MachineGames Reviews

Everyone that left the company before the release date of Indiana Jones got removed from the regular game credits and put as "Additional Contributions" on a foot note, without any of their job titles. Punished, creating a toxic culture of trying to keep people from leaving. Ironic that the first name in the credits and the public face is Todd Howard, when he is not even part of the studio or the day to day development. These people on "Additional Contributions" in Indiana Jones did mandatory crunch for extended periods, late nights, early mornings, weekends. I was asked for new tasks 20 minutes before the time of my resignation deadline, in which HR escorted me out of the building. Using vacation days was locked during these periods of time. Leadership broke their word on hybrid conditions and enforced full time return to office. Of course, overtime compensation is done in additional vacation days that, since they cannot be used until release or cashed out if you resign, is again another tool to punish you if you leave. 6 month non compete contract clause that forbids you to take another job with the rest of the industry, because a judge shut them down back in the day when MachineGames tried to enforce a 2 year non-compete clause. Look into the legal history of the company, they have sued ex-employees. Funny that they are so careful about non-competes and talent poaching, as MachineGames was created literally that way with people from Starbreeze. Nowadays they keep that clause as a bargaining chip so that people remain for the 3 months resignation period, in exchange for the company letting you have another job. Until your last day, you will always have the fear that they have the power to destroy your career future at any moment without a second thought. Mediocre salaries, and living in Uppsala is like being the protagonist of Groundhog Day. You will feel like a cog in the machine. If you join, have an exit date in mind, because your brain will slowly turn to mush as time passes.

- Promotion Criteria: Lack of transparency and consistency. Managers may promise promotions only to later shift the narrative, citing vague reasons like "not feeling the company." Proactive problem solving sometimes results in mixed feedback: either you're not involving producers enough or you're involving them too much. Constructive criticism of management decisions is often perceived as a threat to your career; - Conflict Avoidance by Leadership: Some managers prefer to avoid directly communicating problems and instead attribute their concerns to unnamed colleagues, which creates unnecessary tension; - Micromanagement: Instead of normal stand-ups, daily morning and evening reports are required (in a form of a short message in the group channels). Being late or missing these reports can lead to increased scrutiny from management. Some employees are subject to unfair control, which creates a feeling of constant surveillance; - Unpaid Crunch Time: Early stages of a project often lack planning, and problems accumulate until crunch begins. This leads to late unpaid overtime, which sometimes cannot even be fully compensated by additional vacation days. Relying on a last minute "magic" creates an extremely stressful environment; - Task Management: Task distribution is poorly organized. Some employees are left without clear assignments, because "seniors don't need tasks"; - Credits Policy: Employees who left the company before the release, even if they have been working on the project for several years, are listed in the "Additional Contributors" section without their proper job titles, which seems unfair and devalues ​​their contribution.