August 25, 2025 • 20 mins
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Ever wonder why some new hires hit the ground running while others struggle for months? The difference often comes down to onboarding - that critical period where developers are transformed from outsiders to integrated team members.
The game development landscape has fundamentally changed. Remote work is now standard, studio structures are increasingly hybrid, and talented developers move between projects at unprecedented rates. In this environment, rethinking your onboarding approach isn't just good practice - it's essential for survival.
Traditional onboarding relied on proximity. New team members could turn to desk neighbors with questions, observe workflows directly, and absorb culture through osmosis. Remote work has eliminated these organic knowledge transfers, requiring a deliberate, structured approach that addresses the unique challenges of distributed game development teams.
This comprehensive guide walks through a 10-step framework for transforming your studio's onboarding process. From creating centralized knowledge hubs to assigning dedicated mentors, from balancing technical training with cultural integration to customizing approaches by role and studio size - we cover the practical strategies that reduce turnover and accelerate productivity.
The most successful studios recognize that onboarding isn't a one-week HR formality but an ongoing commitment that shapes how new talent connects with your mission, workflows, and values. They understand that documentation alone isn't enough - human connections matter profoundly, especially in remote settings where isolation threatens engagement.
Whether you lead a small indie team or a major publisher, this episode provides actionable templates, checklists, and measurement frameworks to elevate your onboarding from a forgettable orientation to a strategic advantage. Because in an industry where our people truly are our greatest asset, how we welcome and integrate them determines everything that follows.
Ready to transform how your studio brings new developers into the fold? Listen now and discover why the best onboarding programs don't just teach how to do the work - they inspire people about why they want to do the work with you.
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:01):
Press Start Leadership.
Hey there, press Starters andwelcome to the Press Start
(00:23):
Leadership Podcast, the podcastabout game-changing leadership,
teaching you how to get the mostout of your product and
development team and become theleader you were meant to be
Leadership coaching and trainingfor the international game
industry professional.
Now let me introduce you toyour host, the man, the myth,
(00:46):
the legend, christopher Mifsud.
Speaker 2 (00:49):
Hey there, press Starters, and welcome back to
another awesome edition of thePress Start Leadership Podcast.
On this week's episode, we'llbe discussing rethinking
onboarding for game developers acomplete guide to building
confident, aligned teams, stepsto improve onboarding for game
(01:09):
developers and remote and hybridstudios, reducing turnover and
boosting productivity.
The video game industry is inthe middle of an unprecedented
transformation.
Remote work has gone from aniche option to a global
standard.
Studio structures have becomehybrid, with teams distributed
across continents.
At the same time, turnover hasreached record highs, with
(01:32):
talented developers jumpingbetween projects, studios and
even entire sectors at a fasterrate than ever.
In this environment, effectiveonboarding for game developers
isn't just a nice-to-have HRperk.
It's a critical strategicfunction.
It can determine whether a newhire becomes a confident,
productive, collaborative memberof your team or disengages,
(01:53):
gets lost in communication gapsand leaves before adding real
value.
Rethinking onboarding for gamedevelopers means acknowledging
the challenges of remote workand high turnover head-on.
Means acknowledging thechallenges of remote work and
high turnover head-on.
It means investing instructured processes, clear
documentation, intentionalcultural alignment and
supportive mentorship.
In other words, onboardingisn't just a one-week process.
(02:14):
It's an ongoing commitment tointegrate new talent into your
studio's mission, workflow andculture.
This podcast will offer acomprehensive, serious and
empathetic guide to rethinkingonboarding for game developers
in 2025 and beyond.
We'll cover why onboarding isso critical in the video game
industry.
The specific challenges ofremote and hybrid onboarding.
(02:35):
Core principles of effectiveonboarding for game development
teams.
Actionable step-by-steponboarding strategies, tools and
templates you can adapt.
And how-step onboardingstrategies, tools and templates
you can adapt.
How to measure onboardingsuccess.
If you're a studio leader,producer, hr professional or
department head, this guide willhelp you build an onboarding
strategy that reduces turnover,improves productivity and
(02:58):
strengthens your studio'sculture.
Why onboarding is critical inthe video game industry.
The phrase our people are ourgreatest asset is more than
corporate boilerplate.
In game development, it's aliteral truth.
Studios don't just sell code orart.
They sell creativity, visionand experience brought to life
(03:22):
by multidisciplinary teams ofdesigners, artists, engineers,
writers, producers and QAspecialists.
