Black Ops 4 Report Exposes Barbaric Treatment of Treyarch Contractors & Troubled Development

[@YongYea]

Meanwhile, Activision CEO Bobby Kotick raked in 30 million dollars in 2018. Show your support on Patreon.com/YongYea or PayPal.me/YongYea or by clicking the JOIN button, and you can also follow me on Twitter.com/YongYea for the latest updates. TOP PATRONS [CIPHER] - Thelionsam [BIG BOSS] - FreedTerror - Michael Shuler - Vin Giorgio - BobaFett912 [BOSS] - Joe Hunt - Peter Vrba - Time Dragonlord - Zach Ansley - Jonathan Ball - Alex Moretti - Michael Redmond - Kyle Crawford - Alaryyn - Mitchell Mason [LEGENDARY] - Michael P. Reid - Jake Betts - PrismatDragoon - Darien Cunningham - Mark Taylor - Nezzalonius - BattleBrit - Theron Webb - Abdulaziz al Senaidi - Gerardo Andrade - Phoenix X Maximus - D Kurtti - David Doty - BattleBladeWar

[@jmoa5758]

Here during no views!

[@JakeTylenol]

YongYea Is KZbin glitching? You have 46 likes and no views and when I saw this and it was at the 10 minute mark. Could be nothing but idk

[@thenethralking6032]

YongYea I sadly can’t say I’m surprised by this considering how shitty Bobby has looked and shown himself to be.

[@matttitangames7969]

Young is there any word on the Metal Gear Solid movie

[@Rainos62]

This is disgusting. This is inhuman they should be arrested for this disgusting attitude and enforcing segregation. They should do what wayfair did strike.

[@jaseneffendy17]

But it's not troubled development, it's a SURPRISE SETBACK

[@ebox147]

It's not depression, it's surprise sadness

[@KeybladeMasterAndy]

No, no, no. "Setback" is too negative. No corporation would use that as a spin.

[@ab-oj9wv]

"Innovative and flexible development cycle"

[@Fanatic808]

It’s not lies it’s TRUTHS WITH A SPIN!

[@Nebredrev]

Its not bi polar, its surprise mood swings.

[@A.E.B.0]

It's not "Human Rights Violation" it's a "Surprise Sweatshop".

[@arandompasserby7940]

It's not a "Surprise Sweatshop", it's a "No-Frills Work Environment" :^)

[@icantthinkofagoodusername4464]

It’s not “Blatant Discrimination and Classism” it’s “Surprise Prejudice”!

[@optidalfprime3904]

That's some "Activision magic" right there

[@vash_the_stampede6570]

Have you seen the CEO face? He looks like the Demon guy in the 2013 Devil may Cry reboot.

[@refugeehugsforfree4151]

Lol these testers get more privileges and money than an actual day labourer. They think this is hard? Come on man this is just BS they play video games for money, healthcare, and paid vacation? XD ahahahha

[@kyledilbert6424]

“Please do not hesitate to communicate actively with your manager” Yeah, sure, so they can fire you for exposing them.

[@DeathBringer769]

They'll make sure to invent a fake reason for firing them ahead of time as well, just so they can try to maintain "plausible deniability" and act like their firing had nothing to do with their justified badmouthing of the company, lol.

[@Blackemperess]

My thoughts exactly. How stupid do they think they are?

[@araonthedrake4049]

@@Blackemperess Considering they (or at least people like them) literally lied through their teeth in front of the UK Parliment... I think it's fair to say they expect everyone to be complete and utter morons.

[@bificommander7472]

Oh, no, no, perish the thought. They'd never fire anyone for voicing concerns to management. They don't have to, they can just not renew their temporary contracts.

[@Blackemperess]

@@bificommander7472 After psychologically, emotionally and physically destroying them with unbearable workloads.

[@EurobeatXIII]

This isn't worker's mistreatment, Its called Surprise company policy

[@theblackbaron4119]

After that it's an unlimited suprise vacation.

[@S2GUnit]

@@theblackbaron4119 "unlimited surprise vacation" lolololollllllllll ahahahahaffhfbfhffhfv

[@samwallaceart288]

Surprise Work Experience.

[@Prosperillusion]

🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣

[@acefreak9561]

Surprise slavery

[@Thebluedud]

I'm sorry, but I lost it when I heard the core devs can't talk to QA. That's literally, literally, in the top 5 worst ideas I've ever heard! Now, I'm only a student in game design, but in my limited experience, I kinda sorta needed to talk to testers. I would never find out about many bugs in my code if, you know, I couldn't talk to the person who was finding them!

[@ahmataevo]

A lot of companies are eliminating QA entirely, shortening the development time. The idea was that the players would become unpaid QA testers, but these fuckers don't even fix the bugs (cough BETHESDA cough cough).

[@tenjenk]

@@ahmataevo Cue bethesda never fixing decade old bugs that mods addressed. "oh woops we carried the bugs over to new games"

[@Hornswroggle]

I was on a 6 month internship in QA and I always had a Dev literally in arms reach. We were talking constantly with each other in order to figure out how to test what and where to keep an eye out for the most common issues. The environment at treyarch would have driven me nuts. Then again such an environment is illegal here in Germany...

[@user114009]

You maybe misheard, but in this situation QA Don't allowed to speak to core devs, because they are not Allowed. Like a back yard dog is not allowed in owner;s house.

[@local9]

I have to have direct contact with my testers and QAs else the issues never get fixed. If I'm told to do otherwise, I'll find my ways to get around it. Also hearing that this company gave people badges... sounds a lot like Hitlers Germany.

[@colleenahoutz]

"Just because it's common doesn't make it right." Thank you, Yong. I wish more people thought like you.

[@DeathBringer769]

Yup. Being legal or being common/standard doesn't automatically make something right or "ideal." I've said this many times throughout the years. Glad to see more people noticing. The first thing I think when someone goes "oh well it happens all the time" as a justification, I just think how sadly common rape is throughout human history, including today. Commonality is not a justification for ANYTHING. There's tons of fucked up things that are sadly common (or semi-common) in our world. And I know taking advantage of legal loopholes to abuse your workers is nowhere near as severe as something like rape, but the excuse making bullshit behind it often reminds me of the same crap in general, trying to act like that just because something happens all the time that it's magically "OK." It's not.

[@TheMarcHicks]

Indeed. Actual slavery was once legal.

[@Dan_Geer_]

“If you feel you need to talk to management about issues, please do so!” Yeah, because they want to identify who talked to Kotaku and see which witches to burn first.

[@darkstar4341]

Yep. I was thinking the same thing when the story same out about the work conditions at Rockstar. The higher ups usually try to stop people talking about how they feel about their time working for the company, but when the issues were leaked, they suddenly said everyone was free to post stories about their time with the company. And no surprise, when people actually had their names put to their opinion on the company, there was nothing but positive experiences, because no one was willing to put their name to anything negative about it, for fear of loosing their job.

[@animenut69]

Wonder if the higher ups do any betting on which newbie will speak up first just so they can execute them

[@Chris-ih3ke]

I don't know why they bothered to say that when they have literally segregated QA Testers and Contractors as if it were the fucking 1940's.

[@whitekong1033]

"I saw Dan walk into the managers office a few days ago....but he never walked out....."

[@DeathBringer769]

All they need to ask before hiring is "Are you friends with Jason Schreier?" apparently, since so many of them only apparently want to speak to him, lol... I wish someone more reasonable would get the leaks. Schreier was irrationally going off about "GamerGate chuds" the other day on Twitter, for example.

[@holdenraymorris]

No wonder the games a buggy mess, the QA testers are literally barred from speaking to the core devs. You know, the people who's jobs it is TO GIVE THE DEVS FEEDBACK

[@sebastianszczesiak9149]

There are buggy messes since they have tight deadlines and very short production times, as little as 12-18 months from prototype till going gold. Even the best QA teams in the world cant work magic, its the gamers that demand a new COD every year. This whole video is bullshit, typical failure of commie logic, when you start giving people stuff for free they think they are owned that free stuff, even if its as silly as food at work.

[@DD-df5mi]

You’re obviously not a dev because if you were, you’d know that in any software development, QA/testers never are given direct access to developers. Instead, most likely there’s a ticketing system where bugs and issues are dolled out in some way to the developers.

