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USgamer: "This Is How They Get Away With It:" Former NetherRealm Studios Contract Devs Reveal a Troubling Studio Culture
- Thread starter Kenzodielocke
- Start date
Yeah thats a real shit way to treat your temp workers. Been looking to buy MK11 this week but not after reading that.
This is really fucking disgusting and make me not enjoy playing the products of this companies, fucking behemoth companies with tons of money treating people like nothing as disposables, reading all this stories as of late just make me really not want t support any of this companies like for real, people in the industry need to unionize ASAP put a stoping ground on this because this is inexcusable. I am sure as hell not buying MK11.
I'm so surprised. Not. Shitty working conditions are one thing but some leaks make even the big players in the industry go crazy. I remember Microsoft going quite wild once because of a leak... but you get what you pay for.
They put out a quote for work and they got a yes. Doesn't that mean they offered a price that cleared the market?
And maybe they should used some of this awful lot of marketing money to paying and treating actual workers as human. And maybe, those won't leaked because they care about their work and company.
I think the most depressing part is how quick these stories die down. The Bioware story was huge but died down in time, the Epic crunch story barely lasted a week, and the first NRS story felt like it was about to fade away until this popped up.
E3 is around the corner and by then all gaming journalists will mostly be asking questions about whatever new hype games companies are showing instead of the work culture.
E3 is around the corner and by then all gaming journalists will mostly be asking questions about whatever new hype games companies are showing instead of the work culture.
The lack of workers pushback against executive tyranny - aka the power of unions - quickly turns people into monsters. I know too many people who work in all sorts of development and tech sector, and the story is always the same.
No matter the face they put on to the public, the bosses know they can be tyrants to their employees and take out their bullshit on them because no organized force will stand up to them.
No matter the face they put on to the public, the bosses know they can be tyrants to their employees and take out their bullshit on them because no organized force will stand up to them.
I don't support NRS since MK9 and now I have more reasons not to do so. Ed Boon should be ashamed.
Not gonna lie, kinda of disappointed in him. These stories are normally about guys that I've never heard of so it's very sad to hear someone who's games I've been playing for 25+ years is a shithead.
Seems like every week there is one or two new stories about toxic work culture/management plus crunch hell.
I really hope that developers either unionise or the industry realises it needs to change as a result of it all.
I really hope that developers either unionise or the industry realises it needs to change as a result of it all.
This all day. This is predatory behavior we should be screaming about. Not optional purchases for trinkets you feel like you're owed.
Fuck Ed Boon and fuck his "Wacky and super relatable dev dude!" act.
The Injustice 2 leak bit is utterly disgusting.
The Injustice 2 leak bit is utterly disgusting.
I don't disagree that they should pay better wages and not have a terrible work culture, but not leaking things you sign NDAs for is not mutually exclusive to that idea. A disgruntled employee doing that is hurting everyone else at the company and only adding to the problem.
Unfortunately, this is an industry built on access. These media and journalist websites live and die by their trust with these big companies. If these journalists ask questions that dig too deep, they're not going to get a response, and they'll only be blacklisted for asking such questions in the first place.
Is this real? Does something like this actually take place? I'm just stunned... like, really.
What a fucking disgusting company. $12 an hour for digital art? What. The. Fuck. :(
What a fucking disgusting company. $12 an hour for digital art? What. The. Fuck. :(
This article plus this part:
This what you show to people when they open their pie hole to rail against better universal healthcare.
Where the fuck is the dignity in all of this?
This what you show to people when they open their pie hole to rail against better universal healthcare.
Where the fuck is the dignity in all of this?
Wait, you're telling me that the studio responsible for incorporating Ronda Rousey and known for extreme fetishistic focus on hyperviolence in every possible facet of its games might be... not good?
This whole situation is disgusting, but I think that your reading of this particular incident is off the mark. The head of Netherrealm screamed at the temps because of their bias toward the temps regarding the Injustice 2 leak without any apparent consideration that the leak came from a full-time employee. Easy scapegoating without need of self-reflection.
Viewed from the top of Netherrealm, the process they have in place isn't seen as the problem that it actually is. Their releases have consistently met with critical and commercial success since MK9, so why change?
Sigh. This is horrible and makes me feel guilty for supporting the series. Sucks to see the real human cost of something you love.
Even my basic job i at least get $15. This is slavery basically. :/
Incredibly unfortunate but not surprising, contractors/temp workers get treated like dirt and particularly so if you're junior level. Those wages are laughable.
In France (where I lived), some of Eugen System made a strike for 50 days in February 2018. There is Union in France for video games.
They were all fired just before chrismas.
I don't want to play devils advocate but theres a couple points I have issue with:
No matter how unfair it is, never, *ever*, go in to a contract gig with the expectation of being hired on full time at the end. You will always get fucked. This isn't specific to netherrealm, this is a common thing amongst all companies of all shapes and sizes. If you are taking up a contract work, fully plan for the work to only last as long as the contract period, expect to move onto another gig after. I don't care if you're the biggest MK fan in the world. I've done a fair share of software dev contract work in the past and its always negotiated and signing time. If you aren't satisfied with the terms, don't sign the contract. And never expect the contract to change based on word of mouth. Always have backup plan B, C, and D ready to go months before your term ends. "But thats not fair!" Yeah, sorry. It isn't. You gotta watch out for yourself first and foremost and never trust empty promises. Ask for shit in legal documents, and never expect anything otherwise.
Now, another discussion is in regards to the ratio of contracters vs. full time employees. I think theres a very good argument that NR abused their contractors. However, as a contractor, you only have so much leverage. You are not an employee, and don't have the same type of unionization ability of "real" employees. Honestly, it's a tough pill to swallow, but as long as people are willing to take these contracts, this will continue. Also people are acting like this is unheard of when IIRC, this is an industry standard for many artists to be contracted work with low pay. This isn't specific to netherrealm.
Also, shameless plug, but if you're in the chicagoland area and want to work with a great dev, as an ex-dev from Wargaming Chicago, I can fully recommend that none of this bullshit existed there. So go check it out if you don't mind lots and lots of tanks, lol.
No matter how unfair it is, never, *ever*, go in to a contract gig with the expectation of being hired on full time at the end. You will always get fucked. This isn't specific to netherrealm, this is a common thing amongst all companies of all shapes and sizes. If you are taking up a contract work, fully plan for the work to only last as long as the contract period, expect to move onto another gig after. I don't care if you're the biggest MK fan in the world. I've done a fair share of software dev contract work in the past and its always negotiated and signing time. If you aren't satisfied with the terms, don't sign the contract. And never expect the contract to change based on word of mouth. Always have backup plan B, C, and D ready to go months before your term ends. "But thats not fair!" Yeah, sorry. It isn't. You gotta watch out for yourself first and foremost and never trust empty promises. Ask for shit in legal documents, and never expect anything otherwise.
Now, another discussion is in regards to the ratio of contracters vs. full time employees. I think theres a very good argument that NR abused their contractors. However, as a contractor, you only have so much leverage. You are not an employee, and don't have the same type of unionization ability of "real" employees. Honestly, it's a tough pill to swallow, but as long as people are willing to take these contracts, this will continue. Also people are acting like this is unheard of when IIRC, this is an industry standard for many artists to be contracted work with low pay. This isn't specific to netherrealm.
Also, shameless plug, but if you're in the chicagoland area and want to work with a great dev, as an ex-dev from Wargaming Chicago, I can fully recommend that none of this bullshit existed there. So go check it out if you don't mind lots and lots of tanks, lol.
