Recognized as one of Canada's Top 100 Employers (2019):
By Richard Yerema and Kristina Leung, Mediacorp Canada Inc. staff editors (Nov 8, 2018)
Here are some of the reasons why Digital Extremes Ltd. was selected as one of Canada's Top 100 Employers (2019):
- From paid internships to opportunities for formal mentoring and in-house career planning, Digital Extremes maintains a long-term focus on developing new and existing talent
- Digital Extremes provides generous maternity and parental leave top-up payments for employees who are new mothers (to 80% of salary for up to 32 weeks) and offers the option to extend their leave into an unpaid leave of absence
- Digital Extremes' unique head office is located inside a renovated historic building in London's downtown core and was recently expanded to accommodate the firm's impressive growth -- the office features two in-house theatres, a fully stocked employee lounge and game library, and a commercial kitchen and dining room, with five full-time kitchen staff who prepare healthy meals daily and special treats every Friday

An employee at Digital Extremes in the studio, recording for sound effects
Employer Background
Industry | Software publishers |
Established in Canada | 1993 |
Major Canadian hiring locations | London ON |
Full-time employees in Canada | 275 |
Part-time employees in Canada | 1 |
Full-time employees worldwide | 283 |
Workforce engaged on a contract basis | 15% |
Average age of employees in Canada | 32 years |
Longest serving employee | 25 years |
Physical Workplace Rating: A+
Commuter amenities | subsidized parking, secure/sheltered bicycle parking |
Workplace features | open-concept head office located in London's historic downtown core was designed with employee feedback and has recently been expanded by 26,000 square feet, workplace features 30-foot open ceilings with exposed beams as well as a number of unique amenities including 2 in-house theatres, a motion capture studio, scooters to help employees move through the office, 4 private shower rooms, telecommuter workstations, sit-stand workstations |
Employee lounge amenities | comfortable seating, fireplace, music, television, video games, pool table, table tennis, classic Pac-Man pinball machine, mini putt greens, video game library (over 100 titles for work or leisure) |
Onsite cafeteria | healthy menus, special diet menus, take-home meals, full commercial kitchen with 5 full-time staff, industrial coffee makers throughout the office |
Snacks available | 3 snack stations with free freshly baked muffins, apples, oranges, bananas, pretzels, yogurt, bagels and cream cheese, freshly popped and flavoured popcorn, Goldfish and Ritz crackers, granola bars, dried fruit and peanuts, special treat days on Fridays |
Onsite fitness facility | yes |
Other nearby amenities | YMCA, GoodLife Fitness, Victoria Park, Harris Park, Thames River, daycare, restaurants, shopping mall, Convent Garden Market (operates year-round), Budweiser Gardens (home of the London Knights) |
Work Atmosphere & Communications Rating: A+
Recent social events | summer kick-off rooftop party (with karaoke, games, food and drinks), employee Christmas party with DJ, live music, open bar and great prize giveaways, separate kids Christmas party with face painting and gifts from Santa, monthly happy hour every last Friday of the month, Halloween pumpkin carving contest, summer family barbecue (with live band, bouncy castle and games), regular employee 'meet-and-greets' to introduce new employees (ranging from pizza and ice cream nights at the studio to attending professional sports games), company-sponsored hockey, soccer, archery, softball, basketball and beach volleyball teams |
Cultural aspects | employee sports teams, casual dress (e.g. jeans) daily, music while working |
Employee communications | intranet site, company newsletter, traditional/email suggestion box |
Other in-house communications | the company's President takes 3 employees out for breakfast every Friday to get to know each employee on an individual level |
Financial Benefits & Compensation Rating: B+
Outside salary surveys | participates in outside salary surveys every 12 months |
Employee salary reviews | individual salaries are reviewed every 12 months |
Long-term savings | matching RSP |
Long-term planning | retirement planning assistance, life & disability insurance |
Year-end bonuses | available to all employees |
Referral bonuses (max) | new employee referral bonuses (up to $2,000) for some positions |
Signing bonuses | available for some positions |
Health & Family-Friendly Benefits Rating: B
Health plan premium | as part of the health plan, the employer pays up to 100% of the premiums |
Minimum hours worked for coverage | 20 hours per week |
Waiting period for coverage | 90 days |
Dental coverage | routine, restorative, orthodontics |
Traditional coverage (e.g. prescription drugs) | yes |
Other health plan information | employee assistance (EAP) plan, semi-private hospital room, physiotherapy, medical travel insurance, homecare, medical equipment and supplies, massage therapy, nutrition planning, podiatrist, osteopathy, chiropractor, alternative coverage (e.g. accupuncture, naturopathy) |
Fitness club subsidy | up to $300 each year |
