Games in Hamburg: Who's in it for the long haul, Michelle Zou?
Hamburg is a hotspot for the games industry. To stay relevant as a studio, you have to reinvent yourself from time to time, says Michelle Zou, Chief Executive Officer at Bigpoint.
Ms Zou, you joined Bigpoint in 2017, shortly after the Chinese software company Youzu Interactive took over the business. How have you experienced the development of the industry since then?
The growth of the industry as a whole has presented everyone with major challenges. The competition is enormous and only a small percentage of new games are able to establish themselves on the market. The games industry is often at the forefront of technological development - this brings with it a certain amount of pressure to follow trends. It can be difficult to predict which of these trends will really become the industry standard.
"The gaming industry is often at the forefront of technological development - that brings with it a certain pressure to follow trends."
How does Bigpoint deal with this pressure?
We have reorganised ourselves over the past few years: We've streamlined our processes, moved into a new, modern office and introduced a remote working policy to give our employees as much freedom as possible. While we continue to support and actively develop our existing games, we have recognised the need to broaden our horizons, which is why all of our core games will be released on new platforms.
The games industry reacts extremely quickly to change. How does it do that?
By adopting new technologies very quickly - the games industry is built on innovation and creativity. When Bigpoint was founded, we were one of the first to believe in browser games and the free-to-play model, and the industry followed suit by adopting the free-to-play model as the industry standard. Successful game developers are also in close contact with their players, which allows for rapid adjustments based on feedback and trends.
Nevertheless, 2023 was a difficult year for the games industry. You published a sad statistic on your LinkedIn page in which you list game studios that had to lay off employees. How will this change the industry?
In the long term, we will probably see the industry taking fewer risks and sticking to tried-and-tested concepts. In the long term, however, the more important question is that of the global economy in general: We have the talent, the ideas, the passion - so there will always be games. Now we need the economy to invest in games again, to create big AAA projects, the ones with the biggest development budgets, and to take more risks.
"Now we need the economy to invest in games again, to create large AAA projects, i.e. those with the biggest development budgets, and to be able to take more risks."
We are monitoring the situation in the industry and we are very sorry to see how many talented people have lost their jobs in the last year. However, we can say that Bigpoint is in pretty good shape, which is why we are on the lookout for new talent.
How does Hamburg remain an attractive location for the industry? What role do you think networks and initiatives like Gamecity Hamburg can play?
Hamburg has always been a very multicultural, open and exciting city, which helps to attract talent. Of course, another big plus is that many game studios and services are already located here, so the city offers the perfect infrastructure right from the start. Gamecity Hamburg has also done a lot for our industry and helped to make it an integral part of Hamburg's industry landscape. The networking and offers are priceless. Initiatives such as Gamecity promote joint growth, enable a common voice in (local) politics and serve as a gateway for collaboration with companies outside the industry.
We've talked about the last 20 years, let's take a look into the future: How will the industry develop over the next 20 years?
We will certainly see a further development of current trends, such as AI, virtual and augmented reality. As more and more headsets are available from different manufacturers and the user base continues to grow, we will certainly see more games that are specifically tailored to these devices. Another important point is that the boundaries of entertainment will continue to blur. In my opinion, games represent a fusion of different art forms and have a strong unifying power that goes beyond music, scripts or visual experiences. In recent years, we have seen outstanding cinematic and literary works transformed into captivating games and, conversely, games adapted into films. Who knows, we might even slip into the role of protagonists ourselves and actively participate in the creation of gaming experiences.
"I hope that future games will better reflect global diversity, not only in the stories of the games, but also in the composition of the development teams."
What is your wish for the next 20 years?
I wish for a more inclusive and diverse gaming world. I would like future games to better reflect global diversity, not only in the stories of the games, but also in the composition of the development teams. This includes the equal participation of people from different countries, genders, social backgrounds and ages in game development. Such a change will make games a powerful global tool for promoting cultural exchange and understanding.
About the person
Michelle Zou has been Chief Executive Officer of the Hamburg-based game studio Bigpoint, which was acquired by the Chinese gaming giant Youzu Interactive in 2016, since 2021. She is primarily involved in operations, has launched several hit games on the market - and sees herself as a bridge of communication between cultures.
