Leksa Gornovitz

📢We've just opened two new roles for a Senior Game Designer and a Senior Narrative Designer! But what does a narrative designer do at Next Games? How is their work different from that of a typical Game Designer? We asked our Design Director, Tim, to explain: "A Game Designer creates content that keeps players engaged, challenged, and curious. On the other hand, a Narrative Designer ensures we are creating a fantasy that players want to engage with. This could include a world, characters, and sometimes a story. Every game has a narrative, but some games have a story, too." Read more about the roles and apply below! ⬇️ #Helsinki #NowHiring

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Dear Hiring Managers, Don’t hunt for treasures. Cultivate your own gems! Last week, we finished our 2nd cohort of students for the Game LiveOps course at Wargaming Forge. Shaky headhunting → stable talent forge. It’s simple: it's a give-and-take process. 🤝 1. Create a Free Course: We spent 6 months crafting an online course, including our products examples. 2. Arrange Enrolment: Partnering with local universities, we got 700+ applications in 2 weeks. 3. Start 𝖤̶𝖽̶𝗎̶𝖼̶𝖺̶𝗍̶𝗂̶𝗈̶𝗇̶ Onboarding: Homework is challenging, with strict deadlines, like in real business. After three months of teamwork, 11 out of 15 students graduated. Welcome 11 future colleagues! 👋 Aleksandr Dutov Andrej Trezov Anna Song Daniil Varshaver Diačenko Emil Eugene Kozii Jan Potancok Marios Kitrou Milan Vukov Milan Stefanovic Ted Fristedt I want to help young talents succeed in gaming and achieve a fulfilling future. With that → ‘positive, real’ life. P.S. Where did your gaming career start? I’ll start with myself: 🌞 2012, Wargaming, World of Tanks Blitz.

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We are not a huge studio, we are fully remote, we do have a super chilled working environment where results mean more than rules and people are our top priority. We wanted to gather everyone and as such, discord announcement... what do we call it so people don't get worried? Yeah, industry is so undermined that layoffs is all we can think of. For us, this is fun, cause we can all breath. At the same time is a way of reaching out to all of those that were affected - we get you, it can be us tomorrow, it's on everyone's mind. HR in Gaming Industry has unique problems, such as creativity needs breathing room, geniality needs a 24/7 connected mind, talents exists all over the globe... layoffs cost a lot more than companies can see.

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TOP-LIST NEWCOMERS ”ZENLESS ZONE ZERO”, “MINESWEEPER NETFLIX”, AND OTHERS. Last week was filled with new games on the top charts. 🏅 I'll talk about some of them below. ✅ “Zenless Zone Zero” by HoYoverse The developer of the big hits “Genshin Impact” and “Honkai: Star Rail” released its new action RPG for iOS, Android, PC, and PS5 last week: “Zenless Zone Zero”. As with previous HoYoverse games, ZZZ begins with incredible numbers. 🤯 In five days the game reached almost US$20MM in IAP revenue on the Apple store alone. Among the game reviews, I recommend Harshal Karvande's excellent article on the Naavik blog. 👉 🧠 ✅ “Schoolboy Runaway - stealth” by Linked Squad “Schoolboy” is a life simulator in which the player is a young man unhappy with his parents. As it says in the store description, “immerse yourself in the role of a schoolchild whom the parents punished for a bad grade at school, and try to escape from home without being noticed by father and mother.” 😕 Despite its ethical dilemmas, the game has become a trend in Russia 🇷🇺 and is spreading around the world. In the last two weeks, the game has accumulated more than 2MM downloads. ✅ “Wasteland Life: Survival Idle” by SayGames I mentioned "Wasteland” in my list of releases and transfers from the last half of May. It is an Idle Arcade with a Mad Max-style desert survival narrative. 🏜️💦 Developed by Tinkles Games, “Wasteland Life” started the growth stage on June 4th, reaching over 1MM so far. 📈 ✅ “Minesweeper NETFLIX” by Netflix Developed by Smoking Gun Interactive Inc. (a Keywords Studios company), this streaming giant's version of a classic puzzle Minesweeper📍💣 is amazing! And it wasn't just me who liked the game. 🤩 In just a couple of days since its release, the game has already surpassed 200k downloads. 📈 Swipe through the slides below and you'll find out about games from Supercent, Goodroid, Inc., Wonder Group, Fanatee, Ateam Inc.（株式会社エイチーム）, and others that are also on the rise. - X - This research was supported by Cost Center. Cost Center is a tech company that offers a powerful suite of tools for Mobile Publishers to optimize UA campaigns. 💪 Its portfolio includes amazing clients such as Amanotes and Lihuhu. 🏆 Do you like it? 🤩 Call my friend Yi Ting Ho. She'll show you a demo. 😉 #netflix #gaming #gamedevelopment #HypercasualByCarlosPereira

