Ever since 2020, multiple businesses across the world have had to adapt to bringing on more remote positions to stay afloat. For example, video game companies such as Bungie announced more remote positions for specific roles after seeing how beneficial it was for the company during the pandemic.
Several other game companies have taken a similar approach. Volition, which has made games such as Saints Row, has opened up many positions to be remote on its website. These are huge roles, such as Lead Character Artist and Senior UI Artist.
However, an important note that has been made on all the job postings states that Volition is unable to hire people in California and New York currently. The company does not go into specific details as to why this is, even though they are remote, but many people have made possible speculations as to the potential reasons.
One of the main possible reasons is that both New York and California are some of the most expensive states to live in and would require a higher wage. Additionally, Volition would have to go through extra hassles such as registering with California and New York tax agencies, given that it's located in Champaign, Illinois. All of this adds up to potentially hefty legal fees. This would be extra annoying for Volition since it would then have to constantly pay taxes in California and New York and ensure it follows local regulations. Not only that, but it would have to give all employees higher workers comp and unemployment insurance if it's to be registered there.
Another possibility is that Volition would have to follow extra workplace regulations. For example, this would require rules such as employees must work a certain amount of hours before taking a break, which might be paid. Other potential reasons could be dealing with the different time zones when setting up meetings, which would be a nightmare to schedule so that everyone can meet at a reasonable time.
All in all, it seems Volition would much rather avoid all of these regulations than find potential talent in California and New York. As unfortunate as this is, there is still plenty of opportunities for workers in these areas. In addition, plenty of large video game studios are located in California and New York, such as Riot Games and Rockstar Games, where people can find similar remote positions. Hopefully, this doesn't discourage anyone from getting their dream job.