Cory Haltinner

Want to stand out above a crowded job market? I just put together a custom Unreal 5.4 project that has fully working multiplayer with quality that is approaching AAA. This project will serve as the foundation for Monthly Challenges where professionals from ALL disciplines can choose challenges to tackle and learn the ins and outs of Unreal while creating portfolio pieces with tangible experience. I did end up dropping a few hundred 💸💸💸, which was not the original plan, but I quickly found out how hard it was to find AAA quality content. I'm still going to offer these challenges for FREE to all, because it felt right. 🎉 To uphold Epic's licensing terms with content you must work on this project under one condition: You are part of the GameDevSG Team, working on a game (for portfolio purposes only and cannot be distributed outside of the GameDevSG Discord). Assuming we can handle that, I feel strongly that this exercise will help a lot of people! ❤️ On a side note, since we are working on a "game", what name should we give it? Thanks all, and stay tuned! #gamedev #gameindustry #gamejobs #portfolio #monthlychallenge

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🎮 Want a job in the video game industry? 🎮 Begin with the end in mind.* ➡ When you drive to work do you just turn left or right based on how you feel that day? 😅 (I hope you left extra early that day) ➡ When you gather data for a project, do you grab monthly active users, popular breakfast items and breeds of dog? 🤐 (This report might be fun but your boss will not be happy) ➡ When you schedule a doctor appointment, do you call random numbers in the phone book? 🙃 The same applies to...well...applying for jobs. ❔ Do you look at the minimum requirements for a job or do you click easy apply on cool titles? (Although, I might as well shoot my shot for Game Director) ❔ Do you update your resume with your most relevant experience when you apply? What is your desired outcome? Work backwards and you'll see at least some of the steps in a path to get there. This is not easy to do, because there is no perfect way to be the best fit for a job. Everyone's journey is different. What steps have you taken to get to your goal or how have you been successful in your journey? *One possible end goal pictured #Letsgetyouhired #RecruiterAdvice

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I understand the challenges many face when trying to break into the games industry and find the right role. Before contacting a team member or recruiter, I recommend checking the job listings on the company's careers site to identify suitable positions. This approach not only demonstrates professionalism but also expedites the process. Simply reaching out to inquire about available roles may not be the most effective initial contact, as it can lead to a less fruitful conversation. For those interested, here is a link to all the current open roles at WB Games: https://lnkd.in/enp8Q8YN #GameIndustry #CareerOpportunities #Professionalism

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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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Bit late talking about this one but huge news coming from 343 Industries, both a re-brand to Halo Studios and confirmation that they are switching development to Unreal. 🗞️ This comes off the back of 343's struggles with development of Halo: Infinite. We've seen many other studios move away from their own engines to Unreal, notably CD Projekt Red! Are proprietary engines going out fashion? 🤔 For those who have worked on both proprietary engines and Unreal, what have you found to be the key advantages of working with Unreal? #gamedev #unreal #halo

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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

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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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I've seen some Game industry chaos out there. I just want to say stay strong. Someone said something about me being, "glad to be out of that game industry?" That thought is understandable, but I don't see it that way AT ALL. I do work in Military Simulation, running a studio that builds the software and I've been busy lately, and I'm grateful for that. HAVIK has been a very rewarding place to work. And the work? Well, the tech is built with Unity, the team is focused on building engaging features. Graphical beauty and unparallel realism is the goal. We work in cross-discipline groups, run two-week sprints with a one-week planning gap between. We release on a quarterly schedule and are currently prepping for the biggest show of the year with new projects, new features and big company announcements. I run capacity plans, build out mentorships and set up annual review cycles. We have regular game nights online. Also, one of my producers regularly shows of his collection of Star Wars helmets... Sound familiar to all my game dev contacts out there? Because it is. It's indistinguishable from my 25 years in game industry. Oh, except that we're growing. We hired 6 people in our studio to work on our "game" in the last month. We are spinning up 3 new projects this year. Also, I don't have to argue about things like monetization with "line goes up" accountants. We're running a business and make a profit, but we don't have to squeeze blood from a stone to do it. We have locked-in contracts and continue build our reputation on succeeding and over-delivering with them. The company is filled with professionals who actively participate in the work. Honest people who assume good intent and work with each other to deliver quality to our customers. I couldn't be happier or more fulfilled to be part of this. I realize it's bumpy out there right now and I'll always be there to answer a call or help work through challenges. It will get better and along the way you might find something different, but similar and better.

