Most game studios waste weeks of runway on the wrong analytics decision—here's how to avoid that mistake.
Traditional analytics SDK vendors like Amplitude, Mixpanel, and Braze promise plug-and-play simplicity but deliver silent failures, contract negotiations, and escalating costs that can destroy startup velocity. In this episode, we discuss why the old analytics playbook is obsolete in 2025—and reveals the new meta that's eating market share.
You'll discover:
This matters if:
Bottom line: Your analytics decision could mean the difference between product-market fit and running out of runway. For small to mid-sized game studios, PostHog combines enterprise-grade power with pay-as-you-go pricing—no contracts, no traffic forecasting, no silent failures.
Read the full breakdown with technical details, pricing tables, and implementation guides:
https://www.gamemakers.com/p/the-new-meta-for-game-analytics-save
Timestamps (Episode Chapters):
(00:00:00) The Studio-Killing Problem You're Ignoring(00:01:26) The "Silent Failure" Trap (How SDKs Hide Bugs)(00:02:41) How 15-Minute Data Delays Destroy QA Velocity(00:06:02) The Obsolete 3-Tier Analytics Model (and Why It's Broken)(00:10:38) The 6-Week Contract Negotiation Trap(00:14:16) The "Nostradamus" Forecasting Problem: Why You Always Overpay(00:16:19) Option 1: Traditional SDKs (Amplitude, Mixpanel)(00:25:32) Option 2: Firebase + BigQuery(00:28:34) Option 3: Unity Analytics(00:30:21) Option 4: The New Meta (PostHog)(00:36:14) Option 5: The Enterprise Trap (Snowflake)(00:39:01) Integrated (Braze) vs. Best-of-Breed (PostHog + CRM)(00:42:56) The Final Verdict: What to Choose By Studio Size
Most game studios think they have a talent problem. They don't. They have a structure problem.
Chris Casanova spent 15+ years as a producer across Microsoft Xbox, Mojang (Minecraft), Relic Entertainment, Offworld Industries, and Hypixel Studios. He's watched talented teams fail repeatedly—not from lack of skill, but from organizational friction.
Traditional studios organize around craft silos: design departments, engineering departments, art departments. Every feature requires handoffs. Every handoff loses fidelity. The result? Friction, misalignment, wasted iteration, and missed deadlines.
Chris reveals the alternative: cross-functional outcome teams of 5-9 people who own their results from concept to ship.
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TIMESTAMPS
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00:00 - Chris's background: Xbox, Mojang, Relic
02:59 - Why he wrote "Structure Teams to Win"
06:54 - The problem with craft-based teams
08:17 - Outcome teams: The procedural worlds example
18:32 - Why 5-9 people is optimal team size
24:10 - Three organizational layers explained
31:48 - When leaders resist change
42:20 - The political reality of reorganization
47:15 - Case study: 70-person AA co-op shooter
58:07 - Advice for small teams (10 people)
01:01:06 - How to connect with Chris
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KEY INSIGHTS
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THE PROBLEMS:
- Design creates specs without context → over-engineered solutions
- Art produces assets without validation → endless iteration
- QA receives unclear requirements → irrelevant bug reports
- Every handoff loses the original intent
THE SOLUTION:
Cross-functional teams of 5-9 people with:
→ Mixed disciplines (designers, engineers, artists, QA embedded)
→ Clear mission and measurable KPIs
→ Everything needed to own their outcome
→ Minimal handoffs, maximum collaboration
REAL EXAMPLE:
Procedural worlds team mission: "Every world seed feels fresh, readable, performant"
KPI: Biome novelty per minute
Team: Generation engineers, world designers, environment artists, technical artists, QA
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70-PERSON STUDIO STRUCTURE
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Chris provides detailed org structure for AA co-op shooter:
- Combat & Gameplay (15 people, 2 teams)
- Progression & Economy (10 people, 2 teams)
- Social & Co-Op (12 people, 2 teams)
- Content & Live Ops (15 people, 2 teams)
- World & Narrative (10 people, 1 team)
- Technical Foundation (8 people, 1 team)
Each team has 5-9 people with mixed disciplines focused on specific outcomes.
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THE HARD TRUTHS
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Some leaders won't make the transition from managing 30 people to being on a team of 8. They'll resist or self-select out. And that's okay—holding onto territorial structures to preserve egos is how studios fail.
"If you have a C-suite that's divided, you're not going to be able to make this change. You need unified leadership."
