interview, he blew us away; not only did he have a very strong technical background, but his commercial acumen was also impressive. He’d done his homework and knew pretty much everything about us, our games and our tech. He was incredibly passionate and a
great communicator, and our CEO at that time was so impressed that he almost offered him the position on the spot at the end of that interview. Well, not only did we offer him the CTO position, but after a few years, he ended up as our CEO. And that’s how Mark Gerhard joined us.
And the worst? The worst applicants are the ones who haven’t spent any time at all researching us before their interview.
What are your tips for succeeding in an interview? Do your homework before each interview. Normally your interviewer will spend about 30 minutes going through your CV, your portfolio and your websites before the interview to make the best use of your time. The minimum you can do is to spend as much time as possible researching the company, what games they make – try them, what tech they use, and so on. This will help you massively during the actual interview. Also, try to control your stress.
There are a few things you can do before the actual interview to put yourself at ease: do your homework, rehearse with a friend, prepare a list of questions to ask at the end, and try to find some information about your interviewers. Check their LinkedIn profiles, Google their names and so on. Don’t be afraid to show your passion. Be yourself, honest and concise.
The UK ‘Brain Drain’; is it a serious issue, or over-exaggerated? In the last 18 months, I’ve travelled across the UK to visit several less fortunate studios that, for one reason or another, had to let staff go. I’ve met so many passionate, experienced and inspiring professionals that I simply cannot agree with the idea of a UK brain drain.
The worst applicants are
the ones who haven’t spent any time at all researching us before their interview.
The UK still produces a large number of the most talented professionals and graduates for the games industry. Having said that, there are still a
few disciplines suffering a shortage of experienced professionals in the UK, forcing gaming companies to look abroad. These are roles like UI experts, product analysts and social games designers.
Why should devs still be interested in working for a big studio when going indie is a popuar option? I’m a fan of indie development; I think it brings a breath of fresh air to our industry. But working for a big studio gives you the chance to grow, to confront yourself, and to share your knowledge and experience with a large number of industry professionals who are as passionate as you.
NEW STUDIO ALERT!
SPLASH DAMAGE London-based studio Splash Damage has snapped up former EA executive GRIFF JENKINS (above, left) as its new director of production. Jenkins oversaw promotion and building up of the publisher’s major franchises from FIFA to Need for Speed whilst working as senior development director at the company for seven years. “Following FIFA’s incredible
A NEW DIGITAL studio based in London called Hutch Games has been founded by five former console developers. Formed in June 2011, the outfit has
just released its first game on iOS, Smash Cops, which has gone on to top the charts in the US, Canada and Australia, while thriving in Europe.
WWW.DEVELOP-ONLINE.NET “Our goal is to challenge the status
quo, whether that be in player controls like Smash Cops or in areas with accepted annoyances in social, freemium, mobile, location, storytelling, business models, or even changing the way we work,” says Technical Director Sean Turner.
www.hutchgames.com
success, Jenkins’s new role at Splash Damage will improve our games by improving the way we make them,” stated the Brink developer’s CEO Paul Wedgwood.
“Under his leadership we’ll elevate
production to a discipline on par with art, design, and programming. These are areas that we’ve always constantly strived to improve, and production should be no different.”
MOVERS AND SHAKERS
This month: Jagex, Splash Damage and Big Fish Games add experienced professionals to their teams
JAGEX Runescape developer Jagex has appointed former Rockstar art and animation director ALEXANDER
HORTON as chief creative officer as part of the studio’s preparation to enter the “mass market online gaming” sector with titles such as Transformers Universe. “Jagex has been around ever since
I’ve been in the industry and it’s been amazing to witness their development and creativity in the online gaming space over the last decade,” said Horton. “Multiplayer browser-based online gaming is the future and I am hugely excited and honoured to be a part of the UK’s largest independent development space in this environment. Jagex is certainly the place to be.” Whilst at Rockstar, Horton worked as leader animator on Grand Theft Auto 3, as well as working on titles including Manhunt and western Red Dead Revolver. Most recently he has been
freelancing for almost three years as a consultant and designer for clients such as EA and DefJam Entertainment, specialising in disciplines including art direction and virtual cinematography.
In a busy month for the studio, it has appointed former Ninja Theory lead gameplay programmer MARC FASCIA (above, right) as technical director. He will oversee all engineering teams at the company. Fascia has previously worked on games such as Enslaved: Odyssey to the West, and has worked in the industry for over 13 years. “I’m really happy to be trusted with this incredible responsibility at Splash Damage,” Marc Fascia said. “We’re working on some great
things, and managing such a big and talented programming team, across multiple varied and challenging projects. It’s a wonderful opportunity.”
BIG FISH GAME Seattle-based casual games publisher Big Fish Games has hired ex-Rovio and Microsoft
marketing head
WIBE WAGEMANS to head up its mobile business. Wagemans, who flew the Rovio nest back in October, previously held the role of SVP of global brand advertising at the Angry Birds developer, and before that was head of global marketing for Microsoft’s Bing for mobile. “Wibe is a data-driven brand
steward who understands the distinct needs of mobile consumers and how to scale a growing portfolio of first and third-party content to mobile fans worldwide,” said Big Fish CEO Jeremy Lewis. “With the addition of Wibe, we add another tremendously skilled member to our team.”
KONAMI
Konami has been through a significant restructuring of its top ranking staff, naming TOMOYUKI
TSUBOI as president of Konami Digital Entertainment. He replaces SHINJI HIRANO
(above), who has assumed the role of president of Konami Digital Entertainment Europe. Tsuboi, who has been at the
company for 14 years, is to look to expand the business and build its success around franchises such as Metal Gear Solid, Pro Evolution Soccer and Silent Hill. Hirano, meanwhile, takes over
from previous Europe head Kunio Neo, taking on similar roles to Tsuboi.
MARCH 2012 | 75
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