Full Breakdown
Ustwo Games Shifts to Contractor-Heavy Model as It Embraces PC-First Strategy
4/30/2026, 9:56:07 PM
Strategic Shift to PC and Contractor Model
Ustwo Games announced it will abandon mobile, describing the market as lacking a “solid base to build a long-term business around.” The decision followed Netflix’s choice not to publish Monument Valley 3, prompting a port of earlier titles to Steam and Nintendo Switch. Staff has fallen to just under 30 from a peak of about 40, and CEO Maria Sayans said the company was “a little bit too romantic” about maintaining full-time employees, now planning a core team supplemented by contractors.
Development Costs and Pricing Strategy
Ustwo projects have cost £7 million to £10 million and run three-to-four-year cycles. To improve sustainability, the company will lower expenses by expanding its contractor pool, a move it believes will stabilize cash reserves. Sayans also advocated pricing games higher at launch and discounting later, warning that “pricing [a game] too low is playing with the sustainability of the team.”
Industry Context
Ukie, the UK games trade body, represents over 2,000 companies and 73,000 jobs. Its 2024 Employee Benefits Report notes 26,000 people are directly employed in the sector, each contributing an average of £113,000 to the economy—almost double the national average. The report says the industry is “striving to support its people despite economic pressures” and calls for benefits that enrich working lives.
Official Statements & Responses
Ustwo’s leadership said the contractor-centric model will provide flexibility while protecting budgets. Ukie framed the sector’s challenges as opportunities to develop comprehensive benefits and communication tools that retain talent.
Criticism & Opposition
Sayans warned that reducing full-time staff threatens job security, calling the shift “something I hate about the industry.” She noted that London studios with pension obligations may struggle against smaller PC developers operating on tighter budgets.
Conflicting Reports & Gaps
All sources agree on staff numbers and budget ranges, but none provide the current contractor proportion, morale impact, or detailed financing plans for upcoming titles.
Verbatim Quotes
- “We’ve been a little bit too romantic about the idea that we should have employees and give people long-term job security,” — Maria Sayans, CEO, Ustwo Games
- “Going forward, we'll see that we've got a core team and any growth will come through contractors” — Maria Sayans, CEO, Ustwo Games
- “Pricing [a game] too low is playing with the sustainability of the team, right? So, if in doubt, price it a little bit higher because you can always discount later,” — Maria Sayans, CEO, Ustwo Games
- “There are people doing really, really well in those spaces on PC for much smaller budgets, that we will never be able to achieve because we're based in London and have employees with pensions and so on.” — Maria Sayans, CEO, Ustwo Games
What’s Next
Ustwo will continue releasing PC and console titles, scaling development through contractors and maintaining higher launch pricing with later discounts. Ukie plans to refine sector-wide benefits frameworks to support talent retention.
