I interviewed for a Senior Producer role over the course of two months. The process started positively, the recruiter was friendly and the interviews with leadership and directors went very well. Additionally, I took an assessment as well catered to my skill sets and experience. I was happy to do it but with my interview experience, this lengthy take home exercise essentially was giving PlayQ a blueprint on successful ways to run production for a live service mobile game. I was told my feedback was strong and that the team felt my experience was a strong fit. However, the process quickly became disorganized. My scheduled panel was canceled the same week it was supposed to happen, with only vague communication about why. Eventually, I learned the hiring manager had left after only being at the company for about a month. The recruiter had to reshuffle and rebuild the panel, and although I initially withdrew due to the instability, I was reassured it was “just the manager leaving” and that everything else was fine, so I decided to stay in process. After my panel, I was told to expect updates within a week, but that timeline repeatedly came and went with no communication. I had to keep following up just to get basic status updates, and each time the responses were vague or delayed, repeating the same message about needing to figure out a manager while reassuring me that my candidacy was still being considered based on positive feedback and strong experience. Nearly three weeks after the final interview, I was contacted by the recruiter for a call, only to be told the role was being canceled because they needed to hire a new manager before bringing in a Senior Producer. This was deeply frustrating and felt like a waste of time, especially given how much effort went into rescheduling the panel and keeping me warm. The recruiter’s delivery of this news also lacked empathy and accountability to navigate a situation like this professionally. After maintaining consistent communication since August, I was left feeling misled, disrespected, and disappointed by how carelessly this was handled. It’s disheartening that a company presenting itself as people-first and collaborative would treat candidates this way. The leadership team (which was almost all of them) I met with seemed great in the interviews which made the mishandling of my candidacy even more disappointing. In the end, it showed a lack of organization, communication, and respect for candidates’ time and effort.

My overall experience interviewing with PlayQ was positive and reliable. I had a great time interacting with the team. The recruitment manager kept in close communication with me from beginning to end (3-4 weeks), and I was always made aware of next steps and expectations. PlayQ thoroughly vets their candidates, wanting to get a good feel for the skills they can bring to the team. But what I really appreciated was also being asked whether I felt the company and position were a good match for me. This showed me that besides interviewing you for their needs, they are also concerned with candidates finding an environment and position that will be enjoyable and rewarding in return. I came into gaming from a completely different industry. PlayQ looks for quality people with usable skills. My interview focused on the skills I could bring to the team rather than the lack of knowledge I had within gaming. The interview process consisted of multiple phone conversations, at home exercises, half day of on site interviews, and checking of references. During the on site interview I met both co-founders as well as multiple team members that the job interacts with. My references were located overseas, so the team put in extra effort to accommodate for after-hours reference checks.