Agenda

Many studios, new and old, are using a version of work-for-hire as a way to keep their teams afloat while developing original IP. While common, this model brings a unique set of challenges - like managing team bandwidth across projects, maintaining internal momentum, and navigating unpredictable client timelines alongside your own projects. In this roundtable, studio leaders currently balancing client work with their own original game development come together to share strategies, pitfalls, and what has worked for them. Moderated by the CEO of Petricore, Ryan Canuel, who has led a hybrid studio for over a decade - the session encourages open discussion around operations, staffing, sales, and sustainability. Attendees will leave with real-world insights and tactics they can bring back to their own teams to better manage the work-for-hire model while still moving original projects forward.

Takeaway

Attendees gain insight into how other studios structure and manage work-for-hire alongside original development. By sharing their own experiences and hearing a wide range of real-world approaches, studio leaders walk away with new perspectives and practical ideas for tackling the challenges of running a hybrid studio.

Intended Audience

This talk is primarily indented for business leaders within game studios that are actively doing a hybrid mix of work-for-hire alongside original IP development. Come prepared to share lessons from your own studios, and hear from others on similar topics.