Nathan Burba

Creating games is very difficult. And building games is challenging. The process of build requires to compile the code and all the data required in the game in a specific sequence involving many dependencies. As such monitoring the outcome is essential, but not sufficent. What if we were able to predict the outcome of a build ? What if we were able to decrease the required computing resources while increasing our iteration capability ? #Ubisoft #Ubisoftlaforge #innovation

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Horrible news to hear about KeokeN Interactive having laid off their entire team today. In a statement published on X, CEO Koen Deetman and managing director Paul Deetman��said the Netherlands-based studio was forced into the decision after exhausting all possible options for completing planned projects or taking on other work. To those affected, please find a comprehensive list of resources, below: 🥇First, Discipline Games Jobs Resources: Over the past weeks I have created 9 (at time of writing) Games Jobs Resources to find jobs in a wide range of disciplines: 🎨 Art, Animation, VFX and UI: This resource contains around 1,000 jobs worldwide across all links. Link: https://lnkd.in/eKAHK7VF ⚙ Engineering and Programming This resource lists just over 1,800 jobs worldwide across all links. It also talks about interview tips and questions to practice. Link: https://lnkd.in/eYdxANFM 🕹 Quality Assurance: This resource lists over 450 QA jobs worldwide. This post also talks about the craft of QA and contains tips and interview practice. Link: https://lnkd.in/dwwVjZuc 📑 Game Production: This resource lists around 400 jobs worldwide. It also contains info about game production as a whole and GDC talks. Link: https://lnkd.in/gxDvFM-Z 📢 Marketing & Community: This resource lists around 400 jobs worldwide. It also gives an intro into game marketing and community management. Link: https://lnkd.in/e5MuViug 🎶 Audio and Sound Design: This resource lists around 190 jobs worldwide. Link: https://lnkd.in/eSkPSsWf 📠 Studio Support, HR, Recruitment and BizDev: This resource lists around 290 jobs worldwide. Link: https://lnkd.in/ePG57_7v ⚙ IT, Helpdesk and DevOps: This resource lists around 140 jobs worldwide. Link: https://lnkd.in/e8ZsuiZh 🎮 Game Design: This resource lists around 440 jobs worldwide. https://lnkd.in/dCv_hQXv 🥈 Second, the Ultimate list of Video Games Career Resources: This should be your one-stop shop for all information. My dear friend Amir Satvat maintains these documents, he is a legend for doing this - please check them out: https://amirsatvat.com/ 🥉 Third, do not give up. Ever. No matter how dark things may look right now, I KNOW you will get through this, you have got this! 👊 Remember you are not alone. If you need help, advice, or even an ear to listen, we're here for you. Always! ➡ A request to my community, please can I ask you to repost this post to your colleagues and friends, so that we can get as many into jobs as possible! And please comment if you or your studio are currently hiring - let's help each other! Much love ❤️ #layoffs #gamesindustry #jobsingames #keokeninteractive (source: https://lnkd.in/eWK2PgvX)

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Friends, In an effort to adapt and grow with our ever-changing community, I have realized that we can do better in supporting those struggling to find their place in games. Together with Hailey Rojas and Desirée Rincón, we have refined what is to become our brand new, 16th resource on AmirSatvat.com: Hailey Rojas' #opentonetwork, her amazing passion project. This is different from our community coaching. It is meant to be our lightest touch and easiest access peer-to-peer connection point within the community. There is no expectation of a coaching conversation, but simply that you want to connect with someone and get to know them better on whatever terms you want. As a student herself, Hailey has experienced firsthand how intimidating building connections can be when starting out. This has been a passion project for Hailey, and she has already enrolled hundreds of people. Therefore, if you are currently #OpenToNetwork, I encourage you to join the nearly 400 individuals who are actively looking to strengthen their networks. This will go on AmirSatvat.com under Category 6: Community Voice. https://lnkd.in/dynRXCV9 This is not community coaching. For those formalized programs, please enjoy the four resources under category 2 at amirsatvat.com: https://lnkd.in/dQVT4U4y These resources are not mutually exclusive and I encourage you to explore both #opentonetwork and our community coaching. If you want to sign up, you can do that here: https://lnkd.in/e4X92puw To view the list of people #opentonetwork, please go here: https://lnkd.in/e9AvBNJx In a world where the power of connections is more potent than ever, it is never too late to introduce yourself and share who you are, without fear of being judged. Once again, I would like to thank our community for their constant support as we continue to improve the quality of resources offered. Finally, I would like to offer a huge thanks again, and again, and again, and again to Desirée Rincón, Amir Satvat's Games Community's Head of Design and my dear friend, for another masterpiece - god I love this one and isn't she just crazy talented? Hire this amazing human being please - you can ping her directly on LinkedIn! All the best, Amir

