Pros
Bonfire is a culture-and-people-first studio focused not just on creating amazing games but also on building an amazing company. Some highlights include… We are a small team of experienced developers making a new IP. Everyone has the opportunity to add a lot of value and contribution - not just to the game but to building and nurturing healthy foundations for how we work, our values, our studio culture, our development best practices, our quality bars, etc. The team is mainly comprised of exceptionally talented developers with AAA game backgrounds. Many of our team members were directors or leads on other games, but our structure is mostly flat. We have come together as a team to build something great as developers as opposed to managers who don’t “make stuff” themselves. Despite the level of experience and talent, there are no egos here. The people at Bonfire are warm and approachable. There is an expectation of kindness and respect. Everyone’s ideas are heard and regarded. There is a very open forum for all to share insights, opinions, feelings, etc and feel safe doing so. Something unique and refreshing about Bonfire is that we don’t have official job titles. Our team members have areas of expertise, but they are also welcome to branch out and contribute/learn/share in a variety of ways. We are not limited by job titles that suggest authority, “seniority” or “juniorness” in terms of expertise level, and we can avoid pigeon holing in terms of craft/contribution. Since we are such a small team, there is a lot of close collaboration and sharing of ideas across disciplines. Everyone can be involved in the development of the game beyond just their focus area. We work on features in cross-disciplinary pods, which lend themselves to the close collaboration I mentioned earlier. We also have cross-disciplinary groups focused on aspects of the company and culture, and in general building/nurturing a great studio culture is not reserved for “business people” but something that everyone can contribute towards shaping. There is also a lot of opportunity for socializing and getting to know each other. We have regular happy hours, game nights, rotating fellowship groups, and more. Did I mention we are making a game? We are super excited about our game! Bonfire has other progressive perks such as unlimited PTO, trust and flexibility in terms of expenses, conferences, work schedules, etc. and a variety of benefits to choose from.
Cons
New IPs are exciting but have their challenges. The flat structure of the team means that everyone needs to be self directed and proactive for the most part. This is an awesome pro for many but may be challenging for those who prefer to have assignments and instructions on how to complete assignments laid out for them by someone else.