Respawn Entertainment has responded to an anonymous review by Glassdoor that the developer was overcharging employees and applying strict deadlines during the work-from-home period. An image of the review was shared on the Apex Legends subreddit, where several employees responded to the post, especially game director Chad Grenier.
The review said that Respawn, unlike others in the industry, was not extending its timeline for Apex Legends updates nor flexible with deadlines while teams work from home. The anonymous employee said they were working 12-13 hours a day and that the team was not adequately planning to do a live service game.
Grenier (u / HkySk8r187) wrote a lengthy reply in the post comments, addressing the issues. “I’m going to step in on this because a lot of it falls on me as the Apex team leader, but I really think Respawn has its [employees] best interest and health in mind, and always have, “Grenier wrote.
The rapid transition of the team working together in a shared workspace to work from home was not an easy change and Respawn had no systems in place to allow for a smooth change, he wrote.
“As the Apex team leader, I spoke every day telling people to just work as hard as they can. This was reiterated by the Studio leadership and the EA leadership as well. Many have children at home since the schools are closed, or maybe their work environment is not comfortable, they don’t have a proper home PC or they have to care for sick family members, “Grenier wrote.
Grenier wrote that both Respawn and EA put systems in place to ensure employees working from home were cared for, such as unlimited time off for those who felt physically or mentally ill, reimbursing any purchase to make working from home more comfortable. and an additional payment. each check to cover increased energy and internet bills.
As for the fixed deadlines, Grenier noted that Apex Legends Season 4 was extended for two weeks to provide the team with more time.
“Like a broken record, I continually asked people to speak to their managers or producers if they couldn’t get their jobs done on time without setbacks. The delays would be fine, we just need to know that one is needed,” Grenier wrote. . “Remember that weird [two] week delay when season 4 was supposed to end, and then magically an additional [two] Were weeks added to the end of the season with no weekly challenges? Yes, that was because I delayed season 5 for [two] weeks. “
Grenier wrote that even though leadership tells everyone not to try hard, the team is full of passionate workers, who always want to do their best, even in circumstances where it is difficult to do so.
“The only thing I learned about the team during this pandemic is that the team is full of a lot of rock stars and doers. Nobody wants to be the person who raises their hand and says they are not going to hit.” your deadline, “wrote Grenier.
Lastly, Grenier closed by writing that, above all, that while Respawn and EA are not perfect, both companies care more about the health of their employees, pandemic or not, than profits.
“As one of the original Respawners, I can honestly tell you that Respawn (and EA) has been a great place to be for the past 10 years and it is a place that puts people first,” wrote Grenier.
In other Apex news, the search for Season 5 ended with a provocation for a new character and a new map, possibly in Season 6.
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