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Dave the Diver is getting a Godzilla DLC, and it is free!! This new DLC will see Dave come face-to-face with the might Godzilla himself, though in keeping with the true spirit of Godzilla you won’t be fighting the big lizard so much as helping it overcome one of its adversaries, Ebirah, Horror of the Deep, from the 1966 live-action movie of the same name. Players will need to pilot the G-Force submarine to take Ebirah on, and work alongside Godzilla to protect the planet from the mighty crustacean’s threat. You can claim this DLC right now from the below digital console and PC storefronts, and you’ll need to do so before November 23rd, 2024, because it’s only available until then. After that point it will seemingly either become a paid DLC or completely unavailable, so make sure you scoop it up: 💾 PlayStation Store: https://lnkd.in/eHPjPi4C 💾 Steam: https://lnkd.in/eFGy6_Y5 💾 Nintendo Switch eShop: https://lnkd.in/ehr7r3zH

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The Sumo Group closures really have broken me a bit, and I need to rant about the state of things. I'm sorry if it seems I'm glossing over all the closures before this one, but so many ex-students went there, so many ex-colleagues passed through there, and so my timeline is just filled with people looking for work. We keep talking and talking about the economic factors involved, Brexit and Covid and this and that ... the thing I can't stop thinking of is that in my life I've watched the world slowly pitch into a place of despondent capitalism. Art has become more about making stars and fame than helping people escape and reflect. A drive for "truth" and objectivity has resulted, paradoxically, in people putting more stock in spreadsheets and numbers than people. I can't help but feel that if you're bleating about finance and trade deals and business decisions, you're ignoring the fact that general support for artistic and creative endeavours has declined sharply and is still declining, even in the so-called "art world". Games are ultimately always going to be the first to fall in a culture war against creativity, because games are ultimately and profoundly pointless things. That's the whole majesty of the medium: they make us feel profound feelings, they help us explore our existence by being separate from reality, but to do so they MUST bring us nothing tangible in return. The truth is that our industry will probably bounce back to some degree, but it's not any financial structures or cost systems that will save game development as a medium and an art form - it's a cultural shift to recognise the importance of expressive and explorative subjective art in the world today, and the need to support creative endeavours without the pressure of financial recompense.

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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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👶 Game producers = great parents… ? 🎮 Problem-Solving: Working with different partners/audiences with varying comm methods. 💬 Empathy/Sympathy: Seeing the world through other viewpoints. Interpreting signals! 🧘‍♂️ Stress Management: Resilience in the face of constant pivots & uncertainty… Are you a creating clarity or chaos when having to clean 💩? 📅 Organization: Scheduling routines and adjusting when your plan goes south. Have a mitigation? That helps! Game production = solid parenting prep! 🌟👾🍼 #parenting #chaos💩 #empathy

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The WebGL Demo Presentation "Pyaas" is presented by the Texel Group of AstroMediComp. In a world often marked by fleeting emotions and transient experiences, Texel Group’s "PYAAS" delves deep into the timeless theme of thirst: encapsulating the essence of human emotions and existential despair. The song "Aaj Sajan Mohe " beautifully expresses Mirabai and Radha’s yearning and devotion towards Lord Krishna. Through its poignant lyrics and evocative picturization, the song serves as an artistic portrayal of the devotee's true love, reflecting the pain and beauty of unrequited love. Mirabai's and Radha’s deep longing for union with her beloved is soul stirring depicted through Mira’s bhajans and her plea to be immersed in his divine essence. This timeless song from the classic film Pyaasa, directed by the legendary Guru Dutt, transcends time and continues to resonate with audiences through its lyrical beauty and musical brilliance. This demo was done under the guidance of Pradnya Vijay Gokhale Madam, Dr. Rama Gokhale Madam and Dr. Vijay Dattatray Gokhale Sir. Gurukul: AstroMediComp Link: https://lnkd.in/dXPeVfe7 Group Members: 1. Ashish Sherkar 2. Harshad Jadhav 3. Mohini Dharmadhikari 4. Nikhil Dighe 5. Saurabh Patil 6. Shreeyash Magar 7. Siddhi Kenjale Group Leader: Om Warke Technical Details: Effects Implemented: 1. Vignette 2. Billboarding 3. Model-loading 4. Water Rendering 5. Reflection and Refraction 6. Procedural Terrain 7. Fire Rendering 8. Bezier Camera 9. Multi-Texturing 10. Atmospheric Scattering 11. Font Rendering 12. Tone Mapping 13. Shadow 14. Bloom 15. Godrays 16. Frustum Culling 17. Point Light 18. Spot Light 19. Smoke 20. Normal Mapping 21. PBR Technologies Used: Rendering Technology: WebGL 2.0 Browser: Mozilla Firefox Operating System: Windows 11 Programming Language: JavaScript and GLSL Code Version Control: GitHub References: 1. All RTR course Assignments 2. Books a. Learn OpenGL by Joey de Vries b. GPU Gems Part 2 c. OpenGL Programming Guide (Ed. 8th). d. OpenGL Superbible (Ed. 7th) e. OpenGL Shading Language (Ed. 3rd) Softwares Used: 1. Nvidia GeForce Experience 2. Blender 3. Canva Music Details: Song : Aaj Sajan Mohe Aang Laga Lo Movie : Pyaasa Movie Director : Guru Dutt Year : 1957 Music Director : S. D. Burman (Sachin Dev Burman) Lyrics : Sahir Ludhianvi Singer : Geeta Dutt #AstroMediComp #OpenGL #WebGL #ComputerGraphics #3D #Animation #3DAnimation #GameDevelopment #3DGameDevelopment #GraphicsDevelopment #RealTimeRendering #ProjectPresentation #TeamProject #GroupProject #realtimerendering #RTR #RTR5 #RTR5_0 #RTR2023 #RTR2023_Texel #RTR5_Texel #Programming #Coding #Development #JavaScript #ProgrammablePipeline #OldHindiSongs #OldHindiSong #GoldenEraOfBollywood #Bollywood #HindiFilmIndustry #IndianFilmIndustry #Films #Cinema #Music #MusicDirector #SDBurman #sachindevburman #Pyaasa #AajSajanMoheAngLagaLo #Mira #Radha #Krishna #RadhaKrishna #Love #Bhakti #Devotion

