PLAYABLE FUTURES VOL.1 - NEXT GEN THINKING FOR THE FUTURE OF PLAY
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PLAYABLE
FUTURES
NEXT GEN THINKING F
OR
THE FUTURE OF PLAY
VOL.1
WHAT IS
PLAYABLE
FUTURES?
Playable Futures is a collection of insights, interviews and articles from global games leaders
sharing their visions of where the industry and medium will go next. This volume collects the
first four articles from the series, offering perspectives on esports, games and education, the
metaverse, VR and AR, and much more besides. The series is brought to you in partnership with
Ukie, Sumo Group, GamesIndustry.biz and Diva Agency.
CONTENTS
Ian Livingstone, Hiro Capital 3-4
Steven Ma, Tencent 5-6
Bukola Akingbade, Kucheza Gaming 7-8
Craig Levine, ESL Gaming 9-11
Eliana Russi & Rodrigo Terra, Abragames 12-13
Alex Xu, Multimetaverse 14-15
Carl Cavers, Sumo Group 16-18
Forest Swartout Large, Twin Suns Corp 19-21
Anna Rafferty, Lego 22-23
2
3
Sir Ian Livingstone: My Vision Sir Ian Livingstone is renowned as co-founder of
for Games in 2022 Games Workshop and former chairman of Eidos
and Sumo Group. Famed for his role in launching
Tomb Raider, he is presently a co-founding
AUTHOR: Ian Livingstone, Partner, HIRO Capital partner of venture capital fund Hiro Capital.
Sitting in my office at home at the start of So far, we have made several Metaverse The opportunity to empower a new generation
2022 surrounded by 1,500 board and video investments in themes around creator of creators who can make a living from games
games, I feel as excited as ever to be part of platforms, no code game development, is exciting.
the amazing games industry. I started my virtual avatars, and so on. We are excited
first games company in 1975 with Games about games as next generation social Summary
Workshop – D&D/Warhammer. In those days, networks and immersive worlds where you
the industry was homebrewed. We made it can share collaborative experiences and Games as entertainment and social networks
up as we went along, and growth was slow. express yourself more meaningfully than you with compelling game play mechanics and
After leaving Games Workshop, I co-led my can with a tweet or a like by being able to technologies are becoming central to the
first listed video games company in 1995 create content with your friends within these new economy. In many ways games are
with Eidos (Lara Croft: Tomb Raider). Those massive social worlds and enjoy live driving entertainment and social networks,
days were quite volatile due to the risk and events together. with influence growing by the gamification of
challenges of physical media and distribution. fitness, health and education. We are early in
We review a lot of social game world ideas, the Metaverse, in VR and AR, in Web 3.0 and in
Fast forward to today, we have games as a some of them built on traditional game the Blockchain — the total evolution will take
service being enjoyed by tens of millions of platforms, some in VR, and some on the many years.
gamers worldwide with games now at the blockchain. They are all interesting, but
heart of the new economy. After leaving we always come back to the fundamental But, as ever in the games industry, the
Eidos, I began investing in game studios, question of ‘Why would I want to go there in opportunities are exciting. The UK video
some of which became hugely successful, the first place?’ which comes down to my old games industry is a fantastic success story
including Playdemic (Golf Clash), Mediatonic maxim of ‘Gameplay, Gameplay, Gameplay!’ and continues to punch above its weight
(Fall Guys), and Sumo Digital. This path led If the gameplay is great, and the more these in content creation despite having been
me to co-founding games and metaverse persistent worlds resonate with who we are historically underserved by growth capital.
VC fund Hiro Capital - https://hiro.capital/ as human beings, digital identity, community, But this scenario is rapidly changing as
. We’ve invested in innovative studios and and crafting, then the more excited I get investors now understand the social, cultural
platforms including Twin Suns Studios, FRVR, about a concept. and educational value of games as well as it
Snowprint, Polyarc, Happy Volcano, Double being an economic powerhouse and revenue
Loop, Flavourworks and Keen Games with Digital Assets, NFT’s, Earnium and generator with unicorn exit potential
more to come. Web 3.0 for studios.
Games are at the sharp end of new consumer I’ve been a big believer in owning in-game At the core, my focus remains on ‘gameplay,
technology. Radical new tech tends to find its assets and collectibles since painting and gameplay, gameplay’ and, on the back of
first utility in games - that was true back in owning my own D&D miniatures in the 1970s! that, creators who are building great IP.
the day with the first arcade machines and the People become emotionally attached to their On a personal note, I recently opened the
early home consoles, and it’s even more true player-characters, and that connection has Livingstone Academy Bournemouth in
today with streaming, VR and Web 3.0. value. The fact that collectibles moved into association with Aspirations Academies Trust:
Web 2.0 digital games over the last 20 years https://www.livingstone-aspirations.org/ It
As for the future, I’m focussing on: ($50bn of game skins annually!) is perfectly is an all-through state school for ages four
understandable. And now Web 3.0 offers the to eighteen that aims to give its students the
Total Addressable Market Growth promise of truly owning your game assets tools they need to succeed as young creators
and trading them as NFT’s. The challenge is in a digital world. I’m especially proud of the
The games market just keeps growing designing great gameplay that is twinned with school and I’m excited to see what the next
as more and more people get next-gen a meaningful reason for why a game would be generation of children will create,
smartphones, 5G rolls out, etc., but games better on the blockchain. especially games.
growth is still early stage in some
continental markets. VR and AR Game on!
Multiplayer, Cross platform, At Hiro, we invested in VR quite early. I was
Cross Play initially sceptical, but VR is now going mass
market. Our investments in Polyarc, FitXR and
It’s not a new theme but it’s still only a small LIV made me believe in the VR/AR future.
proportion of games that can be played
seamlessly on multiple platforms with deep Game Creator Platforms, Earnium and
cross-play. We will see more and more of this. Web 3.0 Composability
Metaverse MMO’s - both Web 2 Whilst I’m not the techie in our fund, we have
and Web 3 strong interest in creator platforms and Web
3.0 composability. Clearly this generation
The Metaverse is already an overused and of gamers want to express themselves,
poorly defined concept. As it happens, Hiro sometimes by streaming themselves,
Capital was named after the lead character sometimes by modding or building their own
in the book (Snowcrash) that coined the term games, and that’s great. It’s remarkable the
and at the fund we have a broad and clear way the industry has evolved from Premium
definition of Metaverse and its components. to Freemium and now Earnium.
