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    Obsidian Entertainment Reviews

    Updated July 2, 2017
    17 reviews

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    4.2
    StarStarStarStarStar
    Rating TrendsRating Trends
    Recommend to a friend
    Approve of CEO
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    Feargus Urquhart
    9 Ratings

    17 Employee Reviews

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    1. "Solid Independent Studio"

      StarStarStarStarStar
      • Work/Life Balance
      • Culture & Values
      • Career Opportunities
      • Comp & Benefits
      • Senior Management
      Current Employee - Anonymous Employee in Irvine, CA
      Current Employee - Anonymous Employee in Irvine, CA
      Recommends
      Positive Outlook
      Approves of CEO

      I have been working at Obsidian Entertainment full-time (More than 5 years)

      Pros

      Consciencious and humane development tone.

      Cons

      I seriously can't think of any problems that other studios don't have.

    2. Helpful (2)

      "Great until a game gets canceled."

      StarStarStarStarStar
      • Work/Life Balance
      • Culture & Values
      • Career Opportunities
      • Comp & Benefits
      • Senior Management
      Former Employee - Data Analyst in Irvine, CA
      Former Employee - Data Analyst in Irvine, CA
      Recommends
      Neutral Outlook
      No opinion of CEO

      I worked at Obsidian Entertainment full-time (More than a year)

      Pros

      Great place to work. Low stress. Good technology and talent.

      Cons

      Game gets canceled and half the studio is let go.

      Advice to Management

      Give employees more of a head's up when you know they're going to be let go soon. . .

      3. Join the Obsidian Entertainment team
      See Our Latest Jobs

    3. Helpful (3)

      "it is an ok job"

      StarStarStarStarStar
      • Work/Life Balance
      • Culture & Values
      • Career Opportunities
      • Comp & Benefits
      • Senior Management
      Former Employee - Level Designer in Irvine, CA
      Former Employee - Level Designer in Irvine, CA
      Doesn't Recommend
      Neutral Outlook
      No opinion of CEO

      I worked at Obsidian Entertainment full-time (More than a year)

      Pros

      Their were a lot of good people here.
      Decent work life balance
      Has good places to eat across the street,

      Cons

      Pay is less then other companies
      Poor developer to publisher relations
      Prone to yearly layoffs
      No bonuses
      Very little room for advancement
      Entrenched management so no upward mobility

      Advice to Management

      RPG's are what you are good at. Make them. Don't branch out into genres you know nothing about.
      Avoid rampant growth. The company is a bubble that keeps bursting over and over again.

    4. Helpful (1)

      "Great place to work"

      StarStarStarStarStar
      Former Employee - Anonymous Employee
      Former Employee - Anonymous Employee
      Approves of CEO

      I worked at Obsidian Entertainment full-time

      Pros

      A great place to work and they really care about the employees.

      Cons

      There's honestly not too many things that I had a problem with there. Definitely enjoyed it!

      Advice to Management

      Spend more time developing employees, but this was in the past and it seems like things have changed.

    5. Helpful (3)

      "Awesome people, creative and passionate atmosphere"

      StarStarStarStarStar
      • Work/Life Balance
      • Culture & Values
      • Career Opportunities
      • Comp & Benefits
      • Senior Management
      Current Employee - Anonymous Employee
      Current Employee - Anonymous Employee
      Recommends
      Positive Outlook
      Approves of CEO

      I have been working at Obsidian Entertainment full-time (More than 5 years)

      Pros

      This studio breathes passion and friendliness. When you speak with developers who have just come through the doors to those who have been here for years, they are care. They care about what they do on a day to day basis, to the impact their jobs have to the games they produce, everyone here puts their heart and soul into the project, no matter how crappy the project is the team spirit is there. Everyone on the management side are so approachable and you never feel like any question is too small to ask. Here, we develop as family and equals.

      Cons

      Only major downsides that come to mind is that 3 weeks of vacation does not kick in until 5 years, whereas most studios are 2. But the studio can be flexible and work with each persons situation and they close to studio towards the end of the year which gives ample family visiting and travel time, which is so great.

      Advice to Management

      Continue to stay open-door with all your developers, we appreciate you for it. Thank you for treating everyone equally and representing our voice when we need it. The studio you built has been home for so many, old and new, past and present, and for returning developers.

