A Spark Of Awareness

In this episode, we reconnect with gaming industry veteran Steve Cuss to discuss his journey from traditional to liberated leadership, starting  The GamePlan Consultancy  and publishing his first book, Liberated Leadership . Steve shares his insights on the challenges and rewards of fostering a more inclusive and authentic workplace, exploring the significance of authenticity, vulnerability, and e...

In this episode, host Sophie Vo interviews Eric Tan , a highly experienced executive with 17 years in the entertainment and music industries. Eric shares his journey from being a business executive to embracing his role as a creative executive, his experiences and struggles in the gaming and music industries, and his insights on the importance of music partnerships in gaming. They discuss Eric's c...

In this episode hosted by Nina Kim , we delve into the leadership journey of Amy Graves, an experienced marketing strategy specialist who has led social media marketing for game studios such as Natural Motion, Epic Games , the Irregular Corporation and Square Enix. Amy discusses her transition from film to games, her journey from a behind-the-scenes role to taking on significant leadership respons...

⭐️ Exclusive partnership promotion: Get DevGAMM tickets 15% off with the promo code: devgamm15 ⭐️ In this episode, Sophie welcomes Maria Chyrvona, the CEO of DevGAMM , to discuss the evolution of the gaming conference since its inception in Ukraine in 2008. They dive into the personal and professional experiences that shaped DevGAMM, including navigating the challenges of COVID-19 and the war in...

What is the impact of coaching and what should you expect when you receive coaching? Some even ask: What is the ROI of coaching? In this special coaching episode, host Sophie Vo sits down with Hannah Mattil , the Senior Team Lead for Research Operations at PlaytestCloud . They reflect on Hannah’s personal and professional growth over six months of leadership coaching . Hannah shares her journey fr...

In this new episode, we sit down with Charlotte Gailledreau , a French game studio founder, narrative RPG enthusiast, and ex-Game Lead at the Oh Bi Bi and Gumi studios. Charlotte shares the story of founding her game studio, Sunny Lab , in 2022 alongside her associate Hugo Sahuquet. They discuss their journey from mobile to console & PC gaming, the significance of storytelling in their projects, a...

This story serves as an inspiring example for all independent studios considering their funding options in 2024, reminding us that collective willpower and fearlessness can be as powerful as more seniority and money. In this episode of Rise and Play, guest host Shelby Moledina returns.  Shelby is a Game Director and Film Director with 30+ titles shipped, and 20+ years of experience at large and sm...

In this inspiring episode, we switch roles with Shelby Moledina, as our new co-host on the show who interviews Sophie Vo to share her journey of breaking barriers within the gaming industry, focusing on building inclusive and conscious game companies and studios. Sophie discusses her experiences in establishing key projects like Rise and Play , her role as CEO and co-founder of Kylan, a new game s...

Share your opinion on the future of game monetization in their market research survey with a chance to win Gamesforum tickets! In this episode of Rise and Play, new cohost Tiffany Keller joins the podcast. Tiffany has spent the past decade in product management across several billion dollars plus earning franchises at three of Gaming’s top five acquisitions and the most downloaded games of the dec...

We're excited to have on this episode a new podcast host at Rise and Play: Nina Kim . Nina is a Senior game designer who previously worked on games like Merge Dragons, Cozy Grove, and Sea of Thieves . With a deep interest in wholesome mechanics and approaches to well-being, Nina strives to contribute to nurturing creative teams within the industry. Let's give her a warm welcome on the show 👏. In...

In this new episode, we interview Charlotte Lavergne , who shares her journey co-founding Supercosi Games in 2020, a mobile studio focused on evergreen games. Charlotte shares the context of bootstrapping the company in 2020 until they raised 2M€ in 2022. She also discusses the challenges of raising seed/Series A funding through VCs in 2024, despite having healthy financial results. She explains h...

In this episode, we delve into an inspiring conversation with Emma Delage, CEO of Studio Camelia. Emma shares her journey from working at Ubisoft Paris to founding her own independent game studio based in Montpellier, France. We cover the challenges and wins of starting a new game company, focusing on JRPGs, and navigating the complexities of fundraising and Kickstarter campaigns. Emma's story...

