Naavik Gaming Podcast

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The Naavik Gaming Podcast is a business-focused exploration of the companies, trends, strategies and leaders that are defining the future…

by Naavik

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About Naavik Gaming Podcast

The Naavik Gaming Podcast is a business-focused exploration of the companies, trends, strategies and leaders that are defining the future of games. To learn more and see other great content visit www.naavik.co.

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Episodes

Latest 200 episodes in the feed

Oct 27, 2026 · 1 hr 1 min

What Happens When AI Becomes Your Gaming Teammate

For years, AI in gaming has promised smarter NPCs, cheaper content creation, and more dynamic worlds. Yet few of these promises have translated into commercially viable player experiences. Our host, Alexandra Takei , VP at Medal & General Intuition , sits down with Brian Tanner , co-founder and CEO of Artificial Agency and former DeepMind leader, to explore the emergence of agentic gameplay and the company's…
Oct 20, 2026 · 43 min

Why Investors Keep Betting on Gardens?

Three years after raising a $31.3M Series A off a prototype shown behind closed doors at GDC, Gardens Interactive still hasn’t announced a release date. Investors just put in another $35M+ anyway. In this episode, Kalie Moore welcomes back Stephen Bell and Chris Bell, two of Gardens’ three co-founders and the team behind Journey, Sky, What Remains of Edith Finch and Blaseball, following a Series B led by Lightspeed…
Oct 18, 2026 · 14 min

Newsletter: Meta’s Role in Gaming Today - Muse, VR, and UA

This episode covers the Naavik Digest newsletter published on October 18th. In this week’s issue, we look into Meta, exploring the company’s shift away from gaming-focused VR hardware towards AI and AR glasses, and its resurgent mobile advertising engine. You can read the newsletter (with even more sections and visual detail) here: https://naavik.substack.com/p/metas-role-in-gaming-today-muse-vr-ua Want to explore…
Oct 13, 2026 · 52 min

The Solo Developer Making Seven Figures From Free Browser Games

Most studios have teams, funding, and a publisher behind them. Abe Train has a laptop and a handful of contractors. In this episode, Kalie Moore sits down with Abe, founder of Trainwreck Labs, to unpack how a former head of business intelligence at HelloFresh became one of the most successful independent developers in daily browser games. Abe quit his job on the last day of 2021 with about six months of runway, and…
Oct 11, 2026 · 11 min

Newsletter: CD Projekt’s Best Days May Be Ahead

This episode covers the Naavik Digest newsletter published on October 11th. In this week’s issue, we check in on CD Projekt, looking at the company’s current state, ongoing projects, and how the company has shifted its way of working to drive a more successful future. You can read the newsletter (with even more sections and visual detail) here: https://naavik.substack.com/p/cd-projekts-best-days-may-be-ahead Want…

Earlier episodes (195)

