Pete Leonard

Why is it important to understand games? Because they explain how a party turns 35% of the vote in an election into over 400 seats in Parliament. Labour’s win in the UK general election is many things. A sign that voters could not do anything other than boot out a tired and incompetent Conservative Party; a relatively unenthusiastic trade off of steady competence over wider vision; a least worst option that has opened the doors to smaller parties. It’s also a victory for ruthless campaigning. It’s an operational masterclass in which financial and personal resource was directed with strategic precision to get as many Labour MPs over the top as possible. And it is derived from a fundamental truth: elections are games with clear rules. Labour’s strategy - and, to be fair, The Liberal Democrat’s approach - rejected the idealism of “the best vision wins out” to say “how do we win this game within the set rules” to avoid another 2019 style disappointment. It’s an approach that is central to great campaigning. It is also, as Kelly Clancy posits indirectly in her great book Playing With Reality, a perfect example of minmaxing a game: controlling and risking as little as possible from your side while maximising opportunities within the rules (and errors from your opponents). Clancy argues that our failure to understand play and to take it seriously within society means we can’t understand fully the social, cultural and biological drivers that lead us to create the rules based systems that we play within. Elections are therefore one of those rare times where the dynamic of play is surfaced in a way that we can truly see, that we can understand explicitly and that we can talk about easily - demonstrating its immense value in a way little else can. P.S. If you like reading about the surprising ways games reshape society, think about subscribing to my newsletter Video Games Industry Memo. There will be plenty more where this has come from in the year ahead.

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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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If #gamesrecruitment was a MOBA/MMO 🎮 Internal teams are Tanks – big damage soaks constantly attacked on all sides. HR OPS/People are support classes – keeping everybody going. A GOOD Agency recruiter are high DPS/Rogue types – very targeted, very effective when used properly. A bad agency? See below… #Thursdaythoughts #GamesIndustry

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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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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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Games Jobs Workbook v14.2 Is Here (PLEASE HELP REPOST) https://lnkd.in/d6x5NHMZ - Resource 8 From v14.0 to v14.2 (today, 4/19), we have achieved - 3,616 games employers (+1,488) - 1,078 games employers who are actively hiring (+197) - 13,783 games jobs (+792) Thanks, as always, to my dear friend Eva Tucker for feeding me this list of new adds, to which I have added URLs and locations where they were missing, eliminated companies that are defunct or without sites, and added the full functional level of detail in the games jobs workbook. All these new companies are now also 99% semi-automated through my standard approach. Anything for gamers, Amir

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🛟GAME INDUSTRY RESOURCES🛟 Another week, another round of layoffs and people affected by them. The amazing Mayank Grover compiled this list of people who post game industry resources, and I have to say he’s one of them! He and his company Outscal provide so much information, funding, knowledge, courses, support, and opportunities for so many. Also follow these people: Amir Satvat - The video game community legend with a giant treasure of resources dedicated to helping a game dev in every possible. From resources that can help you find work to posts that can help you get visibility, you should definitely make use of www.amirsatvat.com Caitlin Cooke - Always provides a list of game jobs as soon as they open up! Latest Resource: https://lnkd.in/gGHxufpY Alexander Rehm - A frontline warrior who compiles and provides video game career resources for almost all the disciplines of game development Latest Resource: https://lnkd.in/gRsYe5iG Jordan Mazer — He looks out for the community with his best-in-class tips on building portfolios and performing well in interviews. Latest Resource: https://lnkd.in/gcP2Rm5n Ruty Rutenberg - Shares and compiles almost every resource that the game community forerunners upload. Has a list of important individuals to follow if you are a game developer trying to become a part of this community. Latest Resource: https://lnkd.in/gzBKRTNC (He listed me) Kelly Bender - An expert Narrative Designer who provides detailed Narrative Design tips, templates, insights, and information. Latest Resource: https://lnkd.in/gdbpvDjx Ali Farha - Helping the community understand video game tech better Latest Resource: https://lnkd.in/gMY4ZSig Willem Delventhal - Indie Game Academy founder, who runs this gamified online school for game developers! His latest resource is on how to break into the games industry. Latest Resource: https://lnkd.in/gDT28p2u Alex Gombos - Her most recent thread on game marketing jobs! Latest Resource: https://lnkd.in/gBiDsnmq Kat Craig - Her Latest UI/UX and Visual Design games job resource. https://lnkd.in/gu_VtnZP Ash C. - This is her latest post in support of Sumo Group and Timbre Games. https://lnkd.in/gmXjdT7Z

