'Not enough to make a good game anymore': Singapore game developers flail as pressures, risks intensify

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French firm Ubisoft in October slashed 70 jobs at its Singapore studio. Experts and developers say the cuts reflect broader struggles for the local gaming scene.

French firm Ubisoft in October slashed 70 jobs at its Singapore studio. Experts and developers say the cuts reflect broader struggles for the local gaming scene.

SINGAPORE: Years after local game developers flagged talent and funding crunches, the outlook has become even bleaker for many.

French firm Ubisoft's plan to cut 70 jobs at its Singapore studio – around 20 per cent of its local workforce – reflects broader global trends for the sector, industry players and observers told CNA.

Just two years after fresh support was rolled out for a sector then seen as fast-growing, local developers and studios now find themselves squeezed by challenges including high operating costs, tighter funding and limited job opportunities.

Ubisoft's cuts are "not an isolated Singapore story", said Associate Professor Roberto Dillon of James Cook University Singapore, who specialises in game design and development.

He noted that prior to announcing its Singapore cuts, Ubisoft was already closing studios and cancelling titles globally, and had also decided to shut its RedLynx studio in Finland in the same week.

Assoc Prof Dillon also cited Electronic Arts' closure of its BioWare studio – known for iconic games such as Baldur's Gate, Dragon Age and Mass Effect – after more than three decades as another example of the industry-wide slump.

Mr Desmond Wong is chief executive officer of The Gentlebros, the studio behind the award-winning Cat Quest franchise.

He told CNA that rising manpower costs and currency fluctuations have weighed on revenue particularly in the past two years, despite the company selling more copies of its games than ever before.

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