Glass Egg – a Virtuos Studio has officially opened its second location in Dalat, marking the first AAA game studio in the city. Phil Tran, CEO and Co-founder of Glass Egg, and Thuy Le, Head of Glass Egg Dalat Studio, led the opening ceremony at the new workspace, with many representatives from Virtuos, local authorities, and Glass Egg’s partners in Da Lat City attending the milestone event.
Thuy, one of the original members who have been instrumental in shaping the company’s success over the years, will lead the new studio.
(From left to right) Raina Yu, Head of Central Technology Group at Virtuos, Thuy Le, Head of Glass Egg Dalat, Wu Wei, Director of Advancement at Virtuos Shanghai, Nguyen Hoai Nam, Deputy CEO of Glass Egg
Virtuos, a global video game development company headquartered in Singapore with studios across the world, acquired Glass Egg in May 2022. Leveraging Virtuos’ global studio network and resources, Glass Egg Dalat offers top-notch game art production services, specializing in character and environment art. As a reflection of its commitment to the local community, Glass Egg Dalat plans to open up 100 quality job opportunities in game development for local talent in the coming years. This move will make the city an attractive workplace option for Vietnamese talent in game development, besides Ho Chi Minh City, Hanoi, and Danang, and enable them to work with the best teams in the industry around the globe.
Harnessing Vietnam’s potential in game development
Glass Egg is a leading video game art studio founded in Ho Chi Minh City in 1999 and has since worked on world-class titles like Need for Speed Unbound, Apex Legends, and Demon’s Souls Remake. The addition of Glass Egg Dalat positions Virtuos as the largest external game developer in Vietnam, with over 1,000 employees across three studios in Ho Chi Minh City and Dalat.
“We’re extremely pleased to have the opportunity to expand our presence in Vietnam through the opening of a new studio in Dalat. Vietnam plays a key role in our long-term strategy and we’ve been able to put in place one of the largest training ground for game specialists in the country. We’re extremely positive about the long-term career potential that employees at the new Dalat studio will be able to enjoy inside the Vietnam game industry,” said Gilles Langourieux, CEO of Virtuos, as he congratulated the team on the successful launch of the studio.
Trainee at Glass Egg Dalat sharing during a studio tour led by Thuy and Phil
Since its soft launch in late 2022, the studio has rapidly expanded to a team of 30 highly-skilled employees who are already engaged in ongoing art production and training initiatives. “We are grateful for all the support we have received to realize our passionate business plan in Dalat and look forward to working with partners to build a local game development community,” said Phil Tran, CEO & Co-Founder of Glass Egg.
Cultivating talent in game development in an emerging region
Glass Egg has been partnering with local community organizations, schools, and training partners to promote game development as a high-potential career path and narrow the gap between the training curriculum and the actual production requirements of the industry.
“As Virtuos aims to employ 1,500 individuals in Vietnam by 2024, there is still much we can do to promote the industry in Vietnam and nurture local talent for AAA game development.” Raina Yu shared in her speech at the opening ceremony. “I am delighted to have collaborated closely with our partners at Glass Egg to bring additional top-quality training programs to both our employees in Dalat and the local 3D art community.”
As Virtuos continues to expand in Vietnam, Glass Egg will sustain its commitment to cultivating talent who are passionate about the games industry by providing training and education through scholarships and employment-oriented courses. In 2022 alone, Glass Egg provided such opportunities for over 800 students, and plans to do even more in 2023. With its extensive know-how and experience in the gaming industry, Glass Egg is well-positioned to help build a robust local game development community, empower our homegrown talent, and enable them to develop exceptional game products.
