Michelle Larson’s Post

Hey all – I’ve been a bit quiet on this, but as someone impacted by Epic’s layoffs late last year, I remain on the hunt for my next role. It’s a tough climate out there – like others, I've been putting out various resumes, participating in interviews and some final interviews - then end up not filling enough of a specific need. I spent 3 years at #EpicGames, working across a variety of domains – from Customer Success (for multiple industry verticals) to supporting the early stages of the partnership with the LEGO Group and collaborating on its various efforts. While working on LEGO stuff at Epic, I supported Production for new tools and pipeline features that were used with #LEGOFortnite (and more!), and later jumped in on Product Management while focusing on LEGO Islands in Fortnite (and engaging with the UEFN teams). It was a dream opportunity getting to work on awesome stuff and collaborating with incredible people. In the months since the layoffs – I continue to be on the lookout for my next role. My experience on the market suggests that employers can favor specificity in their hiring, particularly with the vast candidate pool. Historically I've been fortunate to build a career adapting to various types of work and building a broad technical and creative background in the process; but it's been challenging this time. But beyond the time-intensive job search and interview processes - I've been keeping busy ensuring my technical skills, including #UnrealEngine, remain sharp, and tackling certifications - including Product Management, and updating my Certified Scrum Master credential (I'm also close to completing my PMP Cert). I'm keeping a wide scope for potential opportunities. Please reach out or connect if you are in need of someone who can jump in and quickly get to work delivering on games, software, entertainment, or technology products and experiences. I bring a mix of technical Production and Product background, along with years of customer and partnership support and relationship building (in addition to hands on experience with a wide range of technical, creative, and workflow tools). And to those impacted by layoffs - many who are in a similar boat - know you are not alone. Please try and stay positive and keep moving forward!

It is with mixed emotions to share that I have resigned from EPIC iO and will be starting a new adventure soon. I am so thankful that I was given the opportunity to have lead EPIC iO. Being the CEO of EPIC iO has been the some of the most rewarding and challenging times of my career. EPIC iO is an acronym for a culture code that I strongly believe in. I have seen so much #Extreme Ownership at EPIC over the years from bringing a new company together during COVID, building products from just an idea to millions in revenue to even dealing with unexpected setbacks like fires or illness. #ProblemSolving has been at the core of not only EPIC iO, but was a foundation of each of the companies we brought together. IntelliSite, DeepVision, Broad Sky Networks, and Twenty 20 Solutions. #Integrity We tried to always do the right thing for our customers, partners, and employees. We did not always get it right but we approached every decision with the goal of doing what was right and fair. I am so thankful for the Customers who trusted their #Success to EPIC. We did not take that trust lightly. #Innovation. We did not look to just innovate with our software and products, we innovated with our partnerships, our marketing and approach to everything we did. I saw so many examples of people working together as #One Team to launch a product, help a customer, fix an internal process, step up when someone needed it. It is crazy to believe that in the first year during the height of COVID, we brought together 3 companies, launched a new HQ, and built new products without missing a beat. I would never have expected when we launched EPIC, 4 years later EPIC’s revenue would have grown 10X and we would have offices in Australia, Argentina, Costa Rica, SC, TX, OR, CA and people all across the US. I am humbled by the people I have worked with. I am humbled that I was given this opportunity, and I am so thankful I was able to be a part of EPIC’s journey. I will never be able to share all the ways that so many of EPIC iO team touched me or made a difference in my life. I can literally thank almost every employee, peer, and boss I have worked with over the years, but I especially want to thank a few people who have been with me not only at EPIC but in numerous roles in my career. You all have made my life better and I owe you so much. Thank you Kelly Carlberg, Chris Jenkins, Michael Knight, JP Kenney, Nick Thermenos, Neyla S., Tami Booth, and Justin Christiansen. I also have been so fortunate to be able to learn from and work with my Mom and Dad (Cindy Mills and Jim Mills) as well as my son Aaron Mills. It has been a wonderful experience to share my professional journey with my family. Finally, I would not have been able to accomplish anything without the support of my wife and my kids. They have been #EPIC every step of the way. Thank you! I am excited to share my next adventure…soon

