GDC Talk: Evolution of Game Development: Making Games Locally with Global Teams
As production scales and creative ambitions rise, North American studios increasingly rely on global talent to accelerate development, reduce risk, and expand creative capacity. This panel explores how Virtuos studios leverage distributed teams across Asia and Europe to empower local studios and deliver higher-quality AAA content.
Through real-world case studies, we will break down how co-development has evolved from a linear outsourcing workflow into an integrated, multi-studio creative model. This session will discuss the cultural, technical, and organizational shifts required to make globally distributed development not just efficient, but truly collaborative. Topics include: establishing shared ownership across time zones, aligning pipelines and tools, ensuring quality and consistency at scale, and fostering long-term trust between teams.
Takeaway
Attendees will gain a transparent view of what global collaboration really looks like today, and how studios can build resilient, cross-regional partnerships that support innovation, stability, and creative excellence. As our industry continues to globalize, understanding how to harness worldwide talent will be essential to the future of game making.
Speakers
John Doyle | Vice President, Head of Production, PlayStation Studios
With over 20 years of leadership experience in the games industry, John has held senior production and operational roles at Riot Games, King, Carbine Studios (NCSoft), United Front Games, Electronic Arts, Microsoft, and Wizards of the Coast. John’s path into gaming was an unconventional one, transitioning from a career as a submariner, where he worked as a research chemist and network engineer, bringing a unique technical and systems-driven perspective to game development and production leadership.
Jason RM Smith | Founder, Game Caviar
Jason is a driven, entrepreneurial leader with over 25 years of experience across product, operations, and partnerships, focused on advancing game development at an industry level. He has held senior leadership roles at some of the world’s largest game developers and publishers, contributing to global franchises including Harry Potter, Star Wars, and Avatar. Jason also regularly leads industry conferences and advises game studios internationally.
Kay Arutyunyan | General Manager, CounterPunch - A Virtuos Studio
Kay is one of the original founders of CounterPunch - a Virtuos studio since 2020. She has been leading a team of AAA game cinematic experts who focus on quality, dependability, and collaboration. Based in Los Angeles, Kay and her North American team build pipelines to support partners with pre-production, previs, rigging and animation. With a background in finance and securities banking partnered with nearly 2 decades in the industry, Kay specializes in analyzing, pipeline planning, budgeting, and forecasting.
Lindsay Gupton | CEO, Pipeworks - A Virtuos Studio
Lindsay has been developing games for over 30 years. He has led Pipeworks since 2011, and previously he was VP of North American studios at Foundation 9 Entertainment, studio head at Amaze Entertainment, president of Human Code, and partner at Design Edge.
Dennis Cooper | Regional Director, North America, Virtuos
Dennis joined Virtuos in 2019. He currently oversees Virtuos' North America studios and its growth in the region. Before joining Virtuos, he oversaw external production at Industrial Light & Magic, Lucasfilm, and Telltale Games.
*Please note that a GDC pass is required to attend this talk.