Pros
The caliber of people at Dire Wolf can't be understated, the office is filled with passionate, intelligent, fun people and they're a blast to work with. The office is no longer what I'd call small but it's definitely a size where you can get to a point where you know everyone's name, and I'd regularly find myself spending time with coworkers outside of work since the same passions people bring into work transition into out of work activities, too - board game nights, movies, art shows, etc. The project / work life at Dire Wolf I typically found to be a good match if you like small work teams, casual communication lines, and personal autonomy. After a daily stand-up in the morning, the day's structure really follows whatever you need it to be most of the time. This was daunting when I started but if you like having the freedom to manage your own time and prioritize your work, it can be a really pleasant arrangement. No one will bat an eye at an impromptu coffee run or if you move your lunch around. Also, as a personal preference, I consider the wide range of tasks I was tasked with dealing with to be a benefit - it provided me with opportunity to learn and work in new problem spaces somewhat regularly, and I feel my skill set grew broader as a result. Dire Wolf has slowed down on this as the studio has grown in size, projects, and responsibilities, but it's also common enough where the company makes time for the employees to grab a beer, see a movie, etc and just spend time together blowing off steam. This is a great chance for you to get to know people off your project or outside your department. My big summary is: I came into Dire Wolf looking to challenge myself and learn as much as possible, as quickly as possible - through the support and opportunities that Dire Wolf presented me, I accomplished this goal, so if you are looking to do the same Dire Wolf is a great choice.
Cons
The other side of the coin for the project / work life at Dire Wolf is that when things don't go according to plan, a common strategy is to work longer hours with little forewarning or flexibility on the matter. Also, engineers who are keen to develop a specific skill set or specialization have been known to be re-tasked onto projects or tasks that they are uninterested in (although my personally appreciated these opportunities). The former is a work culture thing, and could be changed via management, but the latter I believe to be symptomatic of the smaller studio size - a specialized skill set isn't always necessary, and when the demand for a specialization diminishes producers will look for new ways to benefit from the engineer. If you have a specific skill you're really interested in pursuing, you'll likely have to fight for it and get into the political thicket to represent your interests. I feel that same "political" advice applies to advocating for yourself in promotion or annual salary update discussions. As for office politics, there's certainly some at play here. I was fortunate in that I tended to avoid it, and that suited me just fine. The studio has a problem with transparency at higher levels, so if you're not a lead or a producer there are things that will be kept "casually confidential". Sharing salary, bonuses information is greatly frowned upon, people have been encouraged to not tell anyone if their last day is coming up, etc. I believe that the company isn't acting at a malicious level, but if full 100% transparency at all times is a thing that you feel strongly about, there have been employees who have fought that battle and lost, so it's worth considering this (I'd peg Dire Wolf at a 66-80% transparency rate - and much of that is, you can talk to the owner, producers, or your lead whenever you want and if you ask a direct question I'd expect a direct honest reply). Salaried pay will be generally lower than non-gaming industry equivalent jobs. Be suspect of any promises of profit sharing or bonuses as part of a job offer, as I received no profit share funds and the closest thing to a bonus I received was not what I would have called a bonus but rather a contract. I personally feel that this con was collectively outweighed by the pro's but it bears mentioning (I just treat this as the "Game Industry Tax").