4
5
The Future of Games is Far More than the Mr. Ma is the Tencent senior vice president
responsible for publishing and operations of
Metaverse: Let’s Talk ‘Hyper Digital Reality’ licensed games, the QQGame platform, QTalk,
and back-end R&D, along with Tencent Games’
global business development and
AUTHOR: Steven Ma, Senior Vice President, Tencent. investment initiatives.
It wasn’t long ago that video gaming meant Kings – produced a new in-game skin inspired others are already integrating the real and
playing Pong in an arcade or firing up an eight- by traditional Chinese Yue Opera. Attendance virtual worlds.
bit home console to shoot blocky at live performances has, sadly, dwindled in
space invaders. recent years. Imagine my surprise, though, We see this kind of blended experience in
when I found some 80 million players have esports, where arenas worldwide are filled
Today, we play games with 3D graphics at 4K used the skin, exposing them to the genre and with fans cheering on teams playing a digital
resolution on a PlayStation 5 or Xbox Series its characters and generating renewed interest sport, while millions more watch livestreams
X – if you can find one – or on your state-of- in what previously looked to be a dying remotely and interact with each other via
the-art smartphone. And increasingly, as art form. online chat and social platforms. And, as the
hardware specs improve and developers build world found itself highly restricted from live
new content, by slipping on a VR headset and To extend this further, we think it’s on us and performances last year, millions of players
entering a 360-degree virtual world. other creators of new and groundbreaking of Fortnite were treated to an interactive,
technology to tackle real-world issues. in-game Ariana Grande musical tour, just the
Games are created for entertainment, whether latest demonstration of Hyper Digital Reality
they use cards, a board, a smartphone, PC, A Powerful Medium by Epic Games.
console, or headset. But a funny thing has
happened since the world of gaming moved For example, using video games and We see that some pioneers have begun
from analogue to digital, from the real world technology to help deliver better results to realise their vision with a purpose-built
to virtual ones: never before have so many in education. Starting in 2018, Tencent got metaverse of their own, migrating their
around the globe been connected with each serious about Serious Games, publishing ones content and audience to a pre-formed digital
other. To give you a sense of size and scope, that taught users typing and geometry at their destination. Our approach is different. We
here’s but one example: since Tencent Games own pace – and in a fun and engaging way. A are a technology company. But drill into us,
launched PUBG MOBILE in 2018, players have year later, we demonstrated our technological and at our core, you will also find a content-
downloaded the game over 1 billion times. prowess, both with a game that enabled the and experience-driven company. We believe
That’s roughly one out of every 7.7 people on visually impaired to play, and another that in using technology to push the limits of
the planet downloading and playing a single allowed the visually unimpaired to experience great content, enabling and creating new
video game with each other on their the world without full eyesight. experiences for our community.
mobile phones.
Then, last year, I was excited to hear about What I’m saying is the metaverse’s day will
And daily, some 50 million players from dozens the ‘MindPod,’ a gaming experience aimed come. That day is just not today. And also keep
of countries, including the UK, US, Brazil and at helping repair the brains of stroke victims your eyes on the content and user experience.
more team up in PUBG MOBILE to accomplish from MindMaze Healthcare. Motion-sensitive Don’t focus on the platform or the means to
their mission. So, it occurs to me, as the head cameras track the arm movements of stroke access it. What we see today is indeed a leap
of Tencent Games – the world’s largest games patients as they guide an onscreen dolphin from what we had just a few years ago. But it’s
platform company by many measures – that over a floor-to-ceiling screen to catch fish. The also still primitive, experimental, and because
it’s time for game developers to actions supposedly gave a “jolt” to the players’ of technological momentum, going to change
accomplish ours. brains, enabling them to recover some of their and improve rapidly, as all digital platforms
mobility. And it’s more than just a good idea. I and hardware have over the past four decades.
Impact Beyond Revenue saw the game is being put to practical use in
the UK’s Royal Buckinghamshire Hospital. I’m not sure exactly where gaming is heading.
We could savour the popularity of our many However, I do know that when your VR
great games and the revenue they bring in. Our responsibility as a leading game platform headset hiccups or your screen drops frames
But that would squander a much-bigger also means ensuring a healthy environment or freezes, that’s a reminder it is still in its
opportunity to make the world we live in better. for all, with a special focus on our younger infancy. And as far as we’ve already come,
Startup founders and executives often wave players. As such, Tencent is involved in several technologically, experientially and otherwise,
the wand about greater purpose and altruism, programs, including the #WePROTECT Global what excites me is I am 100% sure that
but we all know the real magic is in action Alliance, which aims to provide a safer and the best in game content, experience and
and results. more secure internet for children technology is still ahead of us.
and adolescents.
The games sector has reached an inflection
point. For a company like Tencent, we Though I marvel at how technology –
believe that when you have such a large, the hardware, software, connectivity, coding,
engaged global audience, it comes with many and more – has fundamentally changed the
responsibilities. While we will continue to way we play and engage with each other –
lead the way with advances in technology we should bear in mind gaming is not all
and player experience, we must apply them about technology.
to the needs of broader society. And keeping
the global community in mind is very much in Blending Experiences
line with Tencent’s overall mission statement:
“value for users, tech for good.” This brings us to the metaverse and what it
means to Tencent and the entire game sector.
I love music and culture. I was recently For us, it is but one iteration of many versions
reminded of how games can play a role in of what we refer to as ‘Hyper Digital Reality’
promoting and preserving both when my in our present and future. In fact, some of the
country’s most-popular game – Honor of gametech examples above show how we and
6
7
Sparking curiosity: Kucheza Gaming considers
a future shaped by the intersection of games Kucheza Gaming uses the power of video games
and education - a future that starts in Nigeria to engage and get future generations ready to
pursue careers in gaming, and change the world.
AUTHOR: Bukola Akingbade, Founder and CEO, Kucheza Gaming. They’re only just getting started.