A single missile line highercan slow down production, lower
morale and create communicationchallenges that ripple across
the team.
In contrast, well-onboardeddevelopers can hit the ground
running, contribute meaningfullyfaster and strengthen your
studio's culture.
Unique challenges in the gameindustry Complex pipelines.
Unlike many industries, gamedevelopment has highly
(03:44):
specialized pipelines Art,design, code, audio that must
work in harmony.
Cross-disciplinary work.
Game projects require constantcollaboration between very
different skill sets, toolingand proprietary tech.
Many studios use custom enginesor workflows that can take
months to learn.
Cultural nuance Studios oftenhave strong creative identities
(04:06):
that need to be communicatedclearly to new team members.
The remote work challenge whyonboarding has changed.
When onboarding happened inperson, many knowledge transfers
were informal.
A junior developer could turnto their desk neighbor for help.
A producer could pull an artistaside for a quick chat.
New hires absorb companyculture by simply being in the
(04:27):
studio.
Remote and hybrid work disruptsthese organic learning channels
.
New hires may work in differenttime zones, feel isolated or
unsupported, struggle tounderstand the studio's
unwritten rules, miss out oninformal learning and social
bonding.
Rethinking onboarding for gamedevelopers in this context means
intentionally designingprocesses that replace those
(04:48):
lost connections.
Core Principles of EffectiveOnboarding for Game Developers.
Before jumping into steps andtemplates, it's important to
define the principles thatshould guide every onboarding
strategy.
First, clarity New hires needto know what's expected of them,
how success is defined, howcommunications happen.
(05:09):
Confusion is the enemy ofproductivity.
Next is accessibility Allinformation should be easy to
find, consistent and up-to-date.
Gatekeeping knowledge orrelying on tribal memory slows
everyone down.
Third is inclusion.
New hires should feel welcomed,valued and integrated.
(05:30):
Onboarding is a chance todemonstrate your studio's
commitment to diversity, equityand belonging.
And fourth, empathy.
Game development is ahigh-pressure industry.
Onboarding should recognize thestress of joining a new team,
offer support, providepsychological safety.
The cost of bad onboarding it'stempting to see onboarding as
(05:54):
an HR checkbox, but badonboarding has measurable costs
Higher turnover.
Poor onboarding is one of thetop reasons employees leave in
the first year.
Longer ramp-up Without guidance.
New hires take longer to becomeproductive.
Quality issues onboarding isone of the top reasons employees
leave in the first year.
Longer ramp up Without guidancenew hires take longer to become
productive.
Quality issues Miscommunicationand misalignment lead to rework
and bugs.
Cultural drift New hires whodon't absorb your studio's
(06:16):
values can dilute culture overtime.
Actual steps for rethinkingonboarding for game developers.
Here's a step-by-step plan todesign a robust, modern
onboarding program that worksfor remote, hybrid and in-person
teams.
Step 1.
Define and document youronboarding goals Before building
(06:36):
materials or checklists.
Ask what do we want new hiresto know after day 1, week 1,
month 1?
What skills should they masterby the end of the onboarding?
How will we measure onboardingsuccess?
Here's an actionable tip Writeonboarding goals in smart format
specific, measurable,achievable, relevant and
(06:57):
time-bound.
For example, by the end of week, two new engineers can
independently set up the buildpipeline and submit a PR.
At the end of week, two newengineers can independently set
up the build pipeline and submita PR.
Step two build a centralizedonboarding hub.
Remote teams can't rely onwater cooler chats.
Create an onboarding hubConfluence Notion, google Sites.
That includes company mission,value and history, studio
(07:21):
structure and key contacts,development pipelines, explained
Tooling guides, coderepositories or art asset
conventions, communication norms, slack channels, stand-ups,
review processes, faq section.
Actual tip here Assignownership to keep these
documents up to date.
Outdated onboarding materialsare worse than none at all.
(07:45):
Step 3 Design a structuredmulti-week plan.
Outdated onboarding materialsare worse than none at all.
Step 3.
Design a structured multi-weekplan.
Avoid the here's your laptop,good luck trap.
Build an onboarding timeline.
For example Week one welcomingmeeting with HR team
introduction call IT setup andtool access.
Overview of project goalsassigned onboard buddy light
(08:05):
reading pipelines, past postmornups.
Week two shadow senior teammember.
First small ticket taskfeedback session.
Optional social meetup orcoffee chat.
Week three and four moreindependent tasks participation
in team standups.
First code review or artcritique, one-on-one with
manager to check progress andcomfort.