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RESOURCES MENTIONED
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- "Team of Teams" by Gen. Stanley McChrystal
- "Extreme Ownership" by Jocko Willink
- "Structure Teams to Win" (Chris's Medium article)
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CONNECT WITH CHRIS
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Chris is seeking his next production leadership role.
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/chris-casanova/
Email: ChrisCasanova@outlook.com
Article: https://medium.com/@chris.casanova/structure-teams-to-win-15d98e65c5d7
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READ THE FULL BREAKDOWN
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Detailed newsletter post with implementation templates and additional examples:
https://www.gamemakers.com/p/why-your-game-studios-organizational
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Gamemakers podcast: Gaming business insights for developers, executives, and investors. Hosted by Joseph Kim. New episodes weekly.
#gamedev #productmanagement #teamstructure #leadership
Western AAA development is not dead. Battlefield 6's 7 million unit launch proves it. This episode deconstructs how EA and Vince Zampella reversed the "disaster" of Battlefield 2042 by focusing on leadership, community feedback , and a smarter studio structure.
Then, we explore why leadership is the ultimate "alpha". Joseph Kim breaks down the stunning turnaround of the UCLA football team—who went from a 0-4 disaster to a 3-0 winning streak (including beating #7 Penn State ) with the exact same players. The only thing that changed? Leadership and strategy. Learn how to apply these lessons on accountability , clear roles , and scheme-to-personnel fit to your game studio.
Finally, we feature an excerpt from an interview with veteran producer Chris Casanova on why your studio is likely structured for failure. He explains the critical shift from "craft-based" (siloed) teams to cross-disciplinary "outcome-based" teams and how to implement it.
Timestamps:
[00:01:51] Corrections: Revisiting the EA/PIF Deal & The "Copy, Improve, Innovate" Framework
[00:04:33] Top 3 News: Battlefield 6 (7M copies) , Switch 2 Production , Arc Raiders CCU
[00:06:42] MACRO: The Battlefield 6 Redemption Story
[00:07:41] By the Numbers: BF6 (7M units) vs 2042 (4.2M)
[00:09:19] A Quick History of the Battlefield Franchise
[00:11:12] What Changed? The "Save the Franchise" Game
[00:13:01] Fix #1: A Better Studio Coalition Structure
[00:15:05] Fix #2: Going Back to Basics & Listening to the Community
[00:16:14] Fix #3: Polish and Giving the Game Time
[00:17:53] Fix #4: The Vince Zampella Factor
[00:20:40] Deep Dive: Who is Vince Zampella? (Infinity Ward, Respawn)
[00:28:22] ALPHA: Leadership is Your Biggest Competitive Advantage
[00:31:18] Case Study: The UCLA Football Turnaround
[00:32:15] The 0-4 Disaster (The Problem)
[00:37:31] The Mid-Season Fix: Firing the Coach
[00:39:10] The 3-0 Turnaround (The Result)
[00:41:03] The Lessons: 1) Play to Strengths, 2) Accountability, 3) Clear Roles, 4) Belief
[00:44:47] Applying the Lessons to Your Game Studio
[00:48:55] GAME DEV: Interview with Chris Casanova
[00:49:41] The Thesis: Shifting from "Craft-Based" to "Outcome-Based" Teams
[00:52:43] A Practical Example: A "Procedural Worlds" Team
[00:57:51] Key Takeaway: Why Outcome-Based Teams Win
Saudi Arabia's Public Investment Fund just closed the largest gaming acquisition in history—$55 billion for Electronic Arts. But this isn't the typical private equity playbook.
In this episode, host Joseph Kim sits down with two M&A experts who break down what's really happening:- Chris Petrovic - Board Chairman & CBO at FunPlus, former President of Publishing at Zynga where he orchestrated their transformative acquisition strategy- Matthew Kanterman, CFA - Gaming industry analyst specializing in M&A and financial analysis
We uncover the hidden truths behind the deal:→ Why EA's "operational bloat" narrative is based on an accounting myth→ The real reason EA chose to sell now (hostile takeovers? portfolio pressure?)→ Why Silver Lake's involvement is primarily "for optics"→ What "patient capital" means for EA's studios and the broader gaming industry→ The mobile strategy question: Will EA and Scopely actually integrate?→ Growth opportunities in sports, Asia, and transmedia→ Who really controls gaming's attention economy now
This isn't about short-term cost-cutting. It's about sovereign wealth rewriting the rules of gaming M&A—and what that means for developers, studios, and the industry's future.