[@stgcam3168]

@@sebastianszczesiak9149 are u high or just dumb?

[@DeathBringer769]

@@DD-df5mi Maybe that standardized but detached bureaucratic system that has become "the norm" deserves to be questioned and improved though? Just because something is standard doesn't necessarily mean it's ideal or "good." Or if due to the sheer volume of information you need a ticket system to organize and manage communications, you could still improve your ticket system and/or make sure your managers (who sometimes don't have precise coding knowledge but are in charge of deciding whether something gets "passed along" or not) are vetted more properly to actually make educated decisions and not just "easier" decisions (i.e. making decisions that just makes their job easier instead of making the product better.)

[@DumpStatWisdom]

@@DD-df5mi I am a software developer with 7 years of experience and I agree that in most cases, there will be a ticketing system for bugs and fixes, devs and testers frequently interact with each other in person to discuss the issues. In my current project, devs and testers sit in the same floor, have lunch and coffee breaks together and interact on a daily basis.

[@b1ackwa1tz2]

That company statement is such bull crap. I heard it for 10 years at a company I worked for. The "open door policy" is not that the door is open for your concerns/complaints, it's open for you to walk out of it.

[@0p3nh4ym3r]

same here, brother

[@jet100a]

I hope those companies crash and burn. If they go under I would be pretty happy. They need regulation for the problem to be on the road to being solved

[@trycantfind9730]

@@jet100a as long as they have money, that probably wouldn't happen, after all money solve almost anything, and they have lots of them by abusing those that are unable to protect themselves. Either developers rally to request to be treated equally or all of them leave together in search for better life or one of them take lead and take all developers together to create a better life, either way, they'll face risk, which normally no one want to face it which in the end result in current situation and the cycle repeats . . .

[@jet100a]

@@trycantfind9730 they need a union and regulations need to be put in place to protect the game developers and game testers.

[@jet100a]

@@trycantfind9730 I agree, I hope something changes soon.

[@HydraDominus]

Dev: boss, I’m getting depressed CEO: don’t be silly, Johnson. It’s just suprise sadness

[@abzhuofficial]

Crunch time? Nah man, it's productive, time-sensitive work.

[@informitas0117]

Depressed? Sounds like you need a new job. You are fired.

[@davidking6242]

He would also be given "surprise redundancy"

[@JulesBellator]

'Troubled development" Aw shit, here we go again

[@ironbot2226]

you mean a "Surprise Obstacle"

[@Wastingsometimehere]

It means if QA is behind on the work, the customers is the tester. What else is new?

[@Bryan_K_27435]

And I thought being in the F&B industry is worse, this is almost borderline slavery. Not downplaying actual slavery but the conditions they are working in are pretty dire both physically and mentally wise.

[@Wastingsometimehere]

@@Bryan_K_27435 A step above slavery was the working conditions of some 1900 factory. This is about a step above that. More like corporate soul sucking is about right.

[@Jackchirak97]

500th like for you sir

[@Eksile8]

I've been a contractor half of my time in the work force. Theres no reason for this treatment, a good portion of contractors are just as good if not better than their full time employed counterparts.

[@torcheddreadnought899]

Damn right, Im the best, and working on an hourly wage... I go to work every day thinking "F ya... Ill take your money".

[@Eksile8]

Yep, agreed. We run circles around the I.T. team we've been contracted to work beside. We get treated exactly like the guys in the BO4 teams. I once brought personal AC roll-around units to keep our team cool while we worked.

[@elmateo77]

It's funny because in most of the tech industry contractors are paid substantially more than full time employees.

[@davecrupel2817]

Never buying another Activision-attached game again. Decided this 3 years ago, i just feel obligated to say it again.

[@mykinco]

I’ve done this with EA also.

[@KaiserMattTygore927]

@@mykinco As did I

[@WCWThunderRosa]

Ugh I’d have to give up Crash to commit to that 😥

[@SVisionary]

Same... and I work in the industry.

[@gameplayer1988cm]

Shit! And I bought Sekiro a while ago. Only reason I did was because the game was by From Software, developers of Dark Souls(best games ever). I initially hesitated because Sekiro was published by Activision.

[@Aredein]

so that's why players are used as game testers now... Because their own testers are crunched into disability to work...

[@conraddevera]

Testers that pay them instead

[@isaacthelastn7687]

Yeah gotta love the irony

[@phm6834]

Whats better than having slaves? Slaves who pay to work.

[@conraddevera]

Testers that pay you.. That guy is a (an evil) genius

[@bolsen9900]

As a former Activision QA tester myself, I can fairly confidently say that most bugs in the game are actually found by the testers, and the numerous array of bugs are only a fraction that managed to slip through the cracks. Not sure how much more detail I’m legally allowed to go into really. Note: my views on this matter are my own and do not reflect the views of my former employers

[@MelonyMelonVtuber]

Actisvision: Welcome to Actisvision Your a QA Tester Now we only have one rules don't talk to the developers QA:Wait what? Actisvision: U spoke your fired

[@blessedbow720]

QA1: so he wants us to test their game but we are not alowed to tell them what they need to fix? QA2: basically... QA1: WHY!! QA2: ...

[@DuckyShrunks]

"A delayed game is eventually good, but a rushed game is forever bad" -Shigeru Miyamoto

[@wonderbread5565]

Amen.

[@sneakysnake7695]

"A delayed game doesn't make us money" - some Activision Trogolodyte

[@SirAlienGuy]

Unless if its Duke Nukem Forever

[@sneakysnake7695]

@@SirAlienGuy take that wise Asian game man

[@gracecalis5421]

I don't know, No Man's Sky is in a pretty good spot atm...

[@ChrDrums]

This should be illegal. No one should be treated like this.

[@606hunter1]

Most of it is. Especially in California

[@Droogie128]

It is

[@Apo_Ni_Baby_Kupal]

F I applaud your positive outlook. But that is not how reality works, unfortunately.

[@rainraven9881]

​@F In theory you are correct. In practice a multi million dollar company can afford the lawyers to make life a living hell for anyone that tries to use such laws against them. Meanwhile the job market is such that that person probably ends up with no source of income and thus no way to pay their bills or buy food.

[@absalomdraconis]

Not sure about Activision, but EA at least has been an intermittent sewer since at least the 90s. They got nailed for not paying correctly for work at one point. Seems like once a lot of these companies go corporate, they fail to understand how the competent _corporations_ work.

[@drpapa26]

Developers: Unionize Gamers: Stop buying from abusive and greedy companies

[@o.t.d_ody_the_dreamer]

@Zzarcon1 No one actually cares tbh. No one cares, nobody cares. If people actually cared. Then things would change. People suck

[@Alverant]

Nice idea, but consumers are going to continue to buy products from greedy companies. If they ever did boycott do you think those in charge will realize it's because of how they abuse their employees? Nope. They'll just lay off the people doing the work then pat themselves on the back for saving money (then give themselves a bonus).

[@Creative_Welshman]

@@Alverant Shotgun to the face a soultion to every problem created by a corrupt entity.

[@pugsy7658]

no everything but unions. All you need to do is boycott the companies

[@Trial4RTC]

@@pugsy7658 The treatment of these employees can't depend on the unrealistic idea that people will boycott Activision products, they need a damn union.

[@Badnone]

Kinda pleased Bungie left when they did. This would have happened to them, too.

[@echoseeker9171]

Bungie the legends them selves

[@echoseeker9171]

Yeah true tho

[@devilgames2217]

We will soon see if Activision was really the problem (not saying they ain't PART of it).

[@dolbyprologicii]

this happens to EVERY game developer studios.... bungie is no exception

[@umphreak9999]

i'd be surprised if any developer didn't have any periods of extended crunch, it's an endemic issue and probably affects virtually every studio

[@KuroNoTenno]

I can't wait for everyone to ignore this and keep buying Activision and EA games.

[@KitsuneVoidsinger]

Yeah thats the sad part. I haven't brought a EA or Activision game since Diablo 3 came out because of the shit they've been pulling but a lot will still do it

[@zodiark619]

That's the sad truth of it

[@KuroNoTenno]

@@KitsuneVoidsinger Last game I bought from EA was Dead Space 3, and I didn't even buy the DLC because they overpriced it in my country.