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UMG's Partnership with SoundLabs Brings Advanced AI Technology to Music Production Universal Music Group (UMG) has announced a collaboration with SoundLabs, a music technology company known for its AI tools designed for music creators. This partnership will allow UMG's artists and producers to use SoundLabs' MicDrop plugin, an AI-powered tool compatible with all major digital audio workstations. The plugin can be trained on an artist's voice, enabling the creation of custom vocal models for studio use. UMG, which works with prominent artists like Taylor Swift, The Weeknd, Adele, and Kendrick Lamar, highlights that this tool provides artists with full creative control and approval over the generated content. The MicDrop plugin offers several innovative features, including the ability to modify vocal timbres, transform speech into singing, and change the language of a vocal recording. This technology allows artists to release foreign-language versions of their songs without recording new vocals. Additionally, it enables them to perform duets with their younger selves by utilizing archival recordings. UMG emphasizes that these vocal models will be exclusively available for the artists' personal use and not for public access, ensuring ethical application and full control by the creators. This development follows UMG's recent partnership with Roland, where they introduced seven ethical principles for AI in music creation. These guidelines aim to ensure that artificial intelligence enhances, rather than replaces, human creativity. Previously, UMG also explored licensing artists' voices for AI-generated songs in collaboration with Google, demonstrating their commitment to integrating AI ethically in the music industry. SoundLabs, led by Grammy-nominated producer and software developer BT, is at the forefront of AI music technology. BT has a history of working on innovative audio plugins like iZotope's Stutter Edit and BreakTweaker. He expressed enthusiasm about the partnership, emphasizing the potential of AI to democratize creativity and reduce barriers in the creative process. UMG's Chris Horton reiterated the company's focus on keeping artists central to their AI strategy, ensuring that technology serves artistic expression. The MicDrop plugin is set for release later this summer, marking a significant step in the evolution of music production. #MusicInnovation #AIMusic #CreativeTech #FutureOfMusic

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Sumo Digital announced a 15% cut in its workforce, roughly impacting 250 individuals. Among these 250 individuals was the team of Timbre Games, which also confirmed that the studio was being shut down. Timbre Games was founded in 2021 and made a part of Pipework Studios. Although Timbre had yet to launch any games, its website indicates that it was in the middle of two game projects. Unfortunately, game developers face more loss than the parent company when something like this happens. Who knows how Timbre's team might be coping after putting in millions of efforts to build the games and losing everything in a single blink? In their support, this is list 2 of some of the Timbreeos who were impacted by the closure. Every bit from the community counts, so requesting you all to help this reach recruiters and game studios currently hiring. Sophie Mallinson — In 2017, she was Arkane Studios' (Lyon) Narrative Designer who worked on Dishonored: Death of the Outsider and Wolfenstein: Youngblood. By 2019, she had become a Principal Narrative Designer for Arkane's Deathloop. It is quite interesting to note that after Arkane, she went on to work for EA on Star Wars and later for EA's own studio - Maxis Studios on The Sims Series. Nadia Lohan — With over a decade's worth of experience in Production, before Timbre, Nadia was a Producer at Blackbird Interactive and worked on Minecraft Legends. Notably, she has experience in the VFX industry and coordinated for blockbusters like Mulan, Guardians of the Galaxy, and Maleficent. Vivek Ramkumar — Here's a talented Game Designer who has worked on titles like Sleeping Dogs and Tryst, built his own first-person indie game, and has experience in LiveOps Design. Prior to Timbre, he was a senior Technical Designer for Relic Entertainment. Gerritt Turner — Before Timbre, Gerritt worked at Wizards of the Coast on a lot of Magic: The Gathering's writing, designing and overall creative. They even have an experience in Brand Writing for Hasbro. Yuliia Bocharova — Prior to Timbre, she was a Lead 3D Artist for Blackbird Interactive and worked there for 3+ years. You should check out her ArtStation portfolio: https://lnkd.in/gKEwykG5 Vincent-Gabriel Canadian — A talented VFX Artist who has worked for Studios like Frima, Behaviour Interactive, and Nesting Games. Vincent specializes in real-time VFX for video games! #layoffsupport

