Don McGowan, Bungie's former chief legal officer, recently revealed that the studio likes to hire its own fans because they can accept lower salaries. In an interview with IATSE (International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees), he discussed how game companies "pay lower wages by hiring (game/studio) fans." Because these fans love the games they are developing, they often do not complain or complain to relevant departments. He said the studio "leveraged Bungie's reputation."
McGowan has previously worked with companies such as Pokémon and Microsoft Games. He also revealed in the interview that when he went to Bungie, a colleague asked him: "How much did they let you cut your salary?" He explained that people in the industry believed that this studio would let you cut your salary, which was a "very bad reputation" for the studio, but "when you only recruit fans, you can get away with it."
This is the second time a former Bungie employee has launched an attack on the studio this week: the former Marathon game director also recently sued Bungie and Sony.