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Games Jobs Workbook v14.1 Is Here (Please Help Repost) https://lnkd.in/d6x5NHMZ - Resource 8 We now have: - 2,760 games employers (+632) - 982 games employers who are actively hiring (+101) - 13,359 games jobs (+368) In terms of secondary statistics (when I say "ever," I mean since I started tracking data in November 2022): - Jobs are the least concentrated by employer ever. The top 10 employers have 4,993 jobs, or 37%. The top 27 employers have 6,706 jobs, or 50%. - Jobs are the least concentrated by function ever, although still fairly concentrated. The top three functions have 61% of all jobs, and the top four have 70%. Engineering, Programming, Tech Design, Tech Writing = 29% Art, Tech Art, Animation, Cinematics & Video = 21% Game Design = 11% Production, Project Management, Business + Communication Ops, Performance = 9% - The average number of jobs per employer is 14. - The median number of jobs per employer is 4. - Of the 982 games employers currently hiring: 264 are fully remote (27%) 118 have some remote jobs (12%), so 40% of games employers have some remote jobs. 600 are all hybrid or onsite (61%). - Of the 982 games employers currently hiring: 1,322 jobs are fully remote (10%). 2,686 jobs are at employers who have some remote jobs (20%), so 30% of jobs are at games employers who have some remote jobs. 9,351 jobs are at employers who are all hybrid or onsite (70%). - You can expect 939 additional games companies in v14.2. I am breaking this large update into v14.1 and v14.2 after all, just because I need a bit more time for testing on the second installment. Thanks, as always, to my dear friend Eva Tucker for feeding me this list of new adds, to which I have added URLs and locations where they were missing, eliminated companies that are defunct or without sites, and added the full functional level of detail in the games jobs workbook. All these new companies are now also 99% semi-automated through my standard approach. Please enjoy this even bigger, largest directory of games jobs in the world!

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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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I feel there should be a rule against companies redirecting you through several sites to try to sign up for a contract or job. If you are an employer, do you not want to make yourself appear efficient and knowledgable? How do you think this looks to top candidates when they have to log in and sign up several times for a single position? Worse yet, I am noticing that scammers are also starting to use this method, and as such, makes companies appear unthrustworthy that use this method.

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Contractors: Gaming's future or a temp fix? (contractors will never replace permanent staff) For the past 6 years I've mainly hired for permanent roles, but things have changed. Recently, I've noticed an increasing demand for contractor roles and would like to share my view. Permanent Staff Advantages: Stability, deep team integration, strong company culture, and consistent development processes. Permanent Staff Challenges: Higher overhead costs and long-term employment obligations. Contractor Benefits: Flexibility, quick scaling for specific projects, fresh perspectives, and specialized expertise. Contractor Challenges: Lack of team connection and continuity, with less integration into company culture. I that that long term commitment and financial risks push companies to seek contractors. What do you think will be the preferred model in the long run? #contractors #gamesindustry #recruitment #hiring #jobs

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This is an interesting one: UK PETITION TO ‘STOP PUBLISHERS KILLING GAMES’ EMERGES For context, in the UK anyone who gets more than 10k signatures on a petition has the right to have it debated by the government. This petition gained 27k signatures very quickly. It didn't get the response they wanted (and got closed early because of the UK's upcoming election). However, it's an interesting one, especially in the detail. Essentially it highlights that when players buy a game the terms state that the game can be cancelled at any time. That applies to both games as a product or service - and there is debate over the definition of those two. And this happens a lot. The petition references Ubisoft's The Crew servers being taken down after 10 years. It's perhaps hard to totally get behind that. But the point is interesting. What the petition actually asks is: "Require publishers to leave video games (and related game assets / features) they have sold to customers in a reasonably working state when support ends, so that no further intervention whatsoever is necessary for the game to function, as a statutory consumer right." https://lnkd.in/ems4fd7z