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Here are all the game studios that have undergone massive layoffs in 2024 so far - (Note: Only studios that laid off people in triple digits are mentioned. 93 more studios have also laid off people besides these studios, but their numbers are less than 100, and LI can’t handle all the names of studios without hitting its word limit. The sequence is from oldest to most recent, starting from January ‘24.) Unity - 1800 Twitch - 500~ Playtika - 350~ Lost Boys Interactive - 125 Riot Games - 530 Activision Blizzard - 1900 Eidos Montreal - 100~ PlayStation Studios - 900 Electronic Arts - 670~ Wildlife Studios - 130 Creative Assembly / SEGA Hardlight - 240 TakeTwo Interactive - 600~ Tango Gameworks - 150~ Gameloft Cluj - 136 Phoenix Labs - 162 These numbers, added to the number of impacted by 93 other studios, resulted in more than 10,000 job cuts in the gaming industry. The worst part is that we haven't even reached halfway through the year! This doesn’t seem any less than what happens after a war. The Giant Kings of the gaming industry will continue feasting on their wine and meat while the game developer heads home for a sleepless night. Projects have been cancelled or snatched from game developers who chose that same project over spending time with their families. This is the current condition of the gaming industry that has forced game devs to reach a point of “What Next?” Thankfully, this community has warriors who are always looking out for game developers during these tough times. So, to give them another helping hand, here are 3 resources to help game developers in this industry upskill themselves. First💎 Layoff Support Kit 2.0 - https://lnkd.in/gCCXW_Wp My team and I have dedicated countless hours to curating hundreds of online game development resources so you don't have to. This comprehensive collection includes top programming boot camps, renowned game dev educators, free game assets to help you build great games, insightful podcasts, and much more. Second💎 A 100% scholarship on our $11,000 Full Stack game dev program - https://lnkd.in/dyjmJkEw If you were impacted by the recent bloodshed of layoffs, here’s a chance to Re-skill and revise your game dev knowledge with our advanced C++, OOPs, Unity, and Data Structure modules. Additionally, you will receive exclusive one-on-one mentorship from top game programmers who will help you strengthen your already solid foundations. Third💎 Our Discord Community of over 10K game devs - https://lnkd.in/gH-wZe2G Here, we listen to everyone’s take on game development, support aspiring game developers in building stronger portfolios, and solve each other's doubts. Also requesting Kelly Bender, Alexander Rehm, Caitlin Cooke, Jordan Mazer, Ruty Rutenberg, Hailey Rojas, Kevin F., Kat Craig, Ali Farha, Matt Barney, and Ash C. to help this reach all the folks who can benefit from this. #layoffsupport

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TONIGHT AT 6:30 PM join us for an improvised version of PVP Circuit and help us rebuild our local community brick by brick. I still can't believe I get to work in the video game industry. My 6-year-old would laugh, and then cry once she realized what it means to work in the creative technology sector. That's why IMO everyone could use some levity during these unprecedented times. Join us for a fun evening to raise funds for the Trevor Project. Event link >>> https://lnkd.in/g7tBuP6d Frequently Asked Questions: What if I can't attend the event? - If you can't make it, please consider purchasing a ticket to help us raise money for charity or get one on behalf of someone impacted by layoffs. What if I want to join but can't justify the cost? - If you want to join but find the cost prohibitive, DM me and we'll make it happen (see point above). Do I have to pitch at the event? - No, you don't have to pitch if you prefer to observe. It’s a great way to see how it's done. Will there be another event like this? - We plan to host our community again, but I can't specify if this event will be the focus. #gamesindustry #event #comedy <3

