Chris Klimecky

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.

59

9 Comments

So sorry to hear about layoffs at Modern Wolf, with 6 staff members being affected. The news broke last night, with my former CA colleague George Willard posting the news, as well as providing information about those also laid off to support re-hiring as quickly as possible. You can find that here: https://lnkd.in/eEXWSgNQ To those impacted by these layoffs, please find a comprehensive list of resources, below: 🥇First, Discipline Games Jobs Resources: Over the past weeks I have created 9 (at time of writing) Games Jobs Resources to find jobs in a wide range of disciplines: 🎨 Art, Animation, VFX and UI: This resource contains around 1,200 jobs worldwide across all links. Link: https://lnkd.in/eu2bjadW ⚙ Engineering and Programming This resource lists just over 1,900 jobs worldwide across all links. It also talks about interview tips and questions to practice. Link: https://lnkd.in/etPj22BE 🕹 Quality Assurance: This resource lists over 450 QA jobs worldwide. This post also talks about the craft of QA and contains tips and interview practice. Link: https://lnkd.in/dwwVjZuc 📑 Game Production: This resource lists around 400 jobs worldwide. It also contains info about game production as a whole and GDC talks. Link: https://lnkd.in/gxDvFM-Z 📢 Marketing & Community: This resource lists around 400 jobs worldwide. It also gives an intro into game marketing and community management. Link: https://lnkd.in/e5MuViug 🎶 Audio and Sound Design: This resource lists around 190 jobs worldwide. Link: https://lnkd.in/eSkPSsWf 📠 Studio Support, HR, Recruitment and BizDev: This resource lists around 290 jobs worldwide. Link: https://lnkd.in/ePG57_7v ⚙ IT, Helpdesk and DevOps: This resource lists around 140 jobs worldwide. Link: https://lnkd.in/e8ZsuiZh 🎮 Game Design: This resource lists around 480 jobs worldwide. https://lnkd.in/dCv_hQXv 🥈 Second, the Ultimate list of Video Games Career Resources: This should be your one-stop shop for all information. My dear friend Amir Satvat maintains these documents, he is a legend for doing this - please check them out: https://amirsatvat.com/ 🥉 Third, If you have worked in publishing, please message me. I am looking for quite a few roles right now! ⬅ 🎖 Finally, do not give up. Ever. No matter how dark things may look right now, I KNOW you will get through this, you have got this! 👊 Remember you are not alone. If you need help, advice, or even an ear to listen, we're here for you. Always! ➡ A request to my community, please can I ask you to repost this post to your colleagues and friends, so that we can get as many into jobs as possible! And please comment if you or your studio are currently hiring - let's help each other! Much love ❤️ #layoffs #gamesindustry #jobsingames #modernwolf

27

1 Comment

More sad news about layoffs I'm afraid... Armor Games Studios reportedly have laid off their publishing team yesterday, though the current number of reductions is unclear, as is the reason for the layoffs. To those impacted by this, please find a comprehensive list of resources, below: 🥇First, reach out to us at People Can Fly Studio, we have many roles open right now in Canada, the UK, Ireland and Europe, please check them out here: https://lnkd.in/eWpV5PbA 🥈Next, Discipline Games Jobs Resources: Over the past weeks I have created 9 (at time of writing) Games Jobs Resources to find jobs in a wide range of disciplines: 🎨 Art, Animation, VFX and UI This resource contains around 1,400 jobs worldwide across all links. Link: https://lnkd.in/eH-yWEms ⚙ Engineering and Programming This resource lists just over 2,300 jobs worldwide across all links. Link: https://lnkd.in/eMYuN-zV 🕹 Quality Assurance This resource lists over 400 QA jobs worldwide. Link: https://lnkd.in/ecHRqMnN 📑 Game Production This resource lists around 390 jobs worldwide. Link: https://lnkd.in/erVSuNwi 📢 Marketing & Community This resource lists around 330 jobs worldwide. Link: https://lnkd.in/eDmmXtP6 🎶 Audio and Sound Design This resource lists around 120 jobs worldwide. Link: https://lnkd.in/e9vpruEY 📠 Studio Support, HR, Recruitment and BizDev This resource lists around 340 jobs worldwide. Link: https://lnkd.in/eDeasJYj ⚙ IT This resource lists around 100 jobs worldwide. Link: https://lnkd.in/eTpRYvy2 🎮 Game Design This resource lists around 660 jobs worldwide. Link: https://lnkd.in/eXuJA9Vq 🥉 Third, the Ultimate list of Video Games Career Resources: This should be your one-stop shop for all information. My dear friend Amir Satvat maintains these documents, he is a legend for doing this - please check them out: https://amirsatvat.com/ 🎖 Finally, do not give up. Ever. No matter how dark things may look right now, I KNOW you will get through this, you have got this! 👊 Remember you are not alone. If you need help, advice, or even an ear to listen, we're here for you. Always! ➡ A request to my community, please can I ask you to repost this post to your colleagues and friends, so that we can get as many into jobs as possible! And please comment if you or your studio are currently hiring - let's help each other! Much love ❤️ #armorgamesstudios #layoffs

