Eric Longoria

Such a sad situation for Arkane Studios Austin. No team deserves to be shutdown like this. I played a lot of Redfall and enjoyed it. This isn't all corporate greed and stock prices; we as fans have a role in this as well. I'm not saying that we shouldn't critique or call out unkept promises during development. Far too often when we criticize, we lose the human element behind these large projects. Those at Arkane, Bethesda Game Studios, タンゴゲームワークス（Tango Gameworks）, this is not your fault. This situation does not define you or your talents. Move forward when you are ready, and let's help you find your new home. We are stronger together! https://lnkd.in/gjyF6F6t - Unknown Worlds https://sds.com/careers - Striking Distance https://lnkd.in/gmjKux5M - KRAFTON and PUBG #myplesha #gamedevjobs #KRAFTON #gamesindustry #hiring

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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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Another stack of resources and layoff support compiled by the incredible Mayank Grover! If you need support or have some to offer, connect and boost that vis so every ship can benefit from the tide. 🙌🌊🙌 #gamedev #games #layoff #support #job #resources #mentors

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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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Come learn about Xsolla's strategies to improve your mobile games revenue.

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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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Hello Friends, Help.  I would sincerely appreciate any help—share this with your network, comment and react to increase reach, and pass my resume along to any hiring managers you know looking for a Producer at any level between "Producer" through Senior, Lead, EP, or Production Director, as well as anyone looking for a Senior or leadership-level Customer Support manager. My resume is on my profile. Please have a look at my (or leave a new one!) LinkedIn Recommendations.  I have encouraged many people over the past year to make this kind of post, and it seems it is my turn. Having urged others to post something like this, I understand why it needs to be made. Now that it is my turn, I find it difficult. Heartbreakingly, mind-bendingly hard.  I was laid off on January 18th, 2023. The severance package is gone, the emergency fund is gone, and a nest egg I'd been saving for retirement but could dip into in case of emergency is almost gone. Very soon, I will have to choose between losing the house or cashing out my 401 (k) and losing everything I had set aside for retirement.  I need a job. I have experience leading Customer Service teams as large as 1600 or so folks, doing project planning/production work with cross-functional teams as small as ten and as large as several hundred. I have a demonstrated capability to perform above expectations in people management and individual contributor roles. I'd love to stay in Baltimore if you have a remote role available or if you will let me work hybrid, even if it is two months onsite and two weeks back here. I will also relocate if needed. I'd hoped to stay where I am for at least another year and a half to two years so the teenagers could find their way out of the house. If there is no house, that's a more significant issue, so moving is now on the table.   A quick search of my Gmail shows just over 800 "We've received your application" emails during that period. I stopped tracking applications in December of 2023. The mental health impact was too significant to keep monitoring the data, and my system for searching and applying for roles was a solid process by that point. I've had some great interviews over the past year—shoutouts to the team at Raven, Zwift, Blizzard's Overwatch team, and Epic. I've also had some interviews that were not so great.  Wallace T. Katt and I both hope you have a fantastic week and thank you. #Help #JobHunt #Please #ThankYou #Layoffs #VideoGames

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Amir Satvat's Games Community Support Content - Upcoming Schedule All Resources Cited Available @amirsatvat.com 11/8 - Helping Hands  (Resource #4) Spotlight on community members who have been searching for a job for over a year. 11/9 - New Games Jobs Update  (Resource #11) I've held off on loading new roles for a few days due to everything happening in the world, but expect hundreds of new roles to be available for application soon. 11/9 - Full Weekly Update (Resources #1, #2, #3, #5, #6, #7, #8, #16) Full refresh of all resources on the community website. 11/10 - Creator Partner Program Interest Check (Resource #18 - TBA) I will solicit participation interest in our new proposed Creator Partner Program for Amir Satvat's Games Community, highlighting those offering free games support to the community - based on your 94% / 6% in favor community vote. 11/11 - A BIG, BIG, BIG Surprise for Our Games Community Also Coming Soon   - A full study on job cuts by location (and more) from 2022 to 2024 YTD. - A concise one-page reference for all our key games job insights and stats. - Started a full update of the Games Jobs Directory (Resource #10)

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💡 Did you know that not all chargebacks result in revenue loss? In fact, 85% of chargebacks can be challenged and won back! Let's break it down with a simple math exercise: Imagine your revenue is $100,000, and you face an average of 0.3% chargeback transactions monthly. Does this mean your business loses $300 every month? Not quite! It means you have the opportunity to recover $255. 💸✨  Learn more about how chargeback protection and dispute management can benefit your business in this insightful blog post.

