Building Better Games
Leadership in game dev is hard. I can't make it easy, but I can make it a heck of a lot better. My name is Benjamin Carcich, and this podcast helps leaders in game dev who feel stuck, ignored, and out of options find their path to success. I've spent the last several decades studying and leading in environments ranging from the U.S. Army through to game development. I want to share what I've learned. Better leadership is a huge opportunity in the games industry. Let's make it better together. Better leaders build better games.
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E118: The Truth About “Culture Fit” in Game Dev
02/24/2026
E118: The Truth About “Culture Fit” in Game Dev
If you’re a leader in game dev who feels stuck, able to spot problems but struggling to make a real difference, there is a path forward that levels up your leadership and accelerates your team, game, and career. Sign up here to learn more: Is your "culture fit" interview actually just a trap for hiring clones? We tackle the paradox of culture in game development. While many studios are abandoning "culture fit" to avoid echo chambers and bias, ignoring it entirely can lead to toxic hires that destroy trust and decision-making. Ben breaks down the two distinct types of culture—Taste vs. Operating System—so you can hire for high-stakes collaboration without sacrificing diversity of thought. In this episode, you’ll learn: Why hiring “clones” feels good short-term, but creates blind spots that stall real problem-solving How to separate Taste Culture (optional vibes) from Operating System Culture (non-negotiables that ship work) How different decision-making and feedback models work, and how to choose the right one for your studio If you’re a lead or founder torn between team diversity and everyone “just getting it,” this episode gives you a clear framework to balance both—protecting your team’s operating system without creating an echo chamber. Connect with us: 🔗Ben’s LinkedIn: 🔗BBG’s LinkedIn: 🔗Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/buildingbettergames/# 🔗Website: 🔗YouTube: If you want me to help producers or studios build better games through effective systems and leadership, you can reach me at: #GameDevLeadership #StudioCulture #GameIndustryHiring #TeamBuilding #BuildingBetterGames
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E117: The Real Reason Estimates Fail In Game Dev
02/17/2026
E117: The Real Reason Estimates Fail In Game Dev
If you’re a leader in game dev who feels stuck, able to spot problems but struggling to make a real difference, there is a path forward that levels up your leadership and accelerates your team, game, and career. Sign up here to learn more: Stop treating your game dev estimates like a prophecy; you aren't a prophet. If your estimates keep failing, it’s not because your team is bad at math; it’s because you’re using estimation as a fortune-telling machine instead of a decision-making tool. In this episode, Ben breaks down why "perfect" plans are a trap in the high-uncertainty world of game dev. He introduces a four-level framework—from "Priorities First" to "Relative Sizing"—to help you gain predictability, set external expectations, and find shared understanding across disciplines without killing your team's soul in meetings. What you’ll learn in this episode: Why estimation isn’t really about being accurate — and why predictability and velocity are only part of the picture. Why estimating work without clear priorities can actually slow teams down and lead to worse decisions How simple throughput tracking can outperform detailed estimates for forecasting — with less friction from the team When fast “blink” estimates are more useful than detailed sizing, and how they help Design, QA, and Engineering spot risk early Why the Fibonacci sequence exists in estimation — and how to avoid wasting time debating tiny differences that don’t matter How to recognize when estimation isn’t worth the cost, and when time-boxing is the smarter move If you’re a producer or lead tired of watching your team polish a "beautiful plan" while the actual game feels like it's missing the mark, this episode is for you. Connect with us: 🔗Ben’s LinkedIn: 🔗BBG’s LinkedIn: 🔗Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/buildingbettergames/# 🔗Website: 🔗YouTube: If you want me to help producers or studios build better games through effective systems and leadership, you can reach me at: #GameDev #GameProduction #ProjectManagement #BuildingBetterGames #AgileDevelopment
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E116: The Real Reason Your Game Isn’t Fun (It’s Not Effort)
02/10/2026
E116: The Real Reason Your Game Isn’t Fun (It’s Not Effort)
If you’re a leader in game dev who feels stuck, able to spot problems but struggling to make a real difference, there is a path forward that levels up your leadership and accelerates your team, game, and career. Sign up here to learn more: If your team keeps promising that the game will be "fun later," you aren't suffering from a lack of effort—you're suffering from a lack of prioritization. Shipping a mountain of features means nothing if you haven't validated the experience with real players. In this episode, we break down why hiding behind a massive backlog or a 100-page GDD is a "red flag" that allows teams to avoid reality for months, or even years. We explore the transition from "plan-based task work" to true "knowledge work," where the goal isn't just to finish a list, but to discover what actually makes your game great. In this episode, you’ll learn: Why waiting for a “magical moment” is the fastest way to ship nothing How the L-V-N Framework (Learning, Value, Neither) helps you cut dead tasks fast Which game loops matter right now—and how to prioritize proof over polish How to balance learning in pre-production with delivering value later on Why a clear game vision is the best defense against team failure If you’re a leader in game dev struggling with prioritization and watching your team build features that don't "click," this episode is for you. Connect with us: 🔗Ben’s LinkedIn: 🔗BBG’s LinkedIn: 🔗Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/buildingbettergames/# 🔗Website: 🔗YouTube: If you want me to help producers or studios build better games through effective systems and leadership, you can reach me at: #GameDev #GameDesign #BuildingBetterGames #IndieDev #ProjectManagement