(08:27):
Actional tip here share thisplan with new hires so they know
what to expect.
Transparency reduces anxiety.
Step four assign an onboardingbuddy or mentor.
Nothing beats having a realhuman guide.
An onboarding buddy answersquestions, offers context,
shares unwritten rules, reducesisolation.
(08:48):
Actionable tip here Rotatebuddies every few months to
avoid burnout.
Offer basic training on how tomentor effectively.
Step 5.
Emphasize culture and valuesfrom day one.
Onboarding isn't just abouttasks.
It's about aligning new hireswith your studio's mission and
culture.
Ideas include founders or leads.
(09:09):
Hosting a studio story callsharing design pillars and
creative philosophies, providingcase studies of past challenges
and solutions.
Actual step here Document yourstudio's values in clear,
accessible language.
Don't assume people will justget it.
Step six include technical rampup with clear milestones.
(09:29):
For game developers, nothing ismore intimidating than
unfamiliar tools or code bases.
So provide clean install setupguides.
Video walkthrough of the engineor pipeline.
So provide clean install setupguides, video walkthrough of the
engine or pipeline, exampleassets or code snippets.
First week easy win tasks.
Actual steps here Scheduleregular check-ins to ask what's
(09:53):
confusing and what's missing.
Step seven make communicationexpectations explicit.
Remote teams suffer whencommunication norms aren't clear
.
New hires need to know whichSlack channels to monitor, when
to use email versus chat, versusmeetings, how standups work,
how code reviews or R reviewshappen.
Actual tip create a short howwe communicate doc.
Encourage questions.
Step eight plan for feedbackloops.
(10:18):
Onboarding is a one-waytransfer of knowledge.
Create channels for new hiresto ask questions without
judgment.
Share what's unclear.
Suggest improvements to theonboarding process itself.
Actual tip for this use surveysor one-on-ones at week two and
month one to gather feedback.
Step nine foster socialconnections.
(10:39):
Remote work can be lonely.
Build social touchpoints andnew onboarding Virtual coffee
chats, online game nights, slackchannels for hobbies, optional
in-real-life meetups, if local.
Actual tips for this.
Highlight existing socialinitiatives so new hires feel
welcome to join.
Step 10.
Review and iterate constantly.
Finally, treat onboarding likeany other production pipeline.
(11:02):
It can and should be improvedover time.
Some actual steps for thisCollect feedback from every new
hire.
Host quarterly retros with HRproducers and leads, update
materials, fix pain points andcelebrate wins.
Some advanced strategies forremote and hybrid game studios.
Onboarding for game developersis hard enough in person, but
(11:23):
remote and hybrid teams faceeven bigger challenges
miscommunication, time zone gaps, cultural mismatches and
loneliness.
Here's how to rethinkonboarding to work in these
contexts Time zone inclusiveonboarding.
Your new hire might be in acompletely different time zone.
Make sure your onboarding is at9 to 5 in our time zone only.
Some actual steps for thisProvide asynchronous materials,
(11:47):
videos and written guides.
Record live sessions for laterviewing.
Use tools like Loom forpersonalized welcome videos.
Schedule one-on-one meetings atmutually agreeable times.
Tip for this Ask new hires fortheir preferred meeting windows
before you finalize onboardingschedules.
Clear ownership of onboarding.
(12:08):
Who owns onboarding?
Hr Team leads, producers.
Without clear ownership, itwill fall through the cracks.
Some actual steps for thisAssign a single onboarding lead
for each new hire.
Make the person accountable fortracking the onboarding
checklist.
Include onboarding ownershipand performance reviews for
leads.
Tip Don't assume HR alone cando it all.
(12:29):
Technical ramp-up is bestguided by team members
Customizing onboarding by role.
An artist doesn't need the sameramp-up as a backend engineer.
Generic onboarding wastes timeand frustrates specialists.
Some actual steps for thisBuild role-specific onboarding
checklists.
Include specialized setup guides, examples being Git versus DCC
(12:50):
tools.
Assign buddies with similarroles for better mentoring.
Sample checklist for an artist.
Install version control.
Set up art pipeline tools.
Review studio art biblePractice submitting assets.
Join our team critique sessions.
Sample checklist for aprogrammer Clone, cut code base.
Build environment locally.
(13:11):
Walkthrough of code standards.
First bug fix or feature branch.
Join code reviews Asynchronousdocumentation as a pillar or
feature branch.
Join code reviews Asynchronousdocumentation as a pillar.
