Brad Kavanagh

The closure of Ubisoft Halifax and the layoffs at Rockstar are stark reminders of how quickly talent availability shifts. For Studio Heads, this is a signal to update your headcount planning immediately. When a studio closes, you have a window of about 2-3 weeks to engage pre-formed teams. These are groups of developers who already have shorthand, established workflows, and trust. If you have the budget, "acqui-hiring" a functional pod from a closing studio is one of the most efficient ways to scale. Don't wait for them to apply to your portal. You need to be proactive. #TalentStrategy #Hiring #GameJobs

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I want to demystify how ASGC tracks games industry job cuts so you understand what goes into the numbers The way we track industry reductions is far more rigorous than most people realize. I occasionally see comments wondering if we only use public announcements, WARN notices, or that we miss contractors, co dev teams, and non traditional roles. I understand why people might assume that, but that is not how our system works. Collecting jobs data is the most resource intensive process in our community because it shapes our support too. Step one is public information. We monitor news reports, company statements, WARN filings, and government notices. That is just the starting point. Step two is direct community reporting at scale. Every year I receive 5-10K+ messages, just related to job cuts, across LinkedIn, Discord, and email from people sharing what happened to them, their teammates, or their organizations. Much of this never appears in the press. It includes contractors, co dev partners, support studios, and indirect roles, not just FTEs at major publishers. Step three is individual signal tracking. I regularly review posts from professionals who are suddenly open to work or referencing team changes. These signals confirm patterns or reveal cuts that were not announced. All of this flows into a large internal tracking system that helps me understand not just how many roles were affected, but who was impacted, where, and when. That context allows our community to reach out and design support that matches reality rather than headlines. Is it perfect? No. I am still working to improve visibility in regions where transparency is lower. But I can say sincerely this process goes far beyond public records and is more comprehensive than any single external source. You may notice that, for a few years, I no longer publicly name organizations when cuts happen unless they request a Games Org support post. That is intentional. My goal is to avoid errors and avoid shaming, because I recognize that not every reduction comes from bad intent. Sometimes funding ends, contracts fall through, or projects conclude despite leaders trying to do right by their teams. Also, my approach is to build bridges and encourage quiet, meaningful accountability. I regularly hear that organizations know ASGC tracks layoff decisions and understand their actions will reach me, even with smaller or less visible cuts. That awareness, even without public callouts, can influence how situations are handled. Most importantly, workers know their experience is not invisible. Individual data is never shared publicly. People trust me with personal information, and I take that seriously. What I share are patterns, totals, and insights that help us mobilize support. So when we talk about industry cuts, please know this is not casual scorekeeping. It is the result of thousands of conversations and careful tracking to make sure every affected games person counts.

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If you're looking for work now or later, here’s how to write a great LinkedIn post, based on what’s worked for thousands of successful ASGC hires ✅ What to include in your post: 1. Highlight your experience Names of studios, shipped titles, platforms. Anything that instantly tells someone where you’ve been. Example: “Senior Producer at Bungie (Destiny 2 expansions), also shipped live content for Apex Legends.” 2. Say what you bring to the table. Cite metrics Get specific with tools, systems, or responsibilities. Avoid generalities like “hard-working” or “team player” or "passionate" Example: “Skilled in Unity, C#, and LiveOps systems. Built seasonal pipelines used by 5M+ MAUs.” 3. Be clear about what you’re looking for Roles, titles, level, remote/onsite, locations you’re open to. Clarity helps people help you. Example: “Open to gameplay designer roles (mid or senior), remote preferred, but open to relocation in North America.” 4. Include one sentence about what drives you Let people understand what motivates you or what kind of game/team you love. Example: “I’m most energized when working on cooperative gameplay and systems that reward team skill.” 5. Share a link to your resume and/or portfolio Make it easy. This is essential. 6. Thank those helping and ask directly for engagement to drive more engagement. Be explicit: “Thank you to everyone who’s offered advice or support. If you’re willing to reshare this post or tag someone hiring, I’d deeply appreciate it.” 7. Tag 5–10 key allies or organizations Past collaborators, trusted managers, recruiters. Not 50 names. You want people who are likely to engage. The LinkedIn algorithm punishes you for non-engaging mentions. 8. Optional extras that help: Mention your visa/work authorization if relevant (I find more openness upfront, for all things, is better) Share 1-2 favorite accomplishments or stats Add a clear headline to the post for visibility (e.g. “Open to work: Narrative Designer | Remote or LA”) --- ❌ What not to do: 1. Don’t play the empathy card Framing your post around how hard this has been or your pain won’t drive the engagement you’re hoping for. Keep the focus on your skills, experience, and what you want next. 2. Don’t say how long you’ve been looking / how many applications It can make people ask questions, fair or not. 3. Don’t be vague Avoid lines like “open to opportunities” or “seeing what’s out there.” Get specific so people know how to help. 4. Don’t write a novel or something too short 3-6 short, clear paragraphs is the sweet spot. Too long, and most people won’t finish it. Too short (like a 3-4 sentence post) likely won’t have enough detail to spark meaningful engagement. --- Need more help? Find always free CV, portfolio, and LinkedIn reviews daily in our Discord: discord.gg/asgc. Find volunteer-led support and tens of other resources at asgc.gg Find 1,000 annual helpful posts by following me on LinkedIn We’ve helped 4,500+ people land roles. You're next!

