Katie Godwin

After K-Pop. After K-Drama. Now, K-Games. A recent New York Times feature captured something many of us have been seeing firsthand, Korea is no longer just one of the world's largest gaming markets. It is becoming a global origin of premium IP. What stood out wasn't just the momentum. It was the scale of the shift. For decades, Korea's gaming identity was built on PC bangs, online multiplayer, and free-to-play titles. That infrastructure gave rise to global phenomena like PUBG but the new generation of Korean studios is writing a different chapter. High-fidelity, narrative-driven, console-first experiences that don't just compete globally they set the standard. Lies of P by NEOWIZ was named among this new wave, alongside titles like Stellar Blade and Crimson Desert, as evidence that Korean game design has matured into something the world is paying attention to. As our CEO Sean Kim noted in the piece, the path forward isn't imitation it's interpretation. The Korean content that resonates globally, whether in music, film, or now games, takes something culturally rooted and makes it universally felt. That same philosophy is driving how we build IP at NEOWIZ. And the broader context is worth noting: the Korean government is actively repositioning games from a regulated activity to a state-supported cultural industry. Investment is following. Talent is following. Global attention is following. Games are becoming one of the most immersive forms of cultural expression. The companies that will matter are the ones building IP players carry with them long after the credits roll. At NEOWIZ, this is exactly where we are focused. The standard has changed. We intend to help set it. #GameDevelopment #GamingIndustry #KGames #GlobalIP #LiesOfP #NeowizGlobal #Soulslike #WeAreNEOWIZ #NewYorkTimes https://lnkd.in/gtK6TVmF NEOWIZ x The New York Times

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Come make a game with me! I'm an experienced producer putting together another team for a game jam! (Feel free to shoot me a connect request!) Jam Dates: July 30th 2025 at 1:00 PM to August 3rd 2025 at 1:00 PM Jam info: https://lnkd.in/e36j96yg Want to join an awesome project that will actually get done? (I have a 100% completion rate with my jam teams). Want to put a complete playable demo on your portfolio? Want to get practice with a small studio sized team? Come join a team with an experienced crew and producer and let's make something fun! We will be making this game in Unreal Engine 5. You can check out my previous jam games here: https://nivarian.itch.io/ If you want to join the team please fill out this form! https://lnkd.in/eJhmW7Yf Edit: Our team is now full! If you'd like to fill out the forum incase we need to pull in extra hands you're welcome to! We also still have our QA discord open to any who would like to join! QA Testers! While I only have a few spots on the team, I'm also inviting everyone who'd like to, to join the Testers discord for this jam! We will be tossing the game up for testing while we jam, and we'd love for you to come give us feedback, join the fun, and be part of the process. This is open to everyone! Join the Tester Discord Here: https://lnkd.in/emKqQ3PP What do you need to join the dev team? You need to be familiar with the tools you are using for the jam - this team will be moving at a very fast pace so this isn't a good project for your first time putting something in an engine. I sometimes offer beginner coaching for jams but this one I want to move quickly so this is for an experienced armature or intermediate level skill set. Team Rules Good vibes! We are super chill, friendly, respectful, and like to have fun even with jam crunch, but please make sure you can be present for about 4 hours each day of the jam. QA can just jump in when ever they are able. Interested in joining my team? Feel free to comment below but also please fill out the form above so I can keep track of everyone in one place! Thanks so much!

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After 18 years in production, I’ve seen the same patterns repeat. * Talented producers burning out * Good teams struggling with avoidable problems * Smart people stuck in reactive loops Most of the time, it’s not a skill issue. It’s how the work is approached. People weren’t struggling because they weren’t capable. They were struggling because no one had shown them how production actually works. So I started creating these posts. Not to build a following. Not to chase engagement. And not to tell anyone how to do their job. This is simply a reflection of what I’ve learned from shipping games and working with teams over the years. Not a fix-all manual. Not something you can plug into a plan and press start. Just a way to highlight common production problems and the patterns behind them. If you’re a producer (or work closely with one), you’ll probably recognize a lot of this. If it helps you spot and avoid these pitfalls in your own work, then it’s doing its job. Let’s start with burnout. If this resonates, follow along. There’s more coming. #gamedev #production #leadership #projectmanagement #gamedevelopment #careergrowth

