Monument Valley boss says it was ‘too romantic’ about giving staff ‘long-term job security’, thinks contractors are the future

Key Points:

• María Sayans, chair of Ukie and CEO of Ustwo Games, highlighted challenges for smaller studios in retaining long-term employees due to high production costs and long development cycles, suggesting a shift toward more contractor hires.
• Ustwo Games, which has reduced its staff from around 40 to under 30, plans to rely more on contractors rather than full-time employees to maintain budget stability and flexibility amid industry changes.
• Sayans expressed reluctance about this shift, noting that earlier industry conditions allowed for greater job security, but acknowledged that the current environment necessitates a more flexible workforce model.
• Ustwo is also pivoting from mobile to focus on PC gaming, believing the mobile platform no longer supports sustainable long-term business growth.
• Ukie, representing over 2,000 UK games businesses and 73,000 jobs, emphasizes the importance of developing employee benefits and wellbeing initiatives to retain talent and enrich working lives despite economic pressures.