Funny that Ubisoft declined to comment. Let's see if they're singing a different tune soon. Great, great work, Leigh.

Sadly, this is nothing new, and I think it's great to have it exposed. Maybe we'll think twice about who we work for, and for how much.

I for one would like to see more transparency when it comes to hiring practices, including how pay is defined.

Gives weight to something I was told by a mentor: Know your value, and settle for nothing less.

It's sad to see something like this happening in a location where the industry is so rapidly growing.

Wow Leigh, stellar work!

"I know that all of us face the challenge of employee retention, but I sincerely believe that salary augmentation does not represent a long term solution."

Then what does? Indentured servitude? Outsourcing to Eastern Europe? What?

This is an interesting story. Being somewhat of an outsider, I wasn't aware that this sort of thing was common, although I have been fearing the practices of large business in our industry since sometime last year.

This whole "Be afraid of the economy, now do what I say because 'we have to for financial reasons'" crap has to go. I'm not sure there's a lot that can be done to repeal the bailout/rip-off in the States, but it's sad to see that the same cut-throat business tactics are being used in Canada and elsewhere around the globe. These sleazy business tactics are what got our world into the economic problem, and things won't get better until we quit allowing this to happen.

A while back I wanted to "break in to the industry." Now I'm not so sure I want to work with any company out there (maybe two exceptions). I am starting up a company with several others in the Raleigh area and I'm glad that I at least have that. We treat our employees with high levels of respect. I advise that any other company out there does the same.

You will self-destruct if you do not change your ways. I say this because I value our industry as a whole and the competition, it's how the free market (should) work.

This is a nasty form of price fixing.

I never understand when you have an employ that is excelled in the company, they stick to the standard fixed percentage pay increase. When they can just get hired at a new job with a 10/15% increase because of the skills they have picked up at our studio. It takes money and time to train up new people, why not pay people what they are worth!? We had one guy leave, they had to hire 3 people to replace him. They should have given him what he was worth...

The head of another game studio said this to us: You guys train them, then we hire them." Now that is brutal, (but true).

Salary-fixing is outright stupid in the long term because it makes talented people choose different careers who might otherwise be available to the game industry.

In fact, altough I am a employer, I must agree with the idea, competition to pay higher and higher salaries are what drive costs upward wildly, make games cost 60USD on the box, and results in stupid workers having high salaries.

Of course, some people deserve a bizarrely high pay, because they are good and rock, but escalating salaries is bad on the long term to the industry as a whole (even employees, that might find themselves out of jobs when companies close)

Now, EA talking about ethics is funny ¬¬

salary capping is fine, as long as you dont mind hiring the dregs of the workforce.

This will merely drive away talent. Which will result in bad games, which will result in less money for the studio. You want the best, you have to compensate them, look at Pixar or Valve, you think they pay little? And hope people will work there out of the goodness of their heart? not a chance. And they produce the best. Its not a mystery how good products are created.

oh and the economic problems were caused by government regulation and currency inflation, not sleazy business practices.

its a despicable, unethical idea. give me a break. people should be paid what theya re worth. they wouldnt get the high salaries unless they deserve it, or unless the company is stupid. in that case, they shouldnt be in the industry anyway.

It sounds like people who even partially agree with this practice don't understand basic supply-demand principles. Putting a wage at a level artificially lower than its equilibrium value will only cause a shortage in qualified people to take those positions, and the companies that do it will be the ones to lose out. There's no way that "competition to pay higher and higher salaries" could possibly cause costs to skyrocket, because once testers start demanding $100,000 salaries, how hard do you think it would be to find a reasonably qualified individual out there who would say "I'll do it for $40G"?

It all comes back to "what's it worth to you?" If a $60 game isn't worth $60 to you, then don't buy it. If an employee isn't worth a six-figure salary, then don't hire him at that much. There's nothing nefarious about it, it's just the invisible hand the guides prices towards the most beneficial to all parties, and it's only when you start imposing immutable prices that things go south.

Professionals cost money, who'd of thunk it?

Erm... has anyone thought of the fact that this might not have been a question of keeping salaries down, but simply a move on Ubi's part to make sure nobody was defecting "en masse" over to Eidos ? All I know is Ubi Montreal has been hit with quite a few HR-related scandals over the years: the lawsuit with EA, the departure of Martin Tremblay, the former general manager, which led to another lawsuit... and there's more dark shit on the fiscal side...

What,s it gonna take to ask for a little clean-up ??

Hello there,

Good point Yannick. Yes, this is just another HR problem appearing in Montreal and it does look that Ubisoft treats the city as its powerbase and is very reluctant into allowing other companies to tap on Montreal's resources.

But I would rather prefer to follow some bigger aspect of it. Seems like the area attracted some of the best talent of the world and now wonders why these people want to be paid so much money ;).

Salary capping and any secret agreements are the best way to force these people out of Montreal.

On the other hand maybe the companies do feel they pay too much and they need to lose some stars to revive the balance on the market? People expect great things in Montreal, because this is Montreal - place advertised as paradise for game development. A few scars on the crystal can lower their salary expectations at least.

Anyway, this is a personal disaster of Flavie Tremblay as she will be remembered as the person who initiated this kind of
solutions. Not very helpful in future career.

Greetings.

Wow!
I'm a young coder here in Montreal and was warned about going into the gaming industry. I guess here is even more evidence supporting those people's arguments!

Mariusz, I totally agree. But sometimes greed is a really bad thing. Quality/price, Montreal is pretty darn hard to beat. And when you have salaries that are subsidized almost 1/3 by the government, you get tax breaks, and you still pull off moves like this, it's dubious, to say the least. Salaries in Montreal are NOWHERE near what they are in California, yet you don't hear people complaining over there !

It all depends on your business strategy, I guess. Ubisoft has always relied strongly on studios in developing countries, therefore they're probably comparing Montreal salaries to the ones in Romania or China, whereas EA or Eidos, while they do have operations in China and elsewhere, they don't rely as heavily on them, so they're probably comparing to SF or the UK, and feeling they're getting a great deal...

As for Flavie Tremblay... well, we'll see if it's really her own personal move. I mean, she did leave Ubisoft, and was then re-hired, how often does that happen ? If Ubi has done no wrong, they should come clean.

Hello Yannick,

Interesting. I haven't thought about Ubisoft taking defensive stance due to corporate policy. If there is really a difference in salaries offered (as the whole packages with all the bonuses and perks) between Ubi and other companies, then Ubi Montreal should lose people in favour of other Montreal-based companies while hiring aggresively outside Quebec to cover the losses.

F. Tremblay was re-hired by Ubi as you observed. It means they have no problem with her suggestions. Even if there was just a stupid mistake and she's good and clean then bad impression still remains. She will have to prove this is only a bad impression, not a truth, which may turn into a bit tiresome experience. I may guess she is quite popular in Montreal now.

Greetings,

Marius

Good job on the article!