Irena Pereira

Don't want to bum you out but I know I'm not the only one who has noticed the same layoff cycle on LinkedIn over and over. I can tell your future... 1. Studio is shut down, all the devs become active on LinkedIn maybe for the first time in years and do their looking for work posts. People reach out with connections and support emojis. 2. The outpouring of thanks to the wonderful gamedev community. Amir Satvat and other full time LinkedIn influencers are tagged. 3. Nothing comes of all the LinkedIn support. Devs post frustration posts about how hard it is to be laid off and the injustice of the game industry. Many people will later delete these posts when they start to realize studios still aren't hiring them. 4. The reality step. Months pass and prominent veterans are still unemployed, let alone those "juniors" with a mere 5 years experience. At this point, people either give up and disappear, get a job and disappear (rare), or become a chronic disillusioned LinkedIn user. This last one either requires wearing a mask or ranting about capitalism more and more. 5. The laid off devs watch this cycle repeat for a whole swath of suffering people every couple weeks/days. And that's the step I've been on for a few months. But hey I've been working hard on my family and my solo projects. Magehunter coming soon, and AAA Simulator devlogs will be in production even sooner! Make art for yourself and those you love. Don't make my mistake - look for happiness outside this Microsoft product called LinkedIn.

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Hi all. I want to share another magic item I've created for an upcoming D&D 5th edition supplemental item module that I'm working on. This item is called Viridis, which loosely means Green, and is inspired by Emerald Dragons. Since I'm not affiliated with Wizards of the Coast, I'll be removing any Forgotten Realms lore I desribed when it's included in my upcoming module—it's just for my current campaign haha. About the weapon, I wanted to make it a Halberd because 5th Edition D&D doesn't currently have any unique magic halberds ha. I've always been interested in some of the less used weapon types in D&D. D&D Beyond Link to the item: https://lnkd.in/eex9H2mP

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This pragmatic approach is the right mind set to have for ethical and responsible discussion from disruptive technology. As mention from this post this is not the first time we are facing polarizing situations and strong debates about creative process.

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I'm sorry to hear of "over a dozen" layoffs at Surgent Studios, as reported by the studio itself. https://lnkd.in/eTtDtagd If your role is affected by this news, please make use of the support available across our three platforms. Specifically, I recommend checking out the Games Org Support Posts in Home 1. These resources are highly effective, with ample data to back their success. I won't pretend there are easy solutions but our community's only goal is to make things a little easier for as many people as possible. We have a ton of data showing that, for all candidates, your chances of finding a games role double (from 5 to 10%) over 12 months if you regularly use all our resources versus not. I'm so sorry to hear this report and I will, as always, do my best to do something about it rather than just talking. Home 1 - 🔗 AMIRSATVAT.COM: Our main hub provides 18 resources to assist you in finding work, featuring a fully updated design. - 🔗 Games Org Support Posts: Find a template at AMIRSATVAT.COM (Category 4, Resource 10). If you can provide information from your team (with their consent), I’ll help edit and disseminate the final product, reaching 100,000+ people. These posts are highly effective in increasing visibility, and we've done 99 of them. Home 2 - 🔗 Discord: Join us at discord.gg/amirsatvat, our live extension of community resources. With over 4,400 members, we are currently in an open-join phase. Home 3 - 🔗 LinkedIn: Our community here includes over 91,000 members, with 1-3 daily posts offering support and career assistance in the games industry. How the Broader Community Can Help: - Spread the Word: Reshares and comments on this post amplify the visibility of these resources. - Offer Support: Utilize the 16 ways listed on AMIRSATVAT.COM under "How You Can Help" to assist, or simply lend an ear or advice on our Discord server. - Join Our Movement: Volunteer with us at AMIRSATVAT.COM to support our colleagues in the games industry. Our network has facilitated over 2,200 jobs and 41,000 coaching conversations to date, the largest impact of any games organization on earth, and has been visited by millions of gamers lifetime.

