There and Back Again: One Weird Game Dev Trip
summary
26 years of game dev experience maps to concrete shifts: teams that were 15–40 people then become multi‑studio behemoths (Rockstar cites 6,000 devs on GTA), dev cycles lengthen from ~1 year to 5–8+ years, and funding moves from retail dependence to digital stores, Kickstarter and early access (Kickstarter raises $22M for games in 2024). Crowdfunding saved at least one studio (Pillars), small teams still ship distinctive hits (Pentiment by 13 people), layoffs total ~40,000 since 2022, and crunch gives way to chronic burnout.
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chapters (31)
- 0:00Introduction
- 1:31Talk title struggle
- 2:56Early career at Black Isle
- 3:38Joining Obsidian
- 4:44Industry insecurity
- 6:28Game dev demographics 2000s
- 8:16Team dynamics today
- 9:39Remote work impact
- 11:47Salaries and contracting
- 12:49Unionization and labor
- 15:40Funding models past vs now
- 17:27Retailers' past power
- 18:54Crowdfunding alternatives
- 19:55Team sizes early 2000s
- 21:23AAA paradox today
- 23:32Crunch era cycles
- 24:58Burnout today
- 26:04Office vs remote trade-offs
- 27:49Indie game revolution
- 29:59Gaming scale and diversity
- 31:43Surviving modern industry
- 32:45Role flexibility
- 33:47Contracting viability
- 34:48Finding your audience
- 36:33Building fanbase
- 37:36Social media pitfalls
- 38:42Bad faith criticism
- 39:45Hybrid team cohesion
- 41:09Generational workplace values
- 42:35Accessibility in games
- 44:39Closing remarks
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