About Brace Yourself Games
What is Brace Yourself Games?
Brace Yourself Games (BYG) is an award-winning independent game developer and publisher based in downtown Vancouver, Canada. The studio is best known for Crypt of the NecroDancer (the rhythmic roguelike that launched the franchise) and Cadence of Hyrule — a collaboration with Nintendo set in The Legend of Zelda universe. More recent and in-development titles include Phantom Brigade (time-defying cinematic mech-tactics), Industries of Titan, and Rift of the NecroDancer.
BYG was founded by Ryan Clark, a veteran independent game developer who has been creating award-winning games since 2004. Today the company is led by CEO Kimberly Voll, an AI/game design/human behaviour specialist who has worked on League of Legends, Fantastic Contraption and VALORANT and is "extremely passionate about how we can make games and gaming spaces more inclusive by design."
Where will I work?
BYG's offices are in the heart of downtown Vancouver, with easy public transit and plenty of nearby amenities. Employees aren't required to come in: "Employees are not required to come into the office and have the option to work from home any day." For tax purposes, the company asks team members to live in British Columbia. The studio also collaborates with contractors and consultants from around the globe.
What is the BYG team like?
The team is small (~38 people on the Vancouver core team) and the about page lists everyone by name in randomised order — a deliberate choice. Notable team members include Ryan Clark (Founder), Kimberly Voll (CEO), Danny Baranowsky (Composer/Designer — known for Super Meat Boy, The Binding of Isaac, Canabalt), Marlon Wiebe (Lead Designer), Hanna Hildebrandt (Creative Director and Technical Artist), Aaron Gordon (Game Design Director), Ariel Zhou (Director of Finance), and Madeleine Gray (Director of Communications). Six values guide the studio: inclusive at our core, openness by default, sustainable excellence ("Any extra work needed, is brief, clear, agreed upon, and followed by adequate downtime"), unwavering ethics, joyful environment, and trust & team safety.
Work-Life Balance
The 4-day work week is the centerpiece policy and is described verbatim on the careers page: "At Brace Yourself Games, people are more important than the product. Balance is important to us, so we have a 4-day work week where no one is required to work more than 32 hours per week." Mondays through Thursdays, full stop. Add to that a paid 2-week winter break (inclusive of December 25 and January 1) and a paid 2-week summer break (inclusive of Canada Day), during both of which the studio is closed — alongside unlimited sick days and open paid time off.
Perks and Benefits
From the BYG benefits page verbatim: 4-day work week (Monday–Thursday, no one works more than 32 hours/week); paid 2-week winter break + paid 2-week summer break + open PTO + unlimited sick days; comprehensive benefits package and lifestyle spending account for employees and immediate families; monthly counseling sessions through a local clinic or reimbursement for your own counsellor; company-wide profit-sharing plan + Employee Equity Trust (all employees own a portion of the company); enhanced parental leave above the BC Employment Standards Act; up to $1,500 budget for office or home-office furniture; paid PAX West visit (1 night hotel + pre-PAX party); paid taxis and babysitting for staff parties; weekly paid Lunch Team lunches; reimbursement for video game purchases relevant to the project you're working on; and paid legal assistance for visa/permanent-residence/citizenship matters for employees and immediate families.