Van Ricketts

When studios close, sourcers should be the first responders. News broke this week that The Outsiders, the studio behind Metal: Hellsinger, is shutting down after parent company changes. For the developers, designers, and artists impacted, it’s a tough moment. For TA leaders, it’s also a moment of truth. Whenever there’s a sudden shock - whether in gaming, tech, finance, aviation, or energy - hundreds of highly skilled people hit the market at once. And here’s the reality: only companies with modern, proactive sourcing pipelines will be positioned to catch them. I learned this the hard way when I built a global sourcing function at Keywords Studios. The sourcers who thrived weren’t the ones chasing reqs after the fact. They were the ones who kept “warm nets” in place; tracking talent communities, nurturing conversations, and knowing where the skill clusters lived before the layoffs. This applies far beyond game dev: 🧑‍💻 Tech startups: when funding dries up, engineers and PMs scatter. Are you already connected to them? 🛬 Aviation: route closures or MRO downsizing create rare windows to hire certified specialists. Do you have them mapped? 💲 Finance: regulation shifts often trigger sudden exits of risk & compliance staff. Is your sourcing team on top of it? In the GCC, the opportunity is even bigger. As global firms set up in the UAE and the broader region, the TA teams who already have sourcing networks in niche domains will massively outperform those who try to start from scratch. So here’s the question I’d love to throw out: 👉 If your company went under today, how would you want other orgs to “rescue” you, and where would you expect them to source you from? #TalentAcquisition #StrategicSourcing #GamingIndustry #GCC #FutureOfWork #TalentSourcing #Recruitment

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I want to demystify how ASGC tracks games industry job cuts so you understand what goes into the numbers The way we track industry reductions is far more rigorous than most people realize. I occasionally see comments wondering if we only use public announcements, WARN notices, or that we miss contractors, co dev teams, and non traditional roles. I understand why people might assume that, but that is not how our system works. Collecting jobs data is the most resource intensive process in our community because it shapes our support too. Step one is public information. We monitor news reports, company statements, WARN filings, and government notices. That is just the starting point. Step two is direct community reporting at scale. Every year I receive 5-10K+ messages, just related to job cuts, across LinkedIn, Discord, and email from people sharing what happened to them, their teammates, or their organizations. Much of this never appears in the press. It includes contractors, co dev partners, support studios, and indirect roles, not just FTEs at major publishers. Step three is individual signal tracking. I regularly review posts from professionals who are suddenly open to work or referencing team changes. These signals confirm patterns or reveal cuts that were not announced. All of this flows into a large internal tracking system that helps me understand not just how many roles were affected, but who was impacted, where, and when. That context allows our community to reach out and design support that matches reality rather than headlines. Is it perfect? No. I am still working to improve visibility in regions where transparency is lower. But I can say sincerely this process goes far beyond public records and is more comprehensive than any single external source. You may notice that, for a few years, I no longer publicly name organizations when cuts happen unless they request a Games Org support post. That is intentional. My goal is to avoid errors and avoid shaming, because I recognize that not every reduction comes from bad intent. Sometimes funding ends, contracts fall through, or projects conclude despite leaders trying to do right by their teams. Also, my approach is to build bridges and encourage quiet, meaningful accountability. I regularly hear that organizations know ASGC tracks layoff decisions and understand their actions will reach me, even with smaller or less visible cuts. That awareness, even without public callouts, can influence how situations are handled. Most importantly, workers know their experience is not invisible. Individual data is never shared publicly. People trust me with personal information, and I take that seriously. What I share are patterns, totals, and insights that help us mobilize support. So when we talk about industry cuts, please know this is not casual scorekeeping. It is the result of thousands of conversations and careful tracking to make sure every affected games person counts.

