The Gaming Playbook w/ Harry Phokou

Today I’m joined by Teemu Haila, Co-Founder and Chief Product Officer at Metaplay. Teemu has spent more than 20 years in game development, co-founded PlayRiven before its acquisition by Rovio, and now works at the intersection of AI and live service game development. We talk about how AI agents are already changing the way games are built and run, including a real example where work that previousl...

Today, I’m joined by Magnus Lysell, co-founder of Light Up Games and a former product manager at Paradox Interactive, where he worked on games including Cities: Skylines and Surviving Mars. He now helps developers and publishers launch games globally, with a particular focus on China. We talked about why game developers often think about China too late, how publishing and marketing games there act...

Today, I’m joined by Mikkel Weider, the new CEO of Everplay Group, home to Team17, astragon Entertainment and StoryToys, with hundreds of games across its portfolio. We talked about what publishers look for in games, how developers can stand out in an increasingly crowded market, and why understanding your audience and market matters just as much as making a great game. If you’re a game developer,...

How do game studios actually get funded, and when should you choose VC, a publisher, project financing, or another route? Today I’m joined by Ali Farha, Investment Associate at Behold Ventures, to break down how game funding actually works from the investor side, and what developers need to understand before raising money. We talked about the difference between VC, publishers and project financing...

Today I’m joined by Adam Jaffe, a mobile gaming marketer with nearly two decades in the industry. He was Playtika’s 10th employee and Head of User Acquisition, and later served as VP of Marketing at Social Point. We talked about why organic growth in mobile gaming has become so much harder, where studios should be looking for new users now, and why pouring more money into marketing won’t save a pr...

Today, I'm joined by Doug Pennant, a Senior Producer at Infinity Ward, drawing on 16 years across Alien: Isolation, Total War, and Call of Duty, who explains how game developers can build resilient, long-term careers in an industry shaped by layoffs, changing technology, and increasingly project-based employment. We talked about transferable skills, difficult managers, networking before you ne...

Today, I'm joined by Adam Selcuk, CPO at VaultN, who explains why game studios are leaving significant revenue on the table by ignoring third-party PC game distribution. Drawing on 20+ years in digital game retail, Adam breaks down how publishers can sell more copies, reach new markets, improve discoverability, and maintain control over pricing and distribution. We discuss why Steam alone isn&...

What does it really take to get an indie game funded? After 17 years in AAA game development, Quentin Cobb left studios behind to found Ironroot Games. In this conversation, he shares what he's learning while actively pitching publishers and investors, raising funding, building a vertical slice, and navigating today's publishing landscape. We discuss publisher expectations, angel investors, AI in...

Multiplayer doesn't have to be built on day one. Today, I'm joined by Michael Szklarski, Co-Founder of ReadyM, who explains how community-driven multiplayer mods have transformed games like GTA V and why the future of gaming may belong to player-created experiences. From the origins of GTA multiplayer mods and FiveM to Black Myth: Wukong, Oblivion Remastered, Minecraft, Roblox, Skyrim, and...

Hiring isn't guesswork. In this episode, I'm joined by Frank Lofaro, who has helped over 1,700 businesses hire better, from zero-employee startups to companies scaling past 100 people. Before founding Tank Recruiting, he spent three years at AeroTech (one of the largest private staffing firms in the world) and was an employee #12 at Acquisition.com, where he worked as an internal recruiter and hir...

How do you build a great game company, not just a great game? Today, I'm joined by a former Xbox executive and Player One Consulting CEO, Chris Bain, who shares lessons from working with 100+ game studios, major publishers, and Microsoft. We discuss game pricing, localization, publishing deals, funding, studio growth, leadership, vision, and why so many developers focus on making games but ove...

What do game publishers actually do in 2026? Why do some indie games succeed while others fail, even with a great product? Today's guest is Ben Kvalo, founder of Midwest Games and former publishing, marketing, and technology leader at Netflix, Blizzard, and 2K. Ben breaks down how modern game publishing works, why traditional publishing models are changing, how Steam's algorithm impacts la...

