DEVELOP/JOBS: Sumo Group – “I feel so lucky to have landed at a studio where I’m given the room to learn and grow”

This content was created in association with Sumo Group as part of DEVELOP/JOBS.

The success of the people at Sumo Group is the success of the company. The Group prioritises taking care of its people with a focus on supporting them, nurturing their talent and providing a healthy, friendly, enriching, creative and safe environment in which to work. Sumo Group’s five operating businesses, Sumo Digital, Atomhawk, Pipeworks, Secret Mode and Auroch Digital employ over 1,200 people across 15 studios in the UK, Europe, Canada, India, and the United States.

Built on the pillars of Family, Security, Trust and Collaboration, those behaviours and attributes guide decisions and interactions and underpin everything the group does. Whilst they’ve grown and evolved substantially those values have remained at the core of the business.

Sumo Group has over 160 roles available across all disciplines of game development spanning numerous genres and platforms. With roles based in studio, fully remote or hybrid, in design, programming and publishing, for consoles, mobiles or PC, and in racing, narrative or action adventure – there really is something to suit every way of working.

Location(s): UK, Europe, North America and India

Team size: Our studios range in size from 10 – 300+ people!

Key projects and hiring areas: Over 40+ projects, with open roles across all studios & disciplines!

Recruitment contact: Kieran Holland, Talent Acquisition Manager, kholland@sumo-digital.com, @SumoKieran

FROM THE TEAM: WILL LAKE, ASSOCIATE ART MANAGER, ATOMHAWK

Working for Atomhawk is all about variety. In my time at the company I can easily say that no project is alike, and that is really appealing to me. Whether it’s the subject matter, the client ask or the worlds you explore for a project, they all offer a very unique perspective on visual creation. It’s this variety as well that weaves together greatly with the team at the studio – a group of interesting artists with varied backstories, interests, and art styles.

FROM THE TEAM: JEMIMA CROW, MARKETING & COMMS DIRECTOR, AUROCH DIGITAL

Auroch Digital specialises in making strategy and management games such as Mars Horizon and the upcoming Brewmaster. It’s a fast-growing team that strives for transparency at every level and for everyone to contribute ideas to their many projects. The team is very nerdy, epitomised by founder Tomas Rawlings’s decades-long love for Steve Jackson games and painting miniatures – which he encourages everyone to try no matter their skill.

FROM THE TEAM: ADRIANA RUTOWICZ, MARKETING MANAGER, PIXEL ANT

I’ve decided to join PixelAnt Games simply because I believed in their promise – a culture-first game development studio built on a firm set of values, putting their team’s wellbeing over profit. And this promise has been well kept. What I came to appreciate most over time is the leadership’s commitment to creating a workplace that’s healthy, respectful, and free from crunch.  We’re a relatively young studio – we have celebrated our first anniversary recently – but I can already say that it’s working well and that the right mindset and the right people really do make all the difference.

FROM THE TEAM: PAIGE DOLAN, COMMERCIAL COORDINATOR, SECRET MODE

I was completely won over in the interview stage by Secret Mode, the ethos of the company is one of inclusivity, diversity, challenging perspectives and ultimately fun, and I was overjoyed to see that beliefs permeate everything we do. We’ve gone from a team of five to a team of 13 rapidly, we have a huge variety in backgrounds, interests and experience in the team but are united by one main thing, a love for games. It’s this passion, shared at all levels of the organisation, that makes it an absolute joy to start work each day.

FROM THE TEAM: DAL HUNDAL, ASSOCIATE TECHNICAL DIRECTOR, SUMO LEAMINGTON

When I first spoke to Sumo Digital, things just felt right straight away – as they say “when you know, you know.” A year on since I joined I’m glad to say that instinct was right – I feel so lucky to have landed at a studio where I’m given the room to learn and grow, alongside some of the best people in the industry. Sumo gives me the opportunity to work on some fantastic projects that bring fresh challenges, in an environment that respects life outside of work – I’ve got my cake and I’ve eaten it!

FROM THE TEAM: MARK SAMPLE, DESIGN DIRECTOR, SUMO SHEFFIELD

18 months ago I joined Sumo Digital Sheffield – It’s been the best move I’ve made in my whole career. The amazing opportunities, high calibre games, welcoming teams, and superb culture throughout all our studios are just a few of the highlights that come to mind since I started here. As a dev director I get to work with so many fantastic and talented people both internally and externally. Whilst there are occasional challenges, there is never a dull moment and I’m always learning and making new friends along the way. That’s why I’m here and I love it!

 

About Chris Wallace

Chris is a freelancer writer and was MCV/DEVELOP's staff writer from November 2019 until May 2022. He joined the team after graduating from Cardiff University with a Master's degree in Magazine Journalism. He can be found on Twitter at @wallacec42, where he mostly explores his obsession with the Life is Strange series, for which he refuses to apologise.

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