- The former Bungie chief legal officer, Don McGowan, says the studio hired fans because they would work for less pay.
- The legal exec argued that game companies can get away with paying less because fans develop a game they love.
- Don also remarks he was asked by many colleagues upon joining Bungie how much of a pay cut he suffered.
Sony’s acquisition of Bungie is one of the more controversial ones in the gaming industry, with reports suggesting that the conglomerate is unhappy with the studio. Rumors regarding the studio’s full takeover by Sony have only grown in recent times, and a potential restructuring is also on the cards.
Now, a report suggests that Bungie has allegedly been using underhanded tactics to hire developers. The former Bungie chief legal officer, Don McGowan, said the studio hired fans because they would agree to work for less pay.
He claims that Bungie can get away with it because dedicated players work on a game they love.
Why it matters: Bungie only hiring fans to work on its titles because they would agree on lower pay is a highly controversial and predatory move, as per many gamers.
Speaking in an interview with the International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees (IATSE), Don McGowan clarified that gaming companies can get away with hiring fans for low pay, and Bungie ‘totally took advantage of that’ strategy. It is allegedly a popular hiring approach for Bungie.
you’re working on a game you love. And we totally took advantage of that at Bungie. We hired fans because fans would work for less.
The situation is seemingly so bad that one in three of Don’s coworkers even asked about how much of a pay cut he suffered after joining Bungie.
All in all, the words of the former Bungie exec have garnered a lot of negative opinions. Many users across various forums are unhappy with such a big Sony studio employing underhanded tactics and using the love of fans against them.
Do you think Bungie has taken advantage of fans by paying them less to work on games they love, or is it just a nothing burger? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below, or join the discussion on the official Tech4Gamers forum.
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Shameer Sarfaraz has previously worked for eXputer as a Senior News Writer for several years. Now with Tech4Gamers, he loves to devotedly keep up with the latest gaming and entertainment industries. He has a Bachelor’s Degree in Computer Science and years of experience reporting on games. Besides his passion for breaking news stories, Shahmeer loves spending his leisure time farming away in Stardew Valley. VGC, IGN, GameSpot, Game Rant, TheGamer, GamingBolt, The Verge, NME, Metro, Dot Esports, GameByte, Kotaku Australia, PC Gamer, and more have cited his articles.
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