Adam Bohn is the founder and CEO of Artix Entertainment and the creator of AdventureQuest, one of the longest-running online RPGs. A self-taught game developer, he has spent over two decades building beloved games, fostering a passionate player community, and growing an independent game studio known for titles like DragonFable, MechQuest, EpicDuel, and AdventureQuest Worlds.
Connect with Adam Bohn!
https://www.instagram.com/artixkrieger
https://www.artix.com
0:00 - Introduction
1:33 - Meet Adam Bohn
3:09 - Andy on Growing Up with AdventureQuest
4:52 - How AdventureQuest Began
5:54 - How Adam Learned to Code
7:51 - Going to the Gym with His Crew
8:41 - Creating 1,000 Games Before AQ
10:15 - The Story Behind Land of Rising Evil
11:10 - Land of Rising Evil into AQ
11:32 - How Adam Named AdventureQuest
12:03 - Adam's Goal for AQ's Growth
13:09 - How Adam Started Making Money from His Game
14:34 - Upgrading and Adding Features to AQ
16:08 - How Captain Rhubarb Helped Fix the Game
19:30 - AQ Worlds Infinity's $2.149M Kickstarter
20:02 - Recruiting Talented Players from the Community
20:30 - How AQ Has Delivered Weekly Content for 24 Years
21:14 - How Buying Advertising Changed Everything
23:43 - Artix Entertainment Reaches $500k/month in Ads 2007
26:41 - How He Scaled His Company
27:25 - Creation of DragonFable
29:07 - Adam on the Launch of DragonFable
30:27 - Artix Entertainment Operated Out of Adam's House
36:01 - Adam on Working Side Jobs While Making AQ
38:15 - The Success of DragonFable
38:46 - Why Creators Should Promote Their Work
40:04 - His Journey Making Games
44:13 - MechQuest Surpasses DragonFable's Launch
44:42 - Adam on AQ Worlds' Rough Start Before Success
49:14 - Artix Entertainment Receives an $84 Million Acquisition Offer
51:57 - Artix's Real-Time Payment and Sales Tracking System Surprises Larger Companies
52:59 - The Story Behind the EpicDuel Acquisition
54:20 - How the Company Grew from Adam's House into Multiple Offices
57:38 - Adam Looks Back on 2015's Toughest Moments
59:07 - Adam on Bringing AQ into 3D
1:00:08 - The Story Behind Artix's First Mobile Game, Battle Gems
1:01:06 - How a Four-Day Business Seminar Reset His Mindset
1:03:40 - Adam Decides to Turn the Company Around and Recommit to AQ 3D
1:06:06 - Adam's Journey Launching the Kickstarter for AdventureQuest 3D
1:12:25 - How Artix Entertainment Monetizes Its Games
1:13:37 - Adam on the Growth of Artix's Development Team
1:18:12 - Adam Talks About Artix Entertainment's 20th Anniversary Celebration
1:19:41 - Adam Explains His Philosophy of Taking Massive Action
1:23:14 - Adam's First Game, Dungeons and DoomKnights
1:28:58 - Adam Talks About the Three Circles Philosophy
1:29:42 - The Story Behind Dungeons and DoomKnights 8-Bit/NES and Lessons from the Project
1:36:15 - Remaking AdventureQuest Worlds into AdventureQuest Worlds Infinity
1:38:13 - Adam Talks About Launching the Kickstarter for AdventureQuest Worlds Infinity
1:41:30 - AdventureQuest Worlds Infinity: From a $1 Kickstarter Tier to 214 Million Percent Funded
1:42:45 - AdventureQuest Worlds Infinity's $500, $1,500, and $5,000 Custom Reward Tiers
1:47:02 - Adam Talks About IoDA (Item of Digital Awesomeness)
1:48:13 - Adam Talks About the Kickstarter Backer Rewards
1:50:46 - Adam on Rebuilding the Original Development Team
1:52:21 - Adam Shares Plans for Multi-Platform Game Releases
1:53:35 - Artix Entertainment Looks Ahead to Its 25th Anniversary
1:54:34 - Andy Recalls Playing MapleStory as a Child
1:56:45 - Andy Asks Adam About GTA 6 and Where the Gaming Industry Is Heading
1:58:18 - Adam Talks About the Kickstarter's $250 Statues
1:59:51 - Adam Talks About the Alpha Testing of AdventureQuest Worlds Infinity
2:01:38 - Adam Shares How He Found His COO
2:04:50 - Adam Talks About the Company's Large Office and the Shift Toward Remote Work
2:07:30 - Adam's Recent Life Discoveries
2:14:34 - Adam's Personal Goals and Focus for the Next Six Months
2:17:23 - Connect with Adam Bohn
2:17:43 - Outro