3 ms·

EA, about 15-20 years ago, was paying $35k for programmers, and working them ~80 hours a week. It was so bad that EA lost a lawsuit that cost them about $90k pe

EA, about 15-20 years ago, was paying $35k for programmers, and working them ~80 hours a week. It was so bad that EA lost a lawsuit that cost them about $90k per impacted employee, since the courts ruled that they were being treated as hourly employees, not salaried. That is to say, due to “passion”, entry level game programmers aren’t making much more than $40k a year. They have no negotiating power going in, since there’s a hundred others who will willingly take their place at the low wages, just to be in the videogame industry.

pandaman 6y ago
Do you mean the ea_spouse lawsuit? I don't know what EA cost had been but seeing that affected people were paid 5-15K I doubt it was 90K on the front end. As for $35K for programmers - maybe in Canada? I don't believe for a second EA could get any significant number $35K programmers in their main studios in the US (CA,TX) or even Florida. And when I worked there 15 years ago they equalized salaries across the internal studios with COL adjustments.