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Now that Timbre is officially closed -- and my heart goes out to all those affected -- I think someone should ask WTF Sumo Digital Ltd was thinking in making this drastic cull. You have a team of about 100 folks who -- just based on the outpouring of support and collective love between them; I know nothing about the studio itself -- seem to have been a high-functioning group of developers who had worked together for up to 2 years (obviously some of them were newish, as the median time employed was about a year; I saw some layoff notices from people who'd been hired within the past 2-3 months, so this suggests the leadership team had no idea the closure was coming, unless they are just evil...). Anyone who has built a team understands the value of having folks across many different disciplines who work well together. There is significant value in this, and you don't just throw it away. I understand Sumo decided they needed to make 15% cuts to save costs, but then why not cut 15% uniformly (more or less) across all your studios and the parent org? If you are cutting 250 people worldwide across multiple studios (I count 14 studios: https://lnkd.in/gxmRTJcz), why then cut 100 of them in one place? 250 people across 14 studios is less than 20 people per studio (some of the Sumo studios have 100s of people). You could have cut 15 from Timbre and kept 85 employed. Could they not have sold the studio to another publisher? Or found a buyer from outside games? Both Relic and Phoenix were bought by non-game buyers (private equity in Relic's case, a blockchain company in Phoenix's case), so there's clearly money from outside the industry looking to invest and own a piece of the games business, even in super expensive Vancouver. This doesn't seem like just another "oh whoops we overhired during COVID" story. What, did you set up an entire new studio from scratch and hire 100 people between 2022 and 2024 by mistake? Tencent bought Sumo a while ago. Tencent has more money than anyone. Did Tencent not want this studio? They could have spun it out from Sumo. Microsoft? Ubisoft (they used to have a Vancouver studio...)? Anyone? Nobody out there wanted a team of 100 folks who knew how to work together and had built some amount (maybe a lot?) of a game together before they were unceremoniously shut down? No publisher wanted to pick up the game and continue to float the studio until it shipped? There's been a lot of love being generated from the demise and aftermath of this studio. But where's the rage?

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Every month, Epic Games chooses 20 items from their Marketplace to showcase where they have up to +47K items they have there. Today, on the Marketplace, Epic Games saw my product Optimization Debug Tool, and they chose to showcase my item after a short period of being there, in addition to that I'm giving you a discount of 30%! Maybe another good update will be that now there is a live Discord server for support. https://lnkd.in/d8duDKwB #unrealengine #unreal #unrealengine5 #unreal5 #optimization #debug #quality #marketplace #indiegamedev #indiedev Epic Games Unreal Engine

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Our new world-building system STORM is coming to Unity for games, sims, and digital twins. It's runtime and design-time capable and works with standard Unity workflows to ensure team productivity. Modules include: * CORE: Manages and accelerates everything * TERRAIN: New terrain rendering system from ground up * ROADS & RAIL: Procedurally generated road and rail networks * RIVERS & LAKES: Procedurally generated river and lake systems * BIOMES: Procedural vegetation, set dressing, rocks, pebbles etc * BUILDINGS: Procedural buildings (with optional interiors) * CITIES: Procedural cities * DUNGEONS: Procedural dungeons * UGC: User-generated content / runtime editing * LIFE: Living world / ecosystem simulator * AI: A bit further out but already super cool * GEOSPATIAL: for real-world geo import (terrain, satellite, roads, rivers, land use, buildings etc) Look me up at #gdc2024 to learn more! https://lnkd.in/gVxv9Xbq

