High Moon Studios Receives Workplace Excellence Award
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
CARLSBAD, Calif. - November 16, 2005 - High Moon Studios, an independent video game developer, today announced that it has received a 2005 Workplace Excellence Award presented by the San Diego chapter of the Society for Human Resource Management. High Moon was among more than 140 companies vying for the sixth annual SDSHRM awards, with this year marking the company's first award after three consecutive nominations. Companies are nominated by their own staff through testimonials submitted to SDSHRM, and ultimately judged on HR programs, organizational performance and employee satisfaction. High Moon garnered a Crystal Award for "Employer of Choice" in the small company category.
"We have talented people on staff, and have become accustomed to having their achievements recognized by awards. Yet this award recognizes their satisfaction with being part of High Moon, which makes it an exceptional honor for the entire company," said John Rowe, president and CEO of High Moon Studios.
"We pride ourselves on the culture we have established here, one that puts employee fulfillment at the top of our list of HR objectives," said Sarah Branscom, Human Resources Manager of High Moon Studios. "To be lauded by our local chapter of the Society for Human Resource Management, an organization expert at gauging such practices, is a testament to the success of our efforts."
As stated by SDSHRM, the organization's Workplace Excellence Award program was created to highlight the link between effective Human Resource practices and a company's bottom line. SDSHRM members believe that employee satisfaction, achieved through innovative Human Resource practices, promotes organizational success; in effect, being an "employer of choice" gives a company a unique competitive advantage.
In presenting the award to High Moon, the SDSHRM gave special recognition to the company's efforts to foster a close-knit culture and an environment designed to stimulate creativity. High Moon was noted for its adoption of an innovative product development methodology known as Scrum. Named after the tight line of scrimmage formation in rugby, the Scrum method is a process derived from Agile Methodologies established by software and high-tech R&D companies. Scrum promotes development through interdisciplinary, non-hierarchal teams who work in short cycles around demonstrable goals. It addresses the disciplinary divide among artists, designers and programmers as well as long development cycles that hinder product evaluation, making it well suited to game development. Scrum also provides a framework for enhanced productivity during the course of a standard workweek, giving each team the ownership to establish its own objectives and a strategy to reach them for each project cycle. High Moon credits its R&D methodology, as well as HR and other company programs designed to keep employees motivated and intellectually stimulated, for its success in attracting talent and its high employee retention rate.
About High Moon Studios
High Moon Studios is an independent video game development company. Headquartered in the coastal city of Carlsbad in San Diego County, California, High Moon employs more than 100 game developers at a state-of-the-art, fully equipped development facility. High Moon is best known for its critically acclaimed first-person shooter "Darkwatch," and is currently working on additional original properties for next-generation video game consoles. For more information on High Moon Studios, please visit www.highmoonstudios.com. For more information and a dedicated forum on "Darkwatch," please visit the official web site at www.darkwatch.com.
®2005 High Moon Studios, LLC. All Rights Reserved.
Media Inquiries:
Meelad Sadat
(760) 448-3061
meelad@highmoonstudios.com