The Ambidextrous Work of Video Game Development

How do video game developers balance the pursuit of creative freedom with the demands of market responsiveness? Based on 62 in‐depth qualitative interviews with Swedish game developers, this article advances a theory of individual ambidexterity in the creative digital industries. We identify two core dimensions: creative autonomy, characterized by experimental playfulness, personal vision and independence, and resistance to market conformity, and market alignment, marked by responsive iteration, stakeholder engagement, and commercial mobilization. Rather than operating as simple trade‐offs, these dimensions constitute generative tensions that developers actively navigate and leverage. The study contributes to research on ambidexterity and paradox theory in innovation management by showing that contradictory demands in creative work are managed not only through structural and temporal separation but also through emergent, situated practices that allow creative intent and market logic to dynamically interpenetrate. By conceptualizing ambidexterity as a contextually enacted individual capability shaped by cognitive reframing, the study offers a practice‐based perspective on innovation in R&D‐intensive, culturally embedded sectors. These insights have important implications for how organizations structure autonomy, engage users, and sustain creative innovation under commercial constraints.