Key Takeaways:- At 17-18x forward EBITDA, EA sold at a discount to Activision's 20x—why?- With Take-Two now the only major independent US publisher, what happens to exit opportunities?- EA's conservative accounting makes them look less efficient than they actually are- This deal is measured in decades, not the typical 5-7 year PE timeline
📬 Subscribe to Gamemakers Newsletter:https://www.gamemakers.com/🔗 Connect with our guests:Matthew Kanterman: linkedin.com/in/matthew-kanterman-cfa-b6345133Chris Petrovic: linkedin.com/in/chrispetrovic
🎧 More episodes: https://open.spotify.com/show/4FdVLkx3msRFsqsEVA1vp0?si=b5192182dc6b4e52
#gaming #mergers #acquisitions #ea #saudiarabia #gamedev #podcast
Why is your ad revenue flat even when your game's traffic is growing? Margins are getting squeezed by hidden fees, and old strategies of yelling at partners no longer move the needle. In this episode, we sit down with veteran ad monetization consultant Kelly Kang to get her modern playbook for building a resilient and profitable ad strategy from the ground up.
Kelly Kang has optimized ad strategies for some of the biggest names in mobile gaming, including Big Fish Games, Aristocrat, and Glu Mobile. She provides a masterclass on auditing your current setup, choosing the right tech stack, and understanding the metrics that truly matter for long-term growth.
In this episode, you will learn:
The #1 reason your revenue margins are shrinking (and it's not what you think).
A 4-point framework to audit your ad stack, from mediation to placements.
Why you should track Ad Engagement and Impression Depth over ARPDAU and CPM.
The most common (and costly) mistakes studios make when launching and operating ads.
Actionable "quick wins" that can immediately boost performance.
How to structure and scale your ad monetization team based on revenue, not workload.
Episode Chapters (Timestamps):(00:00:26) The Biggest Pain Point: Squeezed Margins & Hidden Fees(00:04:21) The Day-One Audit: A 4-Point Framework(00:07:37) Strategy: Header Bidding vs. Waterfall(00:14:25) The Metrics That Actually Matter (Beyond ARPDAU)(00:17:54) Ad Placement and Format Strategy(00:27:35) Launching a New Game: A Step-by-Step Plan(00:38:29) How to Structure and Scale Your Admon Team(00:49:03) Common Mistakes That Kill Revenue and LTV(00:55:49) Quick Wins to Boost Ad Revenue(01:04:08) The Future of Ad Monetization & AI
Follow Us:For more expert insights, subscribe to the Gamemakers newsletter: https://www.gamemakers.com/
Connect with our Guest:To learn more about Kelly Kang and her work, visit Game Plan Advisor: https://www.gameplanadvisor.com
This week, we're breaking down the end of an era: the historic
$55 billion acquisition of Electronic Arts. Go inside the deal to hear the likely banker's pitch that sold EA's board and what this massive leveraged buyout means for the future of the games industry.
Then, we shift from titans to upstarts to uncover the secrets behind
Grow a Garden, the Roblox game from a 16-year-old developer that quietly became the biggest in the world with over 22 million concurrent players. Learn how reviving and adapting a classic formula can lead to massive success on new platforms.
Finally, we share a powerful mental model called the
"Alien's Eye View"—a simple framework to expose the gap between your team's intentions and its actions, helping you align your goals and maximize development velocity. Tune in for critical insights into the business and craft of making games.
Is your game only available in English? You could be ignoring over 80% of your potential players. In this deep dive, I sit down with Alexander Murauski, CEO of localization agency Alkonost, to unpack the entire game localization playbook from start to finish.
We cover the critical strategies, ROI analysis, and common mistakes that can make or break your global launch. Learn why you should start localizing on Day 1, how professional agencies use AI like ChatGPT to cut costs by 30% without sacrificing quality, and what to look for when choosing the right partner.
Connect with our guest, Alexander Murauski:LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/amurauski/Email: am@alkonost.com
Subscribe to GameMakers for more deep dives with industry leaders!
