Gamesindustry.biz has recognized the winners of the UK Best Places to Work Awards in video games. Thus, among the four winners whose structures exceed two hundred employees, there are two companies from Xbox studios, these are Rare for the second year in a row (Sea of Thieves) and the Playground Games (Fable e Forza Horizon).
How do you know, the video game industry is a very difficult sector; studios literally have to fight to have their place in the sun, however fleeting it may be. Whether it is the mempres structures or the world-famous heavyweights, no one is safe from “commercial failure”. This then results in more than questionable pressure and working conditions upstream and possible layoffs, as was the case recently at Naughty Dog.
But the environment in which employees work does not depend solely on this. Therefore, it is a question of pressure, of course, but also of discrimination, remuneration or even organization, for example.
But we shouldn’t fall into melancholy and see the behind-the-scenes of our favorite media as hell on Earth, where passion is the only engine that motivates the little hands behind our games.
We’ve done it again! So happy to announce that we have won a @GIBiz Best Places to Work UK Award! ?
Another one to add to our collection. Congratulations Team PG! ? pic.twitter.com/EdKkB0XMQV
— Playground Games (@WeArePlayground) October 2, 2023
Indeed, as this article announces, some studios are in the opposite case and offer a professional living environment decidedly pleasant, justifying the award. These were awarded at the BAFTA (British Academy of Film and Television Arts) in London. One hundred companies in the sector were questioned, both directly and through the employees themselves.
Various sizes of studios were considered in this ranking, from the smallest, with less than fifty employees, to those with more than two hundred. In addition to the main winners, specific categories were also highlighted such as combating climate change, protecting the mental and physical health of employees or diversity.
This celebration aims above all to encourage companies in the video game sector to offer better working conditions to their employees. Fortunately, today there is a tendency to speak out and practices are increasingly being denounced to advance little by little and shed light on the environment in which workers in the sector operate.
It is worth remembering that the Compulsion Games (Contrast, We Happy Few) had also been awarded two years in a row for similar reasons in Canada. This visibility will allow these studios to more easily attract talented people and can only reassure us about the development of future Xbox games.
