Mayank Grover’s Post

Despite Sumo Digital being affected by the ongoing crisis in the gaming industry, the studio execs remained silent when asked whether they are taking pay cuts to help sustain the company. The worst of this impact is being faced by folks who have relocated from a different country altogether. It's because if they are unable to find a job within the next 60 days from the day of their layoff, they will be deported from the country. It’s just plain sad and frustrating to see so many suffer, and that is why I request everyone reading this to support the impacted folks of Sumo Digital. A simple repost or share can help bring visibility from recruiters or game studios who are currently hiring. Mekenna Waddell — The studio coordinator for Sumo Digital, who was with the studio for more than three years. Her peers and colleagues regard Mekenna for the effective work environment she created at Sumo. Freddie Pitcher — A talented lighting artist who first worked for Sumo Digital and then worked for The Chinese Room at a senior level. Check out Freddie’s amazing lighting work that he did for Vampire: The Masquerade Bloodlines 2 - https://lnkd.in/gNvtAeGx Phillip Bennett — A hardcore gaming industry who has been working in the industry since 1999. Moreover, Phillip was with Sumo for over 11 years and has worked on many titles, like Disney’s Tarzan, Harry Potte & the Chamber of Secrets, Spyro, Golden Eye 007, Disney Infinity 3.0, Hitman 2, and Crackdown 3. Daniélle Viljoen — A highly skilled VFX artist who was with Sumo for over three years. Take a look at what she can do for you right here: https://lnkd.in/gMYm3gAs Sandy Steele — A talented game designer who knows Unreal Engine, too. Sandy has been with Sumo for over two years and is regarded as someone who has a special eye for detail. *** Know someone who was impacted by the gaming industry layoffs? For everyone who lost their jobs to the gaming industry's restructuring, we are offering a chance to learn game programming from skilled game programmers, gain a programming edge on your game design, art, production, or testing skills, and turn your vision into reality. Apply here: https://lnkd.in/girzD2K6 *** #layoffsupport

Before you call it a week, I am here to remind you that 10000+ professionals in gaming industry lost their jobs and they might not be partying. You're lucky, if you still have your job. This post will reach founders, hiring managers, HRs, in the gaming industry who're actively looking for new talent.   If you got impacted, drop your introduction below and let everyone know the location where you're looking for job. If you know someone who's hiring for a studio, please mention their names below and let them dig into the comment section. I am asking fellow community members Alexander Rehm, Jordan Mazer, Caitlin Cooke, Hailey Rojas, Kelly Bender, Ruty Rutenberg, Matt Barney, Kat Craig, Ali Farha, Kevin F., and Amir Satvat to boost the thread by dropping the hottest opportunities/resources in the comment section below. WAGMI 💪

Brand new game jobs that opened up in the past 48 hours! 🙏🏻 So many game jobs opened up in the USA that you must share and help these jobs reach the right people. United States Ubisoft is hiring for a Project Specialist, Vendor Management Operations: https://lnkd.in/g7EHr329 📌Cary, North Carolina, Hybrid | 💼 1+ Years 559 jobs from Ubisoft: https://lnkd.in/gw4sCpm4 Azra Games is hiring for an Office Manager: https://lnkd.in/gaxx8cbC 📌California, On-Site | 💼 1+ Years Mythical Games is hiring for a Senior Game Product Manager: https://lnkd.in/gZsED6b7 📌Remote | 💼 3+ Years That's No Moon is hiring for a Lead Technical Artist (Environment): https://lnkd.in/g7hM2a29 📌Los Angeles, California, Remote | 💼 6+ Years PlayStation is hiring for a Community Coordinator: https://lnkd.in/g_Ec9Y6u 📌Los Angeles, California, On-Site | 💼 6+ Years 161 jobs from PlayStation: https://lnkd.in/g6tECzND Gearbox Entertainment is hiring for a Sr. UI Artist: https://lnkd.in/gGxSBWGU 📌Frisco, Texas, On-Site | 💼 3-5 Years Pipeworks Studios is hiring for an Environment Artist: https://lnkd.in/gsXpprv9 📌Eugene, Oregon, Remote / On-Site | 💼 3+ Years Take-Two Interactive is hiring for a Media Systems Engineer I: https://lnkd.in/g7jBp4-f 📌Novato, California, On-Site | 💼 3-5 Years 19 jobs from Take-Two Interactive: https://lnkd.in/grng2J9b City State Entertainment is hiring for a Web Backend Developer: https://lnkd.in/gjMuWxda 📌Bothell, Washington, Remote | 💼 3+ Years Niantic, Inc. is hiring for a UX Manager, Pokémon GO: https://lnkd.in/gSKW6qEK 📌San Francisco, California, On-Site | 💼 2+ Years 61 jobs from Niantic, Inc.: https://lnkd.in/gwfcMjBM Serenity Forge is hiring for a Marketing Manager: https://lnkd.in/gTUYjnkh 📌Boulder, Colorado, Hybrid | 💼 5+ Years Europe Virtuos is hiring for a Junior Gameplay Programmer: https://lnkd.in/gy9cjgNq 📌Paris, Île-de-France, France, On-Site | 💼 1-2 Years Liquid Swords is hiring for an Open Application: https://lnkd.in/gXK_iM29 📌Stockholm, Stockholm County, Sweden, On-Site Guerrilla is hiring for a Sr. Machine Combat Designer: https://lnkd.in/g8jchezQ 📌Amsterdam, North Holland, Netherlands, On-Site | 💼 4-8 Years SEGA is hiring for a Spontaneous Application: https://lnkd.in/gQPv7Jdu 📌Paris, Île-de-France, France, On-Site Fatshark AB is hiring for a Junior Talent Acquisition Specialist: https://lnkd.in/gJy6wbXV 📌Stockholm, Stockholm County, Sweden, On-Site | 💼 1-2 Years Cloud Imperium Games is hiring for an Associate QA Lead Tester: https://lnkd.in/giy7qcEp 📌Manchester, England, United Kingdom, On-Site 66 jobs from Cloud Imperium Games: https://lnkd.in/gDTDZ3U3 *** People to Follow💎 Alexander Rehm Kelly Bender Mirko Minenza Matt Barney Ali Farha Caitlin Cooke Kat Craig Alex Gombos Victoria Sinikliyski *** #layoffsupport #gamingindustry #jobs

