Glu Mobile

The teams at Glu Mobile build captivating gaming worlds. But their creative studios were desperate for an immersive world of their own. Their new CEO desired a space to support the dynamic needs driven by the ever-changing mobile-gaming industry. He asked FENNIE+MEHL to create one to empower his teams to pioneer new ideas and, in turn, spark a new generation for Glu.

F+M created a 47,000 sq. ft. mega-studio that reimagines the real world as a surreal and ultramodern galaxy. Stepping off the San Francisco street, through the blue lit entry portal, one enters a universe specifically designed to escape and let creativity loose.  All seven creative studios are clad with writable film, so the architecture itself becomes a blank canvas. A monochromatic palette allows Glu to coat their space with belongings that spark personal creativity – whether that’s Legos or Nerf guns. After a re-org or product shift, that blank canvas is ready for the next team to ink up. The result is a cosmos of studios, each revolving around sawhorse power-units and detachable desks that endorse autonomy to pivot and rearrange their worlds as the day demands. All this happens without IT or facilities involvement.

Rather than gear up the boardroom and All-Hands in typical fashion, F+M imagined building blocks of tables that restage: from a formal walnut table fit for global board-meetings, to U-shape workspaces, to training rows, or removed and stored entirely. The 8,000 sq. ft. All-Hands can be fully submerged in any RGB color light, transforming a naturally lit dining room into a branded event.  The creative teams are reminded of their kinship with entertainment by marquee lights throughout. These suspended marquee patterns, the twisted wood platform, and the large canopy ceilings invite curious minds to engage and also escape.

We told F+M to design a space with a variety of creative environments that inspire our creative teams to push the envelope within the entertainment industry. I literally wanted no boundaries to where, when, or how people could contribute to the cause. Our new space has pivoted our culture in a way I hadn’t anticipated and now couldn’t see us living without.

Nick Earl, CEO and President, Glu Mobile

Photography: Jasper Sanidad