54

2 Comments

Lots of people changing jobs or on the hunt at the minute. Some useful tips to be mindful of from Amanda here. Even though you'll understandably be focused on landing the new role as smoothly as possible, these aren't unreasonable expectations at all and much easier to tackle up front than to deal with after the fact.

16

2 Comments

Today I want to tell a story. I've been holding onto it for a specific circumstance, but in case that doesn't happen, forgive the rough edges. For the longest time, I wanted to be a games journalist. I've known how to play games and deconstruct their mechanics ever since I spent many school summer holidays playing the same Playstation games over and over. I would be the kid that would read games magazines, mostly for the cheat codes, on occasion spotting an article about the next Pokemon game that I just had to tell my friends about. I was never taught or told that being a "critic" or "journalist" was a career, let alone in games. Media Studies wasn't even a subject my high school taught until sixth form options, so I'd have to get by with learning how to deconstruct the written word - often Shakespeare or "Of Mice and Men" - in English Literature class. Jump forward to 2014/5. I was in University, with the freedom to learn about "the media" and online video (YouTube) as I had experienced through college. Despite being on a TV Production course, and though we students all knew the influence social media was going to play in our careers, games were still part of my plan. Through friendships and unsuccessfully trying out for the Student Union's monthly news series as a "games correspondent", I was able to work on a project with a criminology student who also liked games. He ran his own YouTube channel, as I had done under many brands and guises over the years, but he was more consistent. I came on board as his camera operator during EGX Rezzed and we made a few interview videos together. One of which I want to bring to the attention of Hyper Luminal Games. Yes, happy birthday Hyper Luminal! 🎉 We've both changed since this video about Big Crown Showdown! Congrats on releasing Pine Hearts - a wholesome cosy game that is a love letter to the simple life in Scotland. I can't wait to play the full thing - Melissa kindly showed me it at WASD this year, it really was charming! Things have a weird way of coming back around. I don't believe in karma, but I've been watching the work of many studios that I admire and wondered where I fit, thinking maybe there are some answers in my previous work. So, this little story is tale of never forgetting your roots, and celebrating them where you can! Also, if I may be a bit cheeky: If you ever have the availability Hyper Luminal, I would love the chance to join your team! I can assure you my on-screen presence and ability to manage events & communities is far better than what I could manage 10 years ago. I'm happy to work on a relocation plan up to Dundee, be that to work for the core studio under Melissa's expert & bubbly guidance, or having the opportunity to scout for Little Nook's next great wholesome story to share. Here's to both our next chapters! Video:

