From two CIG employees:
Everything I post below is my own opinion. Nothing here is vetted or reflects company policy. This is 100% my own, personal view.
I obviously can't say too much here for obvious reasons but I can tell you flat out that after working in the Games Industry going on 18 years, CIG is by far and away the best place I've ever worked. Easily.
Speaking from the UK studio's perspective we have incredibly understanding management, what I would consider a notably above average wage for the GI and a slew of perks. We have fantastic support when it comes to both physical health and mental health, a very fair PTO scheme, flexible working hours and if everything keeps going the way it's going down the line when we RTO, we should have very fair WFH systems put in place wherever possible. They also let us develop, with a very proud 'tradition' of training and promoting internally. Very early on in my career I was asked where I wanted to go, within 6 months I was on the road to exactly that, with resources provided that would help me get there. I'm now one step short of that dream goal after coming from the very bottom of a totally different ladder.
I've made mistakes and screwed up work plenty. I've wasted days of my own time chasing dead ends. We all understand that in this industry this happens and is par for the course. In those moments where I've made a mistake, I've been treated more than fairly. (Though I'd say a big part of this is I probably grew up since my first GI jobs and can now hold my hand up and say 'Yeah I screwed up' rather than arguing or coming up with excuses. A big lesson to learn in your professional life that one, and nothing to do with CIG I suppose, even though they're great!)
Crunch isn't something we deal with very often, but in an environment where we have quarterly releases it can sometimes feel a bit hectic. On the rare occasions we do need to do OT we have a system in place where you can't be unfairly singled out. You're also fed from the local take-outs when this happens so that was always nice. On site food and drink is provided for free for the most part and we're allowed to interact with backers either on studio tours or on the net, in social media or like this!
For those who know me on twitter and other places you've probably seen I spend a lot of time in VRChat and I frequently hang out with, interact with and play with backers in this game and others. No other company I've been in would allow this.
CIG treat us like trustworthy adults because of that I respect the fairly obvious rules we have in place when it comes to a project like this. So many studios in the UK treat you like a criminal in waiting. CIG lets us be ourselves in and out of work, and those of us who love this project are allowed to continue loving it as a backer, just like you.
CIG gave me opportunities no one else ever did. Within a year of working at the company I was attending our Manchester CitCon event, helping the stage performance and reveal of the Carrack. Within that first year I found myself in the rehearsal room of the convention hall having a conversation with the big CR himself. I'm still not even sure who was in charge when I worked at <big publisher> and they would have NEVER let someone so new to the company have that opportunity. CIG let me grow.
While you have me, I also just want to say that I was one of the CIG guys who was very outspoken about the Kotaku article a while back (in fact I'd go on to say that most of their coverage of this game is p*ss poor.) Don't get me started on that, but I can promise you CIG have never told us what we can and can't think or say about these events publicly or otherwise. We're free to say what we feel and speak we did. We all know how that went down in the end.
Obviously everything you've seen here is from someone very happy to work at CIG. Someone who was a backer before an employee and someone very passionate about the project. I've no doubt not everyone feels the same, but I have never encountered anyone yet who wasn't happy working there.
Sorry for the wall of text. I've surely missed something so if you have questions, ask away and I'll answer where I can.
***EDIT***A few people have responded mulling over the idea of applying and being unsure if they should. Rather than reply to each one by one, I'll add this little bit here.
CIG is a fantastic place to apply for your first job in the industry or if you're looking for a career change. You can do far far worse. Consider what motivates you, why do you get out of bed in the morning? What keeps you getting out of bed 4 years later? I gave up my last job and returned to the Games Industry because I just couldn't stomach the idea of working on Marketing Automation Tools anymore. I realised that money wasn't a motivator for me and working on my biggest passions (gaming) was far better. I'm still living the bachelor life and have no dependants, so for me, this was an easy choice.
Lastly, every studio has slightly different requirements for their roles. The worst you'll hear back is no, so why not go for it if its' something you want.
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I can also vouch for CIG as an employer. I work in the talent team so I mix with quite a lot of existing and new staff.
From my personal experience it's without a doubt the best employer I have worked for and I do see myself with the business long term.
I also work directly with the Dev team, I can't speak for them personally but yes I believe the general feeling amongst the staff is that we are lucky to work here.
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It sounds to me like they are both pretty happy with their work; you take the good with the bad. That’s how life works.
