Epic Games, a gaming company known for developing "Fortnite," announced that it would make hundreds of its contingent employees into full-time ones.
This plan will only be applicable to US-based employees.
The gaming company added that it would be extending the offer to quality assurance or QA testers and all eligible part-time employees.
Epic Games to Hire Full-Time Employees
First reported by The Verge, Epic Games released a memo that says it will offer full-time at-will employment to all eligible US-based contingent workers and that several of those offers will take effect on Apr. 4.
However, the memo also states that some employees won't get the offer, citing a couple of exceptions in which it makes sense for both the employee and the company to maintain contingent worker status.
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Elka Looks, the spokesperson for Epic Games, told The Verge that the gaming company will hire hundreds of its contractors and that most are QA testers.
Looks confirmed that all the workers will be eligible for Epic Games' US employee benefits plans, and will also be employed by the company.
The gaming company currently contracts out QA testers and other employees via temp agencies, including Nextaff, Hays, and Eastridge.
Looks also stated that Epic Games will still hire contingent workers for short-term needs. She did not reveal any additional information about the other types of contingent workers outside of QA testers that the company will be hiring.
Looks also did not specify which workers would not get the offer from Epic Games.
Epic Games to Improve Working Conditions
Epic Games' move to make its contract-based employees work full-time comes at a time when issues between employees and major gaming companies are ongoing.
In 2021, Activision's Raven Software laid off a dozen QA testers. This decision prompted a walkout, and it pushed the employees to create the organization called Game Workers Alliance.
The game industry has become known for subjecting employees to very long hours during periods known as "crunch." These long hours are often unpaid. Epic Games is no exception to this type of workplace culture.
In 2019, Epic Games received backlash after its employees revealed the long workdays that go into keeping the popular game "Fortnite" on track with the public's expectations. Later, the company closed its studios for two weeks after employees expressed their concerns.
The company's latest decision is a massive step towards improving the working conditions for QA testers and other part-time employees.
Last year, Epic Games ended its COVID-19 policy, allowing workers to take every other Friday off. This move upset employees who said that the extra day off was beneficial to them, according to Bloomberg.
Several developers have transitioned to the four-day workweek, including Crow Crow Crow, Die Gute Fabrik, Young Horses, and more.
Aside from ending every other Friday day off, Epic Games also announced that all employees need to be vaccinated before working on-site, according to GameRant.
The gaming company also wants all employees to follow the mask mandate inside the premises. Employees with health and religious reasons will be exempted.
The company has made several adjustments these past few years. Last year, Epic Games made its anti-cheat services free for its developers.
Epic Games also announced that it would no longer punish players for talking about politics, making the platform more flexible.
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This article is owned by Tech Times
Written by Sophie Webster