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Had a great time chatting with Tommy Thompson about all things Games Leadership on an episode of Branching Factor! Got to chat more about some of the things I’ve been working on with Games Leadership Network and Games Leadership Academy #Gamesindustry #Leadership #PersonalDevelopment

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"Required: X titles shipped" I've been involved in a few conversations lately with aspiring or junior developers who are frustrated that so many job descriptions require shipped titles. It gets even more difficult when a JD requires specific types of games shipped. These job seekers become more infuriated to find out that a lot of recruiters or hiring managers don't really count their game jam titles or solo games as "shipped" for purposes of these roles. Why is that? What exactly are hiring managers looking for here? Does it even matter? To answer that last question first: yes. It matters. First off, let's be clear on a couple of things here. As a general rule, you shouldn't be seeing shipped title requirements in true entry level positions. In those cases, any experience is better than no experience, so you should call out your jam, student, or solo games whenever you don't have anything else to show (or just call them out anyway if you're still relatively new or you're particularly proud of something you've worked on or built). But the reason you see a lot of jobs asking for shipped titles is less about the end result and more about showing that you've got experience working in a particular environment. If I'm asking, it's because I want to know that you can work on a team in the first place. You've been through the process already and have gone through the reviews and planning sessions and discussions that you simply wouldn't get building a game on your own or even in a quick jam. I've been through this a lot, with games that shipped and those that unfortunately did not. I've seen it on tiny teams where we could fit everyone in a single room and the entire schedule took months to teams which numbered in the hundreds across continents with multiyear schedules and the differences are very real. I've seen how different it can be in having to ship a boxed game through first party submissions or maintaining a liveops MMO that only existed on PC or mobile. Different processes. Different tools. Different methodologies. Different scales. I know how rough the market is out there. I know it seems hopeless at times and utterly unfair. I know it can really hurt to find a role you think you're just perfect for but then you see they want "shipped titles" experience or you need to have "worked on AAA teams" or "must have liveops experience" and it just doesn't make sense. Your challenge is in trying to show how you have the skills without the direct experience, while also competing against others (potentially dozens of others) who already have both. I wish the process could be easier for you. At the least, I hope I've added some context from the other side of the table here.

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Join Futuregames Warsaw this fall. Become game designer, artist or programmer in 2-2,5 year of intensive game creation process. Enter gamedev industry in 2 years getting the job of your dreams. In Futuregames: LEARNING = CREATING GAMES ATTENDING SCHOOL = NETWORKING DOING INTERNSHIP = GETTING THE JOB #gamedev #gamedesign #gameprogramming #gameart #videogames #gamedevindustry #gamedevschool #gameschool #gamedevcourses

