The COVID-19 pandemic drastically shifted how employees work in several industries, including gaming. As the world recovers, different studios have been trying different strategies to adapt to changed employee expectations. This becomes obvious when you compare Insomniac and Roblox Corporation.
Insomniac has been having a great week thanks to the good reviews Spider-Man 2 has been getting. As everyone celebrates another impressive achievement from Insomniac, journalist Jason Schreier revealed that the studio allows employees to work from wherever they want.
Some commenters did point out that there are some restrictions regarding which US states and Canadian provinces this is allowed in, though it appears possible in most of North America.
Roblox Corporation has also been having a fantastic time on the PS5 recently. According to games industry analyst Mat Piscatella, in its launch week it “ranked 3rd in percentage of PlayStation players that played the title at least once,” putting it behind only Fortnite and Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3.
On the same day as Schreier’s Tweet, Roblox CEO David Baszucki released a public post revealing that several remote workers are going to be asked to return to work at the headquarters in San Mateo. Baszucki explains that while the option to continue to support remote work was considered, it was decided that “Roblox is an innovation company and we needed to get back to working in person.”
The higher-ups were also concerned about the “many cohorts, such as our new college graduates and people early in their careers, who typically learn through social contact and would miss out on this mentorship.” Employees asked to return to in-person work have until January 2024 to decide.
Those who agree will be assisted with relocation costs, while those who choose not to will have until April 15th, 2024 to transition out of their full-time roles, though they will receive “a severance package based on their individual level and term of service, along with six months of healthcare coverage for everyone on their policies”
Though Roblox and Insomniac have addressed the same issue differently, it is possible to see both positives and negatives in either approach. Concerns about whether remote work can facilitate the kind of innovation birthed from in-person teams are valid, though the return to on-site work will be a drastic change for many employees who have gotten used to their work-from-home lifestyle.
Insomniac’s approach seems to give employees more freedom but it’s worth remembering, as Schreier points out, that remote work can result in greater crunch, as it’s easier to put in extra hours accidentally.