Link: https://www.gamemakers.com/
00:00:00 - The Mr. Beast Growth Hack00:01:02 - The Economic Impact: Unlocking 82% of the World's Players00:05:10 - How to Decide Which Languages to Localize00:06:10 - The #1 Rule: Your Marketing Plan Comes FIRST00:12:03 - Using Data vs. The "Base 10" Languages (FIGS & CJK)00:17:46 - The Golden Rule: Why You MUST Start Localization on Day 100:26:24 - The Most Common Localization Mistakes (Technical vs. Translation)00:30:45 - The Importance of a Glossary & Style Guide00:34:31 - Why Spreadsheets Fail & What Tools to Use Instead00:40:13 - What is a Localization Platform? (e.g., Crowdin)00:42:22 - How to Choose a Localization Agency00:59:24 - The Role of AI: Can't I Just Use ChatGPT?01:05:30 - How Agencies Use AI to Cut Costs by 30%01:12:19 - Case Study: A 15-Year Localization Partnership01:24:16 - The Founder's Story: From Side Hustle to 1,500 Translators01:35:14 - The Future of Localization01:39:32 - Where to Find Alex
On this episode of Game Makers, we explore three critical topics: how Delta Force's mobile revenue soared past PUBG's by 75% , why the "Take-Two Mafia" thesis is a myth centered on the wrong company , and a powerful framework for fixing your recruiting process by treating candidates like customers.
In this episode, you will learn:
MACRO: How Delta Force's monetization and LiveOps strategy led to a 6x revenue spike, and what its 97% revenue concentration in China means for Western studios.
ALPHA: Why the popular "Take-Two Mafia" thesis is flawed and how the timeline points to Peak Games, not its publisher, as the true source of a mobile gaming "mafia effect".
GAME DEV: How to apply the "Customer Journey and Touchpoints" concept from Tony Fadell's book Build to your candidates to create a recruiting process that attracts and wins 10x talent.
Episode Timestamps:
(02:20) Macro: Delta Force vs. PUBG Mobile Analysis
(11:40) Alpha: Debunking the Take-Two "Mafia Effect"
(22:30) Game Dev: Optimizing the Candidate Journey
For charts and a full transcript, subscribe to our newsletter at:
Follow Game Makers and subscribe for more insights into the business and craft of making games.
In this episode, we explore the major headwinds facing the games industry, from publisher-developer tensions to the viability of long-standing business models. We start with a raw look at industry layoffs before pivoting to a deep-dive analysis of Arena Breakout Infinite's turbulent PC launch, which reveals a massive culture clash in monetization strategy.
This discussion offers critical insights for anyone building or investing in games today, including:
Alpha: Clash Royale 5x Revenue, Understanding the Illegible Margin
GameDev: The Problem with Product Validation
Happy MAG-nificent Monday!
3-Macro: 3 stories impacting the competitive environment in which we operate
Hike shuts down after India RMG ban
Why GenAI is failing
Amazon and Netflix announce Gaming+Streaming bundle
2-Alpha: 2 potential sources of Finding Alpha
Clash Royale hits 3 year all-time highs… how?
The Illegible Margin (by Taylor Pearson)
1-Game Dev: 1 lesson learned from getting my ass kicked in game dev
The Problem with Product Validation
3. Macro
Top 3 Most Significant Gaming News From Last Week:
2. Alpha
1. Game Dev
Top 3 Gaming News From Last Week:
NetEase Shuts Down Another Western Studio (Game Developer): NetEase has closed T-Minus Zero Entertainment. This marks the third Western studio closure as part of a broader reassessment of business priorities and has raised concerns about the stability of Western studios under NetEase's ownership.
IGN Publisher John Davison Exits Following Major Layoffs (Kotaku): John Davison, IGN's publisher since 2019, announced his departure at the end of August 2025 following significant layoffs affecting 12% of the editorial union. The exit represents broader instability in gaming media as the largest gaming outlet globally faces consolidation pressures.
Ubisoft and King Showcase AI Production Acceleration (Business Insider): Major studios revealed how AI tools are transforming game development, with Ubisoft's FaceShifter reducing 3D head creation time from a week to half a day, while King uses AI as a "co-pilot" for playtesting at scale and level tuning across thousands of Candy Crush Saga levels.
Top 2 Game Dev Issues I Thought About From Last Week:
1. People vs. Product
Most companies overindex on product analysis while treating people issues as taboo - You can ruthlessly critique and analyze the product all day, but giving critical feedback to individuals often gets labeled as "toxic" or grounds for termination. This creates a toxic positivity culture that stunts growth.
