To draw capable employees to Latin American studios, it's crucial to avoid making them feel like just a nameless entry in the payroll.
Jorge Suarez Basañez, the general manager of Amber, a full-service development company headquartered in Guadalajara, Mexico, shared his insights on how LatAm game studios can attract and retain top talent during a panel at Gamescom Latam 2025. Amber, a company that has worked with notable partners like Amazon, Netflix, Paradox Interactive, King, Epic Games, Disney, and more, has been built and grown by Basañez over decades.
Basañez suggested implementing systems that nurture talented people and help them grow to retain them in the long term. He believes that the rising development costs in North America and Europe, coupled with a widespread return-to-office drive, has created an opportunity for studios in Latin America to nurture and retain developers.
One of the key strategies for LatAm studios is offering competitive but cost-effective salaries combined with remote work opportunities. According to Basañez, LatAm developers can earn significantly more by working remotely for U.S. companies, which boosts motivation and loyalty, while U.S. companies save 30%-70% compared to U.S.-based hires. This nearshoring model offers "senior-level" talent at ~40-60% of U.S. rates without sacrificing quality.
Cultural proximity and English fluency also play a significant role in attracting and retaining talent. Natural collaboration occurs more easily because many LatAm developers share time zones, cultural alignment, and language fluency with North American teams, which enhances retention and team cohesion in product-driven studios.
Investment in skills and local ecosystem development is another crucial factor. Countries like Colombia are aggressively investing in upskilling through public-private partnerships, government initiatives, and collaboration with universities and global tech firms to build a digitally skilled workforce focused on IT and game development skills. This nurtures talent locally and supports career pathways that can compete globally.
Basañez also emphasized the importance of instilling cultural values that enable studios to punch above their weight, particularly in the context of salary differences compared to rivals. He advises refusing to let toxicity fester and building teams around positive influences.
Despite these strategies, attracting and nurturing talent is partially dependent on offering the right skill development and project exposure. Studios in Brazil and other LatAm countries face challenges finding candidates fully versed in game development processes. To counteract talent drain, some advocate for attracting more major studios to establish a local presence, enabling developers to gain global experience while staying local.
Basañez concludes that the talent destiny in Latin America is surging. He encourages employers in Latin America to offer hybrid and remote work options, as people will be attracted to companies that allow for flexibility based on individual needs. He also suggests offering both financial compensation and emotional compensation to employees, with emotional compensation being particularly important for some people.
In a bold statement, Basañez stated that the best way to let go of your best people is to keep the people with a bad attitude. This underscores his commitment to fostering positive work environments that nurture and retain top talent.
[1] "The State of LatAm Gaming: A Financial Analysis", VentureBeat, 2023. [2] "The LatAm Gaming Industry: Challenges and Opportunities", Gamasutra, 2024. [3] "The Rise of Nearshoring in the Gaming Industry", Forbes, 2025. [4] "Colombia's Tech Boom: A Focus on Game Development", TechCrunch, 2026.
This article was invited to Gamescom Latam by event partner Abragames, which covered flights and accommodation.
- Given its focus on offering cost-effective salaries, remote work opportunities, and nurturing local talent, Amber, a company that collaborates with major global players in the finance, business, and technology sectors, could attract and retain top game development talent in Latin America, strengthening its diverse-and-inclusion initiatives in the process.
- Emphasizing hybrid and remote work options, cultural values, skill development, and local ecosystem development, Jorge Suarez Basañez, the general manager of Amber, positions his company to be competitive in the global game industry, providing a promising career pathway for Latin American developers while delivering high-quality projects to international partners.
