Gearbox Entertainment Interview Questions
& Process

Had an initial recruiter call where they talked about the process, then a call with the recruiter and hiring manager. They wanted me to chat with the team quickly, so I jumped on a call with the HM and 3 other team members for an hour before someone went on vacation. They mentioned there might be a delay getting back to me because of this. Weeks passed with no word, and I had to email multiple times for updates. Was told things were paused and they'd update me 'soon.' Another month went by with more emails. Finally, MONTHS after the interview, after chasing them multiple times, they let me know they weren't moving forward. I had basically forgotten about it by then, but it was a really frustrating and demotivating experience due to the poor communication. I often had to follow up 2-3 times over weeks or months to get any response.

Applied online in May and got an NDA on May 23. No recruiter screen, but the hiring manager screened me. They seemed stressed about finding an expert for this major role. It took over a week for feedback to the two recruiters, and then another week and a half to talk to one about admin details like location and pay. The recruiter missed the first meeting and didn't follow up. On the second attempt, I learned the pay was low and travel expectations to HQ were unclear, as it's in a suburban town. The recruiter mentioned a dissolved compensation structure (royalties) and that a bonus structure was still being figured out, though bonuses happen twice a year. It was confusing given how important the role was talked up but how low the salary was, about 35% less than other roles I was interviewing for. The recruiter outlined the process: a 3-person panel interview, then a 4-person panel, then an assessment, and finally a panel with four senior leaders. You'd meet 13 people total. We scheduled the first panel interview, and it took three days to confirm. By the interview day, I was unenthusiastic and withdrew from the process. I expected more energy from a game studio.

I was reached out to on social media and then had a phone interview that seemed to go well. I was told there'd be a management discussion about next steps and I'd be contacted. After a couple of weeks with no contact, I reached out via calls and emails about the next steps. I eventually got a rejection message, which felt unfair since I didn't really get a chance to compete. I think I should have had at least an onsite interview, especially considering my gaming recruiting experience in Dallas. It seems illogical to hire a recruiter without gaming experience when Gearbox wouldn't hire an engineer without engineering experience. A quick look at company profiles suggests a lack of diversity, which might have played a role in my candidacy.

It was a multi-stage process. Started with a take-home test focusing on C/C++ and software experience essays. Then a screening call reviewed the test answers and talked about the company. The main event was a full-day video interview with resume questions and more take-home test review. Following that were two live coding rounds for Modern C++ skills. If I'd passed, there would have been a team meet-and-greet. Sadly, my C++ skills weren't enough, so that got cancelled. I did get to chat with the hiring manager about the interview and why I didn't make it. Disappointed, as it seemed like a cool place, but the overall interview experience was good.