2. Why Our Game Design Process Sucks
"Ooh, that's cool!" is not a design philosophy - Too many designers are really just players in disguise, borrowing features from other games without connecting them to clear design objectives. Real design starts with objectives, not with "wouldn't it be cool if..."
Lack of rigor kills games - Your team's design specs are missing crucial elements: user flows, edge cases, knock-on effects to other systems. Without tools like logic trees to map out the full implications of a feature (seeing the whole elephant, not just the parts), you're essentially doing "RNG design" - throwing random features at the wall and hoping they stick.
This is a massive competitive advantage waiting to be claimed - Getting design process right is a huge source of "alpha" because frankly, most companies - even successful ones - are terrible at it. The fact that games with fundamental design flaws still succeed proves that nobody really has this figured out.
2 Game Dev Lessons:
#1. People vs. Products
#2. Why Our Design Process Sucks -> Don't RNG Design
In an era where “good” isn’t good enough, this talk breaks down how to generate alpha—company-specific excess returns—by choosing the right game to play and going all-in on the highest-leverage moves. We cover the macro forces reshaping competition, case studies of teams that found alpha, and where velocity and AI change the basis of competition. What's your unique advantage? This talk emphasizes the significance of business strategy, particularly in light of the rise of AI and intense competition.Chapters:00:00 — Why “Finding Alpha” matters in 202501:15 — Macro: 5 secular trends (China, Attention Economy, Efficiency, LiveOps, AI)05:50 — Concepts: Alpha vs. Beta, Macro vs. Micro09:40 — Play to Win: Finding the biggest point of leverage15:10 — History snapshots: distribution & monetization plays that created alpha21:30 — Where alpha lives now: Product × Growth × LiveOps (+ AI)26:45 — Product velocity: iterating fast in the right direction29:20 — Organizational Meta: re-shaping teams for the age of AI31:10 — Takeaways & next steps
GAME DEV REVIEW #1
NEWS:
Top 5 Gaming News
Call of Duty: Black Ops 7 Officially Revealed (GameSpot): Activision has unveiled the next entry in its massive first-person shooter franchise, "Call of Duty: Black Ops 7." The reveal trailer, showcased at Gamescom, provided a first look at the game's near-future setting and hinted at a narrative connected to previous "Black Ops" titles, with a release slated for late 2025.
Battlefield 6 Beta Receives Positive Reception (Kotaku): The open beta for EA and DICE's "Battlefield 6" has concluded, with players and critics praising its return to a modern setting, large-scale maps, and destructible environments. The positive buzz is seen as a crucial step for the franchise to regain momentum after the mixed reception of its predecessor.
Black Myth: Zhong Kui Announced by Game Science (Video Games Chronicle): The developers of the highly anticipated "Black Myth: Wukong" surprised audiences at Gamescom with the announcement of a new title, "Black Myth: Zhong Kui." This new game appears to be set in the same mythological universe, further expanding the rich world-building that has captivated a global audience.
India Passes Bill to Regulate Online Gaming (Reuters): The Indian parliament has passed a new bill that will regulate the country's online gaming industry, including a ban on games that involve real-money wagering. This legislation is expected to have a significant impact on the rapidly growing Indian gaming market and the companies operating within it.
Blizzard Co-Founder's Dreamhaven Struggles with Sales (Bloomberg): Mike Morhaime's Dreamhaven sold only 130,000 units of Wildgate one month after launch and 62,000 copies of Sunderfolk since April. Demonstrates the challenges new studios face in an oversaturated market, despite their pedigree.
Top 3 AI x Gaming News
Square Enix Tech Demo Shows AI-Generated Detective Game (Square Enix): Square Enix presented a tech demo for a detective game where an AI generates case files, clues, and character motivations. This procedural narrative system ensures that no two playthroughs are the same, showcasing how AI can be used to create systemic and emergent gameplay loops.
Unity 6.2 Launches All-In Generative AI Suite (CG Channel): Unity released Unity 6.2 on August 19 with comprehensive AI tools, including Generators for creating sprites, textures, and animations, plus an AI Assistant powered by GPT and Llama models. The update replaces Unity Muse with more flexible third-party AI model integration and expanded coding assistance capabilities.
Tencent's AI Tool Slashes Art Production Time (Game Developer): Tencent unveiled an AI tool at Gamescom on August 22, 2025, that reduces art production time from days to minutes, streamlining asset creation for developers. The tool's efficiency could lower costs and accelerate game development cycles, sparking debates on artist job security.