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News: Hiring Market Update - June 24 (Games & Tech) I pick up where we left off in March and cover off the rise in solo game devs along with the latest tech funding news and implications for the wider job market. You can also get the latest on the projects I'm working on. Studio Vision Podcast

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Day 2 of Develop:Brighton! 😁 Come say hello if you see me! Maybe I'll even let you have a go on the fan.....! 😬 #developbrighton #opportunity #gamingindustry #gamejobs #gaming #artist #haptic #recruitment #gamingcommunity #gamedevelopment #gamedev #brighton #events #venues #developbrighton2024

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📃 𝗢𝗽𝗲𝗻 𝗖𝗼𝗻𝘁𝗿𝗮𝗰𝘁 𝗣𝗼𝘀𝗶𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝘀 𝗶𝗻 𝗚𝗮𝗺𝗶𝗻𝗴!! 🎮 Here is our list of European Gaming Contracts across all disciplines, see below 👇 TL:DR: Contracts with European Studios open to Consultants based in Europe Remote - Sweden 🏡 Remote - Europe 🌍 Hybrid - Stockholm 🏢 Reach out to Paul Hackett for: 𝗣𝗿𝗼𝗱𝘂𝗰𝘁 𝗗𝗶𝗿𝗲𝗰𝘁𝗼𝗿 - 𝟲 𝗠𝗼𝗻𝘁𝗵𝘀 🏡 Interviewing 𝗝𝗮𝘃𝗮 𝗕𝗮𝗰𝗸𝗲𝗻𝗱 𝗗𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗹𝗼𝗽𝗲𝗿 - 𝟲 𝗠𝗼𝗻𝘁𝗵𝘀 🏡 Interviewing Reach out to Andy Bargh for: 𝗧𝗲𝗰𝗵 𝗔𝗻𝗶𝗺𝗮𝘁𝗼𝗿 - 𝟲 𝗠𝗼𝗻𝘁𝗵𝘀 🏡New Job ��𝗻𝗶𝗺𝗮𝘁𝗼𝗿 - 𝟲 𝗠𝗼𝗻𝘁𝗵𝘀 🏡Applicants Needed Reach out to Melanie Lindsey for: 𝗝𝗮𝗽𝗮𝗻𝗲𝘀𝗲 𝗦𝗽𝗲𝗮𝗸𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗖𝗼𝗺𝗺𝘂𝗻𝗶𝘁𝘆 𝗦𝗽𝗲𝗰𝗶𝗮𝗹𝗶𝘀𝘁 - 𝟲 𝗠𝗼𝗻𝘁𝗵𝘀 🌍Interviewing 𝗖𝗼𝗺𝗺𝘂𝗻𝗶𝘁𝘆 