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🎉 Two New Career Resources Just Landed on Our Community Site - With Huge Thanks to Scott Millard and Tim C.! https://lnkd.in/d3z__2sV If you’ve ever wanted to understand how video game publishing actually works - not the surface-level stuff, but real, on-the-ground global strategy - you now have one of the best free guides in the world, permanently, thanks to Scott Millard. Scott is a veteran industry leader, best known for his time as Managing Director of Bandai Namco Southeast Asia and Korea. He helped launch Tekken, Dragon Ball Z, and even brought Skyrim to market in the region. His publishing knowledge spans regions, formats, and decades - and he’s gifted our community his Guide to Video Game Publishing for all to access at Amir Satvat's Games Community. Also, I’m thrilled to welcome Tim Cullings as a contributor - someone I’ve admired for years. You may know Tim from his leadership at Global Game Jam, Seattle Indies, or his earlier work with Oculus VR and in engineering. He’s kicked things off by sharing a curated list of top game dev events and jams - something many have requested. But this is just an amuse bouche. Tim has big ideas, and we’re excited to build this space with him and for him. We’ve heard your feedback loud and clear - you want more Tim in the community, and so do we. 🔹 In sharing these, I also want to recognize the 20 amazing individual contributors behind the career resources on our site, in addition to our Discord moderators and 2,400+ community coaches. I’m proud to say that 10 of the 20 are female - 50%, which is double industry gender representation. And we’re equally proud of the diversity across many other dimensions, which we take seriously in every aspect of our work. Here they are - please join me in thanking them: • Sarah Thomson (Mentorship Guide) • Alex Gombos (Interview Guide) • Jasmine Coppin (Art Portfolio Review Guide) • Hailey Rojas (#OpenToNetwork) • Mayank Grover (New Games Roles Partnership) • Eva Tucker (Support Your Indies) • Alexander Rehm (MVP Resources) • Johnathan Vance (Indie Marketing Guide) • Aïda Figuerola (Early Career Guide Lead) • Ali Farha (Early Career Guide Lead) • Chris Mayne (Games Art Resources) • Seth S. (Guide To Games Startups) • Corey Neuman (Homelessness Resources) • Michelle Fuzari (Mental Health Resources) • Jessica Lindl (Career Resources Suite) • Renee Gittins (Game Dev Foundry - External Resource Partnership) • Lex Parisi (Ask Lex Career Questions) • Tim W. (LinkedIn Premium Trials Resource Ownership) • Tim C. (Events And Jams; And More To Come) • Scott Millard (Guide To Video Game Publishing) • Thank you also to Fitzgerald Lewis, Tim Wood, Will Morgan, Max Bowser, Alex Gombos, and Michelle Voillot for their contributions to the Early Career Guide 💙 Never forget - this is a total team project of 10,000+ lifetime contributors. "We Help Gamers Get Hired. Zero Profit, Infinite Caring."

