Could COVID-19 Make Remote Game Studios the Industry Standard?

COVID-19 is constantly changing the way that the world works. If one good thing comes from this, more studios will go remote. It's better for employees and it could be better for gaming as a whole.

Last updates by

William Worrall

April 5, 2020 12:30 PM

COVID-19 could change the way we work forever. | Source: Zak BENNETT / AFP

COVID-19 has been sweeping the globe, bringing massive changes in its wake.
Remote working is now more common than ever.
If there’s a silver lining after this pandemic ends, it should be that more game studios go remote.

The world is changing rapidly in response to COVID-19. More people are required to work from home, which has caused major shifts for some game studios.

Many active game studios have turned into remote studios. There are numerous benefits to having a decentralized development environment. Hopefully, these remote studios stick around after the COVID-19 pandemic has settled.

If Moon Studios can make a game like Ori and the Will of the Wisps from home, maybe other game developers can do the same. | Source: Steam.

There Has to Be Some Silver Lining From COVID-19

If the COVID-19 pandemic has shown us anything, it’s that working from home is viable for a lot more people than initially thought.

Larger game studios, in particular, are starting to realize the viability of decentralization. Moon Studios is a pretty big developer, with 80 employees who all work from home. Using this method, they’ve managed to produce two stunning games, all without having a headquarters.

No Headquarters Means Fewer Overheads

Hiring out an office is expensive. Some of the highest costs for a big studio are rent and upkeep. Remote studios don’t have to worry about that cost. Additionally, remote studios can hire the most talented people from anywhere in the world.

This allows studios to tempt talent away from more prominent developers. Speaking to GameIndustry.Biz, Moon Studios co-founder Thomas Mahler said:

“We hired people away from Blizzard, Riot, Disney, and so on and the pitch that we made was simply: ‘Hey, we have a good salary, but the nice thing is that you can work from home'”

Thanks to COVID-19, remote studios will hopefully become more common in the games industry. Who knows? Maybe one day, we’ll see numerous triple-A studios move to a remote model. Working for Ubisoft while wearing your PJs sounds like living the dream to me.

Disclaimer: The opinions expressed in this article do not necessarily reflect the views of CCN.com.