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Another International Talk Completed ✅ Digital Dragons, thank you so much for having me! With everything happening in our industry, it's easy to spiral, but that's when you need community the most. That's why travelling to Poland, representing Sumo Digital Ltd and PixelAnt Games, felt extra special! There's something amazing about getting together on-site, with people from all over, to #RethinkRecruitment (even if that means I need to budget extra energy for public speaking 😅), and I'm super grateful for the opportunity. --- This got me thinking... ...you might have noticed I haven't posted much recently, and this is why: 🗺️ Bird's Eye View has been working with two amazing partners to put together a bid for the BFI grant. 🔍 I'm busy at work reviewing a couple of hiring processes. 🤖 The LinkedIn Algorithm™️ is incredibly demotivating when it comes to pushing helpful content to people that need it the most. 🚫 I wasn't sure if I was making any difference since the industry barely has any roles open. However, so many people reached out during #DigitalDragons to say my content really helped their job hunt; I can't help but think I should give it another try! 👉🏼 So bear with me, I probably won't post every day (I'm aiming for 1-2 a week), but I'm planning on writing articles with all the content from previous posts, as well as new bits of advice, especially when it comes to a slower industry. 💬 If you have topics you would like me to write about, feel free to drop them below! --- 📣 Follow #RethinkRecruitment and ring the 🔔 to read about: 📙 #GameDev Recruitment Best Practices 🔎 #JobHunting, #CareerAdvice & #RecruiterTips 👁️ Bird's Eye View & the #ELSH ⏩ https://entrylevel.games/ 🌟 Opinions are very much my own™️

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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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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

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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.

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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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It has happened 😔 I'm one of the many Sumo peeps affected by layoffs. I had a fantastic time at Sumo Digital Ltd. I met incredible people that will be lifelong friends, I represented my company at many international events, and, super recently, I've been nominated for Diversity Star at the Develop:Brighton Star Awards. I also got to build teams for the really cool titles below: 🗃️ A Little to the Left 🪓 The Texas Chainsaw Massacre 🏎️ Stampede: Racing Royale 🛢️ Still Wakes The Deep But, now, it's time to say goodbye 👋🏼 So, to all the incredible people I had the honor of hiring & working with, I just want to thank you for enriching my experience 💖. I can't wait to play all the future games you'll make. --- 🚨 I am now on the lookout for a new team I can complement with my skillset! 🚨 I have 5+ years of experience recruiting for all main core development teams, as well as senior leadership and operational roles, via many different ATS & CRMs. Exclusively in the Game Development Industry. However, THAT'S NOT ALL! I also have extensive experience 𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐜𝐞𝐩𝐭𝐮𝐚𝐥𝐢𝐳𝐢𝐧𝐠, 𝐮𝐩𝐝𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠 & 𝐦𝐚𝐧𝐚𝐠𝐢𝐧𝐠: ✨DEIB programs, ✨Reports and analysis, ✨Career support initiatives, ✨Early career processes, and ✨Recruiting & hiring training materials. ➡️ So if you are looking for a recruiter, a #DEIB specialist or a generalist who can support multiple areas & teams, make sure to message! ➡️ If you aren't hiring but want to help, leave a comment below or repost to increase my reach! --- 📣 Follow #RethinkRecruitment and ring the 🔔 to stay updated! ⏩ https://entrylevel.games/ 🌟 Opinions are very much my own™️ #Layoffs #Redundancies #JobHunting #GameDev

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TOP NEW CREATIVE “STAR WARS: HUNTERS” BY ZYNGA The competition for IPs remains fierce in the mobile games market. The latest initiative comes from Zynga, with the Star Wars franchise. 🌌🎖️ The game is a hero shooter focusing on player versus player (PvP) combat, featuring 3D stylized art and a core gaming experience. ⚔️ The game includes various Star Wars characters, allowing players to engage in strategic team-based multiplayer battles. It features multiple game modes and leverages the Star Wars license to create an immersive environment that appeals to fans of the movies and the shooter genre. 🤩 Two weeks ago the game began its growth stage and has reached 2.5MM downloads and US$740k in IAP revenue so far. 📈 It's no surprise that to achieve this result, the Star Wars IP is central to the UA strategy. 🎯 Drawing on a stylized cartoon, the flagship creative video does not make direct reference to the gameplay. So much so that one wonders: is this an ad for a game or a movie? 🤔 Created on June 6, the creative video has achieved over 6.7MM impressions to date. Of these 48% are in 🇨🇦 and 40% in the 🇺🇸 . The source of the impressions is 100% Mintegral. The apps with this creative are "Paper .io 2" by Voodoo (15%) and "Piano Tiles 2" by Kooapps (9%). 👇 Take a look below and I'll show you the creative video and some information about it. 👇 For this research, we have used the following AppMagic tools: Top Soft Launches, Ad Intelligence, and AI Magic Helper. - X - This research was supported by Cost Center. Cost Center is a tech company that offers a powerful suite of tools for Mobile Publishers to optimize UA campaigns. 💪 Its portfolio includes amazing clients such as Amanotes and Lihuhu. 🏆 Do you like it? 🤩 Call my friend Yi Ting Ho. She'll show you a demo. 😉 #marketing #gaming #gamedevelopment #HypercasualByCarlosPereira

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