Oct 6, 2026 How Behavioral AI Helps Fight Cheating
As cheating becomes more sophisticated, anti-cheat is increasingly shifting from detecting software to understanding player behavior. Host Devin Becker is joined by André Pimenta Ribeiro , CEO & Co-Founder of Anybrain, to discuss how behavioral anti-cheat analyzes player inputs, where it fits alongside traditional tools, and why some approaches avoid software access entirely. The conversation explores the business…
Oct 3, 2026 Newsletter: The Road Toward AI-Enabled Fandom
This episode covers Naavik’s AI x Gaming newsletter published on September 29th. In this week’s issue, we take a broader look at the entertainment landscape to map out what recent announcements from Disney, Hasbro, and miHoYo could mean for the future of gaming fandom. You can read the newsletter (with even more sections and visual detail) here: https://naavik.substack.com/p/from-disney-to-mihoyo-the-road-toward…
Sep 27, 2026 Naavik Digest : 'Tis the Season - Holiday Live-Ops In 2026
This episode covers the Naavik Digest newsletter published on Sunday, September 27th. In this week’s issue, we take a look at how seasonal live-ops performs in 2026, analyzing a decade of Sensor Tower revenue and download data across 15 top mobile titles, alongside console and Roblox data. Want to explore working with Naavik? Shoot us a note: https://naavik.co/contact-us/ Let us know what you think by sending us a…
Sep 22, 2026 How AI Makes Game Creation More Accessible
AI is making game creation more accessible, but building reliable games that can reach players across multiple platforms requires more than simply prompting an LLM. Host Devin Becker welcomes Robby Yung , CEO of The Sandbox, to discuss Sandbox Studio and its approach to AI-assisted UGC development. Robby explains what the team learned from the original Game Maker, where Studio draws the line between structured…
Sep 20, 2026 Naavik Digest: The Real Value of Licensed IP
This episode covers the Naavik Digest newsletter published on Sunday, September 20th. In this week’s issue, we dig into the data and assess to what extent external IP drives a video game’s success. You can read the newsletter (with even more sections and visual detail) here: https://naavik.substack.com/p/the-real-value-of-licensed-ip Want to explore working with Naavik? Shoot us a note:…
Sep 15, 2026 Is Gaming in an AI Bubble? What the Deal Data Says
Gaming financing hit a 12-month high in Q2 2026, with over $2.5B raised across fewer than 100 rounds. In this episode, recorded in person at Gamescom, Kalie Moore sits down with Michael Metzger, Managing Partner at Drake Star Partners, to work out what that actually signals. Michael leads Drake Star's gaming and digital media practice and is behind the quarterly report the industry reads to track where capital is…
Sep 13, 2026 Naavik Digest: The New Money Behind Indie Games
This episode covers the Naavik Digest newsletter published on Sunday, September 13th. In this week’s issue, explore the recent increase in notable indie game developers launching their own publishing businesses. You can read the newsletter (with even more sections and visual detail) here: https://naavik.substack.com/p/the-new-money-behind-indie-games Want to explore working with Naavik? Shoot us a note:…
Sep 8, 2026 How AI Is Transforming User Acquisition
AI is rapidly changing user acquisition (UA), not just by speeding up creative production but by expanding how campaigns themselves can be managed. Host Devin Becker is joined by Amit Carmi , co-founder and CEO of Sett, to explore how AI is being used to combat creative fatigue, generate video and playable ads, and increasingly automate parts of the UA workflow. Amit breaks down where AI creative works well today…
Sep 1, 2026 A New Era of Publishing
Live from Gamescom at the Xsolla Clubhouse in Cologne, Alexandra Takei , VP of Platform Revenue & Gaming at Medal and General Intuition, sits down with Ben Kvalo , Founder and CEO of Midwest Games , to unpack what she calls "new age publishing." With traditional deals no longer the only game in town, Ben explains why he built Midwest Games to run two publishing models under one roof: a classic…
Aug 30, 2026 Naavik Digest: The Future of Kids Games
This episode covers the Naavik Digest newsletter published on Sunday, August 30th. In this week’s issue, we explore the present and future of kids games through the lens of Netflix launching Netflix Playground and Haveli acquiring Budge Studios. You can read the newsletter (with even more sections and visual detail) here: https://naavik.substack.com/p/the-future-of-kids-games Learn more about Appcharge:…
Aug 25, 2026 The Game Server Hosting Company Private Equity Couldn't Buy
Game server hosting is the layer nobody thinks about until it breaks. In this episode, Kalie Moore sits down with Max Podkidkin, Co-Founder and CEO of BisectHosting, to unpack how a Minecraft server that went dark for three days turned into a 15-year infrastructure business serving hundreds of thousands of customers across more than 140 countries. Max put the first hardware on a credit card, recruited a co-founder…
Aug 23, 2026 Naavik Digest: The Great Mobile Convergence
This episode covers the Naavik Digest newsletter published on Sunday, August 23rd. In this week’s issue, we share our latest podcast episode and tackle how and why the mobile games industry keeps converging on best practices across genres — and what that means for the future. You can read the newsletter (with even more sections and visual detail) here: https://naavik.substack.com/p/the-great-mobile-convergence Want…
Aug 18, 2026 Can Portugal Become Europe’s Next Gaming Powerhouse?
Between 2018 and 2024, the turnover of Portuguese games companies went from around 5 million to nearly 100 million. In this episode, Kalie Moore sits down with Jefferson Valadares, Co-Founder and CEO of partNerd and President of the Portuguese Association of Game Development Companies, to unpack whether a country long known for exporting its best talent can become a home for original IP. Jefferson has seen the…
Aug 16, 2026 Naavik Digest: Roblox's Expensive Year of Good Intentions
This episode covers the Naavik Digest newsletter published on Sunday, August 16th. In this week’s issue, we examine Roblox, which lost nearly a third of its value after it reported Q2 2026 results. We explore what the latest numbers might mean for the present and future of the company. You can read the newsletter (with even more sections and visual detail) here: https://www.naavik.co/digest/…
Aug 9, 2026 Naavik Digest: How Friendslop Is Disrupting the Live-ops Status Quo
This episode covers the Naavik Digest newsletter published on Sunday, August 9th. In this week’s issue, we discuss the rising “friendslop" phenomenon, why it’s somewhat disrupting established live-ops practices, and whether it is sustainable long-term. You can read the newsletter (with even more sections and visual detail) here: https://www.naavik.co/digest/ friendslop-disrupting-the-live-ops-status-quo Meet with…
Aug 2, 2026 Naavik Digest: Why Platform-Led Gaming in China Is Falling Short
This episode covers the Naavik Digest newsletter published on Sunday, August 2nd. In this week’s issue, we discuss the decline of platform-led gaming in China through the lens of Alibaba’s likely sale of Lingxi Games, the studio behind Three Kingdoms Tactics. You can read the newsletter (with even more sections and visual detail) here: https://www.naavik.co/digest/…
Jul 31, 2026 Fractional Talent’s Growing Role in Game Development
As studios contend with layoffs, hiring freezes, longer development cycles, and a growing supply of experienced talent outside traditional roles, fractional work is emerging as a potential middle ground between full-time hiring and conventional consulting. Host Devin Becker is joined by Aaron Bush , co-founder and Managing Partner of Naavik, to discuss why the company expanded from research and advisory into…
Jul 26, 2026 Naavik Digest: How Online Fandom Is Rewriting the IP Playbook
This episode covers the Naavik Digest newsletter published on Sunday, July 26th. In this week’s issue, we examine how a new generation of creators and internet-native IP — sometimes memes or worlds that no one owns — are starting to take the entertainment world by storm in new ways. You can read the newsletter (with even more sections and visual detail) here: https://www.naavik.co/digest/…
Jul 21, 2026 Inside Subway Surfers, Mobile Gaming's Most Enduring Hit
Fourteen years after launch, Subway Surfers is still one of the biggest games in the world. In this episode, Kalie Moore sits down with Mathias Gredal Nørvig, CEO of SYBO, to unpack how a mobile game launched in 2012 continues to attract between 100 and 150 million monthly players while nearly every other hit from its era has faded away. They explore the philosophy behind Subway Surfers' iconic World Tour live…
Jul 19, 2026 Naavik Digest: The Memo That Undid 10 Years of XBOX Strategy
This episode covers the Naavik Digest newsletter published on Sunday, July 19th. In this week’s issue, we shine a light on the memo that undid 10 years of Xbox strategy, focusing on what CEO Asha Sharma is actually trying to achieve. You can read the newsletter (with even more sections and visual detail) here: https://www.naavik.co/digest/ the-memo-that-undid-ten-years-of-xbox-strategy Meet with Naavik at Gamescom:…
Jul 16, 2026 What Game Studios Still Get Wrong About DTC
Direct-to-consumer (DTC) is moving from an experimental monetization channel toward a more established part of game publishing, but adoption remains uneven. Host Devin Becker is joined by David Stelzer , CSO of Appcharge , to discuss findings from the company’s recent report and what they reveal about the current state of DTC. They examine why more than half of studios are still making few meaningful changes, what…
Jul 12, 2026 Naavik Digest: How the AI Boom Is Rewiring the Console Business
This episode covers the Naavik Digest newsletter published on Sunday, July 12th. In today’s issue, we evaluate the memory boom’s effect on the present and future of gaming hardware. You can read the newsletter (with even more sections and visual detail) here: https://www.naavik.co/digest/ the-ai-boom-is-repricing-gaming-hardware-and-rewiring-the-console-business Meet with Naavik at Gamescom:…
Jul 7, 2026 Can Performance Marketing Finally Work On Steam?
Mobile has spent the last decade perfecting paid acquisition, and often, paid UA comprises 99% of a mobile game’s marketing budget. PC and console gaming generate tens of billions of dollars in revenue, yet most studios have never tried performance marketing once. PC and console have always played in the field of brand, festivals, press, influencers, and content creators due to a variety of reasons that we unpack…
Jul 5, 2026 Naavik Digest: The Next Wave of Creator-Led Growth
This episode covers the Naavik Digest newsletter published on Sunday, July 5th. In today’s issue, we discuss the underrated, emerging intersection of creators and DTC — and why creator codes specifically are becoming an increasingly low-cost, high-reward way to drive player engagement and monetization. You can read the newsletter (with even more sections and visual detail) here: https://www.naavik.co/digest/…
Jun 30, 2026 Inside Cannes Lions: What Makes Award-Winning Gaming Campaigns?
In this special episode of the Naavik Gaming Podcast, recorded live from the Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity, host Kalie Moore sits down with fellow Cannes Lions Gaming Jury member Cheryl Platz, author of The Game Development Strategy Guide, and former UX leader at Riot Games, Scopely, Microsoft, and Amazon. Together, they pull back the curtain on what it was actually like judging one of the…
Jun 28, 2026 Naavik Digest: Two Underrated Mobile Development Regions
This episode covers the Naavik Digest newsletter published on Sunday, June 28th. In today’s issue, we uncover two underrated mobile development regions that are flying under the radar — a downloads powerhouse and a small but mighty region punching above its weight. You can read the newsletter (with even more sections and visual detail) here: https://www.naavik.co/digest/ two-underrated-mobile-development-regions…
Jun 23, 2026 What Game Studios Can Learn from the AI Microdrama Boom
In this episode, host Kalie Moore sits down with Angela Yu, Co-Founder and Co-CEO of StoReel, to explore one of the fastest-growing entertainment categories that gaming executives should be paying attention to: AI-native microdramas. While many still think of microdramas as shortened TV shows, Angela argues they have far more in common with mobile games, relying on retention loops, emotional hooks, creator…
Jun 21, 2026 Naavik Digest: 30 Years of Gaming at LEGO
This episode covers the Naavik Digest newsletter published on Sunday, June 21st. In today’s issue, we dive deep into LEGO’s 30-year history, examining its roots, how it is quietly starting to change, and what comes next for the company in gaming. You can read the newsletter (with even more sections and visual detail) here: https://www.naavik.co/digest/ thirty-years-of-gaming-at-lego Want to explore working with…
Jun 14, 2026 Naavik Digest: The Microdrama Volume vs. Value Paradox
