“We've wrapped it up in three days”. Gamedev in times of pandemic

I asked people from these studios about a few key issues. How did it look from their perspective? At which point did they realize the virus from Wuhan will affect their lives? Everyone was suddenly cast in a post-apocalyptic movie. At least that's what it looked like if you were to be modestly fatalistic.

Frostpunk – two years after the premiere – is still maintained a team of more than 40 people. A new expansion, Frostpunk: The Last Autumn, was released recently.

Kuba Stokalski, project lead at 11 bit studios, said that probably nobody could have foreseen the scale of the outbreak. "The moment I realized it was serious was when big events like the GDC were cancelled." If huge fairs involving tens of thousands of people are cancelled, you know something's going on.

It still is. 2020 was supposed to be the year of my first E3. Unfortunately, the biggest conference of the gaming industry fell victim to the pandemic, as have numerous other events. Everything was set. Unfortunately, instead of L.A., I'll be sunbathing on my balcony.

Joanna Staniszewska of Flying Wild Hog recalls:

Following the news in late February and early March, and having first-hand information, I had the impression that, for some reason, the private sector reacted much faster than the public. I already mentioned cancelled business trips, but many services had reported concerns about future activities, and introduced changes to the way they operate long before nation-wide lockdown. The lockdown that could have disastrous effects on the entire gamedev.

Ancestors Legacy tells the story of a post-epidemic era, in which a decimated society returns to tribalism. I'm kidding – this actually is an interesting game set in the Middle Ages.

I asked about the difference of perspective between the private sector and the ordinary citizens. Staniszewska replied that her company observed the markets in other countries and learned a lot from this alone. It's a great way to look out for crises and brace for impact in time.

For executives, this kind of a challenge is always a test. In the best-case scenario, you want to be ready to make the right move even before the turning point actually occurs. Ensuring safety of the employees – although, as I believe, it mainly stems from the innate concern for thy neighbor – secures of the company's interests. .

However, as it turns out, not enough people have been developing models and scenarios for a pandemic, so most problems we encounter are unexpected, and everyone is pretty much in the dark. In case of our office, it fortunately was pretty straightforward – we made sure everyone can connect remotely, we bough cameras and headsets as needed. If anyone needed something extra, they could count on their colleagues and our CEO to deliver, say, a proper office chair to their homes. As I learned, it was pretty much the same in the studios.

The new HQ of 11 bit looks phenomenal, but it would be even better with humans inside.

Interestingly, the pandemic caught 11 bit studios in the middle of moving from one office to another, which today still stands completely empty.

The people of Flying Wild Hog faced similar odds. The mandatory gear was ensured for employees, infrastructure was put in place and communication methods were established.

"It's as if we were working in the office – but now our offices are our homes and personal contact was substituted by videoconferencing" Joanna told me.