Why are indie game funding deals getting harder in 2026? In this episode, I'm joined by Pontus Maehler, games industry advisor and Co-Founder of Agora Gaming Partners, an advisory firm focused on video gaming M&A, publishing, and fundraising. He breaks down the real state of game publishing, project financing, China publishing opportunities, and how indie studios can survive the current market...

Today, I'm joined by Jakub Remiar, Mobile F2P monetization consultant and veteran game designer, for a deep dive into the future of the mobile games industry. From why China is dominating mobile game design and monetization to how user acquisition became the real battleground, this episode breaks down the uncomfortable realities behind today’s biggest games. Jakub explains why “monetization is...

AAA games are getting too big, and it’s breaking the industry. In this episode, game director Alexandre Amancio (Assassin’s Creed, Far Cry) breaks down why massive teams, bloated scope, and risk-averse design are hurting modern game development, and why smaller, focused teams may be the future. We dive into building high-performance game teams, creating new IPs, community-first development, the hi...

Why do most retrospectives fail, and how do you turn them into a real driver of team performance? In this episode, I sit down with Maria Maunula, Senior Game Producer at Supercell, to break down how to run retrospectives that actually lead to change, not just empty discussions. From vague action items and anonymous feedback to team trust and accountability, we uncover why most teams get this wrong...

What does it actually take to build successful games in 2026 and beyond? Today, I'm joined by Tom Dusenberry, former Hasbro Interactive CEO, who shares hard-earned lessons from shipping 300+ games, navigating M&A, and working with some of the biggest IPs in the world. We break down the realities of game development today, from licensing and funding to AI, discoverability, and what truly dr...

How do you build a sustainable studio in an unsustainable industry? In this episode, I sit down with Dru Erridge (ex-Riot Games) to break down how he built a profitable, self-funded game studio in an industry driven by risk, layoffs, and hit-driven outcomes. We dive into why co-development is the hidden backbone of the games industry, how to build a remote team that actually works, and why chasing...

Do indie game developers actually need publishers? After 20 years in the industry as a developer, studio founder, and publisher, Andrei Podoprigora breaks down the honest truth behind indie publishing, what makes a game fundable, and why RIGHT NOW is a once-in-a-generation window for small studios. We dig into systems-driven game design, why your Steam page is killing your wishlists, the one metri...

Learn how mobile game publishing really works in 2026, from user acquisition costs to what publishers actually look for when funding games. Today, I'm joined by an industry expert, Elena Lobova (Head of Strategic Partnerships at Burny Games), who breaks down the realities of mobile game publishing, why most games fail, and how developers can stand out in a hyper-competitive market. We cover everyt...

What does a game studio brand really mean beyond a logo or color palette? Today, I'm joined by Anastasia Zaiceva, Chief Communications Officer at ZiMAD, who shares how strong branding shapes the identity, strategy, and growth of a game studio. We explore why branding is more than visual design and why it's the foundation that defines a studio’s values, culture, hiring strategy, player rela...

In this episode, I join Jonny Rose to share how I built Hivemind into a leading go-to-market marketing agency for the games industry and why in-person networking events, upskilling, and paid learning communities have been the biggest multipliers in my journey. We break down the real economics of conferences, why most people drift into careers they hate, how to escape analysis paralysis, and why co...

How do you revive and regrow a 10-year-old mobile game in one of the toughest markets in gaming? Today, I'm joined by Johnny Mang, General Manager at Rovio, who breaks down how his team rebuilt Angry Birds 2 from the inside out, tackling technical debt, redesigning strategy, restructuring teams, and shifting culture to unlock sustainable growth. We explore what it really takes to turn around a...

The games industry is changing fast and not everyone is keeping up. Today, I sit down with Charlotte Cook (former Team17, Sega, Skybound, angel investor, and fractional CCO) to break down what’s really happening behind the scenes of the games industry right now. We cover why publishers are obsessed with safe bets, how greenlight decisions actually work, why most developers misunderstand publishing...

Why do 90% of games fail, even when the game itself is good? Today, I sit down with Robbie Ferguson, Co-Founder at Immutable, to break down the real data-backed reasons most games never make their money back, and what the top-performing studios do differently. Robbie shares insights from 690+ funded game launches, explains why Steam wishlists are often misleading, and reveals how pre-launch audien...