2K

Burnaby
Total Offices: 3
3,505 Total Employees
Year Founded: 2005

What's the Company Culture Like at 2K?

Updated on May 29, 2026

Frequently Asked Questions

Cultural Alignment

2K’s culture is collaborative, creative and franchise-driven, centered around building globally recognized gaming experiences across console, PC and live-service platforms. The company emphasizes teamwork, innovation, ownership, inclusion and player-focused development across its publishing and studio organizations. Its culture is reinforced through core values including “Come As You Are,” “Give a ^%$*,” “Treat Our People and Partners the Way We Want to be Treated,” “Stay Hungry, Be Nimble” and “Give and Act Generously.” 

Creative and innovation-focused culture: Employees work on major franchises including NBA 2K, Borderlands, BioShock, Civilization, Mafia, WWE 2K and PGA TOUR 2K. Teams regularly collaborate across development, publishing, design, analytics and production functions to support large-scale game launches and long-term franchise growth. Employees frequently describe the environment as creative, fast-moving and highly connected to the gaming industry. 

Inclusive and people-first environment: 2K’s “Come As You Are” value emphasizes authenticity, individuality and inclusion across teams and studios. Employees frequently describe coworkers as supportive, collaborative and passionate about games, while workplace practices emphasize open communication, team-based planning and strong peer relationships. 

Ownership and high-performance culture: Values like “Give a ^%$*” and “Stay Hungry, Be Nimble” reinforce a culture focused on initiative, adaptability and high-impact work. Employees are encouraged to contribute ideas, expand responsibilities and grow through hands-on ownership tied to major gaming franchises and player experiences. 

Collaborative and respectful teamwork: “Treat Our People and Partners the Way We Want to be Treated” reinforces teamwork, respectful collaboration and strong studio partnerships across development and publishing organizations. Employees frequently describe the culture as team-oriented and supportive rather than highly competitive internally.

Community and generosity mindset: Through “Give and Act Generously,” 2K encourages community engagement, mentorship and giving back initiatives including volunteer opportunities through programs like 2K Next Level. 

External signals:

  • Comparably gives 2K an A+ culture rating and places the company in the Top 5% of similarly sized employers.
  • Employee reviews on Glassdoor frequently highlight collaborative culture, creative teams and supportive coworkers.
  • Built In has featured 2K for workplace culture, employee experience and career development initiatives. 

Bottom line: 2K’s culture is best suited for people who thrive in collaborative, creative and fast-moving environments centered around gaming, entertainment and large-scale franchise development. 

Team Dynamics & Collaboration

Teams at 2K collaborate through cross-functional game development, studio partnership, open communication and player-focused problem solving across publishing, engineering, design, analytics, production and live-service operations teams. Collaboration is strongly influenced by the company’s culture values, especially “Treat Our People and Partners the Way We Want to be Treated,” “Give a ^%$*” and “Stay Hungry, Be Nimble.” 

Cross-functional game development: Teams regularly work across engineering, art, animation, publishing, QA, analytics, design and production functions to support major franchises including NBA 2K, Borderlands, Civilization and WWE 2K. Development often involves close coordination between studio teams, publishing groups and live-service operations to support launches, updates and player engagement initiatives. 

Studio-to-studio collaboration: 2K operates through a network of studios including Visual Concepts, Firaxis, Hangar 13, Cat Daddy, HB Studios, Cloud Chamber and 31st Union. Employees frequently collaborate across studios, disciplines and publishing organizations to share technology, creative ideas and production expertise. 

Open communication and respectful teamwork: The company’s culture emphasizes collaboration, transparency and respectful partnership across teams. Employees frequently describe the environment as supportive and team-oriented, with strong communication and shared accountability around franchise goals and player experience.

Adaptability and fast-moving execution: “Stay Hungry, Be Nimble” reinforces a culture where teams adapt quickly to player feedback, development priorities and live-service needs. Employees frequently describe collaboration as fast-paced, creative and highly iterative. 

Player-focused collaboration: Teams collaborate closely around player engagement, gameplay quality, live-service support and franchise growth. Because many 2K titles operate as ongoing platforms with large player communities, collaboration often extends across development, customer support, analytics and content teams to continuously improve player experiences.

External signals:

  • Employee reviews on Glassdoor frequently praise teamwork, supportive coworkers and collaborative studio culture.
  • Comparably ranks 2K highly for overall workplace culture among similarly sized companies.
  • Built In highlights collaborative planning, hybrid flexibility and cross-functional teamwork as part of 2K’s workplace environment. 

Bottom line: 2K teams collaborate through cross-functional game development, open communication and shared creative ownership designed to support large-scale franchises and long-term player experiences.

Recognition Practices

2K recognizes employee contributions through creative ownership, career growth opportunities, leadership visibility, collaborative project work and opportunities to contribute directly to globally recognized gaming franchises. Recognition is often tied to impact, collaboration, innovation and long-term franchise success. 

Recognition through creative impact: Employees contribute to highly visible franchises including NBA 2K, Borderlands, BioShock, Civilization, Mafia and WWE 2K. Many employees describe the ability to work on games played by millions of users globally as a major source of accomplishment and recognition.

