Amir Satvat’s Post

Good morning, everybody. I hope everyone is doing well. With things being a bit busier than usual at work and with personal commitments, I appreciate your understanding regarding some light delays in content. I wanted to give you a preview of what to expect over the next month: - Our weekly content updates for the channel - An update with more companies for the Games Jobs Workbook - Several new LinkedIn audio events that I will announce soon - More information about The Amir Awards coming in January 2025 - Monthly updates to our video games industry forecasting data - Video content for our series celebrating diverse game makers - Announcement of more events I will be attending and speaking at - And many, many more surprises! Thank you, as always, for your support. Remember, we have two anchor goals for the community. First, we aim to double the job placement rate for gamers, targeting 10% for those who regularly use our resources, compared to the average of 5%. Second, we want one out of every five roles found by gamers to pass through our community, either directly or via our resources. Keep on task, everyone. We've enabled over 2,200 roles and over 41,000 community coaching opportunities so far. I'm proud of you all. Keep up the great work, and stay tuned for more content.

Congratulations to everybody at Blizzard and Hasbro and to my good friends Paw Linnemann Larsen and Barry Dorf 🔜 GamesCom for their incredible collaboration with Transformers for Overwatch 2. The new skins for Optimus Prime, Bumblebee, Arcee, and Megatron are a nostalgic delight, bringing iconic characters into the game with stunning detail. Special thanks to Paw and the team for a mega bundle key! The Transformers have always been so special for me, all the way back to the classic movie with Orson Welles' narration and a complete set of figures that I had as a child. To cheer on this happy moment, I am donating double the value of this gift towards our GDC fund for passes next year for gamers in our community, just as I do with all gifts to offset any personal enrichment. Best of luck with this amazing new content...more than meets the eye!

One of the more interesting headlines that recently caught my eye was this one from Circana, as reported by Victoria Kennedy of Eurogamer. They attributed a 40% year-over-year drop in U.S. games hardware sales for May, in part, to the success of a single title: "The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom." This highlights how a game as monumental as Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom can still dominate the market to such an extent that it affects broader sales metrics. This phenomenon supports a trend we’ve extensively discussed: a small number of blockbuster games often capture an increasingly significant portion of players' time and attention. Despite the total number of releases each year, just on Steam, reaching the tens of thousands, the top 10 PC/console titles can easily consume 50% or more of all playtime. Furthermore, several studies, including one from Newzoo in November 2023, suggest that the top 66 games can account for 80% of playtime.

Friends, there are consistent questions about games hiring data that many of you have asked, several of which I want to address today after some weeks of research. People often ask me how much of games hiring goes to those already in the industry, what historical applicant-to-hire rates have been, and how this compares with other industries. Let's take these one at a time: Multiple credible sources suggest that 80%+ of hires in the games industry come from within the industry itself. This relative magnitude is confirmed by my own data. This high percentage underscores the challenge of breaking into the games industry for those without prior industry experience. Next, applicant-to-hire rates in the games sector have remained steady at 4-5% or less, as far back as I could find robust data, which dates to 2020. Data suggests that this figure has never gone above 10%, even in the last two decades, but I do not have raw data for this—rather, industry studies in which I need to take others' word on it. To provide context, let's compare games' 4-5% rates to other industries: - Tech sector: 5-7% applicant-to-hire rate. - Healthcare: 2-3% for specialized roles. - Finance and Consulting: 1-4% for the most competitive roles. It turns out most highly desirable opportunities have simply become very competitive. So why does games sometimes feel even more competitive than those industries? First, the smaller number of total roles in games and the high incumbency for existing opportunities, as mentioned above, with a fifth or less of roles going to those at all seniority levels who want to break in. Additionally, the relative number of new applicants each year compared to industry size is higher in games, further intensifying the competition. Another difference is the relative layoffs to industry size, which have been at 10-15% of the entire industry in the past three years (30,000+ out of 200,000-250,000). This is why I always talk about run rate hiring versus overall numbers and filling the hole. Finally, for those gamers working in North America, the cuts have felt much more intense, with it being like a 2-3x relative impact because 75-80% of the cuts have taken place there. We are relatively competitive with other sought-after industries for rates of hiring, but a much bigger hole, more inbound desire, and higher incumbency make it harder. I hope this helps provide answers to a number of your open questions around games jobs data.

