Power of Positive Networks in Gaming

While the game industry is having turbulent times, recently I got happy after seeing one person from my network, who's been searching for a job for a long time, getting hired! 💪👍 The specific reason I'm happy for this person is that I had given some career tips for career development, portfolio and such, which apparently did pay out well (at least a bit) in terms of getting hired. Feels really good during these turbulent times, and I'm really proud of this person finally making it! 🎓👌In terms of jobs market in games, when looking further, what is amazing is how some people in this industry can effect positively so much to people's careers and the opportunities they get. 🤝When I look towards some persons' profiles, who I've had the pleasure to work with (including also hiring them in most […]

Antti Kananen March 21

Journal

Supercell Syndrome: The Trap of Copying Success

Let's talk about different forms of Supercell-syndrome. 1. During its brightest moments, when Supercell was at the top, everyone went copying their small independent teams model in a syndrome-like manner believing it results in greatness - eventually failing on it. Even investors & VCs fell in love with it - but if you try to pitch same now, they won't invest in you as they don't buy it.🤑😬2. Based on Ilkka Paananen's latest blog post, Supercell clearly did fall being a victim of their own Supercell-syndrome; which resulted after shipping Brawl Stars to not shipping a game and realizing the hard truth that even they need to adapt to where the market is, incl. publishers that topped them by taking engagement, monetization & distribution means to another level in unique ways. Now, as a result, Supercell is moving from small […]

Antti Kananen March 6

Journal

Navigating Job Search Challenges in the Games Industry

The games industry is going through challenging times in terms of recent lay offs. There are lots of people moving currently around and looking for new work to land - which is a very roller coaster type of a ride with many ups and downs; specifically given how in general some companies approach recruiting with somewhat unhealthy means. One day you feel really great on your progress, while on the other day you feel the opposite due to how some companies handle their stuff -- this is something I can relate to from my recent experience; due to which I'm having all my respect towards the people looking for their next journey. I feel you all, it's not easy out there.Couple examples to share:1. Recruiter decides your motivation level to a position where you applied, before you get to move […]

Antti Kananen February 2

Journal

Trusting Gut Instinct in Game Development

Lately the word 'gut' has raised its head in connection with many occasions on social media and work, so I decided to add my input to how 'gut' should be perceived and used as a tool. 💡 Nowadays instead of pure 'gut', I'm treating it as a combination of:- experience as a gamer,- experience as a game developer, plus- know-how, insights, existing data such as market data, player research findings, competitive data, etc. 🎯Given above, in short, it is more than a best guess - one could say it is in many cases even more data-informed than one would thought about it. So, if someone is questioning your gut and saying not to trust to it, I believe in many cases it showcases immature thinking, as gut should have certainly a higher prio than that.❗️Why gut plays a big role […]

Antti Kananen January 3

Journal

AI generated content will become very popular in Game Dev

AI generated content will become very popular in game development, considering the current AI developments! 🎯 Images here were generated by me in just minutes. Just needed proper prompts and a couple of iterations to the input! Any style and direction was achievable, with some iteration cycles. All of this can be done very FAST - which is pretty amazing! 🚀💯How can this evolve the industry? Here are some thoughts:- Outsource work for AI- Small teams can take over challenging genres with improved content output/pipeline and challenge big players- Concept art without concept artists- Character designs generated by AI- Reference art that you could use straight-forward- Assets directly ready for implementation- Board game developers, e.g., create games with just designing them and putting in AI art- Etc.Potential challenges?- Legislation?- Ownership?- What else?There are also high opportunities for other industries:- Writers […]

Antti Kananen September 14

Journal

The mobile games investment landscape is currently bleak.

Let's face the fact: The mobile games investment landscape is currently bleak. If you're currently seeking investment exclusively for mobile games, you're in for the hardest time of your life. Investors and venture capitalists (VCs) are not prioritizing mobile games given the current landscape.Why? Because of:1. The overall economic situation: There are widespread layoffs and increasing costs of living. Everyone is scrutinizing their spending habits more closely.2. Post-IDFA (Identifier for Advertisers) challenges: High Cost Per Install (CPI) rates and related issues have arisen after the implementation of IDFA changes. The impact of IDFA changes is widely recognized. Optimizing games and user acquisition (UA) for the ideal audience no longer has shortcuts as it used to. Games need to be developed, operated, and scaled with new approaches and models. Until these models become more widely accepted and reliable, investors are skeptical […]

Antti Kananen August 25

Antti Kananen