This episode covers the Naavik Digest newsletter published on Sunday, June 14th. In today’s issue, we discuss the current state of microdramas — a category which rapidly evolved from a niche Chinese entertainment phenomenon into one of the fastest-growing mobile content categories in the world — exploring the widening gap between audience expansion and monetization, a trend which raises important questions about…
Jun 9, 2026 Lessons from Real M&A Transactions: Getting Studios Bought
Gaming M&A is no longer just a story about strategics buying obvious hits. In this episode, Alexandra Takei , VP of Platform Revenue at Medal , sits down with Brogan Keane , Managing Partner at Double Black Capital , to unpack what actually happens when a game studio reaches the end of its company lifecycle: sale, exit, or recapitalization. The conversation breaks down who is buying game companies today, from…
Jun 7, 2026 Naavik Digest: Embracer Splits Again
This episode covers the Naavik Digest newsletter published on Sunday, June 7th. In today’s issue, we shine a light on Embracer after the company recently announced it is splitting up again. We look back at the key strategic decisions the company has made and what they might mean for its future. You can read the newsletter (with even more sections and visual detail) here: https://www.naavik.co/digest/…
Jun 2, 2026 How to Reduce Churn and Keep Players Playing
Keeping players playing is getting harder as player attention fragments and expectations rise, so understanding churn has become a core live-ops competency. Host Devin Becker sits down with Elad Levy , Founder & CTO of Dive , to break down how churn is defined (and when it’s actually “permanent”), the behavioral signals that players are drifting toward the exit, and the underlying causes teams can often address…
May 31, 2026 Naavik Digest: Dissecting Scopely's Mobile Empire
This episode covers the Naavik Digest newsletter published on Sunday, May 31st. In today’s issue, we dive deep into Scopely and the three titles which generate close to 95% of the company’s monthly in-app revenue, examining their current states and future prospects. You can read the newsletter (with even more sections and visual detail) here: https://www.naavik.co/digest/ dissecting-scopelys-mobile-empire Want to…
May 26, 2026 True Crime, Now Playable: Inside Scriptic's Cross-Platform Bet
In this episode, host Kalie Moore sits down with James Nicholls, Studio Director at Scriptic, to explore one of the most fascinating intersections emerging in entertainment today: true crime, interactive storytelling, streaming platforms, and AI-powered production. Scriptic’s breakout title, Scriptic: Crime Stories, became one of the top-performing games in Netflix Games history by turning players into detectives…
May 24, 2026 Naavik Digest: Where will Asha Sharma take Xbox?
This episode covers the Naavik Digest newsletter published on Sunday, May 24th. This week, we take a closer look at Asha Sharma's progress and plans three months into her tenure as CEO of Xbox — reviewing her early moves and what she may need to do to reverse Xbox’s fortunes. You can read the newsletter (with even more sections and visual detail) here: https://www.naavik.co/digest/ where-will-asha-sharma-take-xbox…
May 20, 2026 Listening to Players at Scale
Host Devin Becker sits down with Tom Gayner , CEO of Levellr , to dig into what it actually looks like to listen to players at scale, and how to turn the constant stream of feedback from places like Discord and Reddit into usable sentiment signals. Tom breaks down how Levellr gathers and organizes that data, what teams gain when they treat social channels as a living feedback layer, and how different communities or…
May 17, 2026 Naavik Digest: The Eastern Playbook for Dominating Western Audiences
This episode covers the Naavik Digest newsletter published on Sunday, May 17th. This week, we conduct a focused case study within the highly competitive Merge-2 subgenre of the casual mobile F2P market, where certain Eastern developers are now consistently out-monetizing their Western counterparts while competing for the same audience pools. You can read the newsletter (with even more sections and visual detail)…
May 14, 2026 Premium: Driving Back Catalogue, DLC, and the Long Tail
Most premium games are treated like opening-weekend businesses: if they do not spike, studios cut losses and move on. This episode challenges that instinct. Alexandra Takei , VP of Platform Revenue at Medal , sits down with Ian Fielding , CEO of Super Evil Megacorp , to discuss how studios can build durable premium games, manage back catalogs, and survive as independent AA companies in a market that increasingly…
May 10, 2026 Naavik Digest: Inside Saudi Arabia's $38 Billion Gaming Empire
This is the audio version of the Naavik Digest newsletter published on May 10th, 2026. This week, we dive deep into Savvy Games Group, exploring what the Saudi Arabian gaming holding company now owns, how it’s performed, and its endgame. You can read the newsletter (with even more sections and visual detail) here: https://www.naavik.co/digest/ inside-saudi-arabias-gaming-empire Meet with Naavik at the Nordic Game…
May 5, 2026 Building for the Fandoms Gaming Forgot: Inside Dorian's No-Code UGC Platform
In this episode, host Kalie Moore sits down with Julia Palatovska, Co-Founder and CEO of Dorian, to explore one of the most underappreciated shifts in entertainment: the convergence of user-generated content, interactive storytelling, and female-first fandoms. As microdrama consumption explodes globally, Julia argues that the real opportunity isn’t just in passive viewing but in turning audiences into creators and…
May 3, 2026 Naavik Digest: Why China’s Gaming Giants Are Pivoting to Lifestyle-Sims
This is the audio version of the Naavik Digest newsletter published on May 3rd, 2026. This week, we examine what direction China’s gaming giants are taking following the decline of the traditional Anime-Gacha ARPG model. You can read the newsletter (with even more sections and visual detail) here: https://www.naavik.co/digest/ beyond-gacha-why-chinas-gaming-giants-are-pivoting-to-lifestyle-sims Meet with Naavik at…
Apr 28, 2026 Fandoms, Writing Moats, and the Future of Interactive Fiction
In this episode, host Kalie Moore sits down with Terry Lee, CEO of Fusebox Games, to unpack one of the most overlooked but powerful business models in mobile gaming: interactive fiction built on licensed IP. While much of the industry chases scale through mechanics or ads, Fusebox has quietly built a $30M+ business by turning hit TV shows like Love Island into living, evolving games with some of the highest payer…
Apr 26, 2026 Naavik Digest: Unity’s Ad-Driven Turnaround
This is the audio version of the Naavik Digest newsletter published on April 26th, 2026. This week, we dive into Unity’s ongoing turnaround, the promise of Vector (its ad platform), and what comes next as AI evolves game development. You can read the newsletter (with even more sections and visual detail) here: https://www.naavik.co/digest/ unitys-ad-driven-turnaround Let us know what you think by sending us a note…
Apr 21, 2026 Building AI Tools for Roblox Creators
Host Devin Becker sits down with Nicolas Vizioli (Founder of Lemonade ) to unpack what “AI coding for UGC in Roblox” actually looks like in practice, ranging from how Lemonade plugs into Roblox workflows to why Roblox is a uniquely interesting target compared to broader “vibe coding” for apps. Nicolas shares early results, where the product is (and isn’t) competitive with Roblox’s native tools, and how AI-assisted…
Apr 19, 2026 Naavik Digest: Is The Era of Mobile “AI Slop” Games Here?
This is the audio version of the Naavik Digest newsletter published on April 19th, 2026. We examine the exploding number of mobile games made with AI, exploring how advances in generative AI and vibe coding are affecting the market and whether these additions are still just “AI slop” games. You can read the newsletter (with even more sections and visual detail) here: https://www.naavik.co/digest/…
Apr 14, 2026 The Role of Co-Development in Modern Game Development
It can feel like modern game development competes to ship the best game with the smallest possible team. We constantly hear stories about breakout titles built by a handful of developers, but that narrative is often incomplete. Behind many “tiny teams” sits a much larger layer of co-development, outsourcing, and external support across engineering, art, QA, localization, and more. In this episode, host Alexandra…
Apr 12, 2026 Naavik Digest: Music Games and the Setlist Problem
This is the audio version of the Naavik Digest newsletter published on April 12th, 2026. We dig into the past, present, and future of music games – exploring the nuances of licensing, mobile winners, Fortnite’s music evolution, Duolingo’s new focus, the upcoming launch of Stage Tour, and more. You can read the newsletter (with even more sections and visual detail) here: https://www.naavik.co/digest/…
Apr 8, 2026 How Game Devs Use AI Today
Host Devin Becker sits down with Aaron Bush (Managing Partner & Co-founder of Naavik) for a grounded look at how games are using AI today, separating real production wins from the hype. They map where the industry is right now and then dig into concrete examples across the pipeline: Capcom’s ideation and efficiency gains , Pearl Abyss using placeholder assets during development on Crimson Desert , Embark and…
Apr 5, 2026 Naavik Digest: Epic’s Strategic Shake-Up
This is the audio version of the Naavik Digest newsletter published on April 5th, 2026. We explore Epic Game’s strategic shake-up in the wake of its latest layoffs, including its reorientation on UGC creators, Fortnite’s stagnation, the looming Disney IP implementation, and what else may come next. You can read the newsletter (with even more sections and visual detail) here: https://www.naavik.co/digest/…
Mar 31, 2026 The Future of Games Media: AI, Substack, and the Rise of Independent Journalism
In this episode, host Kalie Moore sits down with Stephen Totilo, founder of Game File and a veteran games journalist with over two decades of experience across MTV News, Kotaku, and Axios to unpack how the media landscape around gaming is rapidly evolving. As traditional outlets shrink and more journalists go independent, Stephen shares what it actually looks like to build a sustainable, subscription-based…
Mar 29, 2026 Naavik Digest: LLMs for Games Consumer Research
This is the audio version of the Naavik Digest newsletter published on March 22nd, 2026. We explore a slightly overlooked area of AI in game development: consumer research. We focus on recent studies aimed at leveraging the vast data within LLMs to replicate human behavior and how we can actually make use of these studies in a practical way. You can read the newsletter (with even more sections and visual detail)…
Mar 26, 2026 The State of Gaming in 2026 (with Sensor Tower)
Host Devin Becker sits down with Sam Aune (Gaming Analyst at Sensor Tower) to break down Sensor Tower's State of Gaming 2026 report , which covers the current mobile, console, and PC gaming landscape. The conversation spans genre-level signals and platform shifts, such as why 4X strategy bucked mobile’s downward trend to what’s driving PC’s growth. Devin and Sam unpack recent outliers and inflection points like how…
Mar 22, 2026 Naavik Digest: NCSoft’s $200M Bet on Cash-Reward Gaming
This is the audio version of the Naavik Digest newsletter published on March 22nd, 2026. We look into the Korean games giant NCSoft’s 70% acquisition in the Berlin-based cash-reward gaming platform JustPlay. We unpack what this deal — the latest in a long string of M&A — might mean for the company’s future. You can read the newsletter (with even more sections and visual detail) here: https://www.naavik.co/digest/…
Mar 17, 2026 GDC 2026: AI, UGC, and the New Reality of Game Funding
In this special GDC episode, host Kalie Moore sits down with Tiago Correia, the Founder of Save Point, and a longtime operator and investor at the intersection of gaming, media, and technology, to unpack the biggest themes emerging from this year’s Game Developers Conference (GDC) in San Francisco. They discuss the current mood across the industry, which remains cautiously optimistic but far from the exuberance of…
Mar 15, 2026 Naavik Digest: Unpacking Capcom’s Win-Streak
This is the audio version of the Naavik Digest newsletter published on March 8th, 2026. We take a look at the Japanese publisher Capcom, exploring how it has managed to sustain growth and success for years, and what its future might look like. You can read the newsletter (with even more sections and visual detail) here: https://www.naavik.co/digest/ unpacking-capcoms-win-streak Read our new State of UGC Games…
Mar 10, 2026 How Better Measurement Will Unlock the Next Wave of Brands in Gaming
In this episode, host Kalie Moore talks with Bastian Bergmann, Co-founder & COO of Solsten, about the collision between gaming and branding, and why most companies still don’t know how to show up in games without feeling like an ad. With 3B+ people playing worldwide and gaming still capturing only ~5% of global ad spend, Bastian argues the opportunity isn’t awareness, it’s audience strategy. Kalie and Bastian break…
