Kixeye goes on the offensive, pulls no punches with new recruitment video

Developer Kixeye is well-known in the San Francisco Bay Area for its goofy, over-the-top print ads seeking job applicants, but the company's latest recruiting video has certainly kicked things up a notch. Titled "The Interview", the video appeared on YouTube and Kixeye's official site this morning and is based around satirizing/lambasting Kixeye's competition in the social games scene. The premise of the short is three job interviews with companies meant to represent Zynga, Kabam and Electronic Arts. Zynga is represented by a foul-mouthed child who is surrounded by dog toys, alternating between verbally abusing the camera and screaming for Yoo-Hoo drinks. Kabam, meanwhile, is presented as a data-driven, joyless company that determines its game development by spinning category wheels. Finally, EA shows up as an elderly man who drifts in and out of lucidity while talking about past glories. After these interviews come to a head, Kixeye CEO Will Harbin appears and makes a sales pitch for his company, touting the developer's pride in its games and how it's redefining online gaming before donning a unicorn mask and being airlifted away from his desk by a helicopter. Kixeye's leadership is well-known for calling out developers and speaking about problems in the industry, but The Interview represents the developer's most public and blistering criticism of some of the biggest names in the social games sector. Until now, the company's off-kilter ads have mainly been limited to large prints around San Francisco, as well as throughout Bay Area Rapid Transit stations and trains. We've heard from company execs that the campaign has paid for itself by getting local technical talent to apply at the studio, but the video represents a push to recruit outside of the area. Based on comments already appearing on the video's YouTube page, it looks like viewers are enthusiastic about applying already.

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Kixeye goes on the offensive, pulls no punches with new recruitment video

Mike Thompson

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Mike Thompson