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Once again another hard day in the gaming industry. I'm so heart broken for so many people affected across the industry. I'm doing my best to help however I can - though networking, hiring into the roles we have open, and sharing candidates' information with others who may be hiring for positions that better fit their skills. My goal, my joy here at Blizzard, is to match people to the right roles & match the right roles to the right people. However I will say as much as I love games, please, please, please know it's OK to pivot out of games. And it's OK to do it right away if you need to. Paying the bills, feeding your family, and keeping a roof over your head are the most important things and that's absolutely OK. A little bit of research shows that rapidly growing industries right now are renewable energy, healthcare (healthtech more specifically), cybersecurity, software, IT and financial services. There are others on the list you can find with a quick search. I don't want to discourage you from applying for jobs in gaming. But limiting yourself only to game jobs right now may be like cutting both your hands off and maybe both your legs off, too. It can be scary stepping outside of your comfort zone, especially when your resume only covers one area of experience. Learning how to format your resume for new types of roles you may start applying to will be extremely important. It's ok to have more then one resume. When I wanted to pivot into recruiting from 3D Artist, I had absolutely NO recruiting experience. However after much research-and soul searching-I learned how to format my resume (& cover letter) to highlight skills I already had. Skills like hiring, interviewing, project management, and stakeholder/client-facing experience from previous roles that I had held that could be paired with my background as a 3D Artist. Then a stellar studio called The Third Floor liked what they saw and took a chance, brought me in for an interview and the rest is history. I never would have had that opportunity if I hadn't reformatted my resume to catch their eye for that recruiting role. I see a lot of resumes that don't pivot for the job the person is applying for. And it genuinely bums me out; it feels like a missed opportunity and wasted effort. Often, the resume doesn't show the skills needed for the role. I bet if they had taken some time and spent some time tailoring their resume for that type of role they were applying to, they would have had a better shot. Don't just list off the hard skills, make sure to cover your soft skills from previous roles as well! Those are important! You don't need a custom resume for every job application. Just create two to three well formatted versions, each tailored to different types of roles you’re pursing. A bit more leg work in the beginning, helps pay off more later. I hope that is helpful during this time. And no I'm not selling you a service. You can do research online to learn this stuff free.

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I’ve interviewed hundreds of people across my 20+ years in the video game industry — as a tester, production manager, and recruiter. Something I see constantly is that talented people struggle with interviews, not because they lack ability, but because they rarely get real practice with industry-level questions. So I’m experimenting with something new. I’m going to start recording mock interviews with aspiring game industry professionals. The goal is twofold: • Give the interviewee real practice and actionable feedback • Let others see what strong answers and common mistakes actually look like Think of it like a behind-the-scenes look at how game industry interviews really work. If you're someone trying to break into games (or level up your career) and you're open to being interviewed on camera, comment below or send me a message. We already have at least 3 volunteers lined up, and I’m excited to see where this goes. If it helps enough people, I may turn this into a regular series. After two decades in games, helping people navigate their careers might be one of the most meaningful things I can do with what I’ve learned. Let’s build something useful for the community.

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If you've never hired a game developer to a non-games role, you are missing out on some of the smartest, hardest working, most adaptable employees out there. These are people who have to completely re-learn their craft every few years as technologies and tools change rapidly. They know how to work smarter. They don't panic. They don't say "that's not my job" Every game dev I've ever known that's left to other fields has been an immediate rockstar anywhere they went.

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I was recently honored to be asked to do a talk with the IGDA Neurodivergent in Game Development SIG. While I was going to do a writeup of what was discussed, Monica Fan did a much better job of it than I did so I'm going to copy her notes shamelessly and share here with a few extra notes. The group has monthly discord meetups, so if you're interested, msg Monica for an invite to the next one! ⭐ Networking is important, but it can take years for friends to turn into opportunities. People prefer helping others they trust and like. So, trying to rush for a job during the networking event can have the opposite effect. The best network is always with people who have worked with you, or know you, in some capacity, so be kind and uplift people around you, this can go a long way. Additionally, don't wait to start networking when you need something. You can't go out to a barren patch of dried dirt and expect tomatoes the next morning. Networking is like tending a garden. Those who water it daily, or at least regularly, yield the best results. ⭐ Network with people who are in the position you want, who are in a similar career stage. A game director at a major studio will likely have much wisdom and can be a good ally, but they also may not be the most helpful in finding you an entry-level job. ⭐ In-person interaction is still more effective than online networking. If online is the only choice you have, you need to work extra hard to maintain connections. Being proactive will get you the best results here. Unfortunately humans still fall victim to proximity bias. ⭐ Follower/connections numbers don't mean too much if there is no interaction and conversation. Knowing who your ally is is more effective than having the bigger number for a game dev career (if your goal is to be an influencer, this doesn't apply, of course). ⭐ Find events that fit your niche, where you can be comfortable being authentic and shine. If you are prone to sensory overload, avoid the clubs and large parties at conferences. There's now an upswing in smaller, cozier meetups. Seek them out! ⭐ The higher you go in a company hierarchy, the more important it is to establish trust with your team above and below. If you're looking for your first role in a position of leadership, you will need allies currently in the company. ⭐ Companies hiring usually have a hole they are trying to fill. If you can find out the shape of the hole, you would have a huge advantage during the application. ⭐ Do you know most people like food? A food service gift card can be a good replacement if inviting out for coffee is not an option. I've bought people UberEats/DoorDash/etc. cards to "buy them lunch" as a thank you for their time.

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