Mar 8, 2026 Naavik Digest: The Arc Raiders-ification of Nexon
This is the audio version of the Naavik Digest newsletter published on March 8th, 2026. We look at Nexon and how the success of ARC Raiders might transform the company’s future. Read our new State of UGC Games report here: https://naavik.co/deep-dives/the-state-of-ugc-games-2026 Meet us at GDC 2026 by filling out this short form: https://naavik.typeform.com/to/gVDtj4UO You can read the newsletter (with even more…
Mar 3, 2026 How Sub-$200K Games Win Discovery and the Steam Algorithm
A new breed of “micro-indie” publisher is emerging: teams that fund sub-$200K games, ship fast, and treat releases like a portfolio. In this episode, host Alexandra Takei , VP at Medal , sits down with Kirill Akimkin , founder of Polden Publishing , to unpack the world of micro indies and discovery. In 2025, they shipped almost 8 games with $800K and plan to ship 20 titles in 2026. Kirill explains that much of…
Mar 1, 2026 Naavik Digest: The State of UGC Games in 2026
This is the audio version of the Naavik Digest newsletter published on March 1st, 2026. We provide a snippet of our new deep dive covering all things UGC gaming. We break down the latest performance of leaders like Roblox, Fortnite Creative, Overwolf, and explore other notable trends and companies. You can read the full report here: https://naavik.co/deep-dives/the-state-of-ugc-games-2026 Meet us at GDC 2026 by…
Feb 22, 2026 Naavik Digest: How Niche Subgenres are Reshaping the Mobile Puzzle Market
This is the audio version of the Naavik Digest newsletter published on February 22nd, 2026. We explore how niche subgenres – Block, Sort, and Screw – are reshaping the mobile puzzle market. You can read the newsletter (with even more sections and visual detail) here: https://www.naavik.co/digest/ how-niche-subgenres-are-reshaping-the-mobile-puzzle-market Meet us at GDC 2026 by filling out this short form:…
Feb 17, 2026 Why Healthcare Is Gaming’s Next Trillion-Dollar Market
Medical training is still stuck in the arcade era: expensive, basement-bound simulators and outdated software that rarely capture the real stakes of clinical decision-making. In this episode, host Alexandra Takei , Studio Director at Ruckus Games , sits down with Sam Glassenberg , founder of Level Ex (now part of Relevate Health ), to unpack how game developers can modernize healthcare learning by truly embracing…
Feb 16, 2026 Naavik Digest: Why Turkish Game Development Matters in 2026
This is the audio version of the Naavik Digest newsletter published on February 15th, 2026. We explore Turkish game development in 2026, discussing what other countries can learn from its ascent and considerations for its next era. You can read the newsletter (with even more sections and visual detail) here: https://naavik.co/digest/why-turkish-game-development-matters-in-2026/ Meet us at GDC 2026 by filling out…
Feb 10, 2026 AAA Publisher Struggles, Roblox’s Growth and Transmedia Success
After a volatile few months across games, tech, and public markets, it’s time for a grounded check-in on where the industry actually stands. Host Devin Becker is joined by Aaron Bush (Managing Partner & Co-Founder, Naavik) to unpack the latest signals – from AAA publisher performance and what recent EA earnings suggest for big franchises like Battlefield, to Ubisoft’s ongoing restructuring, studio closures, and the…
Feb 8, 2026 Naavik Digest: Project Genie and the Stock Market’s Category Error
This is the audio version of the Naavik Digest newsletter published on February 8th, 2026. We look into Project Genie — Google’s experimental AI that generates short, navigable 3D scenes — and explore the possible implications of world models for game engines and developers. You can read the newsletter (with even more sections and visual detail) here: https://www.naavik.co/digest/ square-enix-refutes-and-reframes…
Feb 3, 2026 Family-First Gaming: Breaking Into Consumer Hardware with Nex
In this episode, host Kalie Moore talks with David Lee, Co-founder & CEO of Nex, to unpack one of the rarest success stories in modern gaming: launching a new consumer console and winning. In a category dominated for decades by the same three players, Nex broke through by rethinking who gaming hardware is for. Often compared to Wii or Kinect, Nex’s real innovation isn’t motion-based play alone, but a family-first…
Feb 1, 2026 Naavik Digest: Do "Fair" Gacha Games Work?
This is the audio version of the Naavik Digest newsletter published on February 1st, 2026. We dive deep into the “fair” gacha Asian action RPGs to explore the performance of their unique monetization strategy and to see if prioritizing player fairness can lead to significant gains. You can read the newsletter (with even more sections and visual detail) here: https://www.naavik.co/digest/…
Jan 25, 2026 Naavik Digest: Square Enix Refutes and Reframes
This is the audio version of the Naavik Digest newsletter published on January 25th, 2026. We examine Square Enix’s recent performance, explore what’s changed since the last time we checked in on the company, and take a look at its future. You can read the newsletter (with even more sections and visual detail) here: https://www.naavik.co/digest/ square-enix-refutes-and-reframes Let us know what you think by sending…
Jan 20, 2026 Inside the PC Game Gray Market Economy
The PC games “gray market” isn’t just a couple of shady websites. It’s an economic behavior that exploits regional pricing and promotion timing to siphon revenue away from publishers. In this episode, Our host, Alexandra Takei , Director at Ruckus Games , sits down with Vadim Andreev , CEO of Rokky (and former founder of PlayKey), to unpack how retail-era code resale evolved into today’s global key-arbitrage…
Jan 18, 2026 Naavik Digest: What Leading Match-3 & Merge Games Do Differently
This is the audio version of the Naavik Digest newsletter published on January 18th, 2026. We look back at the mobile Match-3 and Merge genres in 2025, exploring what succeeded, what top performers do differently, and what might be important in the future. You can read the newsletter (with even more sections and visual detail) here: https://www.naavik.co/digest/ what-leading-match-3-and-merge-games-do-differently…
Jan 14, 2026 Why UGC Creators Need Webshops Too
The direct-to-consumer (D2C) model is expanding beyond traditional webshops and into the world of user-generated content (UGC), especially on PC and console. In this episode, host Devin Becker is joined by Liam Wiltshire , General Manager at Tebex , to explore how the evolution of private servers, mods, and community-run experiences is shaping new monetization strategies. Liam shares the origin story of Tebex and…
Jan 6, 2026 How User-Generated Games Are Becoming Hollywood Franchises
In this episode, host Kalie Moore talks with Dmitri Johnson and Mike Goldberg, co-founders of Story Kitchen, the production company behind major game-to-screen adaptations spanning Sonic the Hedgehog, Tomb Raider, Streets of Rage, and more. We explore how transmedia is evolving in a UGC-first world, where players don’t just consume IP, they shape it, and why Roblox worlds are starting to look less like “games” and…
Dec 16, 2025 How AI Continues to Reshape Game QA
Generative AI has made major leaps since we last explored its use in game QA, and this episode dives into how that progress is reshaping the field. Host Devin Becker is joined again by Christoffer Holmgård and Julian Togelius , co-founders of modl.ai, to unpack how recent advances in computer vision and agent behavior are enabling fully no-code QA testing workflows. We discuss the shift from traditional…
Dec 9, 2025 Inside General Intuition’s Push to Build Embodied AI Agents
World models are rapidly becoming AI’s next frontier, and in this episode we break down why. Host, Alexandra Takei , Director at Ruckus Games , sits down with Pim de Witte , founder of General Intuition and Medal , to explore how billions of gameplay videos can power a new class of embodied agents. Pim explains the fundamental gap between language models, which describe the world, and world models, which simulate…
Dec 3, 2025 The Future of Fortnite Creative
On this episode, host David Taylor dives into one of the most eventful stretches the Fortnite Creative / UEFN ecosystem has seen in months. Epic has rolled out a wave of major updates — from monetization changes to discovery shifts — and today we unpack what they mean for creators, studios, and the future of the platform. David is joined by two fantastic guests. Chad Mustard , COO of JOGO Studios, returns to the…
Nov 18, 2025 Pushing Frontier Tech in Gaming
Pushing the boundaries of what's possible in gaming often means embracing unproven technologies and building in the fog of innovation. In this episode, host Devin Becker is joined by Marco van den Heuvel , co-founder of Beam , to explore what it means to operate at the bleeding edge of gaming infrastructure. Marco shares the origins of Beam and its evolution into a gaming-focused ecosystem built around frontier…
Nov 11, 2025 Hilmar Petursson on Building Games That Last Forever
EVE Online is one of the longest-standing MMOs of all time, celebrating its 22nd anniversary since its launch in 2003. In this episode, host Alexandra Takei , Director at Ruckus Games, sits down with CCP Games’ CEO Hilmar Petursson to unpack how the Icelandic studio still maintains one of gaming’s most complex live worlds, a single universe that has generated over $1B in lifetime revenue and 25 million players.…
Nov 4, 2025 The Creator-Led Studio Playbook
In this episode, host Kalie Moore talks with Zach Letter, Co-founder & CEO of Wonder Works Studio, the makers of hit Roblox experiences, including three SpongeBob titles this year. We dig into how creator roots shape game design and distribution, how influencer-native teams launch differently, and Wonder Works’ long-term bet on licensed IP. The conversation dives into launching without paid UA, weekly live-ops that…
Oct 28, 2025 The Future of Game Publishing Is Player Ownership
In this episode, host Alexandra Takei , Director at Ruckus Games , sits down with Robert van Hoesel , co-founder and CEO of First Look , now part of Pragma , to explore how studios can own and scale their player relationships. Robert’s journey from founding a SaaS company to building First Look began with one simple insight: game studios are some of the most passionate users a software builder could serve, and the…
Oct 21, 2025 The Present & Future of Digital Tabletop RPGs
As digital platforms evolve, so too does the business of tabletop RPGs (TTRPGs). In this episode, host Devin Becker sits down with David Scott , CEO of Evil Genius Games , to explore the intersection of analog and digital in the TTRPG space. David shares his perspective on where the market currently stands, the evolving role of virtual tabletops, and how Evil Genius is adapting its publishing model to bridge…
Oct 14, 2025 AI & Talent in Games Engineering: Hype Meets Reality – Live at Pragma OSS
Are AI games right around the corner? In our second-ever live audience show, host Alexandra Takei , Director at Ruckus Games , sits down with Serge Kynstautas , Head of Engineering at Gardens Interactive , a venture-backed startup building a social online shared fantasy adventure game, and Meir Wasserman , Head of Engineering at 2K Technology. Shooting live from the 3rd annual Pragma Online Services Summit , the…
Oct 7, 2025 Why Big Companies Are Betting on Roblox
In this episode, host David Taylor sits down with two fantastic guests to explore why large entertainment companies are increasingly paying attention to Roblox, how they’re experimenting on the platform today, and what they’ll need to see to fully commit. Chris Petrovic is the Chairman and Chief Business Officer of FunPlus, one of the largest privately held companies in the gaming sector. Chris is a veteran…
Sep 30, 2025 The TikTok of Games
In this episode, host Kalie Moore talks with Charlie Blackstock, Co-founder & CEO of Remix.gg , the “TikTok of games” where anyone can instantly play and remix community-built titles. They discuss why instant, zero-install games resonate with Gen Z and Millennials, how AI is lowering the barrier to creation and enabling culture-speed hits, and how Web3 rails can power creator monetization at scale. The conversation…
Sep 24, 2025 Market Update: UEFN Monetization, Meta’s Vision, and the Future of Consoles
With the games industry in constant evolution, it’s important to occasionally pause and take stock of where things stand. Host Devin Becker is joined by Aaron Bush , Managing Partner and Co-Founder at Naavik, for a wide-ranging check-in on market trends, strategic moves from platform holders and investors, and how the current landscape might evolve from here. The conversation explores Epic’s latest expansion of…
Sep 16, 2025 UA Financing Reshapes Mobile Publishing with Tilting Point
Mobile publishing is a beast of its own, built on speed, data, and above all, user acquisition. In this episode, host Alexandra Takei , Director at Ruckus Games , sits down with Asi Burak , Chief Business Officer of Tilting Point, to unpack the future of mobile publishing and why UA financing has become one of the most talked-about trends in gaming today. Tilting Point, a top 50 global mobile publisher, recently…
