Tolga Tekin

We've been implementing Neural Texture compression in #Assassinscreedmirage. The overall benefit results in better quality textures for less GPU memory usage (links in the first comment). If you followed the topic since our GDC2024 presentation ,this a very practical application of La Forge's mission to bridge the academic world with Ubisoft. #ubisoft #ubisoftlaforge #innovation 👇 "If you've been thinking, like I have, that we're still some way off seeing AI being used in games for more than just upscaling or frame generation, then it's time to think again" (...) "Enter stage left, neural texture compression to cut down on that memory demand. Given the state of the DRAM and SSD market right now, you can bet your last dollar that a whole heap of game developers will be looking closely at what Ubisoft has done to see if it can help out in their games, too"

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We Need To Be Careful With Layoff Numbers Right Now A widely shared GDC survey stat today, echoed by major press as a larger scale finding, suggested that one third of those surveyed, working in games in the United States, were laid off over the past two years. You all know I, of all people on planet earth, would never downplay the human cost behind games layoffs. Every job lost is a person, a family, and a life disrupted. But there is a very large gap between that figure and what I am seeing in the most comprehensive tracked datasets available, and I think that deserves a closer look. Based on the layoff tracking I maintain by region, North America saw 11,723 games layoffs two years ago and 5,638 last year. That is 17,361 total layoffs across two years. Now we have to pair that with workforce size. The most rigorous attempt I have seen to measure the games workforce comes from Game Industry Coffee Chat, which estimates a median North America games workforce of about 230,000 people: https://lnkd.in/eb_kK9BV Even if we assume every one of those 17,361 layoffs impacted a completely different person, which is unlikely since some individuals were laid off more than once, that equals roughly 8 percent of the workforce over two years. That is still deeply serious. But it is very different from one third. For one third of the workforce to have been laid off in the United States over the past two years, we would be talking about roughly 66,000 people, not 17,361. That is a difference of nearly 49,000 roles. And even if we narrow from North America to the United States only, where GICC estimates about 200,000 games workers, the percentage still lands in the same range, about 8 percent, nowhere near a third. So how do numbers get that far apart? Survey data around layoffs can skew high for many reasons. People who were directly impacted are far more likely to respond. Surveys often circulate most heavily in communities already affected. Definitions of “games industry” vary widely between respondents. Some surveys are global but get interpreted as U.S. only. Others may include contract endings, short term roles, or adjacent tech roles differently. Without tight sampling controls, surveys can end up reflecting who feels the pain most strongly rather than the full workforce picture. None of this makes the last two years any less painful. They have been among the hardest periods our industry has faced. But if we want to advocate effectively for workers, studios, and long term stability, our numbers have to be as rigorous as our empathy. Clear data helps us understand the true scale of the challenge and push for solutions that actually match reality. This is why I have always relied on direct measurement of all figures rather than anything polling or survey related, although those can also be used to calibrate if and when they align with hard data.

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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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I'm happy to welcome Adam Orth, Charlotte Cook, and Cisco Maldonado to our Midwest Games team. As we grow the business and global opportunities to help game publishing and dev teams succeed, adding even more experienced leadership expands our capabilities in many exciting ways. Ben explains the details well in his post below, but as a final point I'll just say it is great to have this momentum and extra horsepower heading into GDC. Can't wait to talk with folks there about the opportunities that may come from partnership!

