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This week Arrowhead Game Studios, the developer of the popular title Helldivers 2, has experienced unexpected success with the game, leading to persistent matchmaking and login issues. It’s hard to truly know where the challenges in the process lie (likely with matchmaking in PlayFab), but I was most struck by CEO Johan Pilestedt remarks about the situation. 1️⃣ He has praised the studio's backend engineers for preventing the game from completely collapsing under the demand. 2️⃣ He acknowledged the challenges of onboarding new developers. Even if Sony sends devs today, it'll probably be a few days before they're effective. In the meantime onboarding new devs would take current devs away from fixing the issues at hand. 3️⃣ He warned against “over-hiring to then do layoffs,” tipping his hat to the current gaming environment and making an important point about hiring teams that you can keep. I respect Johan's healthy approach to managing his team & their focus in this stressful time. One of the advantages studios get with working with 3rd party platforms that offer white glove support, is that we augment your team in your time of need without having to have the expertise on hand at all times. I’ve got plenty of friends who have gone through these challenges, are there parts that I’m missing? What would you add? #gamedev #launchday #prep

Spot on! It's not the first time a successful game has faced difficulties managing its multiplayer backend and it will not be last. Every team goes through this challenge at some point in their product. We did too! - You can't hire too many people only to let them go later. - You can't build everything in-house. - You can't allocate all your resources to fixing the issue, as it requires specialized skills. The issue is common across all types of games, whether AAA or casual. You simply can't build and maintain every aspect of the product yourself. It's essential to find someone who can work alongside your team when things go awry. Article: https://lnkd.in/gA-fQ6Yd #gamedev #multiplayer

Check out Siddharth's take on the Arrowhead Game Studios launch of #Helldivers2. Scaling strategy is not easy for any live-service game, no matter how big or small the studio. How do you think about this essential gaming topic? #gamedev #building #infra #launchday

Writing big long and thoughtful posts on LinkedIn is not my forte (recent evidence to the contrary aside), but it feels like simply reposting this with a "Hey, I'm doing a thing!" may be slightly underselling the situation. I'm incredibly proud to announce that Jesse and I are founding a new game studio together, Critical Path Games. I am so damn excited to go back to our scrappier start-up roots and to be a part of the game development again. When I left Phoenix Labs in September, I spent a lot of time reflecting on the last nine years - I'm so proud of what we built, the teams we brought together, and the games we made (and are still to come). If you'd told me in 2014 that we would have 350+ people across 6 countries, that we would sell the company twice, be a part of a Fortune 50 public company, and conquer cross platform play with multiple critically acclaimed titles, I'd have asked you what you were smoking. No one has ever accused me of being an optimist ;) That said, as a completionist gamer, all those achievements did feel pretty great along the way... But there were also things that I missed and my day-to-day work didn't spark joy the same way it used to. Even though I look forward to seeing Phoenix Labs continue to grow and release fantastic titles, it was time for a change for me personally. Having the opportunity to take what we learned on our first playthrough and run this level again, is an incredible privilege, especially in today's market. I think our goals are more ambitious this time, and I think our focus will be tighter, and I can't wait to see what we will find along the way. If you want to follow along with our journey, please do sign up on our website here (https://critpath.com/) and yes, we are hiring! If you, or someone you know, is interested in working in a small, co-located team, making impactful and innovative games, we are looking for individuals who are excited to come on this adventure with us and I'd love to chat with you. Happy new year to everyone and here's hoping that 2024 finds ways to bring adventure and joy to all of us!

Today marks a significant milestone, not just professionally, but personally. As Jeanne-Marie Owens and I officially launch Critical Path Games, I find myself reflecting on an incredible journey that has led me here. 🚀 Reflecting on the Journey Leaving Phoenix Labs this summer was one of the hardest decisions I've ever made. Watching the company that I co-founded continue on without me remains a bittersweet experience. I'm incredibly proud of what the team is achieving and will continue to cheer them on from the sidelines. After stepping away, I took a much-needed break to contemplate what truly drives me. I realized that my happiest moments were those spent in close collaboration with a team, actively involved in the creative process of making games. While leading Phoenix Labs was an enriching experience, I missed being hands-on in game development. 🛠 Back to Basics These past few months have been rejuvenating. I've returned to the roots of my passion – coding, creating art, brainstorming gameplay ideas, and trying new things. Every day has been about building, experimenting, and rediscovering the joy of game creation. 🌈 Embarking on a New Adventure And now, the adventure begins with Critical Path Games. Our mission is clear – to explore uncharted territories in gaming and create the next great video game genre. This is more than just a professional endeavour; it's a personal quest to take risks, innovate, and focus deeply on player experiences. The industry faces challenges, and I acknowledge the struggles many are going through with layoffs and closures. In these times, it's even more important to pursue positive change and bring new energy to the field. 🤝 Join Us on This Journey We're excited to build a team that shares this vision – to create something fresh, player-focused, and truly innovative. While it's early days to discuss specifics, my enthusiasm for showing up to work each day has been rekindled. Stay tuned as we share our journey, build our community, and embark on this thrilling quest. Your support and engagement mean the world to us. Here's to taking big risks and making big waves. Let's create something extraordinary together! #CriticalPathGames #GameDev #NewBeginnings

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"The gaming industry is dying in 2024!" Is it? On one side, we see: — Massive layoffs — Weekly studio closures — Decreased investments — Problems with UA on mobile — Failures of major blockbusters on PC — AI replacing people — Declining purchasing power due to economic downturn But on the other hand: — The rise of indie games — Active development of the UGC — Increasing numbers of gamers — AR/VR becoming a thing — New accelerators funding early-stage games — Game IPs expanding into other media like TV shows — New tools (including AI) speeding up development — Anyone can create and sell a game to millions worldwide So, is the gaming industry really dying? I don't think so. The industry is changing, as it has many times before, like with the rise of mobile gaming. Old approaches are becoming less promising, but new ones are emerging. The industry is adapting and evolving. It's a complex and sometimes painful process. But those who are patient and keep grinding will weather this storm.

