Hello,
Welcome to the first of a monthly newsletter where I will be analyzing the ever-changing gaming and esports job market and providing expert insight and meaningful feedback so that you have the information you need to position yourself in the best way possible to land a job in this wonderfully exciting, highly competitive and sometimes turbulent industry.
End of Month Jobs Data
At the end of March 2024, I analyzed some of the top companies in gaming today, including Twitch, Activision/Blizzard/King, Discord, Riot, Epic Games and 100 Thieves. Below is a breakout of what jobs were available in each category:
Of the fifteen companies that I surveyed, there were a total of 587 current job listings. A good sign that growth in the gaming job market is not only steady and largely unaffected by the macro-economic climate.
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​Trends to Watch
It’s no surprise that the bulk of these opportunities were in the realm of game and product development, with engineering being a close second. In fact, despite layoffs at both companies, Epic Games and Activision/Blizzard/King had 120 and 37 active job postings in game development, respectively.
In addition, it was positive to see that jobs in the influencer marketing space were abundant, with 52 open positions. It’s clear that the use of content creators, especially for D2C brands with limited ad budgets, is going to continue to be a strong marketing vertical. It also helps that gaming-adjacent creators like MrBeast who continue to walk a mainstream path are getting the attention of marketing stakeholders everywhere.
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​Brazil: The New Frontier
Another trend I noticed was that several companies were starting to staff up in Brazil, notably Team Liquid and Epic Games. The TL roles made sense based on the recent opening of their training facility in SĂŁo Paulo, but it was interesting to see so many other roles popping up there as well.
Overseas labor is not a new concept by any stretch: one look at Razer’s job openings can tell you they understand the power of lining up certain business units in certain regions to save money.
Considering that gaming is on the rise in Brazil and as of 2022, the 5th largest market in the world for video games (source: AllCorrect Games), this trend doesn’t show any sign of letting up.
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​The Temp and Contract Scene
After layoffs and restructure, it’s very common for companies to backfill with temp and contract roles. And while I have seen more staffing companies including Onward Search looking to fill roles at companies like Activision/Blizzard/King, there is more data to support that full-time jobs are back in a big way.
However, I recommend staying close to these independent recruiters in case something comes up that doesn’t make it to LinkedIn or a job board.
Content creator companies like Night Media were looking to fill what looked like hired-gun creative roles, making creator houses a good place to watch for freelance opportunities.
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​Entry to Mid-level Prominence
One thing that typically does happen after a large amount of restructuring is that junior to mid-level roles often show up more. The reason is probably obvious, you can spend less money filling those roles and promote from within when the time is right to fill something more senior.
I can’t report that there weren’t any senior level to executive roles, however this is a trend you can probably expect to see in the coming months until later in the year as we get close to the US Elections, where money typically gets cheaper meaning that companies across the globe will be open to invest more.
If you want to know how you stack up in the gaming job market, please book a free consultation session with me now and let’s take a look at your resume and professional profile. I’ve helped many looking for work in gaming get better jobs, even get their first jobs through a three-tier process that I developed which helped me get my first job in gaming making six figures. Click the link below to book a call:
I'm in your corner. It's time to get noticed, get interviews, get hired.
Yours,
Adam
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