(Photo : Bungie / Screenshot taken from official website)
A former Bungie executive claims that the video game company previously hired fans to work for it because they would "work for less."
The executive in question is former chief legal officer Don Mcgowan, who revealed that fans were selected because they were willing to get a smaller paycheck. The claims were made during a recent interview that was posted on YouTube.
Bungie Allegedly Hired Fans To Save Money
McGowan is a former member of Bungie's general counsel, and he talked about how many gaming companies hire fans to work to save money. He argued that a lot of studios took advantage of people who wanted to work on a game that they loved.
He also previously worked with other video game companies, such as Pokemon and Microsoft Games. He revealed that peers would ask him how much of a pay cut they were making him take when he moved to Bungie.
McGowan had to explain that people in the video game industry generally assume that the company is making him take a pay cut. He argued that this was a horrible reputation for a studio to have, according to Insider Gaming.
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His remarks are not the first time that Bungie has received criticism from previous employees this week. Former Marathon game director Chris Barrett is suing the studio and Sony for allegedly firing him to avoid paying $45 million.
Bungie has been having a rough time recently as it has faced two rounds of layoffs, which resulted in the cut of more than 300 workers. Many of these were known to be long-time staff members.
Bungie's Recent Struggles
The job cuts also happened alongside delays for Marathon, which has now been pushed back to a 2025 release window. The studio attributed the recent setbacks to its need to refocus, but some employees are now speaking out, The Game Post said.
Many of the company's former employees are shedding light on a much more complicated picture of Bungie's internal dynamics. McGowan also talked about the discussions regarding unionization in the games industry.
Barrett's lawsuit against Bungie and Sony claims that he is now what the studios are presenting him to the public as. He said that the situation has destroyed his reputation throughout the gaming industry.
He is currently seeking defamation damages for at least $100 million and $45 million for "exemplary damages." All of these payments come on top of the original $45 million that he is owed for his work, according to Forbes.
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