This Is How They Get Away With It:" Former NetherRealm Studios Contract Devs Reveal a Troubling Studio Culture

[Juggs]

So there were cliques, employees getting underpaid and yelled at, a lot of overtime, and people being made fun of? Sounds like literally every job I’ve ever had, lol. Doesn’t mean it’s “right” but this isn’t something that is exclusive to NRS.

 

[portent]

So there were cliques, employees getting underpaid and yelled at, a lot of overtime, and people being made fun of? Sounds like literally every job I’ve ever had, lol. Doesn’t mean it’s “right” but this isn’t something that is exclusive to NRS.

Nor is it exclusive to just the entertainment industry.

"Crunch", or whatever they call it in each industry, always exists.

 

[Juggs]

Nor is it exclusive to just the entertainment industry.

"Crunch", or whatever they call it in each industry, always exists.

Yeah I worked 300+ hours a month for about 9 months straight a couple of years ago at my job. It was awesome getting all that overtime.

 

[Marlow]

I know crunch exists in many industries, and that NRS is certainly not exclusive in their work environment issues. The question though is whether we think this type of work environment is acceptable, and if not, what could/should be done to change it. It's not about blame. I don't blame any one person at NRS for this, they're just doing what the market allows them to do.

 

[Scyther]

No you are still not getting it. The point I am making is that one guy is feeding the population but nobody cares about his situation, whereas people go apeshit if somebody in entertainment has to work overtime.

Maybe people ought to be making some noise about how farmers are treated too. Because neither is right...

 

[deathstroke187]

i had to take multiple breaks reading this shit. This is inacceptable , yeah it seems that NRS deserve the heat. In the past i applied to work there im happy that im not.

to all contractors stay strong there is other companies that wont treat you like shit i can confirm this.

BTW if any contractors want to contact me in private do so. im also in the industry i can help

 

[ZeroSymbolic]

Maybe people ought to be making some noise about how farmers are treated too. Because neither is right...

Again farmers provide a basic need, do you want farmers to get together and start arguing to sell food at the highest possible profit. I don’t think you’d like that.

 

[kevkopdx]

No you are still not getting it. The point I am making is that one guy is feeding the population but nobody cares about his situation, whereas people go apeshit if somebody in entertainment has to work overtime.

I dunno, I think generally speaking people hate Monsanto. Organic local farm raised foods keep gaining popularity. I wouldn’t go so far to say the farmers plight is smaller than the crunch industry. Farmers markets are very popular where I live, despite the higher cost.

 

[Samsara]

So there were cliques, employees getting underpaid and yelled at, a lot of overtime, and people being made fun of? Sounds like literally every job I’ve ever had, lol. Doesn’t mean it’s “right” but this isn’t something that is exclusive to NRS.

What's your point exactly? That this isnt exclusive to NRS? So what? I think most people use what's going on at NRS, Riot, Bioware, etc. to push for and industry wide change.

Your post just seems like deflection. Actually, that's exactly what it is.

 

[Eddy Wang]

Duuude, i lost all my will of wanting to work there someday, it looks like an horror movie.
We all love mortal kombat, but come on, this are human beings we're talking about, feels like a lot of jobs in Angola and it sucks just as hard.

$12 per hour gives you like 96 dollars if you submit for a 8h of work daily, which by a month it should give you 2k, that looks like so little.

 

[Marlow]

Duuude, i lost all my will of wanting to work there someday, it looks like an horror movie.
We all love mortal kombat, but come on, this are human beings we're talking about, feels like a lot of jobs in Angola and it sucks just as hard.

$12 per hour gives you like 96 dollars if you submit for a 8h of work daily, which by a month it should give you 2k, that looks like so little.

Don't forget to take out payroll taxes and income tax withholding.

If anyone is curious what a $12 per hour paycheck looks like, it's easy to calculate: https://adpvantage.adp.com/static/v3.6.0.451/paas/portlets/ipay/calculators/hourlyPaycheckCalculator.html

About $750 per paycheck, over 26 pay periods is $19,500 in take home pay per year, or about $1625 per month. That doesn't include a healthcare plan.

Then try and figure out a way to stretch that $1625 per month to cover rent, food, tuition payments, car payments, things like that. Not mention if someone has children/family to take care of.

 

[Juggs]

What's your point exactly? That this isnt exclusive to NRS? So what? I think most people use what's going on at NRS, Riot, Bioware, etc. to push for and industry wide change.

