Big Huge Games aims to be ‘talent magnet’ for Baltimore area

After DomiNations swept the globe, Big Huge Games is looking to begin development of a new title.
The Hunt Valley video game studio recently made a pair of leadership hires that point toward a new phase, said CEO Tim Train.
The hires aren’t just about the next game, either. Since the Big Huge Games name reappeared on the scene in 2013, Train said a lot of time was focused on developing the mobile strategy game DomiNations, which surpassed $100 million in revenue in April.
But the studio’s leaders are also thinking about how to make consistently great games. Train said studios like Blizzard Entertainment and Supercell as examples of “studios that have a very long track record where everything they do is great. That’s because they’re thinking in these long lead times,” Train said.
So another portion of energy was put toward “how to properly think of a game as a 10-year-long endeavor,” Train said. Along the way, the studio was also acquired by South Korea–based Nexon.
“Now it’s time to focus on making new games, not just one at a time. To do that, we wanted to bring on more creative management,” Train said.

Building what Train called the “backbone” of that decade-long arc will be Judith Hoffman, who was named Chief Operating Officer. Hoffman has more than 20 years in game development experience, and has worked at studios including Amazon Game Studios, Sierra Online, Zynga and Electronic Arts Montreal.
Steve Superville, who comes to Baltimore County from Epic Games, was named creative director. He most recently was creative director of multi-player online battle arena game Paragon.

Train, who said he wants to build a “talent magnet,” pointed out that both are external hires and have experience at top studios.

The studio currently has 75 employees, and Train said they are currently particularly interested in talking to senior-level engineers.