[@reflex6267]

An idea those who are going to buy these games anyways is to get it off of key stores. Doesn't support the company. Nuff said

[@KuroNoTenno]

@@reflex6267 Aren't key stores get the keys directly from the publishers?

[@idlehands73142]

EA and Activision are saving me so much $ by being awful! ! Now I can afford Cyberpunk.

[@adad87821]

same here and im looking forward to doom eterinal and the outworlds aswell

[@gutt315]

All game company's like them can just burn to the ground!

[@jarothewerewolf5277]

This comment aged like milk... ish lol

[@DaGalaxyBoy]

Oh no...

[@muhithossain7312]

RIP

[@Connordore]

I’m so glad Nintendo has acknowledged crunch and is actively avoiding it to better their employees home & work lives

[@leogir1518]

That is also a culture thing. Most of the Japanese work force is worked too death so they are trying to avoid that now.

[@NneonNTJ]

yea thats what Nintendo says, so do Activision and EA...

[@lxn_ni1814]

@Brandon Biagiano when does Nintendo do that

[@lxn_ni1814]

@Brandon Biagiano higher ups of Nintendo have litterally taken pay cuts

[@erothamur]

Since their games mostly indie-like, then I do not think what Nintendo have the same problems as devs, which creating real AAA games.

[@colonelvector]

"Just because a practise is common, doesn't make it right" Very well said. That argument is horseshit for lootboxes, and it's a bad argument for this too. This whole story is digusting and literally exploitative. The games industry as a whole is rotten with the whole crunch culture, TBH I'd happily see an industry crash at this point.

[@cossaizy6309]

Drug dealers could literally make The lootboxes argument, its fun, ethical and everybody loves it... god that woman was like a rat

[@macenanoro826]

Char Zy To be fair, she looked nervous to the point... I don't think those words were hers. It looks to me as EA's heads told her what to say in response to what types of questions and basically threatened her with termination or similar. Still scummy that she didn't push back against it and make this blatant.

[@cossaizy6309]

@@macenanoro826 of course, she to ea shes just a cog, and i do kinda feel sorry for her, still, id rather loose my job than help scym screw over people, children no less

[@macenanoro826]

Char Zy I mean granted, once you earn a position that pays 6 digit figures (let's say at least $300,000 a year?) That's not exactly something you can just... Get back. Especially when the company that you'd get fired from would make up some scandal you were supposedly involved in and likely get you on a hiring blacklist. Once that happens, there's often jackshit you can do about it. I'd say the threat of losing what you worked so hard to achieve is somewhat valid to want to defend.... Even if, when EA has to inevitably make paycuts/lay people off if their lootbox financial bubble pops, she'll likely get blamed for What they'd classify as "Bad PR" or as what we'd just see as "I was not paid to be your freaking actor."

[@Arrakiz666]

And just because it's not right, doesn't make it unprofitable.

[@_Paul_N]

$13 an hour? I made more cleaning swimming pools...Hell, Chick-Fil-A workers even make more than that 😂😂😂. Activi$ion is the true epitome of slave labor.

[@Omegapootytang]

Giants/Mets/Blazers I worked at McDonald’s a couple months and started making around that much lmfaoo feels bad

[@Carakav]

And that's $13 an hour in California, to boot.

[@SoulSoundMuisc]

@@Carakav $13 in Cali is like $7 at 30 hours a week.

[@tomokokuroki3356]

Hahaha im making more working at the bottom rung of Fedex

[@bptnmrphy3991]

sounds like a nice job during the summer

[@AuroraGameworks]

AAA game development and studios are just absolute jokes at this point.

[@patrakau]

Jokes are supposed to be funny. This is just... sad.

[@S2GUnit]

Yep but people keep buying their games & giving them money. So literally nothing can be done.

[@maramba32]

For the west probably. What about japan?

[@XxHUNT3RN4T0RxX]

Why are you reading this what about Bungie now that they’ve split from Activision? Destiny 2’s daily player population has skyrocketed recently.

[@carlosmarques8380]

@@S2GUnit crack the games to make them lose money

[@dadocta5168]

Keep bringing these stories to light Yongyea, word-of-mouth can be a valuable weapon.

[@phm6834]

Hopefully the governments will investigate further... after the lootbox debacle maybe working conditions in games might become the next topic.

[@Arrakiz666]

Can I bring him the stories of CDPR's exploitative treatment of their workers, or do you think he'll ignore those?

[@phm6834]

@@Arrakiz666 You should bring them to him.

[@Arrakiz666]

@@phm6834 Heh. I should come clean then, that was a little sneaky. I have. And so have others. Big shock, nothing came out of it. Jee, I wonder why?

[@phm6834]

@@Arrakiz666 that's nor cool of yong. Though it doesn't change this videos message.

[@phen2841]

Lets analyze the facts: - Don't get the same benefits as "normal" employees and segregated - Mocked, laughed at and considered inferior - Given a badge to make sure everyone knew who they were This sounds like shocking similarities of the inhumane abuse that led to a war that starts "World" and ends with a "2".

[@kjm1141]

Aggressive international politics of Germany led to the start of WW2, not the inhumane abuse ( I'm mean Germans considered themselves inhumanely abused, but still...)

[@dyllancoons685]

World War 3- The Great War on Greedy Company’s and thier CEO’s.

[@potatoman7407]

World war 2 had nothing to do with human rights. It was simply to stop the axis powers. Then we just had survivors tag along.

[@jacplac97]

No offense, but claiming that holocaust was the reason behind WW2 is straight-out idiotic.

[@DominoEffect572]

All those loot boxes in game and they can't pay anymore than $13/hr??? Sheesh!

[@DetectiveBarricade]

They can. They just won't because then the higher ups would have less money.

[@jeremymariotti8280]

micro transaction money goes to shareholders not for the company so if you think you are supporting the company by buying lootboxes, you are wrong. F*ck AAA games !

[@sheriffaboubakar9720]

Black Dynamite These guys literally do nothing, that is good money for sitting on your ass.

[@aoitamashii]

This is why people thinking games on EGS means more money for devs is delusional.

[@origami7749]

they need to unionize

[@gunswinger3110]

The devs should have paid for the Decent Working Conditions DLC

[@yaokuassi1333]

Bruuuuhh😂😂😂😂

[@Arrakiz666]

Isn't that essentially what conservatives think Unions are?

[@johnnykilljoy6011]

Private sector unions are a good thing.......public sector unions however are trash

[@geewiz2577]

I'll

[@Goodheartless]

colin3ds unions in the late 19th century and early 20th were essential to making a living wage. Nowadays, unions aren’t necessarily needed(at least in the US). With a minimum wage and HR services in almost every job and health benefits, there’s no need for unions

[@onimaxblade8988]

Super Bunny Hop almost covered all this QA stuff already, in a way, but I'm glad we're getting even more info here.

[@justicewarrior9187]

Kim Jung Un just hired EA lawyer.. It's not concentration torture camps. It's a community meeting for group well-being

[@ryadhasanahmed5443]

😂😂😂

[@BullsMahunny]

It's unexpected meeting spaces!

[@aliceakosota797]

Eh seems to me like we don't give a shit about people here as well

[@Idazmi7]

@@aliceakosota797 I think that was the joke.

[@chrisbellevue]

Justice Warrior savage

[@ben31uk]

Nothing will ever change unless people stop giving triple a games there money

[@RandomJM45]

It's those casuals that easily get hyped by the trailers smh

[@Aewon84]

This have nothing to do with that. It goes far beyond the video game industry. Most American companies treats their employees like trash. The only thing that can stop this is new laws intended to protect the employees.

[@TheUberSuperNova]

Yeah... because there's no good triple A games with devs that work hard, ignorance is bliss.

[@NurseValentineSG]

No. The change has to come via unionization. Because if you stop giving Triple A studios money, they'll just fire those people.

[@faboolean7039]

@@NurseValentineSG unionization takes power from the higher ups and gives it to the employees. It's exactly what this industry needs

[@SlySuavity]

"All animals are equal, but some animals are more equal than others." - George Orwell

[@lucaswinsor4469]

I'm pretty sure 90% of the things you mentioned are 100% illegal... Not that it ever stops anyone from doing it...