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If you and your team are looking to not only bring on an excellent QA professional, but also an incredible, empathetic, and upstanding human being, look no further. Anthony is the right person for you. I had the distinct pleasure of working alongside Anthony for several years at Vicarious Visions, both as an analyst and as a quality leader. As an analyst, Anthony is incredibly organized and meticulous. Time after time, he delivers well thought out and impactful test plans. The test plans that Anthony creates are successful because he not only collaborates effectively with other developers to understand the "what" that is being developed, but he also comprehends the "how" it is being developed. This approach enables Anthony to construct bulletproof plans that not only satisfy the test conditions but also uphold the overall quality of the feature and product being developed. As a leader, Anthony truly leads with a focus on the "why." There was never a moment when Anthony did not clearly explain to the team where they currently stood, what needed to be done now, and how the work they were undertaking would contribute to their future success. If someone did not understand something, Anthony was always available to explain and, if necessary, re-explain a concept or strategy. When faced with a development challenge, Anthony never just shows up and shrugs things off; he always comes prepared with several scenarios and plans for how to overcome the challenge directly or, at the very least, minimize its impact. No matter the situation, Anthony is a true difference maker and will provide immense value to any team that he joins.

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What to do if your game has low retention? I teamed up with Mykola Veremiev to make a decision tree for your game. If your game is struggling, ask these questions:  1. Is the FTUE completion rate high?   2. Are players engaged with the core loop?   3. Are paywalls causing drop-offs?   4. Are there difficulty spikes?   5. Is the player funnel strong?   6. Is the game technically stable?   7. Do players have clear long-term goals?   8. Are players pursuing those goals?   9. Is feedback on gameplay positive?   10. Does your team still believe in the vision?  Depending on the answers, you have 3 paths:  • 🔁 Iterate: Minor fixes can boost retention.   • ↩ Pivot: Core gameplay has potential but lacks depth.   • ☠ Kill: Systemic issues with no clear solution.  Use data to guide your decisions. Iterate, pivot, or cut your losses. And if your studio needs help testing or scaling the next game idea, feel free to DM Mykola!

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SAG-AFTRA has announced a new agreement to protect performers involved in video game localization. The Independent Interactive Localization Agreement will cover projects that are originally scripted and released in a foreign language and then dubbed into English. This agreement will provide performers with stronger AI protections and expanded work opportunities compared to the previous localization agreement. Key benefits of the new agreement include: ⭐ AI Protections: Safeguards against the misuse of AI in the localization process. ⭐ Expanded Session and Voiceprint Options: Increased flexibility for performers. ⭐ Aligned with the Independent Interactive Media Agreement: Offers similar terms and conditions, including the recently added fourth tier for studios with budgets between $15 million and $30 million. SAG-AFTRA's leadership expressed their satisfaction with the agreement, highlighting its potential to create more opportunities for performers and ensure fair treatment in the industry: "Many brilliant, beloved games come to market in the U.S. from other countries, projects which need highly skilled localizing performers, and those performers absolutely deserve robust, enforceable A.I. protections," said Interactive Media Agreement's negotiating chair Sarah Elmaleh. "We hope that the updated terms in the Independent Interactive Localization Agreement will create even more opportunities for them to collaborate with U.S. union talent." (source: https://lnkd.in/e4ZS2gyY)

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I've said it once and I'll say it again, gaming/tech companies really have no place to demand In-Office employment right now. I'm sure someone will come for me on this, so here's my breakdown. Feel free to add more in the comments: 1. The industry successfully created outstanding projects while remote since the Pandemic. There is no data to support in office work is more productive, and even that data would be skewed by the vastly different working habits of neuro-diverse employees. The issue is that the market is flooded, games are getting more costly to make, and audiences aren't growing; not that we need to "move everyone into office due to poor performing targets". It's giving "let's lecture people about using straws but not address that major corporations are 70+% of the climate problem". 2. If we accept your offer of employment and relocate (which we've already established isnt necessary), the studio could be shut down in the current climate. Not even the big players are safe right now. 3. If we accept your offer of employment at a large enough studio that probably won't be shut down, the position and / or project could be canceled. The company will not make upcoming cancelations public, will not reimburse you for your move, and will not really care they've uprooted you. You could argue that's always been a risk, but for the last year this issue has been unprecedented for the entire industry. You could say "take the position, it's better to have a paying job than not!". I'd argue that all of the above scenarios are much worse than straight unemployment. These scenarios cost thousands of dollars, take people away from their support systems, and still leave you unemployed.

