She helped make a BAFTA-winning indie — then the studio shut down. What did Anisa Sanusi tell us about life in games, tools, and why team culture matters?
A route into games that began with a visa and a sketchbook
Anisa Sanusi spoke at Guadalindie, the independent games festival held in Málaga in early May. Born and raised in Malaysia, she moved to the UK at 19 to study animation — drawn to comics, manga and anime and eager to work in 2D hand-drawn animation. After graduating she took on a variety of art jobs at a very small animation start-up, learning a lot on the job, but eventually needed to find work that would allow her to keep her visa.
A nearby studio was hiring a 2D artist. Unsure whether game development would suit her, she nevertheless applied, spent several days teaching herself an unfamiliar environment-creation tool to pass the test, and landed the role. That decision began an eleven-year career in games that took her from 2D art to UI and, later, UX design — transitions she says she learned through doing, not from anything taught during her studies. Today she works as a freelance UI/UX consultant and designer, and is also involved with BAFTA’s games committee and a mentorship initiative aimed at underrepresented talent.
Learning fast and staying flexible in a fast-moving industry
Sanusi describes herself as a quick learner — a trait that proved valuable from day one. The games sector is defined by rapidly changing tools and workflows: where she once used Flash and earlier tools, many studios now rely on engines such as Unity or Unreal, while others prefer Godot, GameMaker or proprietary solutions. Her point is practical: adaptability matters because you never know what the next essential tool will be.
For her UI/UX work, Figma has become central. She remembers its early days and the excitement of adopting a tool built specifically to let designers prototype without constant programmer handoffs. Her message: know which tools fit your job, but don’t be afraid to try new ones. Curiosity and a willingness to experiment are important for anyone in creative tech.
Eleven years on: emerging tech, pandemic fallout and shifting priorities
Over the past decade-plus the industry has changed significantly. Sanusi highlights the arrival of speculative technologies — from Bitcoin and NFTs to Web3 and, more recently, AI — as trends the sector is still trying to navigate. The COVID-19 pandemic also had major downstream effects: during and after the boom some people and companies took on costs they couldn’t sustain, and now the sector faces studio closures and funding shortfalls.
Those dynamics make it harder for newcomers to break in, she says, and have pushed conversations about job security, unionization and working conditions to the fore. Representation remains a core issue — once mainly about how games depict people, it has increasingly become a fight to improve representation among developers themselves, so that a diverse range of creators can actually make a living in the field.
Roll7, Rollerdrome and the shock of a studio closing
Sanusi worked at Roll7 and contributed to Rollerdrome, the studio’s title that later won a BAFTA. The studio, which had been an independent presence for about 15 years, was acquired by Private Division (part of Take-Two) before ultimately closing. Sanusi describes the shutdown as devastating and deeply ironic: Roll7 won high-profile recognition and yet shut down roughly a year later.
She finds it frustrating when outsiders assume profitability or quality would be enough to guarantee survival. Rollerdrome was well regarded critically and, she believes, sold well — but awards and acclaim did not prevent the closure. While former employees are often limited by NDAs and caution about what they can publicly say, Sanusi stresses the human side of the loss and notes how many people across social media expressed admiration for Roll7’s body of work and influence on the indie scene.
Why the people mattered more than the prize
When asked what she loved most about working at Roll7, Sanusi points directly to the team. For her it wasn’t the titles or the reputation but the daily interactions: morning stand-ups where the team checked in, remote watch parties for big announcements, and playtests that felt less like work and more like playing a genuinely fun game together.
Those bonds, she suggests, are what make a workplace sustainable and creatively productive. Her advice to job seekers: choose the people you’ll work with. A good team fosters creativity and makes the hard parts of game development feel worthwhile.
BAFTA: recognition, scrutiny and a serious judging process
Sanusi is part of BAFTA’s games committee and says the institution lends credibility to games as an art form. While the debate over whether games are “art” can feel tiresome, BAFTA’s involvement gives developers a high-profile platform and validation that resonates beyond the industry.
She describes the judging as rigorous: committee members play all nominated games, deliberate extensively and bring deep professional experience to their decisions. Winning a BAFTA can be a career highlight — Sanusi recalls how proud her parents were when Rollerdrome took the prize — and the ceremony also offers developers a rare moment to celebrate in formal attire.
What comes next from this interview and where to listen
This piece covers roughly the first half of our conversation with Anisa Sanusi. The next installment will focus on her Limit Break Mentorship program — a free UK-based mentorship aimed at people from underrepresented groups — and dive deeper into the topic of representation in the industry. The full audio of the interview is already available on Patreon, and coverage of Guadalindie and the Málaga event can be found in the festival hub.
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Logan Whitmere is a gaming enthusiast who lives and breathes video games. Whether it’s reviews, gaming tips, or news about the latest releases, Logan’s passion and expertise bring the virtual world to life for every reader.