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E115: The Culture Mistake Killing Game Development Teams - 4 Leadership Lessons
02/03/2026
E115: The Culture Mistake Killing Game Development Teams - 4 Leadership Lessons
If you’re a leader in game dev who feels stuck, able to spot problems but struggling to make a real difference, there is a path forward that levels up your leadership and accelerates your team, game, and career. Sign up here to learn more: The game industry is undergoing a massive shift. Between the rise of "black hole games" that consume all player attention and the skyrocketing costs of AAA development, the old playbooks for leadership are breaking. In this episode, Ben is joined by Andrew Brownell, a veteran Game Director at Netflix Games. Andrew brings over 20 years of experience from industry titans like Blizzard (Warcraft III) and Riot Games (League of Legends). Together, they unpack why the "unicorn" development model is failing and why the next generation of leaders must master a new set of "soft" skills to build resilient, high-performing teams in a bleak market. What you’ll learn in this episode: What Aggressive Gratitude really is and how to use it to build trust How to lead confidently when the direction isn’t clear Why conflict can create clarity when handled one-on-one Why character often matters more than skill when hiring If you’re a game dev leader trying to level up performance without burning people out, this episode is for you. Learn More About Our Guest: 🔗 LinkedIn: 🔗 Facebook: 🔗 Twitter: 🔗 ContactOut: 🔗 Netflix LinkedIn: 🔗 Netflix Games YouTube: Connect with us: 🔗Ben’s LinkedIn: 🔗BBG’s LinkedIn: 🔗Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/buildingbettergames/# 🔗Website: 🔗YouTube: If you want me to help producers or studios build better games through effective systems and leadership, you can reach me at: #GameDev #Leadership #GameProduction #GameIndustry2026 #BuildingBetterGames
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E114: What Employees Actually Hear When You Say “Raising Expectations”
01/27/2026
E114: What Employees Actually Hear When You Say “Raising Expectations”
If you’re a leader in game dev who feels stuck, able to spot problems but struggling to make a real difference, there is a path forward that levels up your leadership and accelerates your team, game, and career. Sign up here to learn more: When leaders say they’re “raising expectations,” teams often hear one thing: work more. That gap between intent and impact is why so many game dev organizations feel terrible to work at—and why “raise the bar” messages often land as threat, not motivation. In this solo episode, Ben unpacks the tragedy of perspective between senior leaders who believe they’re inspiring change and developers who feel cynical, burned out, or unheard. He explains why experienced seniors are the first to push back on buzzwords, how leadership unintentionally passes pressure downward, and what it actually takes to challenge a team without breaking trust. In this episode, you’ll learn: How to earn the right to challenge your organization What teams really hear when leaders use vague language like “excellence" Why people matter more than tools, systems, or AI when trust is on the line How to sanity-check your messaging If you’re a game dev leader trying to level up performance without burning people out, this episode is for you. Connect with us: 🔗Ben’s LinkedIn: 🔗BBG’s LinkedIn: 🔗Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/buildingbettergames/# 🔗Website: 🔗YouTube: If you want me to help producers or studios build better games through effective systems and leadership, you can reach me at: #GameDevLeadership #StudioCulture #BuildingBetterGames #GameIndustry #WorkplaceTrust
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E113: Why More Meetings Won't Fix Your Game Team
01/22/2026
E113: Why More Meetings Won't Fix Your Game Team
If you’re a leader in game dev who feels stuck, able to spot problems but struggling to make a real difference, there is a path forward that levels up your leadership and accelerates your team, game, and career. Sign up here to learn more: Stop adding meetings to fix your game. In this episode, Ben Carcich sits down with Glenn Paul Gray, Production Director at PeopleFun, to dismantle the "more syncs = more alignment" myth. They explore how piling on well-attended meetings often creates overhead rather than clarity and why your work system must adapt to the specific stage of development your team is actually in. Glenn Paul brings a unique "hardware-to-software" perspective to game production. Starting his career in the Silicon Valley semiconductor industry, he transitioned into gaming in 2017, holding pivotal roles at Wargaming, Wooga, and AppLovin before joining PeopleFun. His background in complex systems engineering informs his pragmatic approach to "de-risking" games through aggressive prototyping and early-funnel testing. What You’ll Learn in this Episode: How to treat meetings as a "cost to align" What it means to shift from a discipline-centric matrix to a high-agency, general manager-led team structure Why testing for D1 retention can be inefficient for weeding out bad ideas How to build a "startup within a studio" environment Why your work system (from spreadsheets to Jira) must "mode shift" as your project moves from R&D to production Learn more about Glenn & his company: 🔗 LinkedIn: 🔗 PeopleFun Website: 🔗 PeopleFun Instagram: Connect with us: 🔗Ben’s LinkedIn: 🔗BBG’s LinkedIn: 🔗Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/buildingbettergames/# 🔗Website: 🔗YouTube: If you want me to help producers or studios build better games through effective systems and leadership, you can reach me at: #GameDev #MobileGaming #GameProduction #BuildingBetterGames #GameLeadership