How to combine games and education, and is there a case for it? We interview Melissa Cash, co-founder and CEO of PokPok, a company creating educational and engaging digital content for children. They discuss the challenges and strategies of developing non-addictive, educational content for young children, focusing on the importance of designing tools that integrate seamlessly with a parent’s daily...

In this episode, we interview Olya Caliujnaia, the CEO and co-founder at Sanlo.io , on a mission to help game businesses thrive revenues. Olya shares her entrepreneurial journey, from growing up in a family of resilient entrepreneurs, to eventually founding her own company in the gaming industry. Before Sanlo, Olya managed product and growth at Playfish, EA, Getty Images, SigFig, Wells Fargo and w...

We continue our short series on fundraising in games in 2024, following the journey of Sophie Vo, founder of Rise and Play and CEO of Kylan, a new studio created in 2024. In this episode hosted by Clair Rozain, Sophie shares what she wishes she had known before fundraising and how she would approach it a second time with all she has learned: start by bootstrapping instead of relying solely on VC/f...

In this episode focused on fundraising, we hear the stories of three powerful women and founders who raised with VCs in seed and round A between 2015 and 2023. All you need to know while you are fundraising with VCs in 2024, and asking yourself, is this the right path for you? Julia Palatovska, Dorian Games, $19M raised. Aurora Klæboe Berg, Megacool and Medal TV, $ 60M raised. Ioana Hreninciuc, Ru...

It takes courage to build a game company. It takes courage to decide to close a company. It takes double courage to talk about it and share the learnings. In this episode, we follow the journey of Shelby Moledina, co-founder of Double Loop Games, from the aspiring start in 2019 to the difficult decision to close the company in 2023. Shelby shares the story of founding Double Loop Games, focusing o...

Is that a crazy idea to start a new game company in 2024?! We are resuming the podcast in May, tackling the multiple challenges of building a new company/studio and surviving in 2024. We kick off this new season, with the journey of Sophie Vo , founder of Rise and Play and first-time CEO of a game company. Sophie shares her process of becoming a CEO, the challenges of fundraising and pitching, app...

In this special episode, Sophie Vo shares a heartfelt thank you to the community for their loyalty and support over the past three years, and reveals a major personal update: the start of her new game company, Kylan. This new venture will lead to a short break in podcast content, but we assure listeners that this is just a brief hiatus! We are onboarding new co-hosts so if you're interested in...

In this episode, we interview Jamie Smith, a principal game designer at People Can Fly, about the challenges and insights into design leadership for AAA development. While agile development with quick feedback loop is common for mobile games, it is not for AAA! So how do you combine the mindset of agility and traditionally long and siloed AAA game development? Jamie Smith, with over 13 years of ex...

In this episode, we deconstruct the success of Beatstar, from the lens of design and company culture at Space Ape Games, with our special guest Charmie Kim , Game lead at Space Ape Games. We explore the evolution of game development from first-mover advantages beginnings to the complex, research-driven approach necessary in today's competitive market. Through Charmie's journey from working...

We interview Derk De Geus, co-CEO and Co-Founder of Paladin Studio to explore leadership lessons learned over two decades in the gaming industry. The episode covers the genesis of Paladin Studio, its transition from a service company to a game development studio, and how it navigated challenges and growth without external investment. Bootstrapping successfully a studio is a rare story we hear of t...

Different teams make different games, for different audiences, In this episode, we interview the duo Caroline Marchal and Charu Desodt, respectively CEO and Studio Director at Interior Night, to share their journey building an innovative AAA studio from scratch. Interior Night is an independent game studio formed by Quantic Dream and Sony veterans based in London , dedicated to creating innovative...

In this episode, we follow the journey of Laura Carter , CEO and co-founder of TreesPlease Games , with the mission to bring a positive impact on the planet, through games. After a stellar career at companies such as Natural Motion, Square Enix, The Walt Disney Company and PlayStation Studios , Laura decided in 2019 to take a leap and bring her passion for the planet and business together and foun...

The podcast features Kim Nordström , a gaming industry veteran from Paradox Interactive and King , and the author of 'Up, Down, Up' , a book about the life cycle phases of gaming startups. We delve into Kim's analytical approach exploring startup successes and failures, identifying key patterns across companies. Over two years of research, Kim interviewed over a hundred gaming founders...