A
lmost a quarter century since its founding in Ireland, Keywords Studios remains something of an enigma. It is among the
most well-connected studio groups in the world, having partnered with almost every company of note in the gaming industry in recent years (acquiring a good few of them in the process). In terms of size and reach, with more than 70 service and development studios in 26 countries, collectively it is the equivalent of almost any triple-A publisher you care to mention. Ask the typical gamer if they’d heard of Keywords Studios, however, and it would be a safe bet that a bemused look and a slow shake of the head would follow, despite the fact that Keywords would very likely have had a hand (or at least a finger) in many of their most-played games. Such is the fate of the dutiful codeveloper; to exist in the shadows. Equally obligated to avoid the glare of gaming’s
oft-misdirected spotlight (this is his first industry interview) is Bertrand Bodson, who in December will celebrate his first year as Keywords’ CEO. And what a year it’s been: since the Summer alone Keywords has acquired studios in Melbourne, Vancouver and Cincinnati, and recently opened two more outposts in Brisbane and Adelaide, as well massively expanding offices in Katowice, Poland. “We have 11,000 people now across a fairly
broad geographical footprint” says Bodson, who insists the company’s outwardly unabating growth is not simply about getting bigger for the sake of it. “Why this really matters is that it allows the company, our publishers and our clients [to mobilise resources].” With its recently bolstered presence in Australia, “it gives us access to talent pools all across the world, which is really the name of the game.” Apply the term outsourcing in relation to
Keywords and Bodson winces, perhaps because it implies a master-servant relationship; obligation above enthusiasm. Rather, having a full suite of
services in every corner of the world, Bodson argues, allows Keywords to be more strategically aligned to its clients and for its service lines to be fully invested in the desired outcome of helping to deliver a successful game - one that Keywords would be just as proud to put its name to as the developer that leads it. To that end, as part of its five-point plan developed by Bodson and his team, Keywords has established new roles within many of its creative studios that “can effectively be embedded within publishers, and truly think about the best needs to address a specific challenge.” In addition, Bodson is keen to find ways to bring studios within Keywords closer together to address the same issues, “but on behalf of publishers, on behalf of our clients, on behalf of our partners.”
“Gaming is
something where I find there is very little ego.”
FACING THE FUTURE Given the fact that Keywords has more than 950 clients across the world and has worked successfully with what it considers to be 23 of the top 25 gaming companies, it’s clear that Bodson has an enviable view of the gaming landscape, not just in terms of where the global industry is at right now, but where it might be headed and the challenges on the horizon. “You’re right,” he says, “we see a lot of things across different publishers. There are many challenges that come
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