Your post just seems like deflection. Actually, that's exactly what it is.

They’re lucky that NRS is such a big brand and company. Where something about how everyone is treated could have repercussions. Not everyone is that lucky. Most people just have to put up with it with nothing ever coming close to changing no how many people complain. But since it’s NRS it’s a “sexy” story and suddenly people give a shit about the working class.

 

[Scyther]

Again farmers provide a basic need, do you want farmers to get together and start arguing to sell food at the highest possible profit. I don’t think you’d like that.

Don't they do that now? I mean, at least here in the U.S., where capitalism is everything, farmers operate commercial farms as a business and seek to make the most profit they can from their yields. Because...ya know...that's the name of the game.

What are you going on about?

 

[ZeroSymbolic]

Don't they do that now? I mean, at least here in the U.S., where capitalism is everything, farmers operate commercial farms as a business and seek to make the most profit they can from their yields. Because...ya know...that's the name of the game.

What are you going on about?

They kind of do but their are over arching regulations because they provide a service again that is a basic need. It gets complicated but the basics is that there is a hard cap on what they can charge.

 

[Marlow]

If you want to factor in OT, assuming someone is working 100 hour weeks, so about 120 hours of OT per paycheck, that would bump up the paycheck to about $2250. It works out to an extra $3,250 a month, but that's probably only about 2-3 at most, and that's a generous clip. It works out to likely an average of $2031 per month, on an annual basis. So $2031 per month, to try and support yourself, possibly a family, and also save up money for the future. Good luck.

 

[trufenix]

Maybe people ought to be making some noise about how farmers are treated too. Because neither is right...

Plenty of people advocate for farmers, agricultural scientists, and all walks of the food production industry. They have unions and government associations and corporate backing the same as every other industry. This guy is just soapboxing.

 

[Juggs]

If you want to factor in OT, assuming someone is working 100 hour weeks, so about 120 hours of OT per paycheck, that would bump up the paycheck to about $2250. It works out to an extra $3,250 a month, but that's probably only about 2-3 at most, and that's a generous clip. It works out to likely an average of $2031 per month, on an annual basis. So $2031 per month, to try and support yourself, possibly a family, and also save up money for the future. Good luck.

Then don’t take a job with pay that isn’t adequate to your living situation.

 

[Wrenchfarm]

lot of boot lickers in these threads.

nobody ever has a good explanation of why it needs to be like this. These games are immensely profitable, how can they not afford to pay their employees - who make the product that produces all the profit - better? Why are they so dead set on turn and burning a never ending mill of contractors instead of hiring people and maybe providing stability and a path to build a career on? If MKX can sell 11 MILLION copies (and who knows how much DLC cash cow money they milked out of it), why do conditions have to be so punitive and spiteful to their employees?

We all know why. So a handful of shareholders and CEOs can pad their already swollen bank accounts, that's why. So leeches that had nothing to do with producing the product can sit around and hoard obscene amounts of cash while the people actually creating the product go home exhausted, broke, and suffering from conditions they can't treat because these vampires won't even provide them with a health insurance plan.

sounds like a great set up. Nope, can't see any reason to change this ever.

 

[Eji1700]

Then don’t take a job with pay that isn’t adequate to your living situation.

Ah right of course how silly. I should take the 20 million a year CEO position rather than the "Grind my life away for nothing" one.

The big issue with all of this is that it's only possible due to some insanely shady tactics which keep the entire industry (which requires a very specialized skill set) with rock bottom wages, because it's impossible to stay on or move up.

Start the project, hire your temps, grind them out, fire them all, repeat, and if it's anything like the practices I've seen, you've almost certainly got questionable off the clock requests as well.

 

[Sage Leviathan]

Then don’t take a job with pay that isn’t adequate to your living situation.

Just pray you get a job where your supervisor doesn't rim you for your depression in the workplace because you have no health benefits and are forced to work 100 hour weeks for months at minimum wage with a Master's degree 4head

 

[Juggs]

Just pray you get a job where your supervisor doesn't rim you for your depression in the workplace because you have no health benefits and are forced to work 100 hour weeks for months at minimum wage with a Master's degree 4head

That sounds awful. Is this your situation? If so, are you hourly or salary? Working 100 hours a week with a salary wage would be a big nope from me unless there was a big bonus at the end of the road or something.