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E112: The Game Producer Trap: Busy, Helpful, Useless
01/14/2026
E112: The Game Producer Trap: Busy, Helpful, Useless
If you’re a leader in game dev who feels stuck, able to spot problems but struggling to make a real difference, there is a path forward that levels up your leadership and accelerates your team, game, and career. Sign up here to learn more: If you disappeared for a week, would your team lose their momentum—or just their note-taker? Most game producers are stuck in a "checklist trap"—spending their days managing tickets, booking meetings, and taking notes without ever understanding the actual goal. In this episode, Ben breaks down why production is fundamentally a leadership role based on influence, not just project management software. If you feel like your team is "drifting" despite hitting every milestone, you might be failing at the one thing that actually matters: moving the organization towards a valuable goal. What You'll Learn: The importance of shifting from a "task-doer" to a big-picture leader who influences the entire studio Why specific tools like Jira and sticky notes aren't the "point" of your job Why shipping a "good enough" game to pass a milestone is a dangerous trap that can break your team How prioritizing towards the goal outperforms doing what worked last time Connect with us: 🔗Ben’s LinkedIn: 🔗BBG’s LinkedIn: 🔗Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/buildingbettergames/# 🔗Website: 🔗YouTube: If you want me to help producers or studios build better games through effective systems and leadership, you can reach me at: #GameDev #GameProduction #GameLeadership #BuildingBetter Games #ProjectManagement
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E111: Why Western Game Dev Is Breaking — What Leaders Do Next
01/06/2026
E111: Why Western Game Dev Is Breaking — What Leaders Do Next
If you’re a leader in game dev who feels stuck, there is a path forward that levels up your leadership and accelerates your team, game, and career. Sign up here to learn more: 30,000 Layoffs. Solid prototypes can’t get funding. Western Game Dev Is Breaking. In this episode, Rich Vogel explains why Western game development isn’t in a downturn, it’s in a reset. Fresh off fundraising conversations in 2025-2026, Rich breaks down why funding for large-budget games has nearly disappeared, why publishers and VCs are pulling back from North American teams, and how leadership decisions, not creativity, are sinking studios. Rich is a 30-year industry veteran who’s founded and led four major studios, including BioWare Austin and Sony Online Entertainment Austin, which have generated over $3B in revenue. As producer on Ultima Online, Star Wars Galaxies, and Star Wars: The Old Republic, he’s seen every cycle, and knows exactly why this one is different. We cover: Why investors see Western studios as high-risk How salary inflation and entitlement narratives are reshaping where games get made Why unproven big bets are no longer survivable How small, shippable wins are the new path to scale This episode is a wake-up call for studio heads, producers, and game leaders still playing by outdated rules. Learn more about our guest: 🔗LinkedIn: 🔗T-Minus Zero Entertainment LinkedIn: 🔗Website: If you want me to help producers or studios build better games through effective systems and leadership, you can reach me at: Connect with us: 🔗Ben’s LinkedIn: 🔗BBG’s LinkedIn: 🔗Newsletter Signup: 🔗YouTube: 🔗Website: #GameDev #GameIndustry #Leadership #VideoGameDevelopment #BuildingBetterGames
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E110: The Truth About Game Studio Politics (And How to Win Without Becoming a Monster)
12/16/2025
E110: The Truth About Game Studio Politics (And How to Win Without Becoming a Monster)
If you’re a leader in game dev who feels stuck, there is a path forward that levels up your leadership and accelerates your team, game, and career. Sign up here to learn more: You're doing the work, fighting for your team, but your ideas stall in meetings and people with less context somehow have more influence than you. It can feel like the only way to win is to become the political operator you hate. In this episode, Ben breaks down the simple, three-part system for influence—the Influence Trifecta—so you can drive change for your team and career without selling your soul. Organizational influence is not just about who's right or what's logical; it's about understanding the social fabric of your organization. What You’ll Learn in This Episode: What influence without authority looks like Why trust is so important to your long-term success Why being “right but not helpful” stalls careers What to watch for so you don’t become the “political animal" You're always playing politics. If you choose not to play, you cap your influence and allow others to set the direction. Learn how to deliberately build influence for the benefit of your game, your team, and your own advancement in an ethical way. Connect with us: 🔗Ben’s LinkedIn: 🔗BBG’s LinkedIn: 🔗Instagram: 🔗Website: 🔗YouTube: #GameDevLeadership #GameStudioPolitics #InfluenceTrifecta #GameDevCareers #BuildingBetterGames
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E109: Is Ethical AI in Game Dev Even Possible?
12/02/2025
E109: Is Ethical AI in Game Dev Even Possible?
