2011-2021 was the heyday. Upper management actually cared and was transparent about the company’s financials. It was a place of high trust and the CEO/Upper Management actually cared and protected us.
Depending on your department pay was either above average for the DC area or it was lower especially if you were QA.
However Robert Altman took care of us- generous bonuses, subsidized perks in the form of an affordable cafeteria (free breakfast, smoothies, coffee, snacks, and $4.50 lunch entrees. Sometimes I would bring home two salmons dinners for me and my partner because where in the DMV can you get two salmon dinners with sides for $9), a gym, yoga and hiit classes, etc.. On of my coworkers had a stalker and the legal team not only protected them but helped put the creep in jail; gamergate/far-right toxic trolls often attempted to doxx us and called in bombthreats; the company made sure we had a police presence and took threats to our safety seriously.
Then Microsoft came, Robert Altman died, and everything had gone down hill. Morale is at an all time low between studio shuttering and layoffs due to Microsoft’s focus on shareholder value and greed.
Microsoft never had the money to buy Activision so instead they are robbing peter to pay paul at Zenimax’s expense. It’s a damn shame to watch a true gem in the AAA scene be slowly strangled because Microsoft and the leadership at XBOX keep making terrible decisions and ruining the gaming industry landscape for both the talented/devs and the consumer.