Career Path

I joined Goodgame Studios in 2010 as a 2D Game Artist, back when the company was still a start-up with fewer than 100 employees and just a handful of artists.

Over the following six years, I grew with the company as it became Germany’s leading game development studio, reaching over 1,200 employees and releasing several highly successful, award-winning titles.

As an Art Department Head, I played a key role in building and shaping the art teams, helping scale the department to 183 artists across multiple disciplines.

My work contributed to the enduring success of hit titles such as Goodgame Empire, Goodgame Empire 4 Kingdoms and Goodgame Big Farm, which together amassed over 300 million registered users and generated more than $1 billion in revenue by 2017 in the free-to-play market.

These titles are still ranking among the most enduring titles in the genre.

Team: +180 – 30 nationalities

Key Challenges & Responsibilities

Start-up challenges

> Defined core production processes and team responsibilities in a fast-moving environment.

> Established cross-functional communication with project management, C-level/founders, design, and development.

Extreme growth, structure & communication

> Scaled the team from 9 to over 180 creatives across multiple game projects and business needs. 

> Introduced clear reporting lines, lead roles and cross-team communication practices.

> Defined art strategies with evolving business goals and product lifecycles.

> Built specialized departments (3D, UI, Marketing Art, Corporate Art...) to meet growing internal demands.

Strategic Hiring

> Forecasting hiring needs with production needs, team culture and company vision

> Recruited based on project roadmaps, skill gaps, and production scalability needs.

> Balanced freelance, in-house, and remote roles for flexibility and efficiency.

> Ensured diversity of skills, personality and disciplines to strengthen creative output.

> Presence at industry events, conferences, recruiting fairs and universities to attract new talents.

Team structures &
Efficient Onboarding 

> Developed modular team structures to match agile production needs.

> Introduced structured onboarding, mentoring and documentation for fast integration.

> Created art wikis and design guidelines to align new hires quickly with processes and style.

Creative Leadership &
Delegation

> Defined lead roles and reporting structures to delegate ownership effectively.

> Set creative vision and took executive decisions. 

> Enabling others to manage day-to-day  operations.

> Maintained quality and consistency across fast-moving production pipelines and creative growth.

> Established regular syncs and feedback loops across all reporting levels.

Personal & Team development 

> Mentored artists into senior / leadership roles.

> Created structured career paths and feedback cycles to retain and grow talent.

> Introducing / defining compensation structures and alignment to industry standards.

> Monthly book budget to create art reference library.

> Subscription to art e-learning / tutorial platforms.

> Budget / organization of life-drawing courses.

> Encouragement of individuals personal projects.

> Establishing a Buddy and mentorship program between artists to share artistic skills.

Keeping the overall department together

> Regular team events - both per product team and global department.

> Arranged regular meetings with the team to show presence and availibility

> Weekly overall department meeting

> Celebrating birthdays, team / product success and important milestones

> Promoting a healthy team culture built on ownership, trust and shared creative vision.

Product Closures &
Lay Offs and Dismissals

> Managed product closures and restructuring with transparency and empathy.

> Supported team members through transitions with guidance and referrals.

> Showed presence to address concerns, offered help and positivity to retain talent and protect morale during changes.

Product Art Direction

Key Responsibilities

> Defined and led visual direction from concept to live phase.

> Managed and scaled multidisciplinary art teams.

> Built efficient pipelines for consistent, high-quality output.

> Directed asset creation across 2D/3D, UI/UX, and animation.

> Collaborated cross-functionally with Design, Dev & Marketing.

> Oversaw live-ops art production and continuous content quality.