If you’re a leader in game dev who feels stuck, there is a path forward that levels up your leadership and accelerates your team, game, and career. Sign up here to learn more: Leadership in game dev is hard, but choosing to ignore the biggest technological shift of our generation is a high-stakes gamble. In this episode, we talk with Benjamin Chevalier, Chief AI Officer at Mighty Bear Games, who has a uniquely informed perspective as an Art Director turned tech leader who has spent two decades building games for Ubisoft, Disney, LucasArts, and King. Ben Chevalier outlines his pragmatic, principled approach to embracing AI: using it to cut through market saturation, accelerate team output, and manage risk without compromising creative integrity. From the moral and legal controversies surrounding AI training data to the cultural shifts required for engineers and artists to build their own tools, this conversation reveals the mindset and strategies a leadership team needs to not just survive but thrive in the new AI-accelerated development landscape. What You'll Learn In This Episode: Why AI may be an existential business decision Why governments won’t halt AI development How “agentic” tools are reshaping studio culture How game dev leaders can get team buy-in on AI What others might think of you just for using AI If you're a game dev leader thinking about how AI might help your team, this episode gives you a pragmatic playbook for adopting AI. Ben Chevalier lays down clear ethical guardrails and shows how AI can speed up prototyping, live ops, and decision-making—so you can level up your leadership and accelerate your team, game, and career. Connect & learn more about Ben Chevalier: LinkedIn: Medium: Studio Website: GOAT Gaming Platform Website: YouTube: Connect with us: 🔗Ben’s LinkedIn: 🔗BBG’s LinkedIn: 🔗Instagram: 🔗Website: 🔗YouTube: #GamingCommunity #GameDevelopment #AI #Leadership #MobileGaming
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E108: 3 Leadership Mistakes Quietly Crippling Your Game Studio
11/18/2025
E108: 3 Leadership Mistakes Quietly Crippling Your Game Studio
If you’re a leader in game dev who feels stuck, there is a path forward that levels up your leadership and accelerates your team, game, and career. Sign up here to learn more: Are you leading a team that has plenty of people but can’t seem to get moving? You care deeply about your team and your game, but projects crawl and decisions drag in the. It's almost never just a talent problem. Instead, it's three quiet leadership mistakes that choke momentum. In this episode, you’ll learn what those three mistakes are, how they’re showing up in your studio, and what you can do instead so you can move faster and see real progress on your game. We break down the mistakes one by one with simple shifts you can start immediately. What You'll Learn: The Velocity Trap: Why any speed you have is "pretend" if your team doesn't share a clear North Star (Vision). The Cart in the Mud: The four specific foundational elements you must have in place to earn the right to scale , and what to do when you realize you've scaled too fast. The Crunch Lie: Why overwork and extended crunch quickly make you slower than if you never crunched at all, and how to operate at a sustainable pace. A Simple Reality Check: How to rate your studio's Vision, Scale, and Workload (1-5) to identify your biggest blocker and immediately focus your leadership energy. GameDeveloper.com Article: Connect with us: 🔗Ben’s LinkedIn: 🔗BBG’s LinkedIn: 🔗Instagram: 🔗Website: 🔗YouTube: #GameDevLeadership #GameStudioLife #ProjectManagement #GamedevTips #BuildBetterGames
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E107: Stop Hiring “Testers.” Start Doing QA.
11/11/2025
E107: Stop Hiring “Testers.” Start Doing QA.
If you’re a leader in game dev who feels stuck, there is a path forward that levels up your leadership and accelerates your team, game, and career. Sign up here to learn more: You can't just test quality into a game at the end. You have to build it in from the start. Ignoring your Quality Assurance team's full value is a fast way to lose millions. The state of game development is at a challenging inflection point, characterized by high-risk live service ambitions and a brain drain of senior talent. Host Ben Carcich sits down with Nathan Tiras, former Game Dev veteran (Riot Games, Singularity 6), to dissect this instability and dive deep into the discipline seen as an "entry-level" role: Quality Assurance (QA). Nathan, who worked his way from a QA Analyst at Riot to the Director of QA and Live Service at Singularity 6 (makers of Palia), argues that QA is not just "testing" but a critical quality function that represents the voice of the player. This deep-dive explores how leaders must move beyond the "QA as tester" stereotype to unlock the massive subjective value and risk-prevention only highly skilled, respected QA professionals can provide. What You’ll Learn in this Episode: What “quality” really means in 2025, and why the best QA teams shape player experience How bringing QA in at pre-production saves time, money, and your launch day sanity Why bug counts don’t define QA’s worth The human edge of judgment, creativity, and tribal knowledge that no tool can replicate How great leaders build quality teams that protect business continuity and deliver real returns Learn more about Nathan: LinkedIn: Company: Instagram: Board Game Geek: Check his other YouTube appearances: Connect with us: 🔗Ben’s LinkedIn: 🔗BBG’s LinkedIn: 🔗Instagram: 🔗Website: 🔗YouTube: #GameDev #GameQA #QualityAssurance #GameLeadership #GameProducer #LiveServiceGames #BuildingBetterGames
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E106: Why Jira Hurts Game Studios
11/04/2025
E106: Why Jira Hurts Game Studios
If you’re a leader in game dev who feels stuck, able to spot problems but struggling to make a real difference, there is a path forward that levels up your leadership and accelerates your team, game, and career. Sign up here to learn more: Are you inadvertently forcing your team to serve a tool, instead of letting your tools serve your team and game? In a recent conversation with Clinton Keith, Ben asked how Clint would help all of game development. Clint’s response? “Delete Jira” - and Ben laughed to keep from crying. Jira is a powerful tool, but in the hands of uninformed game development leadership, it often becomes a weapon against the very teams it's meant to help. Ben, who has used Jira and other tools as a producer within large studios, dissects the common, catastrophic misuses of Jira. While you might be better off deleting the tool, the real work is about fixing the broken cultural and organizational patterns that turn a simple work management system into the "boss" of your game studio. Learn the four cascading failure patterns that are draining your team's effectiveness and how to correct them, making collaboration and player outcomes your true north. What You'll Learn In This Episode: Why senior leaders keep breaking Jira without realizing it How Jira causes centralization and decision bottlenecks What Jira DOESN’T tell you, and why that makes it dangerous How perverse incentives emerge from overreliance on Jira and other tools like it The reason you end up feeling like a slave to the tool How to avoid the traps Jira leads you into Connect with us: 🔗Ben’s LinkedIn: 🔗BBG’s LinkedIn: 🔗Instagram: 🔗Website: 🔗YouTube: #gamedevleadership #jiraantipatterns #gamedevelopment #agilefailure #buildingbettergames
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E105: Your “2-Day” Task Takes 2 Months. Here’s the Fix.
10/28/2025
E105: Your “2-Day” Task Takes 2 Months. Here’s the Fix.
