Meet Kate Mitchell, Our Global QA Director

Recently, we welcomed Kate Mitchell into our global operations team as our Director of Quality Assurance at Side.

With over 19 years of experience in game quality assurance and business development—most recently as our Senior Business Development Manager—Kate has worked with both developers and service providers across the industry.

Now leading our global QA division, Kate has hit the ground running, spearheading new innovations and partnerships across the business.

We sat down with Kate to get to know her better, from her background to her vision for our global QA teams as they continue to grow under our Side brand.

TELL US ABOUT YOUR BACKGROUND AND HOW YOU ENDED UP WORKING IN QA IN THE GAME INDUSTRY.

I got my first QA job when I was 18—I was still deciding what I wanted my major to be in college. I tested games during the day and went to school at night. I ended up taking a break from college to tour with Major League Gaming and work in games full-time. I’ve dabbled a bit in software, but ultimately have been in games QA ever since.

CAN YOU DESCRIBE YOUR CURRENT ROLE AS QA DIRECTOR AT SIDE?

As the QA Director at Side, my main goal is to drive the quality and growth of Side’s QA service. I get to work with our incredible teams all over the globe—unifying and refining best QA practices, ensuring compliance with industry standards, implementing risk mitigation strategies, and facilitating communication and collaborations throughout our company.

HOW HAVE YOU SEEN QA AS A DISCIPLINE EVOLVE OVER THE YEARS?

When I started in QA back in 2006, testers didn’t have elevator access. QA would enter through a side door and up the back stairs to get to the test floor. Nine years later, around 2015, I was sitting next to the level designer, turning around at my desk to give him feedback and show him what I was seeing.

QA has continued to evolve in many areas—the understanding and respect for the discipline has taken huge leaps. The diversity among quality-focused professionals has motivated me to continually advocate for everyone aspiring to enter this industry.

IN YOUR OPINION, WHAT IS THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN GOOD QA AND GREAT QA?

Enthusiasm and proactivity! Great QA involves being proactive by anticipating and preventing issues before they occur, as well as conducting thorough testing that explores edge cases and user scenarios for robustness. It requires effective collaboration with cross-functional teams and a commitment to continuous improvement of processes, tools, and methodologies.

HOW DO YOU MAINTAIN CONSISTENCY IN QUALITY OF WORK ACROSS SIDE’S 12+ GLOBAL QA SITES?

Each team has unique challenges and opportunities, and I make sure our teams across the globe are benefitting from each team’s growth, process improvement, and discoveries. We achieve this by implementing standardized processes and detailed documentation to ensure consistency. We also facilitate regular training and development programs to keep everyone updated on the latest tools and best practices.

Effective communication and collaboration are key, so we use collaboration tools and regular meetings to align goals and updates. Additionally, we establish clear quality metrics and monitor them to track performance. Cross-functional reviews and audits help ensure adherence to quality standards and promote knowledge sharing. Finally, we foster a culture of quality and continuous improvement, encouraging a shared commitment to excellence across all teams.

HOW EMBEDDED ARE AI/AUTOMATION TOOLS IN TODAY’S QA ENVIRONMENT, AND TO WHAT EXTENT HAVE THEY BEEN A DISRUPTOR?

The integration of AI and automation has opened up new career growth opportunities for testers, allowing them to specialize in areas like automation engineering and AI-driven testing. These tools enable QA teams to handle more complex projects and focus on strategic tasks, such as exploratory testing and risk assessment. AI and automation tools have become integral to QA, fostering career growth and creating new opportunities for innovation. This shift ultimately contributes to higher-quality games.

WHAT IS YOUR VISION FOR SIDE’S QA TEAM AS IT CONTINUES TO GROW AND INNOVATE?

My vision is to continue raising the bar for what great QA looks like. Side’s mission is to drive innovation for unforgettable game experiences by infusing technology with human ingenuity. This perfectly encapsulates the future of our QA teams: we’re going to keep investing in automation, AI-driven testing, and new approaches to quality assurance that enhance efficiency without sacrificing the human touch.

At the same time, we always want to foster an environment where our teams feel empowered to grow, share knowledge, and push the discipline forward—whether they’re veterans of the industry or starting their first week in QA.