After a combined span of 13 years at Riot Games, the developer of League of Legends, Andrea Sepenzis and Michael Chu have embarked on a new venture: Codename Islands. Taking inspiration from games like Minecraft, Roblox, and other cooperative multiplayer titles, the duo is deliberately veering from their origins of crafting competitive, player-versus-player experiences in their latest project.

Andrea and Michael delve into the apprehensions linked with leading a game startup following their tenure at the prosperous Riot Games (10:26). They also explore the reasons behind League of Legends' unfavorable reputation among gamers, attributed to its toxic and fiercely competitive culture (26:12). Lastly, Jacob, Andrea, and Michael discuss the disproportionate investment given to alumni of California-based gaming industry giants such as Riot Games, Blizzard, and Twitch, while also addressing the challenges of securing venture capital in the year 2023 (52:27).

You can follow Andrea on Twitter at @ajseps, and Michael at @WatChuKnow.

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