Remote studios can't rely onhallway chats or tribal
knowledge.
Your documentation is youronboarding Actual steps.
Build and maintain a livingwiki.
Use diagrams and videos, notjust text.
(13:32):
Tag pages with clear ownershipso they stay updated.
Include decision logs toexplain why things are the way
they are.
Host monthly documentation dayswhere the team updates and
cleans up onboarding materials.
Live vs Async balance.
Remote onboarding can't be allZoom calls or all documents.
Blend them.
Live components Welcome callwith leadership, team
(13:54):
introductions, buddy check-ins,weekly sync with manager.
Async components Tool installguides, video walkthroughs,
recorded team meetings, writtenprocess documentation.
Tip for this don't waste livetime on things that work
perfectly well in writing.
Onboarding playbooks fordifferent studio sizes Indie
(14:17):
studios 5 to 20 people.
Focus on personal connection.
Everyone should know the newhire's name and role.
Emphasize studio mission andvalues.
Keep documentation lean butclear.
Make the founder slash leadaccessible.
An actionable example.
Welcome to our 10-person team.
Here's how to set up your devenvironment.
Here's our studio's designphilosophy.
(14:37):
Let's have coffee next week tochat about your ideas.
A mid-sized studio 20 to about100 people Needs more structured
onboarding plans.
Split onboarding by department.
Document workflows carefullyAssign dedicated buddies.
Introduce cross-teamcommunication norms.
Some actual examplesDepartment-level onboarding
(14:58):
guides.
Slack channels dedicated toonboarding questions.
Weekly new hire stand up forshared learning.
Large studios and publishers100 plus people.
Highly structured onboardingpipelines.
Centralized onboarding portalwith HR, department and team
specific tracks.
Advanced tooling and securityclearances.
(15:18):
Cultural onboarding to maintainstudio identity.
Actual example First weekcompany orientation Role.
Specific learning paths on alearning management system.
Clear point of contact forquestions per department.
Building onboarding templatesand checklists.
Sample new hire checklist.
(15:39):
Hr paperwork completedequipment ship slash it access
granted slack, slash email,slash project management.
Invite studio introductionvideo watched buddy assigned
tooling installed and tested.
Access to code and artrepositories.
Studio values reviewed.
First task signed One-on-onewith manager schedule.
(16:00):
Sample buddy checklist Schedule.
Intro chat.
Answer questions about setup.
Explain communication norms.
Review first task plan.
Check in at week one, two andfour.
Help integrate into socialchannels.
Sample manager checklist.
Define role specific goals formonth one.
Introduce the wider team.
(16:22):
Explain feedback and reviewprocesses.
Schedule regular one-on-onesreview onboarding progress at
month one.
Here's a tip store alltemplates in a single shared
onboarding hub.
Cultural onboarding more thantasks.
Game developers don't just needtools and tasks.
They need to understand who youare as a studio.
Some actual cultural onboardingsteps A founder's welcome video
(16:45):
describing the studio's historyand mission.
Clear articulation of values,no crunch, player-first design.
Sharing past projectpostmortems to show how you
learn.
Introduce company rituals, demodays, game nights.
Tip for this Culture isn'toptional.
Onboarding is your first chanceto prove your studio lives, its
values.
(17:07):
Building social connections inremote onboarding.
Remote hires risk feelingisolated.
Leaders must deliberatelyfoster social bonds.
Some actual steps for thisVirtual coffee chats, assigned
in the first month.
Social Slack channels, pets,memes, hobbies.
Monthly virtual happy hours orgame nights.
Optional in-person meetups ifgeographically possible.
(17:30):
Encourage open mic or show andtell sessions during stand-ups.
Tip for this Don't make socialevents mandatory, but make sure
they're visible and welcoming.
Measuring onboarding success youcan't approve what you don't
measure.
Track these onboarding metricsTime, the first task completion
Time.
The full productivity definedby per role.
(17:52):
New, higher satisfaction surveyscores.
Retention rate at 90 days inone year.
Buddy slash, mentor programparticipation.
Manager ratings of ramp upsuccess.
Tip for this Don't just collectdata, act on it.
Update your onboarding programsquarterly based on feedback,
continuous improvement.
(18:12):
Treat onboarding like a product.
Finally, onboarding is instatic.
Game development is dynamic andso is your team, so should your
onboarding be.
Some actual steps for thisQuarterly onboarding
retrospectives.
Invite feedback from recenthires.
Include onboarding in studios,okrs for quarterly goals.