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If you've been laid off recently, read this post. As odd as it sounds, you only get one real chance to after you've been laid off to really maximize your network here to help you. If you've been laid off, that first post or two is not the time to be loquacious, vague, or passive. it's going to be one of the most valuable posts from an eyeballs perspective you're going to make. It's one of the best posts you can make to gain traction and potential action. It's ok to make that venting, emotional, or even gratitude post - just don't mix it up with the one you need to make asking your network to help you find work. For THAT post, you need to do the following (thanks Daniel Space for these): 1. Optimize your headline first! (Job Family and Title, Industries, Specialties) 2. Indicate that you are open to work and looking for a new role 3. Indicate the specific title/role you are looking for 4. Mention your qualifications, like years of experience and in what industries 5. Share your biggest skills 6. Ask your network to share/forward/tag to any potential hiring managers or recruiters. Be VERY clear for this. Start right off with the ask, THEN get into more details. For example: "I was impacted by the Amazon layoffs and am asking your help finding a role as a new Narrative Director in AAA games. I've worked more than 12 years in design and narrative with credits in 8 shipped AAA games, most of which were in a leadership role. While I focus in narrative, I'm actually a full-stack designer capable of level design, content, and even systems work. If you have any leads, I'd love to talk with you. Even if you don't, but would like to help me in some way, please repost this to your own network with a short blurb of what it was like working with me! Thanks!" See how that reads? It's a lot better than the typical "I was recently impacted by the ....I'd like to thank everyone at ...I really appreciated my time at..." post. Get INTO this right away, get it out there asap, THEN go back to working through everything else you need to work through. Good luck! #WeGotYou #GameIndustry #layoffs #Amazon #AGS #Luna

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Sora 2 is pretty close to production quality for TV animation. Most animated TV takes years, millions, and armies of animators to get to screen. The cost of TV quality animation is about to drop through the floor, and the time to market will be weeks, not years.

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Everyone's arguing about whether DLSS 5 will "YASAFFAY" game characters and ruin artistic vision. Late take, but: this is the wrong conversation. Remember when ray tracing first showed up? Games that shipped without it got RTX patches later. People panicked about "unintended lighting" breaking the developer's vision. Turned out fine. Devs who cared about lighting already knew what pipeline they were targeting. Everyone else got a nice optional upgrade. DLSS 5 is the same pattern. It's an optional feature in a mature upscaler stack. Game developers aren't accidentally going to lose control of their art direction because Nvidia ships a better reconstruction model. They know what tech their game supports. They build around it. But here's what's actually wild about DLSS 5 that nobody seems to be talking about. The img2img consistency. Frame to frame coherence at that level of reconstruction is genuinely hard. Anyone who's tried to get stable diffusion to produce two consistent frames in a row knows the pain. Nvidia apparently just... solved a huge chunk of that? At real time performance? That's the story. Not "will my characters look weird." The fact that we now have inference based image reconstruction that holds together across motion, camera cuts, and varying scene complexity. At playable framerates. The character smoothing discourse feels like complaining about JPEG artifacts on the Hubble telescope.

