Cloud Imperium Games Reviews

Updated 17 May 2016
25 reviews

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3.6
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Chris Roberts
19 Ratings

25 Employee Reviews

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  1. Helpful (6)

    "Incredible place to work"

    Star Star Star Star Star
    • Work/Life Balance
    • Culture & Values
    • Career Opportunities
    • Comp & Benefits
    • Senior Management
    Current Employee - Anonymous Employee in Los Angeles, CA (US)
    Current Employee - Anonymous Employee in Los Angeles, CA (US)
    Recommends
    Positive Outlook

    I have been working at Cloud Imperium Games full-time (More than a year)

    Pros

    CEO and management who genuinely care about their employees. Great group of creative people. Excellent benefits and perks. Coming to work everyday here feels more like hanging out with friends than working, it is such a comfortable and creative environment, which allows people to really do their best work. This is easily one of the best gigs I have ever worked. Great employees who are all passionate about what they are doing. 5/5 stars!!

    Cons

    Sometimes the hours can be long, but that is to be expected. Having to deal with jealous failed game developers incessantly taking shots at our company on social media can be a bit fatiguing, but at the end of the day, we will have the last laugh.

    Advice to Management

    Keep doing what you're doing!! The small things you do for us on a daily basis do not go unnoticed, and really help boost our motivation and performance.

  2. Helpful (2)

    "Incredible work environment!"

    Star Star Star Star Star
    • Work/Life Balance
    • Culture & Values
    • Career Opportunities
    • Comp & Benefits
    • Senior Management
    Current Employee - Developer in Santa Monica, CA (US)
    Current Employee - Developer in Santa Monica, CA (US)
    Recommends
    Positive Outlook
    Approves of CEO

    I have been working at Cloud Imperium Games full-time (More than 3 years)

    Pros

    Top rate CEO and management who really look after their employees. Working alongside some of the best designers, animators and developers in the industry. It doesn't feel like a job. Excellent perks and benefits. This is one of the best jobs I have ever worked in.

    Cons

    Negative press and attacks from failed game developers.

    Advice to Management

    Keep on doing what you are doing! Don't listen to the jealous haters.

  3. Helpful (4)

    "Mixed Emotions v.3"

    Star Star Star Star Star
    • Work/Life Balance
    • Culture & Values
    • Career Opportunities
    • Comp & Benefits
    • Senior Management
    Current Employee - Anonymous Employee in Austin, TX (US)
    Current Employee - Anonymous Employee in Austin, TX (US)
    Doesn't Recommend
    Negative Outlook
    Disapproves of CEO

    Pros

    My peers are for the most part an inspiration to work with. The level of talent employed here is truly a blessing for CIG. This team has the ability to do great things. Some of the best people in the world work for this company. No question. Having a lot of Former Crytek folks working on the engine has shined a little bit of light on the limitations of the older engine. Top Notch folks indeed. Great to have them on board. Working thru the many technical issues can be challenging at times but often very rewarding as you will often learn something daily.

    Plenty of netcode work to go around as well. Once our Single player game is pushed out, we will start pushing hard into making our current early access netcode into something much more viable.

    Cons

    If you are seeking a job with our company, there are some serious issues that you may have to contend with while working here. Below are some of them:

    You might have to deal with some over zealous fans of the project both for and against. We have to be really careful as to what we say and where which is why a lot of us do not like attending functions or hanging out on social media websites. Certain fan groups are are at odds with each other and Employees are being caught in the middle having comments/discussions taken out of context. Its best to just ignore anything outside of the Official Forums and only let the authorized folks do the posting. Be sure to run public comments thru the Chain before posting a SME level discussion offsite. Many honest reviews of various things can often get attacked if it doesn't fit into somebodies narrative.

    There are issues with promises made in the past causing trouble now. As we have a diverse set of public eyes on this project, a lot of people want their special something on day 1 and if/when that does/does not happen, there will either be great praise or a great outcry about failed promises. You should not take it personally if you are working on something that somebody doesn't like or is not happy that its not top priority.

