PLAYSTUDIOS reviews

Leadership constantly restructured the organization and implemented top down changes to our studios entire development process, while at the same time constantly pushed for increased profitability and decreasing opex (even making decreasing opex a public OKR for a quarter). This led to constant stress and pressure on the team with increasing employee churn. While other studios were having ski trips, huge parties in the desert and helicopter rides over the Vegas strip, our studio was forced to audit every program license we used and having access removed, losing access to parking garage cards for our own office, and rarely having team celebrations at all. Looking back, this should have been a sign but instead our studio was constantly praised for our efforts in leaning into new processes, championing entirely new OKR systems, and being told we were a "model for the rest of the company" in monthly reviews with leadership. So what did all of this sacrifice lead to? Our entire studio shut down overnight and all jobs outsourced, no accelerated vesting of RSUs (which were given instead of bonuses), and to top it all off leadership moved forward with enforcement of non-competes on several loyal employees they laid off. Does this sound like a company and people you want to work for? And if you do, take everything said with a huge grain of salt.

I can't speak for any of the other offices, and if I state what I've heard about them it would be hearsay, so instead I will focus on my ongoing experience with the Burlingame office. This studio’s culture has allowed it to get the better of itself. Currently, you can expect a divisive environment full of unnecessary office politics (it’s pretty much been that way for the last 5 years). Many of the managers were either promoted too early, don't have the proper degree/experience for the positions they fill and treat the workplace as a way to work out their aggressions. (I will state there are still some wonderful people here, however that number dwindles as many of the best have left the company for more professional environments, or have been let go during one of the companies multiple massive layoffs) If you’re looking to learn and grow at a company, this definitely isn’t the place for that. Most people seem to be hanging on here just to pay bills or be able to keep working in the states, or just lack the confidence/energy to apply and work elsewhere. This office still tries to throw events, but do to it’s culture most have no interest in attending. It has become a very quiet office, lacking the excitement and energy it once had, and do to it’s plummeting number of employees it feels more and more like this office might not be around for long. This particular office went from a big beautiful office building buzzing with hundreds of employees, to a tiny building with maybe about 30 employees, and pretty much none of them ever have the desire to occupy the office. (on average about 3-4 in building) Of the places I’ve worked, I would say that Playstudios is the most depressing. I do truly hope it can find it’s way back to it’s former glory, but so much would need to change, and they’d have to get rid of a handful of bad actors that have somehow bafflingly climbed the ranks here, mostly do to high school style cliques or nepotism. 

On a side note, the Burlingame office is no longer dog friendly and employees can’t have packages delivered to the office do to space restrictions. Also, all the Burlingame photos on this Glassdoor are of the old building. The new building has none of that stuff. Now to wait for an obligatory HR response, and for a few new super vague positive reviews to suddenly pop up out of nowhere!