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Games aren’t just about mechanics. They’re about emotions. Here’s how to design games that evoke emotions: 🎮 𝗚𝗔𝗠𝗘𝗣𝗟𝗔𝗬   • Systems: Mechanics, core loop, difficulty • Emotions: Fun, curiosity, and mastery 📈 𝗣𝗥𝗢𝗚𝗥𝗘𝗦𝗦𝗜𝗢𝗡 • Systems: Unlocks, skill trees, rewards • Emotions: Anticipation, joy, and the drive to push forward 🎨 𝗔𝗥𝗧 & 𝗗𝗘𝗦𝗜𝗚𝗡 • Systems: Cohesive style, animations, characters • Emotions: Immersion, exploration, and game feel 🖥 𝗨𝗜 & 𝗨𝗫 • Systems: Screens, user flow, icons • Emotions: Intuitive understanding and smooth navigation 📚 𝗧𝗨𝗧𝗢𝗥𝗜𝗔𝗟𝗦 • Systems: Soft & hard tutorials, visual hints • Emotions: Competence and those satisfying “aha” moments 💰 𝗠𝗢𝗡𝗘𝗧𝗜𝗭𝗔𝗧𝗜𝗢𝗡 • Systems: Offers, ads, in-game currency • Emotions: Balancing "pain" with fairness and value  𝗟𝗜𝗩𝗘 𝗢𝗣𝗦 • Systems: Events, leaderboards, challenges • Emotions: FOMO, excitement, and social engagement Don’t just build game systems.   Build experiences players will feel.  

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As a freelance rigger, I need to make sure my builds have a lot of flexibility. So I've recently reworked my lid modules to add variable joint counts. By utilizing a curve-based output I can changed the amount of joints used based on the needs of the project. Higher joint counts for fidelity and control, lower counts for simplicity and optimization. Or I can test and iterate to find a happy middle ground. So animators using my rigs on film or game projects can enjoy the same features, such as: - Automated lid follow with eye movement - Main controls to position the lids through translation and sculpt the curvature with rotation/scale  - Secondary controls for finer detail (If there are enough joints to support it) - Manual or automated blinking. Animate controls, or activate the automated meet point between your posed lids for a perfect seal I've been using iterations of this system over my last few projects, both commercials and games. The core elements of this system have been floating around in my head since 2018, so it's been great to finally put it to the test. 

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I've seen people talk about the "deprofessionalization" of game dev - that large game companies are becoming unsustainable and that smaller and indie devs are going to rule the market. Not that long ago, people were complaining about the reverse. The problem then was that all the smaller game companies were dying off and game dev was becoming "winner takes all". All the smaller companies were closing and everyone was going to have to go work at large mega corps. The return of smaller game studios can be a good thing, both for work, as well as the games created. more people taking more risks means more innovation and more "weird" games instead of only safe bets. Don't stress, the pendulum is just swinging back the other way.

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When studios close, sourcers should be the first responders. News broke this week that The Outsiders, the studio behind Metal: Hellsinger, is shutting down after parent company changes. For the developers, designers, and artists impacted, it’s a tough moment. For TA leaders, it’s also a moment of truth. Whenever there’s a sudden shock - whether in gaming, tech, finance, aviation, or energy - hundreds of highly skilled people hit the market at once. And here’s the reality: only companies with modern, proactive sourcing pipelines will be positioned to catch them. I learned this the hard way when I built a global sourcing function at Keywords Studios. The sourcers who thrived weren’t the ones chasing reqs after the fact. They were the ones who kept “warm nets” in place; tracking talent communities, nurturing conversations, and knowing where the skill clusters lived before the layoffs. This applies far beyond game dev: 🧑‍💻 Tech startups: when funding dries up, engineers and PMs scatter. Are you already connected to them? 🛬 Aviation: route closures or MRO downsizing create rare windows to hire certified specialists. Do you have them mapped? 💲 Finance: regulation shifts often trigger sudden exits of risk & compliance staff. Is your sourcing team on top of it? In the GCC, the opportunity is even bigger. As global firms set up in the UAE and the broader region, the TA teams who already have sourcing networks in niche domains will massively outperform those who try to start from scratch. So here’s the question I’d love to throw out: 👉 If your company went under today, how would you want other orgs to “rescue” you, and where would you expect them to source you from? #TalentAcquisition #StrategicSourcing #GamingIndustry #GCC #FutureOfWork #TalentSourcing #Recruitment

