Twitter user @supererogatory strolled by the reviews for id Software on Glassdoor.com and noticed some pretty bad things are (still) going on inside the developer.
According to the 10 reviews left on Glassdoor that span from 2009 – 2013 management seems to be the big issue, though parent company Zenimax is mostly well regarded. All but one of the reviewers would not recommend the company to a friend.
From the sound of it development for id’s upcoming Doom 4 is just at a standstill with employees going without tasks for months. It’s also important to note that 2013 saw John Carmack take a job at Oculus while maintaining a position at id until he abruptly left the company completely.
Have a look at the most recent review left in December 2013.
I have been working at id Software full-time for more than 3 years
Pros – The history of the company and the possibility of working on the next big thing is a powerful draw. The pay is reasonable, and there are still some really good people here trying to make the best of the situation. If you’re a strong, self-motivated individual, you’ll get a chance to learn a lot and grow more than you would at other companies.
Cons – The upper management. Hands down they are the most incompetant(sic), arrogant, and untrustworthy managers I’ve ever worked for in over ten years in this industry. They are doing such a horrible job that we’ve lost over a hundred people, including John Carmack, in the last two years. They’re bleeding the company dry of time, money, and talent; before they all bail with their golden parachutes. Zenimax is a patient, supportive publisher that takes a hands off approach, which normally would be great, but in this case is allowing the management to waste their time and money. People sit around untasked for weeks or months at a time, until the next publisher demo, so there is lots of time for people to sit around and be nasty to each or play politics to grab whatever favor they can. There is no chance for advancement or career growth, and Zenimax has stopped giving bonuses because the studio consistently fails to deliver. The game itself is re-invented every six months to a year, so there is no foward progress to show for the last two years.
Check out all of the reviews at Glassdoor.com
