The gaming industry is on the rise: more interesting projects are coming to Katowice!
We cordially invite you to read an interview with Katarzyna Zaręba, MBA – Branch Director of Katowice’s Keywords Studios, a leading gaming company.
– You have strong ties to Silesia for many years. How do you evaluate the economic development of Katowice?
– It’s true, my education and career paths are closely related to the Metropolis GZM. It’s a region of many opportunities. Katowice is developing at an impressive pace and it has really come a long way – from a city associated mainly with mining to the capital of a modern metropolis. At the moment, it’s a very attractive place for international investments in Poland. Thousands of square metres of new office space are being created every year. Thanks to the multitude of universities, Silesia has a great base of potential employees, including linguists, so much desired by foreign companies. Katowice City supports investors comprehensively. The cooperation between Keywords Studios and the City Hall is exemplary and we value it very much. The COP24, the European Economic Congress and the Intel Extreme Masters brought the capital of Silesia to the attention of the whole world, which will certainly bear fruit for years to come.
– As the director of the Katowice branch of Keywords Studios, how do you see the future of the game industry in Katowice and in general in Poland?
– It’s a huge industry. It is estimated that almost 3 billion people worldwide play video games. In Poland alone, we have around 470 developers and publishers of video games, who release over 600 titles every year, generating revenue of EUR 969 million last year (according to the “The Game Industry of Poland 2021” report). Since April 2020, when I joined Keywords Studios, the headcount at the Katowice office has tripled. Globally, we already employ over 10,000 people and almost every tenth of them works in Katowice. These counts speak for themselves.
– The decision to expand the investment in Katowice was taken in times of pandemic. How do you think this situation will affect the pace of investment in Katowice?
– The COVID-19 pandemic has not harmed the gaming industry. On the contrary, many people – out of concern for their own safety and the safety of their loved ones – have limited the physical contact with other people and transferred their activity to the virtual world. More interesting projects are coming to Katowice, which makes us very happy. Every month our three service lines – Player Support, Functionality Quality Assurance and Localization Quality Assurance – employ dozens of new people and we estimate that the 1000th colleague will join our ranks in the coming weeks. We are also extending our Support Functions.
– What do you as an employer have to offer to the people of Katowice? How do you want to attract new employees and keep them in your organisation?
– Keywords Studios is the ideal place for people who want to combine work with their passion. We focus on interculturalism – we employ people from 52 countries, who speak 14 languages in their daily work. We enable development in both expert and leadership/management paths. Linguists will do well in the LQA service line, where they will have the opportunity to polish the translations of new computer games. Avid gamers have the unique opportunity to test new video games (before they go on sale!) in the FQA department. On the other hand, people speaking foreign languages and interested in working in customer service will be perfect for the PS department, where our employees help players solve technical problems. There is also a lot going on in our global projects related to the IT or Finance areas. Keywords Studios also offers flexible forms of employment, which helps to combine work with education or parenting. We focus on competence development and we successively broaden our training offer, continually working to make Keywords Studios attractive to the local market. We are involved in CSR, charity actions, cooperation with secondary schools and universities, and we are always open to the ideas of our co-workers. We are actively recruiting all the time and would like to invite you to join us at Keywords Studios!
Katarzyna Zaręba completed her education in Poland and France. In addition to two master’s degrees (in French studies and management at the Silesian International Business School) and post-graduate studies in controlling, she can boast of having earned a prestigious MBA at the Cracow School of Business – in partnership with the Switzerland’s St. Gallen Business School. In recent years, she was a member of the management board of an international B2B services company, where she was responsible for the Central and Eastern European region. Since April 2020, she has been Branch Director of the leading gaming company Keywords Studios.
*Katarzyna Zaręba completed her education in Poland and France. In addition to two master’s degrees (in French studies and management at the Silesian International Business School) and post-graduate studies in controlling, she can boast of having earned a prestigious MBA at the Cracow School of Business – in partnership with the Switzerland’s St. Gallen Business School. In recent years, she was a member of the management board of an international B2B services company, where she was responsible for the Central and Eastern European region. Since April 2020, she has been Branch Director of the leading gaming company Keywords Studios.
