Cheat code unlocked: Dunedin startup transforms HR and Payroll
At a glance
Company
Transformative Games
Location
Dunedin, New Zealand (Remote)
Employees
3-5 (and growing)
Product
Payroll – Standard, HR Software – Premium
Read this case study if:
- You’re a fast-growing startup with a handful of employees, learning to manage HR for the first time
- You need support with compliant contracts, policies and payroll
- You want to focus on your product, not HR admin
About Transformative Games
Transformative Games is a remote-based indie game development studio founded in Dunedin, New Zealand. The team is currently developing their first title, Project Storm – a co-operative storm-chasing game where players take on different roles to complete daring rescue missions while facing increasingly dangerous weather conditions.
But their ambitions go beyond game development. Transformative Games is committed to reshaping the pathway into the gaming industry by creating real opportunities for emerging talent. By actively engaging local students and recent graduates, the studio offers hands-on experience in a professional environment, filling a gap often neglected by traditional education alone.
At the helm is Managing Director Jordan Dargaville, who balances the demands of programming, creative leadership, HR management and business strategy. With so many responsibilities on his plate, Jordan recognised early on that managing employment and compliance effectively would require the right tools. That’s where Employment Hero came in.
“It was a bit of a wild west”
Like many early-stage startups, Transformative Games began with big ideas and limited structure. In the beginning, HR and payroll processes were ad hoc – formal contracts didn’t exist, payments were made manually, and tax obligations were often figured out on the fly.
“It was a bit of a Wild West,” Jordan says.
It wasn’t long before this caught up with the team, prompting a call from Inland Revenue requesting months of overdue filings.
“They were asking for forms I didn’t even know I needed to file. I was either owing money or overpaying… it was a mess.”
In search of a fix, the studio briefly trialled another popular payroll system, but quickly found it too complex and accountancy-focused for a small creative team. What they needed was something purpose-built for growing businesses, a platform that could handle contracts, compliance, and payroll with ease.
That’s when they discovered Employment Hero, and everything changed.
Unlocking the next level with Employment Hero
At first, Jordan wasn’t sure if Employment Hero was the right fit for a small, fast-paced studio like Transformative Games. But those concerns quickly faded once the team got started. The platform’s flexibility and ability to scale made it an ideal match for a growing business with bold plans.
Backed by a supportive sales team and a seamless onboarding experience, getting up and running was refreshingly straightforward. Despite being new to HR tech, the process was smooth and intuitive, from navigating contract templates to setting up employee details, every step felt clear and easy to manage.
Plug-and-play compliance
The impact of Employment Hero was immediate and game-changing. For a studio that had been navigating employment without formal agreements and grappling with legal hurdles, the platform’s pre-built contracts were a breath of fresh air.
“That was definitely a big win for me,” says Jordan. “Everyone now has a proper contract, and we’ve got policies in place – anti-bullying, leave, everything.”
Payroll, too, got a complete overhaul. What was once a source of stress and second-guessing became one of the simplest tasks on Jordan’s to-do list
“Employment Hero’s payroll calculates tax automatically, files it – the whole thing. I can just run it every fortnight without any headaches,” Jordan shares.
Leave management, once non-existent, has also come into focus.
“Before Employment Hero, we basically had infinite leave because I had no way to track it,” Jordan laughs. “Now it’s all sorted.”
With an intuitive dashboard and automated tracking, the team can now manage leave with confidence and transparency, giving everyone more structure without the admin drag.
Game on: policies, contracts and peace of mind
Working in the gaming industry, Jordan knows just how important it is to have the right foundations in place.
“I’ve worked at game studios where policies were only introduced after issues had already escalated. That’s way too late.”
With Employment Hero’s built-in policy feature, Transformative Games is covered from day one. From anti-bullying to workplace conduct, the team has clear guidelines in place, not just to tick a box, but to foster a healthy, inclusive work environment.
“It puts our insurance guys at ease,” Jordan says. “Just knowing we have these documents in place makes a big difference.”
More time to play and build
Jordan says Employment Hero has saved him at least one full day of admin work every week, no small feat for a founder balancing creative, operational and leadership roles.
“Honestly, it’s let me work on the stuff I actually want to work on – making games – instead of chasing down paperwork and trying to figure out tax laws,” he says.
Plus, the cost savings were huge.
“Upfront, I reckon it saved me at least a month of research. I didn’t have to spend weeks learning how to write contracts or meeting with lawyers. It was all there.”
“Just use Employment Hero”
“If you’re a game dev, or any small business, trying to figure out HR on your own, don’t. Just use Employment Hero. It makes employing people so much easier.”
For Jordan, Employment Hero isn’t just a platform, it’s peace of mind, time saved, and the freedom to build something bigger.
Want to level up with Employment Hero?
Employment Hero is your all-in-one Employment Operating System for HR, payroll, and recruitment built to simplify compliance, automate admin, and empower your people. From onboarding to offboarding, we streamline every step of the employee lifecycle so you can spend less time on processes and more time scaling your business.
Want to see how companies like Transformative Games are transforming their HR operations and driving real business impact? Book a demo with our business specialists today.
