Mark Tsai’s Post

What's a typical day for a game producer? I get this question a lot. Ready for my honest answer? There isn't one. When I was early in my career just running one or two smaller teams there would be some normality in each team's process, but even then the bulk of my time was a wild card. Every day. Some things that filled it: - 1:1s (mix of recurring and ad hoc) - Chasing down another team we were supporting or was supporting us - Generating end-to-end improvements to suggest to the team about our process, vision, or culture - Talking to stakeholders - Playing whatever game/content/feature was being made - "Unblocking" someone (this can mean so many different activities) - Updating/tracking/consolidating metrics and KPIs - Teaching the team something - Maintaining relationships with fellow leads - Seeing how I could support the production discipline - Seeing how I could support other disciplines - Pausing for an hour to think or talk through something with someone You could try to schedule this all out in some sort of weekly or monthly routine, but the reality of game production is all of these show up at different times and to different degrees, so any schedule you create is going to be wrong almost immediately. And as you advance in your career, I've found a lack of predictability to be even MORE true, because even the recurring meeting cadence may be something that you end up deprioritizing depending on your role. Here's what I would say I did every day: - Figure out where we're supposed to be going and make sure the team, leads, and stakeholders were in agreement ad infinitum - Be the best version of our team and org's culture that I could - Call out positive behavior from the team to reinforce it, and disincentivize negative behavior - Talk to people. Talk to people a lot. All kinds of people. - Look for yellow/red flags and puzzle through what was causing them - Be really curious - Stay grounded in reality by doing my best to tell the truth and challenge things that seemed to be contrary to reality - Be willing to be wrong and to fail - Be willing to do the hard thing first - Take responsibility for what I did and did not choose to do In short, I looked to be an effective leader operating in service to the team and the product and the company. There are guidelines and principles for production, but there are no (good) rulebooks. #gameproduction #gamedevelopment #gameindustry #chaos

Why Gamedev companies are laying off even when they are profitable? Latest episodes happened yesterday at Build A Rocket Boy and Activision Blizzard. Some deep dive is needed. Fortnite earned 5.5bn$ in 2022. 5.6bn$ in 2023, the revenue increased. There was growth, but not as much as in the previous years. To convince shareholders that the company is healthy, they let go of employees while being profitable and growing. This. Is. Not. Sustainable. Let’s look at Japan. The Japanese labour law prevents companies from layoffs. Only exception → “critical financial conditions” Before doing so, the employer must implement other cost cutting methods: 1. Working hours reduction 2. Reduction of Exec compensation 3. Personnel relocations 4. Solecitation of voluntary resignation (with paid lump sum) The Japanese labour system isn’t perfect. But maybe we can take inspiration on this topic. Stock price over human capital → can't be the standard. People are companies greatest assets, especially in creative industries. Is there really no strategy to pursue both profitability and talent retention simultaneously? Food for thoughts.

*New Monthly Series - Available Game Heroes!* With the end of the year fast approaching, I'm grateful for the opportunities I have. However, I know that this year has been challenging for many in the industry. I've seen so many talented developers and producers lose their jobs due to layoffs and closures. As we head into the new year, many are still looking for work. That's why I'm excited to announce a new monthly series called "Available Game Heroes." Each month, I'll highlight individuals who are still looking for work and share a bit about their backgrounds. My hope is that it will become harder and harder to find folks to list in this as they find more work in 2024. Starting with two producers I know very well: Juli Logemann was an IP Producer at Epic Games whom I had the pleasure to work with for several years. She is easy to work with, an extremely organized and outgoing producer who always does the right thing to get us quick answers from our IP Partners. Frank Lalich is another producer on the art side whom I had the pleasure to work with. Hardworking, Frank always communicated clearly with issues he saw coming down the pipe. A great talent for any team looking for a proactive art producer. Please share this, and I ask that you also create your own with folks you know looking to get back into the workforce! Let's come together as a community and help each other out. #AvailableGameHeroes #GameIndustry #JobSearch #GameDev #GameDevelopment #GameJobs #Producers #AvailableForWork

Sadly, after last week’s layoffs across Sony Interactive Entertainment, I am no longer the Senior Story Editor at Insomniac Games. It was an incredible journey web-slinging through NYC and clawing through bad guys with Wolverine, and I am eternally grateful to my fellow Insomniacs who welcomed me into the studio. As I begin to look for my next chapter as a storyteller, I wanted to share the 3 key takeaways I have from my time at Insomniac that their developers do so fantastically: 1. Be nimble in the HOW of your storytelling but concrete about the WHAT. Changes happen, pivots will be needed. But if you know “what” your story wants to ultimately say, you can always find new ways of “how” to get there. 2. Everyone on the team is a storyteller, even if they’re not the “writer.” Design, Art, Lighting, VFX, and countless other disciplines are all shaping the story with their craft. Great story ideas can come from anyone. 3. Make Accessibility and Inclusivity cornerstones in your work. The more accessible your game is, the broader the audience will be for your story. The more “human” and inclusive your story is, the more players will connect with it. I am excited to take these lessons into whatever role is next for me! If you are looking for a creative collaborator, storyteller, and lore-keeper like me, please reach out. 

