A British video game developer specializing in animation effects shares his experience at Blizzard as a developer on Overwatch 2. He received a promotion after 6 months, but that’s when the disaster began: he did not receive a raise despite more work, and ultimately he was banned from the profession after resigning.
Who is this?
- Chris Sayers is a “VFX Artist” – these are developers specializing in animation effects.
- He gained his experience at a studio from 2020 to 2022 in London and moved to Blizzard London in November 2022 to work on Overwatch 2 (via linkedin).
- After 6 months, in July 2023, he was promoted to “Lead VFX Artist” and was supposed to lead a small team in the cosmetic area, but that’s when the trouble started.
The cover image is a stock image from Pixabay.
This is how the promotion went: Sayers states on Twitter that he was promoted after 6 months. He was to become Lead VFX Artist in the cosmetic team of Overwatch 2, responsible for the effects for skins, emotes, or the “Play-of-the-Game” videos.
He describes it as that he clearly discussed the key points in the meeting where the HR department and some department heads were present:
- What the role exactly means
- What he will do in the new role
- What benefits he will receive in terms of job title and salary increase
He then realized that he had 3 people directly reporting to him, he was responsible for outsourcing in China and would take care of meetings and planning.
He says that all parties agreed to the terms, and he immediately started his new job. The details of the role were to be provided to him in writing at the end of the week.
New on the job, he loses two important employees right away
That was then his experience as a “boss”: As team lead, Sayers immediately felt the harsh reality:
One employee did not want to return to the office because he had to take care of a sick parent. Sayers advocated for the employee. But his superiors remained firm and fired the employee: no fuss is made for a junior.
Sayers then had to take over the work of this excellent employee, he writes.
A month later, Blizzard refused to hire a talented intern, who also had to leave, and Sayers took over his work as well.
After a month: Neither promoted nor more money – Only more work
That was his status after a month in the new job: Sayers says that after a month in the new role, he had neither received a raise nor a formal promotion.
However, Sayers worked much more than before, had more responsibilities, and still had to compensate for the loss of the two employees.
Less money because he is based in London
This is how the situation escalated: Sayers writes that he found out that he received less than half of what everyone else in his position at Blizzard earned. He received so little that even some of his direct reports earned more than he did.
He inquired with the HR department, and they told him bluntly: it’s because he works in the UK. They do not pay his full market value but are based on salaries in the UK. From a business standpoint, it would be unreasonable to pay him the same as other employees.
Sayers commented: “I realized I was talking to someone who didn’t give a damn about others.”
“What promotion?” – This is just a lateral move
When was it finally over? Sayers started to pressure them about where the promotion and the salary increase were. Only when he threatened to stop doing the job did the HR department respond and ask, “What promotion? What are you even talking about?”
He officially filed a complaint.
It then turned out that Sayers had not received an official promotion but had been appointed “team leader”. A “lateral career move”, not an upward one. He only had more responsibility but did not receive a raise.
Sayers asked why the hell anyone would want a promotion then. His complaints were dismissed with the explanation: “I can understand why you misunderstood this.”
The formal complaint was dismissed, noting that no errors had occurred and everything had gone correctly.
Sayers then resigned.
After resignation comes the next blow: 3 months of professional ban
This was the climax: Sayers shares that the HR department told him after his resignation that because he had a leadership role and therefore important knowledge, it was a business risk for Blizzard if he worked elsewhere. Therefore, they activated a clause in his contract that prohibited him from working anywhere for 3 months.
During this time, he would not be paid by Blizzard either.
Sayers told the HR department that he had a mortgage and could not stay 3 months without income – they responded that he should have thought better before signing the contract and locked him out of his work accounts.
How is he doing now? Sayers says that in December he had moments when he sat on the couch, had a panic attack, and wondered why all of this was happening to him.
However, he is feeling better now. His resignation was 3 months ago, he is allowed to work again, and has found a new studio in London.
He is still angry at Blizzard – especially at the HR department. He is particularly upset that the “3 months of not working” thing is legal. All lawyers confirmed that to him.
He got through the time without a job and salary only by offering mentorships and portfolio reviews over Twitter – that saved him. He is very grateful for that and hopes the people felt that their contributions made a difference.
This is his conclusion: He says, “Blizzard had every opportunity to do the right thing and continuously failed.”
In hindsight, he says he didn’t even want a huge raise, 10% would have sufficed as a sign of recognition. The employees at Blizzard are fantastic, but he describes the HR department as “openly evil and useless at every step.”
The story goes viral on Twitter
This is what others say: A former Blizzard employee, who has been in the news lately, posts under the name “Pirate Software”: He says what the Brit is telling is not even an isolated case.
The pay at Blizzard is terrible; he received less in quality assurance at Blizzard than someone packing groceries in a supermarket. With that salary, one cannot survive in California.
Many other Twitter users are moved by Sayers’ story. The initial tweet has already reached 3 million views – the story is going viral.
We at MeinMMO have asked Blizzard for a statement and will publish it when we receive it.
Life at Blizzard can sometimes be tough: An engineer shares how his dream job in gaming died: “I was fired after 13 years at Blizzard”
