Monument Valley Developer Shifts Focus to Contractors, Acknowledging the Need for Flexibility Over Long-Term Employment

In 2014, the minimalist puzzle game Monument Valley emerged as a shining example of the potential of mobile gaming. It showcased how creators could delve into diverse ideas and aesthetics on a platform that was more accessible than traditional console and PC gaming. However, it turned out to be one of the few standout titles amidst a flood of casino-style, attention-grabbing apps. Following the abrupt cancellation of Monument Valley 3 in 2025, developer Ustwo Games is shifting its focus to Steam and increasing its reliance on contractors. The company has acknowledged that hiring a large number of full-time developers may have been a misstep.

CEO Maria Sayans shared in a recent interview that the company had been overly idealistic about maintaining a full-time workforce and providing long-term job security. “We’ve been a little bit too romantic about the idea that we should have employees,” she stated. “As we reached the peak of Monument Valley 3’s production, contractors made up a relatively small portion of our team. We’re looking to change that moving forward.”

Monument Valley 3 was intended to be a reboot for the team, which had previously released titles like the conservation adventure Alba: A Wildlife Adventure and the tactical sports game Desta: The Memories Between. This new installment was set to be a subscription-exclusive on mobile, published by Netflix. However, the London-based team expanded to 40 members during development, only for the streaming service to pull the game from its platform just six months after launch as it shifted its gaming strategy.

Sayans expressed concern about the industry’s direction, noting, “Going forward, we’ll have a core team, and any growth will come through contractors, which is something I hate about the industry. I’ve been in the industry for 20 years, and those of us who started in the early 2000s had it very good. You want to provide that kind of stability, but I think that’s a shift in how we want to work with people going forward.”

This perspective may not be the most uplifting coming from a member of the Ukie Board, which guides strategic decisions to support the UK games industry. Sayans indicated that the future of the UK gaming landscape will likely involve more contractors and fewer opportunities for full-time game developers.

As competition for players’ time and money intensifies, larger studios are increasingly turning to outsourcing and co-development to cut costs. Now, it seems that smaller studios like Ustwo Games are following suit. While this may help alleviate financial pressures in the short term, it raises concerns about the long-term health of the gaming industry. Ustwo Games faced accusations of union-busting back in 2019, which they denied at the time.