If you’re a leader in game dev who feels stuck, able to spot problems but struggling to make a real difference, there is a path forward that levels up your leadership and accelerates your team, game, and career. Sign up here to learn more: How much is your bad code costing you, and how much is your team's suffering just a ritual of amateur theatre? In this episode, Engineering and Agile expert Tim Ottinger and Ben challenge the core belief systems that plague software development, from the focus on individual productivity to the self-inflicted wounds of long release cycles. They break down the shocking truth about what slows software projects down, the high cost of errors in a complex system, and why doing work when it’s easy is the only way to avoid the crushing complexity of doing it when it’s hard. What you’ll learn in this episode: ● Why teams might refuse to change and improve the way they work ● The importance of finding problems now, rather than waiting till later ● Why “crunch time” is killing your output, not boosting it ● When to be throwing work away and when to be making things real Bibliography: Paired Programming Illuminated by Lori Williams and Robert Kessler: The Goal by Eliyahu Goldratt More about our guest: Tim Ottinger is a legendary figure in software development, having programmed since 1979 and been active in the early days of Extreme Programming and Agile. As a Senior Consultant at Industrial Logic, co-author of Agile In A Flash and a contributor to Clean Code, Tim brings decades of practical experience to dissect what goes wrong in most software development and how you can start doing better. Accolades and Publications: ● Co-Author: Agile In A Flash (with Jeff Langr). ● Contributor: Clean Code. ● Writing Credits: C++ Report, Object Magazine Online, Pragmatic Bookshelf magazine, Software Quality Connection. ● Recognized for: Compassionate and patient approach to working with individuals, sincerely interested in helping people reach their goals. Social Media and Websites: ● Website (Blog): ● Company Blog: ● Twitter/X: @tottinge. ● LinkedIn: ● Email: ● Other: Connect with us: 🔗Ben’s LinkedIn: 🔗BBG’s LinkedIn: 🔗Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/buildingbettergames/# 🔗Website: 🔗YouTube: #gamedev #SoftwareEngineering #Agile #GameIndustry #Leadership
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E104: Game Dev Leaders: Save Weeks of Thrash in 20 Minutes
10/21/2025
E104: Game Dev Leaders: Save Weeks of Thrash in 20 Minutes
If you’re a leader in game dev who feels stuck, able to spot problems but struggling to make a real difference, there is a path forward that levels up your leadership and accelerates your team, game, and career. Sign up here to learn more: How do you save weeks of thrash when your team is busy and perhaps even crunching, but your key goals aren't moving? This solo episode with Ben reveals the hidden cost of avoiding difficult conversations and the simple, 20-minute fix that can unblock your entire game development team. The problem isn't your process, your backlog, or lack of effort—it’s failure to pause and actually talk to each other. You'll learn: 5 signs you need to stop trying to outwork the problems Why pushing every problem to standup or retro isn’t working How the right conversation can be worth more than weeks of work Don't let denial or the fear of one more meeting cost you months of development time. It's time to stop wasting effort and have the one real conversation you need. Connect with us: 🔗Ben’s LinkedIn: 🔗BBG’s LinkedIn: 🔗Instagram: 🔗Website: 🔗YouTube: #GameDev #GameDevelopment #TeamAlignment #Agile #Productivity #BuildingBetterGames
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E103: Leadership Under Fire: Surviving a $100M Game Studio Crisis
10/14/2025
E103: Leadership Under Fire: Surviving a $100M Game Studio Crisis
If you’re a leader in game dev who feels stuck, able to spot problems but struggling to make a real difference, there is a path forward that levels up your leadership and accelerates your team, game, and career. Sign up here to learn more: What happens when doing the right thing could get you fired? Every game dev leader faces this nightmare: being held accountable for results but not empowered to make the decisions needed to achieve them. That tension creates chaos, burns out teams, and kills great games. In this powerful episode, Ben sits down with Clinton Keith, author of Agile Game Development and one of the pioneers of Agile in the games industry. Clinton shares raw, unfiltered stories from real studio crises, including the moment a CEO threatened his team’s lives to force change. This isn’t a lecture; it’s a candid look at what happens when pressure spikes, trust erodes, and leaders have to choose between survival and integrity. Together, Ben and Clinton break down the industry’s most toxic patterns, from “efficient waste” caused by rapid scaling to the trust issues that cripple creative freedom. They also explore how proven frameworks from the military and medicine, like the OODA Loop, can help game studios move faster, safer, and with more clarity. 👉 Watch this episode for a brutally honest look at what real leadership takes in game development and how to lead when the system itself feels broken. What you’ll learn in this episode: ✅ The Accountability Trap: Why even great leaders get stuck in broken systems (and how to break free) ✅ Scale Creates Waste: The hidden cost of growing your studio too fast ✅ The Trust Fix: Why control kills creativity (and how vulnerability builds real leadership) ✅ Beating Bad Systems: How to call out problems and keep your job ✅ Lessons from the Military & Medicine: Battle-tested frameworks that make your team faster and safer 🎮 About Clinton Keith: Clinton is a Certified Scrum Trainer and coach who has worked with over 150 studios worldwide. With experience ranging from building fighter jets to developing Midtown Madness and Midnight Club, he’s helped countless teams reduce crunch, improve collaboration, and build games that truly deliver value. Learn more about Clint: 🔗Amazon Page: 🔗LinkedIn: 🔗Website: Connect with us: 🔗Ben’s LinkedIn: 🔗BBG’s LinkedIn: 🔗Instagram: 🔗Website: 🔗YouTube: #GameDevLeadership #AgileGameDevelopment #GameIndustry #StudioCulture #GameProduction
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E102: 5 Game Dev Delusions That Kill Studios
