Video game development can be a tumultuous, stressful career, with long hours and the risk of layoffs always hanging over your head. According to a few members of the quality assurance team over at Capcom Vancouver, however, the work environment there sounds kind of amazing.
Dylan Matthews, who joined the Capcom Vancouver QA team after working at Sleeping Dogs developer United Front Games, says the studio is “the most incredible place I’ve ever seen in my life.”
“It’s ridiculous. Every day something magical happens. I met the founder of Capcom, I play Street Fighter V every day at lunch with a bunch of other employees, there’s an Astronomy Club, Board Games Club, Soccer Club, Slow Cooker Club, and about 40 more clubs,” Matthews continues.
Matthews adds that there’s also a Sandwich Club (they really missed the opportunity to call it Club Sandwich), which he serves as judge. There’s also a “massive games library” that allows employees to borrow anything they want; given the typical less-than-stellar pay of QA work, this stands out as an especially big bonus.
“Like a lot of places in the industry, working at Capcom Vancouver can be challenging. It requires a lot of hard work, a passion for what you’re doing, and a high level of adaptability. However, Capcom Vancouver also delivers on a strong sense of community and ownership,” adds employee Dillon MacPherson.
Reviews for the studio on Glassdoor — where both former and current employees can share their experiences — seem to line up with the information Capcom is giving. The first review compliments the atmosphere and “proactive learning environment,” but laments the large number of meetings. Oh, AAA development, you strange, strange monster.
Capcom Vancouver, B.C., is missing one thing that could make it the greatest AAA work environment: Valve’s snack bar. The stuff of legend at this point, it includes an endless array of Hot Pockets, soda, fresh fruit, candy, chips, and cookies. The studio has a weekly catered lunch, as well. I had leftover Chinese today.
Capcom Vancouver’s Dead Rising 3 was one of the better launch titles for the Xbox One, making unique use of both the Kinect and the SmartGlass app. The studio is currently hiring for an unannounced project that will use the Unreal 4 engine.