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Really like this piece around lower cost areas helping to spur some regrowth of jobs in the gaming industry, but these roles don't necessarily have to be in Eastern Europe or South America. Like Ben Kvalo points out, there are some advantages to just moving development out of LA/SF and into lower cost areas even in the US. I did some quick math on cost savings and break-even and found this to be interesting. This math isn't perfect, but still tells a story. Average game developer cost in LA is around $96K (salary.com). If I have a studio that's 100 people large and I move them or start a new studio in Minneapolis (where I'm currently based), you could save $3.5M in salary costs alone. I get that the talent level might not be the same, but that's lowering the break-even of a AAA game by 100K units (if the game is priced at $69.99 and I make 50% in margin). Those economics could be pretty interesting as the industry recovers from this year of layoffs. #videogames #gaminglayoffs

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I was asked, "How will Simply Sweet Games raise the bar for the industry?" The challenges are clear: frequent layoffs, inaccessibility, and a significant lack of diversity. Too often, games are just a side note in business strategies focused on short-term gains at the expense of passionate, underpaid newcomers. That’s why at Simply Sweet Games, we are committed to creating change. Our motivation stems not from greed, but from a vision to transform the gaming industry to include more diverse perspectives. We are actively addressing the diversity gap by creating games that cater to and celebrate women, who represented nearly half of all gamers in the U.S. in 2023. This market isn’t a niche—it’s a major segment that deserves better representation. I wake up and feel amazed at how this has become my full-time focus. We uphold sustainable hiring practices and foster an inclusive environment where everyone can contribute and succeed. We aim to redefine industry standards with principles of honesty, respect, and support—not just for our products, but for our people too. #DiversityinGames #Equity #InclusiveHiring #GameIndustry #WomenInGaming #womenwhowork #SimplySweetGames

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Did anyone else watch Summer Game Fest? What games were you interested in? I made a list of my favorites! - Blumhouse has SIX games that are in development and all look great! https://lnkd.in/e3u5K8CS - Alan Wake 2 DLC comes out tomorrow! - No More Room in Hell 2 looks like a spooky Outbreak/Left 4 Dead style game - Teaser for Star Wars Outlaws looks great! - Black Myth: Wukong confirmed their release date of August 20th. Really excited for this one! - Metaphor: ReFantazio looks sick! Scifi Persona - Delta Force Hawk Ops looks like it will scratch my COD/Rainbow six itch - Dear & Boy looks beautiful, emotional and will probably make me cry - Slitterhead - New trailer and more info about the gameplay. Looks great! Coming November 8th - Killer Bean looks hilarious and super fun - Wanderstop looks suuuuper intriguing. From the creator of The Stanely Parable. - Entoraia: The Last Song looks like a beautiful souls-like with a demo that dropped today! - Phantom Blade Zero looks like a fast paced souls-like/Sekiro style game. So many good games to look forward to!

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PSA: The hype cycle is only applicable to technologies that will eventually be adopted.

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Complaining won't get you hired. Sending hundreds of applications without a reply sucks, I get it. And job hunting in game development is tough in 2024. But hear me out: No one hires out of pity. People hire because you show value. Instead of complaining about the market, focus on creating value for others: • Share common best practices • Contribute to professional topics • Create useful solutions or courses • Make a tutorial on a complex issue Or go a step further: prepare a list of recommendations for the company you want to join and send it with your CV (and also share it publicly). How so, you might ask? Do something for others for FREE? Yes, absolutely. It's called "content marketing." You create value upfront, become more recognizable, and gain a reputation. And then you get hired easily because you provided value upfront. If you're willing to spend hundreds of hours on interviews, spend some time creating value for others. It'll pay off in the long run.

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Hello.   I've been looking at the studios shutting down and the layoffs and wondering what on Earth my contribution to help amongst all the chaos could be. The only thing I can really offer is my experience and enthusiasm around all things game production and operations. I set up game-production.com some years ago and occasionally splurge articles and YouTube learning vids on it, but if there's sufficient interest, I'd be happy to kick off a weekly or monthly Q&A session one evening (UK evening that is). I can try and help with any questions, issues etc around game production. I'm also happy to invite others to come and present their own perspectives.   If you would be interested, could you let me know? A simple Yes response would be awesome, or you could let me know what areas would interest you, or if there's specific questions or help required. I could prepare beforehand a little bit then ;)   The format would probably be me chatting with Miro open so we can map out some stuff, recording the session and sharing to YouTube afterwards along with any output material.   I can cover (or ask others to come help): game production, leadership, portfolio and program management, risk and issue management, estimating work, kanban vs scrum vs waterfall vs hybrid, interviews, general experience of leading teams, what it's like to need to look after multiple studios vs best ways of handling remote teams. Anything really. I can talk about my little kids for hours too if you just want light relief, or delve into the world of Don Reinertsen and the origins of lean product management. Whatever you want! I could even shut up and let others speak too, you never know.   So there it is, let me know your thoughts - or just reply YES. Don't feel you have to tell me NOs! (You can sign up to my newsletter to keep informed of this sort of stuff in the future)   Thank you.   Liam

