Careers Zone at Pocket Gamer Connects: Matchmaking that works

The Careers Zone at Pocket Gamer Connects London 2025 proved to be an impactful highlight of the conference, which took place on January 20th to 21st at The Brewery, London.

Organised in partnership with Games Factory Talents, this dedicated space was more than just a recruitment booth, it was a buzzing matchmaking hub that brought together the bright minds in gaming with growing companies on the hunt for talent. And it's coming back at PG Connects Barcelona on June 3rd to 4th.

Building on the momentum of previous successful events, including the Careers Zone at PG Connects Helsinki, this London edition attracted even more attendees and companies, reaffirming the value of face-to-face networking in today’s digital-first job market.

A Platform for meaningful career connections

The Careers Zone integrates both on-site networking opportunities and access to the Games Factory Talents matchmaking tool. This combination allows job seekers to showcase their skills and explore roles that match their profile while companies gain access to a curated talent pool of seasoned professionals in fields like game development, marketing, art, design, etc.

Attendees benefit from tailored, match-based meetings with recruiters from growing and hiring game studios, ensuring that each interaction is targeted and relevant. This focus on relevance is what makes the Careers Zone a critical bridge in the games jobs market, connecting top talent with opportunities and facilitating valuable industry relationships.

This intuitive system ensured attendees with the right skills were presented with relevant job opportunities, making the networking experience efficient and productive. Recruiters could also easily view attendees who match their open roles and book meetings online or onsite. The response from both job seekers and studios was very positive.

A proven success

The Careers Zone in London was a matchmaking hub designed to create meaningful connections between job seekers and growing game companies. Powered by Games Factory Talents, the Careers Zone is a standout feature of the conference, fostering an environment for professional growth and opportunity within the gaming industry.

The Careers Zone in London offered support services such as CV and LinkedIn profile reviews, helping candidates put their best foot forward. The personalised advice enhanced the experience for many job seekers, increasing their visibility and attractiveness to potential employers.

"It's an uneasy time for the games industry with layoffs hitting daily - and breaking through is harder than ever, especially for those of us on the non-technical side," said Anna Sapegina.

"Applying online and hoping to stand out among hundreds isn't enough anymore. What does make a difference is being there in person - attending a speech of your future CEO, grabbing coffee with a future hiring manager, having real conversations, and showing how you can help the team you'd love to join.

"Career Zone made that possible. They created space within major conferences for those who might feel excluded from attending while job hunting: from job-seeker tickets (that are often unaffordable otherwise) to setting up in-person meetups that actually lead somewhere.

"That initiative helped me land my dream job. Thank you for making that happen - not just for me, but for so many others in game-dev." 

These results demonstrate that the matchmaking worksand that candidates who join the Careers Zone as job seekers are more likely to make a lasting impression when engaging face-to-face with employers. Even candidates who weren’t admitted on-site gained a competitive edge by entering the Games Factory Talents pool, positioning themselves for future opportunities.

This edition of the Careers Zone also marked an exciting new feature: the introduction of the Talent Board. While previous events focused solely on showcasing company job listings, the London Careers Zone provided anonymous job seeker profiles that participating companies could browse.

This gave growing companies the ability to proactively discover and reach out to promising candidates to either  schedule meetings during the event or continue the conversation online. The result was a more dynamic, two-sided matchmaking experience that empowered both companies and candidates.

"We understand the challenges the industry is going through and we are proud to support the job seekers at our conferences," said Steel Media COO Dave Bradley.

"And In collaboration with Games Factory Talents we were able to introduce an easy way for talents and hiring studios to meet at our conference.

"We look forward to continue this collaboration at the upcoming Pocket Gamer Connects conference in Barcelona offering a great value to attendees and partner companies."

The Careers Zone is more than just a feature at a conference, it's part of a growing ecosystem of talent discovery, powered by Games Factory Talents. Each event builds on the last, creating a living network of professionals and studios invested in the future of the gaming industry.

As one of the attendees put it:

“The Careers Zone helped me meet people I would have never reached through regular job boards. Being there in person made all the difference.”

With overwhelmingly positive feedback from both job seekers and studios, it's clear that the Careers Zone at PG Connects London 2025has set a new benchmark for recruitment within the games industry.

"I met many job seekers at the event and here's one quote that stayed with me after the event," said Games Factory Talents CEO Oleg Paliy. 

“The Careers Zone helped me meet people I would have never reached through regular job boards. Being there in person made all the difference.

"During these turbulent times in the industry I'm very happy we offered a different way for job seekers to connect with opportunities beyond traditional job applications"

What's next?

Careers Zone at Pocket Gamer Connects in Barcelona on June 3rd to 4th

The Careers Zone is available at the upcoming Pocket Gamer Connects conference in Barcelona this June 3rd to 4th. If you are looking for your next career opportunity, make sure you send your application.