Manley: Worker exploitation doesn't pay

via Games Industry


Jason Manley, president of outsourcing company Massive Black, has told GamesIndustry.biz that he believes while most developers and publishers maintain a realistic approach to the outsourcing of work some companies are taking advantage of sweat shop working practices.

"There's a top publisher, one who everybody would know, having one of their games done in India, using a company that employs 3000 people, each working in 3 shifts of 1000 per day, sharing the same desks, which are no wider than the keyboard or the monitor."

"But not all publishers are like that, because another publisher saw what was going on at that company and told them they weren't interested, and left offended that artists were being treated and handled in that way."

Manley went on to state that companies shouldn't expect the same level of quality from cheap outsourcers as you would from a more established outfit.

"It's a business, so it is about the money, but it's that sort of crowd that's encouraging the sweatshop mentality. But at the same time the quality comes around and bites them in the butt, so - you get what you pay for, regardless, and I just feel bad for the people that work in poor conditions."

"There was a company in Shanghai recently that got shut down by the Chinese government because they weren't paying their taxes. They were offering lower rates than everybody else, and when it came down to it, it was discovered that they didn't have proper business licenses, and they got shut down for ten days."

"And I'm sure that the people that had projects going through the couple of hundred people working there took a big blow to the belly on that."

He also added that he feels the relationships between companies and their outsourcing clients should be symbiotic.

"Well the way I look at it is that in any good strong marriage between a couple - it's two, strong, independent partners. We maintain our independence by having many clients, but not all outsourcers are in that place - for there to be success, both companies need to take care of each other."

The whole of the exclusive GamesIndustry.biz interview with Jason Manley is available now.