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E79: Why AAA is Failing and How to Recover and Other Questions - Our First Q&A Episode!

Building Better Games

Release Date: 12/31/2024

E91: How to Stop Compromising and Make the Studio You Actually Want with Critical Path Games show art E91: How to Stop Compromising and Make the Studio You Actually Want with Critical Path Games

Building Better Games

Game production lives and dies on planning—but most teams are still building like it’s 2010. In this episode, Ben is joined by Jeanne-Marie Owens and Jesse Houston of Critical Path to reveal better ways a studio can function based on decades of experience. From the myth of the “critical path” to the illusion that things will magically come together in the final stretch, they explain why “figure it out later” kills projects, how lack of real commitment cripples teams, and what it actually takes to build a dependable studio culture. Hint: It’s not a short list of “values.” This...

info_outline E90: The Engineering Talent Pipeline is Broken: Juniors, AI & the Future of Game Dev w/ Carly Taylor show art E90: The Engineering Talent Pipeline is Broken: Juniors, AI & the Future of Game Dev w/ Carly Taylor

Building Better Games

Hiring only senior engineers might feel like a smart move, but is it breaking game development? In this episode, Ben sits down with Carly Taylor (an engineer and data scientist formerly on Call of Duty, now at Databricks) to tackle one of the most pressing and misunderstood issues in game development today: the crumbling pipeline of engineering talent. They dive deep into the tragedy of the commons happening across studios, where short-term thinking and overreliance on senior talent are putting the future of game engineering at risk. Carly sheds light on the danger of under-investing in junior...

info_outline E89: The Cost of Power: Leadership, Burnout & Survival in Game Dev with Melissa Phillips show art E89: The Cost of Power: Leadership, Burnout & Survival in Game Dev with Melissa Phillips

Building Better Games

Building a game is hard. Leading the team to do it well without losing yourself along the way? That’s even harder. In this episode, Ben sits down with Melissa Phillips, founder of Games Leadership and a former Head of Studio, to talk about the messy, emotional, and deeply human side of game leadership. From BAFTA boardrooms to indie trenches, Melissa brings a rare blend of psychological insight and real-world experience to one of the most overlooked conversations in game development: what happens when power, pressure, and people collide. They dig into what founders get wrong, why doing...

info_outline E88: Why Eastern Game Dev Might Be The Future with Rob Wynne and Clark Kosene show art E88: Why Eastern Game Dev Might Be The Future with Rob Wynne and Clark Kosene

Building Better Games

What if the next great game studio doesn’t come from the West? In this episode, Ben chats with Rob Wynne and Clark Kosene from Rising Tide Studios—an unannounced AAA-inspired indie team taking a bold leap: building a game that truly bridges Eastern and Western audiences. We dive deep into why the moat of Western AAA game development is disappearing fast—and how China, with more devs than the U.S. and EU combined, is already playing on equal footing. Rob and Clark share the untold story of how Rising Tide’s founding team (ex-Activision and former Soulslike directors) aims to skip the...

info_outline E87: Toxic Culture in Game Development: The Real Metrics That Matter with Charlie Sull show art E87: Toxic Culture in Game Development: The Real Metrics That Matter with Charlie Sull

Building Better Games

How would you know if your studio’s culture is toxic—before it’s too late? In this exclusive conversation, we talk with Charlie Sull, co-founder of CultureX and researcher with MIT, about how to spot, measure, and fix toxic workplace culture—especially in the high-stakes world of game development. Forget ping pong tables and free snacks. Culture is your operating system, and if leaders don’t prioritize it, dysfunction spreads fast. We break down: What creates a toxic culture The Toxic Five behaviors that damage morale and hurt retention Why standard employee surveys fail—and what...

info_outline E86: Why User Acquisition Isn't Just For Mobile Anymore with Matej Lančarič show art E86: Why User Acquisition Isn't Just For Mobile Anymore with Matej Lančarič

Building Better Games

Building a great game is hard—but getting players to actually discover and play it? That’s often harder. In this episode of Building Better Games, Ben sits down with user acquisition expert Matej Lančarič, whose decade of experience spans mobile, PC, Steam, and cross-platform launches. Together, they dive deep into the realities of user acquisition (UA), creative strategy, and why great games still fail without a clear plan to get players in the door. We break down: What “user acquisition” really means in 2024 Why CPI, LTV, ROAS, and retention all matter—but don’t tell the whole...

info_outline E85: Why Your Game Vision Sucks (And Why You're Not Alone!) with Graham McAllister show art E85: Why Your Game Vision Sucks (And Why You're Not Alone!) with Graham McAllister

Building Better Games

In this episode, we welcome back organizational psychologist Graham McAllister for part 3 of our deep dive into one of the most critical challenges in game development—game vision. If you're a game developer, leader, or aspiring leader, this is an essential conversation that exposes why studios struggle to align on vision and how that misalignment contributes to failed games, frustrated teams, and organizational friction. Graham shares exclusive insights from his groundbreaking research, revealing why even seasoned studios misfire on creating shared mental models and what happens when...

