> Pay Range: > $35—$55 USD

Is that per hour? Odd way to quote the salary range.

It's an hourly contract position (very common in the video game industry). The job/pay model is similar to Hollywood film productions, where most people on a project are hired under a limited term contract.

There are salaried positions in the games industry, but it's not the default.

WA state law requires job postings to include the pay, wherever hourly or salaried, and ranges are allowed. Since employers want to pay as little as possible while attracting as many applicants as possible, employers post a range with an attractive high end, and then at salary negotiation time the employer will likely offer closer to the low end (saying the high end is for employees with longer tenure or more experience, and not for you, the new hire). Sometimes in my experience the entire range is a low-ball offer from the employer; there is not a legal reason why they can’t offer you more than the posted range if you successfully negotiate.