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The delay of GTA VI to May 26, 2026 will have a number of impacts. Among them: - Revenue projections for the industry were based around the launch of this massive game. It’s exceedingly rare that a single title delay will have a tidal wave impact on the entire space. - Fall 2025 is suddenly a safe(r) moment to launch. The unknown of the specific release date was causing marketing challenges. - There is kindness in the delay coming with a specific release date. This is ultimately very helpful for the industry in planning for calendar 2026. - Take-Two investors have had to recalibrate since the Zynga acquisition. There was a level of expectation around this fiscal year’s performance (ending March 31, 2026). It will be interesting to see how investors react. Ultimately, this will yield a better GTA VI (which is the only thing Rockstar and Take-Two can and should be expected to prioritize). It will cause some additional industry-wide adjustments with regard to financial expectation. The firm release date is so helpful, however, that any downward effect can be mitigated in the long term as GTMs can now fully contemplate the biggest challenge in the release calendar.

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This week in Montréal the industry marked two serious milestones: the launch of Montreal Games Week and the return of MIGS 25. This is not just about one conference anymore. It is about a full week of games, business, culture and collaboration. For anyone in devs, publishing or services: - Week-long events equal more chances to engage, learn and network beyond the standard format. - Multiple formats (indie showcases plus B2B plus services) signal that external development and partnerships are front of mind. - Montréal continues to hold global relevance as a place for serious industry conversation and deals. Think about how you show up in this broader industry week, not just the big call event. #GameDev #Publishing #MIGS #MontrealGames #GamingIndustry

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🕹️ We’ve Lost the Gumption of QA 🎮 Once upon a time, QA wasn’t just a department; it was a proving ground. QA folks didn’t just test games, they lived in them. They learned how systems worked, how they broke, and, more importantly, how they could be better. In the late 2000s and early 2010s, during a wave of industry upheaval and transition, we saw some truly creative voices emerge from QA. People like: ☆ Chris Cross – from QA to Creative Director on Medal of Honor ☆ Lyndsay Pearson – started in QA, now VP on The Sims ☆ Michael Stout – QA on Ratchet & Clank, now a lead designer ☆ Darren Monahan – QA at Interplay, co-founder of Obsidian ☆ Adam Boyes – from QA to VP at PlayStation, now founder of Vivatro ☆ Leanne Loombe – QA to Executive Producer at Riot Games and currently at Annapurna Interactive Back then, QA was seen (by some studios) as a launchpad. QA testers moved into production, writing, level design, UX, and biz-dev because they knew the game inside and out—and had the drive to do more. But now? ▪︎ QA is outsourced more than ever. ▪︎ Entry-level testers are kept in the shadows, with no path forward. ▪︎ Titles like “QA” often disqualify candidates from roles they’re fully capable of doing. ▪︎ Meanwhile, the doors once open to QA are often reserved for folks from marketing, journalism, or influencer pipelines—valuable skill sets, sure, but rarely the ones who’ve lived and breathed a game through its darkest launch bugs. Let me be clear: QA IS a career. It deserves pay, security, and respect. But it’s also often the only way some folks can break into the industry, and if we keep people tied to test plans forever, or dismiss their contributions because their title doesn’t include “design,” we’re losing some of our best and brightest. I've seen QA testers write better design specs than the docs they were given. I've watched them run internal playtests, design live ops events, debug with engineers, and help patch broken pipelines mid-launch. These are not “just testers.” They are developers. And we are failing them. We need to reopen those doors: • Build ladders from QA into creative, production, and leadership roles. • Celebrate QA voices publicly—not just when games ship, but during development. • Recognize QA as a space full of future founders, narrative leads, and game directors. We’ve done it before. We can do it again. Let QA rise. Let them build. Let them lead. #GameDev #QA #LetQARise #DeveloperEmpathy #IndieGames #Production #GameDesign #GamingCareers #DevCulture #DesignFromWithin #GameIndustryReflections