Aug 29, 2025 On the Front Lines of AI Game Dev
With AI taking over the tech industry, its role in game development is slowly shifting from novelty to potential necessity. Host Devin Becker sits down with Francois Courset , Senior Consultant at Naavik with experience around using AI in game development, to explore the current and near-future landscape of AI in game creation. The conversation covers everything from Francois’ high-level perspective on AI's role in…
Aug 12, 2025 Inside Gaming’s Deepening Labor Crisis with Amir Satvat
The video game labor market is in crisis, and few understand it better than Amir Satvat . In this episode, host Alexandra Takei , Director at Ruckus Games , sits down with Amir, Tencent BD Director and founder of the world’s largest grassroots games career community , to break down the structural shifts reshaping the industry. From layoffs and shrinking remote roles to the rise of low-cost development geographies,…
Aug 5, 2025 The Business of Esports at EA
In this episode, host Aaron Bush sits down with Monica Dinsmore , Head of Esports at EA, to unpack her journey from finance and ops to leading esports strategy at one of the world’s biggest game publishers. Monica shares behind-the-scenes stories from launching the LEC at Riot Games, navigating the operational chaos of COVID-19, and transitioning to EA to help build and scale their esports vision. The conversation…
Jul 29, 2025 Why the Games Industry Might Triple (Despite Its Challenges)
Former Nexon CEO Owen Mahoney joins Aaron Bush for a candid, wide-ranging conversation about the current and future state of the games industry. While Owen had a successful decade-long run leading one of Asia’s most important gaming companies, this episode explores what he’s been thinking about since stepping down – namely through his sharp (and sometimes spicy) essays critiquing industry norms and offering a…
Jul 16, 2025 Launching a Roblox Game Studio with The Gang
In this episode, host David Taylor sits down with The Gang. Originally a team of five entrepreneurs, The Gang was one of the first venture-backed studios to go all-in on Roblox back in 2020. They quickly made their mark with Strongman Simulator, which shot to the top of the Roblox charts and has racked up over 1.5 billion plays. While they started with hit original titles, The Gang soon shifted to building branded…
Jul 8, 2025 The Story of Medal: Shaping the Future of Gaming Content
Pim de Witte , founder and CEO of Medal, joins Aaron Bush to discuss his journey building a leading platform for capturing and sharing gaming moments. From running Soulsplit (the most popular Runescape private server) as a teenager to navigating early pivots at Medal, Pim shares what sparked his entrepreneurial path, how Medal evolved from a game studio into a social content ecosystem, and what drove the platform’s…
Jun 24, 2025 From Imagine Dragons Fame To Night Street’s Shooter: Last Flag
In this episode, host Alexandra Takei , Director at Ruckus Games , sits down with Mac Reynolds , co-founder and CEO of Night Street Games and Night Street Records, and Matthew Berger , Game Director at Night Street Games. Together, they unpack the journey of building Last Flag — a zany 5v5 hero shooter with capture-the-flag at its heart and music embedded deep in its DNA. From a scrappy prototype built with an…
Jun 17, 2025 Call of Duty: Origins
On this episode, host David Taylor sits down with Dan Bunting , the former Studio Head of Treyarch and one of the key creative leaders behind the Call of Duty franchise. With over 18 years at Treyarch, Dan helped shape some of the most iconic moments in FPS history — from the introduction of Zombies mode in World at War to the rise of the Black Ops series. We explore how Call of Duty became the dominant FPS…
Jun 10, 2025 Exploring the $70M Esports World Cup
The esports industry has heavily evolved over the past few years, and big moves continue to occur – especially out of Saudi Arabia. In this episode, host Aaron Bush is joined by Mike McCabe , COO of the Esports World Cup Foundation, which runs a massive Riyadh-based annual esports festival. It’s gearing up for its second annual event in July, which will host 25 tournaments over 7 weeks with a whopping $70 million…
Jun 3, 2025 Apple vs Epic Aftermath: A New Era for Game DTC
Apple’s forced policy shift following the outcome of its legal battle with Epic Games has opened the door for more flexible Direct to Consumer (DTC) strategies, and game studios are taking notice. Host Devin Becker welcomes Chris Faught , CEO of Neon , to break down what this decision means for developers. Chris clarifies the broader implications of the ruling, the mechanics of implementing DTC models, and how this…
May 27, 2025 2025’s Gaming Landscape: Africa
Africa’s gaming market is young, fast-growing, and mobile-first. In this episode, host Alexandra Takei , Director at Ruckus Games , is joined by Cordel Robbin-Coker , CEO of Carry1st , and Temi Afolabi , a lead on XBOX’s Global Expansion team, to examine the opportunity and hurdles of scaling games in Africa. They break down Africa’s demographics, monetization challenges, and infrastructure gaps. Cordel highlights…
May 20, 2025 Exploring Minecraft's World of Builders & Businesses
In today's episode, host David Taylor dives into the world of Minecraft’s massive creator ecosystem with two of its most influential creators: Raf is the co-founder of Spark Universe , a studio behind one of the most widely used Minecraft tools, Essential Mod , which connects millions of players through a live services platform. With over 50 million downloads and nearly 2 million monthly active users, Spark…
May 7, 2025 Launching Original IP on Roblox
In this episode, podcast David Taylor is joined by Alexander Hicks , the co-founder of Twin Atlas, one of the most innovative studios in the Roblox ecosystem. Twin Atlas is the team behind blockbuster experiences like Creatures of Sonaria, which ranks among the top 30 Roblox games in terms of revenue and engagement according to CreatorExchange.io . At the time of this recording, Twin Atlas experiences are drawing…
Apr 29, 2025 Cross-Border Publishing: Lessons From Netease’s Once Human
In this episode, host Alexandra Takei , Director at Ruckus Games , sits down with Derek Qiu , Head of Overseas Operations at NetEase, to explore the cross-border distribution journey of Once Human , a supernatural survival game from Starry Studio. They discuss the rapid evolution of China's gaming market, how Chinese developers like NetEase are increasing their presence in the West, and how Once Human represents a…
Apr 22, 2025 The State of Publishing and Live Ops
Our guest today, has led teams overseeing some of the biggest commercial successes from the MMORPG genre, and has leveraged those experiences to support dozens more through publishing roles for Xbox Game Studios Publishing and ArenaNet. In this conversation, David Taylor sat down with Crystin Cox , Head of Publishing at ArenaNet and a 20-yr veteran of the video game industry, to discuss her experiences leading…
Apr 8, 2025 The State of UGC Games in 2025
In this episode, host Devin Becker welcomes fellow Naavik host and consultant David Taylor to discuss insights from Naavik’s recent State of UGC Gaming deep dive and beyond. We discuss how leading UGC platforms are evolving and where they face the most promise and challenges, from Roblox’s growing ad and brand integrations to Fortnite’s challenge of escaping its battle royale roots. We also explore emerging…
Apr 1, 2025 The Future of Brands in Live Streaming
In this episode, host, Alexandra Takei , Director at Ruckus Games , dives into the intersection of brand marketing, live streaming, and culturally relevant branded experiences. Joined by Wiktoria Wójcik , co-founder of InStreamly , the conversation explores how brands can integrate into live streaming platforms like Twitch, YouTube, and Kick. InStreamly connects brands with thousands of streamers, facilitating…
Mar 28, 2025 Finding the Fun in VR with AstroBeam and Schell Games
In this episode, host Sam Distaso dives into the cutting edge of VR game development with Devin Reimer (founder and CEO of AstroBeam) and Ed Saxton (CPO of Schell Games). From the early startup days of VR to the evolution of mixed reality, Devin and Ed share how their studios use first-principles thinking to craft unique experiences. We explore how hit games like Job Simulator and Among Us VR came to life and how…
Mar 21, 2025 Sustainable Growth: Building Studios Without External Funding
For the first time in Naavik’s history, we’re excited to bring a live audience show experience to air! At GDC, host, Alexandra Takei , Director at Ruckus Games , sat down with Nick Popovich , CEO and Founder of Monomi Park , in San Francisco for a conversation centered around “doing it all yourself” in the indie games market — no external funding, crowd financing, or publishing support. In 2014, Nick and his…
Mar 18, 2025 Personalization in Gaming: The Holy Grail of User Experience (and Monetization)
In this episode, host Niko Vuori interviews Justin Stolzenberg , co-founder of Metica , a startup aiming to revolutionize gaming analytics through AI-driven insights and personalized experiences. Founded by ex-King and ex-Apple employees, Metica’s approach is a unique combination of King’s iterative, hyper-data-driven approach and Apple’s high-polish culture. The company recently announced their $9 million seed…
Mar 7, 2025 Com2Us’s Evolution: Gaming Innovation and Global Expansion
In this episode, our host, Alexandra Takei , Director at Ruckus Games , sits down with Kyu Lee , Chief Business Development Officer at Com2Us, Partner at CRIT Ventures , and ex-president of Com2Us USA. They explore Com2Us Holdings' evolution from its early days as Gamevil to becoming a global mobile powerhouse with hits like Summoners War, one of the industry’s biggest mobile IPs that has generated over $3B+ in…
Mar 4, 2025 Why Web3 Gaming Is Just Getting Started: Insights from the Ronin Ecosystem
In this episode, host Niko Vuori speaks with Jeff Zirlin , co-founder of Sky Mavis and the play-to-earn OG, Axie Infinity , about the significant developments in the web3 gaming space, particularly the transition of the Ronin blockchain to a permissionless model. They discuss Jeff's background and journey into web3, the origin story and wild ride of Axie Infinity, the evolution of the Ronin blockchain, the…
Feb 26, 2025 Building a #1 Earning VR Game
Over the years, Spatial has undergone a wide-ranging evolution. It evolved from an AR collaboration platform to a Roblox competitor (with 2M+ creators), and it's now a VR game developer with the top earning VR game on the Meta Quest store (Animal Company). Spatial has raised almost $50M, according to Crunchbase, based on the founders’ convictions that 3D virtual spaces are the future of social experiences. In this…
Feb 21, 2025 The Future of AI Unscripted Entertainment
In this episode, host, Alexandra Takei , Director at Ruckus Games , is joined by Jacob Rapoport (CEO and Co-Founder) and Nico Vereecke from Evil Plan to discuss their groundbreaking project in AI-powered, unscripted fantasy entertainment. The conversation explores the future of interactive storytelling, where community influence and fully AI-driven narratives combine to create an entirely new genre of…
Feb 11, 2025 Cloud Creations: Scaling up Game Development
Cloud technology is transforming the way games are developed, hosted, and maintained. In this episode, host Devin Becker is joined by Chris Melissinos , AWS Principal Evangelist for video games, to discuss the growing role of cloud services in game development. Chris highlights how Amazon Web Services (AWS) is empowering developers with tools that reduce production costs, streamline workflows, and enable…
Feb 7, 2025 The State of Video Game Financing in 2025
In this episode, host Alexanda Takei , Director at Ruckus Games , sits down with Spike Laurie , Partner at Hiro Capital , to dissect gaming finance's grim reality in 2025. The conversation starts with a discussion on the industry's downturn, marked by studio closures and a reduction in funding, particularly at the Series A level. Venture capital, once a goldmine for game studios, is now retreating, and if not…
Feb 4, 2025 Can Play-to-Earn Ever Be Sustainable?
In this episode of the Naavik Gaming podcast, host Niko Vuori welcomes back Luke Barwikowski , founder and CEO of Pixels.xyz, to discuss whether Play-to-Earn mechanics can, in fact, be sustainable. Luke shares the evolution of Pixels, its unique approach to Play-to-Earn gaming, and the strategies that have led to significant user growth (10 million registered users) and revenue generation (over $20 million in the…
Jan 31, 2025 The Story of Crunchyroll, GGWP, and Forge
The intersection of anime, games, and technology takes center stage in this episode. Host Aaron Bush is joined by Kun Gao , a serial entrepreneur known for co-founding Crunchyroll , the world’s leading anime streaming platform, and now charting new paths in the games industry with GGWP , an AI-driven moderation platform, and Forge , which is enabling direct-to-consumer loyalty programs for games teams. In this…
