Player Driven

📄 Episode Summary In this episode, Greg sits down with Julie Banta , Director of Engineering for Build & Release at Respawn , to break down what it actually takes to keep a massive live game like Apex Legends running day after day. Julie pulls back the curtain on the real machinery behind live service games: shipping updates across six platforms, reacting to hotfixes in real time, balancing p...

Episode Overview What does it really mean to design a game — and what can that teach us about culture, creativity, and even our daily lives? In this episode, Greg is joined by Lewis Ward and Eric Zimmerman , legendary game designer, professor at NYU’s Game Center, and author of The Rules We Break . Eric’s career spans from pioneering web-based multiplayer with Sissy Fight 2000 to co-founding GameL...

🎧 Episode Description (Hook + Intro) What if the biggest leaps in gaming don’t happen at global mega-conferences, but in regional rooms where developers, vendors, and communities connect in a meaningful way? In this episode of Player Driven , host Greg speaks with Jason Lepine, Founder & CEO of XP Gaming, about the real impact of local events and why they’re foundational to the future of the...

Episode Overview What does it take to build a shooter that can handle millions of players and still keep people coming back for more? In this episode, Greg is joined by Thad Sasser, a veteran designer whose career has touched some of the most iconic shooters ever made, including Battlefield , Call of Duty , PUBG , and Rivals . Together, they dive into the realities of scaling franchises, balancing...

Episode Summary In this episode of Player Driven , Greg talks with Keith Pape , founder of YellowPike Media , about how to build authentic, lasting connections between studios, players, and communities. Keith shares how YellowPike became known as a gaming marketing agency that thrives on creativity, bold experiential campaigns, and a passion for games. From Times Square takeovers for Metal Gear to...

Overview What happens when regulation collides with game design? In this episode, I sit down with industry veteran Oscar Clark to unpack the EU’s proposed changes around virtual currency, the ethics of monetization, and why “finding the fun” is still the core of building sustainable games. From self-regulation to skill-mapping the next generation of developers, this conversation goes deep into the...

Overview Marketing in games isn’t just flashy ads and cool trailers—it’s a battlefield of strategy, alignment, and constant reinvention. In this episode, Christine Dart shares lessons from her career building B2B marketing engines that scale, from scrappy startups to global brands. Her journey—from teaching salsa to leading high-performing teams—shows how creativity and structure meet in the busin...

Description The games industry is moving faster than ever — live service updates, cross-platform launches, and endless content drops. But QA hasn’t kept pace. Bugs slip through, launches stumble, and player trust takes a hit. Enter AI. In this encore episode of Player Driven , Greg sits down with Shaun Laker , founder of Game Guardians and veteran of Respawn, EA, and The Coalition, to explore how...

Description Eric Chou started with a mod for Command and Conquer. Today, he runs Honor Games and works on the front lines of mental health. In this episode, we unpack the evolution of a community-built mod into a full studio, what it takes to shift from modding to indie development, and how mental health became part of Eric’s mission. He shares practical advice for narrative design, community-buil...

What does it take to turn a gaming hobby into a six-figure salary? In this episode, Greg sits down with Sandi, a stay-at-home dad who taught himself to create mods for ARK: Survival Ascended and ended up building a UGC empire with over 80 million downloads. From his first furniture mod made for his daughter to launching blockbuster premium content, Sandi shares his incredible journey and the commu...

Episode Summary How do you break into the games industry later in your career? And once you’re in, how do you build a meaningful life and community without burning out? In this episode, Greg is joined by Amir Satvat, a Business Development leader at Tencent and the winner of the "Game Changers" award. Amir is one of the industry's most important connectors, having built a community...

A deep dive into the evolving landscape of video game publishing, offering invaluable insights for indie developers on how to thrive in a crowded market. This episode of the Player Driven Podcast features an in-depth conversation with Ben Kvalo, founder of Midwest Games, and Alex Joseph, CEO of the revived Acclaim. From the importance of a well-crafted pitch to the nuances of monetization and disc...

In this episode of Player Driven, Greg talks with Joe Pace, VP at ASICS Ventures, about the company’s surprising leap into virtual reality with DISC, a brand-new competitive sport built for Meta Quest. They explore what it means to build community before code, how fitness and gaming are converging, and what studios can learn from a 70-year-old brand embracing LiveOps. If you're thinking about...