I grew up with games. It started with results of the knowledge gained as my kids adventure game based on Yoruba mythology,
traditional games like ludo, draughts and now know more about building materials it is aimed at translating African folk stories
Ayo, an indigenious yoruba game (also known than I do! All I could see was potential. into the educational and entertaining world
as ‘mancala’ in other cultures). I’d spend of games, thereby introducing African
hours watching my Uncle and cousins in The Future Starts Now stories to new generations and audiences.
heated gameplay. As was customary in those
days, girls were not allowed to participate As we deepened our research into the Africa Forward
or compete, but I did. I played table tennis, relationship between games and young people
shot pool and competed in various sports. in Nigeria, we started thinking about the future, We’re absolutely going to see more of this
It wasn’t a giant leap therefore, to make the the problems we faced - and still face. Across intersection between video games and
transition to video games. Although my first the continent the rise of youth, increased education, because it harnesses creativity
console was a Commodore 64, the game I unemployment and sometimes employability and curiosity in a fun way. This approach
loved to play the most was Gradius, on the - (that idea that even after completing can unlock potential and universal skills
Nintendo. Now, as a mother, I can proudly school, young people might not have the in any child. That is so powerful. Video
say that we have a playful home. This notion right skills or experience to actually be ready games are a tangible path to Africa’s
of ‘play’ extends beyond video games. Our for the workplace) led us down this path. GDP growth. Unlocking creativity can
ethos as parents revolves around play-based help share the many, many beautiful,
thinking. Exploring the link between games With such a huge opportunity available in the different and fascinating cultures across
and education has always been at the forefront intersection of video games and education, we the continent with the rest of the world.
of my interactions, with children specifically. have to ask ‘what do kids need for their future?’
By taking a considered approach, we believe Video games are going to be a more important
Despite holding a first degree in Architecture, video games’ and the disparate opportunities and credible part of education in Nigeria
I have spent the past two decades building within the industry, can help retain young and the wider continent. And even globally.
a career in marketing with a particular focus people’s attention, while simultaneously Educational systems and infrastructure are
on behavioural trends. I began to observe a utilising the tool to build a better future. not that fast moving - change takes time. I
trend within my own home. My children would believe that the private sector and private
constantly complain to me about how boring All this led to the founding of Kucheza public partnerships will push this opportunity.
school was for them. Now, I’m pretty sure I Gaming. We are an Africa-focused video There’s an opportunity for shared success.
articulated the very same sentiment when I games industry startup that uses gaming
was young, so I could definitely empathise! I as a gateway to digital excellence, where More people are starting to see what a
also noticed that no such complaint emerged kids get the opportunity to develop skills in difference games can make when they
when they were engaged with games. So I STEAM. We bring the world of video games intersect with education. It’s about legacy.
started to study Africa’s games market. to k12 education in Africa through game Kids are already creative and have passion and
development initiatives like the Mobo Game things they want to do. Bringing games into
The way people access games here in Jam, a series of school e-sport leagues education and vice versa can facilitate impact
Nigeria and on the continent, is definitely and a game-based computing curriculum at scale. This will impact art and activism
different from places like Europe and the in partnership with Ukie Education. and politics and culture too. Collaborations
US. Traditionally, developing economies like the Minecraft Uncensored library
as seen in parts of Africa are hindered by a At Kucheza Gaming we utilise the love for project gives us a glimpse into what can be
severe lack of infrastructure, which directly video games to drive fun, learning, and possible when we embrace a world of play.
hinders access to popular video gaming skills development. Helping young people
devices. Today, we see minimal growth in PC make active decisions about their careers And while we’re not here to primarily grow
and console gaming across Africa, however and helping inspire them to choose and the Nigerian game industry, or the continent’s
mobile is where the real growth lies. pursue STEAM related interests. This isn’t game industry, I do think that the intersection
simply about teaching everyone to be game of video games and education will help lead
The more we studied the market, the more developers; our vision is grander. We want us to a point where a game industry will
we saw the potential for growth within to teach kids big universal skills they can contribute significantly to GDP here. The
the games industry, with mobile being the learn through a passion for games but apply intersection of games and education is a
democratiser. 95% of all video games played everywhere, in a variety of jobs and roles. starting point for all of that. What’s happening
in Africa are played on a mobile device. With a in the space today is shaping the future of a lot
median age of 19.5 years, the fastest growing According to Diane Tavenner, the co-founder more than games, and the generation growing
and most youthful continent, Africa can and CEO of Summit Public Schools and up with games as part of their education are
now contribute and compete due to access. author of ‘Prepared: What Kids Need for a going to do some amazing things in the world.
This trend will continue to accelerate to 945 Fulfilled Life’, kids need to learn big universal
million people under the age of 24, by 2050. skills to be ready for the future of work.
A realisation led us to start thinking about Skills like communication, problem solving,
how the games industry could meaningfully critical thinking, collaboration, self-direction,
impact Africa’s youth. Games catch the leadership, resilience, agency etcetera.
attention of kids and teens in ways the more
traditional teaching methods do not. With Video games offer a new and immersive
clever game design, the power of games way to play, learn, reimagine, document
to directly or inadvertently teach lessons and preserve history as well as help us
is clear. Take Minecraft for example; even experience the world around us. Kucheza’s
as a trained architect, I can clearly see the key project, ‘The Wild Kingdoms’ is a mobile
8
9
‘Always-on’ fandoms: Craig Levine has been involved with esports for
How esports communities are two decades, having started out founding Team
3D in 2002, the first fully professional video
shaping the future of games game team in North America. Today he stands
as Co-CEO of ESL Gaming, an influential esports
organisation and production company with a
AUTHOR: Craig Levine, Co-CEO, ESL Gaming global reach.
