Impulse Block 2: Games Are Made by People: How to Foster a Good Company Culture

Happy employees are a core need for a good development environment. This impulse block gives indications on how to foster a good company culture so that all employees feel safe and respected.

5 Minute Impulse Talks:

Keeping the Indie Mindset While Going Big - by Mauricio Garcia
When Blasphemous (2019) became a major indie hit during the pandemic in 2020, Mauricio García left the role of producer to focus on growing and diversifying into a multi-project studio. In this talk he pinpoints some of the challenging situations The Game Kitchen faced while trying to conserve as much as possible of the existing indie culture.

Hold Your Horses: Why Slow is How We Grow - by Kevin Zuhn
Young Horses Inc. was founded in 2011 with 9 core members, and over 14 years and 2 game releases has grown to a whopping team size of 11! Creative director Kevin Zuhn talks about how Young Horses has cultivated a culture of trust, transparency, and building consensus, and why they onboard new members into the team as slowly as possible.

Followed by a 20-minute discussion time moderated by Mariève Beauchemin.

When?
27.6.2025
4:15 pm – 4:45 pm

Where?Talk DeckMS Princess

Studio Director | The Game Kitchen SL

Mauricio Garcia

Mauricio García seves as CEO and Producer at The Game Kitchen, an acclaimed indie studio based in Seville, Spain. With a background in programming, Mauricio has been instrumental in the development of notable titles such as The Last Door and the Blasphemous series.

Creative Director | Young Horses Inc.

Kevin Zuhn

Kevin Zuhn is a founding member of Young Horses Inc., where they've worked as the creative director and lead writer on indie darlings such as Octodad: Dadliest Catch (2014) and Bugsnax (2020).

Senior Director of Programs | Indie Asylum

Mariève Beauchemin

Mariève Beauchemin is a key figure in Quebec's independent video game industry, currently serving as the Senior Director of Programs at Indie Asylum, a collaborative hub for indie game studios based in Montreal.