When I see friends from games companies volunteer to support others, should they face aggressive toxicity and blame for their company's decisions, like making cuts, even if they had 0% decision-making power or involvement in such decisions and, in fact, live in fear of losing their roles each day or may have had those closest to them affected even if you don’t know it? Do people really think they're achieving anything positive by attacking those who give up their free time to offer help, advice, and counseling? Does it make sense to direct harsh criticism towards those who are genuinely trying to make a difference? Isn't it more productive to channel our frustrations towards constructive dialogue and solutions rather than blaming those who are not in control of the larger corporate decisions? What do people think they are achieving by doing this, and don't they think it will just make people who actually care and want to help stop? Why do people behave like this?

In my career, both as an individual contributor and as a manager for 7 out of my 18 years working, I've learned a valuable lesson: don't typecast your team members based on what you perceive to be their functional expertise. This lesson stems from personal experiences and observations of how typecasting can limit potential. Great team members are good at many things, and you should work with them to determine and re-determine which mix of their talents should shine the most. Very early in my career, many tried to pigeonhole me into analytical or business intelligence roles. While these are excellent career paths, my interests lay elsewhere, specifically in strategy and relationship development. Had I not actively managed my career, I might have been confined to roles that didn't align with my true passions. Although I possess some data expertise, I am not a deep expert in statistical modeling or advanced data analytics. I've always recognized the value of these skills within a strategic context, but I also understand my limitations and where my true interests lie. This self-awareness has been crucial in navigating my career. Since starting this community, I've occasionally encountered typecasting based on my involvement in talent-related activities. Many assume I should pursue entrepreneurial outcomes in talent or recruiting because of my community service efforts. However, my primary professional passion remains in business development and strategy, areas where I've dedicated nearly 20 years, although I am, by necessity due to work confidentiality, quite private in discussing the finer points of that work. All these experiences have taught me to avoid quick judgments about others' skills and interests. Some of my most valuable management experiences have come from recognizing that initial impressions can be misleading. People often have talents and aspirations that, when nurtured, lead to significant growth and satisfaction and are not what you think they are best at or want to be known for. One of the biggest traps for junior employees is falling backward into something they never particularly liked because they are simply nudged forward again and again because that's what's easy for them and their team. Great management involves finding the intersection between functional excellence, business needs, and personal aspirations. This approach helps avoid typecasting and promotes a more dynamic and fulfilling work environment. Don't rush to group people based on initial skill impressions. Recognize and nurture their broader interests and potential. Treating people as stereotypes extends way beyond demographics to professional interests and functionality, ultimately fostering a more versatile and engaged team and more fulfilling long-term careers.

Frequently, members of our community ask me whether a particular action they have taken will "work" in getting them a job or express frustration that I suggested something that didn't "work." I share your frustration. Easing this disappointment, after family and work, has been my life's work over the past two years. It's important to set realistic expectations for all of us. Our regulars will know the reality: The odds of finding a job in video games over 12 months are about 5%. For those without any experience in games and less than three years of work experience, it's closer to 1-2%. Even if you have worked in games, the odds over 12 months are about 25%. Doing all the "right" things, including using our community's resources, increases those odds, but they are still long odds. When considering whether something "works," I think about it in terms of improving your chances against those long odds. 95% of agamers looking for game jobs and 75% of those with past game experience will go home disappointed after 12 months searching. Our community aims to tilt those odds in your favor as much as possible, but even among our community, that 5% might go to 10%, and the 25% increases a good amount but certainly not double. I am really sorry for all still searching and disappointed despite a whole community's efforts to help you on top of your own efforts. It is not because any of those tools or approaches didn't "work." It isn't because others don't care about you. It isn't because you did anything wrong. The numbers, sadly, just don't work for most people in games right now. There is no magic solution. There is everything you can summon with your ingenuity. There is everything our community and others can summon to help you with our ingenuity. There is whatever networking you can generate to try to help yourself, but this is hard too because everybody is inundated by inquiries. Many usual courtesies, such as being considered for roles that don't exist or being connected to the hiring manager, just don't play out. People are often told just to apply, and at best, someone might give them an internal referral, which itself is already a tough pile of applications, not to mention internal hires competing for those same roles who surely have significant preference. Many want to try getting financing for their own initiatives, but this is as hard, perhaps even harder. This is why I strongly encourage people, day and night, to apply to non-game roles starting yesterday because I have seen how hard it is for people to find jobs even when they are applying to everything. We need to remind ourselves constantly that this is an unprecedented job situation, and no decision is a magic switch that can turn those odds off. I remember this each day as I go to bed and try to help get the 10,000+ gamers who are still looking for a year or longer get placed. Everything is "working." There are just too many people for these working processes to yield enough roles.

