"They Looked at What They Liked": BioWare Filtered Candidates by Political Views - Chris Avellone Revealed HR Policy
Translated with AI from the Russian original.
An "incorrect" stance on certain issues could prevent someone from getting a job.
Several years ago, screenwriter Chris Avellone, while communicating with fans on a social network, mentioned his experience interacting with a BioWare representative. He then mentioned a questionable hiring practice used at the studio:
I had an experience with a BioWare producer that fully demonstrated their hiring methods. That's a story for another time, but there were definitely grounds for a lawsuit.
Recently, the closure of BioWare studio became known, and players recalled Avellone's old post.
The screenwriter decided it was time to reveal the details of that story. According to Avellone, at BioWare, a producer tracked the likes of potential candidates. If he didn't like a person's views, he would oppose hiring the specialist:
I think I can tell now: when candidates applied to the studio, this producer would look through their LinkedIn profiles, checking what posts they liked. And if he disagreed with the political or social position they supported with a like, he would oppose their hiring precisely because of that like.
Chris Avellone noted that there are cases when such an approach to hiring is justified: “you probably don't want to hire someone who doesn't want to work in a team, hates game development, or sees your studio as a stepping stone to another.” However, as the screenwriter believes, in this case, “it seemed inappropriate”:
Rejecting a candidate due to lack of skills or experience is perfectly understandable. But personally, I don't expect everyone to share my political views, and it's not necessary to work well together on a game. Some of my friends have radically different views from mine, but I've worked with them on games and I trust them and their professional skills.
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