8

1 Comment

Awful news today with Skydance Interactive having gone through a round of layoffs last week. My dear friend Scott Fine announced the news today, sharing the news and the profiles of those affected in a heartfelt post: https://lnkd.in/ex4BnyrX To those impacted please check out the following resources: 🥇First, reach out to us at People Can Fly Studio, we have many roles open right now in Canada, the UK, Ireland and Europe, please check them out here: https://lnkd.in/eWpV5PbA 🥈Next, Discipline Games Jobs Resources: Over the past months I have created 9 (at time of writing) Games Jobs Resources to find jobs in a wide range of disciplines, and I would urge you to check them out, if anything just to see what would be available to you: https://lnkd.in/epvmzDW6 You can find over 6,300 jobs there. 🥉 Third, the Ultimate list of Video Games Career Resources: This should be your one-stop shop for all information. My dear friend Amir Satvat maintains these documents, he is a legend for doing this - please check them out: https://amirsatvat.com/ I urge you to check out the areas in particular about CV support and mentoring, as these will help you no matter what industry you are hailing from or are looking into going next. 🎖 Finally, do not give up. Ever. No matter how dark things may look right now, I KNOW you will get through this, you have got this! 👊 Remember you are not alone. If you need help, advice, or even an ear to listen, we're here for you. Always! ➡ A request to my community, please can I ask you to repost this post to your colleagues and friends, so that we can get as many into jobs as possible! And please comment if you or your studio are currently hiring - let's help each other! Much love ❤️ #skydanceinteractive #layoffs

134

4 Comments

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

23

And YET we keep mindlessly pouring capital into this genre - why?! Yes, its the biggest genre. Its also the most satuated, the most competitive, and has the biggest, most well established teams executing at high quality. Meanwhile, many other genres can't get funded. Why? Its the "core gamer bias" I often talk about - investors are shooter players, so they want to be involved in making a shooter. They don't have the same passion, for example, about making cozy games. So even if cozy is a completely neglected genre with less competition and a higher chance of success, investors don't UNDERSTAND it and people tend not to invest in things they don't understand. Also, this is a great insight for any game… "How can we use *systems* to operate *over* content and extract as much retention as possible from a single piece of content?" Phillip Black I'm getting this tattooed on my forehead. Or perhaps will just get a hat made with it.

18

6 Comments

Am I a road warrior? No. But I’ll be at Gamescom. Why do I love Gamescom? Comment below: What is your favorite gaming conf? Why? Most folks who know me from conferences don’t know this about me: I’m an introverted builder. People often think I’m an extrovert because I enjoy networking, but that’s not true. It’s fueled by my introverted curiosity and love for meeting people, learning new things that fuel this energy. 🎤 Quality Conversations - Gamescom has great attendance from game executives, builders, and a healthy representation of the European game development scene. I love talking about building, solving problems, growth, data, and teams. 🌍 Venue - There are so many great places to connect, whether it’s by the river, at the pubs 🍻, or restaurants. (Ignoring my top complaint: the long walk from Dorint/Radisson Blu to the show and Hyatt!) 🎮 Consumer Show - We’ve never had a booth, a box, or a show setup, but I’m always thankful for those who’ve approved those budgets. 😃 I love walking the consumer show as a gamer. It’s purely for motivation—it inspires me to see the diversity and passion of gamers, the AAA booths, and the big fans. ❤️ Empathy  - Business is tough. Going from one conversation about shuttering a studio to another about handling scale and growth. It’s helpful to talk to people who truly relate to the ups and downs. 🤝 Deals and Rewards - Deals happen on calls, in 1:1 meetings, and follow-ups, not typically on the floor. But over the last decade-plus, building a substantial network of relationships has been essential to achieving actual business results. Try to identify who you can help at this show. Help them out, build that brand of someone who helps out so that when you need something, people pick up the phone and reply to your email. Many thanks to all ... Henry Lowenfels Kyu Lee Lennon Arcaro Manny Redruello Lawrence Koh Michael Chang 🔜 Gamescom Graham Gockley Shum Singh Jim Ying and so many more...