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User Generated Content, Platforms, and Community From my conversations with publishers and developers in 2025, at DICE, GDC, and even with those who attended Gamescom, it is apparent that the industry is aligning around a cautious but clear set of priorities. Publishers are under pressure to validate demand earlier, lower risk, and build toward models that sustain communities long after launch. A major theme is user generated content. UGC is no longer niche, it is mainstream. Publishers and developers see value in games that naturally generate its own content, clips, streams, and viral moments because they cut down marketing spend and keep communities active. Bain’s 2025 global gaming report reinforces this, noting that younger audiences now prioritize customization, creativity, and social connection over visual fidelity. Yet in my own discussions, publishers repeatedly stressed that while UGC is important, the OWNERSHIP of the platform is the real goal. The titles that become platforms for creativity and social interaction capture double-digit annual user growth and become the center of gravity for both players and creators. Publishers want to be in control of that ecosystem, not just supply content for someone else’s. Market testing through trailers was another recurring point. Instead of building a full vertical slice, teams are creating strong trailers to measure early traction. If wishlists follow, development continues. If not, the project is cut. This aligns with Bain’s finding that traction matters more than originality. Without proof of demand, even the most creative concepts rarely move forward. Sequels remain strong bets, but publishers expect them to evolve. Nostalgic IPs are also being revived in new forms, which is part of a broader trend of franchises expanding across media. Cross-media IP has measurable impact, with acclaimed film or television adaptations lifting game engagement by nearly 70 percent. New IPs are still possible, but the bar is higher. They need a fresh mechanic or a theme that resonates immediately. Publishers are blunt that traction must be visible through wishlists, demo data, or community activity. Discovery has also shifted. 24% of players find games through influencers compared to just 12 percent through storefronts, pushing developers toward direct-to-consumer distribution. The broader context matters. The global market reached $219 billion and is to grow 4 percent annually through 2028, but growth is concentrated among titles that act as platforms. Independent studios, moving faster and with fewer legacy costs, are thriving, while traditional AAA teams are weighed down by budgets and tighter margins. Taken together, the message is consistent. UGC is mainstream, but publishers are prioritizing platform ownership. For new IPs, innovation, clarity, and tangible traction are no longer optional, they are requirements.

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For those of you who might be interested, I am giving 3/4 of a talk at GDC this year along with Brad Hendricks, the CEO of Blind Squirrel. Our talk is about "building a global development team" and my part of the exercise details some of the production practices we use to manage our different teams in different locales around the world in a consistent manner. In particular, I'll be deep diving into how we capture and utilize KPI's from our teams to try and avoid issues in advance of them occurring. The date and time of this extravaganza is: Thursday, March 12 | 11:50am - 12:50pm. Location: Room 3002, West Hall. I hope to see you there!

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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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Today, because it’s Friday, I want to share a little video game with you 😊 It’s a classic 90s-style side-scrolling space shooter. Old school, including pixel art, phasers, torpedoes, enemy fleets, boss fights… and even some very cool retro MIDI music inspired by Star Trek. You pilot different starships inspired by the USS Enterprise and fight your way through waves of enemies across 3 different stages. Pretty fun little arcade experience, but honestly nothing really crazy... So, what’s different about this game? Well… I made it! Yep! And the best part is that I didn’t spend months building it in a game engine. I created it using Moonlake AI, a tool that can generate interactive worlds and game prototypes from prompts, that I got access to. As an experiment and part of some tests, I asked Moonlake to create a retro 2D space shooter inspired by classic arcade games, themed around a sci-fi universe similar to Star Trek. In a few minutes it generated a playable prototype with: • Horizontal scrolling shooter gameplay • Different player ships • Enemy fleets and bosses • Retro pixel-art style • The whole game logic • And yes… even the soundtrack To be clear: this is obviously not a licensed Star Trek game, and it’s not something that could ever be commercialized. It’s just a small creative experiment to test what these new AI tools can do and that’s precisely what makes it interesting. Tools like Moonlake dramatically reduce the friction between having an idea for a game and actually playing a prototype of it. Instead of spending days or weeks setting up a project, you can jump straight into experimenting with mechanics, themes and gameplay loops. That’s incredibly powerful for: • Early game design • Fast prototyping • Testing mechanics • Creative exploration I’ve attached a short video showing the gameplay so you can see how it looks like, but you can also test it just by clicking on the link in the first comment. For anyone working in gaming, AI or interactive media, this is incredibly powerful. We’re entering a very interesting moment where the distance between imagining a game and playing it is getting smaller and smaller. Curious to see how far these tools can go and, in the meantime, I'll continue bilding small prototypes just to have some fun 😁

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The recent news about Wildlight Entertainment confirming layoffs following a "troubled launch" is a sombre reminder of the risks involved in headcount planning. When a studio ramps up for launch, there is immense pressure to hire permanent staff to get the game out the door. But if the launch window softens, or if the game enters a maintenance phase faster than expected, that high headcount becomes a liability. This creates a cycle of "hire-and-fire" that damages employer branding and morale. For the next four quarters, we are advising clients to look closely at "Contingent Search" for production spikes. By utilising contract roles for the final push, you protect your core full-time team. It allows you to scale up capacity without overextending your long-term operational costs. It is not just about saving money; it is about protecting the people you have already committed to.

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This isn't the matrix, it's Steam. Every single AppID since the beginning of time. In total, 25 years worth of PC games coming in at 253,105 unique entries to date. What's even more fascinating is being able to see which were the first ever games available, at the inception point of one of gaming's biggest platforms.

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