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EA's Open Letter to Ubisoft
Alex Petraglia writes "I'd actually laugh at this if I didn't find it so disturbing. An open letter sent from Alain Tascan, General Manager of EA Montreal, to Joel Tremblay, Ubisoft Montreal, begins as such: 'On behalf of all game makers in Quebec, I urge Ubisoft to stop the illegitimate practice of forcing talented people to sign employment contracts that restrict their creative and economic freedom.' EA came under great scrutiny last year with claims of stifling employee creativity, refusing to pay for overtime, and generally engaging in less-than-savory practices. Additionally, it's widely known that EA currently seeks to gain greater control over Ubi through a hostile takeover."
you would rather be a consultant. At least then you are paid by the hour. 80 hour weeks for 6 months at a time while death marching to an unrealistic gold date is no fun. When I was putting in 100+ hour weeks at a now defunct game company I calculated I could make more money on a per hour basis by being a manager trainee at McDonalds.
Yes, the benefits were good.......... but nowhere near the compensation for the long hours.
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If you're in California, you're right. We don't uphold non-compete clauses here, so I'm not shy about signing 'em. In lots of other states, though, they DO hold up. It's your job to be aware of which is which in your vicinity...
"You're right," Fisheye says. "I should have set it on 'whip' or 'chop.'"
Sadly, here in the States people can't value a good product. No, names on players are more important than quality gameplay and 2K Sports knows this. Luckily, Blitz: The League proved that you don't need a license (actually Winning Eleven has been doing that for years, but it has names if I'm not mistaken).
Oh well, I'm just crossing my fingers that EA doesn't snatch up the NHL license.
"This is considered plagiarism."
It's disturbing because EA has been (and continues to be) the target of class-action lawsuits over non-payment of overtime pay... not to mention the target of much online scorn over their working conditions. (Google for "ea_spouse" if you somehow weren't paying attention the past two years.)
Granted, it's not exactly the same issue as Ubisoft, but EA is in no position to be criticizing *anyone* over its employment policies.