King and THU came together to create a mentorship program that deepened understanding of the gaming industry, featuring customized mentorships and masterclasses over a span of 12 months. The goal of this year-round educational program, from June 2024 to June 2025, was simple: to enhance diversity and inclusion in the industry and prepare participants for the job market. And so began the journey of 62 Spanish gaming enthusiasts, selected in collaboration with key universities.

But how was this program actually built? Let’s look at how the first spark of an idea transformed into a year-long adventure.

Everything began around February 2024, when both the THU and King’s teams began discussing the framework for what would later become this mentorship program. We didn’t want to follow a “template” and define a rigid structure from the start. Instead, we designed a flexible program with five two-month phases. This meant a bigger challenge, but also a much better experience for everyone attending. It was worth the complexity because we knew it was the most impactful approach: it allowed us to gather feedback from mentors and mentees and make adjustments between phases, continuously improving.

Throughout the process, we could count on the invaluable support of 23 mentors from King and 19 mentors from the THU Tribe. Through their dedication and willingness to share their time and expertise, we provided mentees with more than 400 hours of learning, 91 group mentorship sessions, and 204 one-on-one sessions.

Let’s take a deep dive into this project, from start to finish.


About facing challenges head-on: finding our way through

Over the years, we've learned a great deal through trial and error about running mentorships and have built a solid understanding of how to structure them. Several editions of Talent League gave us a good grasp of what mentees look for and how we can help mentors do their best work in guiding them. The key is balancing support for both groups while working in the background to keep everything moving in the right direction.

The challenge of King & THU mentorship program was the number of participants. Previous sessions focused on specific projects with a small number of participants; the largest we ever had was 12 teams. This time, we had 62 people who had one thing in common (interest in the gaming industry) but very different backgrounds and profiles. Creating a program that could provide value to all of them was the first challenge, and here’s what we did:

Step 1: Getting personal. We gathered each and every mentee’s motivations and career aspirations.

Step 2: Creating groups. Based on the information gathered, we created three groups: 2D, 3D, and Tech. Each group had three mentors per phase, who delivered at least one group mentorship session per month (2 hours each), as well as 1:1 sessions and masterclasses.

Step 3: Getting started. In the first phase of the program, mentors focused on:

  • Introducing the industry and its available paths to broaden their horizons;
  • Working on the participant’s soft skills;
  • Learn how to build a strong CV and portfolio, and get portfolio reviews to further refine them.

Step 4: Taking a hands-on approach. After that, it was time for the second part, where the goal was to put their first phase learnings into practice. During the final five months of the program, we combined participants from the three groups to develop an MVP for a game. Since the goal was to prepare mentees for the job market, the idea was that they could add this MVP to their portfolio, enhancing it in a practical way.

This stage had its own challenges: some people left due to time constraints or shifts in their level of dedication, but ultimately, four teams presented projects they were genuinely proud of.

In parallel, we organized masterclasses open to all mentees and offered 25 mentees the opportunity to have 1:1 sessions with King mentors (one 1-hour session per month). These 25 mentees attended the Main Event 2024, a six-day event in Portugal, with all expenses covered, to deepen their knowledge further and make new connections in the field.

King mentors and mentees at the THU Main Event


Now, reflecting on the journey, what lessons are we taking forward?

It was a demanding project with a constantly evolving nature, which made it both complex and exciting. So much that we’re still reeling from what we learned, months after it ended.

We were lucky to have King by our side throughout this journey, and now that the dust has long settled, we can look back and clearly see all the lessons we learned. Truth is, they can be applied to any creative endeavour or project. We hope they resonate with you:

  • Don’t try to define everything from the start. Stay flexible and open to unpredictability, however…
  • Define your focus clearly and use it as your guiding light. We built a solid program by focusing on participant development and continually adjusting it to their needs. That way, no matter how much things change and how many routes you try, the destination is clearly defined, and you'll get there.
  • Listen to people. Be intentional about it. For us, this meant talking to mentees and mentors, getting to know them, and understanding their motivations and pain points.
  • Question everything. Don’t assume you know something just because you’ve done it many times, for many years. Always start a project with a fresh, humble set of eyes. Experience is important, but curiosity will never fail to take you and your project further than you’ve anticipated.