The rise of esports in recent years has been modern fandom, abundant in potential. Beyond That’s not trivial, in part because it means
unmissable. It’s influence on the future of the eagerly-viewed moments of competition, all those related entities - sponsorship and
games as a medium, industry and cultural the community is engaged with the content it live ticketing and broadcast and so on - may
artefact, then, is likely to be tremendous. makes collectively streaming, posting, sharing become much more of a norm across many
and producing a wild range of output. types of games currently considered distant
Aside from all its success and growth, esports from what esports is. And at the same time,
has also significantly shifted the status of The result is an audience engaged with a given esports will surely influence the sectors it
the player, elevating consumers to exist as game around the clock, even when not playing embraces.
important focal points for vast communities. or spectating. The community can even be
Esports devotees are much more than a seen as an extension of the content itself; “Those spaces are $300 billion dollar
passive audience to be sold products - they not just a consumer. The devotion to certain industries,” states Levine. “That’s very
are competitors, content creators, and in some games or teams does, in fact, bear comparison different from the $1.2 billion esports has been
cases, adored superstars with larger fanbases with traditional sports — and in combination defined as worth today. I think as we start to
than many successful games. with the connected, online fandom element, zoom out and see the impact our fans have on
that means considerable potential to engage the world, and all these other entities, esports
A new model of what fandom can offer for months, years, or even lifetimes. For game is going to continue to bleed into all those
continues to emerge within esports, and it’s designers, this presents a lasting opportunity things. And it is being redefined in a way that
an opportunity many other gaming companies to be creative while monetising from multiple only makes people become that much more
away from the core of esports might be wise revenue streams. aware of it.”
to embrace.
“Competitive players are higher-value Perceived another way, the increasing game
The Power Of Creators consumer customers for developers, for industry breadth that has influenced so many
sure,” offers Levine. “They spend more time other sectors is set to ramp up significantly,
Craig Levne is co-CEO at long-standing in-game, and therefore spend more money on fuelled by the evolution of esports.
esports organisation, ESL Gaming. He has the game. Ultimately, esports can engage that
seen first-hand how esports have reshaped community continually.” It certainly won’t be the case that every
the industry-audience dynamic, and it’s given game in a decade’s time will be a giant of
him reason to be confident that it offers To Levine, that in part means monetisation esports. Rather, Levine believes we will see
remarkable potential. Today, esports’ focus on through established means, such as new an increased capacity for many different
players is powerful in a myriad ways. content, skins and subscriptions. Yet, fandom-building competitive games inspired
increasingly, esports crosses over with so by the esports model, providing numerous
“We’re currently in a world where players and many other sectors. different kinds of niche, large and small. All
influencers bring the power of creators, and while competitive giants, established and
that means a sort of this infinite distribution That means there’s opportunity in ticket sales, forthcoming, will be increasingly bankable.
opportunity,” he offers. “There are so many licences and brand partnerships, sponsorship,
niche communities within esports — and here video and broadcast, and multiple other digital “When I think about the next generation of
‘niche’ doesn’t mean small. I think ‘niche’ channels and physical entities. titles, they’re building competitive features
means focused. There are some very, very because, again, that develops higher-value
large niches in competitive gaming. The “What esports does is create a community of customers for them.”
superstars of esports that come out are these fandom outside of a game that keeps those
incredible influencers who create tonnes of players engaged when they’re not playing,” Putting The E Into E-Sports
fandom around the games they Levine continues. “And there’s so many
focus on. opportunities with what esports involves. I However, Levine maintains a pragmatic
think it’s incredibly symbiotic to a successful perspective because, even in the established
They, ultimately, are keeping players of certain game strategy. That’s why you’re seeing more esports space, there remains a great deal
games engaged with the community when and more games now coming out with these still in need of refinement. In particular, he
that community is not playing it. So I think new kinds of competitive features in mind.” perceives that purebred esports will, in the
it’s incredibly powerful to build an esports coming years, have to put more focus on
ecosystem around a game.” Influence Redefined developing and maintaining business and
ecosystem conventions.
And that gets to the very heart of the esports And that is the crux of the future of games, as
opportunity. For Levine, it is the digital element perceived by Levine. Esports isn’t just about “The easy thing 10 years ago — when everyone
that really defines modern esports’ strengths, adding an online multiplayer mode. It’s about jumped into esports — was replicating the
and not those tempting comparisons with building competitive features that foster and business models of traditional sports, and then
traditional sports. Whatsmore, it isn’t only support a contemporary, always-on esports thinking that’s it. But a big part of that business
about top flight superstars. fandom. Having watched esports’ interplay model is media rights. I like to say the ‘E’
with games more broadly for so many years, in esports actually makes it more unique
Esports titles, in their most contemporary Levine projects a future where a great many than similar to traditional sports because
form, can be seen as gathering points for more games increase their effort to build our audience is digital. What that means is
communities, influencers, casual players, meaningful fandoms based on the esports it actually doesn’t work with the traditional
spectators live and online, competitors at model. media rights business model that has helped
every skill level, fans of teams, and fans of fund traditional sports for so long. When we
individual titles.Together they make up a truly look out, we can say we have a huge audience,
10and we do. One of the challenges today is
that premium doesn’t monetise in a premium
way on digital. That’s not an esports problem.
That’s not a video game problem. That’s a
digital problem.”
There is plenty of work to be done. But there is
no doubt that esport’s influence on the future
of games will be felt far beyond purebred
competitive gaming.
For one, there is a profound opportunity in
building fandoms that embrace the esports
model - meaning establishing communities
engaged around the clock, where the
community are content creators as well as
consumers, serving each other and developing
tremendous and retaining loyalty.
Additionally, video games broadly are likely
to see the opportunity in converging with live
events, broadcast, ticketing, sponsorship and
many other industries typically associated with
traditional sports. There esports has pioneered
the way, but the opportunity doesn’t stop with
large scale competitive gaming.
Simply put, esports’ influence on the future
of the medium is about a lot more than just
competitive gaming.
highly restricted from live performances
last year, millions of players of Fortnite
were treated to an interactive, in-game
Ariana Grande musical tour, just the latest
demonstration of Hyper Digital Reality by Epic
Games.
We see that some pioneers have begun
to realise their vision with a purpose-built
metaverse of their own, migrating their
content and audience to a pre-formed digital
destination. Our approach is different. We
are a technology company. But drill into us,
and at our core, you will also find a content-
and experience-driven company. We believe
in using technology to push the limits of
great content, enabling and creating new
experiences for our community.
What I’m saying is the metaverse’s day will
come. That day is just not today. And also keep
your eyes on the content and user experience.
