Joshua Nilson has officially parted ways with Canadian East Side Games after 14 years with the company, multiple chief positions, and work across platforms like Facebook, iOS, and Android.
Nilson co-founded East Side Games in Vancouver, Canada, in the vastly different mobile landscape of 2009. In over a decade since, changes at East Side have ranged from platforms developed to company status - where it started out as an independent studio, East Side has since become a publicly listed company.
As for Nilson, his role evolved from studio manager to COO, CEO to general manager. Now parting ways from the studio he co-founded, he expressed excitement for this "new chapter" on LinkedIn.
A gaming legacy
In Nilson’s time with East Side Games, the studio has made an original IP in Pot Farm, created Trailer Park Boys with guest appearances from Jay and Silent Bob, and many other games; in fact, the company’s catalogue has no shortage of collaborations, with games using IP from RuPaul, The Office, AEW and others.
"I've been a Studio Manager, COO and CEO. We went from Facebook to mobile, independent studio to a publicly listed company. We built the games I've always wanted to, ones I think no one else would make," Nilson said.
"A huge Marsi to all of you in the industry who supported us (and me), in this journey. In a time when people told us it wouldn’t work, lots of you told us to keep going. To our fans and friends, damn - you are the best, we do this for you. Your support throughout the years has been nothing short of amazing. Whether it's sharing, installing, playing, or enthusiastically spreading the word that our games are made for people who’ve never had games that spoke to them."
Nilson’s next step is currently unknown - to be revealed at another time "in another post". His parting of ways was made mutually and follows news of a 20% reduction in East Side’s workforce after last month’s layoffs. Despite record revenues for the company in 2022 - a year when most game developers struggled - revenues have dropped by 32% in the first quarter of 2023. With two major releases this year in Milk Farm: Tycoon and Doctor Who: Lost in Time, there is potential for growth again in the near future.
