Animus Game Studio On Work Organization, Hiring Practices & South American Gamedev Market

Introduction

I'm Patrick Borges from the Animus Game Studio team. I’ve studied business relationships at Curitiba, a leading smart city in the south of Brazil. I was invited to the team by my creative friend Bruno Ferrari after arriving from a job experience in China. Our latest project is a huge outsourcing endeavor, sided with some authorial projects using different technologies and industry breakthroughs.  

Work Organization at Animus

Our studio teams are organized into work-area cells, but we can also build custom task forces according to the needs of the project. There are managers and leads for each area. Most of the time, the areas are:

• Art: 2D, 3D, VFX, Animation, Audio;
• Development: Game (engines), Frontend, Backend, Cloud, Multiplayer.
  
  

But of course, some projects require a specific structure.

Since we work 100% remotely, we have dedicated software for project management, documentation, diagram creation, file versioning, and comms. We make sure to have an online environment that mirrors how we would work physically; we have many rooms/channels where people are able to fastly reach others and organize themselves as they need through video, voice, and screen-share, making a structure very similar to what is expected in the "real world". We also encourage gameplay sessions and other side activities that help to engage the team.

Gamedev and Digital Art Market in South America

The gamedev market in South America is growing fast. The lack of proper regulation and taxes is still an ongoing barrier that needs addressing by the government in an overall manner, but there are a lot of opportunities flowing overseas which is propelling the growth of our region. We try our best to keep the flame of creativity alive, with plenty of authorial projects being developed.

Hiring a New Specialist

When we are looking for new specialists, we seek candidates who have the ability to find different solutions (in sometimes clueless stand-offs), are eager for innovation, and are able to adapt fast to new tech.

Working with Beginners

We try to respect all opinions and ways of life, as long as the professional is capable. We have a tutoring hierarchy to make sure the beginners are properly supervised and can get directions to hold meetings only to check on the beginner's needs. Respect the space, respect the creativity, and make the boat go in the direction needed.

Managing Burnout

We have a strong planning structure to avoid crunching and burnout. By making use of specialist software to support the management in the decision-making, we’re able to identify when something is about to go off-rails and take action as needed.

Another important subject in this topic is that we fully implemented CI/CD workflows along with automated tests, which not only lowered all the effort required by the QA team to approve a new release but also greatly diminished the regression of bugs into production.

The key for us is to spend a lot in planning and beforehand testing.

Freedom as Part of Working Environment

We consider freedom an essential part of our environment. Over the years, our studio is constantly empowering the freedom of our members, especially the artists. We have always managed to implement the good ideas of the artists without harming the client's workflow. Communication with our clients is one of our most powerful tools, and everyone is involved, in one way or another, from concept to deployment.

Anumus' Approach to Education

The studio is constantly holding workshops for the team in order to showcase new techs, workflows, and methodologies. That practice inspires team members to grow their knowledge but also leverage it in a horizontal way, giving beginners access to higher-level information whilst providing the seniors the opportunity to review their methods and evolve. The eagerness to learn is a major pillar of our company.

Anumus' Services

We provide services from the tip of the development iceberg to the deep sea of backend programming and server implementation, as well as guiding some clients to success. The first step is like a doctor meeting his patient, even if the patient has the same degree of knowledge. This helps the building of an understanding that may vary on many levels, but the company is always on the duty of keeping the horizon clear and out of storms.

Tips for Artists Willing to Work at Animvs

I asked our creative artist, Bruno Ferrari, to share a few words with you. Here's what he said:

"In order to succeed, an applicant must share the same vision for creativity and will. Bring the ideas to the table every day and night, focusing only on personal development and what you can do for the company. When sharing this crazy boat, devs have the responsibility to become seamen in this sea of creativity and references, being prepared to meet some monsters of nonsense along the way."

Patrick Borges, Marketing Director at Animvs Game Studio

Interview conducted by Gloria Levine