DATA:
On August 9, League of Legends: Wild Rift had its biggest spike in daily IAP revenue on mobile… EVER!
GAME DEV LESSONS - WEEKLY RETRO:
1. Playing to Win
2. Standard of Performance and Feedback
3. Initial Soft Launch Focus
The games industry is in a state of flux. Layoffs are widespread, AI is disrupting hiring, and the future feels uncertain. To navigate this new landscape, we're joined by Keith Caswell, a 20-year HR veteran with leadership experience at Microsoft, Electronic Arts, and Wizards of the Coast, for a masterclass in career and talent strategy.
Whether you've been recently laid off, you're a leader struggling to hire authentic talent, or you're trying to future-proof your career, this episode provides an actionable playbook for success.
In This Episode, We Discuss:
The current state of the gaming job market and when it might recover.
A step-by-step playbook for job seekers: networking, portfolios, and resumes.
Why traditional interviews are failing and how to hire effectively in the age of AI.
The real impact AI will have on game dev roles and the future of work.
The debate between hardcore work ethic and work-life balance.
Connect with our guest:
Time Stamps:
(02:41) The Current State of the Gaming Job Market(08:32) The Playbook for Recently Laid-Off Professionals(11:36) The Power of Your Network & How to Leverage Recruiters(28:03) Is Ageism a Real Factor for Industry Veterans?(51:20) The Employer's Dilemma: How to Hire in the Age of AI(01:03:09) The Best Interview Question to Ask(01:11:29) How Will AI Really Impact Game Dev Jobs?(01:26:33) The Hardcore Work Ethic vs. Work-Life Balance Debate(01:39:29) Future Predictions: Market Rebounds & Production Models
Four years after Apple's ATT shook the mobile gaming world, measurement remains complicated—but not impossible. Airbridge CEO Roi Nam joins us for an unfiltered technical discussion on what's actually working in iOS UA today.
We explore SKAN 4.0, the power of CAPI, Web-to-App strategies, and why some studios see 54% LTV lifts while others struggle. From boosting ATT consent rates to understanding the UA-monetization convergence, this episode delivers the practical insights mobile gaming professionals need to compete in 2025.
Warning: This gets technical. If you're looking for surface-level tips, this isn't it. But if you want the real strategies driving growth at top studios, you're in the right place.
Join us for an eye-opening conversation about how AI is completely transforming the game animation industry. Viren Tellis, CEO of Uthana, shares how their technology is enabling developers to animate characters in seconds instead of days, democratizing game development for indie creators.
What you'll discover:
What's the real cost of being a startup gaming founder? In this very off-topic conversation, my old friend Mishka Katkoff (Deconstructor of Fun) and I go deep on the topics nobody puts in their pitch deck. We share personal stories about the psychological and physical toll of the grind, and question the nature of ambition in the game industry.This isn't your typical industry talk. We discuss life, sacrifice & suffering, success, and many other topics that we usually don't talk about unrelated to the business of games.Timestamps:00:00:00 - Mishka's "Slower Phase" as a Family Man00:03:56 - Does Hustle Culture Mask Deeper Problems?00:07:55 - The Difference Between Suffering and Sacrifice00:22:29 - Mishka's Biggest Lesson: Why Shared History Beats Shiny CVs00:37:35 - If Your Startup Succeeds, What Personally Changes?00:54:41 - The Pressure of AI: Is This Our Last Chance to Grind?01:02:40 - The Unseen Toll: A Founder's Most Personal Confessions01:04:15 - "I Was Happy": My Reaction to the SVB Collapse01:05:03 - When Stress Becomes Physical: Crying Spells & Panic Attacks01:07:07 - Mishka's Advice to Aspiring Founders: "Shut the F*** Up"01:12:13 - Final Thoughts on Finding Your PathSUBSCRIBE TO GAMEMAKERS:- Newsletter: https://www.gamemakers.com/😃 —CONNECT WITH JK! — • INSTAGRAM → @jokim1• TWITTER → @jokim1• LINKEDIN → https://www.linkedin.com/in/jokim/