Assign owners to championonboarding improvements.
(18:34):
Celebrate onboarding successstories in all-hands meetings.
So final thoughts Buildingbetter teams through better
onboarding.
Rethinking onboarding for gamingdevelopers isn't an
administrative burden.
It's a leadership opportunity.
It's a chance to align newhires with your mission,
accelerate productivity, fostercollaboration, reduce turnover,
(18:57):
strengthen studio culture.
In a time of high turnover andremote work, studios that invest
in structured, thoughtful,human onboarding will stand out.
They'll attract better talent,keep that talent longer and ship
better games.
The best onboarding programsdon't just teach how to do the
work.
They inspire people about whythey want to do the work with
(19:19):
you.
All right, and that's thisweek's episode of the Press
Start Leadership Podcast.
Thanks for listening and, asalways, thanks for being awesome
you.
Press Start Leadership.
Hey there, press Starters andwelcome to the Press Start
(00:23):
Leadership Podcast, the podcastabout game-changing leadership,
teaching you how to get the mostout of your product and
development team and become theleader you were meant to be
Leadership coaching and trainingfor the international game
industry professional.
Now let me introduce you toyour host, the man, the myth,
(00:46):
the legend, christopher Mifsud.
Speaker 2 (00:49):
Hey there, press Starters, and welcome back to
another awesome edition of thePress Start Leadership Podcast.
On this week's episode, we'llbe discussing rethinking
onboarding for game developers acomplete guide to building
confident, aligned teams, stepsto improve onboarding for game
(01:09):
developers and remote and hybridstudios, reducing turnover and
boosting productivity.
The video game industry is inthe middle of an unprecedented
transformation.
Remote work has gone from aniche option to a global
standard.
Studio structures have becomehybrid, with teams distributed
across continents.
At the same time, turnover hasreached record highs, with
(01:32):
talented developers jumpingbetween projects, studios and
even entire sectors at a fasterrate than ever.
In this environment, effectiveonboarding for game developers
isn't just a nice-to-have HRperk.
It's a critical strategicfunction.
It can determine whether a newhire becomes a confident,
productive, collaborative memberof your team or disengages,
(01:53):
gets lost in communication gapsand leaves before adding real
value.
Rethinking onboarding for gamedevelopers means acknowledging
the challenges of remote workand high turnover head-on.
Means acknowledging thechallenges of remote work and
high turnover head-on.
It means investing instructured processes, clear
documentation, intentionalcultural alignment and
supportive mentorship.
In other words, onboardingisn't just a one-week process.
(02:14):
It's an ongoing commitment tointegrate new talent into your
studio's mission, workflow andculture.
This podcast will offer acomprehensive, serious and
empathetic guide to rethinkingonboarding for game developers
in 2025 and beyond.
We'll cover why onboarding isso critical in the video game
industry.
The specific challenges ofremote and hybrid onboarding.
(02:35):
Core principles of effectiveonboarding for game development
teams.
Actionable step-by-steponboarding strategies, tools and
templates you can adapt.
And how-step onboardingstrategies, tools and templates
you can adapt.
How to measure onboardingsuccess.
If you're a studio leader,producer, hr professional or
department head, this guide willhelp you build an onboarding
strategy that reduces turnover,improves productivity and
(02:58):
strengthens your studio'sculture.
Why onboarding is critical inthe video game industry.
The phrase our people are ourgreatest asset is more than
corporate boilerplate.
In game development, it's aliteral truth.
Studios don't just sell code orart.
They sell creativity, visionand experience brought to life
(03:22):
by multidisciplinary teams ofdesigners, artists, engineers,
writers, producers and QAspecialists.
A single missile line highercan slow down production, lower
morale and create communicationchallenges that ripple across
the team.
In contrast, well-onboardeddevelopers can hit the ground
running, contribute meaningfullyfaster and strengthen your
studio's culture.
Unique challenges in the gameindustry Complex pipelines.
Unlike many industries, gamedevelopment has highly
(03:44):
specialized pipelines Art,design, code, audio that must
work in harmony.
Cross-disciplinary work.
Game projects require constantcollaboration between very
different skill sets, toolingand proprietary tech.
Many studios use custom enginesor workflows that can take
months to learn.
Cultural nuance Studios oftenhave strong creative identities
(04:06):
that need to be communicatedclearly to new team members.
The remote work challenge whyonboarding has changed.
When onboarding happened inperson, many knowledge transfers
were informal.
A junior developer could turnto their desk neighbor for help.
