Change of scenery led Paula and Flor to Skövde

Paula, Senior Animator at Palindrome Interactive, and Flor, 3D Artist, met when they both worked at CIARDI, a government founded animation studio in Buenos Aires, in 2014. They share the love for visual storytelling, travel and their two dogs, Lexa and Tita.

“When I was little, I wanted to be a part of a Disney or Pixar project but life steered me over to games. At my first job I made really good friends and among them was the person that years later would become my spouse” says Flor.

Paula’s journey to game development started with a childhood dream to become an animator.

“I originally went to film school and eventually got my first job working for a small budget indie film after a couple of years. After that, I had the opportunity to be involved in a variety of different projects such as commercials, TV shows and finally VR and games” says Paula.

Immortal Realms

After living in Berlin for a year, Paula and Flor were searching for a change of scenery.

“We are very quiet and introspective, which means that we need our big spaces full of trees and not to be crammed at home, on the bus or at work” says Flor.

They found out that Palindrome Interactive in Skövde, Sweden, was hiring through a friend.

“Our friend saw the job post and had acquaintances that had lived in Skövde while working at a game studio and what she described drew our attention. We did a bit of digging and were very impressed by the quality of their latest title, Immortal Realms. We decided to get in touch with them and after our first chat, we were sure there was something special waiting for us over here” says Paula.

Friendly and respectful

It’s been almost four months since Paula and Flor moved to Skövde and they have since explored the city little by little.

”I feel like I’m finally at my own pace. Everyone is so friendly and respectful. Even if we are so grateful that everyone speaks perfect English here, we will try to learn Swedish as soon as possible” says Paula.

The process of relocating was a bit difficult for Paula and Flor when they moved from Buenos Aires to Berlin. They were therefore hesitant to make the move to Skövde at first.

”The apartment hunt went smooth, thanks to the people that helped us. It was a whole different story when we encountered Berlin’s incredibly competitive (and pet unfriendly) renting situation. I think it is safe to say that it is the nicest apartment we have ever lived in. We could not be happier with the way it turned out” says Flor.

Attract talent and competence

Louise Hallberg, works with business development at the Municipality of Skövde. One of her focus areas is talent attraction. She has been a part of the Sweden Game Arena project since 2019 and her role is to work both strategically and operational to develop Skövde’s offer when it comes to attract the talent and competence needed by the growing local games industry.

”When Palindrome Interactive was in the process of hiring Paula and Flor they reached out to Sweden Game Arena to discuss the relocation of their future employees. It can be very hard finding an apartment in Skövde, especially with short notice. On the other hand, knowing there will be a place to stay is crucial for someone about to accept a job offer involving relocation. It is also common with questions regarding visas, taxes and other practicalities” says Louise.

Finding the right competence is often pointed out as one of the biggest challenges for businesses continued development and success.

“We are delighted that Palindrome Interactive were able to onboard Paula and Flor to their team and hope they will like their new home” says Louise.

Personal development

Paula and Flor are looking forward to their future in Skövde and at Palindrome Interactive.

”At Palindrome, they are not only interested in what you can bring to the project, but also in your personal development and how you are feeling overall as an individual, and we value that greatly. We are very grateful to be in this incredible environment, and hope we can all do great things together, one step at a time” says Paula.