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Behind Solaris stand The Unsung Hero of USD Rendering, usually when people think of USD rendering, the spotlight usually falls on Karma, Hydra, or Storm. But behind the curtain, there’s a quiet powerhouse doing the heavy lifting: Husk. Husk is Houdini’s command-line USD render delegate, the bridge between your USD scenes and the renderer. OK it’s not flashy but it’s fast, robust, and absolutely essential for automating renders across a pipeline. What Husk Actually Does It reads .usd, .usda, or .usdc files directly. And executes the Hydra render delegate (like Karma, Storm, or others). it handles frame-range rendering, overrides, and AOVs — all headless, no UI. Integrates beautifully with PDG/TOPs, enabling large-scale distributed rendering. You can run it from a terminal as so: husk myscene.usd -f 1 100 -o $HIP/render/beauty.$F4.exr Or wire it into PDG for batch rendering, versioning, and automation. Now why It Matters for Tech Artists USD-Centric Workflows its Husk is your link between Houdini’s stage and production render farms. Pipeline Integration Ideal for render farm hooks, automation scripts, or cloud jobs. Automation & Validation Perfect for procedural validation (auto-render previews, shot tests). Headless Efficiency No GUI, minimal overhead — great for render nodes or CI/CD. A quick Pro Tip you can even switch render delegates via command line: husk -R KarmaXPU myscene.usd This makes Husk a flexible entry point for any Hydra-compliant renderer — including Karma CPU, Karma XPU, and third-party USD renderers. Husk might not get the spotlight like Karma does, but it’s the backbone that makes scalable, procedural, USD-driven rendering actually possible. #Houdini3D #USD #Husk #KarmaXPU #PipelineTD #TechArt #Proceduralism #Automation #RenderFarm #PDG #Hydra #VFX #CGPipeline #OpenToWork

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Under new California law (SB 1162), employers with 15 or more employees must include a good faith salary or hourly range in all job postings. Don't let your startup get a $10K fine from the Labor commission over this.

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Game Industry Lesson # 4 is for my Black, Brown, and Queer homies. Everyone says they care about diversity, inclusion, and equity…but virtually no one does. Microaggressions, digital blackface, misgendering, performative allyship, people talking for you, exclusion from decision making, etc, are regular occurrences. You’ll probably be all alone addressing this while simultaneously dragging a bunch of managers into the Modern Age. If you’re looking for an inclusive environment, I’d recommend a neighborhood community group or your local LGBTQ+ Discord instead. Lesson 3: https://lnkd.in/eS-etsAj #LeadWithEmpathy /s #YesISaidIt

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Hello HR, Talent Acquisition, and Recruiting friends! I’d love your perspective on this. Given the current state of the Video Games Industry, has it changed the views and stigmas around things that have traditionally been seen as a negative on a candidate? Things like:    - Not being currently employed makes you undesirable as a candidate - Resume gaps being a red flag. - Having not shipped a title in a while. Are these myths? Are they real? Have they changed? What would you recommend in this situation? #GameDev #Hiring #Recruiting #TalentAcquisition #CareerAdvice

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User Generated Content, Platforms, and Community From my conversations with publishers and developers in 2025, at DICE, GDC, and even with those who attended Gamescom, it is apparent that the industry is aligning around a cautious but clear set of priorities. Publishers are under pressure to validate demand earlier, lower risk, and build toward models that sustain communities long after launch. A major theme is user generated content. UGC is no longer niche, it is mainstream. Publishers and developers see value in games that naturally generate its own content, clips, streams, and viral moments because they cut down marketing spend and keep communities active. Bain’s 2025 global gaming report reinforces this, noting that younger audiences now prioritize customization, creativity, and social connection over visual fidelity. Yet in my own discussions, publishers repeatedly stressed that while UGC is important, the OWNERSHIP of the platform is the real goal. The titles that become platforms for creativity and social interaction capture double-digit annual user growth and become the center of gravity for both players and creators. Publishers want to be in control of that ecosystem, not just supply content for someone else’s. Market testing through trailers was another recurring point. Instead of building a full vertical slice, teams are creating strong trailers to measure early traction. If wishlists follow, development continues. If not, the project is cut. This aligns with Bain’s finding that traction matters more than originality. Without proof of demand, even the most creative concepts rarely move forward. Sequels remain strong bets, but publishers expect them to evolve. Nostalgic IPs are also being revived in new forms, which is part of a broader trend of franchises expanding across media. Cross-media IP has measurable impact, with acclaimed film or television adaptations lifting game engagement by nearly 70 percent. New IPs are still possible, but the bar is higher. They need a fresh mechanic or a theme that resonates immediately. Publishers are blunt that traction must be visible through wishlists, demo data, or community activity. Discovery has also shifted. 24% of players find games through influencers compared to just 12 percent through storefronts, pushing developers toward direct-to-consumer distribution. The broader context matters. The global market reached $219 billion and is to grow 4 percent annually through 2028, but growth is concentrated among titles that act as platforms. Independent studios, moving faster and with fewer legacy costs, are thriving, while traditional AAA teams are weighed down by budgets and tighter margins. Taken together, the message is consistent. UGC is mainstream, but publishers are prioritizing platform ownership. For new IPs, innovation, clarity, and tangible traction are no longer optional, they are requirements.