Jan 28, 2025 Finding Success with AI Agents and Content Creators
Today, we dive deep into the world of gaming innovation with a guest who’s been at the forefront of some of the industry’s most exciting trends — from enabling user generated content to launching the first commercially successful game leveraging AI agents. In this conversation, our host, David Taylor , sits down with Ran Mo , the Founder and CEO of Proxima, to unpack the lessons learned from Proxima’s success with…
Jan 24, 2025 Building and Scaling Communities in 2025
The role of community management in gaming has never been more critical. In this episode, our host Alexandra Takei , Director at Ruckus Games , joins Andrew Beegle , founder of Beegle Productions and Gravity Gang, and Tim Smith , co-founder of Cohezion AI , to discuss the evolving discipline of community management. Together, they explore the transformation of community roles over the past decade, from the decline…
Jan 21, 2025 Web3 Gaming: What Will 2025 Bring?
In this episode, host Niko Vuori is joined by Naavik’s own web3 analyst, Devin Becker , to dive into the current state of web3 gaming, reflecting on the past year and looking ahead to 2025. They discuss the industry's significant developments, including the emergence (finally!) of quality games, the evolving regulatory landscape, and the shifting dynamics of funding, particularly for indie studios. The conversation…
Jan 10, 2025 Inside NCSoft: Strategy, Partnerships, and Korean Gaming Trends
To kick off the new year, host Alexandra Takei , Director at Ruckus Games , interviews Songyee Yoon , former President and Chief Strategy Officer of NCSoft and now founding partner at PVP Ventures, which recently raised a $100M fund to invest in AI startups . They explore NCSoft’s transformation from its early days to a global gaming powerhouse, focusing on strategic pivots like transitioning from subscription…
Jan 7, 2025 The Evolution of Sports Betting (with FanDuel’s Founder)
In this episode of the Naavik Gaming Podcast, host Niko Vuori interviews Nigel Eccles , the co-founder and former CEO of FanDuel, exploring his journey in the online gaming world, the origin story of FanDuel, its competition with DraftKings, and the regulatory challenges faced by the fantasy sports industry. Nigel shares the inside scoop on the FanDuel multi-billion dollar class action lawsuit and the evolving…
Dec 20, 2024 The State of Video Game Publishing (with Serenity Forge)
The sub-AA/AAA world of games has become increasingly competitive in recent years, and yet Serenity Forge, a diverse 40-50 person publisher based out of Colorado, has found a way to grow, develop, and publish games with very high success rates. How do they do it? To answer this question, host Aaron Bush is joined by Zhenghua (Z) Yang , the founder and CEO of Serenity Forge . They discuss Z’s inspiring story, how…
Dec 17, 2024 Lessons In Writing and Directing Video Game IP
Writing and directing for transmedia is an often overlooked part of world building in video games, but as consumers it is one of the most memorable elements of any game we play. Our host, David Taylor sat down with Neel Upadhye , a creative powerhouse who has left his mark on some of the most iconic franchises in gaming. From shaping the lore of Star Wars: The Old Republic and Battlefield 2042 to crafting Stories…
Dec 13, 2024 Navigating the Botting Industry: Fraud, Cheating, and Multi-Accounting
Botting, an often misused term that encapsulates multi-accounting, cheating, and fraud, plays a pivotal role in gaming — sometimes enhancing experiences but often undermining them. Our host, Alexandra Takei , Director at Ruckus Games , sits down with Henry LeGard , CEO and co-founder of Verisoul , and George Ng , CTO and co-founder of GGWP , to unpack the botting phenomenon. Their nuanced conversation covers why…
Dec 10, 2024 Mastering Merge: How StarBerry Built a Merge-2 Hit
In this episode of the Naavik Gaming Podcast, host Niko Vuori interviews Antti Hattara , co-founder and CEO of StarBerry Games, about their successful mobile game, Merge Mayor. As the game surpasses the $25 million revenue milestone, the conversation covers the game's journey from an idle game that pivoted into a merge-2 (along the lines of Metacore’s Merge Mansion), the challenges of the merge category, and the…
Dec 6, 2024 Transforming UA Creatives Through AI (with Reforged Labs)
AI is increasingly touching every corner of the games industry, and one of the areas it may have the largest impact on is user acquisition. Today, host Aaron Bush is joined by Robert Huynh , co-founder and CEO of Reforged Labs , to discuss how AI will transform the way gaming creatives are made, experimented with, and ultimately convert consumers. They dive into how the world of online content and digital marketing…
Dec 4, 2024 Gaming, Music, & Tipping: A New Era for Creator Payments
Today, host Devin Becker is joined by Sam Means, Founder of Wavlake , and Ben Cousens , Chief Strategy Officer of ZBD , for an exploration of alternative payment systems for creators in the music and gaming industries. The conversation dives into how Wavlake leverages Bitcoin to revolutionize artist payments and music distribution, offering unique benefits over traditional platforms like Spotify and Apple Music.…
Nov 29, 2024 Can Alternative App Stores Thrive Post-DMA?
In this episode of the Naavik Gaming podcast, host Niko Vuori interviews Álvaro Pinto , co-founder and COO of Aptoide, an independent app store with over 430 million users and 10 billion downloads. They discuss the evolution of app distribution, the concept of decentralization, and how Aptoide has grown and adapted over the years. Álvaro shares insights into the company's revenue model, user demographics, and the…
Nov 26, 2024 Gaming IP in 2024: How to Create Lasting Impact on UEFN
One of UEFN's biggest strengths is that it is a melting pot of intellectual property. Jeremy Pedron , Lead Game Designer at JOGO Studios , calls it “a vast childhood playroom”, a place where you can combine playing with Batman while also playing with Legos. As creative costs go down to zero, the modern gaming market is undergoing a transformation in how IP is created. In summary, IP has never been more adaptable.…
Nov 19, 2024 Cheating Payments: The Hidden World of Game Fraud
Host Devin Becker is joined by Zach Nass , Head of Gaming at nSure.ai , to discuss the complex and evolving landscape of payment fraud prevention in gaming. Zach shares insights into why payment fraud in gaming has become such a critical issue today, the unique challenges posed by game-specific economies and marketplaces, and the importance of nuanced, adaptable solutions to secure transactions. We unpack how AI…
Nov 17, 2024 The State of Web3 Gaming with Game7
Host Niko Vuori and guest George Isichos , core contributor at Game7 , discuss the current state of web3 gaming, focusing on the latest Game7 x Naavik research report (which you can download here ). They explore the evolution of the ecosystem, the impact of platforms like Telegram and Epic Games Store, and emerging economic models such as Play-to-Airdrop. The conversation also addresses the challenges posed by bots…
Nov 13, 2024 LinkedIn's Gaming Strategy: Using Games to Foster Connection and Conversation
If you’re reading this, you’re probably one of LinkedIn’s 1B+ global users. You might have also noticed some of your professional connections playing one of LinkedIn’s new games — Queens , Pinpoint , Crossclimb , or Tango — and may even be wondering "why are there games on LinkedIn?" Host Alexandra Takei , Director at Ruckus Games , sits down with Lakshman Somasundaram , Director of Product Management at LinkedIn,…
Nov 11, 2024 Direct-to-Consumer: A Game Changer for Developers
A new frontier is emerging with the advent of "web shops," also known as direct-to-consumer distribution methods. Alexandra Takei , Director at Ruckus Games , sits down with Chris Faught , the CEO and founder of Neon , a direct-to-consumer payments service currently working with Space Ape, Metacore, and Theorycraft to build customizable web shops and geography-specific payment systems, challenging the traditional…
Nov 8, 2024 A New Frontier: Where Transmedia Meets UGC
Host Aaron Bush welcomes Shahar Sorek , CMO of Overwolf, and Nick Tuosto , co-founder of Griffin Gaming Partners and GoodGame Advisors, to discuss the growing – and increasingly interconnected – impact of transmedia and modding on the gaming industry. As beloved entertainment IPs partner with more types of game creators, we examine how these transmedia efforts are reshaping consumer behaviors and evolving the…
Nov 5, 2024 Fortnite Creative Economics with MustardPlays and Birdo
Fortnite has paid out roughly $500 million to creators since UEFN and Creator Economy 2.0 launched in March of 2023. These payouts, which have increased 32.5% YoY (measured from March through September), are showing no signs of slowing down. However, Fortnite Creative engagement as a proportion of total Fortnite engagement has actually declined as Epic has launched more successful modes like 'Reload.' What will it…
Oct 29, 2024 Social Sweeps, the $6B Gaming Category Hiding in Plain Sight
In this episode, host Niko Vuori and guest Sean Ryan delve into the emerging category of social sweepstakes, a gaming model that barely existed as recently as 2017 but has rapidly evolved into a multi-billion dollar industry. In 2023, social sweeps generated almost $6 billion in revenue, and this number is expected to double to nearly $12 billion by next year, 2025. What are social sweeps? When a gaming product…
Oct 25, 2024 AI, New Platforms, & the Future of Game Development
Sebastian Park , co-founder of Infinite Canvas and a favorite recurring guest, joins host Aaron Bush to dive into the fascinating topic of building games on new platforms and with new technologies. They discuss how Infinite Canvas rapidly iterates, uses off-the-shelf LLM tech, and what the team has learned lately from building on Discord, Twitch, and Telegram. If you want to better understand how emerging AI-based…
Oct 22, 2024 How SciPlay Wins in Social Casino, Post-IDFA
In this episode, host Niko Vuori and guest Danny Moy, Chief Strategy Officer at SciPlay, delve into the highly competitive category of social casino. They discuss the evolution of SciPlay, the demographics of social casino players, and the integration of casino mechanics into mainstream games. The conversation also touches on the importance of live operations, the role of AI in game design, and the…
Oct 18, 2024 How Studio Culture Fuels an Exit (with Seth Sivak)
What is culture, and why does it matter? Seth Sivak , the founder and ex-CEO of Proletariat, a studio most known for its title Spellbreak, joins our host, Alexandra Takei , Director at Ruckus Games , to discuss the importance of organizational culture in the gaming industry. Proletariat was founded in 2012 by Seth and four other co-founders and went through various era of growth: scaling up to 80 people in person,…
Oct 15, 2024 Metagame Mastery: Growing Games Beyond Core Loops
With metagames becoming a key component of player engagement and monetization, it’s more important than ever to get them right. Host Devin Becker welcomes Christopher Molozian , CEO of Heroic Labs , to discuss the evolving landscape of metagame systems and the technology that powers them. Christopher explains how Heroic Labs' platform integrates seamlessly into games, enabling developers to enhance live operations…
Oct 8, 2024 Launching an AI + UGC Startup
When designing content creation tools for the masses, most platforms have to make trade-offs across accessibility, ease of use, capability, and power of the toolsets. However, AI has the potential to provide the best of both worlds. For instance, co-pilot technology empowers non-technical creators to write code, and 3D gen-AI enables entire environments to be created from simple command line prompts. We’re seeing a…
Oct 4, 2024 EA’s Game Plan: Launches, AI, & the Strategic Approach
“AAA is not in crisis; it is in a moment of change.” In this episode, Kate Kellogg, the COO of EA Studios, joins our host, Alexandra Takei , Director at Ruckus Games , to discuss game launches, EA's strategic approach, and how EA staffs and organizes itself to win. We discuss the challenge of aligning development resources with performance expectations and delve into EA's strategic pillars of Play, Watch, Create,…
Oct 1, 2024 Telegram: The Next Great Gaming Platform?
It's no secret that distribution across all major gaming platforms is virtually inaccessible to all but the most deep-pocketed developers. The go-go days of being able to bootstrap a studio or raise a modest amount of funding to grow and scale a title are long gone, and there have been very few emerging platforms that show outsized promise. But is that about to change? Telegram games have exploded onto the scene…
Sep 27, 2024 Game Tech: The Hidden Force Behind Gaming’s Challenges and Opportunities
In recent years, there’s been considerable discourse about the game industry’s challenges. However, according to today's guest, Jiten Dajee, one core element has been missing from the conversation: the root technical causes underlying many of today’s business woes. After all, game tech shapes the way games are developed and managed, which in turn drives business outcomes. Jiten, General Partner at Rendered VC,…