10/07/2025
E102: 5 Game Dev Delusions That Kill Studios
Stop leaving reality behind and ship better games! If you’re a leader in game dev who feels stuck, able to spot problems but struggling to make a real difference, there is a path forward that levels up your leadership and accelerates your team, game, and career. Sign up here to learn more: Is your studio living in a delusion that will only end in pain? Seemingly great teams burn millions of dollars only to shut down because they left reality behind. This episode breaks down the five game dev delusions that kill studios, which I've seen in well-funded, 100+ person teams, unfunded indies, and VC-backed startups. If you lead a team or want to avoid losing touch with reality, this is for you. We cover five "Ps" of delusional failure: Play, Planning, People, Players, and Purpose AND provide the concrete actions you must take to stay grounded, align your team, and ship a game that makes a difference. What You'll Learn in This Episode: ✔ Why chasing “the first fun” is a mistake ✔ How to spot vapor estimates before they sink you ✔ Why “best people” hiring puts the cart before the horse ✔ The “audience size” trap (and what to do instead) ✔ Why more work isn’t getting you over the line ✔ What gives leaders an edge in staying grounded Connect with us: 🔗Ben’s LinkedIn: 🔗BBG’s LinkedIn: 🔗Instagram: 🔗Website: 🔗YouTube: #gamedevleadership #gamedevelopment #gamedevlife #startups #gameproducer
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E101: How Layoffs Go Wrong—and the Right Way to Do Them
09/30/2025
E101: How Layoffs Go Wrong—and the Right Way to Do Them
Ready to take your game development career to the next level? Join the Game Dev Leadership Accelerator: https://forms.gle/nqRTUvgFrtdYuCbr6 Do layoffs mean studio leadership is bad? While the popular answer is often "yes," the truth is more complex. Layoffs can reveal many things, from bad times in the market to failures to manage finances to corporate greed. But if you’re a leader, the real test is how you behave when your company’s survival is on the line. Trent Kusters, the co-founder and Studio Head of League of Geeks, joins Ben Carcich for a deeply personal and frank discussion about his experience of laying off almost all of his employees and transitioning the studio into hibernation. Trent argues that leaders are often "ignorant and or untrained" in the critical business, legal, and ethical frameworks needed to navigate a shutdown event with compassion and integrity. In this discussion, you'll learn: ✅ Why financial foresight and business savvy matter ✅ The true costs of a studio shutdown (even hidden ones like clearing out old desks) ✅ How to build a “rip zone” into your balance sheet to protect everyone ✅ Why living your company values—even when it costs hundreds of thousands—builds a true home for talent ✅ A five-point framework for planning, communicating, and managing a human-centric layoff Trent’s GDC Talk (requires GDC Vault Access) : Learn more about Trent Kusters: 🔗League of Geeks Website: 🔗LinkedIn: 🔗X (Twitter): Connect with us: 🔗Ben’s LinkedIn: 🔗LinkedIn: 🔗Instagram: 🔗Website: 🔗YouTube: #GameIndustry #GameDevLeadership #StudioLayoffs #FinancialLiteracy #GameProduction
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E100: Don’t Hire Until You See These 3 Signs
09/23/2025
E100: Don’t Hire Until You See These 3 Signs
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 common gaps in game production and how to fill them ✅ The evolution of the game producer role over the last decade This episode is packed with Ben's honest, experience-based insights to help you move past conventional wisdom and build better games. A special thanks to Jan for curating these questions from the GPC Discord, and for Juney who runs it. 👉 Connect with Jan here: 👉 Check out the Game Production Community Discord: Connect with us: 🔗 LinkedIn: 🌐 Website: ▶️ YouTube: If you enjoyed this video and want to see more content on how to build better games, hit Subscribe! Your support helps us create more videos that help you solve the problems that matter. #GameDev #GameDevelopment #GameProducer #Leadership #GameDesign
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E99: Stop Using 2-Week Sprints - Here's Why They’re Failing You
09/16/2025
E99: Stop Using 2-Week Sprints - Here's Why They’re Failing You
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 three dials that shape iteration length What the “reciprocal commitment” of an iteration is and why it matters The problem with rolling work from sprint to sprint How shorter iterations improve focus and learning without adding more meetings Why shorter beats longer iterations for exposing hidden problems This episode is for game developers and leaders who want to learn how to: Set an iteration length you can defend and adjust to reduce thrash. Avoid becoming a slave to a broken work system that doesn't serve you. Have more effective meetings and move faster with less effort. Connect with us: LinkedIn: Website: YouTube: If you enjoyed this video and want to see more content on how to build better games, hit subscribe! Your support helps us create more videos that help you solve the problems that matter. #GameDev #ProjectManagement #Leadership #Agile #Scrum
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E98: Why Most Game Launches Flop (And How to Avoid It)
09/09/2025
E98: Why Most Game Launches Flop (And How to Avoid It)
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 and subscribe to his newsletters: Mind Game Patch Notes: LinkedIn Newsletter: 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!: Connect with us: LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/benjamin-carcich Website: https://www.buildingbettergames.gg YouTube: #GameDev #GameIndustry #DataAnalytics #MarketingStrategy #Leadership
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E97: The 3 Tools Your Team Needs To Deliver Great Games
09/02/2025