Recognition through career growth and expanded ownership: Employees are frequently given opportunities to expand scope, contribute ideas and take ownership of projects across development and publishing teams. Graduate programs and career development initiatives support long-term growth through mentorship, rotational experiences and studio exposure. 

Leadership visibility and collaborative culture: Workplace practices emphasize open communication, leadership accessibility and team-based collaboration. Employee reviews frequently describe managers and coworkers as supportive, approachable and invested in employee growth and development. 

Recognition through compensation and benefits: Employees receive access to performance bonuses, employee stock purchase programs, wellness support, parental benefits, health coverage and flexible work arrangements. Reviews frequently mention benefits and flexibility positively within the gaming industry. 

Recognition through franchise and player impact: Employees working across development, publishing and live-service teams contribute directly to ongoing franchise growth, player engagement and global game launches. The visibility and scale of 2K’s titles create opportunities for employees to receive recognition tied to highly visible entertainment products and player communities. 

External signals:

  • Comparably gives 2K an A+ culture rating and places the company in the Top 5% of similarly sized employers.
  • Employee reviews on Glassdoor frequently highlight supportive managers, collaborative teams and meaningful creative work.
  • Built In has featured 2K for employee experience, workplace culture and career development programming. 

Bottom line: 2K recognizes employee work through creative ownership, collaboration, franchise impact and career growth opportunities tied to some of the gaming industry’s most recognizable titles.

2K's Candidate Tradeoffs

If you’re weighing whether 2K is the right fit, these are the core tradeoffs to consider.

  • 2K places greater emphasis on cross-functional collaboration that drives stronger, more integrated outcomes than on siloed, team-by-team execution.

2K Employee Perspectives

The company’s approach to learning reflects a culture that values accessibility, curiosity and continuous growth. By removing barriers to entry and supporting employees from a wide range of backgrounds, teams are encouraged to explore new areas, build confidence and expand their skills in ways that create long-term opportunities.

“Its zero-assumptions approach to learning facilitates those coming from non-STEM backgrounds to not only gain key experience in a new space, but also focuses on laying strong technical foundations that open your eyes to new career opportunities in areas you had never thought of.”

Emily Claire Burke
Emily Claire Burke, Player Journey Manager

2K’s culture is centered on creating an environment where employees feel comfortable bringing their authentic selves to work and supported in doing their best work. Through community-building initiatives, open dialogue and employee connection opportunities, the company fosters a strong sense of belonging and mutual support across teams.

“At 2K, we’re focusing our culture on our core value ‘come as you are.’ This means our employees have the right to be their true selves at work and feel supported to do their best work. 2K works to empower employees to support one another in building community and their sense of belonging through social events, guest speakers and listening sessions.”

Steven Myers
Steven Myers, Vice President of Human Resources

2K Employee Reviews

One of our values at 2K is Come As You Are. Despite knowing nothing about gaming, I was welcomed to the team as I am & set up to succeed. I love that 2K is a place where anyone can bring their best selves & do their best work – gamer or not.

Audrey, Senior Manager, Talent & Organizational Development
Audrey, Senior Manager, Talent & Organizational Development

I love our open forums, as we discuss our favorite games and what makes them different than others in the market. There are no wrong ideas, as we want everyone to feel included and involved in our brainstorming, play throughs and innovation sessions.

Marta, Director of Operations, Mobile
Marta, Director of Operations, Mobile

Our vision is to continue being industry leaders with a culture that serves as an example. Putting the customer first is the only way to thrive in this competitive entertainment industry. Every 'out of the box' creative idea is a risk; letting yourself take these risks and be willing to fail fast will lead to long-term success. 

Sanju, Technical Director
Sanju, Technical Director

What People Are Saying About 2K

  • Collaborative & Supportive Culture: Colleagues are often seen as supportive, with teams that look out for one another and help people grow. Work on well-known franchises feels rewarding within a fun, team-driven environment.
  • People-First Culture: Benefits include comprehensive health coverage, paid holidays, sports reimbursement, an extended winter break, and game stipends. These offerings signal investment in wellbeing alongside a generally inclusive, welcoming environment.
  • Authentic & Consistent Values: Company materials emphasize low "corporate BS," creative autonomy, and bringing together passionate teams. Feedback suggests these values are experienced on healthy teams, reinforcing cultural consistency.

2K's Benefits

Employee feedback used to shape policies and strategy

Encourages autonomy and ownership from employees

Managers give public shoutouts and celebrate employee milestones

Managers offer consistent feedback loops

Flexibility provided during personal challenges

Offers company-sponsored outings

Offers Employee Resource Groups

Offers fitness stipend

Offers gym membership

Offers team workouts

Offers wellness initiatives designed to combat burnout and mental fatigue

Offers wellness programs

Partners with nonprofits

Provides access to an onsite gym

Provides opportunities to volunteer in the local community

Works with employees to create a sustainable work pace

Defined values and mission statements

Implements team-based strategic planning

Leadership encourages open, transparent debate

Leadership is transparent and communicative

Mistakes are treated as learning opportunities

Open office floor plan to encourage communication and collaboration

Policies promote a low-ego, team-driven culture

Uses an OKR operational model to clearly define goals and priorities

Utilizes an open door policy that encourages accessibility

Async-friendly policies, culture that encourage work flexibility

Provides work from home flexibility

Utilizes a flexible work schedule

Utilizes a hybrid work model