    6. Helpful (2)

      "Fun, Fantastic and Productive"

      StarStarStarStarStar
      • Work/Life Balance
      • Culture & Values
      • Career Opportunities
      • Comp & Benefits
      • Senior Management
      Current Employee - Anonymous Employee
      Current Employee - Anonymous Employee
      Recommends
      Positive Outlook
      Approves of CEO

      I have been working at Obsidian Entertainment full-time (More than a year)

      Pros

      Friendly, understanding and accommodating work place. Everyone loves their job and wants to see their respective projects succeed. Meetings are informative.

      Cons

      Things get lost between teams, and for someone who is new to the company it can be difficulty to know where to go or who to turn to for more information regarding hiccups in the process.

    7. Helpful (1)

      "Obsidian Programmer"

      StarStarStarStarStar
      • Work/Life Balance
      • Culture & Values
      • Career Opportunities
      • Comp & Benefits
      • Senior Management
      Current Employee - Programmer in Irvine, CA
      Current Employee - Programmer in Irvine, CA
      Recommends
      Positive Outlook
      Approves of CEO

      I have been working at Obsidian Entertainment full-time (More than a year)

      Pros

      Friendly coworkers, and I have yet to experience any extreme crunch. The owners are all very nice people, and they give plenty of vacation time around the holidays.

      Cons

      A little stressful at times due to deadlines, but nothing extreme. That's something you'll find at any game company. I also wish I had negotiated a little more for a higher salary, since I'm a bit underpaid for the average at my experience level. I do wish we got a little more sick time, too. It's pretty standard for the U.S., but I know that some people had to take vacation time or go unpaid when they get really sick a couple times in a year.

      Advice to Management

      Management is very down to earth and approachable, which is much appreciated. My only suggestion would be a little higher flexibility with paid off time -- I personally think I'd be a much more efficient worker if I had more time to relax during the lulls in a project.

    8. Helpful (4)

      "Great studio, great people, crappy projects (back then)"

      StarStarStarStarStar
      • Work/Life Balance
      • Culture & Values
      • Career Opportunities
      • Comp & Benefits
      • Senior Management
      Current Employee - Artist in Irvine, CA
      Current Employee - Artist in Irvine, CA
      Recommends
      Neutral Outlook
      Approves of CEO

      I have been working at Obsidian Entertainment full-time (More than a year)

      Pros

      The head guys are very open and honest regarding the company's health. The developers are friendly. They pay about average. The studio is across from plenty of dining/shopping/etc. but its very expensive to live nearby.

      Cons

      They were really struggling when I was there, working on bad projects from no-name or foreign publishers. They are basically desperate to work for anyone to keep the lights on. Hopefully, Project Eternity (their own IP) will put them on solid footing again.

      Advice to Management

      Move. Irvine is lame and too expensive, especially that premium spot across The Spectrum.

    9. Helpful (4)

      "Great potential, but pushed around by big publishers"

      StarStarStarStarStar
      • Work/Life Balance
      • Culture & Values
      • Career Opportunities
      • Comp & Benefits
      • Senior Management
      Current Employee - Anonymous Employee
      Current Employee - Anonymous Employee
      Recommends
      Positive Outlook
      Approves of CEO

      I have been working at Obsidian Entertainment full-time (Less than a year)

      Pros

      Great company culture.
      Casual work environment.
      Employees are passionate all the way up to the top levels.
      Management works hard.
      Employees know their fields.

      Cons

      In my experience, Obsidian seems to be routinely pushed around by the publishers they work with. This leads to rushed launches and, in some cases, making implementing poor designs because of the publisher's whims.

    10. Helpful (1)

      "Obsidian is filled with people that are passionate about the games they create."

      StarStarStarStarStar
      • Work/Life Balance
      • Culture & Values
      • Career Opportunities
      • Comp & Benefits
      • Senior Management
      Current Employee - Artist in Irvine, CA
      Current Employee - Artist in Irvine, CA
      Recommends
      Positive Outlook
      Approves of CEO

      I have been working at Obsidian Entertainment full-time (More than a year)

      Pros

      Transparency. Obsidian's owners are very clear and open about that is going on with the studio. Anything from new projects to financial stability.
      The artists are eager to learn and willing share new techniques and experiences.
      The absence of "climbing the corporate ladder" is a welcome feeling having come from both of the other "big" corporate studios.

      Cons

      Minor issues like parking lot locations, not having the newest office furniture or computer hardware come up because of being a cost conscious independent development studio.

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