    You might also be asked to appear publicly on one of the many videos that are produced. As many of us are introverts, this might seem like a no-win situation as you wish to please your management but not wanting to be a public face.

    It is not advised to rock the boat with this company. Due to the growing public frustrations, Senior Management is (as well they should be) getting tired of dealing with every small thing turning into a epic disaster as portrayed by some of the community.

    Crunch times are real. And excruciating. Get used to working long hours.

    The company is lacking strong leader to start defining hard choices for actual implementation. To date, this has more or less been a big wishlist of ideas that many folks seem to think will in fact be part of this game upon launch. We all know what happens when there are 100 things to work on not enough people.

    Backers often question about the financials of the company due to the crowd funded nature of the project. Its best to just not even touch this with a 10 foot pole. The games terms of service account for this and when they will make financials public. Don't get trapped in a corner by "industry insiders" just asking for some water cooler talk. Your Job is not worth it. As was explained to me, it is "not our place to worry about financials, and just work on the tasks given to me". This is good advice. Also, just know that our marketing/public relations have already publicly stated that they have the crowd funding planned out 18 months in advance so there is nothing to worry about money wise.

    Advice to Management

    I believe we should make an official announcement as to what players should expect will actually be part of the game when the persistent universe goes live. This roadmap should be clearly defined and explained monthly as to the status of the systems. Information is currently too scattered with many external sites assuming things and us not exactly clarifying them. With all of the 10 for the "x" episodes and Media shows we produce, there is some outdated information that should be updated publicly so there is no confusion about something we added or cut after that video was created.

    It is also advisable for senior management to make itself more accessible to its staff without feeling like there is a cloud over our heads. We would not want to start losing folks to rival companies soon.

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  4. Helpful (8)

    "Difficult roads often lead to beautiful destinations..."

    Star Star Star Star Star
    • Work/Life Balance
    • Culture & Values
    • Career Opportunities
    • Comp & Benefits
    • Senior Management
    Current Employee - Anonymous Employee in Wilmslow, England (UK)
    Current Employee - Anonymous Employee in Wilmslow, England (UK)
    Recommends
    Positive Outlook
    Approves of CEO

    I have been working at Cloud Imperium Games full-time (More than a year)

    Pros

    A smooth sea never made a skilled sailor so if you want a challenge then this is a great place to grow. A truly triple-A project with a rich lore that has its own unique blend of emergent gameplay systems, high fidelity, deep immersion, galactic scale and scope, using cutting edge technology that's being worked on by a brilliantly talented melting pot of some of the industry's finest from around the world, and all within an indie development environment and backed by an incredibly loyal and passionate community that want to see this game continue to succeed and keep making something special in video game history!

    Cons

    Not for the faint hearted but it's an exhilarating ride if you relish a challenge! The staff are treated really well but the project can be demanding at times (depending on your role).

    Advice to Management

    Keep supporting the team as much as possible with what they need to deliver the goods and trust in the vast wealth of experience there is to offer at the company.

  5. Helpful (11)

    "Ambitious Company with Determined Employees"

    Star Star Star Star Star
    • Work/Life Balance
    • Culture & Values
    • Career Opportunities
    • Comp & Benefits
    • Senior Management
    Current Employee - Engineer in Austin, TX (US)
    Current Employee - Engineer in Austin, TX (US)
    Recommends
    Positive Outlook

    I have been working at Cloud Imperium Games full-time (More than a year)

    Pros

    Strong sense of community with coworkers. Long hours and late nights in crunch time to be expected, however the company takes care of employees, making sure they are fed, and acknowledged for hard work.

    Cons

    Communication between studios can be a little difficult, with different global hours, and product owners sometimes not immediately evident.

    Advice to Management

    We'll keep working until we get the job done right, but maybe cut back a little on the late hours. A rested mind is much more productive the next day.

