Recruiter Hot Seat
We speak to Massive Entertainment’s Robert Nyberg about how developers can break into the industry, and the benefits of working in Sweden’s games hub
What makes Massive different from other development studios? I am not sure we are very different. We are motivated by a passion for games, we have a strong commitment to quality, and we work hard to make the best possible experience that a gamer can have. I am pretty sure that many other developers would describe themselves this way. But, we do work by a few principles
that we constantly strive to retain. We consider the game to be the ultimate judge; this means that only the game can decide the quality of an idea, and for the game to decide we need to be able to play it; this in turn leads to the fact that we always have to have a playable build.
Another thing that we constantly challenge ourselves with is quality, we consider ourselves to live and die by quality, so quality overkill is our motto, and if you think you can push it a little further, you should do so. I must also add that as an employer,
we view the satisfaction of our individual employees as a key to our success. We are in it for the long run, and we want people to feel fulfilled by their job. We provide a productive development situation, sometimes tailor-made to each individual, and we also offer a healthy work/life balance.
What other benefits are there for those who work at the studio? I think the greatest benefit of working at massive is the co-workers. After that I would say the projects and how we
run them. If we are talking about compensational benefits, we have a number of small perks, but one of the greatest is one that takes place at the start of an employment. We will offer full relocation support
if you move here from another country. We will help with finding an apartment, get the candidate through the visa process, assist with shipping costs and make sure you are entered into the health care system. At first we didn’t think much about
this, it was just something we did, then we started realising the amount of work that goes into it, and how much it helps the new arrivals when they come to Sweden. I realise that this is probably a boring perk, but it holds real value, especially for families. And I almost forgot; a big perk is also the Ubisoft group and all the contacts and wealth of knowledge it brings.
Who is the best interviewee you’ve had, and what made them stand out? I have had many good interviews, but singling out one as ‘the best’ would be unfair to the many great individuals I have meet through the years. However, I can generally say that those that are generous with themselves, honest, and passionate about what they do and are not afraid to show it make a good impression.
And what about the worst interviewee you’ve had? Oh, there are probably many ‘bad interviews’, but in general a bad
GET THAT JOB
We ask specialists how you can score that promotion or move to a new role
THIS MONTH: ARTIST
“For every available artist position, we receive hundreds of applications, so your portfolio has to stand out to survive our efficient sorting process. “It needs to be simple, concise and
easy to navigate, the quicker and easier we can see your body of work the better. “Specialise. If you’re applying for a
character artist position, have only characters in your portfolio. If you’re applying for an environment position, have only environments. “Be creative. It may seem obvious
given our profession, but I’ve lost count of how many unimaginative portfolios I’ve seen filled with generic dumpsters and props.” Pawel Wojs, Lead Battlefield Artist, The Creative Assembly
72 | JULY 2012 BIO
Name: Robert Nyberg Title: Talent Acquisition Manager
www.massive.se
We view the satisfaction of our
individual employees as a key to our success.
Robert Nyberg, Massive
Photo credit: Gotland University, GAME
SIX-SECOND STUDIO SPOTLIGHT
Serious Parody was formed back in 2010 by Daniel Hinkles and Jason Noble
The studio is self-funded and currently has eight members on its development team
The developer has raised £1 million in investment to open a second studio in Dundee, creating 18 new jobs
The developer is currently at work on a ‘huge’ console game, but is keeping details of the project close to its chest
CEO Dan Hinkles says he is looking to further expand the studio and become a major player in the games industry
Previously the team has created iOS sports game Wrestling Manager
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