Learn from Leaders Podcast

Mark explores the challenges of leading and recruiting for distributed teams in the gaming industry.

He discusses the difficulty of assessing cultural fit through remote interviews, the need for self-driven team members, and the impact of remote work on leadership.

Mark also addresses broader industry issues like rising development costs, market saturation, and the evolving role of AI in game development. He emphasizes the importance of continuous improvement and adaptability in achieving success.

Guest: Mark Peterson has worked in games and IT since 2007. During his 15+ years, he has worked on projects for companies like T-Mobile, HP, Rovio, Porsche, and Lufthansa and co-founded three studios. From creating Top 10 games for the iOS and Android app stores to working on VR & AR titles as early as the first Occolus DevKit, he has been involved in all aspects of the industry. He has co-founded SPECTARIUM as a fully remote studio working with 35+ team members, with successful VC rounds led by Bitkraft. They are currently working on their co-op cross-platform Action RPG 'MYTHS'.

Host: Patric Palm – Favro ceo and founder. Serial entrepreneur and tech investor. Mostly games, film, SaaS, AI, deep tech, and functional foods. Passionate about hyper-performing teams and business agility.

Learn from Leaders podcast 🎙️ series focus on SaaS & Game industry leaders. Challenges from real-world experiences and how some of the best studios and companies have overcome them.

Visit 👉 https://favro.com and learn the best collaborative planning, business agility, working-from-anywhere, project management, culture & leadership, and practices.

John unpacks the intricacies of managing and collaborating in a remote-first work environment.

He shares tips on fostering trust, establishing clear expectations, and maintaining open communication as crucial elements for success.

John also explores collaborating with external partners in game development, highlighting how to achieve upfront alignment and establish clear communication channels.

Guest: John is a Senior Team Lead and Producer who has been in games since 2007 after joining Harmonix Music Systems. His career spans 17 years spent at Harmonix, Runic Games, teaching at Rochester Institute of Technology, and now at Unknown Worlds. He has worked on the Rock Band, Dance Central and Subnautica series of games, with experience on PC, console, mobile and VR. He aims to grow and empower individuals and teams, and leads with an attitude of tolerance and humor. He is a passionate supporter of growing the industry's next wave of diverse talent.

Host: Patric Palm – Favro ceo and founder. Serial entrepreneur and tech investor. Mostly games, film, SaaS, AI, deep tech, and functional foods. Passionate about hyper-performing teams and business agility.

Learn from Leaders podcast 🎙️ series focus on SaaS & Game industry leaders. Challenges from real-world experiences and how some of the best studios and companies have overcome them.

Visit 👉 https://favro.com and learn the best collaborative planning, business agility, working-from-anywhere, project management, culture & leadership, and practices.

Could Carl's approach to game design, emphasizing responsive AI and emergent technologies, be key to replicating the success of Helldivers 2?

Carl delves into the success factors behind Helldivers 2, dissecting its core appeal. He emphasizes the game's satisfying co-op gameplay and its tongue-in-cheek, satirical world that fosters a strong sense of community.

Carl highlights how the game's design encourages role-playing and a shared language among players, fueling a sense of belonging.

He also observes how this approach aligns with his work, which uses AI and emergent technologies to create dynamic in-game experiences that react to players.

Guest: Carl Kwoh is the Co-founder and CEO of Jam & Tea Studios, a new multiplayer game startup focused on building player connections. He’s experienced in tabletop, web, mobile, PC, and console games. Before Jam & Tea, Carl developed the product management discipline at Phoenix Lab as the VP of Products. In 2017, he founded Ghostly Bear Games after spending six years as Riot Games’ Head of Talent Operations and Systems. Carl is deeply passionate about social design in games, fostering team dynamics, and elevating disenfranchised voices within the gaming industry.

Host: Patric Palm – Favro ceo and founder. Serial entrepreneur and tech investor. Mostly games, SaaS, AI, and deep tech. Passionate about hyper-performing teams and business agility.

Learn from Leaders podcast 🎙️ series focus on SaaS & Game industry leaders. Challenges from real-world experiences and how some of the best studios and companies have overcome them.

What are the insights regarding the game industry's talent cycles, remote work challenges, and the impact of layoffs on studios?

Jenny discusses historical trends in talent acquisition, the challenges larger studios face in embracing external talent, and the impact of COVID-19 on remote work acceptance.

During the talk, our guest covered how Game Boost faces remote contractors and the increasing trend of individuals wanting remote work flexibility. The discussion delves deeper into industry layoffs, attributing them to various factors, including studio closures, canceled projects, and potential cost-cutting strategies by larger companies.

Jenny provides excellent insights into the evolving dynamics of talent management and remote work in the game development industry.

Guest: Jenny’s career has been a journey of diverse experiences, from entrepreneurship in web development and home renovation to her pivotal role at Paradox Interactive, where she spent over six years as a Studio Manager, contributing significantly to the gaming industry. Her current venture at Game Boost Sweden as a Game Contractor Supplier reflects her dedication to fostering talent and matching the right expertise with projects that shine through in her work, reflecting her passion for driving success within the gaming ecosystem. Simultaneously, she fosters leadership qualities in her leadership role at GREAT LEADERS.