My heart goes out to all the affected individuals laid off at Microsoft Activision Blizzard. Some more hugely talented individuals that are unfortunately the victims of a studio cutting costs. I want to STRESS. YOU are not the problem. Your manager is not the problem. Your colleagues are not the problem. Your peers in other studios are not the problem. Decisions like this are purely based on finances and the road map investors and shareholders envisage. But to these and other studios who have/are considering layoffs. Yesterday is another 650 PEOPLE. 650 households without an income 650 people who've worked their ass off to bring the world quality entertainment and money in your pockets. Be mindful of inflated headcount, be mindful of inflated salaries and be mindful of the staff who serve you so well. In the meantime, as always, anyone who has been affected by the recent round of layoffs, you know where I am. If you want advice on CV formatting, LinkedIn networking, interview prep or just to talk to someone, drop me a note here or get in touch with me at [email protected]

Celebrating Two Amazing Years with Epic Staffing Group! Two years ago, I walked into this role with a mix of excitement and a fair amount of nerves. I wasn’t sure what the road ahead would look like, but I had one goal: growth. Looking back now, it’s been a journey filled with unexpected challenges, opportunities, and numerous moments that pushed me to be better. In my first few weeks, I felt like I was treading water—everything was new, and I often questioned whether I was doing enough; but as I started to find my footing, I realized that growth happens when you’re willing to be uncomfortable. The toughest days eventually became the most rewarding moments of my career. As a stickler for planning, one of the biggest revelations for me was how much I came to love the unexpected. When I first started, I was all about structure—foreseeing outcomes, adhering to strict schedules, and staying within my wheelhouse. But over time, I learned that the moments where I had to improvise, adapt, and problem-solve on the fly were the ones that taught me so much. What truly shifted my perspective were those conversations that made me realize how significant my actions could be. What once felt like routine tasks—answering questions, guiding others—revealed the profound impact of all-in, tailored, genuine support. It was life-changing to understand that I wasn’t just managing data—I had the ability to help people and this is only possible if I did things intentionally because what I do matters to people and equally, it should matter to me. Of course, there were tough times—days when I felt overwhelmed or wondered if I was really cut out for this; but I’ve learned that those days are just as important as the fun, breezy ones because they push me to be better. I guess amazing things can come out of situations that doesn’t appear so pleasant at first Reflecting on these past two years, I’m filled with gratitude for the incredible support, guidance, and opportunities I’ve received. Epic has far exceeded my expectations of what a first job out of college could be and I’ve grown more than I could have ever imagined. If the last two years have taught me anything, it’s that embracing unknown, committing fully, caring deeply, and staying resilient can carry me through anything. Here’s to the next chapter! 🚀

🌟 I am positively overwhelmed with all the amazing responses to our announcement of Simply Sweet Games As the pace picks up, I am grateful for the flurry of inquiries and opportunities coming our way. It's a good problem to have, and I'm diligently working through each message to connect with you all. Here's a quick rundown to answer some of your most pressing questions: ✅ Game Development Updates: Our team is passionately working on something fresh, and more! ✅ GDC Attendance: Thrilled to confirm we'll be at GDC. Looking forward to connecting with many of you there as we demo our debut game. ✅ Funding Ventures: We're actively seeking funding opportunities to bring our visions to life. These conversations are my current priority, and I'm optimistic about what the future holds. ✅ Commitment to DEI: Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion remain at the core of my professional journey, as always. I'm committed to advancing DEI initiatives within our projects and community, and this is how I plan to conduct myself forever in this new role as co-founder. ❌ Exploiting Talent: Let me be clear - we do not, and will not, consider exploiting talent as free labour. Our team's well-being and fair compensation are paramount. ❌ Bandwidth for Introductions: Currently, my schedule is incredibly tight, making it challenging to facilitate new introductions. I appreciate your understanding. ❌ Joining Studios Post-Layoffs: I stand in solidarity with those affected by recent layoffs and am not considering joining studios under these circumstances. Especially now. 🚀 We are rocking it daily and I'm grateful for your support and understanding. The journey ahead is promising. #GameDevelopment #gamesindustry #startup #diversity #equity #inclusivity #boundaries

First things first, If anyone who has been laid off sees something at EA, feel free to hit me up. Would love to see what we can make happen. I’m not a recruiter nor am I a decision maker, but I can play my part is pointing you to the correct path. Families need fed, I hear you. Secondly, shoutout to all devs. THE true badasses. No matter how much the goalpost gets moved. You hit that shit, time and time and time again. Metric counted or not, you hit a target that is almost invincible. One bad game, cancelled game, GOTY game, you a badass. No metric can be read to you, that can strip away the talent you have. It’s hard to hear in the moment but in the midst of the madness outside, you can move in it. The house we were once sold to be a home, walls are falling down. But the deeper messages are in the cracks of the walls. From all this, will be the folks who lost nearly everything, who change everything. I’m rooting for you, and if I can be of any help, let me know.