Don’t focus on the platform or the means to
access it. What we see today is indeed a leap
from what we had just a few years ago. But it’s
also still primitive, experimental, and because
of technological momentum, going to change
and improve rapidly, as all digital platforms
and hardware have over the past four decades.
I’m not sure exactly where gaming is heading.
However, I do know that when your VR
headset hiccups or your screen drops frames
or freezes, that’s a reminder it is still in its
infancy. And as far as we’ve already come,
technologically, experientially and otherwise,
what excites me is I am 100% sure that
the best in game content, experience and
technology is still ahead of us.
1112
A Future for All: How Brazil’s Eliana Russi is director of operations at Brazilian
game industry trade body abragames, and devoted
multicultural industry might shape to elevating the potential of local game studios
and startups, bringing 20 years experience in the
entertainment industry to the work she does. Rodrigo
the global industry Terra, meanwhile, is abragames president, and shares
Russi’s passion for empowering the nation’s game
makers. He is also co-founder and CTE of ARVORE; a
highly creative Brazilian team focused on immersive
AUTHOR: AUTHOR: Will Freeman experiences such as those offered by VR, AR and XR.
Today Latin America’s video game sector can we can understand, and we can communicate sixties,” states Terra. “That’s great, but now,
be found bristling with activity, success stories, in these international, multicultural ways. I and in games, we want to express something
and growth. Now, more than ever, it is starting think this is very, very important.” else globally. This isn’t just about the cliches
to serve as a place doing much to shape the of what Brazilian and LATAM culture is. We
future of the global games industry. But it In an international realm like the games are now sharing how we see how we see and
hasn’t quite always been that way. industry, the power of multiculturalism in solve global problems in the industry, how we
terms of talent, creativity and collaboration is see relationships and understanding as key to
Brazil, for example, famously struggled to tremendous. There Brazil is absolutely setting the work studios do, and what multiculturalism
establish a market in the 1990s thanks to an example a great many more nations – can bring in terms of both working approaches
significant tariffs on the importing of gaming including those with far bigger game sectors and the content of games.”
hardware. Despite the rise of a distinct – could learn from. Put another way, Brazil’s
generation of local clone consoles, the multinational, multicultural mindset is already Brazil and the wider continent’s future isn’t
gaming medium’s potential was effectively informing the future of games. about catching up with a global games
stifled across the country. With a modest industry. That happened long ago. Rather,
local market and a lack of the ecosystem “All of LATAM is a multicultural continent, in today Brazil in particular is looking to lend a
consistency conventional platforms bring, that truth,” adds Russi’s colleague Rodrigo Terra, new perspective to what the overall games
era’s aspiring local developers had the odds president of abragames and chief technology industry can be. It’s looking to shape and
stacked against them. evangelist at immersive game dev studio inform how games are designed, made and
ARVORE. published; all while taking its own lessons
Over the years, however, Brazil in particular from the international
has emerged as something of a global gaming “Across the region we bring different visions industry community.
superpower, rising to prominence in the to the table, and that is rooted in our cultural
international industry in tandem with the wider lives, and our multicultural mindset. That’s “There are no real boundaries left after the
Latin American games sector. been shaping things in Brazil here for a long pandemic,” Russi concludes. “Brazil used to be
time, but more and more, we now see it in seen as a country far away from everywhere
As of mid-2021, the country stood as the 12th the games made here specifically. We see it else. But it is now very close to Europe and the
largest games market globally, with a value in narratives and gameplay that is inclusive US and Canada, because the boundaries are
of $2.3 billion.That positioned Brazil as the and diverse.But it’s also powerful in bringing meaningless. We are not far anymore because
dominant leader in its home continent’s games creativity and different solutions and different we don’t need to be under the same roof. And
market, which is expected to total $3.2 billion visions to how to make games, and how we Brazil really is a place that takes care of its
by 2023. Brazil’s games industry is sometimes build an industry that is fresh, contemporary video game industry.”
still portrayed as emerging, but while there and representative. I think Brazilian companies
remains ample room for growth, it is safe to and LATAM studios are starting to make Ultimately, now Brazil sits in the heart of
say that Brazil has already emerged and then a difference that is having an influence – a what the international game industry is, it will
some. positive influence – on the games industry of only have more role to play in shaping that
the wider world.” industry. It may have made a somewhat late
You can in fact trace the country’s game start, but today Brazil stands as a place that
development scene back to at least the early The drive to be a globally-facing games has demonstrated how to grow and shape a
1980s, when a handful of locals made their industry that has a positive influential impact national game sector the right way.
own games. But it is the vast nation’s more on the rest of the world is particularly evident
recent history that has seen it become a force in Brazil’s own efforts. Brazilian delegations And, informed by multiculturalism and an
that is very likely to have a meaningful impact are a mainstay at the likes of GDC, Tokyo Game international mindset, it might be a place that
on the future of the industry for all of us. And Show and numerous European conferences. has an impact on how everyone in games does
core to that potential is Brazil’s long standing Internally there is a concerted effort their work.
multiculturalism. underway to train up ever more local talent
and take them to global conventions. Investors
Informing The Future from far afield are encouraged and welcomed
to Brazil on a regular basis, while abragames
“Brazil is being seen now as a hot place for and its community is widely open to importing
game development,” offers Eliana Russi, industry standards and frameworks from
director of operations at Brazil’s most overseas.
prominent game trade body, abragames. “First
of all, we are the biggest country in Latin Locally Global
America. We have a lot of talent spread across
Brazil. But also, we are a very multicultural That all bolsters what Brazil can be as a global
country. That gives us the ability to understand hub, but in putting years of effort into being
different narratives, and to work with and internationally facing, Brazil and LATAM are
in different parts of the world, because we doing much to positively shape what games
intrinsically already have a population that are across the planet.
is mixed, and has been for a long time. Our
immigration flow is older than what you see in “We’ve actually been exporting popular
Canada or other countries, so we can see, and Brazilian and LATAM culture globally since the
1314
Getting Physical: With over 27 years experience working across
Understanding a Future games and technology, MultiMetaverse CEO
Alex Xu has served as an entrepreneur, game
Shaped by the Metaverse developer, investor, VC advisor, 3D engine creator,
manager, and indie studio founder. He has held
senior roles at EA, SNK, Leyou Technologies and
AUTHOR: Alex Xu, CEO, MultiMetaverse many more.