𝗖𝗼𝗻𝘀𝘂𝗹𝘁𝗮𝗻𝘁 - 𝟮 𝗠𝗼𝗻𝘁𝗵𝘀 𝗼𝘃𝗲𝗿 𝗦𝘂𝗺𝗺𝗲𝗿 🌍Interviewing 𝗣𝗿𝗼𝗱𝘂𝗰𝗲𝗿 - 𝗣𝗮𝗿𝘁 𝗧𝗶𝗺𝗲 🌍Interviewing 𝗣𝗿𝗼𝗱𝘂𝗰𝗲𝗿 - 𝟯 𝗠𝗼𝗻𝘁𝗵𝘀 𝗼𝘃𝗲𝗿 𝗦𝘂𝗺𝗺𝗲𝗿 🏢Applicants Needed 𝗢𝘂𝘁𝘀𝗼𝘂𝗿𝗰𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗠𝗮𝗻𝗮𝗴𝗲𝗿 - 𝟲 𝗠𝗼𝗻𝘁𝗵𝘀 🏢Applicants Needed 𝗟𝗼𝗰𝗮𝗹𝗶𝘀𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗠𝗮𝗻𝗮𝗴𝗲𝗿 - 𝟲 𝗠𝗼𝗻𝘁𝗵𝘀 🏢Applicants Needed 𝗦𝘁𝗼𝗿𝗲 𝗠𝗮𝗻𝗮𝗴𝗲𝗿 - 𝟲 𝗠𝗼𝗻𝘁𝗵𝘀 🏢New Role! 𝗦𝗿. 𝗔𝗳𝗳𝗶𝗹𝗶𝗮𝘁𝗲 𝗠𝗮𝗻𝗮𝗴𝗲𝗿 - 𝟭𝟬 𝗠𝗼𝗻𝘁𝗵𝘀 🌍New Role! Reach out to Aarronn Campbell for: 𝗦𝗲𝗻𝗶𝗼𝗿 𝗖++ 𝗚𝗮𝗺𝗲𝗽𝗹𝗮𝘆 𝗣𝗿𝗼𝗴𝗿𝗮𝗺𝗺𝗲𝗿 - 𝟲 𝗠𝗼𝗻𝘁𝗵𝘀 🌍Applicants Needed 𝗚𝗮𝗺𝗲𝗽𝗹𝗮𝘆 𝗣𝗿𝗼𝗴𝗿𝗮𝗺𝗺𝗲𝗿 - 𝗡𝗼𝗲𝘀𝗶𝘀 𝗚𝗨𝗜 𝗘𝘅𝗽. - 𝟲 𝗠𝗼𝗻𝘁𝗵𝘀 🌍Applicants Needed 𝗦𝗲𝗻𝗶𝗼𝗿 𝗖++ 𝗚𝗮𝗺𝗲𝗽𝗹𝗮𝘆 𝗣𝗿𝗼𝗴𝗿𝗮𝗺𝗺𝗲𝗿 - 𝟲 𝗠𝗼𝗻𝘁𝗵𝘀 🌍Interviewing Reach out to Adam Miller-Bettridge for: 𝟯𝗗 𝗖𝗵𝗮𝗿𝗮𝗰𝘁𝗲𝗿 𝗔𝗿𝘁𝗶𝘀𝘁 - 𝟲 𝗠𝗼𝗻𝘁𝗵𝘀 🌍Interviewing 𝗠𝗮𝘁𝗰𝗵𝟯 𝗚𝗮𝗺𝗲 𝗔𝗿𝘁𝗶𝘀𝘁 - 𝟲 𝗠𝗼𝗻𝘁𝗵𝘀 🌍Applicants Needed Reach out to Sol Bate for: 𝗦𝗲𝗻𝗶𝗼𝗿 𝗨𝗻𝗶𝘁𝘆 𝗗𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗹𝗼𝗽𝗲𝗿𝘀 𝘅 𝟰 - 𝟲 𝗠𝗼𝗻𝘁𝗵𝘀+ 🏢Applicants Needed - Must be Stockholm Based Reach out to Heather Nicholls for: 𝗦𝗲𝗻𝗶𝗼𝗿 𝗗𝗲𝘃𝗢𝗽𝘀 𝗘𝗻𝗴𝗶𝗻𝗲𝗲𝗿 - 𝟲 𝗠𝗼𝗻𝘁𝗵𝘀+ 🏢Interviewing for Post Summer 𝗦𝗲𝗻𝗶𝗼𝗿 𝗔𝗻𝗮𝗹𝘆𝘁𝗶𝗰𝘀 𝗘𝗻𝗴𝗶𝗻𝗲𝗲𝗿 - 𝟲 𝗠𝗼𝗻𝘁𝗵𝘀+ 🏢Applicants Needed for Post Summer Reach out to Mia Elizabeth for: 𝗖𝗼𝗻𝘁𝗲𝗻𝘁/𝗟𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗹 𝗗𝗲𝘀𝗶𝗴𝗻𝗲𝗿 - 𝟲 𝗠𝗼𝗻𝘁𝗵𝘀+ 🌍Applicants Needed 𝗘𝗰𝗼𝗻𝗼𝗺𝘆 𝗗𝗲𝘀𝗶𝗴𝗻𝗲𝗿 - 𝟲 𝗠𝗼𝗻𝘁𝗵𝘀+ 🌍Applicants Needed 𝗦𝗲𝗻𝗶𝗼𝗿 𝗩𝗙𝗫 𝗔𝗿𝘁𝗶𝘀𝘁 - 𝟲 𝗠𝗼𝗻𝘁𝗵𝘀 🌍Applicants Needed Follow Evolution Recruitment Gaming as we have more roles coming in all the time! 💪 Share this with your network for those looking for their next gig! ▶️

