Saratoga-Based Video Game Company Dreams Big

SARATOGA SPRINGS — If you’re seeking stardom, head to Hollywood. If you’re a finance bro, take the next train to Lower Manhattan. If you grew up addicted to Nintendo or “Halo,” the best destination might be Upstate New York.

Few businesses are reeling in as many talented young gamers as Rushdown Studios, a video game company based in Saratoga Springs that’s stocked full of developers. Launched in 2021 by three people, Rushdown has grown at a rapid pace. This year, they have 30 employees. In the not-too-distant future, they project they’ll have 100. They were profitable in year one and doubled their revenue in year two. Thus far, the company has contributed to a number of notable games, including “PUBG,” “Among Us,” “League of Legends,” and “Last Epoch.” 

What is Rushdown’s secret sauce that allows them to thrive in a small city known more for horses than high scores? Co-founder and CEO Kirk Becker said much of his company’s success revolves around its growing reputation.

“The video game industry, as much as the market cap is massive, it really feels like a small industry,” Becker said. “You see the same companies, the same people, at video game conferences. At [the Game Developers Conference] in San Francisco every year, there are so many familiar faces. If someone gets a bad reputation early on, it’s really hard to dig yourself out of that hole.”

Rushdown’s early successes have allowed them to court prospective hires with companies like Riot Games (“League of Legends”) and Blizzard Entertainment (“World of Warcraft,” “Diablo”)  on their resumes.

“Talent from these studios want to come work at Rushdown,” Becker said. “That’s awesome.”

Some developers may want a change of scenery, fleeing giant companies in crowded California cities for the serenity of Upstate New York and Vermont. Others, however, may stay put. Roughly half of Rushdown’s workers are local, while the rest are remote.

“A lot of times if you’re hiring someone with [C++ and game engines] expertise, you’re taking them from another Upstate New York video game studio if they’re in the area. So we hire remotely,” Becker said. “But [back-end engineering] talent is much more accessible in Upstate New York, so we might lean towards hiring those folks to be in office.”

Although many people in the industry live and work in California, Upstate does have some enticing advantages over the West Coast.

“There are people who are like, ‘I’d love to work in the Adirondacks and still have the same job working on games,’” said Andy Polidore, Rushdown’s co-founder and COO.

Polidore also said that an East Coast time zone allows Rushdown to work well with both West Coast-based companies and partners in the U.K. and Europe. In other words, New York is conveniently placed right in the middle of major video game companies across the globe.

As Rushdown’s staff and client list both continue to grow, the company hopes to become large enough that it can build its own games from start to finish. Having a larger company would “unlock different types of work that we can say yes to,” Becker said. “Why that’s important to us is because we all love games and we would love to work on a game end-to-end and own the entire thing, and have someone pay us to do that.”

Rushdown is actively hiring for a variety of positions and currently has five openings posted to its website. To learn more about the company or view its job listings, visit www.rushdownstudio.com.