Bungie: Sony’s New Property Is Definitely Changing Its Work Habits!

Business news Bungie: Sony’s New Property Is Definitely Changing Its Work Habits!

Teleworking in video games: a complex process

With many publishers and developers, the trend is back to the office, sometimes with the abolition of wearing a mask, depending on the country and jurisdiction. Lots of developers say they prefer to work in the middle of teams, because the human contact, the exchanges at the coffee machine, or the quick interpellations allow to create a kind of creative emulation. Not everyone shares this opinion, and therefore in some studios the practice of telecommuting has evolvedon certain days of the week, in certain specific situations, etc. But worldwide we are starting to find colleagues in the industry.

Bungie takes the plunge!

At Bungie, which was recently acquired by Sony, we first had to deal with the limitations of teleworking† It was necessary to completely overhaul the production process, manage the network infrastructures, equip the developers with the necessary equipment and organize numerous meetings to take stock. That Bungie didn’t keep cool at all on telecommuting as the results were deemed satisfactory.

Over the past two years, we’ve redefined the way we work at Bungie. The transition to working from home was not an easy one, but the results speak for themselves. Today, it’s clear that a digitally-driven workplace isn’t the future of work – it’s the present and we’re all in it.

Thereafter, the studio has decided to present itself as a “digital-first” entityand enables its current and future employees to working remotelybut not everywhere.

Restrictions and concerns that persist at the sector level

However, US law imposes some restrictions. So while almost all functions are compatible with telecommuting, they are not not possible to apply and work everywhere† Currently only people live in Washington, California, Oregon, Texas, Illinois, Florida and North Carolina can benefit from it. Joe Blackburn, director of Destiny 2, explains this limitation:

Taxes! It takes time to set up such a large company to operate legally in so many different areas. Hopefully we will expand further in the future.

—Joe Blackburn (@joegoroth) Apr 11, 2022

The taxes ! It takes time to set up a company of this size to operate legally in so many different areas. I hope we continue to grow in the future.

Employees working remotely from any of these states can therefore continue to work on Destiny 2 or the new project, whose development is led by Christopher Barrett. But Bungie is more than 900 employeesand that’s not it no exclusion from face-to-face work† Liana Ruppert, community animator at Bungie, talks about: this concernthat exists among a number of developers, from back to the property †

DEV PEEPS: There seems to be a lot of concern about some studios requiring employees to return to the office without a mask and without proof of vaccination. As someone who is immune, I understand how that can make you feel. I encourage you to fight against that, but if it is not heard (1/2)

—Liana Ruppert (@DirtyEffinHippy) Apr 7, 2022

There seems to be a lot of concern about some studios forcing employees back into the office without masks and without proof of vaccinations. As an immunocompromised person, I understand how this can make you feel. I encourage you to fight this. But if you’re not heard… Bungie kept us informed throughout the process and while it is possible to come to the office (proof of vaccination and health screening are required and present), there was no pressure to do so . It is important to feel safe.

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