A producer could pull an artistaside for a quick chat.
New hires absorb companyculture by simply being in the
(04:27):
studio.
Remote and hybrid work disruptsthese organic learning channels
.
New hires may work in differenttime zones, feel isolated or
unsupported, struggle tounderstand the studio's
unwritten rules, miss out oninformal learning and social
bonding.
Rethinking onboarding for gamedevelopers in this context means
intentionally designingprocesses that replace those
(04:48):
lost connections.
Core Principles of EffectiveOnboarding for Game Developers.
Before jumping into steps andtemplates, it's important to
define the principles thatshould guide every onboarding
strategy.
First, clarity New hires needto know what's expected of them,
how success is defined, howcommunications happen.
(05:09):
Confusion is the enemy ofproductivity.
Next is accessibility Allinformation should be easy to
find, consistent and up-to-date.
Gatekeeping knowledge orrelying on tribal memory slows
everyone down.
Third is inclusion.
New hires should feel welcomed,valued and integrated.
(05:30):
Onboarding is a chance todemonstrate your studio's
commitment to diversity, equityand belonging.
And fourth, empathy.
Game development is ahigh-pressure industry.
Onboarding should recognize thestress of joining a new team,
offer support, providepsychological safety.
The cost of bad onboarding it'stempting to see onboarding as
(05:54):
an HR checkbox, but badonboarding has measurable costs
Higher turnover.
Poor onboarding is one of thetop reasons employees leave in
the first year.
Longer ramp-up Without guidance.
New hires take longer to becomeproductive.
Quality issues onboarding isone of the top reasons employees
leave in the first year.
Longer ramp up Without guidancenew hires take longer to become
productive.
Quality issues Miscommunicationand misalignment lead to rework
and bugs.
Cultural drift New hires whodon't absorb your studio's
(06:16):
values can dilute culture overtime.
Actual steps for rethinkingonboarding for game developers.
Here's a step-by-step plan todesign a robust, modern
onboarding program that worksfor remote, hybrid and in-person
teams.
Step 1.
Define and document youronboarding goals Before building
(06:36):
materials or checklists.
Ask what do we want new hiresto know after day 1, week 1,
month 1?
What skills should they masterby the end of the onboarding?
How will we measure onboardingsuccess?
Here's an actionable tip Writeonboarding goals in smart format
specific, measurable,achievable, relevant and
(06:57):
time-bound.
For example, by the end of week, two new engineers can
independently set up the buildpipeline and submit a PR.
At the end of week, two newengineers can independently set
up the build pipeline and submita PR.
Step two build a centralizedonboarding hub.
Remote teams can't rely onwater cooler chats.
Create an onboarding hubConfluence Notion, google Sites.
That includes company mission,value and history, studio
(07:21):
structure and key contacts,development pipelines, explained
Tooling guides, coderepositories or art asset
conventions, communication norms, slack channels, stand-ups,
review processes, faq section.
Actual tip here Assignownership to keep these
documents up to date.
Outdated onboarding materialsare worse than none at all.
(07:45):
Step 3 Design a structuredmulti-week plan.
Outdated onboarding materialsare worse than none at all.
Step 3.
Design a structured multi-weekplan.
Avoid the here's your laptop,good luck trap.
Build an onboarding timeline.
For example Week one welcomingmeeting with HR team
introduction call IT setup andtool access.
Overview of project goalsassigned onboard buddy light
(08:05):
reading pipelines, past postmornups.
Week two shadow senior teammember.
First small ticket taskfeedback session.
Optional social meetup orcoffee chat.
Week three and four moreindependent tasks participation
in team standups.
First code review or artcritique, one-on-one with
manager to check progress andcomfort.
(08:27):
Actional tip here share thisplan with new hires so they know
what to expect.
Transparency reduces anxiety.
Step four assign an onboardingbuddy or mentor.
Nothing beats having a realhuman guide.
An onboarding buddy answersquestions, offers context,
shares unwritten rules, reducesisolation.
(08:48):
Actionable tip here Rotatebuddies every few months to
avoid burnout.
Offer basic training on how tomentor effectively.
Step 5.
Emphasize culture and valuesfrom day one.
Onboarding isn't just abouttasks.
It's about aligning new hireswith your studio's mission and
culture.
Ideas include founders or leads.
(09:09):
Hosting a studio story callsharing design pillars and
creative philosophies, providingcase studies of past challenges
and solutions.
Actual step here Document yourstudio's values in clear,
accessible language.
Don't assume people will justget it.