If you are a game designer, artist, producer, or tester impacted by the recent layoffs or know someone who was, this post is for you. We are offering a 100% scholarship chance to learn game programming from top industry game programmers, and here is why - Surely, you entered this industry with a vision, and it must be hard to keep faith in that vision, seeing the frequent layoffs in the industry. And it would be a shame if that vision—the very thing you started this journey for, gets lost in oblivion. So, what if you could gain an edge in your game development skills and turn your vision into a reality without ever relying on a game programmer or studio again? Our way of helping is simple: We give you everything you need to build the game of your dreams. We’ll help you acquire the skills you need in return for a chance to see your crazy ideas on a screen. Our goal is to help you become the best version of yourself so you never lose to the gaming industry’s volatile market changes. Maybe you will become an apex indie developer who can design, draw, and code a video game all on their own. Who knows? Find out now: https://lnkd.in/gJyb5vxc *** #layoffsupport #gamedeveloper #gameprogramming #cpp #csharp #gamingindustry

In March, Embracer said it was done with laying off people and shutting down studios. Since then, it has shut down Pieces Interactive AB and Piranha Bytes, most recently. It’s safe to say that Embracer messed up big time with its acquisition spree and what it thought to be a successful future venture. As you can see, they are now being forced to sell some of the studios, shut some down completely, and lay off developers just to clear their debt. To be precise, over 4500 lives have lost their jobs because of Embracer’s short-sighted profit decisions. And now, it has affected Piranha Bytes two days ago! Piranha Bytes was established in 1997 and is an old player in the RPG genre, especially Gothic, which was ahead of its time and gained a cult following that still talks about the series. As of now, a Gothic Remake is in the making by Alkimia Interactive, which was handed over to them by Embracer, hence the mixed feelings by fans and OG developers! Interestingly, the creative brains behind Piranha’s titles, Björn Pankratz and Jennifer Pankratz, have announced a new indie studio called Pithead Studio, born from the closure of Piranha Bytes. They did not let Piranha’s closure stop them from fulfilling what they have always wanted: creating ‘unique and immersive games’. But what happens to Piranha Bytes’ titles? Well, THQ gets to keep them as it acquired Piranha in 2019, and guess who owns THQ? It is quite unfair for the 4500 game devs who had dedicated many years of their lives to building world-class games and were let go after Embracer acquired their studio and kept all of its titles. That is why I am sending support today to a few of the developers from Piranha who were impacted by the studio closure. Requesting everybody reading this to share this post and help bring visibility to the game devs from recruiters and game studios. Rebecca Schütze — A storywriter and social media manager to Piranha Bytes, who was with the studio for over 5 years. Claudia Kien — A skilled cinematic designer experienced in scripting, finishing and producing in-game cutscenes. Claudia worked for Piranha Bytes for over 12 years as a cinematic designer on the Risen and Elex titles. Julien-Marcel Förderer — A graphics programmer who knows OpenGL, GLSL, DirectX 12, HLSL and C++. Julien has a passion for rendering and game development, so here’s a talented graphics programmer if you are looking for one. Jens Pöhlmann — A 2D/3D/environment artist with over 17 years of experience in the gaming industry. Check out all his work here: https://lnkd.in/g6JE3Rts *** Know someone who was impacted by the gaming industry layoffs? For everyone who lost their jobs to the gaming industry's restructuring, we are offering a chance to learn game programming from skilled game programmers in the industry, gain a programming edge on your game design, art, production, or testing skills, and turn your game ideas into a reality. Apply now: https://lnkd.in/gfWRzQYp *** #layoffsupport

