Indie to AAA and back again

Advice for those looking to jump the games industry gap

A few years back I moved from working at a company of around ten to company of over 6,000. It was a tough transition and eventually I decided that I missed the immediacy of small teams and changed jobs again. There are many benefits to working at large companies — you just need to decide whether it’s the right fit for you.

Here’s a list of a few things I implore you to take a long walk and really thing about before making the move:

• You’ll be a small fish in a pond that is so humongous you will probably never see the edges of it. Think about how that will feel and whether that’s a good fit for your personality.
• Learn to accept ambiguity — there are probably questions you have about the project you’re on that your manager’s manager simply does not know the answer to. Confidentiality has to be respected. There are things you simply won’t be allowed to know and you’ll need to do good work within those constraints.
• Accept that your job is now a 9–5 and many people you work with will see it that way. The passionate indie lifestyle is not for everyone and won’t be as common to see in your new workplace.
• (This one depends on the company but often) career progression can be slow. In indie, you can jump around to move up the ladder, but some AAA studios will expect many years of service before you can progress.
• The high pressure of indie environments leads to a lot of adrenaline. When you leave, you might find yourself having what I call ‘adrenaline withdrawals’. Feeling like MORE should be happening all the time, or should you be doing more. AAA has a very different pace and it can take months to adjust to this. In short, don’t freak out if you aren’t doing much, especially at first. You went through that grueling application process for a reason! Your employer trusts you and knows that you can do your job. It will take some time to train you in these bigger, more complex systems and teams.

Postcard art by Mari Andrew. Photo by me.

• Internal company networking is a whole new ball game. It is entirely possible that you’ll need to work with other departments and not know anyone from that department. It is up to you to make your own connections. Common spaces like the tea room or cafeteria are important. Make an effort to introduce yourself to people you don’t know. You never know how that connection might be useful in the future.
• Departments within big corps often don’t act like ‘one company’ in the way you might expect. It’s easier to think of them as small businesses that offer services to other businesses. Everything is a deal and there has to be attractive reasons for departments to work together (just as there has to be attractive reasons for businesses to work together!).
• There might be a bonus scheme! These are great. Check your contract to find out how it works at your company.
• Check your contract for IP clauses (this goes for all games jobs really, but they can be especially strict in AAA). You might have to give up hobbies that you enjoy, such as streaming or cosplaying video game characters because the company expects you not to publicly comment or engage with video games.
• Your first six months are a precious time to ask questions. Make the most of this! Ask questions about everything.
• Have an open mind about what constitutes creativity.
• And please, don’t be scared to ask what all the acronyms mean!

There are many benefits to working for larger companies including stability, clarity of position, better salary and benefits and the opportunity to learn another side of your industry, but this doesn’t mean it’s for everyone. You know yourself best and I hope reflecting on these points helps you understand yourself a little better.

And remember: as my very wise friend Steph once told me, there are no wrong decisions in life, only decisions. Even if you work at a big company and you don’t like it the worst that will happen in that you realise you don’t like it and that will empower you to understand work environments you do enjoy, find a job that’s a better fit, and be happier! I don’t regret my decision to work at an AAA company for a moment, even though it ultimately wasn’t the right fit. I learnt so much and met wonderful people and for that I’m grateful.

Best of luck! :)