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Accessibility is one of those areas where the smallest innovations can create the biggest impact. 🎮❤️ Really appreciate seeing teams like XBOX continue to evolve and iterate on adaptive gaming solutions — not just as a feature set, but as a reflection of thoughtful design and inclusive experiences. Sometimes people think accessibility is only about accommodation, but at its best, it’s actually about expanding participation, independence, connection, and joy. As someone who helps co-lead our eNable #ERG, I’ve seen firsthand how meaningful these conversations and investments can be, especially when organizations move beyond awareness and into intentional action. The future of gaming should be one where more people can play, compete, create, and belong. 🌎🎮 Posts like this are a reminder that progress often happens through continuous small improvements that collectively make a very real difference. Kudos to the teams continuing to push this space forward. 👏♿ #Accessibility #InclusiveDesign #Gaming #GamingIndustry #AdaptiveGaming #Enable #Leadership #Xbox #TechForGood

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Instead of a GDC recap post, let’s talk about what we’re doing after GDC. Because for me, the real work of GDC happens after GDC. My goal at GDC was to talk to potential candidates for roles I’m currently hiring for, as well as build my network for future hiring needs. So post-GDC looks like this: Organizing: Yup. All those conversations I had need to be documented and organized so my team and I can easily refer back to them. We also start matching candidates to the positions we’re hiring for, letting our hiring managers know the kind of talent we've spoken to, and recapping how our work has impacted their hiring state. Reconnect the dots: It wasn’t just the recruiting team and me at GDC; it was other cross-functional teams we work with. While each team had different goals, we all represented Netflix Games through our respective disciplines and now we connect our work to the larger organizational goals. Industry pulse check: Similar to the above point, there’s a different level of industry sentiment my team and I are privy to. As the folks who are “boots on the ground”, we are listening, taking in the conversations around us, hearing what’s trending, what the opportunities are, how people are feeling, and what things to look out for. This data is shared with our leaders and cascaded to teams so everyone is informed. Follow-ups: For any candidate who was matched to a current open position, we begin the process of getting them into the interview process. We recap the opportunity, the conversation, and provide next steps. For anyone who isn’t a fit for an open position today, we keep them in mind, continue to nurture the relationship, and hopefully reconnect when another opportunity aligns. Back to the day job: Once all of the above happens, I find my rhythm again, and I’m back to work as usual, integrating the work I did at GDC into my continuous work of hiring and helping build my teams. All of this to say, work immediately becomes busy and picks up for me. So that means, my LinkedIn activity can slow down. My responses may be slow or even non-existent. That’s because LinkedIn is mostly a tool I use, but it’s not where my work is happening. So just letting all my connections know it advanced, in case you’re wondering why I suddenly disappeared. So what are you doing post-GDC? What comes AFTER? Recaps are wonderful and thank you to everyone who’s tagged me in theirs 💜 But the real work? When does that happen for you? 🧚🏼‍♀️

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The Talent Funnel in Games is Broken — But There’s Still a Path Forward Right now, the traditional entry → mid → senior career pipeline in the games industry is strained. Studios are leaning heavily on contracted supplemental talent — from individuals and 3rd party vendors — to fill roles that once served as stepping stones for new developers. At first glance, this looks discouraging. Entry and mid-level full-time opportunities are scarce, and many aspiring developers feel locked out of the industry they love. But here’s the other side of it: Contracted roles can provide on-the-job experience that’s every bit as real — and sometimes even more diverse — than studio-bound roles. Through contract work, developers get the chance to: - Work across multiple studios and projects. - Learn different development life cycles, tools, and pipelines. - Pick up techniques and perspectives that a single studio might never expose them to. - Build a network that spans far wider than one org chart. Yes, the funnel is broken. But there’s still a path forward — one where contracted experience can serve as the forge where skills are honed, reputations are built, and careers are launched. For anyone trying to break in: don’t discount the contract route. It may not be the path you envisioned, but it can absolutely be the one that prepares you to thrive when those full-time opportunities return. #GameDevelopment #GameDev #GamingIndustry #Leadership #CareerGrowth #Mentorship #QualityAssurance #Production #ContractWork #TeamCulture

