Parker Wallace
Director of Events and Operations, International Game Developers Association (IGDA)
With increasing industry layoffs, studio leaders must cultivate a sustainable, supportive environment for game workers and avoid further collapse of the talent pipeline built over decades.
In times of difficulty, it’s a good practice to go back to why you started this to begin with. Whatever your initial mission and vision may be, this should inform your decisions and actions as you plan for the future. Keep these in mind as you review both long-term and short-term forecasts and look at how your team drives these values forward in their work.
Games studio leadership values
Values also dictate budget and overall resources, so keep them at the forefront. With a renewed focus on these values, new ideas will often spawn on how to think outside of the box to create new avenues for both revenue and sustainable operations practices.
Creating a positive, inclusive studio culture
At the core of every studio is the people — the developers that pour their blood, sweat and tears into every shipped game. It’s too common for studios to create an environment where long work hours and periods of crunch lead to decreased morale, which means a renewed focus on a studio’s culture is imperative. Re-evaluating timelines and deadlines, fostering leadership that operates with authenticity and transparency, and implementing initiatives like Employee Resource Groups can help cultivate a resilient company culture. This approach can enable the studio to withstand significant setbacks.
In 2021, IGDA released a white paper in collaboration with Facebook Gaming that dives deeper into these practices to help studio leaders create more positive and inclusive work environments.
At the core of every studio is the people —
the developers that pour their blood,
sweat and tears into every shipped game.
Focus on learning and community
Studio leaders are well aware of the volatile nature of the games industry — and that we’re stronger when we work together. By leaning on community and engaging in organisations and events that facilitate connections with other game developers, including senior executives and studio founders, you can learn and grow from a diverse range of experiences, finding innovative ways to tackle problems shared by many others.
By leveraging our differences and working together, we can shine brighter than most treasure in any dungeon. For studio leaders who find themselves struggling to develop the internal culture and community of focus needed to thrive, consider joining organisations like the International Game Developers Association for resources, white papers and a community to learn from and lean on.
