Powering Texas Game Studios: Inside UT Game Development and Design’s Texas Power Hour – Game Development and Design Program

A smiling speaker stands next to a rolling podium with a laptop, presenting a slide titled “Early Hustle & Challenges.” The slide displays a semicircular gauge labeled “PRESSURE” ranging from low (green) to high (red), with indicators for challenges like cash flow stress, pressure and uncertainty, and high-stakes decisions. — Max Hoberman, CEO of Certain Affinity, at Texas Power Hour

On Thursday, May 1, 2025, UT Game Development and Design hosted the Texas Power Hour, an invitation-only event for executives, directors, and senior managers in both game and game-related companies. Throughout the event, these individuals discussed strategies to forge long-term growth and resiliency in Texas studios.

The event opened with an analysis on the state of the game industry by T-Minus Zero Entertainment CEO, Richard Vogel, before being followed by student pitches from Dr. Toprac’s 3D Game Development Capstone teams. Students represented various schools and programs on campus, including Arts and Entertainment Technologies (AET), Computer Science (CS), Radio-Television-Film (RTF), and the Texas Immersive Institute (TXI).

Shortly following the student presentation, Max Hoberman, CEO of Certain Affinity, delivered a presentation titled Having No Business Bootstrapping a Business to Business Business: A Cautionary Tale, which detailed his journey in starting a AAA game studio despite limited business experience. His presentation discussed multiple topics familiar to those who have opened their own studio: balancing original work with co-development, operating with limited capital, and acquisition, in addition to others.

This event occurred in parallel with Digital Demo Day, an event intended for students to showcase the games and immersive experiences they created throughout the spring semester. This synergy allowed industry representatives from Unity, EA Sports, Certain Affinity, T-Minus Zero Entertainment, Gearbox Entertainment, SciPlay Studios, and more to test and enjoy student-developed games and experiences.

“Especially now, it’s critical that the industry comes together to discuss strategies to create long-term growth,” Dr. Toprac, head of the GDAD program, commented. “Few places are better to do so than #1 undergraduate program in Texas.”

The Game Development and Design (GDAD) Program at The University of Texas at Austin is an interdisciplinary undergraduate program between the departments of Arts and Entertainment Technologies, Computer Science, and Radio-Television-Film. The program produces graduates ready to design, develop, and provide leadership for the exploding growth in game, metaverse applications, and creative media agencies and studios in Texas and around the world.