The last few years in the games industry have been brutal.
After waves of layoffs, studio closures and project cancellations, even if you haven’t been directly affected by these cuts, you are forgiven for looking for a way out. Luckily for many working in mobile, there are companies in the wider apps economy specifically on the hunt for people with deep experience of maintaining engagement and monetisation.
Former EA and Zynga exec Bernard Kim is perhaps the most notable mobile gaming exec to have made this switch – he ran Tinder and later its parent company Match.com. And according to the recruiters we spoke to, app companies across streaming and entertainment, fintech, media, retail, e-commerce and education are now actively looking for talent from all levels and areas of the mobile game business.
“Non-gaming firms are hiring mobile game experts to boost engagement, diversify revenue and future-proof their business,” says Stig Strand of recruitment firm Amiqus. “Mobile games keep users hooked, minimise churn, and open new income streams through ads and microtransactions. They also help extend brand IP into interactive experiences, deepening loyalty.”
Strand continues: “Games generate rich behavioural data for personalisation, and with mobile gaming being the largest segment of the global gaming market, companies see it as a $100bn-plus opportunity. Finally, as entertainment shifts toward interactive content, investing in gaming talent positions these firms for the next wave of consumer engagement.”
Gerald Miles, the co-CEO of recruitment firm Mission One Search, points to non-game apps that employ a gamified design, such as Duolingo, as a good place to start. “Knockout successes like Duolingo fuelled a wave of ‘gamification’ of mobile apps,” he tells us. “This led to a high level of interest in the games industry being taken to non-gaming companies, as well as those outside of games for the first time looking with interest at joining the sector.”
Perhaps unsurprisingly, given its ‘gamification’ roots, Duolingo is one of the companies eying up mobile games talent. So far, this has largely been through its acquisition – sorry, ‘acquihire’ – of Beatstar maker NextBeat, which it bought for an undisclosed sum in August 2025.
“We have brought on select talent with gaming experience to support the development and expansion of our learning experiences,” says Liz Talley-King, Duolingo’s VP of global talent acquisition. “Much of that work has been tied to our Music course, which has seen strong engagement and has benefitted from people who understand interactive, playful product design.”
As for what makes people from the world of mobile games useful hires, Duolingo’s Talley-King points to the app’s gamified design. “Our design principles focus on gamified, bite-sized learning that keeps users coming back daily, and hiring people with experience in the mobile games industry has helped us make the learning experience even more enjoyable and rewarding,” she explains.
“These individuals deeply understand how to motivate users, build rewarding feedback loops, and create intuitive, joyful interfaces – all of which translate directly into more effective learning.”
Amiqus’ Strand adds that the roles he has seen mobile games workers being targeted for also include engineering, game engine specialists, QA and tooling, as well as leadership and product.
There are further ways in which the broader apps economy is a good fit for people wanting to leave the games business, one being stability. “Non-gaming sectors offer more predictable work than hit-driven game studios,” Strand explains. “There’s also better work-life balance: less crunch and healthier development cycles. Skills in engagement and monetisation apply to interactive media and consumer apps, too. There are also opportunities to work on global platforms and cutting-edge infrastructure.”
Strand expects this trend of non-game companies attracting mobile games talent to continue through 2026. “Interactive content is becoming standard for streaming, social, and retail platforms,” he explains. “Mobile gaming skills remain highly transferable for engagement and monetisation.”
“Mobile gaming is also an $100bn-plus market, and non-gaming firms want a share. Media and tech convergence means gaming DNA gives companies a competitive edge.”
