fact.

inwoker · Feb 17, 2008

skyway said:
also - the possibility to get sued firing an employee without warning and explanations - isn't that a norm in every normal country?

rofl
skyway, are you sure about living in this world?

)

ghostdog · Feb 17, 2008

This post has been removed by the author and replaced with the quite disconcerting words "big scarey company vs. li'l ol' me."

I wonder what they could have said to scare him so much? "Delete this post NOW , or we'll never make the Sonic RPG !"

Schauman · Feb 17, 2008

ghostdog said:
This post has been removed by the author and replaced with the quite disconcerting words "big scarey company vs. li'l ol' me."

Click to expand...

I wonder what they could have said to scare him so much? "Delete this post NOW , or we'll never make the Sonic RPG !"

NDA and breaching it is Canis Majoris business. If the poster was an active employee or still under NDA (If BioWare even has one) then sprouting out things like that is a fireproof way to get the legal deparment on your rear end.

Lurkar · Feb 17, 2008

This is pretty much how it is in all companies dealing with games on a "professional" level. They can treat you like shit because there's ten thousand other people who all want to become game programmers, and they can all mash in code the same you can.

Oarfish · Feb 17, 2008

Unfortuanetly it's this attitude that keeps the gaming industry from getting organized.

Sounds like Canuckistan commie whining to me. Pretty much every games developer knows they can bugger off and write business software for more money and half the hassle. Fact is they have a job that a large number of people would love to do, and that compared with the stresses of say, being a young doctor or policeman is a total doss.

And it would take a union of games developers and allied trades about a year before it started banning its members from participating in the development of games which promote imperisialism or neo-liberal economics.

MetalCraze · Feb 17, 2008

inwoker said:
skyway said:

also - the possibility to get sued firing an employee without warning and explanations - isn't that a norm in every normal country?

Click to expand...

rofl
skyway, are you sure about living in this world? )

that's why I wrote -possibility-

as for indie devs - egos - yes. but still that goes down to personal relationships in team where money (there isn't much of it) has little influence. it's not like the big EA will come and tell who to fire, who to leave alone because you won't see any money.

JarlFrank · Feb 17, 2008

I guess over here in Germany it's pretty much possible to do that, and win the trial. But that's different on other parts of the world...

Warden · Feb 17, 2008

I will confirm this information, biowhore is indeed a fascistic company.
And I don't understand how can "NDA" forbid you to talk about abuses at work.

Andhaira · Feb 17, 2008

Tellme warden, what exatly is it that bioware did that has so...traumatized you and your childhood? Seriously, i am curious.

Warden · Feb 17, 2008

Andhaira said:
Tellme warden, what exatly is it that bioware did that has so...traumatized you and your childhood? Seriously, i am curious.

Moron, don't be a dickhead with me. I'm the only one who's not deliberately insulting you. So hush from now on, hyena.

Andhaira · Feb 17, 2008

Did the entire staff of bioware gangrape you in your crib while you were a baby? Or something?

Because its not really normal to go around with pictures of company employee's in your sig while at the same time insulting the company proper.

Warden · Feb 17, 2008

Andhaira said:
Did the entire staff of bioware gangrape you in your crib while you were a baby? Or something?

Yes they did. :cry:

I'm buying a plane-ticket for the Oprah Show as we speak. :D

Warden · Feb 17, 2008

And.. for the pics in my sig - I like to showcase beauty. :D You know, in the American-Beauty-movie-way.

Volourn · Feb 17, 2008

The man always keeps people down. the little person is always innocent. DOWN WITH THOSE WHO HAVE POWER!!!

Azrael the cat · Feb 17, 2008

[sings ronnie-james-dio style] lady eeevviilll!!!!

Bioware raped my vodka!!! And drank my sister!!!! AAAGGGHHHH!!!!

No seriously, read the comment by the Bioware employee at the end of the article. And I have to agree with those saying that it is a bit much to complain about working 50 hours a week. I might be a slack-ass PhD student who survives by pimping myself out to my much harder working primary-income-earning engineer wife, but BEFORE I hopped on that gravy train I did work as a lawyer for a few years. Not a mega high paid lawyer - I got out of that type of law after my articles, wanting to do something to help the community - but as a legal aid lawyer. I never worked less than 50 hours a week - 60 was more typical, and trust me, legal aid lawyers don't get paid tons in Australia. More the point, looking round at my friends' jobs - commercial hours are 50-60 per week, with no overtime so long as the base salary is adequate. Overtime is for physical labour and trades, where they actually have to undetake physically tiring tasks and get bad backs, and you know, 'work'. Large-firm commercial lawyers often work around 70-80 hours a week, not as some 'end-of-project' blitz, but just a normal week. Working 40-50 hours, with a working splurge near the end of the project isn't that bad, so long as EITHER (a) they get paid a decent base salary, or (b) they get extra leave, reduced hours at other times, etc. From the sound of that bioware employee that wrote in, (b) is correct in their case.

Jasede · Feb 17, 2008

Umm, in Germany (West Germany, East Germans aren't like that) people protested when a company planned to change the weekly work-load from 35 to 40 hours. On the streets, with signs, and with strikes.

Bioware is evil!

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