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Worried your voice casting is slowing down production and falling flat? Do this: Work with vendors who deliver speed, quality, and a personal touch. Too many game producers rely on large agencies with overbooked studios and slow communication. The result? Frustration, delays, and missed opportunities. Instead, choose partners who: Plan proper setup time so sessions run smoothly. Offer direct, responsive communication—no layers of PMs. Provide scalable options, like a studio network for flexible booking. The right approach saves time, avoids headaches, and creates unforgettable performances. Struggling with voice casting? Let’s talk.

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𝐖𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐢𝐬 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐦𝐨𝐬𝐭 𝐥𝐮𝐝𝐢𝐜𝐫𝐨𝐮𝐬 𝐛𝐮𝐠 𝐨𝐫 𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭 𝐢𝐧 𝐜𝐨𝐝𝐞 𝐲𝐨𝐮'𝐯𝐞 𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐫 𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐞 𝐚𝐜𝐫𝐨𝐬𝐬? Was talking to a friend and reminded of two glorious examples... 1) While working on a companion app for a long existing tool, my lead dev called us over to his screen while looking through some stuff he needed for integration. Commented in the code was "there's probably a better way to do this but whatever" 😂 We found the better way... 2) When I was ramping up on product ownership for a home brewed player support CRM, I was reviewing with the agents their top pet peeves for consideration in the backlog priority. I found out that for MANY YEARS and for a game that was played internationally, if an agent used characters such as ö, à, ñ and the like - you know when typing the player's name that they are talking to - the entire app would crash and terminate the chat. And this wasn't web-based. They had to force close it and restart and get back in the queue. So their choices were to spell the person's name wrong and maybe get dinged on CSAT or lose the chat and have lower CSAT. Needless to say that went to the top of my list. ☝

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“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.

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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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I was in a 1:1 today where I mentioned that I wanted to do away with our weekly defect status reports. Why? Because no one likes a wall of text that has a bunch of risks and call outs. Folks get blind to the things that really matter and they become bogged down by repeated pings in the same spots. Our solution: Use the triage sessions to delegate status. Ping only the most important action items in the big channel. Make sure ownership is felt and not just seen.

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Alexander Rehm's 15 new game roles daily; amirsatvat.com (Resource 11) https://lnkd.in/d6x5NHMZ Direct link: https://lnkd.in/gsEyFUrk Friends, I’m excited to share a new Amir Satvat's Games Community exclusive! Alex "MVP" Rehm, one of my closest friends, has already contributed so much with his resources on our site (Resource 12: Additional Community Job Resources). Alex and I always ask ourselves how we can do more for gamers. Today, I'm thrilled to announce a new community exclusive: Alex is adding his 15 new game roles daily, rotating by discipline (Art & Animation today, for example), to our Resource #11: New Games Roles workbook, and sometimes more. Today, for example, to kick this resource addition off with a bang, he added 59 roles. Resource #11 provides detailed individual roles by company and function, and Alex is ensuring each role includes a direct link for easy application. To this, I add our standard set of 20 games jobs categories, dedupe, and integrate it into the resource. As a reminder, Resource #11 complements Resource #10: Games Jobs Workbook, which is the largest listing of games jobs in the work and lists game companies and their roles by function, but without individual job details. Think of Resource #10 as the comprehensive games jobs long-form and Resource #11 as the day-to-day games jobs double-click. You, the community, can also add your games roles to Resource #11 via a form on the site (takes 2 minutes), and I add to it periodically as well using my semi-automated crawling approach ("Project Jessica"). Our commitment to providing more for free, with love, never stops. Bravo, "MVP" – you've done it again! As always, find all this within our suite of 16 resources at amirsatvat.com!

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