Great brand, great product, great history... unclear future - Software Engineer Havok.com Employee Review

2.0
2 Sept 2010
Recommend
CEO approval
Business outlook

Pros

The havok physics product is historically respected and the technical challenges you get to work on are potentially very interesting. Very smart people at the core and the safety of being owned by Intel means that occasional bumps in the road do not result in heads being chopped off very quarter.

Cons

Very tight cultural center that makes it hard (impossible?) to fit in based on contributions alone. Many core employees have never worked anywhere else and so do not have broader work experience to help guide their actions. Historical management has potentially polarized the working culture to be less than open and trusting - but this may be changing. Ownership by Intel may leave management less focused on industry leadership vs. sustainability. Down turn in AAA games industry may challenge growth prospects without fundamental shifts in thinking and strategy

Explore other reviews about Havok.com

5.0
19 Oct 2015
Anonymous employee
Recommend
CEO approval
Business outlook

Pros

Flat company, easy to communicate with C level management.

Cons

Be prepared to wear many hats!

4.0
17 Mar 2015
Recommend
CEO approval
Business outlook

Pros

Havok is a good place to get a broad exposure to the AAA video game industry since Havok is used by so many top video game studios. As part of the developer support team and/or the development team, you get a chance to work with the smartest engineers in the industry (both in and outside of Havok). The San Francisco office is one of many offices in Havok, so it's small, but as a result, you get to know everyone in the office which creates a family-like atmosphere. Also, since Havok doesn't actually make video games, they don't have the same crunch hours as actual video game studios, so the work/life balance is much better.

Cons

Lots of turnover. Not that because Havok is a bad place to work at, but unless you move to Dublin, Ireland, your career trajectory is limited. And since it's in the San Francisco Bay Area, lots of people move on to other tech or game companies in the area just because there are so many tech jobs here.

3
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