Sep 20, 2024 Dream Sports and the Future of Cricket
If you are into fantasy sports, Dream 11 is a household name. Boasting over 220M active users, it is one of the most popular fantasy sports platforms in the world. But what you might not know is that Dream 11 is just one part of the Dream Sports Group, which aspires to be a full 360 sports experience beyond fantasy (including merchandise, travel, streaming, live experiences, and, of course, video games). Rohit…
Sep 13, 2024 How to Bring Brands to Roblox
Over the last few years, brands have increasingly gravitated to platforms like Roblox as a way to reach younger audiences. In 2023 alone, we saw 240 brand activations on Roblox, which doubled from the year prior. In terms of revenue, this contributed to over $80 million in brand spend, which equates to roughly 10% of Roblox's developer earnings for 2023. From the brand perspective, results can vary greatly…
Sep 6, 2024 Sony, Microsoft, Valve, and Roblox: Who Will Be Platform King?
The gaming industry is currently facing an identity crisis, with widespread layoffs, escalating budgets, and a flood of new games hitting the market. In light of these macro trends, game studios and platforms need to find ways to leverage their existing strengths or develop new strategies for long-term success. Ben Feder , Managing Partner at Tirta and former CEO of Take-Two, and Ken Wee , former CSO of Activision…
Sep 3, 2024 Building a Creator-Focused 3D Engine with Hiber
UGC is hot, hot, hot right now. Roblox is on track to pay out half a billion USD to creators - annually - and never has it been more possible for young, individual creators to make a meaningful living as “game developers.” But is Roblox the only place for such creators? HiberWorld, a platform that's empowering anyone to build and share their own 3D worlds, is trying to change that by making making it as easy…
Aug 31, 2024 Emergency Pod: SEC vs OpenSea
On August 28th, the Securities and Exchange Commission issued a Wells Notice to OpenSea, notifying the largest NFT marketplace that it is under investigation for operating as an unlicensed exchange, labeling the NFTs traded on the platform as securities. Founder & CEO of OpenSea, Devin Finzer, posted that “[t]his is a move into uncharted territory. By targeting NFTs, the SEC would stifle innovation on an even…
Aug 20, 2024 Monopoly Go! and Baldur’s Gate III: The Hasbro Perspective
Hasbro is known for iconic properties like Dungeons and Dragons and Monopoly, but is sometimes overlooked as the licensor of incredible video game successes such as Baldur's Gate III and Monopoly Go! In the last 12 months, Hasbro's licensed games have generated a staggering $3.25 billion, making it the largest entertainment IP licensor in video games, and almost doubling the revenue of the next largest licensor,…
Aug 16, 2024 Building the Next Game-as-a-Platform
Today, we explore what it takes to build the next big video game franchise powered by user-generated games. It's a daunting task as Epic Games paid roughly $320 million to creators in the past year in order to incentivize creators to build new experiences on its platform. That's enough money to develop and market a new AAA franchise every year. However, that hasn't discouraged start-up studios like Build a Rocket…
Aug 13, 2024 Animoca Brands and the Motorverse
Animoca has been an unwavering web3 cheerleader since day one, with a stated goal of leveraging blockchain technologies to “deliver digital property rights to consumers around the world and to help to establish the open metaverse.” The company develops and publishes a broad portfolio of both original and licensed IP, and has its finger in about as many web3 pies as anyone on the planet, through its over 450…
Aug 2, 2024 Web3 Innovation with Mirai Labs
One of the biggest web3 hits of 2022, the horse racing game Pegaxy, generated over $200 million in sales, second only to Axie Infinity during that period. After building heads down during the crypto bear market through the end of the 2023, the company behind Pegaxy, Mirai Labs, is ready to ride again, now with its second game, Petopia, a top-down roguelite shooter. With its fresh and innovative take on guilds,…
Jul 26, 2024 The State of Adaptive Gaming
There are 3B gamers in the world, and many of those players have disabilities. Often called “accessibility” or “adaptive gaming”, this is one of the most important topics (and markets) in the gaming industry. From mobility, visual, and hearing impairments to cognitive and speech impairments, the industry has begun making strides in addressing how we can enable as many people as possible to access gaming…
Jul 19, 2024 The Past, Present, & Future of KidTech
Online safety for kids has only become more important over time, and it's become a thorny compliance topic for games teams to wrestle with. Fortunately, talented entrepreneurs are creating solutions that make it easier for games teams (and beyond) to tackle these challenges. To help explore this nuanced topic, host Aaron Bush is joined by Kieran Donovan , co-founder and CEO of k-ID (which recently raised a $45M…
Jul 12, 2024 The Next Era of Voice Games
Voice games have had a quiet history compared to mobile, console, and the PC gaming arena. However, Lightspeed and Microsoft’s M12 Ventures see Volley Games as a leader and game changer in the space, co-leading a $55M Series C on the backs of solid MAU and ARR. Our host, Alexandra Takei , Director at Ruckus Games , speaks with Max Child , CEO and Co-Founder of Volley, about the history of voice games, the current…
Jul 9, 2024 Inside Voodoo’s #1 Hit: The Story of Mob Control’s $200M+ Rise
Mobile gaming is a tough business, but Voodoo has been able to evolve with the times. After years of pioneering hypercasual, the company has more recently set its sights on making casual mobile games with deeper metas and monetization tactics. This pivot sparked major changes across the organization, but it’s already led to major hits – the largest of which is Mob Control, which surpassed the $200M revenue barrier…
Jul 5, 2024 Building a Thriving Casual Word Games Business in a Red Ocean
Casual word games is a tough, tough category to compete in on mobile. Not only is it a very crowded red ocean, but casual games are notoriously hard to monetize effectively through IAPs, making user acquisition even more difficult than it already is in the post-IDFA world. That said, Funcraft is making it work in their favor, building a thriving, growing business with an expanding portfolio of games and with the…
Jul 2, 2024 AdTech Evolution: Navigating the Privacy-First Frontier
Between Apple’s policy changes and growing government regulations, privacy concerns have sparked a significant shift in AdTech strategies. This episode investigates the potential for privacy-focused ads, exploring how companies are adapting to new regulations while still striving for effective targeting. Host Devin Becker is joined by Geeshan Willink , CEO of Nefta , to dig into the complexities of maintaining…
Jun 29, 2024 Queen’s Gambit: The Big Business of Chess.com
Chess is a business that has, without a doubt, been supercharged by linear media and has been booming since COVID-19. As one of the most tactically complex games ever designed, Chess has over 700 years of retention and history. But what is it like to build a chess empire? Chess.com , purchased by Erik Allebest and his co-founder for $55K in 2005, has built a web and mobile platform with over 170M raw accounts, 50M…
Jun 25, 2024 Toys x Games (with Spin Master)
Major toy companies like Spin Master, Mattel, and Hasbro have all been expanding their influence beyond traditional toys for many years. Spin Master, in particualr, is known for launching popular entertainment properties like PAW Patrol and Bakugan, which have seamlessly transitioned into digital formats in the form of TV series, movies, and video games. Spin Master has also been unafraid to acquire properties when…
Jun 21, 2024 The State of China’s Gaming Market
China is the second largest video game market in the world, and even though its industry has faced domestic challenges, China’s global impact on gaming continues to rise. However, if you’re an outsider, figuring out what’s happening in China can sometimes be opaque. That’s why host Aaron Bush is joined today by Josh Ye , a long-time reporter for all things gaming and tech in China. We dig into how China’s gaming…
Jun 14, 2024 The Business of Cloud and Game Servers
Apex Legends is known for having one of the most “boring” game launches in history in the best of ways. Jokingly called Uptime Legends, Apex pursued a multi-tiered cloud infrastructure that helped EA deliver one of the smoothest PvP launches in history. Sid Dhulipalla , CEO and Co-Founder of Hathora , and Steven Hartland , VP of Engineering at Rocket Science , join our host, Alex Takei , Director at Ruckus Games ,…
Jun 11, 2024 How Content Creators Are Shaping Gaming
As the world of gaming matures, the influence of content creators is increasingly important. In this episode, host Devin Becker sits down with Justin Sacks , CEO of Nexus , and Bryan Herren , Director of Partnerships for offbrand , to dive into the pivotal role of content creators in shaping the gaming ecosystem. The conversation kicks off with an exploration of the origins and current endeavors of Nexus and…
Jun 7, 2024 The Next Era of Modding - with Overwolf, Studio Wildcard, and Look North World
Modding has long been a force of innovation and creativity in the games industry, but the emergence of cross-platform, premium mods is set to take modding to another level. Thanks to platforms like Overwolf’s CurseForge, studios and publishers can now enable all sorts of creators — even other professional studios — to build on top of their games and get rewarded for doing so. This new technical and economic unlock…
Jun 4, 2024 New York Times Games, From Strength to Strength
The New York Times is one of the world’s most recognized newspapers and has been in circulation since 1851. With 10 million subscribers, the Times has a huge audience and an even larger cultural impact. But the Gray Lady isn’t content to just rest on her laurels and focus on news - other verticals in which the Times operates are product reviews (The Wirecutter), sports (through their 2022 acquisition of The…
May 31, 2024 AI-Powered Quality Assurance
Quality assurance is one of the most crucial aspects of game development to ensure the game functions as intended and to provide a positive player experience. Around $300M in funding has been directed towards AI “efficiency tools for creators” and Christoffer Holmgard , Founder of Modl.AI , and Nathan Martz , Founder of Agentic , are pushing the frontier of how AI can enhance and streamline QA processes. From…
May 28, 2024 Yuga Labs: 1 Year After Dookey Dash
Yuga Labs, the heavyweight behind some of the biggest Web3 IP, including Bored Ape Yacht Club, CryptoPunks, and Meebits, made its first foray into games just over a year ago with its toilet-themed infinite runner, Dookey Dash. Now Yuga is here with a sequel called Dookey Dash: Unclogged, and there are a lot of innovations from the original - the most important of which are that it is not token-gated, and it is…
May 24, 2024 Unpacking Krafton’s Strategy: PUBG, New IPs, Investments & More!
Krafton is one of the world’s premier video game publishers. After experiencing the explosive success of PUBG in the late 2010s, Krafton rebranded in 2018, went public in 2021, and has since been working to not just extend the PUBG brand to new games, platforms, and regions but also kickstart new IPs with innovative playstyles and partner with emerging developers around the world. To dig into the details, host…
May 22, 2024 Mastering the Roblox Meta
Roblox is approaching 350M monthly active users. It’s a platform that generated $3.3B in bookings last year and paid $740M to its developers and creators. The low barriers to entry for developers and immediate access to an audience of 350M players has made it an appealing proposition for indie developers. According to Roblox’s most recent estimate, however, there are over 5M developers on Roblox, which makes it…
May 17, 2024 Mastering Crowdfunding Campaigns
In an era of games where the financing sources are slim and marketing and community can make or break your game launch, your host Alexandra Takei , Director at Ruckus Games , welcomes Tim Morten and Cara LaForge , CEO and Director of Business Operations respectively at Frost Giant Studios , to discuss their experiences in running a widely successful crowd financing campaign on Kickstarter ($2.4M, 2280% over target,…
May 14, 2024 Guild of Guardians, Immutable’s Next Web3 Flagship Game?
Guild of Guardians is Immutable’s second major game after Gods Unchained, and is one of the most anticipated web3 games of 2024 - Immutable has called it their new “flagship game” and has been preparing for a global May 15th launch. After starting out as a real-time RPG, the game pivoted to a more casual auto-battler 15 months ago, driven by Gods Unchained and formerly Magic the Gathering: Arena Design Director…