If you are a game developer, you must use this post to leverage and get noticed by the thousands of recruiters among my 40K connections on LinkedIn. Context: Every Saturday, we create a post for game developers to expand their network by dropping in their intros and portfolios. Next, to better help them in their search for a new role, we add them to a resource called #HumansOfGaming — a list of all the game developers who are active in the industry. We then tag recruiters, hiring managers, and game studios who have posted job openings most recently and point them towards  #HumansOfGaming. (Link in the comments) So, yet again, I am inviting recruiters and game developers to connect virtually and get to know the community even more. If you are a recruiter, hiring manager, or game studio: a. Drop in your latest job opening, if any. b. Check out #HumansOfGaming before looking elsewhere for your next hire. c. Reach Out to people you see fit for your roles in the comments below. If you are a game developer, drop in: a. Your introduction. b. Your current location. c. Open for relocation status. d. Most important: Link to your portfolio Lastly, tagging all the individuals and game studios with their most recent hiring posts: Chris Jennings - https://lnkd.in/get7qGPc (Larian Studios) Rose H. - https://lnkd.in/g7QWYvf2 (Dambuster Studios) Maja Ekman - https://lnkd.in/gYpXFXBa (Nordisk Games) Jasmine Coppin - https://lnkd.in/gAjadhqG (World of Warcraft) Jordan Hunter - https://lnkd.in/gB4SY5QJ (Rebellion) Brooke Carpenter - https://lnkd.in/gXsYt9vR (Activision) Luke Beazley - https://lnkd.in/gQfXcrut (Starbreeze Entertainment) David Kubalak - https://lnkd.in/gjVAk6dz (Fantastic Pixel Castle) *** #layoffsupport #hiring #networking #gamesnetwork

Latest entry-level game jobs and internships!🎓 Reshare to maximize reach and help aspiring game developers find these jobs. United States Blizzard Entertainment is hiring for an Associate Producer, Diablo Legacy: https://lnkd.in/gPGfhNq5 📌Irvine, California, On-Site | 💼 1+ Years 104 jobs from Blizzard Entertainment: https://lnkd.in/g-Yc3zkf Activision is hiring for an Associate Weapon Rigger: https://lnkd.in/gDjcCdW3 📌Los Angeles, California, On-Site | 💼 < 1 Years 88 jobs from Activision: https://lnkd.in/gdPjF5pv Nintendo is hiring for an Associate Account Administrator: https://lnkd.in/ggn7mNqB 📌Redmond, Washington, On-Site | 💼 1-2 Years 90 jobs from Nintendo: https://lnkd.in/gVwNguvw Stardock is hiring for an Associate Game Designer: https://lnkd.in/gHRYUWbb 📌Plymouth, Michigan, On-Site | 💼 < 1 Years 18 jobs from Stardock: https://lnkd.in/g763cfUS Tencent is hiring for a Research & Development Intern: https://lnkd.in/gRuSpmVN 📌Los Angeles, California, On-Site | 💼 < 1 Years 325 jobs from Tencent: https://lnkd.in/gpBPbjir Lionbridge is hiring for a Games Tester: https://lnkd.in/gKupienp 📌Boise, Idaho, On-Site | 💼 1-3 Years Canada Ubisoft is hiring for a Development Tester: https://lnkd.in/g8aEHCX8 📌Québec City, Quebec, Hybrid | 💼 1+ Years 558 jobs from Ubisoft: https://lnkd.in/gN5XzjAq Amazon Games is hiring for a Studio Admin Manager: https://lnkd.in/g2hgTtTe 📌Montreal, Quebec, Quebec, On-Site | 💼 1-2 Years 15 jobs from Amazon Games: https://lnkd.in/gK4GA5JN Europe Kolibri Games is hiring for a Junior QA Tester: https://lnkd.in/gKghCTP6 📌Berlin, Germany, Hybrid | 💼 1-2 Years Socialpoint is hiring for a Systems Engineer: https://lnkd.in/gbyVRzdR 📌Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain, On-Site | 💼 1-2 Years 24 jobs from Socialpoint: https://lnkd.in/g7g6bn-p Miniclip is hiring for a QA Tester: https://lnkd.in/g7dCp-Qm 📌Zoetermeer, Netherlands, On-Site | 💼 1-2 Years Newzoo is hiring for a Design Intern: https://lnkd.in/gP6kQByN 📌Amsterdam, Holland, Hybrid | 💼 < 1 Years Worldwide Bungie is hiring for a Gameplay Designer, Destiny: https://lnkd.in/gUBrmYkZ 📌Worldwide, Hybrid | 💼 1-2 Years DECA Games is hiring for a QA Tester: https://lnkd.in/gjhu4rxj 📌Worldwide, Remote | 💼 1-2 Years 16 jobs from DECA Games: https://lnkd.in/g2EJAkfX *** Must Follow 💎 Alexander Rehm Kelly Bender Caitlin Cooke Jordan Mazer Matt Barney Ali Farha Kat Craig Ash C. Kevin F. *** #layoffsupport #games #jobs #gamingjobs #gamingindustry

