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: [email protected]

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:

https://www.gamemakers.com/

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:

Top 3 Gaming News From Last Week:

1. 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.

2. 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.

3. 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.

• "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