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Look what I found for sale on a game assets website: If you're going to sell your terrible AI assets, can you at least remove the EXTRA LEGS first??? 😂 As obvious as *these* assets are, there were plenty of assets on that site that were NOT so obvious. It's going to be increasingly difficult for creators to know if assets they purchase/license/download are made with AI or not. This is why I'm uncomfortable with AI "tags" and "bans" being imposed on games...especially without guidance or context. I don't want to see some indie team have to take down the dream game they've worked on for 5 years because the asset store sold them an art pack that may have included AI-generated textures. 😰 #gamedev, #gamedesign, #art, #AI

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The Red Dead IP turns 20 years old. Development for Red Dead Revolver began in 2000 as a collaboration between Capcom and Angel Studios, previously known for their Nintendo 64 port of Resident Evil 2. The game initially focused on a SWAT team concept, but the setting soon shifted to the Wild West, a largely untapped genre at the time. Rockstar Games would go on to acquire the rights and tasking Rockstar San Diego, the successor to Angel Studios after its acquisition by Take-Two Interactive, with completing it. Despite having only nine months to rework the game, Rockstar San Diego transformed it into a more traditional Western experience. Red Dead Revolver's success set the stage for the Red Dead series, leading to the development of the critically acclaimed Red Dead Redemption in 2010. The sales figures of the Red Dead IP: ➤ Red Dead Revolver Lifetime sales: 920,000 units ➤ Red Dead Redemption Lifetime sales: Over 15 million copies ➤ Red Dead Redemption 2 Lifetime sales: Over 61 million copies Red Dead Revolver holds a significant place in gaming history, serving as the foundation for one of the industry's most successful franchises.

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More sad news: Paladin Studios's co-founder Derk de Geus announced last night on the studio's LinkedIn page that they are forced to close their studio after failing to land enough work to cover their burn-rate. Paladin has been around for just over 19 years, having developed some amazing games in their time and having worked with the likes of Nintendo, Apple Arcade, Netflix, Zeptolab, Bandai Namco, and many others. To those affected by this closure, please find a comprehensive list of resources, below: 🥇First, Discipline Games Jobs Resources: Over the past weeks I have created nine Games Jobs Resources to find jobs in a wide range of disciplines: 🎨 Art, Animation, VFX and UI: This resource contains around 1,000 jobs worldwide across all links. Link: https://lnkd.in/eu2bjadW ⚙ Engineering and Programming This resource lists just over 1,800 jobs worldwide across all links. It also talks about interview tips and questions to practice. Link: https://lnkd.in/eYdxANFM 🕹 Quality Assurance: This resource lists over 450 QA jobs worldwide. This post also talks about the craft of QA and contains tips and interview practice. Link: https://lnkd.in/dwwVjZuc 📑 Game Production: This resource lists around 400 jobs worldwide. It also contains info about game production as a whole and GDC talks. Link: https://lnkd.in/gxDvFM-Z 📢 Marketing & Community: This resource lists around 400 jobs worldwide. It also gives an intro into game marketing and community management. Link: https://lnkd.in/e5MuViug 🎶 Audio and Sound Design: This resource lists around 190 jobs worldwide. Link: https://lnkd.in/eSkPSsWf 📠 Studio Support, HR, Recruitment and BizDev: This resource lists around 290 jobs worldwide. Link: https://lnkd.in/ePG57_7v ⚙ IT, Helpdesk and DevOps: This resource lists around 140 jobs worldwide. Link: https://lnkd.in/e8ZsuiZh 🎮 Game Design: This resource lists around 520 jobs worldwide: Link: https://lnkd.in/dtVmGR-t 🥈 Second, the Ultimate list of Video Games Career Resources: This should be your one-stop shop for all information. My dear friend Amir Satvat maintains these documents, he is a legend for doing this - please check them out: https://amirsatvat.com/ 🥉 Third, If you have worked in publishing, please message me. I am looking for quite a few roles right now! ⬅ 🎖 Finally, do not give up. Ever. No matter how dark things may look right now, I KNOW you will get through this, you have got this! 👊 Remember you are not alone. If you need help, advice, or even an ear to listen, we're here for you. Always! ➡ A request to my community, please can I ask you to repost this post to your colleagues and friends, so that we can get as many into jobs as possible! And please comment if you or your studio are currently hiring - let's help each other! Much love ❤️ #layoffs #gamesindustry #paladinstudios (source post: https://lnkd.in/dMzu368H)

