Good work/life balance and broad exposure to the video game industry - Engineer Havok.com Employee Review

4.0
17 Mar 2015
Recommend
CEO approval
Business outlook

Pros

Havok is a good place to get a broad exposure to the AAA video game industry since Havok is used by so many top video game studios. As part of the developer support team and/or the development team, you get a chance to work with the smartest engineers in the industry (both in and outside of Havok). The San Francisco office is one of many offices in Havok, so it's small, but as a result, you get to know everyone in the office which creates a family-like atmosphere. Also, since Havok doesn't actually make video games, they don't have the same crunch hours as actual video game studios, so the work/life balance is much better.

Cons

Lots of turnover. Not that because Havok is a bad place to work at, but unless you move to Dublin, Ireland, your career trajectory is limited. And since it's in the San Francisco Bay Area, lots of people move on to other tech or game companies in the area just because there are so many tech jobs here.

Explore other reviews about Havok.com

5.0
19 Oct 2015
Anonymous employee
Recommend
CEO approval
Business outlook

Pros

Flat company, easy to communicate with C level management.

Cons

Be prepared to wear many hats!

5.0
29 Jun 2015
Anonymous employee
Recommend
CEO approval
Business outlook

Pros

Havok offers middleware technology and developer support, so you get to have the benefit of a fantastic work/life balance (unlike working directly in the game industry) but also get exposed to all the cool new tech and games coming out. Also, Havok is owned by Intel, which means great job security and benefits (Havok will not suddenly get bought out and turned over or go out of business any time soon!) Havok is also always trying new programs in order to constantly grow the business. They aren't afraid to take risks and make sure that the brand and the technology doesn't get stale.

Cons

Very little room to grow, promotions are few and far between, and almost all management positions are in Ireland. This can lead to slow direction from across the pond, and sometimes miscommunication happens as a result of the timezone/distance.

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