loader from loading.io

E98: Why Most Game Launches Flop (And How to Avoid It)

Building Better Games

Release Date: 09/09/2025

Don’t Hire Until You See These 3 Signs show art Don’t Hire Until You See These 3 Signs

Building Better Games

Ready to take your game development career to the next level? Join the Game Dev Leadership Accelerator: In this special Q&A episode for Episode 100, we're answering your most pressing questions from the Game Production Community Discord! Join Ben Carcich as he dives into critical topics that every game development leader faces, from navigating project pivots to building a healthy team culture. We'll explore: ✅ When to scale your team up (or down) ✅ How to prepare for meetings and ensure they are actually valuable ✅ Why "safe" project pivots don't exist and what to do instead ✅ The...

info_outline E99: Stop Using 2-Week Sprints - Here's Why They’re Failing You show art E99: Stop Using 2-Week Sprints - Here's Why They’re Failing You

Building Better Games

Stuck in slow loops and broken systems? The Game Dev Leadership Accelerator can help you make lasting change. Sign up to learn more:   Why do most teams default to two-week sprints, even when they're wrong? In this episode, Ben Carcich breaks down a simple model with three dials that you should use to tune your iteration length. He explains why iteration length is a product lever, not a calendar convenience for your leadership, and how choosing the right rhythm for your team can reduce thrash, increase learning speed, and improve value delivery. What you’ll learn in this episode: The...

info_outline E98: Why Most Game Launches Flop (And How to Avoid It) show art E98: Why Most Game Launches Flop (And How to Avoid It)

Building Better Games

Is there a way to predict whether a game will hit or flop? In this episode, Ben is joined by Colan Neese, who has spent a lot of time looking at how audiences relate to products at companies like Twitch and Nielsen. Colan's work at Mind Game Data is focused on "puzzling through the problem of anticipating which games are likely to take off at launch and which seem to be headed nowhere". The conversation challenges the conventional wisdom about what drives a successful launch, revealing why our data-driven approaches have been too narrow to anticipate success. In this episode, you’ll learn:...

info_outline E97: The 3 Tools Your Team Needs To Deliver Great Games show art E97: The 3 Tools Your Team Needs To Deliver Great Games

Building Better Games

🎮 There are tons of “game dev tools” out there promising to fix your problems… but too often, teams end up serving the tool instead of the tools serving them. In this video, I’ll break down a simple, practical guide to streamline your process. You’ll learn not just what you need, but why it matters whether you’re running a team, starting a game studio, or pushing an R&D project forward. ✨ What you’ll learn in this episode: The Power of Vision → Why a clear, shared vision is your best defense against wasted effort. (And how to avoid traps like jargon, prototype...

info_outline E96: Setting Goals: It’s Not Just About Shipping A Game, with Melissa Phillips show art E96: Setting Goals: It’s Not Just About Shipping A Game, with Melissa Phillips

Building Better Games

Setting goals is harder than you think. In this episode, Ben Carcich is joined by Melissa Phillips, founder of Games Leadership, to dive deep into a topic that leaders often approach with little understanding: goal setting. From a professional perspective, goal setting is about helping people find fulfillment in what they are doing. Melissa discusses how goals have evolved from a basic survival need to a more complicated, individualistic pursuit. What you’ll learn in this episode: Why money is a terrible goal  The problem with only having giant goals The importance of celebrating small...

info_outline E95: The Challenge Of Live Service Games And How To Win with Ryan Scott show art E95: The Challenge Of Live Service Games And How To Win with Ryan Scott

Building Better Games

Are live service games truly dying, or are we just seeing a new era of evolution?  In this episode, we sit down with game designer and product thinker Ryan Scott to unpack the difficult world of live service titles. Ryan brings a wealth of knowledge from his time working on major titles, sharing his unique insights on what makes a live service game thrive or fail. We dive deep into the concept of "switching costs," the importance of meeting specific player needs, and the delicate balance between mastery and novelty that defines a game's longevity. 🎮We talk about: Live service games -...

info_outline E94: Why You Should Think About Publishing More In Game Dev with Elizabeth Howard show art E94: Why You Should Think About Publishing More In Game Dev with Elizabeth Howard

Building Better Games

Do you need game publishing to ship your game successfully? What does a leader in a publishing organization truly do? Join us for a conversation with Elizabeth Howard, an industry veteran with over 20 years of experience across Aspyr, 2K, and Bungie, where she led publishing and production. Elizabeth views game development and publishing as two parts working together to ship games, defining publishing as everything outside of dev. This episode explores the nature of game publishing, the historical dev-pub divide, and the need for greater integration and shared goals in today's complex market....

info_outline E93: The Collapse of the Games Industry with Trent Kusters show art E93: The Collapse of the Games Industry with Trent Kusters

Building Better Games

How will the game industry adapt? Are we hurtling towards a gig economy? In this powerful conversation, we sit down with Trent Kusters, co-founder and studio head of League of Geeks, to talk about the future of our industry. Trent takes us on a deep, honest exploration of the game industry’s current state, from platform power struggles and algorithmic curation to the erosion of full-time game dev careers.  This vital conversation goes beyond just metrics, delving into the human element, sustainability, and the legacy we're creating for the next generation of talent. Here's what we'll...

info_outline E92: 5 Principles Game Producers Need with 35-Year Industry Vet Steve Sargent show art E92: 5 Principles Game Producers Need with 35-Year Industry Vet Steve Sargent

Building Better Games

What does it truly take to deliver a great game consistently in an industry known for its challenges and complexities? Join us for a conversation with Steve Sargent, Head of Production at Blind Squirrel Games, a veteran with over 35 years of experience in the game industry, including work on iconic titles like BioShock: The Collection and Mass Effect Legendary Edition. Steve dives deep into the art and science of game production, sharing the things to do, and also what to avoid, from his extensive career. You'll learn: The core role of production Why reporting can actually add value - if...

info_outline 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
 
More Episodes

Is there a way to predict whether a game will hit or flop? In this episode, Ben is joined by Colan Neese, who has spent a lot of time looking at how audiences relate to products at companies like Twitch and Nielsen. Colan's work at Mind Game Data is focused on "puzzling through the problem of anticipating which games are likely to take off at launch and which seem to be headed nowhere".

The conversation challenges the conventional wisdom about what drives a successful launch, revealing why our data-driven approaches have been too narrow to anticipate success.

In this episode, you’ll learn:

🎮 Why launching at the wrong time can sink your game

👥 How building a community early can make or break you

🔊 The truth about player attention (it’s not just about genres or loud voices online)

📅 When to move your launch date, despite the cost

🕵️‍♂️ And how to spot if your game is actually gaining traction without outside help

Learn more about Colan Neese:

Connect with Colan on LinkedIn at https://www.linkedin.com/in/colanneese/ and subscribe to his newsletters:

The Game Dev Leadership Accelerator is live. A successful game begins with leaders who catalyze success instead of wasting everyone’s time. This conversation is a great example of the mindset we teach at Building Better Games at focusing on what matters, not what distracts.
Are you ready to level up your leadership? Book a call with us now!: https://calendly.com/bcarcichcoaching/15-minute-one-on-one

Connect with us:

#GameDev #GameIndustry #DataAnalytics #MarketingStrategy #Leadership