Episode Summary: Mark Otero (CEO of Azra Games, creator of Star Wars: Galaxy of Heroes ) joins Player Driven to break down the real reason most games fail — they ignore what players actually want. In this raw, philosophical, and brutally honest conversation, Mark introduces the Hierarchy of Fun — a 5-layer model for building long-lasting emotional engagement in games. From escaping poverty through...

Episode Summary: Christina Camilleri leads trust and safety product strategy at Netflix Games — but her journey started as a shy kid finding refuge in online worlds. In this deeply human conversation, Christina shares how her love for hacking, community, and chaos turned into a mission to build safer systems in gaming. We talk about safety by design, the monetization myth, building meaningful cont...

🎮 Episode Summary What can a former QA tester at EA, a punk-rock producer at Midway, and the exec who helped launch No Man’s Sky teach us about today’s game industry? In this episode, Adam Boyes (founder of Vivrato and longtime industry vet) joins Greg to talk about why handcrafted games still matter, how studios can ask for help before it’s too late, and what happens when we actually listen to t...

Guest: Andrew Wagner, Author of Economics of Online Gaming and Founder of Wagner Road Capital CoHost: Lewis Ward, Research Director @ IDC 🎙 Episode Summary What happens when a high schooler treats an MMORPG like a business case study? Andrew Wagner joins Player Driven to share how his time playing Eternal Lands turned into a crash course in economics, strategy, and systems thinking. From building...

What if you only had one digital life across all games... would you still cheat? In this episode, we dig into the world of online cheating, digital accountability, and the business of fair play with Andrew Wailes from PlaySafe ID. What started as a casual gaming session with friends led to a bold idea  one that could reshape how studios deal with cheaters and protect their communities. 🔍 Here&apo...

Episode Summary: In this episode, we're joined by Alex Seropian, a true legend in the gaming industry and the co-founder of Bungie, the studio behind Halo. Alex is now the founder of Look North World, a company focused on creating experiences within the Fortnite ecosystem using Unreal Editor for Fortnite (UEFN).  Alex discusses the evolution of the gaming industry, from the era of physical ga...

Episode Overview: In this episode, Greg Posner interviews Fiene Ziegler, Senior Community Management Specialist at InnoGames. Fiene shares her journey into gaming, insights on merging community management with social media, the importance of data-driven strategies, and her vision for the future of player engagement. Her experience sheds light on how to effectively manage online communities in a dy...

📖 Episode Summary: This episode of Player Driven, in collaboration with Community Clubhouse, dives into the future of kids' gaming and digital safety. Greg speaks with Karin Johnson, co-founder of Magic Potion Games and a former leader at Club Penguin and Fortnite, along with Kieran Donovan, founder of K-ID and a regulatory compliance expert. Together, they explore how studios can build enga...

Guest : Julie Banta, Director of Engineering, Build & Release at Respawn Entertainment Summary : In this episode of Player Driven , Greg sits down with Julie Banta, Director of Engineering at Respawn, to explore the underappreciated world of build and release operations. From her unlikely start in finance and insurance to helping manage one of the world’s top live service games, Julie shares h...

Mike Pappas discusses Modulate's Toxmod, a sophisticated voice AI that analyzes emotional nuance and behavioral dynamics in online interactions. Initially focused on combating toxicity and promoting positivity in gaming, the technology is now expanding to address fraud and challenges like deepfakes. Mike emphasizes the importance of transparency with users, collaboration with studios based on...

📖 Episode Summary: In this episode, we delve into the evolving landscape of mobile game monetization with Chip Thurston, Head of Gaming at FastSpring. We explore the implications of the Apple vs. Epic ruling, the shift towards direct-to-consumer (DTC) strategies, and how webshops are becoming essential for game studios aiming to retain more revenue and foster stronger player relationships. 🔑 Key...

In this episode, Greg sits down with Jim Welch, a composer turned developer turned studio founder whose creative journey spans Dragon Ball Z trailers to launching a party game in the spirit of Jackbox. We explore Jim’s path from audio to entrepreneurship, the founding of The Devhouse Agency, and why his team is now investing in original IP. From creative leadership to WebGL distribution strategy,...