Infinite Interactive founder, Steve Fawkner, discusses in a bit more detail to smartcompany.com.au how two well-known Melbourne-based games developers, Firemint and Infinite Interactive, came to the idea of a merger and how they handled integrating two separate game companies into one.
While the idea of merger between the two companies came about around 2004 or 2005 and was discussed many times by the founders of both the companies, it was only at the end of 2010 when both studios found themselves in-between projects that they were able to start the transition.
So what happens when you combine two game studios, each with slightly differing cultures, studio logistics and work practices? It turns out the two studios had similarities in many aspects and not too much needed to be changed, although planning and preparation was made beforehand to inform staff of the implications of the change to their wages and entitlements, and making sure that staff were eased into working in the new environment with new people...
(Steve)You don’t want to take people out of their comfort zone too early. You want to make sure that no one has been thrown into a job they don’t understand or that they’re working under a manager they’ve never worked with before or have expectations that aren’t being managed.
Were they any particular things employees were worried about?
(Steve) People were worried about their jobs, their incomes, their entitlements, very reasonable things. The answer in that situation cannot be “I don’t know” or “I’ll check and find out”. You need to have answers to those 20 questions you’re always going to get.
Otherwise you simply look like you don’t know what you’re doing. There are laws for all this type of stuff, for existing entitlements, payouts and so on and it’s just a matter of checking out the legal stuff before you go ahead.
For the entire article, head on over to smartcompany.com.au