May 7, 2024 Paying Players to Play
In the dynamic landscape of gaming, the fusion of cutting-edge financial technology and innovative incentives is shaping a new era of player acquisition and engagement. Host Devin Becker leads an insightful discussion with Ben Cousens , Chief Strategy Officer of ZBD , and Paul West , Founder of Fumb Games , on the transformative power of Bitcoin rewards in gaming. Delving into Fumb's utilization of ZBD technology,…
May 3, 2024 The New Business of Narrative
A new era of game developer has arrived to shake up narrative game making. In this episode, host Alexandra Takei , Director at Ruckus Games , welcomes Emily Pitcher , founder of Sondering , and Karla Reyes , founder of Anima Interactive , two Forbes 30 under 30 game developers focused on narrative innovation and socially conscious storytelling. The discussion delves into the evolution of narrative in games,…
Apr 30, 2024 Nyan Heroes: Cats, Mechs & Esports in Web3
Nyan Heroes is a team-based hero shooter featuring small cats piloting giant mechs. The studio was founded in Singapore in 2021 and is staffed by industry veterans from hit franchises like Marvel’s Avengers, Destiny, and Halo. Combining web3 and web2 elements, the game aspires to competitive gameplay and has already secured partnerships with top names in the esports space. The game also has garnered impressive…
Apr 26, 2024 From Scrappy to Success: Strategies for Gaming Founders
What does it take to stand out and succeed as a games industry entrepreneur these days? And how should smart venture capitalists best identify and work with these best founders? To help answer these questions, host Aaron Bush is joined by David Kaye , serial entrepreneur and general partner of F4 Fund . We discuss why David believes 99% of games studios aren’t fit for venture capital and what makes that top 1% so…
Apr 23, 2024 Fortnite Creative Origins
Epic Games paid $320 million to over 25,000 creators in the last 12 months and during that time saw UGC content capture a whopping 35% of total Fortnite engagement. That means there are over 1 million players engaging in UGC content on Fortnite during peak hours. With other top franchises like GTA and The Sims currently working to build out their own UGC platforms in time for planned launches in the next couple…
Apr 19, 2024 TikTok: Gaming’s New Discovery Platform
TikTok is undeniably changing the game for game developers and creating a new marketing and distribution playbook across mobile, console, and PC. In this discussion, Alexandra Takei , Director at Ruckus Games , speaks with Assaf Sagy , Head of Global Gaming at TikTok, and Rema Vasan , Head of Global Gaming Marketing at TikTok, about the impact TikTok has on consumer behavior. We discuss why TikTok has set up a…
Apr 16, 2024 Tactical Advice for Building Healthy Player Relationships
In the ever-evolving world of gaming, understanding and managing player interactions through technology is becoming increasingly critical. Host Devin Becker sits down with Solomon-Ruiz Lichter , Senior Director of Global Gaming at CleverTap , to delve into segmenting players, crafting personalized offers, and fostering a more engaging gaming environment. We explore the importance of live ops in maintaining a…
Apr 12, 2024 The Bleeding Edge: Building Games on Discord, ChatGPT, and Beyond
There’s no shortage of conversation around how new technologies are changing the way games are made, but that technological change doesn’t end there. New platforms are also contending for player attention, and where and how games are distributed is all destined to evolve, likely in bigger ways than most people think. We all know about Roblox and UEFN, but what about Discord, ChatGPT, and whatever new AI-focused…
Apr 2, 2024 Guild of Guardians on Immutable + Web3 Pulsecheck
Guild of Guardians, Immutable’s second major game after Gods Unchained, is one of the most anticipated web3 games of 2024. The game recently pivoted from a real-time RPG to an auto-battler, and is set for a May 15th global release. Guild of Guardians is one of the first games on Immutable’s new ZK-EVM blockchain, which Naavik covered in the January 24, 2024 episode of the podcast with Immutable founder, Robbie…
Mar 29, 2024 GDC Vibes / data.ai x Sensor Tower / Epic Announcements / US v. Apple
In this week's Roundtable, the squad takes a deep dive into the unique atmosphere of this year's Game Developers Conference (GDC), marked by a spirit of camaraderie and innovation amidst widespread industry layoffs. We then pivot to discuss the monumental acquisition of data.ai by Sensor Tower, setting the stage for what could become the definitive source of mobile app data. The conversation heats up as we explore…
Mar 26, 2024 Century Games: How a Top 20 Mobile Publisher Found Success on Roblox
Finding success on Roblox can be very challenging. There are over 20 million experiences created every year, and the play patterns are quite different from their more traditional mobile and console counterparts. That’s why UGC games analyst, David Taylor , sat down with Xiang Shen , the CTO of Century Games, a top 20 mobile publisher and the creators for the recent breakout hit Whiteout Survival, which drew in $500…
Mar 19, 2024 P2E is Dead? Long Live P2E! With Pixels.xyz
After the meteoric rise - and equally meteoric fall - of Axie Infinity, the term “Play-to-Earn” lost much of its cachet, and web3 developers avoided the term throughout the 2022-23 crypto winter. Adjacent concepts such as “Play-and-Earn” or “Play-to-Own” proliferated instead while developers and investors largely ignored the genre, and P2E was effectively declared dead. But not all developers felt this way. Through…
Mar 15, 2024 A Mario Movie Sequel / Activision's New Union / Apple's EU Troubles / Toys x Games
In this week's Roundtable, the squad dives into the exciting news of a greenlit sequel to the Super Mario Brothers movie, with production once again helmed by Illumination. We speculate on the potential for spinoffs and the broader implications for video game adaptations. The conversation then shifts to Microsoft's landmark recognition of Activision Blizzard's 600-person union, which focuses on quality assurance…
Mar 13, 2024 The Past, Present, & Future of Live Service Games
RallyHere builds on the back of years of experience in Live Service, before the term was even coined, as Hi-Rez Studios under the leadership of CEO Stewart Chisam . RallyHere bottles this expertise into a toolset that can provide a huge edge for teams that want to leverage the power of live services in games. Hi-Rez Studios is behind many popular and long running live service games like Smite, Paladins, Tribes:…
Mar 12, 2024 Esports Infrastructure, by the Numbers
GRID has seen the value of data in esports since 2018 thanks to Founder and CEO Moritz Maurer 's direct experience in the scene. Working directly with game developers, GRID is able to surface unmatched competitive game data from some of the biggest games like League of Legends, DotA 2, Valorant, PUBG, and Rainbow 6: Siege. GRID is leveling up the understanding of competitive player and match data for players,…
Mar 10, 2024 Neopets: A New Frontier
Neopets has always been a metaverse, says Dominic Law, CEO of The World of Neopia . If you were born prior to the 2000s, you’ll remember how much Neopets took the internet world by storm. By 2011, Neopets had 35M unique users, amassed 1 trillion page views, and was responsible for compelling an entire generation of children to internet proficiency and adoption. Not only that, but Neopets was free to play (before…
Mar 8, 2024 Emulator Armageddon / Netflix Ports / Private Equity / Early 2024 Winners
In this week's Roundtable, the squad unpacks the seismic impact of Nintendo's legal victory, securing a $2.4M settlement against the Switch emulator Yuzu, a move that has dramatically reshaped the emulation landscape. We then pivot to Netflix's strategic foray into gaming, spotlighting its latest coup in bringing the critically acclaimed indie darling Hades to mobile platforms, signaling a deeper commitment to…
Mar 5, 2024 Web3 Mech Combat with MetalCore
Studio369 is preparing to launch MetalCore, an open world player-versus-player mech combat game that combines the engagement of high-quality traditional gaming with true asset ownership via web3. It has been in the works for about three years, with the game expected to hit a closed beta by the end of March and an open beta test by May 2024. It’s being built by a team of experienced developers familiar with the mech…
Mar 3, 2024 How to Succeed in MENA (with Sandsoft Games)
The games industry can no longer ignore the MENA region, encompassing markets like Israel, Saudi Arabia, UAE, Egypt, and more. With approximately 800 million people, a young and growing audience of gamers, expanding wealth, rising ARPUs, and emerging talent, it’s abundantly clear that MENA will be much more important to the games industry’s future than it was in the past. To tell us more about what’s going on here,…
Mar 1, 2024 Age of Empires Mobile / Balatro’s Success / Sony Layoffs / Apple Arcade Woes
In this week's Roundtable, the squad dives into the recent announcement of Age of Empires Mobile, sparking debates on whether it will meet the high expectations of its loyal fanbase or simply blend into the crowded market of 4x strategy games. We then shift gears to discuss the surprising success of Balatro, a poker roguelike game from a solo developer that turned profitable within just an hour of its release,…
Feb 25, 2024 XR: X-plore, X-plain, X-amine
Do you believe that XR is the future of modern entertainment? Composed of a blend of AR, MR, VR, and spatial computing, XR is a major frontier for big tech. Meta has spent $40B on Reality Labs, and Apple has launched the world’s first “spatial computer” this past month. But is it a fit for entertainment and games? Join your host, Alexandra Takei , Director at Ruckus Games , Taylor Hurst , Principal at Konvoy…
Feb 23, 2024 Helldivers 2 Invades Steam / Xbox’s Big Non-Event / Supercell’s Annual Letter
In this week's Roundtable, the squad dives into the unexpected success of Helldivers 2, PlayStation Studios' first game to launch simultaneously on PlayStation and PC. We then shift gears to Microsoft's Xbox Business Event, which, despite its brevity, sparked a flurry of speculation regarding the company's strategy for porting "exclusives" to PlayStation. The conversation takes a critical turn as we examine the…
Feb 20, 2024 Midnight, the AA Web 3 Games Consolidator
It is no secret that web3 gaming had bit of a down year in 2023. Many studios had to shut down, and venture funding was hard to come by. But where some see a valley of despair, others see opportunity. Midnight is scooping up talented web3 studios that have run out of funding in order to go after multiple opportunities at the same time with double AA games. To get a sense of the ambitious plans Midnight has for…
Feb 18, 2024 Decoding Success: From Operator to Venture Capitalist
Today’s guest is Shanti Bergel, Founding General Partner and Managing Director of Transcend Fund, which has been a top decile performer since the firm was founded in 2020. Shanti is not just on the cutting edge of where the games industry is headed, but he’s also a veteran operator across much of the industry’s decades-long dynamism. In this episode, Shanti and host, Aaron Bush, chat through Shanti’s career at…
Feb 11, 2024 Games: Once Upon Now in Hollywood
The Super Mario Brothers Movie made $1.36B at the box office, shattering records and solidifying the power of gaming IP on the big screen. Transmedia across TV and Film is an active growth strategy for many gaming companies, and a high number of works are in the pipeline as Hollywood looks towards games as a fertile ground for untold stories. Alexandra Takei , Director at Ruckus Games , hosts Roy Lee , producer of…
Feb 9, 2024 Disney x Fortnite / Heroes of Mavia Launch / WB Live Service Stumbles
In this week's Roundtable, the squad dives into Disney's $1.5 billion investment in Epic Games, aiming to create custom Fortnite-related experiences. We speculate on what Disney's persistent world might look like, especially in light of its potential connections to Fortnite and the recent Lego collaboration. Then, we shift gears to discuss Mythical Games' settlement of its lawsuit against Fenix Games, concerning a…
Feb 6, 2024 Parallel, the $500 Million Web3 TCG
Trading card games (TCGs) have always been the most natural fit for web3. Their real-world analog cousins are inherently collectible, generally have a notion of rarity, and have a thriving secondary market. So it is no surprise that some of the earliest and most hyped entrants into web3 gaming have been TCGs, and perhaps none more so than Parallel, the Toronto-based company building an ambitious sci-fi themed game.…

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Naavik Gaming Podcast

About Naavik Gaming Podcast

Episodes

What Happens When AI Becomes Your Gaming Teammate

Why Investors Keep Betting on Gardens?

Newsletter: Meta’s Role in Gaming Today - Muse, VR, and UA

The Solo Developer Making Seven Figures From Free Browser Games

Newsletter: CD Projekt’s Best Days May Be Ahead

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