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5 min read

Creating Space for Collaboration: Game Lounge Office Revamp

Game Lounge’s office in Spinola has long been the home away from home for their Malta based employees. As the business grew, so did the need for more collaborative spaces, while shifting post-COVID work trends reduced the demand for desk space. A much-needed refurbishment promised to create a workspace that reflects this new way of working.

Since 2017, the Spinola building has been a hub for Game Loungers to connect and grow together. Long before the pandemic reshaped the way we work – a change Game Lounge proudly embraced by continuing remote work into 2024 – our Balluta office was the team’s home away from home. 

A renovation on a renovation

When Richard Dennys, now CEO of Game Lounge, saw the office, the first comment he had to make was, “I like it, but it’s all a bit closed and quiet and not very collaborative.” With the same clever minds that had pushed Game Lounge into a 40% profit increase in the first year of operations under his command, Richard decided that the office would need to change – and to change according to the future of what Game Lounge wanted to be, rather than the present situation. 

The future of Game Lounge didn’t need extra cubicles or desks, or a place for its hundred-plus employees – a figure that was continuously growing beyond the scope of any building – but more collaborative spaces that allowed those employees to interact with each other. 

The Spinola location was, after all, a popular one. Some employees enjoyed going into the office, and nobody on the team wanted to take that away; in fact, what they wanted was an office location that people wanted to go into because they couldn’t get the same level of interaction and companionship from wherever they chose to work. There was no question of ordering a return-to-office mandate; Game Lounge considered that way of working a relic of the past. 

However, they could create a space that employees loved, and let them decide to go in, if they wanted to. 

As it turns out, for the Game Lounge employees, this was the right choice to make. 

image from the kitchen area
image of the lunch seating area
image of the amphitheatre

How do you start a renovation?

Phyllisianne Portelli, Office Coordinator, has a lot to say about why they chose to refurbish the office again after previously concluding a heavy refurbishment. “The need for refurbishment tied directly to our current and future needs,” she says, simply, “we needed more space for our employees, especially with plans for growth, but more than that, we wanted to enhance the functionality of the office, creating an environment that not only accommodates everyone comfortably but also fosters collaboration and enjoyment.”

Game Lounge already had an excellent starting point for where exactly to make the changes. At the beginning, they’d run several fact-finding surveys, asking employees for their feedback on the current office space, and specifically, on what they felt the space lacked. One of the aspects mentioned most often was the lack of adequate seating for big shared lunches, and very few collaborative spaces. 

Phylllisianne smiles when she says how they worked with this feedback. “First, we designed a plan that addressed these issues, and we focused on enhancing the office functionality while meeting our future goals.” She adds, “we collaborated with design and construction experts, as well as Jason Attard, Head of UX & Design in our in-house design team, to ensure the updates would be both practical and efficient. We were very careful about building new additions around what employees required.”

Beyond design, the project also relied on crucial behind-the-scenes support. “Robert Tanti and Nuwan Srimal, our IT team, provided invaluable support during the desk layout changes on Level 6, ensuring a smooth transition as everything was relocated,” Phyllisianne notes. “They were instrumental in setting up and reconnecting equipment, minimizing disruptions. Additionally, they assisted with adjusting, removing, and installing necessary equipment across all offices on Level 5, ensuring that each workspace was properly configured to meet our needs.”

Two of these new additions underscore the scale of this change: an amphitheater, and an extra space for workshops and L&D. Due to the size of the refurbishment, these changes happened slowly, having one floor available at all times.

It’s been a long process to bring about the vision that was briefly spoken of at the very beginning. Phyllisianne says she’s looking forward to seeing everyone fully enjoy the renovated office. “It’ll be great to have an environment where our team can collaborate more effectively, feel comfortable, and truly make the most of the enhancements we’ve made.”

image of internal office
image of internal office
image of collaborative space

Internal benefits for the internal culture

While the refurbishment has taken some time to complete, Phyllisianne is confident that they’re going to improve the internal culture exponentially. She says, “everyone will be able to enjoy lunch and workshops together! This will create a more inclusive and collaborative environment, enhancing the overall experience for our team at the Game Lounge offices.”

There are other refurbishments planned once this is completed. They’re planning on adding more meeting rooms in the future, hopefully sometime in the next year – like the shift towards more collaborative spaces, this is based on employee feedback. Phyllisianne stresses, “we want to ensure our employees feel heard and provide them with the resources they need the most.”

Game Lounge’s business needs have changed – as employees no longer work fully from the office, opting for a hybrid-flexible approach, requirements for desks and other working spaces are diminished. According to Game Lounge’s employee feedback, more collaborative and social spaces are a much higher priority, and this refurbishment will provide ample opportunity for employees to work together without constraint.