Sucker Punch Productions Interview Questions
& Process

This was the longest interview process I've ever encountered in the industry. It involved six separate one-hour interviews, which is more than I've ever done before. Additionally, there was an *unpaid* writing test that took me five hours to complete. I was even complimented on how quickly I finished it! For context, I've assigned similar tasks at another AAA studio, and I gave writers weeks to complete that much work. The interviewers were pleasant, and the questions they asked were challenging. I was generally impressed with the team, but 11 hours of unpaid work, plus the required research, feels like exploitation. Writers who don't have the same flexibility as I do to complete 11+ hours of unpaid work won't even get a shot. After being rejected, I asked for feedback to help me improve, but they declined to provide any. Sucker Punch really needs to rethink their interview process.

I got sent a take-home test first, seems like the same one everyone else got. A week after I submitted it, we set up a Skype call with their Director of Engineering. We started by talking about my past work and resume, then he asked if I had questions, and we chatted about their engine design. To finish up, there were a couple easy questions about writing a unit test and a basic C graphics problem. They then flew me out and put me up in a hotel for the onsite interviews, which kicked off with an office tour. The interviews themselves were about 3-4 hours of technical stuff, talking to different graphics engineers for about an hour each, with a lunch interview included. Everyone was really great to talk to.

I applied online and about a week later, I got an email with a take-home coding challenge and some design questions. The challenge was okay, took a few days to finish. After I sent it back, I waited almost two weeks with no word. I had to email HR myself to check the status. They replied the same day saying I didn't move on. I asked for feedback on my work, but they said it's company policy not to give feedback on take-home assignments. This felt really inconsiderate because I put time into it, and they left me hanging without any feedback. It showed a lack of courtesy and respect for my time. Overall, it was a bad experience.

I applied online and heard back same day. I had to do a programming challenge. I reached out with a question and got a reply the next day. Sent my solution later that day and about a week later got invited for a skype interview. The interview had some game-related questions and a pretty simple coding challenge. The interviewer was super friendly, and it was actually fun. He said they'd let me know about their decision in 2 days, and they did. Sadly, I didn't get the job because they found other candidates who were a better fit. Everyone at Sucker Punch I talked to was really nice and helpful, and the coding challenge was good practice.