For the game developers impacted by the layoffs, this post is for you. A time when game developers are being unfairly sacked from their jobs so that the higher-ups can keep profits for themselves even if the profits are in pennies. So, what drives the gaming community to look after each other in disastrous times like these? Well, it's an unconditional calling to stand up for people who are going through the toughest times of their lives. In all the capitalistic-pov decisions made by the game studios you might observe daily, these creators dedicate their precious time to community service without financial expectations. And because many creators in the gaming community are selflessly working to provide resources for these game developers, it is only logical to push their resources even more so they reach the right people. That is why I am back with the Layoff Resource Kit — a weekly collection of resource updates from the gaming industry creators (updated to their latest resource). The Kit includes upskilling resources, links to game career pages, accessible game dev mentors, lists of experienced industry candidates, and much more below. Amir Satvat — Visit https://amirsatvat.com/ for resources to help you find work and gain visibility via posts. Alexander Rehm — Video Game Studio Support Jobs Mega Post — https://lnkd.in/gcajyagG Jordan Mazer — Prebuilt Boolean searches to find jobs from game studios on Google that you might not find on LinkedIn — https://lnkd.in/gWTTexVH You should definitely check out Jordan’s brand new dedicated game jobs board to find the hottest jobs every week — http://www.gamejobs.gg/ Kelly Bender — Latest game job alerts — https://lnkd.in/ghTVtYHw Ali Farha — The ultimate game development resource collection that can help game devs of all video game disciplines — https://lnkd.in/gNgWgvuY Kat Craig — Freshest UI/UX and Visual Design game job resource — https://lnkd.in/gcyHscjB Mirko Minenza — 20 new jr./mid remote game jobs in US/Europe — https://lnkd.in/gRPRaYRy Thomas Woodhams — Tips during cold reach-outs to recruiters and hiring managers — https://lnkd.in/g-Ps8z6w Kevin F. — Freshest game marketing jobs — https://lnkd.in/gV9zirbq Don't forget to follow Matt Barney for some of the most relaxing and wittiest insights into the gaming industry. *** #layoffsupport #gamedev #gamingindustry #gamingcommunity

Sumo Digital had quite a profitable financial year in 2023, especially after the well-received release of The Texas Chainsaw Massacre. So it was a shock when Sumo announced it was laying off almost 250 individuals and shutting down Timbre Games. In fact, The Texas Chainsaw Massacre was played enough times to result in a completely new fan base for Sumo and a taste of the immense potential that Sumo could deliver. But, in the end, it is painful to see that some of the impacted game developers had spent years working on the said title, and when it was time to reap the rewards of their hard work, they were let go. So, I humbly request everyone to support the few impacted folks mentioned here by resharing the post as much as possible. A simple reshare will help bring visibility to the people impacted by game recruiters and studios. Alice Kent — Her journey from a secondary English teacher to a narrative designer for Sumo Digital is one of taking that leap of faith. For Sumo Leamington, Alice worked on Sumo’s anticipated racing title, Stampede: Racing Royale. Issy Hine — A concept artist for The Chinese Room who worked on their thrilling title Still Wakes the Deep. Previously to that, she has also once worked for visual effects giant Industrial Light & Magic. Kodie Williams — Once praised by the creator of cartoon hits like Samurai Jack and Dexter's Laboratory, Kodie is a remarkable technical animator and rigger. Her responsibilities at The Chinese Room were rigging models and setting their bone structures right. Kodie has worked on titles Still Wakes the Deep and Vampire the Masquerade: Bloodlines 2 as a rigger and technical animator Richard Griffin — A senior environment artist who was with Sumo Digital for over 7 years and has an overall XP of 12+ years in the gaming industry. During his time, Richard worked on titles like Hitman 2, Sack Boy: A Big Adventure, and COD. Most recently, he was working on an unannounced AAA project. Check out Richard’s ArtStation: https://lnkd.in/gGQFBpcc Jak Wharton — One of the QA testers for Sumo Digital who worked for over three years at the studio. Jak has been looking after his colleagues despite being laid off himself, which only proves his team-supporting skills. *** If you were impacted by the layoffs and are looking to upskill, we are offering you a 100% scholarship on our $11,000 flagship game programming BootCamp: https://lnkd.in/gtP2zY6U *** #layoffsupport