What's the Company Culture Like at SciPlay?

Tell us about SciPlay Corp’s approach to the in-office experience. How are these elements emblematic of your team culture?

At SciPlay, the in-office experience is about fostering a vibrant and collaborative community. Our Austin studio reflects this with diverse workspaces, from focused individual desks to collaborative meeting areas, designed to enhance both productivity and social interaction. With a well-stocked kitchen, including multiple snack and drink options, coffee/tea bars and lounge areas, we have created a space where people feel cared for and equipped for success. 

We believe in a balanced approach, offering flexibility while also nurturing strong team bonds. 

Whether through themed lunches, happy hours or gaming tournaments, we bring teams together to celebrate milestones, share ideas and simply have fun. These moments help create an environment where our team members feel valued, connected and empowered.

In your opinion, what about your in-office experience feels the most impactful on your daily work life? What is your favorite part of the in-person experience? 

The most impactful aspect of the in-office experience at SciPlay is the enhanced collaboration. The ability to spontaneously discuss ideas, seek immediate feedback and build rapport through casual interactions significantly boosts productivity and creativity. It feels more natural than a video call or a Slack message, and working in-person helps me feel more in tune to what’s happening across the office. 

My favorite part of being in-office is the strong sense of community. Shared lunches, impromptu celebrations and casual conversations really create a supportive, team-focused environment. This fosters a feeling of belonging and makes the workday more enjoyable and fulfilling.

Is there anything you're looking forward to with the in-office experience?

I'm really looking forward to our annual spring family crawfish boil. It’s always a fun time to gather with colleagues and their families, share some great food and enjoy each other's company outside the usual work environment. It's a tradition that brings everyone together. There's something special about having the opportunity to connect on a more personal level outside of the office, and it's a reminder of how great our office culture is here at SciPlay.

In my 13 years in the gaming industry, I’ve worked for companies that are incredibly corporate, where there were multiple channels and approvals and things that you had to go through to get your idea across. Here at SciPlay, even at the top level, our CEO is involved in our day-to-day decisions and we all collaborate together to make the very best decisions for our games.

I believe everybody who is in the ship of the company moving toward growth is going to grow with the company, is going to learn new skills, is going to experience excitement of new boundaries, and it comes with challenge, but I think that challenge is very satisfying.

My favorite thing about working at SciPlay is definitely the people. SciPlay does a really excellent job of making sure when we’re hiring people, we’re not just looking for qualifications, but also asking about individual experiences. And I think that really is reflected in the culture here with the level of trust and respect that we have.

What’s your quotable philosophy on recognition?

My philosophy on recognition comes down to three things: It should be genuine, specific and timely.

The most meaningful recognition is clearly tied to what someone actually did and the difference it made. That specificity tells people their contributions weren’t just noticed, rather they were understood. And when that recognition comes in the moment, delivered authentically, it does more than make someone feel good. It builds the kind of trust that makes teams perform better over time.

I’ve seen what recognition looks like when it’s missing and I’ve seen what it unlocks when it’s done well. That’s what drives how I think about it.

What data or policy shows it works? 

Recognition at SciPlay is both peer-driven and measurable. Approximately 75 percent of employees engage in our annual SciPlay Awards, where colleagues nominate one another for embodying our core values: #beYOU, #playTOGETHER, #embraceCULTURE, #levelUP, #getRESULTS and #justWIN. Our highest honor, The Spark Award, goes one step further, recognizing an individual who truly brings all of those values to life. What makes this structure meaningful is that recognition isn’t handed down from the top. It comes from the people working alongside each other every day.

Our most recent engagement survey shows that seven out of 10 employees feel genuinely recognized for their contributions. In addition, hundreds of recognition moments are shared organically each year across our shoutout Slack channel and team-specific channels. Together, these signals point to a system where recognition is consistently practiced and widely adopted across the organization.

Which ritual keeps recognition alive?

Recognition at SciPlay stays alive because it lives in both our calendar and our culture. We’ve built structured moments for it, including: SciPlay Awards celebrate employees at local and global levels, quarterly all-hands meetings give leaders a platform to spotlight individuals and teams, and monthly studio gatherings create a more informal space for peers to acknowledge each other.

But what really makes it stick is what happens between those moments. Legacy employees carry the culture forward, modeling what recognition looks and feels like, while newer employees bring fresh energy and new ways to celebrate impact. Day to day, you see it in our dedicated shoutout slack channels, where people call out contributions in real time, whether someone launched a new feature, improved the player experience, or stepped up to support a teammate who needed it.

Together, these rituals and everyday habits make recognition part of how SciPlay operates, not a separate initiative.