[@Ghost7065]

it's not illegal, it's surprising immunity.

[@officertenpenny4505]

Money...

[@Black-Dawg-Jesus]

@Agent 005 And that's why money always wins in court. No matter what anyone else is saying. Rich privilege is the only privilege that exists and it's absolutely disgusting.

[@TensionSlap]

Zanon exactly people need to be more open to unions.

[@TensionSlap]

Black Jesus Yup the rich run everything. They will do whatever it takes to stay rich too.

[@AllCentaur]

Hearing how QA and other staff are being abused, overworked, and taken advantage of by Treyarch made me glad I haven’t purchased a COD game in two years, and made me firm in not buying one until Treyarch burns or changes.

[@DoomsdayGoddess96]

Same here. I won't support this bullshit. This is absolutely sad

[@yumiko579]

thats life, the higher ups do 200x less but make 200x more meanwhile the workers that were the true creators day in day out cry tears and massive frustration is making no less than 13.00, you can make more at a convient store at a 7 11 here in osaka, そこにハングアップする hang in there or revolt agianst this with others until major improvement is enforced and not some minor fix like an air conditioner, i hope you read this Activision employees!.

[@aliceakosota797]

Seize the means of production

[@patch-fm]

How's 7 11 on jp?

[@crazyluigi6664]

What was the Japanese stuff saying there?

[@talldorf6445]

Alice Akosuta different bosses, same garbage.

[@ThePsh07]

Gasmask Mcgee [Carl] I stopped at 7-11 many times on my trip to Japan. Partly because they were everywhere in the cities/stations, but mostly for the “sushi-triangle” thingies. 😋

[@Famsysthing]

For those who don't know: QA means quality assurance

[@Idazmi7]

That explains why the games are so buggy: they treat their testers like shit.

[@salottin]

Thanks!

[@raylazerman8240]

That's Q&A.

[@oddmanout4871]

I'm amazed the anchors of the video game industry actually claim to use them, in any vestigial form.

[@jeremyloo2044]

Quabity Assuance

[@theparadisecompany629]

I’m so glad all these things are being exposed. Great things are coming in the future of gaming. Thank you Yong like always.

[@NittanyTiger1]

I hope it gets these parasite executives kicked out of gaming forever.

[@tristanmagni9883]

I wish I could share your optimism. This shit won't stop

[@dnangel98965]

@@tristanmagni9883 With more public exposure? It will. Especially if outrage will occur

[@trigamfist9556]

@@dnangel98965 Just like how ea is gonna stop the loot box bullshit? I doubt it

[@Davesknd]

@@dnangel98965 Like all those sweatshops that stopped existing once they were exposed? Yeah, not gonna happen unless the contractors start unionizing.

[@rimmer6335]

"QA and testing definitely emerge as one of the disciplines that should be involved from the very beginning, especially since it has long been established that you cannot add quality in later". This is a quote from a book i read about DevOps and i think it rings very true. DevOps is all about improving collaboration between the development team and everyone (that includes QA) that is part of operations. Everyone in the organization has a different view on things and most of the things that go wrong in these corporations are directly (or indirectly) caused by miscommunication, a lack of perspective and most important of all: a lack of understanding.

[@0ctothorp]

KEEP IN MIND, this is the company now in charge of Blizzard Entertainment.

[@twinkiestorrstoenailclippi2122]

Did blizzard get bad when activision got a hold of them, or before?

[@Saviliana]

That explains why Blizz-con 2018 gave us "Don't you guys have phones?"

[@andreware2483]

The quality of their games had a noticable decline the the Actiblizzard merge happened. It didn't happen immediately, but over time it seriously showed that something was up. We were told that Activision does not get involved with the Blizzard side of games (answer given when their latest WoW expansion launched), but its kind of questionable if that's even all truth.

[@0ctothorp]

@@andreware2483 Activision is using corporate politics to sneak their way into Blizzard. They basically are using that to start setting up the management at Blizzard and once they have all the management there they can just change the company how they want.

[@Dvillain22]

Allegedly blizzard, even when making quality products still abused their position of “dream company” to explore employees

[@BTmethius]

To help with this: If EA is being thrown under the bus, Activision better be thrown under the train! Both of them need to be reprimanded

[@cobraglatiator]

i'll get the rope, just gotta make sure we don't tie 'em to a mag-lev track. or, maybe we do exactly that,make them think they're on a regular train track,the train passes over, they promise not to be scumy shitfucks anymore, and if they do it again we tie 'em to a real track. (except i'm pretty sure mag-levs only hover a few inches. if that.)

[@vynonyoutube1418]

Don't forget about 2K and other shitty companies.

[@xfsoz2011]

Konami should be burned to the ground.

[@Arrakiz666]

Reprimanded? They need to be broken up, or better yet nationalized, and people running them should be thrown in jail.

[@alexandreparent5754]

@@vynonyoutube1418 Why 2K fucked up? Is that only because of Epic exclusivity or there's something else?

[@DMJ1978]

You and Jim Sterling are doing good work reporting on these practices among the other unethical aspects such as loot packs ect.

[@unknownanonymous2651]

Considering Jim Sterling supported Carlos Maza censoring people by supporting him on patreon, has made me take that slug with a grain of salt, hopefully it'll die quicker that way, and the experience of life better.

[@Dr.SamLoomis]

He's reporting on others people's reporting. Someone else did the work and he's just repeating it.

[@PicardRiker08]

$13 an hour? When I did QA for EA it was around $7 an hour. Seasonal job, you get terminated after 6 months or so. The only people that had lines of communication to development teams were project leads. There were game breaking bugs found months before release (simple things like holding a combination of two buttons during a certain screen to crash the game) that were never fixed and shipped with the game. They would hire anyone, regardless of intelligence. Half my team just sat there playing the game lazily all day instead of deep testing to actually find bugs. Most people didn't log any bugs at all. It was quantity over quality - they needed to meet a team size quota to make it look like they have a good team of testers for their games, but it was a complete farce.

[@ArtofLunatik]

PicardRiker08 sounds alot like when i did QA testing for Guitar hero. Most the time we wouldnt find bugs but even when we did they rarely fixed em, they would tell us its a "legacy" bug and would not get fixed.

[@ArtofLunatik]

I think the public sometimes assume games get shipped with bugs and blame the QA department, i think they assume we somehow didnt find the bug or didnt know about it but what really happens is QA finds all the bugs but the devs dont fix em. Which used to frustrate us alot.

[@lordodysseus]

In the series finale of Hannah Montana, Rico got Jackson a game tester job. It looked fun. Playing video games in a hot tub, eating pizza, super model assistant. Spartacus looks more accurate to what game testers to through.

[@AJR-vn2um]

The reality is; these are normal working conditions. What is considered crunch in the games industry is a normal day in other industries. The majority of jobs available are zero hours contracts, with unpaid breaks and no workers benefits. The demand for work is so high, that jobs are often taken by over qualified people who are still easily replaced. This is just a symptom of the disease.

[@AJR-vn2um]

@John Gooch don't worry about me I'm fine. I've been quite lucky. Unfortunately not everybody gets an opportunity like I have and I'm not just worried about myself.

[@tracexl]

First the nightmare stories of Konami Japan, then the Anthem development hell, and now this. One wonders just how bad it was for other games before we were made aware of it like now... I worked for Volt myself back in 2000 for about 3 years. This is accurate information, and it's sad that things haven't really changed much since my time. Hell, I didn't even know I'd been cut from the team until I had to call the temp worker hotline to hear a message with the new team lineup... they didn't even have the courtesy to notify us directly...

[@nonemo138]

Some people seem to think that some bad publicity alone will make this misconduct go away. That's a little naive imho. The only way to make these assholes shape up is to force them to the negotiating table. Game developers need to unionize.

[@nonemo138]

@@user-dj9iu2et3r doesn't matter in the slightest. These companies that lease labor are part of the problem. And the end result affected not just the workers but the product as well (who could have guessed...). Activision was the actual workplace of these people, whether they were the employers on paper or not.

[@cursedex80]

Let's not forget the employee that Netherrealm studios put to study gore 24/7 to add realism in Mortal Kombat, and ended up with PTSD as a result.