76

7 Comments

Know anyone that might know someone? Asking for a friend 👀 https://lnkd.in/g44DSCP8 #'s for the #'s #TheMattBarney #VideoGames #GameJobs #GameDevJobs #Unreal #UnrealEngine #GameEngineer #PrincipalEngineer #RemoteJobs #RemoteEngineeringJobs #RemoteEngineer

40

4 Comments

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.

43

5 Comments

I interviewed our Casting Director and this was the clear takeaway... Voice Actors often ask me "how can I break into video games work." I thought this advise was brilliant 👇 - Actors who are also active gamers seem to get cast in games a lot! - However, Casting Directors aren't specifically looking for this - These actors tend to have a great understanding of the material - They instinctively know how a line or an effort should be performed - They have an enthusiasm & passion for the work - They are often easier to direct and are familiar with the language I am by no means suggesting an actor has to be a gamer to be a voice actor in games! But, if this is an area of the industry an actor wants to get into... Consider getting into the industry via this area... Do those last two lines make sense? I was trying to be clever! #VoiceActing #GameAudio #Develop2024

35

10 Comments

“What goes into game writer portfolio?” I’m a sucker for clarity. I love samples that: Show me you can write different character voices. Demonstrate how to dramatize a character arc. Give me crackling dialogue. Swing for the fences to create an emotional experience. And then give clear context about what you are showcasing with each piece: Present a single character bio that goes so deep, but is clear enough that I could write for that character straight away and succeed/ Write up a quest line, in beats, with branching nodes that have interesting choices with endings that satisfy and honor the player choices. Tell me your craft goals. What do you like to write, what are you good at writing, what are your muscles that need work? Be honest. Self-awareness is a secret weapon to success. Tell me a story, a complete one, that shows off your best work. Personally, bark sheets are easy to write but boring to read unless there’s a character, a story, an arc, conditionals, and a voice that grabs my eyeballs and channels pure narrative through my corneas and into my brain. Nobody can guarantee your work will do that. Readers are subjective. They have tastes and biases they won’t tell you. So give me craft, technique, tools. Show me you can take notes. Engage my curiosity by writing about subjects that aren’t common or overdone. Provide context. What are/were your goals with each part of your submission. Don’t limit yourself to traditional game design deliverables (bark sheets, worldbuilding, full questline with nodes, a cinematic) Throw in a prose short story. Add a one-act play. Compose a sonnet as bonus material. Share a short screenplay. Understand character Understand different mediums Understand dialogue Understand theme, tone, personality Illustrate you can tell a story, from beginning to middle to end, with a clear conflict that resolves that follows a character who has desires and needs and wounds and who tries and tries and tries. Most of all: Be. Clear.

101

12 Comments

Happy Wednesday all, or at least it would be if not for yesterday's news. Let's get into the round-up, then. 1. Microsoft shutdown four studios, including BAFTA-award winning Tango Gameworks who recently released "Hi-Fi Rush" and Arkane Austin. The loss of these studios is huge, make no mistake. I've not written on it yet as it was my news partner-in-crime who grabbed it for PSU but I've plenty of thoughts brewing, and you might see something from me soon. https://lnkd.in/gGy7MzyG 2. I covered a couple of the events regarding the Helldivers 2 PSN account linking controversy, but then I thought it would be worth putting everything together in one, clear explainer piece of what happened and what's still going on - so I did! https://lnkd.in/gMdJcfT8 3. More news regarding poor decisions made by games industry executives, Activision reportedly rejected a pitch from Vicarious Visions prior to merging the team entirely into Blizzard for a Tony Hawks Pro Skater 3+4 Remake. Activision instead wanted VV to focus efforts on supporting Call Of Duty & Diablo, which I don't think I can find to be anything less than depressing. Not because I'm a huge THPS fan, but because I find it so short-sighted to go from publishing a diverse string of games to only publishing a few behemoths that have shown they have chips in their 'forever-game' armour. Perhaps I've got more to say on this as well. https://lnkd.in/gYGPFiWH 4. This one's for me, because I've put 1000+ hours into Apex Legends, and the now current season is once again changing the game forever. I've had peaks and valleys with Apex over my time with it, and I'm glad that Respawn is continually trying to keep things fresh with these last two seasons of large, sweeping changes and new modes. https://lnkd.in/g9w5xBhj 5. Lastly, Ubisoft's guitar-learning game turned subscription service Rocksmith+ will arrive on PS5 and Steam in June. I was a big Guitar Hero/Rock Band-head back in the day, and Rocksmith played a key role in my journey to start playing guitar. I'm not sure I'll jump in right away, but I'm glad to see it finally make a console debut, I think tools like Rocksmith+ are great and easy ways to get people into playing and making music. https://lnkd.in/geUTveUd That's all for now, though I do want to leave you with a question to DM me about or answer in the comments: who do you think won the rap beef between Kendrick Lamar and Drake? I see a clear winner, and I want to know if LinkedIn is on the ball when it comes to these big issues. Until next time!

