There are many who would rightly state that the gaming industry isn’t in the best place right now. Several big publishers are trying to “reorganize” themselves so that they can better produce both games and profits. Due to the lack of that from many companies, whole teams have been shut down or heavily laid off, leaving many to wonder who might be next on the “chopping block.” One team we know isn’t on that block is Monolith Soft. They currently serve as one of Nintendo’s biggest ringers in game quality, not to mention supporting other teams when they need extra manpower to complete titles.
You might recall that the company recently celebrated its 25th anniversary. They released a company brochure full of interviews to highlight the company’s history and future. There, the company president noted that the team could do even more in the future. In that same brochure, Hirohide Sugiura, one of the founders of Monolith Soft, took a different track by highlighting the game’s positive work environment:
“One characteristic of Monolith Soft is our work environment. For things such as overtime pay calculated by the minute, or easily-approved paid leave outside of busy times, which are now standard in the gaming industry, we had implemented such measures fairly early on. We have even had other companies in the industry ask us for advice on how to execute these measures.”
That’s right, the company is so ahead of its time that it was doing what is now “standard employee care” well before developers stepped up to do it. The founder went on to note that for the dev team, the key to success isn’t working yourself to the bone but a work-life balance that is truly balanced:
“When people are able to secure time to spend with family or live leisurely, that allows them to focus on their work. Since everyone is then able to think more about improving their work performance, we have been able to get estimates on development schedules much easier than in the past. Also, we have gathered many more people who share our views on work-life balance, making this part of our foundation, which is a great asset.”
To say that other game developers could learn from Monolith Soft is an understatement. Companies like 343 Industries doesn’t even have a solid base of employees anymore, which has hurt its game quality and schedule. That doesn’t talk about Activision Blizzard and the literal lawsuits that were put against it due to discrimination against its staff.
In short, don’t be like them; be like the team that made Xenoblade Chronicles.
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