December counts down the final days before a new era begins. What was this year like for the Values Value team? Challenging, yet incredibly interesting. Full of discoveries and personal transformations. A year of growth and maturity.
In this festive post, we’re sharing the key takeaways from 2024 — not just about the gaming industry and recruitment but also some personal insights we don’t typically discuss on client calls.
We hope that 2025 will be a year of stability and growth for all of us and the industry as a whole. Wishing you warm and joyful holidays!
Work Highlights of 2024
This year brought us a wide variety of roles to work on — more diverse than we’ve seen in quite some time! Our recruiters successfully filled positions across game development, game design, art & design, analytics, HR, marketing & community, and production & management. We also tackled several C-level roles.
We hired talent across regions for various gaming projects, from mobile and console games to edtech and children’s apps. Alongside recruitment, we focused on HR consulting and salary analytics for our clients.
Here are some noteworthy facts and figures:
- Our Big Games Industry Employment Survey gathered 1,832 responses and received widespread coverage in global media.
- We attended 12 conferences and events, both online and offline.
- We gave 18 talks, webinars, and livestreams.
- Our team welcomed a new baby! (Congrats to our beloved Valeriia Bakhvalova on the birth of her daughter!)
- After a few years, a former teammate returned to Values Value — now as a recruiter. (Oksana, we’re so happy to have you back!)
- One of our Recruitment Leads returned from a sabbatical, and we’re thrilled to reunite.
Our Key Moments of 2024
- “Returning to Ukraine”
- “Our Big Games Industry Employment Survey doubled in size compared to last year! It’s incredible to see the growing trust in our data and the survey’s expanding reach”.
- “Working on many exciting hard roles”.
- “Learning a new language”.
- “Experiencing my first prolonged depressive episode — not sad, just tired, apathetic, and even content at times. It gave me time for dramas and comics”.
- “Realizing I can work just as productively in an airport, train, or car”.
- “A trip to Paris!”
- “Diving into consulting — something I’ve long wanted to explore in my career”.
- “Taking a sabbatical and understanding how important it is to pause and recharge”.
- “Returning to Values Value in a new role!”
- “Becoming a parent this year — it was a life-changing moment. The support from the company and colleagues made it even more special”.
Our 2024 Insights
- “Clients are becoming more organized in their hiring plans”.
- “It feels like my efforts in building the team, partnerships, and the business have finally paid off”.
- “I discovered I can enjoy and excel at tasks I once thought weren’t for me”.
- “A key takeaway: leadership isn’t always about being a natural-born leader — it’s often about having the courage to step up”.
- “Balancing work and family helps maintain resources and mental stability, especially amidst the challenges of war in Ukraine”.
- “Finding the right candidate isn’t just about skills; it’s about motivation and shared values”.
- “Rest is a skill. Take any chance to recharge!”
- “With a baby, I’ve come to deeply appreciate remote work — it allowed me to work comfortably and happily up to my 35th week of pregnancy. Remote work is a game-changer!”
- “Sometimes, it’s more important to pause and enjoy the moment than rush toward the next goal. This year, I used all my vacation days for the first time in eight years!”
How We Feel The State of GameDev in Late 2024
- “The situation feels like it’s stabilizing, but optimism is still scarce”.
- “Games are being released, yet layoffs continue. The industry remains turbulent, and it’s unclear when the storm will end”.
- “Many colleagues are still job hunting, and those who’ve found work often feel unsure about its stability”.
- “Companies are highly selective, favoring experienced professionals who can make an impact quickly with minimal onboarding. Upskilling will be essential in 2025”.
- “2024 has been a pivotal year for AI technologies. While AI won’t replace jobs just yet, those who learn to use it effectively might replace those who don’t”.
- “The industry is facing both a crisis and a content overload. As a result, the focus remains on remakes, sequels to popular franchises, and games based on well-known IPs. Bold experiments and fresh stories are mostly coming from the indie scene, which continues to grow in popularity as big studios struggle with stagnant ideas”.
- “Although I’ve been out of the gamedev loop for three months, I heard the exciting news about the new S.T.A.L.K.E.R. release. It’s already on my Steam wishlist (don’t tell my husband — it’s a surprise gift!). I think S.T.A.L.K.E.R. will be a big part of many people’s holiday plans.