Host: Patric Palm – Favro ceo and founder. Serial entrepreneur and tech investor. Mostly games, SaaS, AI, and deep tech. Passionate about hyper-performing teams and business agility. Learn from Leaders podcast 🎙️ series focus on SaaS & Game industry leaders. Challenges from real-world experiences and how some of the best studios and companies have overcome them.

Past, present, and future: what are the significant changes in marketing strategies in the gaming industry?

Matthew talks about the transformative journey of games marketing, a decade's shift from skepticism toward influencer culture to fostering authentic collaborations. The conversation delves into the widening divide between indie and AAA games due to faster marketing cycles, balancing creativity with the potential of AI to augment creative workflows rather than replace human input.

Listen and learn more about the crucial role of marketing in embodying a game's fundamental essence amidst the dynamic evolution of game development approaches.

Guest:As the founder and CEO of NoodleHaus, Matthew Stainner is responsible for the small army of writers, art directors, animators, editors, and artists required to light up screens around the world. Over the past 30 years, Matthew has consistently created entertaining visual content. His credits and awards span a vast array of games, marketing, and events. The brands that have benefitted from his contributions include some of the most successful video games and franchises in the world, like Call of Duty, World of Tanks, Tony Hawk’s Pro-Skater, Assassin’s Creed, Rocket League, and Fortnite to name a few. His work has been an integral part of countless events and shows, from Comicon, to GamesCom, from LA Live to Liverpool he’s literally traveled the globe to produce the content our audiences love.

Host: Patric Palm – Favro ceo and founder. Serial entrepreneur and tech investor. Mostly games, SaaS, AI, and deep tech. Passionate about hyper-performing teams and business agility. Learn from Leaders podcast 🎙️ series focus on SaaS & Game industry leaders. Challenges from real-world experiences and how some of the best studios and companies have overcome them.

Why does the games industry still have big issues in production management and what can be done about it?

Ben and Aaron discuss typical issues related to how game companies are managed today, specifically leadership in production.

They advocate for how a paradigm shift in leadership can help studios bring better games faster to the market at a lower cost.

Listen to learn more about how to embrace uncertainty, encourage a more adaptive, collaborative approach, and how producers can go from being stuck with task management to being facilitators of alignment.

The discussion also addresses why studios get stuck in old practices at a time when increased live services make the evolution of management more needed than ever.

This episode is truly great for both new and senior game industry leaders who want to take their production practices, team leadership, and studio management to the next level.

Guests:

Benjamin Carcich has spent the last few years helping leaders at studios of all sizes, and recently led the creation of training for game producers called "Succeeding in Game Production: What You Aren't Taught". Before that, he spent almost a decade at Riot Games shipping champions, tools, maps, and various platform and backend systems, and ended up leading discipline efforts around hiring and the role of production while teaching agile fundamentals around the world. His first job after college was as a Combat Arms officer in the U.S. Army.

Aaron Smith got his film degree in southern California and started doing production work, only to realize this wasn't his tribe. He joined a tiny company called "Riot Games" and worked his way from intern to director over a decade- shipping dozens of products small and large. Now, he's a Co-Founder of Building Better Games - a company focused on helping studios scale and ship unique products by instilling leadership and quality production practices. BBG also serves game leaders looking to build their game production skill set.

Building Better Games Newsletter: https://www.buildingbettergames.gg/newsletter

Building Better Games Podcast: https://www.buildingbettergames.gg/podcast

"Succeeding in Game Production: What You Aren't Taught" course link: https://www.buildingbettergames.gg/succeeding-in-game-production

Guests:

Josiah Kiehl, with a background in software engineering, started his career at Oracle, focusing on business software, before transitioning to Riot Games. There, he played a crucial role in scaling the delivery of the viral game League of Legends to a global audience, working extensively on automation and infrastructure software. After a successful stint at Riot, Josiah briefly worked at Google on large-scale distributed systems before realizing his passion for game development once again, leading him to co-found Sprocket Games.

Andrew Woo, Head of Production at Sprocket Games, began as a software engineer in financial services at companies like Goldman Sachs and Credit Suisse. Seeking a more fulfilling path, he transitioned to game development at Obsidian Entertainment, working on titles like Neverwinter Nights 2. After continuing at Riot Games, Andrew's experience as a C++ gameplay engineer and game producer brought him valuable insights into the industry. His decision to join Sprocket Games after 15 years at Riot was motivated by the exciting opportunity and innovative project presented by the studio.

Guest: Jon Lawrence has been in the games industry since 1998 after joining Bullfrog Productions. A career in games for 25 years spent at Electronic Arts, Microsoft, Natural Motion, Digit Games studios, and now at Tencent games. Have managed a mixture of internal and external projects on PC, Console, and mobile and worked on many successful titles, including Harry Potter, Formula 1, Need For Speed, and Crysis. Now part of the Nexus team based out of Liverpool and working with 5 second party studios, Inflexion, Sumo, Splash Damage, Sharkmob, and Tequila Works.

Guest: Alan McDairmant is Head of Studio Operations at Fuse Games, a former member of the Criterion studio leadership team, worked for EA for over 17 years as a leader on the Need For Speed games. He moved into leadership project management roles quickly and has always embraced a collaborative, servant leadership approach to working with teams to help enable people and projects achieve their goals.