The Aardvark Way: Proven Recruitment for Game Development Studios
With over 35 years of expertise in games industry recruitment, we've refined our hiring practices into a proven process tailored to the specific demands of game development studios.
From indie developers to AAA studios, we identify and secure top-tier game development talent—whether it's for game programming, art, animation, production, design, QA, commercial, or leadership roles.
Our 7-Step Game Recruitment Process
1. Understanding Your Studio & Role Requirements
We begin by qualifying the role, ensuring a deep understanding of your studio’s needs, company culture, and the impact of the position on your game development pipeline. Whether you're hiring for C++ programmers, technical artists, or game designers, we align our approach to your specific hiring goals.
2. Building a Tailored Recruitment Strategy
A clear and structured communication plan is key to successful hiring. We establish a strategy that outlines who will be involved in the process, the preferred method of communication, and the frequency of updates, keeping the process efficient and transparent.
3. Defining the Ideal Candidate Profile
We build a detailed candidate persona based on required skill sets, industry or project experience, and cultural fit for your studio. Whether you're searching for experienced game developers or individuals with a specialised skill set like data analysis, monetization, or AI programming, we'll work with you to identify and define the parameters needed to find your ideal hire.
4. Engaging the Passive Game Developer Talent Pool
In a typical market, 20% of an industry's workforce are actively job-seeking, 20% have no interest in a change of role, and the remaining 60% are passive job-seekers. We leverage our database, network of game developers, and industry relationships to uncover the game devs who may not be actively applying but are the perfect fit for your studio.
Throughout our history, 83% of the hires we've made for studios have been passive job-seekers; even through the recent industry turmoil, 78% of our hires were unaffected by redundancy or studio closures.
5. Direct Outreach to Game Industry Professionals
Through targeted and personalized outreach campaigns, we connect with the candidates that best fit the skill set and project experience you're looking for and also align with your studio culture. Our team uses tailored search projects, portfolio reviews, and community engagement to attract the top talent for your role.
6. Comprehensive Candidate Screening & Evaluation
We assess each candidate’s game development expertise, technical proficiency, motivations and aspirations, and cultural alignment through in-depth interviews, CV and portfolio reviews, and suitability checks. We ensure the candidates put forward meet your standards.
7. Full-Service Talent Management & Hiring Support
From initial outreach to post-hire support, we facilitate every step of the process. Our team coordinates interviews, negotiates offers, and provides onboarding guidance to help with a seamless hiring experience. We're here to support you in all aspects of your hiring process, securing long-term talent that contributes to the success of your projects and game development studio.
Why Studios Choose Aardvark Swift for Games Industry Recruitment
Industry Expertise: Decades of experience recruiting for indie, AA, mobile, and AAA game studios.
Extensive Talent Network: Access to game developers around the world, from generalists to the highly specialized roles now in demand for data analysis, machine learning, and monetization.
Proven Track Record: Over 35 years of successful hires across all game development disciplines.
Personalized Approach: Tailored recruitment strategies designed to fit your studio’s unique needs.