The global video game industry has witnessed signif icant changes over the past decade or so. Similar to other media industries, game developers and publishers have moved from producing independent titles and mate-rial goods to providing constantly updated digital services (Sotamaa and Karppi 2010; Švelch 2019). These shifts are visible in popular new business models like free-to-play and the new roles, responsibilities, and occupations associated with game production, such as data analysts (Kerr 2017; Whitson 2019). Digital distribution platforms, accessible development tools, and new audiences also spawn ‘informal game development practices’ (Keogh 2019), which turn game production into a process that is both inherently global and intensely localized.