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A few quick tips for your demo reel and/or static portfolio: 𝐃𝐞𝐬𝐜𝐫𝐢𝐛𝐞 𝐞𝐚𝐜𝐡 𝐩𝐢𝐞𝐜𝐞 with short text captions to reference what you did in the shot and what project it was from. 𝐋𝐢𝐬𝐭 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐬𝐨𝐟𝐭𝐰𝐚𝐫𝐞 that you used to create the work in words. Don’t just put logos to represent the software you used. Not all recruiters come from an artist's background and know what the logos are referring to. A lot of recruiters use Boolean searches to look for talent (a type of word search). A Boolean search isn’t going to read a logo! For multi-person projects, specifically, 𝐥𝐚𝐛𝐞𝐥 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐩𝐚𝐫𝐭𝐬 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐰𝐞𝐫𝐞 𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐩𝐨𝐧𝐬𝐢𝐛𝐥𝐞 𝐟𝐨𝐫. For example, in an animated demo reel, if you’re able to grey out the parts you were not responsible for and keep your own animated parts in color that is helpful to the viewer to distinguish what is yours and what is not. #artrecruiter #portfolioadvice #helpfultips #quicktips #portfoliotips #videogamejobhunt #jobhunting

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This was hard for me, because I know people are financially hurting right now, so I was very cognizant of that when putting the books out there and pricing them. "Why not make the ebooks free!?" So, I used to give away absolutely all my advice and time for free. What I realized in that process was that most people did not understand the value I was giving them, and that was partly my fault. What I had to do to actually gain that knowledge, I would have killed to have all the stuff I'm saying right now at the start of my career. Even placing a small value on something makes sure that people understand it is valuable. And it also ensures that those who are dead serious about this will get the information. I'm happy to see there are enough people serious about this career that it makes sense to keep making these books. I knew this could have easily gone the opposite way, and my greatest fears would be confirmed. There was a time where I completely redid my portfolio, and it really helped me to get more opportunities. I learned a ton from that process, and I'd love to share it with you in July! #gameindustry #gamedev #portfolio #ebook

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I am very sorry to learn of two additional cuts that happened in games this week: Lively Studio had a "small number of layoffs" while Armor Games Studios laid off its publishing team. Both claims were widely reported across major games press. If your job has been impacted by these closures, please utilize the support available through our three platforms. Specifically, I suggest exploring the Games Org Support Posts in Home 1. These resources have a proven track record of effectiveness, backed by extensive data. There are no simple answers, but our community's primary aim is to ease the burden for as many individuals as possible. Our data shows that for all candidates, your chances of securing a role in the gaming industry double (from 6% to 12%) over 12 months if you consistently use all our resources compared to not using them. I'm truly sorry about this news, and as always, I will do my best to take action rather than just expressing concern. Home 1 - 🔗 AMIRSATVAT.COM: This is our main hub offering 18 resources to help you find employment, with a fully updated design. - 🔗 Games Org Support Posts: You can find a template at AMIRSATVAT.COM (Category 4, Resource 10). If you can provide information from your team (with their consent), I'll assist in editing and disseminating the final post to reach over 400,000 unique viewers per month. These posts significantly boost visibility, and we've completed 102 of them. Home 2 - 🔗 Discord: Join us at discord.gg/amirsatvat, our live extension of community resources. With over 4,900 members, we are currently in an open-join phase. Home 3 - 🔗 LinkedIn: Our community here comprises over 93,000 members, with 1-3 daily posts offering support and career assistance in the gaming industry. How the Broader Community Can Help: - Spread the Word: Reshares and comments on this post help increase the visibility of these resources. - Offer Support: Utilize the 16 methods 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 gaming industry. Our network has facilitated over 2,400 jobs and 45,000 coaching conversations to date, making the largest impact of any games organization globally, and has been visited by millions of gamers lifetime. - Over 20% of all gaming jobs found pass through our community at some point, more than anywhere else globally, so please maximize your chances - that's what we are here for.

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🎮 Want a job in the video game industry? 🎮 📅 It's July. We made it through the first half of 2024. Are you looking at your resume/skills/experience for the second half of the year and 2025? Are you bookmarking your favorite career sites in case the perfect job opens up and you're ready to apply? *cough* https://lnkd.in/gmapUg36 *cough* What skills are needed in your line of work for your next role? Are you taking any classes/courses or applying to tangentially related roles (i.e. not the dream job yet) to build those skills? In your last interview, was there a skill could you not explain to the best of your ability or are you unsure of that you could learn more about? Your dream job won't always come tomorrow, but are you preparing in case it opens in a week? A month? January 2025? Any questions? Put them in the comment section and we'll see what we can do to help. #startpreparingnow #Letsgetyouhired

