Does Crystal Dynamics pay their employees well?

According to anonymously submitted Glassdoor reviews, Crystal Dynamics employees rate their compensation and benefits as 3.3 out of 5. Find out more about salaries and benefits at Crystal Dynamics. This rating has been stable over the past 12 months.

How satisfied are employees working at Crystal Dynamics?

50% of Crystal Dynamics employees would recommend working there to a friend based on Glassdoor reviews . Employees also rated Crystal Dynamics 3.1 out of 5 for work life balance, 3.3 for culture and values and 3.1 for career opportunities.

What are the top reviewed jobs at Crystal Dynamics?

Artist (4) , Animator (3) , Brand Coordinator (2) , Senior Artist (2) , UI Artist (2)

What are the pros of working at Crystal Dynamics according to real employee reviews?

"The people are great." ((in 14 reviews)); "Benefits are great and teams are talented." ((in 7 reviews)); "day culture is good." ((in 6 reviews)); "Talented team, great office space, enjoyable company events." ((in 3 reviews))

What are the cons of working at Crystal Dynamics according to real employee reviews?

"Inept and toxic leadership." ((in 8 reviews)); "Pay could be better" ((in 3 reviews))

What are employees saying about Crystal Dynamics redundancies in 2026?

Explore Glassdoor’s employee reviews to understand what current and former employees are saying about Crystal Dynamics redundancy and their outlook for job security at Crystal Dynamics in 2026.

Crystal Dynamics Reviews

3.3

50% would recommend to a friend

(65 total reviews)

Ron Rosenberg and Scot Amos

53% approve of CEO

43% positive business outlook

Ratings by category

3.7

Diversity and inclusion

3.3

Culture and values

3.3

Compensation and benefits

3.1

Work/Life balance

3.1

Career opportunities

2.5

Senior management

Crystal Dynamics has an employee rating of 3.3 out of 5 stars, based on 65 company reviews on Glassdoor which indicates that most employees have a good working experience there. The Crystal Dynamics employee rating is in line with the average (within 1 standard deviation) for employers within the Media and communication industry (3.7 stars).

Reviews by job title

65 reviews

2.0

18 Jan 2015

Bad management decisions stop us from making a good game

Anonymous employee

Recommend

CEO approval

Business outlook

Pros

Amazing amount of talented individuals on the project. Well supported proprietary tools. Welcoming office space. Team is very passionate about the project. IT and facilities work hard to make sure everything works properly. Free snacks and drinks. On site cafeteria is not bad.

Cons

Pay is way too low for the area and is not competitive. Constantly losing talent to other studios. Project is understaffed and over-scoped. Company is top heavy - too many producers, three game directors, three art directors, all on one project. Site says they are stilling hiring MORE producers. We need more designers and artists, not more micromanagement. Insane amount of overtime to compensate for lack of direction on the project, with weeks of 70-80 hour crunch even when we were two years away from shipping. Upper management constantly gives contradicting information. Very Jr. heavy because senior talent keeps leaving.

2.0

3 Oct 2014

Poor management is killing this company

Developer

Recommend

CEO approval

Business outlook

Pros

If you need a break from spending time with your family and friends, this is the place for you. If you enjoy micromanagement and zero trust in your knowledge and abilities, there's no better place to be. If you're an aspiring executive producer who is prone to ruining your team's hard work by making misogynistic remarks to the press, you'll feel right at home-- and you just might get promoted! If you value the opinions of game directors who hold onto their jobs by having the team work overtime to make up for their lack of actual design skills, submit your resume ASAP. Oh, and don't worry-- they won't bother you much since they'll be "working from home" most of the time. More free dinner for you!

Cons

The head of this studio is quite possibly the biggest narcissist I've ever worked for. He never misses an opportunity to talk about himself and how he made Crystal what it is. What he fails to mention is how his bullying style of management has trickled down through the organization and made it a toxic environment. That is his true legacy. Strangely, some of the least qualified employees have managed to fail their way up into positions where they tow the company line: Place an unreasonable amount of work on too few people and expect to compete with the likes of other game studios that employ double the number of developers. Reducing project scope is never an option. Don't even think about proposing reasonable compromises to outrageous scheduling. Contract workers are the new wave of the future. Why hire senior people with lots of experience when you can hire three junior level contractors and not have to pay benefits or other perks? Besides, senior developers ask pesky questions. We don't have time for that.

2.0

13 Dec 2014

Interesting project, terrible organization

Anonymous employee

Recommend

CEO approval

Business outlook

Pros

Without a doubt, the people at Crystal are their greatest asset. Many people are very helpful and friendly. The office space is nice, with big windows, eating areas, video games and a good kitchen. I have not been ignored by my managers, and there is a general feeling that we all want to create great work.

Cons

The pay is low for the cost of living in the Bay Area. There seems to be a lack of technical leadership, and a confusing art leadership org. Assets are a mess, tools are unreliable, and finding the owner of a feature is difficult. In general, studio efficiency is very low. There is waste at all levels from disorganization and poor communication practices. Many key employes have left recently and been replaced by junior level hires, or contractors. There is a general air of frustration and apathy.

Viewing 1 - 3 of 65 Reviews