In the game development industry, outsourcing production is a common solution that helps game studios optimize their time and resources. Studios, large or small, all need additional support staff, especially during peak periods. Furthermore, there's a need to acquire missing skills, expertise, and technology to successfully complete game projects.

Founded in 2004, Virtuos is one of the leading game development service providers, with over 20 studios and research labs across Asia, Europe, and North America. Virtuos entered Vietnam through the merger of two studios, Sparx* and Glass Egg, in Ho Chi Minh City in 2011 and 2022 respectively, and is currently one of the largest game development companies in Vietnam with over 1,000 employees.

Unlike traditional outsourcing models, Virtuos can support partners in developing a complete game from start to finish. This capability stems from Virtuos' global network, allowing member studios to collaborate on the same project while exchanging diverse resources and expertise.

In Vietnam, two studios, Glass Egg and Sparx*, have long established their expertise in producing 3D graphics for AAA games. These games boast the highest quality visuals and content on the market, coupled with massive production budgets for each project.

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Staff at Glass Egg studio (Ho Chi Minh City) during an internal training session with international experts. Photo: Virtuos

In fact, there is no shortage of skilled game graphics professionals in Vietnam; in fact, their quality is quite high compared to the regional average.

A prime example is Marvel's Midnight Suns from Firaxis Games – one of the most critically acclaimed games of 2023. In this game, Sparx* studio collaborated with several other Virtuos studios in France, the United States, Malaysia, and Ireland to produce 108 minutes of in-game cutscenes.

However, despite its strong position in graphics, finding highly skilled personnel in AAA game design or programming in Vietnam remains a significant challenge.

“In recent years, we have consistently pursued the goal of strengthening the game design and programming capabilities of our local team. With 20 years of experience across developed game markets worldwide, Virtuos has built a systematic system and a reputation for training game professionals,” shared Samuel Stevenin, Director of Art at Virtuos.

Evidence of this effort is the establishment of a Game Design Department at Virtuos' Sparx* studio in 2019. To be able to participate in crucial production stages such as level design, storyline development, and game mechanics integration in current AAA projects, the team underwent continuous training.

In 2024 alone, game designers and technical artists at Sparx* completed over 300 hours of training across nearly 70 intensive sessions, ranging from tool and programming classes to soft skills courses in project management.

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The game design team at Sparx* studio (Ho Chi Minh City). Photo: Virtuos

“Besides company training programs and learning from colleagues and international clients directly on projects, we also work together on game demos and participate in many game design competitions, both large and small, inside and outside the company to gain more experience,” shared Tran Quang Vinh, a member of the Game Design Department at Sparx*.

In a short period of time, Sparx* has been credited with game design for many prestigious projects such as SpongeBob: The Cosmic Shake, and the horror game series The Dark Pictures Anthology.

"The favorable learning environment and practical experience helped us quickly improve our skills," Quang Vinh said.

In 2025, Virtuos will continue to enhance the capabilities of its Game Design Department in Vietnam by collaborating with other art departments in the production process to seek project opportunities in level and character design. In addition, the team will continue to develop its skills in Unreal to keep up with current trends. The team aims to bring 1-3 game ideas to play as demos next year, paving the way for further development phases.

"With a long-term vision and strong commitment to the domestic gaming industry, we expect to continue to make our studios in Vietnam centers for transferring knowledge and technology in AAA game production to local personnel," Samuel Stevenin affirmed.

Bich Dao