Game companies post absurdly broad salary ranges to ‘comply’ with new pay transparency laws-
Inside a game industry job applicant today there are two wolves: One is tearing shit up in reckless glee because they just got a job offer from Netflix as a videogame graphics programmer earning $600,000 a year. The other is howling in despair for getting the same job offer, but at a salary of only $50,000, which is barely enough to live in your car in Los Angeles. “We rely on market indicators to determine compensation and consider your specific job family, background, skills, and experience to get it right,” says Netflix.
I call bullshit.
In an economic study of the entire games industry, from fresh college grads to superstar veterans, that half a million dollar salary range may be accurate. But in the case of this specific job posting, the comically broad $50,000-$600,000 range is Netflix’s way of weaseling out of a new California transparency law requiring employers to list salary bands for new hires. While Netflix may technically be complying with the letter of the new law, which went into effect at the start of 2023, it’s certainly not following the spirit. And Netflix isn’t the only game company posting comically broad salary ranges as a bare minimum …
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