Devs would rather work for Valve than go indie, IGDA finds
Given an open field, developers in the gaming industry would most want to work at Valve, according to the 2014 Developer Satisfaction Survey conducted by the IGDA. The IGDA surveyed more than 2,200 developers to gather the top 10 most desirable employers in the gaming industry.
Valve tops the list, followed by "my own company," Activision Blizzard, BioWare, Ubisoft and "current employer." According to these results, the desire to go independent is alive and well in the industry, trumped only by what we assume is a deep need to know the status of Half-Life 3. See the complete list in the below press release.
The IGDA regularly updates its Developer Satisfaction Survey, already this year noting that women compose 22 percent of the gaming industry. Also, developers on average have worked for four different employers in the past five years, and 53 percent of developers report that "crunch" is not a necessary aspect of game development, though 37 percent of respondents said they didn't receive extra compensation for working extra crunch hours.
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Valve Most Desirable Developer or Publisher to Work For: 2014 IGDA Survey
MOUNT ROYAL, NJ - 19 AUGUST 2014 - Given a wide open choice, game developers would most like to work for Valve, according to a 2014 survey of more than 2,200 game developers conducted by the International Game Developers Association (IGDA). The games, social entertainment platform and technologies developer topped all other publishers and developers, even working for "my own company."
Judged the most desirable publisher and developer employers were:
1. Valve
2. My own company
3. Activision Blizzard
4. BioWare
5. Ubisoft
6. Current employer
7. Nintendo
8. Naughty Dog
9. Double Fine
10. Bethesda Game Studios
The IGDA uses its annual Developer Satisfaction Survey to analyze the game industry from the perspective of the individual developer. The data IGDA gathers helps the organization to better understand its members' priorities and the most critical issues affecting their overall satisfaction, and in turn use that information to help prioritize the association's advocacy efforts and initiatives, according to Kate Edwards, executive director.
[Image: Valve]