E97: The 3 Tools Your Team Needs To Deliver Great 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 obsession, or endless feature lists.) The Collaborative Space → How a simple whiteboard can become your team’s creative playground — without crushing the fun with overbuilt systems. The Visual Task Board → Why a lightweight task board beats a complicated system every time — and how to avoid becoming a slave to your own process. 👉 Whether you’re an indie dev, part of a startup, or working on experimental projects, these three tools will help you keep things moving in the right direction. If you want to start using Favro, my preferred work management system, with a template based on the advice in this episode, sign up here: Full Disclaimer: I am a Favro affiliate, because they have been my favorite tool for years. Starts small, scales well, insanely flexible. Check them out! If you are a leader frustrated with broken systems and feeling like you are endlessly solving the wrong problems, I want to help. I am kicking off a Game Dev Leadership Accelerator where I help leaders and producers level themselves up and solve the problems that matter. Check the link to be notified once the course is available: Connect with us: LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/benjamin-carcich Substack: https://bencarcich.substack.com Website: YouTube: #GameDev #GameDevelopment #ProjectManagement #GameProduction #Leadership
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E96: Setting Goals: It’s Not Just About Shipping A Game, with Melissa Phillips
08/26/2025
E96: Setting Goals: It’s Not Just About Shipping A Game, with Melissa Phillips
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 wins A surprisingly effective way to find your true goals Why communicating goals to others matters The reality of your changing goals A successful game begins with better processes. This conversation is a great example of the mindset we teach at Building Better Games. Learn more about Melissa Phillips (Founder, Games Leadership) 🔗LinkedIn: 🔗Website: 🔗 (A 12-week program helping leaders craft a sustainable and personalized leadership model.) Connect with us: LinkedIn: Substack: Website: YouTube: #GameDev #Leadership #ProjectManagement #CareerDevelopment #Goals
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E95: The Challenge Of Live Service Games And How To Win with Ryan Scott
08/12/2025
E95: The Challenge Of Live Service Games And How To Win with Ryan Scott
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 - dying? The importance of serving real player needs Why a “better” game is not enough to win The elements to balance when updating live service games The 3 questions to consider before any update How elegance relates to design and complexity Who you are building your game for - and who you aren’t building it for Why every game is not “Esports-ready” even when the hype says they are Here's the breakdown of the games and companies we talked about in this episode: The Games: Apex Legends Battlefield One Battlefield Five Call of Duty (CoD) Concord Counterstrike (CS) Dota 2 Fortnite Halo Hearthstone League of Legends Marvel Rivals Overwatch Path of Exile Rainbow Six Smite Specter Divide StarCraft II The Cycle Valorant Warframe World of Tanks World of Warcraft (WoW) The Companies & Studios: Blizzard Epic Riot Games Sony Valve 343 Industries/Halo Studios Learn more about Ryan Scott: LinkedIn: In today's complex and costly industry, planning and estimation matter more than ever but are often destructive rather than helpful. Elevate your studio's decision-making and collaboration by learning how to get more out of estimation in less time. Learn more in our Advanced Estimation Course: Connect with us: Ben's LinkedIn: LinkedIn: Instagram: Website: YouTube: #GameDev #GamingIndustry #GamePublishing #BusinessOfGames #GameMarketing
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E94: Why You Should Think About Publishing More In Game Dev with Elizabeth Howard
07/29/2025
E94: Why You Should Think About Publishing More In Game Dev with Elizabeth Howard
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. What You’ll Learn in This Episode: Why publishing is about selling the game, not building it How shared goals between devs and publishers drive success The mistake most indie devs make Why every indie game needs a real publishing strategy What publishers really look for: risk, culture fit, and audience Why dev and publishing should be seen as one connected system Learn more about Elizabeth Howard: LinkedIn: Resources mentioned:: Aspyr: 2K Games: Bungie: Digital Bandidos: In today's complex and costly industry, strategic planning and effective estimation can help you succeed. Unfortunately, most studios don’t know how to estimate in a way that makes the time spent worthwhile. If you want to spend less time and get more value out of estimation, check out our Advanced Estimation Course: Connect with us: Ben’s LinkedIn: LinkedIn: Instagram: Website: YouTube: #GameDev #GamingIndustry #GamePublishing #BusinessOfGames #GameMarketing
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E93: The Collapse of the Games Industry with Trent Kusters
07/15/2025
E93: The Collapse of the Games Industry with Trent Kusters
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 learn in this episode: - The emergence of a game dev gig economy - Full-time game dev jobs are becoming more rare - How power is consolidating with platform distributors - Indie success is now a scary prospect, with a lot less clarity - Why Leaders need sound financial foresight and tight governance - How algorithm-driven curation misses humanity and judgment - Why it takes 10 years to make a game studio Resources mentioned: Doughnut Economics by Kate Raworth: Insomniac Games Founder, Ted Price | The AIAS Game Maker's Notebook Podcast: Creating a Rhythm-Action Game with Hi-Fi Rush Director John Johanas | AIAS Game Maker's Notebook: Matthew Ball's Presentation: The State of Video Gaming in 2025: Shams Jorjani's "The Business of Video Games" featuring Xalavier Nelson Jr.: Learn more about Trent Kusters: League of Geeks Website: https://leagueofgeeks.com/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/trentkusters/ X (Twitter): Recommended games to check out! I Am Your Beast: Town To City: Caves of Qud: Want to know when you’ll be done? Master game and software estimation so you can make better decisions sooner. Learn more in our Advanced Estimation Course: Connect with us: Ben’s LinkedIn: LinkedIn: Instagram: Website: YouTube: #GameDev #GamingIndustry #GameDevelopment #GameStudio #GameIndustryInsights
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E92: 5 Principles Game Producers Need with 35-Year Industry Vet Steve Sargent
07/01/2025
E92: 5 Principles Game Producers Need with 35-Year Industry Vet Steve Sargent