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👥 Crowdfunding may be an untapped opportunity for video games. ❄ Frost Giant Studios executed one of the most successful Kickstarter campaigns ever. Tim Morten (Founder of Frost Giant Studios, Inc.) and Cara LaForge explain innovative approaches to crowdfunding and community building for their upcoming RTS game, Stormgate. ⁉ Crowd Financing vs. Crowd Equity (what do, how do?) 🎲 What are the rules of Kickstarter and best practices? 💰 Kickstarter stats (2021: $272M for board games, $24M for video games) 🏡 It takes a village: Stormgate’s investment in community, content creators, and multi-pronged marketing beats 🎯 Targets explained (how much to raise?) Listen to the full episode on Apple, Spotify, or YouTube in the comments! #gaming #crowdfunding Naavik Kickstarter

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The post-apocalyptic world of Fallout is attracting a new wave of explorers thanks to the recent television adaptation! According to SteamDB data, individual player counts for Fallout: New Vegas, Fallout 4, and Fallout 76 all saw a dramatic rise in the days leading up to the show's premiere on April 11th, with the trend continuing throughout the weekend. 👑 Fallout 4 Leads the Charge: Fallout 4 emerged as the most popular title, reaching a peak of nearly 83,500 concurrent players on April 14th. Fallout 76 followed closely behind with 39,455 players, and New Vegas brought up the rear with a respectable 19,300. Even today, Fallout 4 maintains a healthy player base of around 68,000. 🏆 Fallout 76 Sets a New Record: The surge in Fallout 76 players is particularly noteworthy. Its peak of 39,455 on April 14th marks the highest player count ever recorded for the game on Steam, exceeding its launch numbers in April 2020. 🎮 Classic Fallouts See Renewed Interest: While Fallout 4 and New Vegas haven't quite reached their all-time highs (nearly 473,000 and 51,000 players respectively), they've witnessed a significant uptick in activity. Even the original Fallout and Fallout 2, titles released in the early 1990s, experienced a bump, with player counts exceeding 2,300 and 1,000 respectively. 💊 Fallout Fever Spreads Beyond PC: While concrete numbers are harder to come by for console platforms, particularly Xbox Game Pass, it's safe to assume that the Fallout resurgence extends beyond PC. The television show has clearly reignited interest in this beloved franchise across all platforms. The Fallout franchise is experiencing a renaissance, fuelled by the exciting new television series. Whether you're a seasoned Vault Dweller or a curious newcomer, there's never been a better time to explore the vast and captivating wasteland! (source: https://lnkd.in/eh-HttPS)

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XR Revolutionizes Gaming: Dive into the Future AR, VR, and XR are transforming gaming!  QualityReality explores immersive experiences, future trends, and how XR is shaping the game development landscape. Read here: https://lnkd.in/gKhw8XXs #gaming #VR #AR #XR #GameCloud #QualityReality

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🔎 Testing Arium on Apple's Safari delivered a high-quality stream in HD with 60fps. 👀 Our focus is on two primary streaming protocols: SRT and WebRTC. Haivision' SRT and W3C's WebRTC are both used for streaming media, but they are designed for different use cases and have distinct features. SRT is designed for low-latency (starting from 20 ms), high-quality video streaming over unreliable networks. It primarily uses UDP for transport, with mechanisms like ARQ (Automatic Repeat reQuest) and FEC (Forward Error Correction) to handle packet loss and ensure reliable delivery, which is a great advantage. WebRTC offers ultra-low latency suitable for real-time interactions. It uses SRTP (Secure Real-time Transport Protocol) for media encryption and DTLS (Datagram Transport Layer Security) for data security. 🎮 Keen to learn more about Arium? Find out at https://arium.gg/about #Testing #Streaming #SRT #WebRTC #CloudGaming #Apple

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