Electronic Arts Reviews

Pros

Fun products and output.
Great salary.
Working with talented people.
Bragging rights.

Cons

Politics.
Left hand not knowing what the right hand is doing.
Occasional stress and overwork.

Advice to Senior Management

When you say do something, back it up, and cut the things you don't believe in. This is a mantra we often hear, but it never feels like that on the ground. Too many things are started with good intentions, then the senior management dance around the issues hoping they don't get tarnished with any bad feeling if feathers are ruffled.

Pros

Free games, relaxed environment, good chance of promotion

Cons

EA has a bad reputation in the industry, Senior management aren't great

Advice to Senior Management

Too many levels of management, there are a huge amount of people who don't do anything and just meddle

Pros

left hand doesn't know what right hand is doing
good for gamers
cheap games
oppurtunity to live in fantasy world rather than real world

Cons

if you are looking for growth & advancement, EA is not right place to work with.
middle level management is horrible
8 out of 10 architect has no knowledge about project or technology and worst than morons.
promotion is based on seniority and not on quality or smartness of the person.
interview process is horrible and unnecessary steps that one have to go thru. even this process is not there in facebook, google, microsoft etc..........

Advice to Senior Management

re-org the whole management starting from middle layer.

Pros

Cheap games, free food, basketball court, soccer field, gym, tons of amenities. If you like making video games, you might enjoy this place.

Cons

If you're creative, you might hate this place. It's a huge company, and so there is very little opportunity for the typical employee to have a say in the vision or direction of anything important.

Advice to Senior Management

Innovate on a small scale. Try sending your developers off to make a few smaller, "indie"-type games and see what happens.

Pros

- You can learn more good process
- You can learn how to build a good game with high quality
- You can learn what a big company does and why it does.

Cons

- There is a lot of senior managers or directors who need improve their leadership and their competence.
- Politics struggle is everwhere
- Actually the innovation already is dead.
- HQ employee gets benefits but world wide employ hasn't
- If you are not hired by HQ, you have no more chance to be growth into high level management team.
- If you are not hired by HQ, you never have enough power. You are always the executor even if you have highest title.

Advice to Senior Management

Please stop the politics struggle and focus on projects, innovation more. Currently EA lost more and more top talent because of the mid-level even some high-level managment. More and more person who hasn't enough management skill and competence is promoted to management team only because they always obeyed and they stay longer and longer. Please review all manamange team and build a real high efficiency team.

Pros

You get to play games, have fun, and have a deeper understanding of gaming software. The play is decent and so are the benefits.

Cons

The work pace can be challenging at times. Deadlines can be tight and sometimes, you have to work long hours.

Advice to Senior Management

They need to clearly communicate to the people below them and to also have a process to recognize people who deserve to be recognized.

Pros

(most) co-workers are brilliant and fun to work with, some innovative IP, looks good on your resume, you get lots of game credits quickly, casual environment

Cons

poor pay, minimal (or no) recognition for good work, constant crunch, poor management, poor work/life balance

Advice to Senior Management

Some of the managers (director level) just aren't good managers and only took the job for the pay. They break HR rules (and laws) regularly, treat people very poorly and will do anything to dodge necessary paperwork.

Pros

Cares about it's employees
Flexible working hours
Generally good managers, both locally as well as remote

Cons

Sometimes problems with communication between employees

Advice to Senior Management

Some people need to be managed with a stronger hand

Pros

Work life balance was impressive. Speaks to well planned projects or lack of passion.

Cons

Too corporate, with a lack of vision by upper management. Too many managers were either from QA or bean counters from Production Management. Either way, you can't drive a creative company without giving the creatives forces an equal voice.

Marketing needs to talk to Production

Advice to Senior Management

Marketing needs to report to the EP. Prototype projects before green lighting. Producers are not known for being creative, why are they the drivers?

Pros

Nice people, nice teams; very tactical, customer focussed

Cons

Not cost conscious, no work-life balance, limited opportunities for advancement