### The Shift in Ustwo Games’ Strategy: Focus on PC and Contractor Employment
After the unexpected removal of **Monument Valley 3** from Netflix, Ustwo Games is pivoting towards a PC-first development strategy. The first two titles in the Monument Valley series were initially launched on mobile platforms before later making their way to PC, but the current focus signifies a notable shift in the company’s approach.
Maria Sayans, CEO of Ustwo Games and chair of the UK games industry trade body Ukie, has been reevaluating the studio’s employment model in light of recent challenges. She acknowledges that Ustwo may have been “a little bit too romantic” about maintaining a stable, full-time workforce. This reflection comes from a recognition that the studio has relied primarily on full-time employees, which limited the utilization of contractors during the ambitious production of **Monument Valley 3**.
Sayans expressed her thoughts candidly, stating, “We’ve been a little bit too romantic about the idea that we should have employees and give people long-term job security.” She pointed out that as the studio’s scale and production demands grew, the percentage of contractors within the team had been relatively low, a dynamic she indicates will change moving forward, focusing on a core team supplemented by contractors.
This new strategy does not stem from a desire for cost-cutting at the expense of employee wellbeing, as Sayans clarified her sentiments on the state of the industry. She remarked, “I’ve been in the industry for 20 years, and those of us who joined in the early 2000s, we had it very good.” Sayans emphasized the importance of providing stability, but recognizes that the business landscape is shifting, necessitating a new workforce model.
Ustwo’s operational base in London, with its associated employee benefits such as pensions, further complicates their ability to adapt to the tighter budgets that some PC developers are successfully leveraging. This raises concerns about the industry’s future viability and its capacity to provide sustainable opportunities for game developers.
Currently, Ustwo employs just under 30 full-time staff, a reduction from approximately 40 during the height of **Monument Valley 3**’s development. The studio has faced scrutiny in the past, including allegations of union busting from the UK’s Independent Workers Union, which Ustwo has denied.
In summary, Ustwo Games is navigating a complex landscape as it adjusts its development strategy towards a PC-centric focus and reevaluates its employment practices. The balance between contractor and full-time employment is set to evolve, reflecting broader changes within the gaming industry and its economic realities.