As the conversation around what the That’s a vision that suggests a great many “It’s going to become harder to talk about
metaverse will be continues to fascinate things from our physical and digital lives can games in the metaverse and work in the
technologists, game makers, press and public be part of the metaverse. Furthermore, the metaverse and socialising in the metaverse as
alike, defining what it will be has become metaverse might look very different depending different things. Because another important
somewhat confused by hype, enthusiasm – on where you view it from. part of the metaverse’s future as I see it is
and the influence of science fiction. that it is about breaking down what separates
“The crypto guys think that their technology those things. Gaming is going to be increasingly
While some players wonder when they will and decentralised approach will define the defined by our ability to move between
step into Ready Player One’s fantastical metaverse. I’m sure it will be part of it, but it experiences, or exist across experiences.”
future, those actually working on shaping the doesn’t define the metaverse” Xu posits. “The
metaverse still see tremendous value in asking same is true of the hardware and tools that That latter point is a significant one. While
what exactly it could – and should – be. One we use to build the metaverse. We will see a the idea that a user can effortlessly switch
of those people is Alex Xu, who brings over lot of different technologies used to make the between the likes of a work and game –
27 years of experience working in games and metaverse, but they also do not define it.” perhaps with the tap of the side of a pair of
technology, having served companies including AR glasses is an interesting one – the real
EA, SNK and Leyou Technologies. Today he In other words, the metaverse is not potential to innovate comes in new forms
stands as CEO of MultiMetaverse, a holding defined by its constituent parts, or even of games and entertainment existing in the
company that brings together numerous active the technologies it embraces. Rather, it is a overlap between vintersecting experiences.
projects focused on games, animation and concept that an endless list of things can plug
merchandising – and that has a determined into - gaming, work life, socialising, broadcast,
focus on helping understand and realise the sports, creative pursuits, performance, and a “We’re going to be able to explore and create
potential of the metaverse. great deal more besides. personal experiences and rooms and areas
within and across those games,” states an
For Xu, asking what the metaverse is remains a “Think of a meeting or social gathering where optimistic XU. “We’ll start to see sharing game
vital conversation. some people are in the room and some are experiences and interacting with our real-
joining virtually,” Xu suggests. “We have world social interest groups and communities
“I think it remains the most important all experienced that. But in the metaverse, start to merge too. That’s how to think about
question about the metaverse,” he enthuses. there won’t be much distinction between this future. We’re not just talking about
“And I think the most important thing for the the physical and virtual attendees. Users in hopping between experiences, but about those
metaverse comes in terms of how it is different the room wearing some kind of augmenting experiences starting to blend and merge. The
from the virtual worlds that we are all familiar glasses will see the avatars of virtual guests potential there is really exciting.”
with. Because, you know, us gaming company sitting amongst them. If you take that and
people have been building immersive virtual think about games that could be experienced Xu has ample time for realism. He recognises
worlds for three decades or more. If you think by people joining together in those ways - I there are many challenges beyond those
of the metaverse as just a virtual world – that’s think the metaverse presents a very exciting technological barriers, from new legal
not something new.” future for game makers.” frameworks that need establishing to
considering our own wellbeing in an entirely
Material Matters Magic Realism? new way to experience life. But for Xu the
greater opportunity means those problems are
In fact, says Xu, it is the familiar physical world Xu is also keenly aware that numerous well worth solving.
around us that really defines the metaverse - technological barriers sit as obstacles on the
and its influence on the future of games. road to the metaverse’s true potential. But he “We are going to see shifts across our lives,”
would encourage creators to consider that it is Xu concludes. “Things like travel, ownership,
“What is the key difference in this concept not all about a far flung future. creativity, notions of presence, and even social
called the metaverse is that we’re not talking status and finances and employment could
about a pure virtual world. At least, I don’t “There are those technological barriers, of see a lot of change. This is a new opportunity
think we should be. My definition is that the course, and we have a lot of work to do” says that is so vast, it’s almost harder to imagine
metaverse has to offer some kind of merging of a pragmatic Xu. “But again, we are not waiting what won’t be affected. But that is important
the virtual world and the physical world. That’s for Ready Player One. Technologies like AR, too. The real world - and everything that is
where the opportunity is. A lot of people today VR, realtime rendering, faster connections brilliant about it - will continue to exist too. We
suggest that the metaverse is about everybody and so on will all be part of it; and they are all can, will and should continue to enjoy that.”
living in a virtual world together, but that’s still already part of our daily lives. There’s not a
just a virtual world. limit on what technology might become part
of this, and some amazing new concepts are
“Yet we all gain so much from the physical likely to appear in the years ahead. But we
world, and that’s what is so exciting about don’t need to wait for magical technology from
the metaverse – it lets you leverage virtual far in the future.”
technology to augment or improve how we
experience the physical world. That might What we might see fairly soon, then, is
mean your work life, the games and other the emergence of experiences that defy
entertainment you consume, or how you conventions around what counts as a game.
socialise. It’s about how we can bring the gains
of the physical and digital worlds together.”
1516
Getting growth right: Carl Cavers stood as co-founder of Sumo Digital
in 2003, growing the business before a trade sale
to Foundation 9. Carl then led a management
The future of game industry buy-out with Northedge Capital in 2014,
followed by a secondary buy-out with Perwyn
acquisitions and consolidation in 2016. This was followed by the flotation of
Sumo Group plc on AIM in 2017. Carl received
TIGA’s coveted Most Outstanding Individual
Award in 2015 and he holds an honorary
AUTHOR: Carl Cavers, Sumo Group CEO and Sumo Digital co-founder doctorate from Sheffield Hallam University.