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I couldn't agree more with Richard Dansky message here! A key component of any company's long-term success comes from growing talent from within. This is done through PROMOTIONS and MENTORING. Without career growth charts (junior game writer - game writer - senior game writer - lead game writer - etc..) employees are lost, might lack motivation, and company/job hopping. It’s just unfortunate in this investor landscape our industry has become, and with the implementation of Ai, the role is becoming obsolete. Companies are hiring less writers, while expecting writers to fill multiple roles, and the onboarding process is almost nonexistent, let alone training.

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⚠️SCAM ALERT⚠️ Please be aware that scam recruiters using the email domain "jobs@studiogames.ca" are impersonating Hinterland and other Canadian game studios. If you receive any correspondence from this email address, please report it. SCAMMER RED FLAGS 🚩 AND ADVICE‼️ 1) NEVER send MONEY‼️ NO RECRUITER WILL OR SHOULD EVER ASK YOU FOR ANY‼️ 2) NEVER include PERSONAL INFORMATION without verifying the SOURCE, the COMPANY, or the REASONING. An application should be enough, and NO applications should include passport, ID, or BANK INFORMATION. 3) RUSHED. SCAMMERS like to get in and get out and don’t like taking more time than needed, so they will want you to ACT FAST, this is so you don’t figure it out. Most job studios take their time hiring, in fact they’re ridiculously slow in most cases so that should be a red flag 🚩 4) TRUST YOUR GUT‼️ If it’s too good to be true, it probably is fake. 5) VERIFY THE RECRUITERS NAME AND THAT THEY WORK FOR THE COMPANY. If the person who contacted you can’t be found, that’s a red flag 🚩 If you can find them, then try to reach out to them and verify it. “Dear (name), I received your job offer email, and I’d like to discuss it further..”

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𝐀𝐰𝐞𝐬𝐨𝐦𝐞 𝐣𝐨𝐛 𝐚𝐥𝐞𝐫𝐭 - shares appreciated (they REALLY DO help) - my door is open for casual chats or intros on this role. Recently re-titled so please check out the JD even if you've seen it already. 𝐏𝐫𝐢𝐧𝐜𝐢𝐩𝐚𝐥 𝐕𝐅𝐗 𝐀𝐫𝐭𝐢𝐬𝐭. (ignore the link title of Lead, it hasn't pulled through yet). 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐒𝐭𝐮𝐝𝐢𝐨 Spliced Inc. - fully remote role but our 𝐚𝐰𝐞𝐬𝐨𝐦𝐞 studio is located in the heart of Altrincham. Be as hybrid, onsite or remote as you want. 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐆𝐢𝐠 - You're either already a principal, want to be a principal or you're happy to sidestep from a lead into this role. Regardless, you'll be a part of a small team (+1) that sits in our Tech Art org and have access to some of the best talent the industry has to offer. 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐆𝐚𝐦𝐞 - you thought I was going to spill the beans? 🤣. AAA, stylized, UE5, Houdini/Embergen, Blueprints. That's your lot but, will tell more once you're in process, of course :). 𝐖𝐡𝐚𝐭'𝐬 𝐧𝐞𝐱𝐭? - Either apply or simply message me with your interest. We have 5 steps but don't let that put you off, we can crank through them in a week or so. You'll get a solid feel for our vibe and people and you'll get to meet our founder who will personally take you through the game at the end of the process. Click below for a glimpse of your [potential] future 💚. #vfx #splicedinc #neteasegames #welovejobs

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