Additional health and wellness information | fitness club subsidy can be used for most health-related activities, from personal trainers to exercise equipment to recreational sports league fees, corporate memberships for nearby downtown GoodLife |
Maternity top-up (mothers) | up to 80% of salary for 17 weeks |
Parental top-up (mothers) | up to 80% of salary for 15 weeks |
Parental top-up (fathers) | up to 100% of salary for 3 weeks |
Adoption top-up | up to 100% of salary for 3 weeks |
Additional family-friendly benefits | extended parental leave to unpaid leave |
Alternative work options | flexible work hours, telecommuting |
Vacation & Personal Time-Off Rating: A-
Vacation allowance | new employees receive 2 weeks of paid vacation after their first year on the job |
Vacation jump | vacation increases after 2 years of employment |
Maximum vacation allowance | employees move to a maximum of 6 weeks of vacation over their career |
Previous experience | considers previous work experience when setting annual vacation for new employees |
Personal paid days off | employees can schedule 8 personal days off each year, as needed |
Unpaid leave of absence option | yes |
Additional time-off information | vacation increases to 4 weeks after 5 years on the job |
Employee Engagement & Performance Rating: B+
Employee performance reviews | employees receive individual performance reviews every 12 months |
360° feedback option | as part of the review process, performance feedback is also solicited from co-workers and other managers familiar with each employee's work |
Confidential employee feedback | employees can also provide confidential feedback on their manager's performance |
Exit interview | exit interview option is available for departing employees |
Performance recognition | individual performance bonuses, on-the-spot rewards, tailored and unique rewards (i.e. travel), employees can win additional days off and paid weekend getaways, regular draws for everything from concert and sporting tickets to Xbox consoles to iPhones and even drones |
In-house survey period | in-house surveys are conducted every 12 months |
Training & Skills Development Rating: A+
Career planning | in-house career planning services |
In-house training initiatives | mentoring, in-house training, online training, leadership training, paid internships, subsidies for professional accreditation |
Related tuition subsidies | employer covers up to 100% of tuition per year |
Unrelated tuition subsidies | employer covers up to 100% of tuition per year for courses unrelated to current position |
Financial bonuses for course completions | yes |
Community Involvement Rating: A+
Scope of charitable involvement | local |
Employee charitable involvement | employees are involved in selection of charities, employees receive paid time off to volunteer |
Some of the community organizations supported | Covenant House Toronto, OneMatch, LHSC Adult Oncology, The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society of Canada (Light the Night Walk), Men's Mission of London, Toronto Game Jam (TOJam), Stack-Up, Children's Health Foundation, Rays of Sunshine |
Charitable giving | matches employee donations |
Community highlight | Digital Extremes' primary focus is to help local families in need. The company sponsored 5 families over the past holiday season, providing donations of food and presents for family members. In addition, the company regularly asks employees for suggestions regarding which charities and initiatives to support, with suggestions welcome at any time during the year (top suggestions are sometimes determined by an employee vote). |
The Career Directory
Digital Extremes Ltd. has been selected for The Career Directory, our guide to entry-level recruitment for recent college and university graduates.

Actress Lucy Lawless (center) visiting the staff at Digital Extremes
Highlights for New Grads
Industry | Software publishers |
Full-time employees in Canada | 101 to 250 |
Major Canadian hiring locations | London ON |
Student opportunities | paid internships, summer jobs, co-op opportunities |
Training | subsidies for professional accreditation, orientation program, online training, in-house training, mentoring, in-house career planning services, leadership training |
Tuition subsidies (related to job) | yes |
Typical new grad positions | Customer Support Specialist, Community Coordinator, Programmer, Technical Game Analyst, 3D Artist, IT Support Specialist |
Starting salary | $40K to $45K |
Work benefits | health benefits for new employees, flexible work hours, telecommuting, employees receive paid time off to volunteer |
Vacation allowance | new employees receive 2 weeks of paid vacation after their first year on the job |
Academic fields recruited
-
Bachelor of Arts
- Graphic / Fine Arts
- Public Relations / Communications
-
Bachelor of Commerce / Business Administration
- Marketing
-
Bachelor of Engineering
- Computer Engineering
- Mechanical
-
Bachelor of Science
- Computer Science
- Mathematics
-
Community College Diploma
- Communications / Public Relations
- Computer Science
- Graphic Arts / Design
- Information Technology
- Marketing / Sales
Recruits at these schools
- Fanshawe College
- Sheridan College
- University of Waterloo
- Western University