Within the game industry Sumo Group is Above all, there’s what growth means to the IT and so on, and handle them for our newly
known for its ambitious approach to expansion people and studio(s) – those that form the acquired studios. That lets those teams focus
and acquisition. heart and substance of a business. on the business of making great games –
Under the Group, a family of companies It is essential to consider their ambitions, as well as their strategic direction and future.
including Sumo Digital, Atomhawk and Auroch concerns or insights as growth is planned, and
Digital has been gathered. that they aren’t just seen as direct beneficiaries The best acquisitions aren’t just about taking
Sumo Digital alone now has 11 studios based of expansion. ownership of a team – they’re about elevating
across the UK, and further afield in bristling At Sumo Group, we always want our people to what that team can achieve.
tech hubs such as India’s eastern city Pune feel that they are looked after, and that they
and Wrocław, Poland. have that shared community that you might Acquiring To Elevate
Sumo Group also counts an indie publishing associate with smaller teams. Maintaining that
arm as part of its family, as we grow has been something we’ve really The acquisition of The Chinese Room by Sumo
having established SecretMode a little focused on. Digital offers a perfect example of the merits
over a year ago – shortly before it opened of that approach. At a point Dan Pinchbeck had
development studio Timbre in Canada that Embracing potential essentially shrunk The Chinese Room back
same year. to himself as creative director. For a larger
In 2006, three years after Sumo Digital was operation, acquiring a single-person studio
Sumo has long been regarded as an expert founded, we started to think seriously about might not seem like it presents an obvious or
in taking the reins of beloved IPs, a highly what needed to be done to address the future immediate commercial opportunity.
collaborative co-developer, in terms of growth and expansion. At that time
a porting powerhouse and a creator of its own games were gaining popularity, and our team
properties. The team there have left their mark was already growing, the industry was heading
on iconic properties including Sonic, Outrun, in an exciting direction. But with The Chinese Room, beyond being
LittleBigPlanet, Disney, Doctor Who, Hitman, That potential made us consider evolving believers in Dan, we also had a chance to
Forza and Sumo into something beyond a single-team acquire truly amazing game IP and, most
Broken Sword. Meanwhile, internal creations operation, we looked at how developing a importantly, a shared vision for what was
such as Snake Pass have demonstrated multi-location business could take advantage possible.
innovative original game designs. of many different factors that would ultimately
bring about a much more interesting future for Dan can make amazing games but is also
Simply put, the Group has grown to become a any company. passionate about things in a way that perfectly
vast and highly successful operation – but to aligns with our business and our company
Sumo Group CEO and Sumo Digital co-founder For one, the simple act of having studios in culture. We all knew there was an opportunity
Carl Cavers, expansion isn’t only about size. different locations with different people at the for accelerating The Chinese Room’s growth
helm delivers a wider range of perspectives, by supporting and complementing what they
As acquisitions, mergers and consolidation ideas, experiences and impulses. It can mean do, and that’s exactly what’s guided us since
become more commonplace within the games diversifying the range of cultural influences they joined Sumo. Dan was able to focus on
industry, getting company growth right will and working practices a game company can creativity and making games, and we were
increasingly define what future-facing game inherit, while employing a more wide-ranging able to put Ed Daly in to serve as the Studio
companies can be. array of skill sets and specialties. And as the Director.
game industry continues its journey as an
Consolidation, of course, has been a key talking employer that serves an increasingly large and That’s really worked for us and The Chinese
point across the games industry after an varied audience, those things are important. Room – and it’s working in similar ways in
explosive start to 2022. our other studio acquisitions. That’s not to
Microsoft acquired Activision Blizzard in a The multi-location approach, whether global say there’s a one-size-fits-all solution, as
$68.7 billion deal in January, just days after or local, can also bring commercial efficiency every studio is unique. But going in with the
Take-Two bought up Zynga for a reported not possible through using outsourcing, while mindset of supporting and elevating your new
$12.7 billion. As the industry grows however, also ensuring control over quality. And with acquisition is increasingly important.
so does the opportunity for a new era of more so many teams united under one organisation,
thoughtful acquisitions and expansions that establishing structures and systems that Investing In Collective Potential
help smaller teams and local hubs realise their support and respect staff needs can be
true potential, whilst ensuring that the games particularly impactful. It’s worth considering that when establishing
industry continues to become a better place. or acquiring studios in different locations,
Growing a games business should never be Importantly, acquiring a team isn’t just about you’re effectively investing in the local game
about rushing for short-term gains. The best expanding a core business, or bolting on a new community, both directly and indirectly.
type of growth means greater revenues and operation, custodianship of potential is also Today the game industry continues to emerge
better games with longer lifetimes. It means inherited. We’re always motivated to genuinely and expand across a remarkable spread
happier, more productive teams, chances help teams we acquire to focus on their of destinations globally, and that’s where
to diversify, and more powerful ways to strengths. opportunities not just to grow your business,
contribute to the forward journey of the wider Now we have a whole group of studios, when it but also to expand upon the potential of games
industry. To really seize those opportunities comes to acquisition of a new team we look to can be found.
proceeding with care and consideration is remove a lot of the distractions to the business
absolutely critical. of making games – those core business To make this multiple location approach work,
functions such as HR, Finance, Commercial, you have to think about investing in people and
17potential, rather than locations. We’ve chosen
to establish teams in places like Pune because
of the local talent there, and what was coming,
rather than what was already in place. As
globalisation and consolidation continue, that
starting point of investing in people will only
become more important and valuable.
In Pune we saw an emerging local game
development industry and a bristling
community defined by emerging talent. Years
on, we’ve been part of that emergence, as Pune
has grown as an amazing game and tech hub,
having done our part to help fuel that journey,
we gain from it more
each day.
We’ll continue to see more expansions and
acquisitions in these emerging or newly
emerged markets and fresh talent is
uncovered and nurtured. Studio growth and
industry growth are inseparable,
if a company focuses on its own growth in
isolation, it could end up being limiting.
Consolidating Opportunity
There is no doubt there will be more
consolidation in the coming years. It’s partly
about the increasing effort needed to produce
a game, as well as the need for a diversified
skillset to realise the opportunity to make
new and different styles of games for new and
different types of audiences.
This isn’t just a triple-A matter, consolidation
will become more common with smaller
studios and in the indie space. Of course, there
will always be those wonderful exceptions
where a sole developer builds a hit, but as the
opportunity for success grows, studios will
need to stay at – or grow to – the relevant
scale. Whatever types of game are being
made in the future it is likely there will be a
need for a fair sized team to seize many of the
opportunities that will arise.
These trends don’t fundamentally change
what it is to run a games business however.
People will increasingly have to come together
in the future to make games –
but our industry has always been great at that.
