adminMachineGames is moving more employees toward full-time office work, with studio leadership already expected to be on-site five days a week. The Indiana Jones and Wolfenstein developer currently has a hybrid schedule, but studio director Jerk Gustafsson says the company sees working together in person as beneficial for collaboration and day-to-day efficiency.
Image credit: MachineGames
MachineGames return to office plans and current schedule
MachineGames adopted a hybrid arrangement during the pandemic, with staff working three days in the office and two days from home. The studio is now shifting toward a five-day office week, starting with its leadership team. Gustafsson said the expectation for leads is intended to encourage a wider move toward being on-site more often.
The change is being described as a gradual direction rather than a statement that every employee has already moved to a five-day schedule. For staff following the policy, it is useful to confirm current team expectations directly, since the existing three-day office arrangement and the leadership requirement are not the same.
Why the studio values in-person collaboration
Gustafsson said MachineGames considers itself an office-based studio because its teams are more efficient and collaborative when working together in person. He also connected the approach to the company’s relatively flat structure, where employees from different disciplines are encouraged to discuss ideas and offer feedback.
According to Gustafsson, face-to-face conversations help create an environment where staff feel comfortable contributing. That kind of interaction can be especially relevant in game development, where creative and technical teams need to communicate throughout a project. Employees considering a role at the studio may want to ask how often their specific team is expected to work on-site.
A new office and the Swedish commute
MachineGames has opened a new office in northern Sweden to support team members in that region. Gustafsson also noted that a return-to-office requirement can involve a different commute for Swedish employees than for workers in countries such as the United States, where travel distances may be longer.
The practical impact of an office policy depends on where employees live and how accessible the workplace is. The northern Sweden location provides a local workspace for team members in the area, while the broader move toward more office days changes the studio’s previous hybrid balance.
How the policy compares with other game studios
The comments come amid wider debate about office attendance in the games industry. Ubisoft has faced criticism after announcing a full-time return-to-office requirement as part of its restructuring. EA, Rockstar, and Two Point Studios have also introduced return-to-office policies with varying levels of strictness.
Other studios have taken a different position. FuturLab CEO Kirsty Rigden has said she would not require staff to return full-time, while acknowledging that remote work can make it harder for people to feel continuously connected. These differing approaches show that studios are weighing in-person collaboration against the flexibility of working remotely.
What is known about MachineGames’ next project
MachineGames delivered a keynote at Develop:Brighton the previous year, where design director Jens Andersson discussed game development. The studio has not confirmed what its next project will be.
For now, the clearest update is the studio’s direction on workplace attendance: MachineGames is moving toward more full-time office work, beginning with its leads, while describing in-person collaboration as an important part of how it works. The MachineGames return to office shift is a move away from its pandemic-era three-days-in, two-days-at-home schedule, though the studio has not stated that every employee is already on a five-day routine.