🏔️ What’s been your biggest lesson during the climb in game development? The path in game development often feels like an endless climb—footholds are rare, and the conditions aren’t always in your favor. Today, I want to be real: it’s not easy for me to celebrate a recent success knowing how many colleagues and friends have been impacted by layoffs in our industry. That said, I’m proud to share that, amidst recent organizational changes at Activision, I’ve been recognized for my 8-year journey in expanding the role of Analytics in game development and that I’ve created a new role—Lead Data Architect for Call of Duty—to drive the future of our data development workflows, aligning business, product, and design intelligence. This milestone has me thinking back to a personal climb—my final 100 feet scaling the cables on Half Dome. After hours of hiking, my legs locked up—first the right quad, then the left. It was pure willpower (and the inspiration of my climbing partner) that pulled me through. Months of prep and ideal conditions didn’t make those last few feet any easier, but they changed me forever. In game development, we don’t always have visibility on what lies ahead. Sometimes it feels like you’re climbing blind, battling the unexpected. If you’re facing your own literal or figurative storm right now, I feel for you. Change in big companies can be a slow effort—until suddenly, it isn’t. My time in the “start-up” world taught me to stay "always hungry" when the going gets tough. The truth is, it takes the right team, the right conditions, and the right mindset to recognize and seize opportunities. Sometimes, you have to create your own path when the trail isn’t visible. Today, I’m taking a moment to pause, turn around, and appreciate the view. It’s one of the hardest things to do when you’re so focused on the next move—but sometimes, it's important to see how far you’ve come. Right now, the horizon looks promising, and I’m grateful for the climb. To those still pushing forward—know that I’m rooting for you. We’re all in this together. ⛰️ #GameDev #AnalyticsInGaming #CallofDuty #CreateYourPath #ClimbTogether #GamingIndustry #CareerGrowth

Want to get into the gaming industry? Epic has a career guide to help you in the early stages of your career. Not sure what Epic is looking for? Refer to the guide; useful links to resources to obtain the skills they are looking for. https://lnkd.in/gG9qHAWx

Take care of you and your mental health 💜

When your team shrinks, do expectations shrink too? Our industry (game dev) is going through layoffs at an unprecedented scale. Even the big studios that people felt were relatively immune from layoffs have been hit, and hit hard. In some cases, the layoffs relate to entire projects being shut down or at least drastically reduced in terms of people. In those cases, I'd assume the expectations either disappeared or were reduced to a fraction of what they were. But I know of people who lost half their team, or maybe three or four people out of 15. Maybe while working in a live service environment. And while I guarantee some amount of conversation was had in some studios about what the impact of layoffs would be, I am left seriously wondering if organizations were willing to reduce the expectations of those teams. Especially because in many cases the conversation about impact was had layers above the leaders of those teams, from people with low awareness of what it's like where the rubber meets the road. If you did have those conversations, if you spent the time with the teams hit to really look at what they were doing and recognize that... ...things that were expected might not happen... ...things that were routine will be less reliable... ...your teams will need to learn and become expert on things usually handled by someone not there... ...the relationships by which your teams interacted have been compromised and will need to be rebuilt... ...if you did that, I applaud you. If you didn't, you should. Too often, we act as though regardless of whether a team has two or five engineers it should still be able to move just as rapidly though it's backlog. We act as though the team, simply by being a team, is not contingent on the people within it. Of course nobody believes that when you THINK about it. But part of the difficulty of a time like this is there is overwhelm everywhere, and a lot of things we should be thinking about are forgotten or ignored. If you've experienced layoffs at your studio, you and your team are at a vulnerable point. Be as honest as you can. Be transparent about what you see and what is likely to happen. Have (or at least try to have) the important conversations. Adjust expectations. If you don't, the already demoralizing effect of layoffs will only worsen in the coming months and years, and you will have even more problems down the road. #gameproduction #gameindustry #gamedevelopment #layoffs