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 it’s done right! The five key behaviors that drive trust and success in game development Why pursuing "efficiency at all costs" can actually be detrimental to creating a great game The importance of understanding "the why" behind your processes, rather than just following rituals How to foster an environment where team members feel empowered to take ownership and solve problems Why planning is essential for alignment, even when the details change Whether you're an aspiring producer, an indie developer, or a seasoned leader, Steve's hard-earned wisdom offers actionable takeaways to help you build better games and stronger teams. Learn more about Steven Sargent: LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/steve-sargent-00ba59/ Blind Squirrel Entertainment: MobyGames Profile: Resources: Agile Game Development with Scrum by Clinton Keith: Mike Cohn's Books on Amazon: Connect with us: LinkedIn: Twitter: Instagram: Website: YouTube: #GameProduction #GameDev #AgileDevelopment #TeamLeadership #BlindSquirrelGames
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E91: How to Stop Compromising and Make the Studio You Actually Want with Critical Path Games
06/17/2025
E91: How to Stop Compromising and Make the Studio You Actually Want with Critical Path 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 is a wake-up call for any studio still relying on outdated ideas about how work gets done, and a practical guide to doing better. 🔍 You’ll Hear: - Why “fix it later” is the most expensive lie in game development - What the critical path really means—and how most studios misuse it - Why real planning requires saying no - The deadly effect of partial commitment on team morale and outcomes - Why you have to be willing to make choices that limit your own options - How senior leaders create or destroy the culture by what they tolerate If you’re a studio leader, producer, or creative tired of chaos and ready to build games with clarity, intention, and momentum, check it out! Connect with Critical Path Games: Critical Path Games – 🎮 Join the Building Better Games Community: - BBG Discord – Connect with devs, producers, and leaders building better studios: - Level Up Your Production Skills – Take our flagship course: - Get Leadership Insights Weekly – Subscribe to the BBG newsletter: https://www.buildingbettergames.gg/newsletter 🌐 Connect with Us: LinkedIn: Website: Facebook: YouTube: 👉 Subscribe for weekly episodes on game dev leadership, production, and culture. #GameProduction #GameLeadership #CriticalPath #StudioCulture #BuildingBetterGames
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E90: The Engineering Talent Pipeline is Broken: Juniors, AI & the Future of Game Dev w/ Carly Taylor
06/03/2025
E90: The Engineering Talent Pipeline is Broken: Juniors, AI & the Future of Game Dev w/ Carly Taylor
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 talent, the mentorship void left behind by remote work, and the role AI is really playing (hint: it's not what vendors are promising). Whether you're leading a studio, managing engineers, or trying to break into games yourself, this episode is a wake-up call. You’ll Hear: -Why the next generation of engineers is not being mentored -How studios are draining the senior talent pool -The real technical challenges of using AI in games -Why hiring only senior devs doesn’t produce better games -What juniors bring to the table (and why companies should listen) -How remote work disrupted knowledge transfer and how to rebuild it -Why game dev is still one of the most passionate industries in tech Connect with Carly Taylor: - Website: https://www.rebeldatascience.com/ - Substack: https://carlytaylor.substack.com/ - LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/carly-taylor - Databricks: https://www.databricks.com/dataaisummit/speaker/carly-taylor Join the Building Better Games Community: - BBG Discord: https://discord.gg/ySCPS5aMcQ - Level Up Your Production Skills: https://www.buildingbettergames.gg/succeeding-in-game-production - Subscribe to the BBG newsletter: https://www.buildingbettergames.gg/newsletter Connect with Us: - LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/benjamin-carcich - Website: https://www.buildingbettergames.gg - Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/bbg.valarininc - YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@BuildingBetterGames 👉 Subscribe for weekly episodes on game dev leadership, production, and culture.
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E89: Stop Crippling Your Team: How Leaders Create—and Fix—Bottlenecks
05/20/2025
E89: Stop Crippling Your Team: How Leaders Create—and Fix—Bottlenecks
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 “everything right” can still lead to failure, and how today’s leaders can navigate burnout, broken systems, and the crushing uncertainty of building something new. You’ll hear: Why leadership in games is different and often lonely The hidden cost of scaling a team too fast How power changes you (whether you like it or not) What founders need before they build the next big thing Why we need to talk about failure and what it teaches us What it really means to lead with resilience in an industry built on chaos If you’re a founder, leader, or future studio builder, this one’s for you. Connect with Melissa & Games Leadership: 🌐 🔗 🎓 Explore the Games Leadership Blueprint – 12-week leadership program Join the Building Better Games Community Looking to grow as a developer, producer, or studio leader? We've got you covered. ✅ Join the BBG Discord Connect with a community of developers, producers, and industry leaders working to build healthier studios and stronger games. 🔗 ✅ Level Up Your Production Skills Explore our flagship online course, Succeeding in Game Production, and become the producer your team needs. 🔗 ✅ Get Insights in Your Inbox Subscribe to our newsletter for fresh, actionable leadership and production content delivered straight to you. 🔗 Connect with Us: LinkedIn: Twitter: Instagram: Website: YouTube: 👉 Subscribe for weekly episodes on building better studios, better games, and better leadership in the game industry. #GameLeadership #IndieGameDev #StudioCulture #GamesIndustryInsights #LeadershipInGames
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