Since it’s easier than ever for developers to self-publish, why should they instead join The Creative Assembly? With the Total War series and our upcoming Alien-related console title, we’re working on projects that are far beyond the scope and capabilities of smaller outfits. There’s a tremendous amount of resources going into both our development teams, and joining us is an opportunity to help fashion world-class games that will have a significant impact. We’re also a very stable studio. We work in a really collaborative way and everyone’s roles are well-defined.
What area of the industry needs more investment? Human resources. I know, that’s a bit biased. But often, the recruitment experience for candidates can lack the personal touch, and just a simple email reply can make the difference between us finding or losing the right candidate. For every applicant that we receive
a CV from, we ensure we reply, even if they’re not successful. On a wider scale, I think it’s
important that investment in education is taken more seriously. Creating an exceptional pipeline of star graduates will invigorate UK development in the coming years, and this will rely on smart investment early on. More content makers means more content, and that’s an important aspect in the future of the UK economy.
How many people is The Creative Assembly planning to hire? We grew from 160 people to 185 last year alone. This year, we wil be hiring to well past the 200 mark.
What fields are you recruiting from? The Creative Assembly is hiring in virtually every discipline at the moment, for both PC and console development. Lighting artists, multiplayer programmers, AI programmers, designers, audio engineers; the list is pretty big.
The Creative Assembly is
hiring in virtually every discipline at the moment, for both PC and console development.
Given the success and critical acclaim of the Total War series, has this made it easier or harder to recruit for the company? Both, to be honest. We’re known mostly for the Total War PC strategy series, which is obviously an ideal situation when you’re hiring for a team that consistently releases 90 per cent plus Metacritic games. But we also have a large and fast-growing console team, which is now entering full production on our new project based on the Alien IP. The game is enormously ambitious
and exciting, and I want to shout about what they’ve achieved already from the rooftop, which is obviously hard when the game isn’t yet formally announced. It’s shaping up to be an incredible experience, and I think that must be a very attractive prospect to potential CA candidates.
NEW STUDIO ALERT!
MOVERS AND SHAKERS
This month: Red 5, GamesAid, Bossa, Kixeye and Wooga add to ranks with young talent and veterans
RED 5 STUDIOS Crytek developer URY ZHILINSKY has left the Crysis studio to join online outfit Red 5 Studios, where he will take up the
role of senior graphics programmer. Zhilinksy has worked in the
industry for over ten years, most recently as R&D manager and senior R&D graphics programmer at Crytek. “We’re still a relatively small team
here at Red 5 Studios because we’ve been very selective when choosing ‘tribe’ members,” said Red 5 CEO, Mark Kern. “It’s not just about talent, it’s about what happens when you put together a group that shares the same commitment to quality, community, and fun. “Ury’s skill and experience make him an asset that any team would be happy to have, but it’s his development philosophy that makes him a good fit for the ‘tribe’.” The studio added that it is
currently recruiting programmers for work on its upcoming online action game Firefall for PC.
GAMESAID Intent Media managing director STUART DINSEY has been appointed as chairman of UK industry charity GamesAid. “Having been in the games business for over 25 years, I know exactly how a lot of people feel about charity,” said Dinsey. “In reality, they want to support
it – it is a good thing – but fund-raising has to be done the right way, objectives must be clearly set out and there must be complete transparency and inclusiveness at all times. “GamesAid fits the criteria above, which is why I am happy to be chairman, but I will be firmly in the background. The GamesAid stars are its ambassadors and members – people within the business trying to make a difference in whatever way they can. The Trustees are just here to encourage, help and control where required. All fund-raising ideas and suggestions are welcome.”
A NEW mobile studio named PlaySide has been launched by former staff of the now defunct Melbourne studio Visceral Games. Founded by game designer
Gerry Sakkas and devs Aaron Pasias and Mark Goulopoulos, the studio is to focus on bringing its triple-A skills to the mobile space.
WWW.DEVELOP-ONLINE.NET “We are very fortunate to have
a team that already knows how to develop triple-A console games,” says Sakkas. “So as the mobile space grows and matures we will easily be able to adapt to any changes that come our way.
www.facebook.com/ playsidestudios
BOSSA Social games developer Bossa Studios has appointed former Sony Computer Entertainment vice president YOSHIFUSA
HAYAMAas creative director. He will strive to help the UK studio in its
ambition to bring 3D to the social games market. Hayama has previously worked on titles such as Ico, the Final Fantasy series and the upcoming PS3 title The Last Guardian, but left the company to join Bossa. “The future of gaming is online and thanks to recent developments with Flash 11 there is no reason why a social game can no longer be as visually stunning and as compelling as the big console titles,” said Hayama. “At Bossa we have plans to bring a
plethora of games to Facebook and eventually other appropriate social media channels, which include 3D elements and can be enjoyed by all age and interest groups.”
KIXEYE Former Zynga exec and Lionside founder BRANDON BARBER has joined studio Kixeye as senior VP of marketing.
Barber, who was previously VP of marketing Zynga, has also worked at Electronic Arts as senior director of global online marketing. “In order to continue crushing our
competition, we need to bring in the best talent on the planet,” said Kixeye CEO Will Harbin “Brandon fits that description. His
track record of innovation, execution and entrepreneurialism will help us up our game as we develop the next generation of mind-blowing online combat games.”
WOOGA GITTA BLATT has joined German social games studio Wooga as head of human resources. Blatt, who
previously held the
same role at Bigpoint, will “focus first and foremost on personnel development and the recruitment of new employees”. “Her views, her vitality and her
commitment convinced me that she was the right person to guide the rapid growth that Wooga is currently experiencing,” said Wooga founder Jens Begemann. “Her ideal company culture
corresponds with mine, and her experience – both with the development of a company and in the gaming industry – is unique.” The studio said it is currently
hiring two new employees per week and plans to grow to 250 staff by the end of 2012.
FEBRUARY 2012 | 67
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