Gameloft was founded in 1999 in France and now has 18 studios all around the world. The Gameloft Budapest studio opened its doors 10 years ago in 2012. Nowadays, it has around 85 employees, but that’s not its limit: the studio is continuously expanding.
This text will tell you a little about the new InGame Job partner.
About the office
The office can be found in the downtown area of Budapest, next to the Danube River. The team is international; several foreign colleagues moved to Budapest from different places. The management believes that joint brainstorming is essential in the gaming industry; hence, almost all the colleagues live in Hungary and meet in person.
Gameloft is a friendly and calm place; the environment is pleasant with minimal stress, which is a huge win. People are always helpful and kind; there are no such things as stupid questions, and you will always get help if you need it.
The passion and enthusiasm of the team is incredible! Seeing how much progress we can achieve, even in a short time, is astonishing. I genuinely appreciate my colleagues, not just as professionals but as people: they are always open to talk, no matter the topic. There is no problem we can’t solve together, even if it seems impossible initially.
About the most known projects
The most well-known project is Dragon Mania Legends, but it’s not the only one. The team creates F2P, semi-casual games in a cartoonish style.
About the onboarding process
On the first day, new colleagues are introduced to the whole team. The first meeting is with the game’s producer and the direct lead, who share details about the game, the daily challenges, and provide the onboarding plan for the next 3 months. New colleagues have an assigned buddy to help them settle in. During the trial period, the team continues supporting and giving feedback to new joiners on their work, but of course, newcomers’ opinions and suggestions are also more than welcomed.
Gameloft Budapest trusted me as an individual to integrate into their team and work on a successful title and make meaningful contributions to it. As a fresh graduate, most companies and job offers for a junior position in game design would require experience. However, the Budapest studio gave me a chance to prove myself. I’m eternally grateful for that.
About training in the company
Every month there is a dedicated training day where all employees can choose to attend internal workshops or participate in individual training courses. Moreover, everybody can attend conferences or any other professional events/courses/workshops that will help them acquire deeper knowledge in their professional area.
Colleagues can own their projects and tasks and complete them with great flexibility, but leads and producers are always there to help. Our studio puts great effort into training and growing our people’s skills. You can also learn from other departments – no matter where you are.
As a company, Gameloft Budapest is always looking for ways to improve. One example is that of personal training. The company is already supporting us with some work time dedicated to learning. This learning can be directly related to your field or be from a different position. As a junior game designer, I can attend workshops about best coding practices delivered by my peers.
What might interest a candidate in the company
- Flexible, hybrid work schedule
- Good performance is always recognized, so every employee is eligible for an annual bonus
- All employees get an extra day’s leave for their birthdays
- All employees benefit from a private health insurance plan that includes an unlimited number of specialist appointments and an annual health screening
- Different team-building events throughout the year
- Game Jams for everyone who wants to join
- Coffee, tea, and fruit are always available in the office
- Employee Assistance Program (legal, financial, life management, and mental health services)
- All employees are provided with a fitness pass
Company-organized activities are fun and cool. Of course, the past two years have been different, but it’s really lovely to see how they want to solve this puzzle and keep the teams together in different ways. At the Budapest studio, we have a monthly gastronomical event with different nations’ food and beverage specialities. Oh boy, this is so good!
There is so much to love about Gameloft. The people are first and most important: we have a unique atmosphere built on trust and mutual respect, with many incredible talents gathered here from all over the globe. It’s a truly multicultural experience.
We feel that we matter here as people: during the whole two years of the pandemic, our well-being was always number one for the management, and transitioning to work from home was smooth and quick, and there was always transparency about not going back to the office until it’s really safe for our loved ones and us.
As a company, its current culture represents a role model that should be followed in the industry. It encourages collaboration and a healthy work-life balance while also creating the best environment to be productive. Its diversity is organic because the Budapest studio recognizes the strength of having multiple viewpoints for solving issues. In a nutshell, it’s gratifying to be able to work there.
Check out the Gameloft Budapest open vacancies on InGame Job!
Senior 3d Artist, Senior Mobile Game Designer, Senior Game Economy Designer, Mobile Game Producer and more
What would employees like to improve?
Stanislas Mihaljcuk – Junior Game Designer
That being said, I think one point for improvement would be to dedicate time to looking for ways to improve internal processes. One can easily fall prey to simply focusing on production and executing tasks. However, this can be detrimental when we are using inefficient practices that could be solved by simply stopping to think and look at them.
Overall, the company already does this to some extent, but I firmly believe we should increase its frequency.
Roland Budai – Concept Artist
Regarding the improvement, I can’t really think of anything, which is a really good thing, I guess. HR is always on time. You get all the information and help you need; they are nice and super friendly people who care about others. I have worked in different studios before, but Gameloft is the best so far. No regrets, just fun and joy.
Regina Homoki – Assistant Producer
There is always room for improvement. We are working on having more honest conversations, being more transparent about the company’s vision and goals, and giving the teams more space to bond to strengthen our company culture.
Anita Szegedi – Producer
The biggest positive thing from the company side is the people-centric management. If anyone has an issue or blocker, the studio is there to help understand the needs and search for solutions. It’s a very supportive mindset that builds trust in the teams. Of course, we are still working on how to be more flexible to adjust to people’s needs in these post-pandemic times, but improvements are visible with the hybrid or 100% WFH options.
Who is the ideal candidate for Gameloft Budapest?
We are a small studio with a friendly atmosphere, and we often spend time together, so one of the essential aspects for us during the interview is finding someone who can fit the studio’s culture. We love games, and we also value creativity, teamwork, transparent communication, and someone with an open mindset. Additionally, as we have an international and diverse team, English is a must. The best you can do is to be yourself during the recruitment process.