[@skylar9046]

This is so sad. I also dreamed a bit about developing games... but the cost would be far too much today, and perhaps even in the past. I'm glad I never actively pursued that career. This is simply inhumane and self-destructive.

[@patch-fm]

I mean we could dream to be indie dev team's.

[@patch-fm]

And never become this...

[@Blackreaper95]

Same I sucked at math anyway, it's easy to learn design with youtube and apps like Udemy but I'm good feel sorry for devs trapped in the cycle of making the same game year after year.

[@patch-fm]

@@Blackreaper95 Dude i suck at math too...

[@sasukeuzumaki3608]

There are some good game studios to work at, but yeah I agree. Making Indie games with like minded people does seem realistic

[@yoloswaggins2161]

Alright hint taken, not gonna become a video game tester.

[@fac6018]

Just not for big companies like these

[@lxn_ni1814]

Developer builds a shit update or game Blames QA for it

[@yurigeinish3018]

You have no idea how software development works and why.

[@lxn_ni1814]

@@yurigeinish3018 explain what you mean. QA is supposed to tell them what's wrong ofc but to blame them for what's wrong when they had hardly any time to find the bugs and not communicating with them is clearly not there fault

[@TheMarcHicks]

@@yurigeinish3018 look everyone, we found the COD Fanbois. Does Activision pay you $13 or $30 per hour to shill for them, Yuri?

[@HumorousLOL]

Yuri Geinish I can tell them in case you're just going to mouth off, because I can tell you first hand he isn't technically wrong.

[@Zaxamaphone]

I used to be in QA, it's shit. Everyone blames you for holding up the project, but it's your job to report on their buggy code. Now as a systems analyst, I try my best to help them out.

[@blacklanner5795]

2:35 That pay rate increase has nothing to with the company. It's a legal requirement for overtime.

[@konjiki240sx]

This could be a game on its own. Call of Duty QA Team: The inception Of course it needs a sequel Call of Duty QA Team: Breakout

[@dewaynerichardson5895]

Lol

[@saadqureshi7127]

When I was here this early, EA was making good games like need for speed underground 2. Miss those days when you pay for a $60 game you got a $60 game.

[@andreware2483]

We all miss the days when you could buy an E.A. game and not feel dirty about buying it while also genuinely liking them in return.

[@NightmareBlade10]

Man I think the last good EA game I played was Ty The Tasmanian Tiger 2 on the PS2

[@ScrewFearMe]

the last actually good game i bought and played was dungeon keeper 2, and that was actually after they had dismantled another great developer such as westworld who made command and conquer so no ea has been bad for a long time

[@dracolerro2592]

S Q now you pay 60 dollars for a half finished game loaded with long ads... *looks at 2k19*

[@SlaveKnightGael1579]

S Q They weren’t even $60 back then. I remember in the late 2000’s and early 2010’s when games were still $49.99

[@kazzykun]

With how game companies treat their employees, it’s really discouraging for those who want to go into the industry

[@ichmood12]

yea.. im sorta scared for my future

[@albertolameira5224]

yeap, I just abandoned that idea, if I ever want to make games, I'll just them myself.

[@ZeroOmega-vg8nq]

In the Mainstream industry yes. Most people will migrate to indie where things are much more lenient. Its why we are seeimg a huge explosion in the retro nostalgia indie games market

[@damianogiolitti3416]

Eh...I don't give a damn about money. I want to be a concept artist and I would do art for free just because I love doin it so much but I understand your point. Every craft is important and people need money to live their life . Obviously being treated like an inferior is something I really hate and would not work like that.

[@Voxavs]

@@damianogiolitti3416 this is noble, but you unintentionaly screw not only yourself but everyone else over with this sort of mentality. Companies won't hesitate to exploit people to cut costs. Also this kind of statement says a lot about you as well, like the fact that you are willing to work for free just for the love of it says to me that your skill level is below average probably a beginner or an amateur who doesn't know the value of that kind of work. You probably look for an entry level position. If I'm correct no good team will take you anyway even for free as an intern. Not trying to shit on you, but that's what I saw in your post.

[@KingDilly]

I used to want to be a game designer. Spent my senior year in high school and two years in college learning what it took to be one. I was really excited, living in Washington state where some of my favorite developers are, like Bungie and Monolith. But now, with recent news and articles revealing how this industry treats its employees, especially beginners like me, I’m unsure whether I want to pursue any kind of career in game design or not. If there isn’t much change in the near future, I’ll have to find another career that seems more stable. What a disappointment.

[@Lynxic]

Friendly reminder that Black Ops 4 multiplayer contains pay-to-win weapons hidden in loot boxes

[@kingjames4886]

surprise mechanic boxes*

[@Arrakiz666]

Ah, yes, that is way more important than worker exploitation!

[@damianogiolitti3416]

@@Arrakiz666 It's not but still pretty concerning

[@shammydammy2610]

@@Arrakiz666 It's yet another reason, behind the worker exploitation, to pass on this game. It's not either/or...it's both.

[@lordgrape5015]

@@kingjames4886 aaaagggh you beat me to it.

[@Boesesjoghurt]

Hey YongYea, thanks a lot for focusing so much on QA... This job has been my passion and home for a long time. After early access and using those players as free QA i already felt the need to tighten my belt a little tighter but the mental pressure on us really got to be a heavy burden. I really do not know where my career is heading or what the future brings. I'm scared. I love my job..

[@KayJay85]

I believe it's important to add my comment to this conversation. I worked on and off as a contracted tester for Microsoft for about 4 years in the early 2010's. Generally, most of the things mentioned in the article also occurred to me as a contractor minus the parking situation. We weren't allowed to go to the big celebrations, we weren't generally allowed cater food unless directly bought by the team lead, we weren't allowed to work overtime though unless the lead approved it. All our benefits were supposed to be provided by the contracting company. I never got a single vacation day in the 4 years I contracted there. Funny that the badge colors were the same as well. Contractors had orange badges employees had blue ones. I asked more experienced contractors if this was always the case and they said no. At some point, the government got involved and told Microsoft that if you keep treating your contractors the same as your employees, they'll have to provide the same benefits to contractors as employees. Hence why Microsoft instituted policies to not allow contractors the same perks as employees. This is probably the same in the case of Treyarch.

[@f1b0nacc1sequence7]

I was a direct employee at Microsoft in the early 2000s, and saw exactly the situation that you describe. The contractor at my facility (Valley Ranch) was Volt as well, though I doubt that explains the badge colors (smile). We (the direct hires) used to pity the contractors, they really got a raw deal. What a lot of the other comments here seem to miss is that this is a pretty common practice across the software industry, not just game companies.

[@KayJay85]

@@f1b0nacc1sequence7 Yeah I contracted for Microsoft through Aditi Technologies, Prithvi Catalytic, and TekSystems. Never Volt although they are quite common. 100% agree this is a software development wide issue not just a gaming one as I was on various Windows teams. The only real big difference between the Kotaku article and my experience was we were allowed communication with the team members. We kind of had to otherwise we wouldn't know what to test. But yeah it's important to note that any benefits are supposed to be provided by the contracting company in which I received no benefits through any of them. Also, the contracting companies take gigantic cuts of the pay the Employer pays for you. I heard rumors up to $40/hr Microsoft would pay for a tester but you'd only see between $14-$20/hr of that depending on position and experience.

[@BrickworksDK]

Completely agree with you guys. Been there, done that, got the badge with the wrong colour on it... I ended up working 2,5 years as a "short term contractor". At one point, some guy from the regional HQ came by to give us the usual corporate bullsh... Sorry... Peptalk... And then asked if there were any questions. I raised my hand and asked him for just how long I had to be with the company to no longer be considered a short term contractor. Never got an answer to that. Surprise, surprise... The only thing that made life worth living in those days was that my boss was a good man who genuinely tried his best to make me feel included in his team. He couldn't offer me any benefits, of course, but he did make sure that my base wage rose in line with the benefits the regular employees got, invited me to come along when the team went out for dinner, and was very flexible with working hours. So yeah... This is nothing new. It's been going on for years, and not just in the gaming industry.

[@refugeehugsforfree4151]

You don't get free food at real jobs my friend. You're entitled.