Apple and Google are taking 43% more money from your game than you think – and your competitors are using web shops to capture that revenue instead. In this eye-opening discussion, Stash's Chief Growth Officer reveals how top mobile games generate 50%+ of revenue through direct-to-consumer channels while others leave millions on the table.Why you need to watch this:- Discover the hidden math behind the "30% platform fee" that's costing you millions- Learn the exact playbook Scopely and Supercell use to maximize web shop revenue- Understand how the Epic ruling changes everything for mobile monetization- Get actionable metrics and strategies you can implement immediatelyTimestamps:00:00 - Introduction & Web Shop Revolution01:26 - How Epic vs Apple Changed Everything08:40 - The Brutal Math of Platform Fees15:00 - Three Pillars of Web Shop Success22:03 - Implementation Roadmap33:05 - Best Practices from Top Performers45:10 - The Epic Ruling Implications55:12 - Metrics That Matter1:09:34 - Future of Mobile Gaming DistributionGuest: Archie Stonehill, Chief Growth Officer at StashHost: Joseph Kim📊 Download Stash's Web Shop Guide: [link]💼 LinkedIn: Joseph Kim (@jokim) | Archie Stonehill (@archie-stonehill)#MobileGaming #GameDev #WebShops #GameBusiness #GameMonetizationSUBSCRIBE TO GAMEMAKERS:- Spotify Podcast: https://spoti.fi/3Cpyq7i- Newsletter: https://www.gamemakers.com/😃 —CONNECT WITH JK! — • INSTAGRAM → @jokim1• TWITTER → @jokim1• LINKEDIN → https://www.linkedin.com/in/jokim/
The game development industry is in flux. From the intense pressure of the attention economy and global competition to the seismic shifts brought by Artificial Intelligence, how is the crucial role of the Product Manager evolving?
Join us for an in-depth exploration of these critical questions, featuring a panel discussion, "The Evolution of the Product Manager," and an exclusive after-panel debrief.
Hear directly from industry product leaders as they dissect the challenges and opportunities ahead.
Speakers:* Oren Debi. Generative AI Lead & VP Product at SciPlay.* David Duong. Sr. Director of Product Management at Respawn Entertainment (Apex Legends).* Tim Hong. Head of Live Service Games at AWS for Games.* Lee Horn. Fmr. VP of Product & Game Director at Mountaintop Studios.* Joseph Kim. CEO at Lila Games.* Solomon Lichter. Sr. Director, Global Gaming at CleverTap.
In this episode, you'll discover:
Whether you're a studio executive, product manager, marketer, or passionate about the future of gaming, this discussion offers invaluable insights.
EPISODE CHAPTERS:(Listen in order or jump to the sections most relevant to you)
0:00:00 Introduction: Setting the Stage for the Evolving PM
Part 1: Product x LiveOps Symposium Panel – The Product Manager in Flux0:04:24 Macro Trends Redefining Game Development (Attention Economy, Rise of China, LiveOps Resurgence) 0:11:19 AI in the Trenches: Separating Hype from Reality (Current Efficiency Gains in Art, Code, PM Tools) 0:14:31 The Evolving Product Manager: Mobile PM Agility vs. PC/Console Tradition (Solomon Lichter's initial thoughts) 0:16:59 The Evolving Product Manager: Resistance to PMs in PC/Console (Lee Horn's insights) 0:18:32 The Evolving Product Manager: Hiring for AAA – Fundamentals, Empathy, Communication (David Duong's insights) 0:21:01 The Evolving Product Manager: AI's Impact, Team Compression, and the "PM+1" Concept (Joseph Kim's insights) 0:26:36 Key Panelist Takeaways: Adapt or Die, AI Adoption, Design Thinking, the PM+1, and Live Ops Agents
Part 2: The After-Panel Huddle – Deeper Reflections & Future-Proofing0:29:14 Industry's Hunger for Tactical AI Knowledge & Embracing Uncertainty 0:34:03 AI: From Feature to Foundational Orchestration (PM's Evolving Value, Gartner's "3 Returns" Framework begins around 0:42:41, "Product Velocity" as a North Star Metric specifically at 0:47:53) 0:55:46 Agentic AI: The Next Frontier in Live Ops (Understanding Agentic AI, Practical Applications, Data Strategy Prerequisite) 1:00:40 The Culture Clash Revisited: Adaptability as the Ultimate Competitive Edge (Mobile vs. HD, Failure to Adapt) Conclusion & Final Actionable Advice1:05:16 Your Roadmap for the Future of Game Product Management (Final Advice Introduction)1:05:47 Get Hands-On & Be Curious (Tim Hong's advice) 1:06:54 Build in Public & Learn Out Loud (Solomon Lichter's advice) 1:08:46 Embrace Continuous, Urgent Learning (Joseph Kim's advice)
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