Step six include technical rampup with clear milestones.
(09:29):
For game developers, nothing ismore intimidating than
unfamiliar tools or code bases.
So provide clean install setupguides.
Video walkthrough of the engineor pipeline.
So provide clean install setupguides, video walkthrough of the
engine or pipeline, exampleassets or code snippets.
First week easy win tasks.
Actual steps here Scheduleregular check-ins to ask what's
(09:53):
confusing and what's missing.
Step seven make communicationexpectations explicit.
Remote teams suffer whencommunication norms aren't clear
.
New hires need to know whichSlack channels to monitor, when
to use email versus chat, versusmeetings, how standups work,
how code reviews or R reviewshappen.
Actual tip create a short howwe communicate doc.
Encourage questions.
Step eight plan for feedbackloops.
(10:18):
Onboarding is a one-waytransfer of knowledge.
Create channels for new hiresto ask questions without
judgment.
Share what's unclear.
Suggest improvements to theonboarding process itself.
Actual tip for this use surveysor one-on-ones at week two and
month one to gather feedback.
Step nine foster socialconnections.
(10:39):
Remote work can be lonely.
Build social touchpoints andnew onboarding Virtual coffee
chats, online game nights, slackchannels for hobbies, optional
in-real-life meetups, if local.
Actual tips for this.
Highlight existing socialinitiatives so new hires feel
welcome to join.
Step 10.
Review and iterate constantly.
Finally, treat onboarding likeany other production pipeline.
(11:02):
It can and should be improvedover time.
Some actual steps for thisCollect feedback from every new
hire.
Host quarterly retros with HRproducers and leads, update
materials, fix pain points andcelebrate wins.
Some advanced strategies forremote and hybrid game studios.
Onboarding for game developersis hard enough in person, but
(11:23):
remote and hybrid teams faceeven bigger challenges
miscommunication, time zone gaps, cultural mismatches and
loneliness.
Here's how to rethinkonboarding to work in these
contexts Time zone inclusiveonboarding.
Your new hire might be in acompletely different time zone.
Make sure your onboarding is at9 to 5 in our time zone only.
Some actual steps for thisProvide asynchronous materials,
(11:47):
videos and written guides.
Record live sessions for laterviewing.
Use tools like Loom forpersonalized welcome videos.
Schedule one-on-one meetings atmutually agreeable times.
Tip for this Ask new hires fortheir preferred meeting windows
before you finalize onboardingschedules.
Clear ownership of onboarding.
(12:08):
Who owns onboarding?
Hr Team leads, producers.
Without clear ownership, itwill fall through the cracks.
Some actual steps for thisAssign a single onboarding lead
for each new hire.
Make the person accountable fortracking the onboarding
checklist.
Include onboarding ownershipand performance reviews for
leads.
Tip Don't assume HR alone cando it all.
(12:29):
Technical ramp-up is bestguided by team members
Customizing onboarding by role.
An artist doesn't need the sameramp-up as a backend engineer.
Generic onboarding wastes timeand frustrates specialists.
Some actual steps for thisBuild role-specific onboarding
checklists.
Include specialized setup guides, examples being Git versus DCC
(12:50):
tools.
Assign buddies with similarroles for better mentoring.
Sample checklist for an artist.
Install version control.
Set up art pipeline tools.
Review studio art biblePractice submitting assets.
Join our team critique sessions.
Sample checklist for aprogrammer Clone, cut code base.
Build environment locally.
(13:11):
Walkthrough of code standards.
First bug fix or feature branch.
Join code reviews Asynchronousdocumentation as a pillar or
feature branch.
Join code reviews Asynchronousdocumentation as a pillar.
Remote studios can't rely onhallway chats or tribal
knowledge.
Your documentation is youronboarding Actual steps.
Build and maintain a livingwiki.
Use diagrams and videos, notjust text.
(13:32):
Tag pages with clear ownershipso they stay updated.
Include decision logs toexplain why things are the way
they are.
Host monthly documentation dayswhere the team updates and
cleans up onboarding materials.
Live vs Async balance.
Remote onboarding can't be allZoom calls or all documents.
Blend them.
Live components Welcome callwith leadership, team
(13:54):
introductions, buddy check-ins,weekly sync with manager.
Async components Tool installguides, video walkthroughs,
recorded team meetings, writtenprocess documentation.
Tip for this don't waste livetime on things that work
perfectly well in writing.
Onboarding playbooks fordifferent studio sizes Indie
(14:17):
studios 5 to 20 people.