[@_Smile_Today]

So this seems the norm in most industries in the US for the companies and government that have contract workers. They do all this just so they don't have to spend money on benefits and get bonuses.

[@iramhernandez9418]

"Activision contractors, please talk to our management so we can identify who leaked this to journalists".... then actions will be taken such as getting rid of those who are involved.

[@claytonhilliard925]

If all Activision does is fire whoever came forward I'd be tempted to come forward myself even if I didn't do it. Working at Activision must be awful.

[@Oblithian]

They need unions or better employment standards laws. They're basically the modern equivalent of auto workers before unionization.

[@elmateo77]

@Wraithic Artistry Unions are just a means to an end. Politicians usually aren't willing to pass laws that actually help people unless there's a lobbying group giving them money to do so. That's where the union comes in.

[@thehumus8688]

The Bigger company is, the less humane they are when you look for jobs. keep that in mind

[@phm6834]

Which is why I decided to work for a small film company who does short films and commercials, instead of Hollywood. Whats the benefit of animating Iron Man if you can't see your child during the week?

[@joelrichardson5139]

Yes, but no. The problem isn’t their size but their business philosophy. Most of these businesses are so finite game driven that they burn themselves to the ground.

[@mikek3927]

That's a bad generalisation but at least in the video game industry it's some what true

[@aliceakosota797]

The opposing army in war treats you better

[@glazedonute8950]

I mean Nintendo is giant but they still treat they’re employees like humans

[@lordodysseus]

I still want to be a game designer, but I want to make my own games. I'm not interested in the abuse or god tier shit show that is behind the scenes.

[@carlosfred8673]

Go indie or get in a plane and work for CDProjekt.

[@lordodysseus]

@@carlosfred8673 I would absolutely love to work for CDPR. I've even thought about, but I can barely afford to eat, so I need to get over that first.

[@ShiftTheMatrixGaming]

@@soundwavesuperior6761 Don't lie now.

[@wavy9434]

@@carlosfred8673 Wouldn't you have to learn polish? Which is hard for English speakers.

[@timesweeper9778]

Good luck my friend. You're gonna need it.

[@xSubParSaucex]

@16:25 “We take the well-being of all our employees very seriously” - Treyarch This statement is about as believable as Andrew “Robbie Rotten” Wilson saying that micro transactions are all about “player choice”.

[@DeathBringer769]

More like "We take the taking advantage of our employees very seriously" lol...

[@crazyluigi6664]

Man, why do you have to drag Robbie's name into this? :(

[@Orinslayer]

Andrew "Lootbox" Wilson

[@tombrearley-smith5777]

You might as well excuse committing a murder by saying it’s a “surprise funeral.” You just don’t do it.

[@PhilXavierSierraJones]

Truly disgusting. Makes me thankful for not buying any CoD games.

[@lemming9984]

COD - Cash On Delivery?

[@shae2330]

COD - Cock on Demand?

[@MoreImbaThanYou]

Let's give people yellow badges, declare them second class and make them responsible for everything that goes wrong! Sounds kinda familiar...

[@Karol-ip6vx]

you forgot about putting them in one place and said them "through work to somewhere"...

[@Arrakiz666]

I always find it fun to see people unwittingly acknowledging the similarities between the end-point of capitalism and fascism.

[@Karol-ip6vx]

maybe because many extremes going to totalitarism where we have communism, fascism, nasism and few other things

[@thelittleredhairedgirlfrom6527]

And trap them in an incredibly hot building.

[@Arrakiz666]

@@thelittleredhairedgirlfrom6527 You should have said "trap them in a very hot, small, enclosed space". More punchy that way.

[@SHADOSTRYKR]

Thank you Yong Yea for covering stories like these, ones I would say other youtubers have tended to shy away from because its not about the "fun video gamez" but I think you like a lot of us realize that if you raise awareness about conditions in the development industry it leads to better games for us to play. While my experience at another Activision COD support studio wasn't AS barbaric as whats described here, we were allowed to partake in food and had AC lol, a lot of the other concerns raised I fully experienced, no paid time off, no sick days, bare bones heath insurance etc. I received glowing reviews from management for my bug reporting and was told I did more overtime than many of the other employees, however, I was laid off regardless. I chose to never return to QA in games because its true, you can work your ass off and be a top performer but in the end that carrot that they dangle of advancement is unobtainable.

[@WillyTung]

I haven't bought any AAA game in years. Stories like this make me feel like I made the right choice.

[@cattywampuswiddershins]

Did you atleast get Red Dead 2? That's a true must play

[@WillyTung]

@@cattywampuswiddershins 3d adventure games aren't really my thing. I don't deny it is a good game. I just don't trust any company to not include something shady. At least not until service for the game has been cut.

[@roguepoison]

Wait..Black ops is a AAA game?

[@richardfisher2541]

ps4 exclusives still have good practices generally buy them

[@robertlawrence9000]

@@roguepoison not BO4 that's for sure

[@SirPreyasThe619]

Back in high school, when my younger friend would tell me how he didn't know what he wanted to do when he graduated, I would always tell my friend "just become a Video Game developer b/c we both love video games so whynot?". This was before I knew anything about how poorly contractors and developers were being treated. I lost contact w/ him a couple years ago but I pray that he's working a job where is treated fairly.

[@420sakura1]

Animation and movie industry is the same. Sadly only the Actors get all the credit while back stage crew get under paid and over worked. Even now Oscars don't have award for stunt men and women. If they actually made the awes you will who actually made those bad ass moves.

[@Goggleman7]

Lemme tell you. Devs aren't being treated that much better. This crap is why I left the industry and went back to school. My friends are doing the same. Devs are getting fed up too. There's 0 job security.

[@1NinjaSamurai]

What are you pursuing in school?

[@SNDVeteran]

job security doesn't exist. this is 2019. if you don't create your own business or field. you are susceptible to life's throws and have to be reactionary.

[@ZeGermanFox]

“One QA Tester said that comparisons to a Sweatshop weren’t too far off” No wonder Activi$ion and Tencent get along so well

[@refugeehugsforfree4151]

Yes I'm sure he's not bias at all. Having healthcare paid vacation and 13$ an hour is definitely comparable to a sweatshop. My god WTF.

[@refugeehugsforfree4151]

@Afifi Adnan yes?

[@AverageDoomer69]

They are private contractors not core workers, activation can treat them like shit and they get away with it , also 13 dollars an hour is not sweatshop slavery , but in America that money gets you nowhere , especially in California .

[@vitez198]

Badges, Lesser beings, Discrimination, Mistreatment, No food, "Hot rooms". Sounds like 40s Germany to me

[@ItsPhonics]

except they kinda signed up for it willingly (probably not knowing conditions) and they weren't like...killed or gassed lmao

[@zaysavage5393]

Exactly😂

[@dragonpee]

Only issue I see is the air conditioning. They aren't obligated to feed anyone. Them being an asshole shouldn't be an unexpected problem, it's not right but it's only going to fuck themselves over in the long run.

[@BOMEFSY]

You realize a lot of places have badges to show level of clearance, lesser beings is a individual emotions and only accounts for that individual. 40's Germany is comparable to this? Wow....

[@asdefull]

Chris Scars yes theyre for different jobs, managements and things, but do you even watch the vid? They treat the other badge less than human beings, very small benefits, bad working conditions, NO FOOD OR CATERING, NO PARKING SPACE???, different badges are fine if they only sort people for different jobs, not different benefits

[@Chaoticstorm]

I know how some of these people feel. I had a security contract once were we had to guard a compound and all its contents inside as well as the building but with only 1 slight problem. They refused to give us access passes to open the gates to get inside the fence much less the building itself. For nearly 5 months we sat in our vehicles basically staring at gate making the joke that we sure hope no one jumps that fence or some kind of fire starts up because all we could do was watch. Its amazing how some companies with hire people to work for them but treat you like your 2nd hand employee and not even realize it.

[@MrNuserame]

'... contractors treated like second second class citizens' Welcome to contractor work absolutely everywhere.

[@kingwizard5101]

treated like second class citizens and the company who hires contractors can escape vicarious liability. It's a shit job

[@Audiotrocious]

Also, not to mention the sad trope of not being paid for 2/3 of your work

[@Coats2112]

I don't know what kind of "Contract" work you all do, but the work I do gets me a higher pay rate than normal workers, since I am bereft of benefits.