6

Creating games is very difficult. And building games is challenging. The process of build requires to compile the code and all the data required in the game in a specific sequence involving many dependencies. As such monitoring the outcome is essential, but not sufficent. What if we were able to predict the outcome of a build ? What if we were able to decrease the required computing resources while increasing our iteration capability ? #Ubisoft #Ubisoftlaforge #innovation

80

I am sorry to report that Flaming Fowl Studios (Gloomhaven) laid off over 20 staff yesterday, as reported by GamesIndustry.Biz. I appreciate everybody's reposts to get the word out and so employees there can know of and use our resources. Hopefully we can also get Games Org Support Posts going for them, which have proven to be highly effective in getting affected gamers into new jobs. To those gamers affected at Flaming Fowl Studios, we have a wealth of always-free community homes and resources to help you: 🔗 Please visit AMIRSATVAT.COM, our community's games jobs resources hub with 15 resources that will help you find work. These resources are free and updated regularly. 🔗 Please consider joining our Discord Server, with nearly 1,000 members in just 48 hours of existence, a live extension of our community resources: https://lnkd.in/e2tyvpWv 🔗 Resource 10 is our games org support posts. There you will find a template. If someone on your team can own populating that with information from individuals on your team, with their consent, I will get the finished product edited and out to the community, hitting 100,000 eyeballs. I have done 95 of these, working directly with games teams, and they are highly effective in increasing visibility. To our community: please do your part in making a difference. Some options include: -Spreading the word. Every reshare of this post is appreciated to raise visibility as to these situations. - Offer Support: While you certainly can do it through our community's resources (at amirsatvat.com we present 13 ways you can help), any advice lent, listening ear provided, or other support given is appreciated for those navigating these changes. You can also offer help on our new Discord server. - Join Our Movement: Become part of our network of volunteers at AMIRSATVAT.COM, providing support to our colleagues in the games industry. Together, our collective of over 85,000 people has enabled 1,800+ jobs and 31,000 community coaching conversations, and we're just getting started. More importantly, this network and its content seeks to provide a daily source of encouragement in this tough time.

96

1 Comment

Okay, about to share some 🌶️ hot takes🔥, but the 2024 GOTY nominations are annoyingly disappointing to me. If I can’t vote for the games I think should win, I just won’t vote or watch. 1. Where is Warhammer on this list? Because that’s my #1 pick. Not even in the top 6?! Seriously!? Okay, then I’ll vote for my runner up, Helldivers 2… it’s not here either!?!? 🤬 2. I cannot get into Balatro🃏. I forced myself to play for ~6 hours to participate with a workgroup gaming club, and it seriously felt like I wasted the precious little game time I can scrounge as the parent of a 2 year old. Don’t get me wrong, it’s an interesting game. But I do not understand how it can capture as devoted of fans as it has. It feels about as captivating as pinball. And while I might have wasted time in my youth on such things, it’s not something I find value in now. Very subjective, but I hate the theme, it just makes me want to play actual poker. And I do like rogue-likes, but generally ones with a character, some rpg elements, etc. Nothing against the devs, it’s just not for me; and I’m surprised by how small this camp is. 3. Astro bot, FF7 Rebirth, Metaphor: Refantazio …huh? You found spots for these but not Warhammer Space Marine 2 OR Helldiver’s 2? I get that The Game Awards is global 🌎, and there are plenty of Asian gamers, but did these titles really make that big a splash in those jurisdictions and this small a splash in the west that they weren’t even on the radar? And reverse that regarding HD2 and WH? I just don’t get it. 4. The way the Game Awards only gives the audience 10% of the final tally, is frankly BS. And there’s no 📝 write-in votes, so just their hand-selected nominees. Feels very behind-closed-doors kinds of scummy. As an industry, I think we should hold this event to a higher standard. Verdict: ⚖️ I’m not participating. I’ve boycotted things harder to avoid than this for less.