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Last year I was part of a panel and I must say I remain optimistic towards the potential of the gaming industry. The talent in our industry is unique and so passionate - and that is where I believe the power of change lies. https://lnkd.in/dkRGGaga

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85% of game studios have dropped degree requirements. So, why is the talent gap still growing? The truth is, removing the degree barrier was only half the battle. Now, the challenge isn't finding people with certificates: it’s finding people with the actual "surgical" skills needed to ship a hit game. The "Degree Requirement Myth" is the idea that a diploma (or lack thereof) tells you everything you need to know. In reality, the vetting process has never been more critical. Without a deep, technical understanding of game development, it’s easy to hire someone who looks great on paper but can't handle the pressure of a live environment. At Game Recruiter, our leadership didn't just start in HR. We were in the trenches: making, developing, and launching games. We don’t just look at resumes; we vet for the specific, critical skills that make or break a project. If you're tired of the talent gap and need a surgical hire who actually knows their way around a build, let’s talk. #GameDev #GamingIndustry #Hiring #GameRecruiter

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Nintendo Switch 2 Sets Company Record With 3.5 Million Units Sold in First Four Days. The new video game console, bolstered by a new flagship 'Mario Kart' game, launched June 5. https://lnkd.in/gTzsCtNG

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We Need To Be Careful With Layoff Numbers Right Now A widely shared GDC survey stat today, echoed by major press as a larger scale finding, suggested that one third of those surveyed, working in games in the United States, were laid off over the past two years. You all know I, of all people on planet earth, would never downplay the human cost behind games layoffs. Every job lost is a person, a family, and a life disrupted. But there is a very large gap between that figure and what I am seeing in the most comprehensive tracked datasets available, and I think that deserves a closer look. Based on the layoff tracking I maintain by region, North America saw 11,723 games layoffs two years ago and 5,638 last year. That is 17,361 total layoffs across two years. Now we have to pair that with workforce size. The most rigorous attempt I have seen to measure the games workforce comes from Game Industry Coffee Chat, which estimates a median North America games workforce of about 230,000 people: https://lnkd.in/eb_kK9BV Even if we assume every one of those 17,361 layoffs impacted a completely different person, which is unlikely since some individuals were laid off more than once, that equals roughly 8 percent of the workforce over two years. That is still deeply serious. But it is very different from one third. For one third of the workforce to have been laid off in the United States over the past two years, we would be talking about roughly 66,000 people, not 17,361. That is a difference of nearly 49,000 roles. And even if we narrow from North America to the United States only, where GICC estimates about 200,000 games workers, the percentage still lands in the same range, about 8 percent, nowhere near a third. So how do numbers get that far apart? Survey data around layoffs can skew high for many reasons. People who were directly impacted are far more likely to respond. Surveys often circulate most heavily in communities already affected. Definitions of “games industry” vary widely between respondents. Some surveys are global but get interpreted as U.S. only. Others may include contract endings, short term roles, or adjacent tech roles differently. Without tight sampling controls, surveys can end up reflecting who feels the pain most strongly rather than the full workforce picture. None of this makes the last two years any less painful. They have been among the hardest periods our industry has faced. But if we want to advocate effectively for workers, studios, and long term stability, our numbers have to be as rigorous as our empathy. Clear data helps us understand the true scale of the challenge and push for solutions that actually match reality. This is why I have always relied on direct measurement of all figures rather than anything polling or survey related, although those can also be used to calibrate if and when they align with hard data.

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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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