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There’s a myth in the games industry that just won’t die: “QA is just a stepping stone into game development.” (But if you’ve worked in Live Service games — you know better.) Quality Assurance isn’t just bug-checking. It’s live triage. It’s design feedback in real-time. It’s the only team that touches every system, every day. So why do we keep treating QA as if it’s “entry level”? Truth is… In modern game development, QA is as critical as Design, Engineering, and Production. • They don’t just test features — they keep them from breaking millions of players’ experience. • They don’t just report issues — they help prioritize what gets fixed. • They don’t just “check the build” — they protect the brand. Yet somehow, they’re still the last to get credit — and often, the first to go. That needs to change. If we want stable, scalable, player-first games, we need to start treating QA like what it actually is: Essential. ⸻ QA isn’t a pipeline step. It’s a partnership. If you’ve worked in Live Service games, you know: Good QA doesn’t just improve games — it saves them

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Layoffs, studio closures and cautious publishing pipelines have dominated headlines (and conversations at GDC this year). But behind the doomscrolling, the last 12 months have quietly seen billions of dollars flow into gaming from VCs, government programs, crowdfunding campaigns and corporate deals. 🎮 Venture funds are still backing early-stage devs. 🏛️ Governments are doubling down on creative sector grants. 💡 Accelerator programs are popping up globally. 💰 Crowdfunding is booming again (especially for tabletop and indie). 🤝 And the biggest publishers and platforms are still making big bets. That makes me optimistic. I’m not blind to the challenges but convinced that the next wave of breakout studios are already being built. Here’s a snapshot of recent funding and investments that caught my eye… Play Ventures – Fund III – $140M – Announced Nov 2024 Kickstarter – Games crowdfunded – $270M+ in 2024 BITKRAFT Ventures – Fund III target – $275M – Apr 2024 Griffin – Fund III target – $500M – Jun 2024 Transcend. – Fund II – $60M – Nov 2023 A16Z GAMES – Games Fund II – $600M – Apr 2024 a16z speedrun – Accelerator – $1M per startup – 2024–25 cohorts UK Games Fund – Grants up to £150k – £5.5M committed for 2025-26 Canada Media Fund – Game project grants – C$7.8M – Aug 2024 Creative Europe – Game development funding – €5M annual call Screen Australia – Indie game grants – AU$1.6M – Mar 2024 Saudi Arabia / Merak Capital – Exel by Merak – $81M fund – Nov 2024 Tencent Venture Lab – Indie support program – Ongoing Scopely acquires Niantic, Inc. - $3.5B - Mar 2025 Playtika acquires SuperPlay – $2B deal – 2024 EQT Group acquires Keywords Studios – $2.8B – 2024 Miniclip acquires Easybrain – $1.2B – 2024 CVC Capital acquires Jagex – $1.1B – 2024 Modern Times Group MTG AB acquires Plarium – $820M – 2024 Just in those points above that’s $13.5B and I’ve certainly missed a ton. If you're building, job searching or fundraising don’t lose heart! There’s capital out there and plenty of people still backing bold creative bets. 📧 joe@play.vc

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Turns out creating my own Perlin Noise in the Pixel Processor and making it tileable wasn’t as hard as I initially thought. That said, I’m still struggling a bit with the Advanced Perlin, especially when reading values from a Data Table (as you can see in the bottom one). 👇 Interestingly, I only really started to see the value of the Advanced Perlin compared to the original when I noticed that with just one octave, the original algorithm had some pretty obvious grid stepping artifacts. This is likely due to the hash function, which controls how the gradient vectors are randomized at the grid corners. If that function doesn’t distribute things well, the underlying grid structure becomes very noticeable. Now, you might ask: "Why even bother recreating this when Perlin Noise is already implemented in Substance?" Well, here’s why: Substance’s default Perlin Noise is built using two FX Maps with different phases that are merged. The problem? FX Maps run on the CPU, and depending on how much the noise is scaled, they can become computationally expensive. The Pixel Processor, on the other hand, executes on the GPU, which has the potential for better performance. ✌ The biggest issue I’m facing right now is with the Data Table in the Advanced Perlin setup. Something isn’t quite working as expected, and I suspect it’s either an indexing mismatch or some kind of precision issue. If anyone has insights or can correct me on my findings, I’d love to hear them! #substance3d

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