3

8 Comments

Friends, there are consistent questions about games hiring data that many of you have asked, several of which I want to address today after some weeks of research. People often ask me how much of games hiring goes to those already in the industry, what historical applicant-to-hire rates have been, and how this compares with other industries. Let's take these one at a time: Multiple credible sources suggest that 80%+ of hires in the games industry come from within the industry itself. This relative magnitude is confirmed by my own data. This high percentage underscores the challenge of breaking into the games industry for those without prior industry experience. Next, applicant-to-hire rates in the games sector have remained steady at 4-5% or less, as far back as I could find robust data, which dates to 2020. Data suggests that this figure has never gone above 10%, even in the last two decades, but I do not have raw data for this—rather, industry studies in which I need to take others' word on it. To provide context, let's compare games' 4-5% rates to other industries: - Tech sector: 5-7% applicant-to-hire rate. - Healthcare: 2-3% for specialized roles. - Finance and Consulting: 1-4% for the most competitive roles. It turns out most highly desirable opportunities have simply become very competitive. So why does games sometimes feel even more competitive than those industries? First, the smaller number of total roles in games and the high incumbency for existing opportunities, as mentioned above, with a fifth or less of roles going to those at all seniority levels who want to break in. Additionally, the relative number of new applicants each year compared to industry size is higher in games, further intensifying the competition. Another difference is the relative layoffs to industry size, which have been at 10-15% of the entire industry in the past three years (30,000+ out of 200,000-250,000). This is why I always talk about run rate hiring versus overall numbers and filling the hole. Finally, for those gamers working in North America, the cuts have felt much more intense, with it being like a 2-3x relative impact because 75-80% of the cuts have taken place there. We are relatively competitive with other sought-after industries for rates of hiring, but a much bigger hole, more inbound desire, and higher incumbency make it harder. I hope this helps provide answers to a number of your open questions around games jobs data.

31

2 Comments

When I started Combat Waffle Studios I didn’t have a roadmap, just a vision and a relentless drive to make it a reality. I raised $1.2M from a single investor—non-ownership shares—and got to work. Two years later, we’ve turned that into $20M in sales, and I still own 100% of my company. Call this cliche; but success isn’t about taking the easiest route. It’s about betting on yourself when no one else will. It’s about refusing to sell your soul for the promise of “easy money.” Stop taking “dumb money” from investors looking for a quick buck in a rising industry. I’ve turned down two acquisition offers for insane amounts of money because I refuse to let someone else dictate my future. I didn’t work this hard to build someone else’s dream—I built mine. If you’re grinding right now, wondering if you’ll ever break through, let me tell you this: keep going. The path isn’t easy, but it’s worth it. The reward isn’t just in the money or the numbers; it’s in knowing you stayed true to yourself, your vision, and your values. Be your own boss. Write your own story. Take the risks that matter and stop selling your soul to people who don’t understand your worth. Whether you succeed or fail, make sure the story is yours. No one else can live your dream but you. You’ve got this. Keep pushing. #Motivation #BetOnYourself #Entrepreneurship #BeYourOwnBoss

109

9 Comments