It is crazy for me to think that EPIC has been losing money, yet, that is what the data shows ________ This week, Epic Games laid off nearly 900 employees, a whopping 16 percent of its workforce. These cuts were announced to the team in a staff memo from CEO Tim Sweeney. “For a while now, we’ve been spending way more money than we earn, investing in the next evolution of Epic and growing Fortnite as a metaverse-inspired ecosystem for creators," Sweeney wrote. "I had long been optimistic that we could power through this transition without layoffs, but in retrospect, I see that this was unrealistic." __ Sweeney said that cost-reducing efforts were insufficient to stop Epic from haemorrhaging money, and layoffs were “the only way”. It’s especially strange that Epic is firing nearly 1,000 people, considering it raised a billion dollars in investment in 2021 and received a billion dollars each from Sony and Lego parent company Kirkbi just last year. Epic even bought Bandcamp in 2022, which, according to CEO Ethan Diamond, was to help build “the most open, artist-friendly ecosystem in the world”. Now, just a year and a half later, Epic is selling it off to music marketing company SongTradr. https://lnkd.in/e8wY9paY #epicgames

Landing my first job in the gaming market was challenging. The industry is still predominantly male, making it hard for women to break in. However, last month, I was fortunate to join Ocarina Studios, a mobile gaming and tech studio in the midst of an exciting bootstrapping startup phase. Our diverse team of about 20 is spread mostly around Canada and Brazil. Beyond the exciting projects in the pipeline and the values that resonate with my soul, Ocarina is predominantly staffed by queer folks 🏳️🌈. The day-to-day sense of community and the potential to create more representative end-user products inspire me professionally. We've just reached a milestone by launching our first game for public testing, and it's both exciting and nerve-wracking. We're eager for it to be loved by our audience. If you've made it this far and would like to support me and my team in this adventure, please take a look at our website and try the game if it resonates with you. We would LOVE to hear your feedback. 👉 https://bit.ly/3SGP9Nz A bit more about our game: Dream QuiZzz is a genre-disrupting mobile trivia adventure game unlike any other. ⭐ Dream QuiZzz is built within a story-rich universe. ⭐ The game boasts hand-drawn, beautiful artwork. ⭐ Gather collectible characters called Oneerikos to level up your gameplay. ⭐ Trivia challenges span various categories and are always accurate. ⭐ The current version is entirely AD FREE. #futureofwork #remotework #games #gamesindustry #gamesjobs #supportcommunity #lgbtqcommunity

Just Cause developer Avalanche Studios Group acquired Monster Closet Games (founded by Ubisoft veterans) in October last year and integrated its developers to launch a new studio in Montreal. Yesterday, this studio was shut down 8 months after launch, along with Avalanche’s New York studio, cutting 50 jobs. In an “exceptionally difficult decision” taken by Avalanche, the shutdown was “necessary to ensure a stable and sustainable future for the company”. Avalanche even expressed regret for losing 9% of its workforce but gave no updates on how it plans to help them after this. For big studios, posting on social media is easier and a one-time thing. But what about the 50 devs who are left with tougher days to come? When AAA giant (Avalanche) entered their lives last year, they promised the devs big game projects. For eight months, they worked hard on a title with Xbox, getting excited about how they would thrill gamers from different corners of the planet. But instead of receiving due credit, they are informed that they are no longer needed on the project and that the company has to lay them off to sustain themselves. If this is sad to learn, consider the sudden mental toll on these developers and the possibility of many falling prey to self-doubt. I also tried finding the impacted folks to give them a shoutout, but I can’t see any #opentowork banners except one or two. If you know of anyone who was impacted, please mention them below, and we will do everything in our power to give them maximum visibility. If you were impacted and saw this, I am listing three resources and various other ways for you to get back into the games industry ASAP. First💎 Layoff Support Kit 2.0 - https://lnkd.in/gCCXW_Wp My team and I have dedicated countless hours to curating hundreds of online game development resources so you don't have to. This comprehensive collection includes top programming boot camps, renowned game dev educators, free game assets to help you build great games, insightful podcasts, and much more. Second💎 A 100% scholarship on our $11,000 Full Stack game dev program - https://lnkd.in/gZKqNBFh If you were impacted by the recent bloodshed of layoffs, here’s a chance to Re-skill and revise your game dev knowledge with our advanced C++, OOPs, Unity, and Data Structure modules. Additionally, you will receive exclusive one-on-one mentorship from top game programmers who will help you strengthen your already solid foundations. Third💎 Our Discord Community of over 10K game devs - https://lnkd.in/gH-wZe2G Here, we listen to everyone’s take on game development, support aspiring game developers in building stronger portfolios, and solve each other's doubts. Also requesting Kelly Bender, Alexander Rehm, Caitlin Cooke, Jordan Mazer, Ruty Rutenberg, Hailey Rojas, Kevin F., Kat Craig, Ali Farha, Matt Barney, and Ash C. to help this reach all the folks who can benefit from this. #layoffsupport