In the fantasy MMO The Elder Scrolls Online, parts of the workforce were laid off a few days ago. On Twitter, they are being offered jobs by Rockstar Games, Bioware, Trion Worlds, and other large and renowned software houses.
A tweet put it succinctly:
“Being fired from a gaming studio is probably the best way to get hired by a gaming studio.”
For people who have been trying to break into the industry for years, it must be sensational to see the doors opening for those laid off at Zenimax.
Only a few hours after it became known that there had been “large layoffs” at Zenimax, job offers started pouring in publicly on Twitter – usually with a short message of regret. However, these are not personally tailored offers; they are not that public, but rather links to their own “Careers” page.
But those who are publicly looking for new employees read like a “who’s who” in gaming. Under the hashtag #Zosjobs, encouragements and job offers flooded in. Rockstar Games (the GTA franchise) is looking for someone, Trion Worlds (Rift, ArcheAge) even has President Scott Hartsman personally weighing in, Naughty Dog (Uncharted, The Last of Us) is also in need of help, and the Talent Acquisition Manager from Bioware (Mass Effect, Dragon Age, SW:TOR) tweeted about her company’s job page.
Game designers and “talents” in this area with MMO experience seem to be in demand. While some games today shy away from the MMO label (Destiny avoids the abbreviation like the devil avoids holy water, so as not to conjure up clichéd images of a tedious MMORPG life among shooter fans on consoles), many actually classic single-player games are experimenting with expanded multiplayer options. As consoles, which have long been limited to the living room, will be fully integrated into the internet in the coming years, many studios are now looking for “talents” with MMO experience for their game series.
Those in customer support are definitely facing a tougher situation, as they are not likely to be in high demand. The gaming industry is tough and demands a high degree of flexibility from its employees. Many make it clear in their tweets: “I am willing to move anywhere I am needed.”
