BioWare Employee Reviews about "bioware"

Pros

There are a lot of amazing talented people there and EA offers great support to help in wfh and work / life balance.

Cons

It really felt like a sinking ship as more and more experienced developers were departing to other studios. A lot of pressure then falls on remaining staff many of them inexperienced, uninterested, or immature. Bioware seems like it is one final misstep away from closure and that everyone that can leave is leaving. There is not enough individual accountability with many developers who are simply not good enough for a studio of this legacy seeming to spend all their day creating distractions.

Pros

- Fun perks, game deals - 'Community' events for coworkers - Being able to work on top quality titles

Cons

- It's now become just another EA studio clone. The dollar is the ultimate bottom line now, as opposed to the quality (of both the product and the workplace) which used to be the priority. - Long hours of expected crunch with poor food options during finaling stages is still a problem here - Excess bloat of middle-management 'producer' positions which are full of people with little to no experience in the departments they are working with causes ignorant scheduling and inappropriate tasking - Contradiction in cross-department training/moving. The company likes to say that they support people wanting to transfer to another department and will help someone get time to be trained/mentored into the role they are interested in, but from what I witnessed it's extremely rare that this happens. Once you know how to do something, you will be doing that one thing for years to come. - No upper management left that is still fighting for unique BioWare culture and perks (which is why it's entirely gone) - Workspaces are now very large open rooms that are loud and distracting - not even cubicle dividers were used in a room full of ~50 employees. For more introverted people that require quiet spaces to focus and concentrate, this can create anxiety and stress because there's no other option. People will literally be hollering from once side of the room to the other on some days. - Blatant contradiction in policy regarding remote work - there are various employees working from remote locations yet when management is asked about opportunities for remote work, the answer is 'we have a company policy that states we do not allow staff to work from remote locations', which is repeated when the existing cases are pointed out.

Pros

- People are in general kind, friendly, and helpful. Many of these people are the best in the world in their individual roles and they care enormously about the games and their team. - Upcoming projects are exciting and look great. - Company is family-oriented and leads constantly stress that you should keep healthy work-life boundaries (a nice change from past years). - Studio is moving soon to a new, very nice office space. - Perks are great and pay is pretty good. - Looks great on paper. - Edmonton isn't as bad as people assume. - Lots of people REALLY love the games.

Cons

- Siloing has always been a huge issue at BioWare. - Some leads are really insecure which can manifest itself as either avoidance behaviour or abusive behaviour. - A small but passionate section of BioWare fans have historically and will probably always be mean to our company and our games. - EA is a double-edged sword.

Pros

- Average age of employees here are much higher than other game studios I've previously worked at. Reinforcing my observation that they really make it a place you would like to stay and settle down in. - Despite the usual industry technology churn and process changes, management is always approachable and willing to listen to your input, feedback and is sincere about your concerns. - Family oriented; if you need to take time off for your kids, family issues or involved with outreach, BioWare will work with you on making it happen. - Quality focused, the senior leadership team and leads at all levels are focused on making quality games. Though we have KPI targets, meta critic ratings to aim for, at the end of the day people are willing to put that aside if your decision is to make the game better instead of bean counting.

Cons

- Location makes it hard to retain talent, especially when attracting younger talent. - BioWare culture is harder to export to sister studios, which can cause misalignment with decisions and direction. - EA though mostly hands off especially on the creative development of the game, still consistently tinkers with the studio structure, management and process, causing past senior leadership members to leave and it erodes BioWare's company culture.

Pros

Reasonable pay, top notch benefits, free breakfast, unique perks (fitness allowance/transit pass program). Lots of fun, well intentioned staff events and food rewards. Plenty of genuinely good and friendly people.

Cons

So much awesome with weird pockets of dysfunction. Some groups almost feel external in how disconnected they are from the company culture and values. A lot of your usual politics, favouritism, and underlying tension from group to group. The vets will regale you with stories of BioWare past, but there are remaining signs of such a tight-knit group of like minded folks working on industry leading games. EA assimilation is well underway, and you're trained to dread it and resist it.

Pros

Great projects and great teams!! There are so many passionate people that continue to push boundaries each and everyday. The studio has a deep desire to put the staff and fans first, which creates an awesome cultural work space.

Cons

Sometimes there are a few bad eggs that seem determined to derail the project or team goals or just simply have a hard time getting on board or fitting in. I don't think this is unique to BioWare, just something that becomes tiring.

Pros

Good work-life balance. A lot of employees are older, with kids; as a result, the focus is on sustainable work practices rather than a bunch of twenty-somethings competing to see who can work the most hours in a week. Although crunch does occur now and then, the company makes an effort to minimize it. Lots of friendly, intelligent coworkers. Generous time off allowance at Christmas. Free breakfast. Plenty of opportunities to work on high-profile, AAA projects. Good job security; although there have been selected layoffs, BioWare has largely been unaffected by sweeping cuts. The studio general manager, Aaryn Flynn is a genuinely nice guy who cares about his employees. Alberta has the lowest tax rate in all of Canada.

Cons

Edmonton is an ugly, boring city. The winters are cold, dark and long -- and as a result, BioWare has a tough time recruiting new talent. There is no significant "tech" presence in the city; if you get laid off, your only other option is to go work for the oilfield. Cost of living in Edmonton is high (although not as high as say, Vancouver.) Salaries are lower than what you could be making elsewhere.

Pros

Very talented and very friendly colleagues. Project direction is very strong, and I think many companies could learn from BioWare's professionalism. The company is spending a lot of resources on teaching and growing employees skills. Challenging, but very rewarding. Company culture is open and fun with lots of social events, friendships and beer!

Cons

Bioware is a big company, and while they mainly run things their own way, the are also part of en even bigger corporation, EA. The higher levels of management can feel very corporate and not transparent. The strong project direction has a downside too - you have to deal with very strong egos and some arrogance.