[@zaysavage5393]

@@Coats2112 good for yu not everyone is as lucky

[@dragonpee]

I was going to say the same thing. Nothing wrong with exposing it, but when you are a contractor you are responsible for your own contract. You agree to what is required and anything outside of what you signed up for is not your responsibility and at the same time you're not entitled to any perks not agreed upon. Also, I still find it ironic when people complain about not making enough money to live in an expensive place, but knew what would need to be sacrificed to get into the line of work you chose. If you went to school for animation or coding you know it's a VERY compeditive field. Your best bet would be moving to places with more studios and if you chose the most expensive place for the biggest chance then you know what would happen if you failed to keep up expectations. Also, sounds like the people who are being fed are people who work on Salary and not hourly. The people who are expected to do more and not get paid the more they work.

[@capthavic]

"Felt like history repeating itself" Yeah it was called the industrial revolution.

[@MiClLC]

The more things change, the more they stay the same.

[@thelittleredhairedgirlfrom6527]

Yeah that’s exactly what I was thinking. A lot of this sounds like something straight out of the Gilded Age or something

[@ilikelines7271]

Not quite that bad lol

[@connorh2215]

i like lines at least not yet but we are seeing signs of a age similar to the gilded, corporate consolidation, abuses of workers rights, growing wage gap, increased discrimination of minorities etc...

[@KaiserMattTygore927]

I'm surprised there's not a bunch of 8 year olds doing the QA testing.

[@anidiotplays2035]

As someone who works retail you just described a little bit better than industry standard for work conditions. Hearing the same from friends who work in varied industries this may just be an overarching labor issue throughout the US.

[@BigHailFan]

Activision? Full of soulless CEO's and leeches? MY GOD!

[@Trollificusv2]

It's Bog Standard 21st Century Corporate Management. All products are faceless widgets, everything to be managed for the benefit of the top execs. I've worked for tech companies and as soon as they get big enough for the founders to cash in, that's what you get.

[@ObtainLeGrain]

I wish we could go back to the days when games were fun

[@MadOrange644]

Return to your backlog and don’t buy a new game unless you’re gonna instantly play it.

[@PauzSycho]

Don’t we all

[@jaythomas468]

If you’re not finding games “fun” anymore, perhaps your interests are changing and you’re simply not as passionate about gaming as you used to be.

[@aldandye8518]

There are many fun/great games still, you just have to know where to look/how to choose to your tastes. The indie scene in particular has put out many amazing games in the last year.

[@flymachine014]

Bloodstained Ritual Of The Night Fun game made by people who enjoy making games and are pro consumer

[@donaldduke1095]

"It's a common practice, so it's nothing to worry about" Alright, so if the Nazis came back at full force, and were super common, would you be fine with it?

[@springerjkreb]

It's already happened...

[@gravekeepersven82]

@@wolverize9707 I am LGBT but i hate how politicians and NPCs using us as hosts to parasties.

[@falscher2]

@@wolverize9707 figured out your significant other is not heterosexual and only got into a relationship due to being pressured by you?

[@justawarlord]

@Maple lord XD bruh you dont even know what fascism stands for

[@batman6621]

gravekeepersven82 and companies who use it to promote their products. Well just slap the lgbt flag here that’ll get us sales for sure

[@isaaccadena8624]

Anyone hear the new COD Modern Warfare won best online multiplayer award at e3......they only presented screenshots of the game:/

[@gracecalis5421]

Didn't a select few journalists get a private viewing of the game?

[@donm1719]

grace calis correct it was ign I believe

[@almevo]

@BCPowerhouse IGN call the game horribele and too violent and realistic XD (sorry bad english)

[@ark_knight]

@@almevo I dont think that was IGN tho.

[@ark_knight]

Some people have seen the game and it is actually good. Dont hate the game without knowing about it.

[@marxman6035]

This is literal wage slavery, and most people are stuck in this same position

[@dervpool]

This whole industry is sort of a turbo-captialism industry. They screw over workers rights constantly.

[@refugeehugsforfree4151]

Hahahaha you guys never worked a hard day in your life if you think healthcare paid vacation and 13$ an hour are slave wages. Fucking jesus my generation is so entitled and ignorant. Just WOW

[@_-fieronk_-3702]

@@refugeehugsforfree4151 please tell me your joking.

[@refugeehugsforfree4151]

I make about 1,500 a month and i eat organic and pay property taxes. Wtf are these kids spending their money on? Crack?

[@cobraglatiator]

@@dervpool an-caps behold. : P

[@dscorpion7582]

21:43 this is basically me right now. Was really looking into game design when I was younger but after hearing about these horror stories of work environments (not to mention the last few computer classes I've taken I'm not so great at) I'm heavily rethinking my career choice...in my final year of college.

[@fenchellforelle]

15 mil for the cfo... Imagine how the normal employees would have reacted if instead 15 people got 1mil instead? Or 30 people getting 500k? Normal workers, not giving the entire board a bonus ofc

[@wolfedya1]

Investors don't like companies that do that, giving a new cfo 15 million tells those paranoid idiots that their money is safe because the company would sooner cut it's entire staff than give extra money to it.

[@fenchellforelle]

@@wolfedya1 unfortunately you are correct.

[@JLMetak]

And this is why I find the future of gaming in indie devs.

[@JLMetak]

@@user-dj9iu2et3r Artsy and small games don't tend to become huge successes. Of course they're exceptions to the rule (Minecraft is pretty much the biggest red flag to my argument) but games like VVVVVV and LISA are still a bit niche. (Well VVVVVV is pretty well known but it's no AA)

[@ChaosAngelZero]

PRO-TIP: *Don't* live in Los Angeles.

[@Alverant]

If the jobs are there and you don't want to spend hours commuting, please give an alternative.

[@wolverize9707]

PRO-TIP If you have money it’s no problem. It’s a paradise.

[@Ranieac]

@@Alverant jobs are everywhere

[@CL88able]

I will just do one better. Live ANYWHERE ELSE EXCEPT IN AMERICA.

[@ChaosAngelZero]

@@CL88able Haha, that sounds kinda extreme. Although from what I understand as someone not living in America, most cities do have pretty high taxes, and low-tax places are basically countryside and you have to drive for hours on end just to get to shopping malls and whatnot. I hope I'm wrong, though.

[@Vavalry]

Core team: the contractors are complaining about working conditions. What do we do? Activision higher ups: Let them eat cake.

[@colleenahoutz]

Somebody's head is going to roll for this...

[@cossaizy6309]

Reject modrenity embrace tradition

[@phm6834]

Thats how media business works in general. "Overhours every day? Grab some alcohol on the house!"

[@whitekong1033]

But only for 20 minutes!

[@maurotula]

Waiting for the part with the guillotines

[@darkgerry92]

I really hope game developers unionize. Seriously this needs to be stopped yesterday.

[@miguelpereira9859]

If American developers unionize companies will move studios to other places like eastern Europe and India, possibly even China. Just watch

[@Carakav]

@@miguelpereira9859 If they do, then they'll open a huge vacuum, and the still talented and skilled labor pool here in the US will just make new companies. The MBAs can run to tax havens if they want. Still doesn't change the fact that the core talent is here in the US.

[@bourboncask4089]

Unions are for morons who won't do the hard things to put themselves in a better position in the workplace. If you work in the game industry, there will be crunch. If those people don't like it, they can go work anywhere else.

[@darkgerry92]

@@bourboncask4089 you can kindly go elsewhere. That's the attitude that AAA publishers push for. Crunch is unacceptable no matter the industry. Sadly video game development isn't seen as something that needs unions, but with how greedy, shady, slimy, unethical, and plain abusive the publishers have been, yeah they need to unionize. Just because the only people you hang around with are people that abuse the system doesn't mean everyone does. Just the people you happen to know.

[@StridersBored]

@@bourboncask4089 Wow you're a really shitty being. Please go anywhere else with your toxic personality

[@claymenefee6999]

The video game industry is bigger than the film industry. No excuse for this from first party developers.

[@Smurfson]

Is it bigger?

[@mattlane5632]

You know your game is bad once you take the BATTLE ROYALE road. Don’t follow trends.

