Side sees opportunity in the Taiwanese gaming industry.
Yesterday, January 29, the video game development and services provider opened a new studio space in Taipei, initiating a hiring drive to staff up the expanded space. Side’s pre-existing team in Taipei completed over 100 projects last year, according to numbers shared by the company. The co-development firm is a global business, with offices in 16 cities across 4 continents, including Los Angeles, Paris and Kuala Lumpur.
“Taipei has a tightknit gaming community of talented people who ultimately attract business,” said Side chief communications officer Martin McBride in a written interview with GamesBeat.
Side’s expanded Taipei studio will primarily be focused on QA and localization for the Chinese market. Side is currently in the process of building its own AI tools for these processes, according to Side Taipei studio head Frank Chang, who told GamesBeat that he anticipated in-game AI would become more prevalent in 2026.
“What’s interesting for us from a QA, LQA and Localization perspective is in-game AI needs to be tested in a completely different way, so we are talking new processes, new tools, new everything,” Chang said in a written interview with GamesBeat. “I want this team to be serious players in that area of the industry, at the absolute cutting edge of their craft.”
Side’s expansion is a bright point during a particularly difficult time for the gaming industry, which has been racked by layoffs over the past two years. The company plans to hire 75 new employees to staff up the expanded studio space, primarily in the form of local talent from Taiwan. Side Taipei currently has fewer than 100 employees, meaning the 75-employee hiring drive will nearly double its current headcount.
“We’ve seen some industry giants face challenges, but we’ve also witnessed new companies rise to prominence,” said Side vice president of Asia Karen Xia in a written interview with GamesBeat. “Our team has been able to expand, because they have earned a reputation of reliable excellence. By providing these necessary services during the game development process according to the client’s needs and timelines, is what has allowed us to grow in Taipei.”