Looking into the future, the opportunities are
simply grander. The creative solutions we as
an industry need to find are more complex
and powerful, technology keeps bringing
more potential – and increased challenge. The
increasing breadth of what games can be will
always include smaller creators, but a great
many titles that push ambition and technology
into new realms will require sizable, diverse
and multidisciplinary teams.
Getting growth and large scale collaboration
right in the future is about being thoughtful...
The best starting point for this is, without
doubt, identifying, developing and retaining the
right people.
1819
The future of triple-A
development culture:
Standing as Twin Suns Corp’s Co-founder and COO, Forest
Sustainable, ethical, responsible Swartout Large brings 23 years of film and games industry
experience, having served outfits such as IO Interactive,
Microsoft, Playdead, Glu, and Crystal Dynamics. Forest is
passionate about ethical, inclusive, and sustainable
AUTHOR: Forest Swartout Large, co-founder and COO, Twin Suns CorpDigital co-founder game development.
With the increase of remote work opportunities or overtalks; interruptions are rare, and when Project Management
and the rise of people-focused studios, game they do happen, are quickly stopped with an
developers have a greater ability to choose apology from the interruptor. While we value Production and project management brings
sustainable workplaces. efficiency and being on-topic, laughter, levity, stability and predictability, making it another
and joy are a frequent aspect, even in our key part of both building a game sustainably
From the start of my production career in film quick, daily standups. Everyone easily gives and building a successful game studio.
animation and visual effects, I learned the and shares credit. We start our weekly team
value and importance of a shared language, meeting with appreciations and end our sprint Don’t try to do it all; prioritise between scope,
clear goals, reviews celebrating accomplishments and cost, and time. Keep in mind there is no feature,
and measurable progress. I’ve carried these contributions. piece of content, or bug that is worth risking
principles with me in game development, the health of the team or an individual. Be sure
with positive results, proving that structure Collaboration on the game is done to make all in-editor, collaboration and support
and a responsible work environment creates asynchronously through the editor, Slack, work planned for and visible in the project
better games. Most recently, as the executive Confluence, and Miro. Team building activities, plans; this helps to prevent the givers, who
producer of Hitman III, we transitioned the daily playtests, planning, reviews, celebrations, typically carry the extra burden of invisible
team, mid-development, to remote work. and appreciations are done synchronously via work, from burnout. Again, transparency of
Despite the pandemic, Hitman III not only Zoom and Discord. We encourage on-camera all kinds is powerfully helpful to sustainable,
released on-time, but became the highest presence but don’t make it required. Thanks to impactful game development.
rated and most commercially successful a suggestion from a team member,
Hitman game of all time. we always try to end meetings five minutes Operationalising Health and Team
early to allow for breaks. We record all team
Today, I am co-founder and COO at Twin Suns meetings and try to always have transcripts Health At Twin Suns Corp, we conduct
Corp, a fully remote, global triple-A game enabled so team members can easily watch a monthly health survey, and it’s been
studio focused on sustainability. Our mission any missed meetings. tremendously helpful.
is to ensure a healthy work environment that
nurtures creativity and innovation; through Lastly, there is no business case for The results are transparent for the team,
professionalism, planning, and iteration, we toxicity at any level. Transgressions and and we analyse each report and make
strive to create the conditions where our microaggressions shouldn’t be tolerated; these improvements. In response to concerning
amazing team can thrive. incidents can make the work environment trends around meeting fatigue and overtime
intolerable. From my own personal experience, in our monthly health survey, we started the
It’s been a little over a year since starting the I’ve seen the immense cost of unchecked practice of ‘Free (Focus & Fun) Fridays’. Free
studio, and I’ve outlined below the themes toxicity: attrition and increased turnover; Fridays allows us to operationalise deep work,
and initiatives that have helped us to work higher recruitment and onboarding costs; learning, and when needed, rest, to support
more sustainably. They have proven to be an performance and productivity drops; everyone to work more sustainably. When
essential aspect of our business model and opportunity and profit loss; hits to morale, and everyone protects at least 20% of their time to
are the kinds of initiatives that will become loss of confidence in leadership. Something do the work they love, engagement and output
increasingly vital to the sustainability every studio handbook can and should have is increases all around.
and success of triple-A development. an easy to understand and follow Reporting
and Safe Space Procedure. Similarly, when people delegate or stop the
Our Culture work they loathe, motivation and
Compensating Fairly productivity rise.
Great cultures afford psychological and
emotional safety so the team can take risks, Preventing and monitoring for effort-reward Oftentimes, an activity one person dreads,
innovate, and have the capacity and bandwidth imbalances is critically important. At Twin another person would love to take on. If it’s
to imagine and realise new frontiers and Suns Corp, we have salary bands based on role something no one wants to do but can be
experiences. and responsibilities. Where someone sits in the broken up, then everyone can take a little piece
band is determined by their experience within of it. If it’s universally loathed and not critical,
We deploy consistent and robust processes that role. then it’s probably not
around recruitment and promotions without For example, a highly experienced senior worth continuing.
bypassing steps or fast-tracking candidates. will be at the high end of the band whereas
The cost of bringing on team members who a brand-new senior will be in the entry level Above all, make it safe for everyone to ask for
aren’t aligned with the values and practices of of the band, regardless of discipline or salary help. The most efficient way to establish trust
the company and team rarely, if ever, work out. history. is to ask for help, and the most efficient way
On the positive side, a thoughtfully built team to establish safety is to provide help without
will expand upon each other’s work; this is the Discrepancies between two people who have judgement.
flavour of collaboration that I find to be the the same experience and set of responsibilities
most efficient, engaging, and purposeful. only perpetuate the inequality problems in our The Future is Sustainable
industry. I’m also a believer in transparent and
We value our safe and engaging meeting fair bonus schemes. No team member wants The approaches I’ve shared here aren’t just
culture. At Twin Suns Corp, we are fully remote to learn that a peer who contributed the same nice ideas or hypothetical concepts. They
and global, and our meetings are a critical value and work was given more bonus due to are absolutely working for our team and our
mode of interaction. We are a conscious and favouritism or another business.
thoughtful group; no one person dominates arbitrary reason.
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