[@azraelswrd]

lol, hello Fallout 76 and World of Warships....

[@highadmiraljt5853]

Susanna Vargas Yeah, but Tetris is Tetris

[@bd.nitetrain]

@@azraelswrd what's wrong with World of Warships?

[@Ro321chile]

What other route they had? You have no time and you are asking for $60 dollars for less content. Embrace the trend.

[@azraelswrd]

@@bd.nitetrain Just another game that added a Battle Royale mode. Otherwise, it's still the same game and I still play it. Though seeing Battlefield 5: Firestorm in my ocean warship game is a little.... weird, lol.

[@davelangton1217]

Activision: The gift that keeps on.. taking. This is another reason why I won't buy anything that Activision has a hand in.

[@amarsubba7892]

Tell that to the millions of people that buy their games due to the name Call of Duty being slapped on the cover. It’s basically a scientific law at this point: no matter how shit the game is, if it has Call of Duty as the name, it is guaranteed to sell well.

[@nateortega2912]

Well except for crash nitro racing that came out not too long ago

[@madzen6167]

@@nateortega2912 I'm betting the in game store, is gonna be monetized to hell and back

[@RaptorTroll360]

Or you could acquire their products through means of socialism Pey *cough* Ra *cough* Cee And then let them know it(anonymously ofc) AND tell them that their game is so shit it was barely worth acquiring it through means of socialism. To add insult to injury

[@daddyike5676]

If only the Phantom Thieves existed in real life. These CEO people need a change of heart. Reminds me of the Smash Burger arc during the game.

[@amarsubba7892]

Yea, they’ll never see it coming

[@jarothewerewolf5277]

@@amarsubba7892 dammit, I was gonna make that joke xD

[@UMBR444]

Before : WE WANT TO BE PAID MORE!!! Now: WE WANT TO BE TREATED LIKE HUMANS!!!

[@DaFro3713]

Nice to know employers now see people as less than a piece of meat

[@tolasian9793]

Now it's both

[@wh8787]

Thank you for covering this stuff, it's really important and something that needs to be addressed.

[@Z31Turbo]

This is almost exactly how every company functions in America. Almost point for point how my company treats contractors and I work in semicon not gaming.

[@Skateandcreate9]

Z31Turbo it’s profit over people in USA duh nothing surprising to me

[@Z31Turbo]

@@Skateandcreate9 yep absolutely. It's really sad too, it didn't used to be this way. America used to where companies were founded to serve a purpose, they of course wanted to make profits, but it was never about getting ALL the profits like it is today.

[@sconrey7]

I work for a grocery store called publix, first out of 11 jobs to actually care about me as a human rather than as a warm body...

[@vultar9999]

I don't remember all the particulars, but I remember being told that the reason these types of contractors get treated the way they do is because of a Microsoft lawsuit. I don't remember all of the particulars, but I know the 'you can only work x time' without leaving for y amount, is because of that, and also the weird way contractors have to interact with FTEs. I worked for MS as a contractor for a while, and we weren't allowed to ask our FTE leads to be references because we didn't 'work' for MS. I had a FTE boss that started as a Dash-Trash like the rest of us, but once he became FTE, he couldn't do certain things for us (I can't remember them at the moment, but I kind of remember it being like a game of telephone) because of some legal nonsense from the lawsuit. Personally, I think the problems and abuses in this kind of contract work is being ignored and it really needs attention. It is almost impossible to find work in some fields that is not revolving contract door It just really needs to be harder for companies to hire contractors to do jobs that are basically permanent.

[@ToadimusPrime]

The only reason Activision has gone unchecked unlike EA is because they know how to keep quiet, while EA goes out all flashy.

[@viva6235]

Once again, Asstivision and Trey Arch showing no regard for the happiness of their employees.

[@Penetat]

There is a candel of hope for former devs of EA,Take 2,2k and Activision that candel is indie games.

[@Penetat]

Sorry ment employees.

[@absalomdraconis]

@BCPowerhouse : Don't play them at all. Trash the studio & games in the torrent site's comments. Trash the studio & games everywhere. Turn everything they touch into pariahs. It takes a while, but eventually they collapse.

[@viva6235]

@Agent 005 Doesn't justify it.

[@Cha05typhoon]

I'm so glad all of this is finally coming to light! I originally went to college for game dev but switched to web development after 2 years and hearing how game devs got treated

[@ZyxieRumor]

Black Ops 4? Haven't heard that game since the pass shaming incident. How is that game right now? *[Reads video title]* .........oh.........

[@ethandonnelly1973]

It's been......an experience I'll give it that. I have no idea how treyarch have managed to NOT finish the game they released nearly a year later, but They haven't. I can sit and list the problems the game has off and basically all of it could be fixed by copy pasting BO3's perks over to this, and then tweaking, somewhat, the specialists. And that would leave the game in a much better place. And then there's all this bullshit happening at the studio itself prelaunch coming out into the open. Bo4 makes me sad dude, it really does. A follow up to BO3's multiplayer with modern polish? That would have been great. People don't consider BO3, COD but I firmly hold that it's got the heart of a COD game in it, just with the futuristic packaging. Activision managing to fuck it up so collossaly and then treyarch apparently not wanting to fix the issues and finish the game even so long after launch? Yikes dude. Experience is all I can call it

[@toblerone1729]

Aren't all CoD games pretty much like the previous counterparts, but with a few small changes? Or is it just me?

[@MRJAYWILSON]

Oh... That guy.....

[@ethandonnelly1973]

@@toblerone1729 Yeah they are, some small but noticeable differences that make it stand out. Problem Is, BO4 doesn't even succeed at being a Copy paste. You could even say it's yearly "Gimmick" is Not having a unique gimmick. Like people will point out the manual healing, stim shot is stolen directly from Infinite warfare. It was a tactical in that game. Specialist were in BO3 and done MUCH better, and streaks are an existing gimmick from the oldest COD games, and the streaks in this are both bland and blatantly over powered because perks are severely underpowered. The standard movement, which is basically ripped from BO3, is the best thing in this game. Anyone wants an idea of how broken it is I'll just tell them to go into a match, feed the enemy team kills to get a chopper and then stand in the open with cold blooded on and see how many times it kills you. Hint, it's not zero. And then go play for real and see how many specialist ability and weapons cheese you out of a gunfight win. And the thing is it's not the abilities and weapons that are the issue, BO3 shows us that's not the case. It's the lack of counterplay or even just perks being serviceable enough to stop streaks and special weapons from chewing your ass off. It's a bit of a joke. Not a very funny one either. The only real justification I've ever had for actually playing it for as long as I did was "Well shit I DID pay for this so I might as well" Like I do pretty well, Its not like you can't have fun, but every game is decided in the first 2 minutes. If the enemy roll you in the first couple fights they'll get their ults first and If they get their ults first, they basically can go on a streak with a panic button or instant multikill at their disposal that WILL carry them to a high tier streak, and as soon as that's called in, game over. One chopper fucks you up, their team mate gets to murder you in the chaos, THEY get a streak, and it snowballs. This is not only shit it also means if you try to experiment with classes, you basically sign up for several games if getting destroyed until you have a bunch of attachments for that gun to be viable, then you can play well again if you're decent enough already. But ultimately the games so fucked up you find one class and you kinda just stick to it forever. Mines the Paladin sniper because it's got an attachment pair that lets you kill streaks by sniping them. I use it almost exclusively because I know at some point there's gonna be a streak and the perks are so trash you're genuinely better off just killing them by playing COD anti air cannon simulator for half the match than you are trusting the fucking perks

[@toblerone1729]

All the more reason to not buy that game...

[@Kenneth-jt7ul]

Seem Activision treating their developers and staff like slave. Wonderful.

[@firerobe51]

As someone who is working towards entering into the tech/gaming industry this is highly concerning. It definitely gives me pause to hear all of these articles as a professional programmer I have options other than the gaming industry. If the industry stays this way I will may have to consider employment outside the gaming industry.

[@omegaxtrigun]

So you're telling me that a CoD that scrapped campaign and hastily slapped together a BR mode to cash in on the trend, had a troubled development? You don't say? -_-

[@timelessdays]

The Zombies mode was also awful at the beginning. Crashes galore.