Great insights here for storytellers as we see story telling continue to be critical to so many aspects of our work and life.

Warner Music, Blizzard, Hasbro, Google, Paramount, Disney, and others commit to job cuts in 2024. Game over? Not yet - players press start to continue! I explored the obstacles and power-ups in the toy and gaming industry's changing landscape effecting strategy pivots. With economic headwinds and evolving consumer species, companies must speedrun innovation, wield creativity power-ups, and invoke classic franchise extra lives to stay in the game. By leveling up brand stories, understanding youth playstyles, and powering imagination over transactions, a high score future awaits those willing to respawn. Turbulent times awaken dormant creative magic meters. But guiding your organization's quest requires wise strategy guides. My immersive Future Thinking workshops equip teams with the insight, vision, and foresight to conquer new worlds. I also offer deep custom Futurist-in-Residence party members. Let's co-op on research, ideation side quests, and scenario planning to activate your future-ready form. The time is now to become the protagonist in redefining play. Check out my video for more on preparing for this epic journey. Game on, futurist friends - let's imagine a brighter tomorrow. More information and contact me at: https://lnkd.in/etsRq-t7 Sign up for Future(s) with an (S) newsletter at: https://lnkd.in/ee7GZw8B #layoffs #whatsnext #futureproofing #videogameindustry #mediastrategy #toyindustry

It’s brutal to see so many brilliant people being let go in the video game industry. Personally I believe that a lot of it is to do with downward pressure from institutional investors. My reasoning is that across the top 20 publicly traded gaming stocks, revenue is up 7.3% YoY. What’s fascinating is that many publishers are not moving milestone dates. This will likely result in either missed milestones or hiring third party work for hire studios, which net, net means production is going to be more expensive or revenue expectations are going to be missed.

The recent GIN awaits you tomorrow! Let's take a look at what's inside the glass: 🤖 Activision & Transformers: Has there been a mix-up or are the game sources just hiding? 💰 Take-Two Interactive Execs' Doubling Salaries: Why these execs are cashing in big. 🧠 Inworld AI's Vision: NPCs as smart as people? It's closer than you think. 🚀 Striking Distance Studios Layoffs: The story behind the team of "The Callisto Protocol". 💼 GEM Capital's Ambition: Eastern Europe's game development is about to get a massive boost. 👉 Dive deeper into these headlines and subscribe to stay updated! Link in the comments ⤵️ #gamedev #newsletter #gameindustry

"The Producer's Dance: Orchestrating Successful Games"🕹️🚀🎮 A game producer plays a crucial role in game production. They are essential to ensure that the game development process is efficient, within budget, and aligns with the team's objectives. Here are some ways in which producers are vital: 🚀 Resource Management: Producers oversee the allocation of resources, including personnel, budget, and timelines. They ensure the team has what it needs to get the job done. 🤝 Team Coordination: Producers act as a link between different team members, from artists and designers to engineers. They ensure everyone is on the same page and working together towards common goals. ⏰ Deadline Management: Keeping the project on schedule is vital. Producers set realistic goals and help the team meet them, which is crucial for the game's success. 🎯 Decision Making: Producers often have to make tough decisions, such as prioritizing resources, resolving conflicts, and adapting to unexpected changes. This requires leadership skills and sound judgment. 📢 Communication: Producers are key communicators in the project, both within the team and with external stakeholders. They ensure everyone understands the game's progress and any challenges that arise. ✨ Final Quality: At the end of the day, producers are responsible for ensuring the game meets established quality standards. They oversee testing and debugging to ensure the final product is solid and error-free. Therefore, the presence of a skilled producer on the team is vital to the success of any game. They play a critical role in transforming an idea into a complete and polished entertainment product. 🎮👾 #GameProducer #GameDevelopment #GamingIndustry

Roll7 and Intercept are both good developers with cool people, the kind you want making games. Take Two didn’t *need* to do this unless something major changed recently and someone in finance had to reconcile new information, then searched for the most vulnerable people to easily cut. Implies a strong imbalance on their balance sheet - a new “glitch.” These decisions get made by pub-side bankers removed from the details of quality and morale, without respecting or caring about downstream effects or quality of life, these are good jobs for sociopaths and order-followers, and then HR gets to clean up. I think we need a new kind of accountability and measuring stick for behavior.