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Amazing list of practical game design principles from Warren Spector, one of our industry's great. Appreciate how he frames some of the magic we feel playing his games. Can't wait to play his next one! Wonderful peek into Warren's design mind. His Deus Ex is stuff of legends. While I'll argue that there are operable definitions of fun (humbly suggest The 4 Keys to Fun ;) I agree wholeheartedly that a team needs more than a single word "make it Fun" to guide the design. In fact that's kind of the whole point. In our extensive player research players favorite games support multiples of their favorite play styles. From a Psychology perspective it's vital for an exceptional game to offer players new playstyles. The exploration of novelty, cause and effect relationships, and especially new kinds of strategy to get to a goal are vital to what human beings (and all mammals) call play. Definitely worth a read! Here's a list of company values for Warren's company Other Side also worth a look https://lnkd.in/gpq-qusR

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Rise and shine, It was 5AM in the Kitchen Knife Shop We had the pleasure of hosting a local photog (Joel) and reporter (Shayla), at our knife shop this week. We chatted through some fantastic tips on how to prepare for summer food prep, including how to select a successful knife for each cutting task and the difference between a dull and sharp knife. Did you know you can test if your kitchen knife is dull with a piece of paper? Hand size and shoulder distance to countertop impact which knives you like most. We demonstrated easy ways to cut watermelon and pineapple. Check out the segment. Sharpen your skills, your kitchen knives and elevate your summer cooking game with some tips!

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This is Not Fortnite Usual this Is Unreal Engine Fortnite Creative BlackPoint Studios In North Carolina Game we are developing on Fornite. (Blackpoint BR) As the Regional Director for Blackpoint Studios and someone that genuinely has a passion for all facades of video games and Esports is cool to the see the growth of developing a video game using Epic Games Unreal Engine Fornite Creative eventually. People all over the state will give us feedback on the game and we will listen to the feedback and develop game even better. Our goal is to get an Epic Games MegaGrant & additional funding to devlop (Blackpoint BR) on the Unreal Engine. Helping develop infrastructure and definitely need opportunities have helped build the confidence in Epic Games & Fortnite & the value of experience it can bring to a city, county, state a nation, internationally, globally. If didn’t develop the Jump Ahead Esports competitions and go Chicago to the Esports Trade association I wouldn’t be in this position. Developing video games on Fortnite that will be on PS5, PC, Xbox, Steam, Nintendo. One day Blackpoint is going to be a global video game studio creating that longevity the video game industry, and Esports industry needs. #GlobalGoals #EpicGames #UnrealEngine #Fortnite #Economics #Blackpoint #VideoGames #Esports #Billions #PS5 #PC #xbox #Steam #GameDesign #FortniteCreative

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2nd Book Progress – Be so good they can’t ignore you   This week has been great. I have been fleshing out my other significant character in the development team: an ambitious Senior Level Designer from Italy who is free-climbing in her free time. She is going to have a major story arc in the book. On her journey to becoming a team leader, she has faced several difficult problems in the past that carry over to our current project. She has a reputation of focusing mostly on herself and her own achievements. She is very controlling and wants to get into higher positions for the privilege and power they offer. This is also the main reason why her former team leaders had kept holding back on giving her more responsibilities, especially with regard to leading other team members. Naturally, this made Simone feel somewhat bitter to the point where she feels the company owes her a promotion. At this stage she joins project leader Angelo and his team to lead the level design department there. This is a great opportunity for her, and with Angelo’s guidance, she starts to thrive. A few key things he tells her are that your leaders need to understand what kind of leader you would be if they were to give you this chance. Therefore: 1️⃣ Focus on others and elevate your team members over your own achievements. 2️⃣ Lead before you officially are a leader. 3️⃣ Do remarkable things for the project. 4️⃣ Be so good they can’t ignore you. Once she internalizes these points, she starts changing her behavior and immediately sees success and recognition from the team. When the pandemic hits she really begins to shine. Her wits and adaptability ensure a great working environment despite the new challenges of working from home. She even surpasses Angelo in making sure everyone feels valued, cared for, and able to perform at peak efficiency. This, truth be told, is the best compliment you can get as a leader. When someone in your team becomes better than you.   #gamedesignimpossible #writing #gamedevelopment #gamedesign