 

[portent]

The big issue with all of this is that it's only possible due to some insanely shady tactics which keep the entire industry (which requires a very specialized skill set) with rock bottom wages, because it's impossible to stay on or move up.

This implies that the employees have zero power. That isn't true at all.

In fact, the contractors actually had NRS by the balls and didn't even realize it!

Once crunch started, you had an entire labor force who were all relatively trained. You're not going to go into crunch with a bunch of people who don't know what they're doing.

The contractors did not mobilize, did not communicate, and did not band together. Imagine how CRIPPLING it would have been if the entire NRS contracted workforce had mobilized and staged a walkout, solvable only with a signed agreement of better pay and additional benefits, along with contracted (on NRS side) requirement about treatment!!!

First of all, the media backlash would have been unbelievable. If it got out that a contracted workforce had essentially unionized and staged what amounts to a strike, then ALL the dev studios would have been afraid of it!

On top of that, MK11 would have taken a HUGE hit if NRS had to come forward and say "We are delaying the release of MK11 because our workforce is on strike." That would have raised questions, and people on strike would have told their stories of low pay, long hours, and poor treatment.

It would have looked MUCH better if NRS could publicly come out and say "We are delaying the release of MK11 so that we can ensure the health of our contracted work force during the most crucial time of development. Our workforce is the essential building block of the games we create and we believe that a additional 2 months delay in order to ensure their health is worth the wait". That turns NRS into heroes, instead of them being demonized.

Again, there is accountability on both sides. They shouldn't have been treated that way, but instead of allowing themselves to be pitted against each other, they should have worked together to fight for themselves, better wages, better hours, and better treatment.

 

[portent]

That sounds awful. Is this your situation? If so, are you hourly or salary? Working 100 hours a week with a salary wage would be a big nope from me unless there was a big bonus at the end of the road or something.

Unfortunately this is becoming more and more the reality for many undergrad and post graduate students. Primarily because they come out of school assuming that the piece of paper they earned automatically entitles them to a high paying job in the field they studied at school.

 

[Marlow]

This implies that the employees have zero power. That isn't true at all.

Actually it implies that "employee" singular, has limited power. Which is very true. However, you are correct that when employees can band together and form a union to collectively bargain they normally have much more leverage.

But coming together and forming a union is pretty tough, especially given the current employment environment.

 

[Marinjuana]

lot of boot lickers in these threads.

nobody ever has a good explanation of why it needs to be like this. These games are immensely profitable, how can they not afford to pay their employees - who make the product that produces all the profit - better? Why are they so dead set on turn and burning a never ending mill of contractors instead of hiring people and maybe providing stability and a path to build a career on? If MKX can sell 11 MILLION copies (and who knows how much DLC cash cow money they milked out of it), why do conditions have to be so punitive and spiteful to their employees?

We all know why. So a handful of shareholders and CEOs can pad their already swollen bank accounts, that's why. So leeches that had nothing to do with producing the product can sit around and hoard obscene amounts of cash while the people actually creating the product go home exhausted, broke, and suffering from conditions they can't treat because these vampires won't even provide them with a health insurance plan.

sounds like a great set up. Nope, can't see any reason to change this ever.

Multiple posts have talked about why there's a large supply of cheap labor available for NRS. I don't see anyone saying, "fuck NRS employees, they shouldn't get paid more". I think some people here have enough experience to know that there's a certain amount of "that's life" here. I worked at a printing company in Philly for 10$ an hour, they hired temp agencies to do work that probably never would get done other wise. Not all of those temps were US citizens, some couldn't even speak english. The company would pay the temp agency and the temp agency would apparently pay those workers less the minimum wage.

Could the higher ups take a pay cut? Sure, but they could also sell the company and move on to something more profitable, it's not like the printing industry has been killing it the past couple decades, they had to lay off like 40% of their staff in the late 2000's. It's part of the reason they have temp workers now. Do you like having print work? Posters, booklets, letters, calendars, etc? Well you are gonna get less of it without cheap labor. And that's just talking the USA, not getting into how we import a ton of shit from China(like textiles for the printing industry) because their(on top of other reasons) their cheap labor keeps prices down.

This isn't trying to be "what aboutism", NRS should take heat for this. But sorry, my first hand experience seeing companies do much worse stops me from being outraged.