EA Studios Named Best Places to Work in Canada

GamesIndustry.biz has announced the winners of their Canada Best Places to Work Awards 2022, and we’re delighted to share that three EA studios have earned awards. Motive (Dead Space™, Iron Man game) and Full Circle (skate.™) were recognized as two of the best game companies —Full Circle for the second year in a row! In addition, EA Canada (Motive, Full Circle, and EA SPORTS) earned the Corporate Social Responsibility Award and was shortlisted for the Health & Wellbeing Award, and Motive was shortlisted for two more: the Diversity Award and the Environmental Award.

When asked what earned this recognition, each studio credits its culture of inclusion as the driving principle. 

At Full Circle, Vice President and General Manager Daniel McCulloch details their recipe for success. “Full Circle was created during the pandemic. We’ve always been a remote studio, so we’ve always had to be really intentional when it came to studio culture,” he says.

“One thing we’ve prioritized is making sure everyone has a voice.”

This principle also lies at the heart of Motive’s multifaceted approach to culture, which saw the studio receive dual nominations for the Diversity Award and the Environmental Award.

“To achieve this, a culture of inclusion and transparency across the team is crucial, and I am pleased to see we keep making progress,” says Motive Vice President and General Manager Patrick Klaus. “But we are nowhere near done. In fact, we will never really be done.”

“We have to keep listening, keep iterating and keep improving, individually and collectively.”

Daniel has a similar strategy. “The way we operate empowers every member of our team to feel comfortable speaking up and being heard. This has made us more collaborative, innovative, and equitable, in how we approach game development and studio life,” says Daniel. “I’ve always believed that if you’re not having fun while making video games, you’re doing it wrong.”

Something else that’s critical to Motive’s culture, is giving team members the opportunity for growth and development. As expressed by Patrick, “Humans like to learn, and our studio members are no different. It’s a big motivator for our teams to stay curious and learn new skills, and it’s good for the long-term business to invest in the growth of all our team members. The tricky part is to protect dedicated time for learning and development, especially when shipping a game, we’re working on that because it has to be a priority.”

Motive, Full Circle, and EA SPORTS support local organizations and are invested in various local Social Impact Programs that support inspiring future game makers. These include Code MTL, Kids Code Jeunesse, Presents of Peace, Indigenous Life Sports Academy, Rainbow Railroad, Hope & Health, Ethos Lab, and The Trevor Project, to name a few. EA also provides team members with opportunities to give back to their local communities, including donation matching, dollars for doers and volunteer time off that amplify their support for the organizations that they care about. 

”Everyone here is deeply committed to having a positive impact on our local communities. Some of our latest initiatives have included inspiring youth through STEAM education and exposing them to the endless possibilities of a career in gaming, amplifying and matching our employees’ efforts to give back, fostering inclusive communities within and outside of our organization, and supporting those in need through disaster relief” says Senior Vice President, Head of Operations EA SPORTS & RACING Natali Altshuler. 

“Through these initiatives, we hope to drive positive, meaningful change within our communities that’ll help us expand on the positive power of play, together.”

These awards couldn’t happen if it weren’t for the dedicated people who make up these studios. Join us in congratulating everyone at Full Circle, Motive, and EA SPORTS, as well as all the other winners and nominees!

If you’d like to join one of these award-winning teams, visit Full Circle, Motive, or EA SPORTS to view openings.