For Day 5, we woke up and headed straight to Glass Egg. I found this site visit very interesting (and not just because they gave us free snacks). This is an area I have limited experience with. I am not a gamer by any means, so some of the information probably went over my head. However, everything that was said reflects a strong, loyal, and hardworking company.
The portfolio was very impressive. Each design was tailored to its individual game, and even though I don’t know the games, the reactions from the others suggest that these are popular, worldwide titles. I found it fascinating that despite Glass Egg’s contributions to so many successful projects, I had never heard of the brand before. Walking around the work floors was really enjoyable. Everyone was doing their own part, yet the end result was so cohesive that you would never know how many teams were involved.
The key factors contributing to their continued dominance, I would say, are integrity and loyalty—both internally and externally. Integrity comes from the due diligence they put into each client relationship. In addition, their stance on AI is notable. They acknowledge that AI might make things easier, but they won’t rely on it heavily until it surpasses the quality of the work they are already producing. Loyalty is also a major factor in their success. This includes their commitment to the companies they work with—for example, one company has been with them for upwards of 20 years. That level of continued partnership signals to the market that Glass Egg has been ahead of the game. Internally, they attract and retain a significant amount of talent. The Blue Jacket awards serve as an incentive, but I don’t think they would be as effective unless the employees genuinely enjoyed working there. It seems that they are given the freedom to approach their work as they see fit, especially in the concept sector.
The only challenge I can think of is that, since game production is a growing industry, Glass Egg may face increased competition—possibly from companies that use AI to complete designs more quickly. It was mentioned that some of their clients are more demanding. Even though the timeframe for a design ranges from 60 days to 2 years, some clients want jobs completed within a month. If other companies can deliver work faster, this could detract from Glass Egg’s potential business.
After the site visit, we had our last language class at UEF. Hopefully, I can remember how to say “How much is this?” when we negotiate prices with vendors next week. Our second “class” of the day was the culture class. I say “class” lightly because it was more fun than a typical lesson! We got to try Vietnamese cakes—I really liked the coconut one, the banana one, and the cassava one—and we played two games.