Per repeated popular request for those who don't have paid access who wanted to know, here is your H1'24 end summary (as of 7/8/24) of top 50 game industry creators on LinkedIn, based on insights from Favikon. Influencer Score Above 60 (Out Of 100) 1 Arin Goldsmith 2 Amir Satvat 3 Sergei Vasiuk Influencer Score Of 50-60 4 Sarah Bond 5 Montgomery Singman 6 Jordan Mazer 7 Jasmine Coppin 8 Alex Gombos 9 Javon Frazier Influencer Score Of 40-50 10 Megan McDonald 11 Willem Delventhal 12 Yves Guillemot 13 Mayank Grover 14 Nicolò Santin 15 Hailey Rojas 16 Justin Williams 17 Ennissa Soleil Martin 18 Ilkka Paananen 19 Alexander Rehm 20 Ali Farha 21 Saad Hameed 22 Nitish Mittersain 23 Joe Burridge Influencer Score Of 30-40 24 Asia Hawkins 25 Jalyssa Eliasen 26 Ben Kvalo 27 Aïda Figuerola 28 Johanna Faries 29 David Yin 30 Laura Jacobs 31 Harry Phokou 32 Stefan Randelshofer 33 Anul Agarwal 34 Christina-Marie Drake McBrearty 35 Veda Cruz 36 Yara T. 37 Eman Pulis 38 Walter Driver Influencer Score Of 25-30 39 M Umar Anjum 40 Luis de la Cámara 41 Mike DeLaet 42 Leo Olebe 43 Sterling Reames 44 Bill Young 45 Michail Katkoff 46 Andrea Perez 47 Sami Chlagou 48 Tobias Stolz-Zwilling 49 Laura Miele 50 Benjamin Carcich

Embracer Group-owned studio Piranha Bytes has been shut down; Embracer had been seeking a buyer for the German studio, but GameStar today reported that the studio was formally shuttered at the end of June. ALSO Kotaku Australia will be shutting down as license holder Pedestrian Group has restructured to focus on its own brands; several titles from the company's portfolio of licensed publications will cease to exist in the country, including Vice, Gizmodo, and Lifehacker, with dozens of staff being laid off as a result. They were reportedly informed of the news via an email from Pedestrian Group CEO Matt Rowley today. If your role is affected by either of these pieces of news, please make use of the support available across our three platforms. Specifically, I recommend checking out the Games Org Support Posts in Home 1. These resources are highly effective, with ample data to back their success. I won't pretend there are easy solutions but our community's only goal is to make things a little easier for as many people as possible. We have a ton of data showing that, for all candidates, your chances of finding a games role double (from 5 to 10%) over 12 months if you regularly use all our resources versus not. I'm so sorry to hear this report and I will, as always, do my best to do something about it rather than just talking. Home 1 - 🔗 AMIRSATVAT.COM: Our main hub provides 18 resources to assist you in finding work, featuring a fully updated design. - 🔗 Games Org Support Posts: Find a template at AMIRSATVAT.COM (Category 4, Resource 10). If you can provide information from your team (with their consent), I’ll help edit and disseminate the final product, reaching 100,000+ people. These posts are highly effective in increasing visibility, and we've done 99 of them. Home 2 - 🔗 Discord: Join us at discord.gg/amirsatvat, our live extension of community resources. With over 4,400 members, we are currently in an open-join phase. Home 3 - 🔗 LinkedIn: Our community here includes over 91,000 members, with 1-3 daily posts offering support and career assistance in the games industry. How the Broader Community Can Help: - Spread the Word: Reshares and comments on this post amplify the visibility of these resources. - Offer Support: Utilize the 16 ways 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 games industry. Our network has facilitated over 2,200 jobs and 41,000 coaching conversations to date, the largest impact of any games organization on earth, and has been visited by millions of gamers lifetime.

Friends, #TheAmirAwards2024 season starts today with our very first post. Details of the event, ceremony, and much more will be revealed in the coming weeks. For now, I can confirm it will take place in January 2025. However, as an amuse-bouche, I am proud to unveil this year's award, which we change annually. I wanted something stylish, from the old-school era of games greatness, and something that clearly represents our community's inclusive spirit. Thus, it is with great pride that I announce this year's prize: Rainbow "Manny" Calavera from Grim Fandango. This award will go to every winner of our 100% with love and for fun show. More soon!