Latin American studios can attract talent by ensuring people ‘don’t feel like a number on the payroll’
Chris Kerr, Senior Editor, News, GameDeveloper.com
July 31, 2025
3 Min Read
There was a question I heard asked on loop during Gamesom Latam 2025: how can studios across the region attract and retain talent when they can’t always compete with the salaries offered by their competitors across the continent and in North America?
Finding an answer is vital. Many of the experts I spoke with at the conference in Sao Paulo waxed lyrical about the passion and ability of developers in the region, but acknowledged that what’s so often missing from teams and studios of all sizes is experience.
“There is a definite gap in the skills that are needed to get to the pro level,” explained Amber general manager Jorge Suarez Basañez, during a fascinating panel that sought to spotlight how Latam studios can achieve global success.
Basañez has spent decades building and growing studios in Mexico. He currently oversees full-service development company Amber, which is headquartered in Guadalajara and has worked with notable partners like Amazon, Netflix, Paradox Interactive, King, Epic Games, Disney, and more.
According to Basañez, the talent destiny in Latin America is surgingâwhich is turn has created an opportunity for studios in the region to nurture and retain developers on home soil. Of course, he suggests employers ensure their workers want to stick around for the long haul, and that means they must play to their unique strengths.
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“Implement systems that nurture those talented people and help them to grow”He believes rising development costs in North America and Europe coupled with a widespread return-to-office drive at major studios in those regions has created a window for employers in Latam to flip the script. As such, he tells developers across Latin American to encourage hybrid and remote work, noting how people will be attracted to companies that allow them to choose between working productively at home or in-studio based on their individual needs.
It’s a move that would also enable employers to access talent outside of larger urban areas, where the cost-of-living might also be lower.
“[By enabling remote working] you can tap into a whole lot of talent in small towns that didn’t previously have an opportunity, and that makes a big difference,” he says. “Implement systems that nurture those talented people and help them to grow.”
It’s about building for the futureâand to do that, employers must strive to understand how to instill cultural values that enable them to punch above their weight. For instance, he suggests the elephant in the room right now across Latin American studios is salary. Although studios in the region might not be able to offer the same wage as some of their rivals, what he feels they can do is ensure people “don’t feel like a number on the payroll.”
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He suggests employers can offer both financial compensation and emotional compensationâand for some people the latter is far more important. “The best projects attract the best talent and the best talent attracts the best talent,” he adds. “The best way to let go of your best people is to keep the people with a bad attitude.”
In short: build your team around the positive influences and refuse to let toxicity fester. Nurture your workforce by offering training that allows them to expand their skillset rather than stagnate. Basañez explains Amber has a training center dedicated to bridging the skill gap between its more youthful hires and more experienced team members, pushing them to evolve their technical and soft skills beyond what was taught at university.Â
Game Developer was invited to Gamescom Latam by event partner Abragames, which covered flights and accommodation.
About the Author
Senior Editor, News, GameDeveloper.com
Game Developer news editor Chris Kerr is an award-winning journalist and reporter with over a decade of experience in the game industry. His byline has appeared in notable print and digital publications including Edge, Stuff, Wireframe, International Business Times, and PocketGamer.biz. Throughout his career, Chris has covered major industry events including GDC, PAX Australia, Gamescom, Paris Games Week, and Develop Brighton. He has featured on the judging panel at The Develop Star Awards on multiple occasions and appeared on BBC Radio 5 Live to discuss breaking news.