Focus on personal connection.
Everyone should know the newhire's name and role.
Emphasize studio mission andvalues.
Keep documentation lean butclear.
Make the founder slash leadaccessible.
An actionable example.
Welcome to our 10-person team.
Here's how to set up your devenvironment.
Here's our studio's designphilosophy.
(14:37):
Let's have coffee next week tochat about your ideas.
A mid-sized studio 20 to about100 people Needs more structured
onboarding plans.
Split onboarding by department.
Document workflows carefullyAssign dedicated buddies.
Introduce cross-teamcommunication norms.
Some actual examplesDepartment-level onboarding
(14:58):
guides.
Slack channels dedicated toonboarding questions.
Weekly new hire stand up forshared learning.
Large studios and publishers100 plus people.
Highly structured onboardingpipelines.
Centralized onboarding portalwith HR, department and team
specific tracks.
Advanced tooling and securityclearances.
(15:18):
Cultural onboarding to maintainstudio identity.
Actual example First weekcompany orientation Role.
Specific learning paths on alearning management system.
Clear point of contact forquestions per department.
Building onboarding templatesand checklists.
Sample new hire checklist.
(15:39):
Hr paperwork completedequipment ship slash it access
granted slack, slash email,slash project management.
Invite studio introductionvideo watched buddy assigned
tooling installed and tested.
Access to code and artrepositories.
Studio values reviewed.
First task signed One-on-onewith manager schedule.
(16:00):
Sample buddy checklist Schedule.
Intro chat.
Answer questions about setup.
Explain communication norms.
Review first task plan.
Check in at week one, two andfour.
Help integrate into socialchannels.
Sample manager checklist.
Define role specific goals formonth one.
Introduce the wider team.
(16:22):
Explain feedback and reviewprocesses.
Schedule regular one-on-onesreview onboarding progress at
month one.
Here's a tip store alltemplates in a single shared
onboarding hub.
Cultural onboarding more thantasks.
Game developers don't just needtools and tasks.
They need to understand who youare as a studio.
Some actual cultural onboardingsteps A founder's welcome video
(16:45):
describing the studio's historyand mission.
Clear articulation of values,no crunch, player-first design.
Sharing past projectpostmortems to show how you
learn.
Introduce company rituals, demodays, game nights.
Tip for this Culture isn'toptional.
Onboarding is your first chanceto prove your studio lives, its
values.
(17:07):
Building social connections inremote onboarding.
Remote hires risk feelingisolated.
Leaders must deliberatelyfoster social bonds.
Some actual steps for thisVirtual coffee chats, assigned
in the first month.
Social Slack channels, pets,memes, hobbies.
Monthly virtual happy hours orgame nights.
Optional in-person meetups ifgeographically possible.
(17:30):
Encourage open mic or show andtell sessions during stand-ups.
Tip for this Don't make socialevents mandatory, but make sure
they're visible and welcoming.
Measuring onboarding success youcan't approve what you don't
measure.
Track these onboarding metricsTime, the first task completion
Time.
The full productivity definedby per role.
(17:52):
New, higher satisfaction surveyscores.
Retention rate at 90 days inone year.
Buddy slash, mentor programparticipation.
Manager ratings of ramp upsuccess.
Tip for this Don't just collectdata, act on it.
Update your onboarding programsquarterly based on feedback,
continuous improvement.
(18:12):
Treat onboarding like a product.
Finally, onboarding is instatic.
Game development is dynamic andso is your team, so should your
onboarding be.
Some actual steps for thisQuarterly onboarding
retrospectives.
Invite feedback from recenthires.
Include onboarding in studios,okrs for quarterly goals.
Assign owners to championonboarding improvements.
(18:34):
Celebrate onboarding successstories in all-hands meetings.
So final thoughts Buildingbetter teams through better
onboarding.
Rethinking onboarding for gamingdevelopers isn't an
administrative burden.
It's a leadership opportunity.
It's a chance to align newhires with your mission,
accelerate productivity, fostercollaboration, reduce turnover,
(18:57):
strengthen studio culture.
In a time of high turnover andremote work, studios that invest
in structured, thoughtful,human onboarding will stand out.
They'll attract better talent,keep that talent longer and ship
better games.
The best onboarding programsdon't just teach how to do the
work.
They inspire people about whythey want to do the work with
(19:19):
you.
All right, and that's thisweek's episode of the Press
Start Leadership Podcast.
Thanks for listening and, asalways, thanks for being awesome
you.
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