  6. Helpful (9)

    "Solid UK Studio"

    Star Star Star Star Star
    • Work/Life Balance
    • Culture & Values
    • Career Opportunities
    • Comp & Benefits
    • Senior Management
    Former Employee - Anonymous Employee
    Former Employee - Anonymous Employee
    Recommends
    Positive Outlook

    I worked at Cloud Imperium Games full-time

    Pros

    - World class team, one of the best I have worked with, the guys and gals know their stuff and really care about creating a great game.
    - Good salary, the company pays a very competitive salary.
    - Exciting project

    Cons

    - Project has effectively an endless scope, makes it hard to get management to focus on a core experience and then improving it from there
    - You won't have much say, an idea you suggest won't be listened to until CR hears something similar from the community.

    Advice to Management

    Focus on the core experience and add the fluff later, e.g not every brand needs a custom UI for crew stations, make one and focus on a new mechanic, go back later and add more variation.

  7. Helpful (34)

    "Bad Press, Good Company"

    Star Star Star Star Star
    • Work/Life Balance
    • Culture & Values
    • Career Opportunities
    • Comp & Benefits
    • Senior Management
    Current Employee - Associate Producer
    Current Employee - Associate Producer
    Recommends
    Positive Outlook
    Approves of CEO

    I have been working at Cloud Imperium Games full-time (More than a year)

    Pros

    Free food and snacks, A community that cares, Company Holidays, Management with a groundbreaking vision, and a fantastic team and staff to work with.

    Cons

    People externally trying to kill the project also a lot of "Late Work Days" but that is to be expected.

    Advice to Management

    Ignore the negative feedback as trolls will be trolls and just want nothing more than to see a groundbreaking project burn.

  8. Helpful (9)

    "Good Company on the rise"

    Star Star Star Star Star
    Current Employee - Associate Producer
    Current Employee - Associate Producer
    Recommends
    Positive Outlook
    Approves of CEO

    I have been working at Cloud Imperium Games (Less than a year)

    Pros

    Ambitious, fantastic project, supportive colleagues

    Cons

    Bad press, nothing else really negative

    Advice to Management

    Keep doing what you are doing

  9. Helpful (23)

    "Seriously...amazing studio. Unlike anything else out there."

    Star Star Star Star Star
    • Work/Life Balance
    • Culture & Values
    • Career Opportunities
    • Comp & Benefits
    • Senior Management
    Current Employee - 3D Graphic Artist in Los Angeles, CA (US)
    Current Employee - 3D Graphic Artist in Los Angeles, CA (US)
    Recommends
    Positive Outlook
    Approves of CEO

    I have been working at Cloud Imperium Games full-time (More than a year)

    Pros

    Passionate workforce. Everyone really wants to see the project work, not just people who are checked out earning some paychecks. It shows in the quality. I have seen some stuff that has blown my mind. Most engagement I have ever seen, it was infectious.

    Cons

    I worked way more hours than I expected because the quality standard was very high. I don't mean that as it was unreasonable for them or they kept tearing my work apart in frivolous ways, though. I just felt like I was working on something special and really obsessed on getting my little contributions perfect. Definitely went without enough sleep sometimes; but that was my choice, not because it was asked of me.

    Advice to Management

    Keep doing what you're doing. This project blew up larger than you were expecting, which showed. But I also saw many steps being made to streamline the project management while contracting with you guys. So, just keep at it. It was a pleasure.

  10. Helpful (14)

    "Challenging and Exciting"

    Star Star Star Star Star
    • Work/Life Balance
    • Culture & Values
    • Career Opportunities
    • Comp & Benefits
    • Senior Management
    Current Employee - Technical Artist
    Current Employee - Technical Artist
    Recommends
    Positive Outlook
    Approves of CEO

    I have been working at Cloud Imperium Games full-time (More than a year)

    Pros

    -Work from home opportunities for high output employees
    -Recognition and encouragement from management is plentiful
    -Refusal to celebrate mediocrity
    -Heavy focus on pushing real time technology to the furthest possible

    Cons

    -Heavier focus on visuals than on performance and game-play
    -High tempo development requiring long hours
    -Distributed studios cause, otherwise, unnecessary delays and add to communication issues

    Advice to Management

    The company doesn't re-prioritize quickly. Pick a direction and stick to it as momentum is lost when priorities become switched.

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