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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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Game design has been a passion for my entire life. I remember sitting down with a friend growing up, looking at games like Armored Core and Skyrim and saying "Well, that's great, but what if we made it available to be played at a table like D&D or Pathfinder?" TTRPG experience and knowledge has been so critical in learning how to design games- and better, the experience extends beyond just TTRPGs. It extends to games of all kinds- general roleplaying, first person shooters, turn-based or action, trading card games, board games, etc. - Wording VS Intention: Wording and the concept of RAW(Rules As Written) and RAI(Rules As Intended) are incredibly important. Anyone who has spent time playing Magic the Gathering or D&D 5e knows that the occasional loophole in the wording of a rule allows for some fun, albeit potentially unintended nonsense. - User Experience: As a Game Master of 10+ years, and as a player, having fun with the system is extremely important. The mechanics should be intuitive and should have synergy that falls naturally with the other systems within the game. Players inherently want to enjoy their games and have fun, and will praise the design of a game for having good synergy within its own mechanics for having that level of forethought. - Simplicity can be Key: Pathfinder 1e is where I started my TTRPG journey, and retroactively it has a lot of things I love! However, it also has paragraphs and paragraphs to describe a single class ability; it means less people have to filter through more information to understand the exact interaction and experience they will have. I have had players immediately express disinterest if a class has too much information in it, even if it was the exact description they were looking for. - Lack of Stagnation: It has been a consistent experience in the TTRPG community to release new editions, updating, simplifying and refreshing rules. The difference that Pathfinder 1st Edition and Pathfinder 2nd Edition have is vast- and even the revision of Pathfinder 2e changed enough rules to breathe life into the already fun and understandable system. - Plan Ahead, But Adapt: When designing a game, you want to keep in mind any systems you aim to include, as far down as you can. The Tree method comes in handy here, allowing one to think down to the minute details of a project. Thing is, you'll miss things. You will have oversights. That is why adaptability to your plan is important. Planning ahead by creating frameworks for your systems allows the adjustment and insertion of new ideas into old systems. TTRPGs are foundational to the video game industry as a whole, and my passion for designing systems has led me to create and refine several systems for games. The core concept of mechanics, synergies and frameworks would not have been as relevant without my experience and time as a Game Master and a Player in the TTRPG world.

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Interview question: What games do you play? A common question for those interviewing in the video game industry. Here's the thing, over the years I've consistently found those who play table top games are some of the best, most creative, and productive people I've worked with on video games. We all play video games, yet games are not limited to digital, they include many other aspects, like table top (think board games, card games etc.) So when you're interviewed next, and you're asked the game question, don't be shy at including Uno, Ticket to Ride, Pokemon or whatever other games you might be playing with friends and family. Table top games have been infuencing digital interactive video games for decades, and continue to do so. It's a super power not a career limiter. BTW, if you have kids, check our Peacable Kingdom games. These are incredible cooperative games aimed at kids, where you all play together to beat the game, not each other. Enjoy! #videogames #games #whatinspiresme #inspiration #careers

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𝐏𝐨𝐫𝐭𝐟𝐨𝐥𝐢𝐨 𝐓𝐢𝐩 of the day: Don’t display other people’s works as your own!! You wouldn't want someone to show your work claiming it was theirs right?! 𝘋𝘰𝘯'𝘵 𝘥𝘰 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘵𝘰 𝘴𝘰𝘮𝘦𝘰𝘯𝘦 𝘦𝘭𝘴𝘦. When setting up your demo reel or a static portfolio be 𝑣𝑒𝑟𝑦 clear about exactly what parts you were responsible for. There are several ways to do this: On a 𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐜 𝐩𝐨𝐫𝐭𝐟𝐨𝐥𝐢𝐨, you can describe exactly what parts of the piece you were responsible for, clearly labeling each piece. On a 𝐝𝐞𝐦𝐨 𝐫𝐞𝐞𝐥, you can burn into each shot which parts you contributed. Sometimes it can be hard to define exactly what you did and it is best shown visually. In a demo reel, you can do this by greying out the work you were not responsible for and keeping only your work in color, making it clear to the viewer exactly what part was yours. In cases where multiple people worked on the same thing, be sure to label the part you worked on clearly on the piece.

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Develop isn't over for most people. But sadly it is for me. Gabriele Sanfilippo and I attended on Tuesday and Wednesday morning to chat shop with people interested in hearing about life at Spliced Inc. and Anchor Point Studios. Develop never disappoints. And as always>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> Familiar Faces ✅ Worthwhile conversations ✅ Effervescent energy at the hotel bar ✅ More beards than the year before, and the year before that ✅ People sporting a different hat every day of the event? ✅ Several meaningful introductions made that we'll keep in touch with? ✅ But more than all this - whilst a lot of studios and publishers will measure ROI by looking at the cost of attending the event and seeing the data off the back of it (as important as this is) - let's not undervalue>>>>>>>>>>>>>> The energy we take from it, and bring back with us 🔋 The connections we make that remind us of the industry we love so much 🤝 The subsequent uplift in focus, happiness and positive attitude it brings to all of us 🌞 What a great reminder of the best industry on the planet! 🌍

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