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🕰️This was Breshna’s MVP 3 years ago Clunky, bare bones & not very pretty 😅 I almost cancelled our MVP launch 6 hours prior because I was too scared, too embarrassed, too skeptical! (thanks to Rizwan Nusrat’s 3am pep talk, we stayed on track)! Since then we’ve: ✅Completely revamped the user interface ✅Added 21 new game templates & 3k+ game assets ✅Integrated RTL script ✅Enabled custom uploads ✅Enhanced data analytics ✅Introduced co-creation of games ✅Implemented mobile optimization ✅Developed foundations for security & scalability ✅Procured a patent for our tech stack ✅Built an AI powered text to game engine & 3d metaverse Today Breshna is delightful to use, is now a beast of an ecosystem with 180k game makers & 2m game plays and is only getting started! The thing about momentum is, it needs building blocks! You gotta start somewhere, so start today, start with the bare minimum, start with something you’re not fully sure of in it’s current state but it’s potential is crystal clear, let the present be uncertain so you can cement your future vision! *************** If you are not embarrassed by the first version of your product, you’ve launched too late. – Reid Hoffman ***************

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TONIGHT AT 6:30 PM join us for an improvised version of PVP Circuit and help us rebuild our local community brick by brick. I still can't believe I get to work in the video game industry. My 6-year-old would laugh, and then cry once she realized what it means to work in the creative technology sector. That's why IMO everyone could use some levity during these unprecedented times. Join us for a fun evening to raise funds for the Trevor Project. Event link >>> https://lnkd.in/g7tBuP6d Frequently Asked Questions: What if I can't attend the event? - If you can't make it, please consider purchasing a ticket to help us raise money for charity or get one on behalf of someone impacted by layoffs. What if I want to join but can't justify the cost? - If you want to join but find the cost prohibitive, DM me and we'll make it happen (see point above). Do I have to pitch at the event? - No, you don't have to pitch if you prefer to observe. It’s a great way to see how it's done. Will there be another event like this? - We plan to host our community again, but I can't specify if this event will be the focus. #gamesindustry #event #comedy <3

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Xbox has more best sellers than Playstation. Reported by Derek S., at one point on April 18th, Microsoft had 7 out of the top 25 best-selling games on the PlayStation Store. But there are caveats to this list, like it being region dependent, it changes on a daily basis, and includes free to play titles. Regardless, Xbox games are selling very well on PlayStation and I do not see this stopping. This is going to make Xbox players really think about what console they should get. #Xbox #PlayStation #GamingNews #gamingindustry

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I think one of the things that's so frustrating about Xbox's recent studio closures is that it is stark contrast to the things they *say*. They say they want original, interesting games, but then they shutter Tango. They say they want to take big swings at live service stuff, but then release Redfall in a disastrous state and don't have the bottle to fix it before shuttering the studio. They say they want interesting, original content, but then close studios working on original content to bolster Call of Duty. Xbox needs platform-defining exclusives. But they've also shown they don't have the understanding to ship stuff that can legitimately compete with what Sony's doing with Playstation's first parties. What happened to Starfield? Redfall flopped. Halo Infinite's SP "infiniteness" faceplanted. Halo Infinite's multiplayer took years to sort out a fatally awful progression system, and it still mostly sucks, but who cares because no one's playing it. Forza Motorsport bombed. Where is Gears? Where is the next thing from id? From MachineGames? When it's one studio flailing around, maybe it's the studio. When it's ***everything*** under the Xbox Game Studios banner, it's a different situation entirely. What the hell are they doing over there? But the point is, when you see closures of studios when the platform is totally failing to deliver anything of meaningful, differentiating value to players... it's time to call it. Phil Spencer's driven the Xbox into irrelevance. How you could spend hundreds of millions of dollars to achieve *so little* is genuinely shocking to me.

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Do you want to level up your game dev team? Do you want to learn some of the magic that makes some of the greatest games? Alex's course is a great place to start. And if you have designers on staff you think would benefit, I highly recommend this bootcamp. #bootcap #gamedesign

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