info_outline E84: The Real Cost Of Founding A Game Startup with Joseph Kim show art E84: The Real Cost Of Founding A Game Startup with Joseph Kim

Building Better Games

The gaming industry is changing rapidly, and the global landscape is shifting in ways many studios aren’t prepared for. Are Western game studios becoming too complacent? What role will international development play in the future of game creation? In this episode, Joseph Kim, CEO of Lila Games, shares hard-earned lessons about building a game studio in India, the challenges of hiring and leading globally, and the realities of making tough business decisions in game development. Key Takeaways: The Complacency Problem – Many Western studios lack the urgency and work ethic to stay...

info_outline E83: 3 Steps To Leading Well In Game Development show art E83: 3 Steps To Leading Well In Game Development

Building Better Games

What does it take to lead effectively in the gaming industry? Many leaders in game development step into their roles without formal training—learning through trial and error. In this episode, we break down what real leadership looks like, how to avoid common pitfalls, and how to drive meaningful change without falling into the trap of just "managing" processes.   Key Takeaways: The difference between management vs. leadership in game dev How to set and maintain the right goals for your team Avoiding false urgency and overconfidence in decision-making Why building trust and influence is...

info_outline E82: The Art & Science of Game Prototyping with Leif Johansen show art E82: The Art & Science of Game Prototyping with Leif Johansen

Building Better Games

What if everything you thought about prototyping was wrong? Many teams rush to validate an idea too soon, but what if the real secret to success is building a studio that learns better? In this episode, Leif Johansen breaks down the myths of prototyping and how studios can create a structured approach to experimenting with game ideas.   Key Takeaways: - Stop Searching for the “Perfect Prototype” – The best teams prioritize many small, fast failures over one high-stakes prototype. - Prototyping Is a Science and an Art – The most successful studios create intentional experiments...

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No guests today! Instead, I'll be taking questions from the Building Better Games discord and answering them. I cover10 questions including the challenges with AAA dev, the rise of co-dev, and what production careers look like. Enjoy!

Question #1 : How do you ensure that you (the royal you) are making a game that will be fun for players, not just fun for its designers to make? (Or maybe in this context - what are the ways in which production can support product management and ensure the sprint-to-sprint goals align with what internal player advocates are asking for?)

Question #2 : What would you say needs to happen to make the big players more competitive / successful again?

Question #3: Do you think there’s an observable trend towards an increased amount of codevelopment as a way to mitigate costs/risk? What issues do you see this posing for coherent design and production if there is an increasing reliance on external development partners?

 

Question #4: There are clear signs when certain aspects of a game are lacking - incoherent design, low quality assets, buggy software. What are the player-facing symptoms of a game that is lacking in production or leadership competencies? 

 

Question #5: Production organizations at larger game studios often suffer from issues of structure, such as a substantial number of producers, senior producers, and even lead producers all rolling directly up into an overburdened production director, because there doesn’t seem to be an understood space for a “producer manager” between frontline production and executive/director-level production leadership. What is the rationale for this gap when <discipline> manager is a well-understood conceit in other gamedev disciplines (e.g. designers will have design managers reporting to a design director, artists will have department managers reporting to a director, engineers have managers between them and directors, etc.)? 

Is it just that production is typically not a large enough organization to merit managers? That producers are seen as organized and not in need of more traditional personnel management?



Question #6: How can you become better at your role as a producer when you aren’t at your job? Or in other words, how can you get better at what you do aside from getting more experience?

 

Question #7: For mid- and senior level producers: What does a career development track look like? Often it seems like the only future for a highly competent producer is executive producer (a stretch for many and not a realistic path for most) or production director, which itself is a rarified commodity at larger developers. What are the progression opportunities an IC producer should be considering?

Question #8: As the only Production guy on my team (and 1 of 3 "operations people"), how would you deal with getting questions and answers when you have nobody around to rubber ducky with?

 

Question #9: When talking about the past, how can you learn to abstract experiences and look past the specifics? Are there any resources you recommend for learning how to tell stories so that you’re not bogged down in the details of history?

 

Question #10: How are game developers selecting and setting up test groups to see their players are enjoying the game and it’s a good market fit? Are there aspects of this process that could see refining and improving? Or common pitfalls other developers tend to see in this process?



Our discord community is live! Join here to engage with leaders and producers in game dev looking to make our industry a better place that makes better games: https://discord.gg/ySCPS5aMcQ

 

If you’re interested in an online course on becoming a better game producer, head here: https://www.buildingbettergames.gg/succeeding-in-game-production

 

Subscribe to our newsletter for more game development tips and resources: https://www.buildingbettergames.gg/newsletter

 

Ben's LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/benjamin-carcich/

YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/@buildingbettergames

Spotify Podcast: https://open.spotify.com/show/6QD5yIbFdJXvccO8Z5aXpm

 

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