Claim OwnershipThe Business of Video Games Podcast
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Welcome to The Business of Video Games Podcast.
A show where we shed some light on the inner workings of the games industry—the why, how, who, and what the hell?! behind business decisions, publishing calls, and the steps (and missteps) that happen behind the scenes.
Basically: the inside view on how and why things are actually done the way they are. Not just guesswork on 4Chan.
The podcast is hosted by Shams Jorjani (CEO of Arrowhead Game Studios, Chairman of the Board at Hooded Horse, and founder of the Almost Ready Games Fund) and Fernando Rizo (former Chief Sales & Business Development Officer at Raw Fury, now Partner at Kaboodle Games).
In every episode, we invite a guest from the industry to unpack an interesting decision or event, share lessons learned, or explain why all of us armchair experts got it wrong (or occasionally right).
This podcast previously ran for four years at Paradox Interactive and was available there until they decided to remove it. It might yet return someday - as a DLC in one of their games.
52 Episodes
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Do we got another great conversation for you here friends? Yes we do!
In this episode, Shams and Fernando sit down with industry veteran Adam Boyes to explore his remarkable journey through the industry over the last decades. Adam shares stories from his early years, continuing to look at his time at Midway and Capcom, and his transition into business development and executive leadership.
The conversation leads over to Adams experience with navigating Japanese corporate culture, digital distribution with titles like Bionic Commando Rearmed and an unexpected stint consulting for major non-gaming IPs like Kraft Foods(!).
But what is a conversation with Adam Boyes without diving into his years at PlayStation during the PS4 generation, including the backstory behind one of the most iconic industry memes: the legendary “How to Share a Game on PlayStation” video..
But before we jump into the interview, Shams and Fernando also sheds some light on Sweden’s outsized footprint in the global games industry, from its unusually strong export numbers to the cultural and economic aspects that have helped Swedish studios punch far above their weight for decades (and continue to do so).
The "How to share your game on PlayStation"-meme
VR in the parking lot
Vivrato.com
It's time to continue our conversation with Chris and Tyler som Red Hook Studios!
In this second half of our interview with Red Hook Studios founders Chris and Tyler, we focus on what happened after Darkest Dungeon 1. Wrapping up Kickstarter commitments, the surprising intensity of Early Access, and how the game’s success never really gave the team a chance to slow down.
Among other things, we also touch on their DLC approach, some of the business decisions behind Darkest Dungeon 2 and why they ultimately accepted an Epic Games Store deal that fully funded the sequel despite community pushback.
Beyond the interview, Shams and Fernando also get into the state of industry events like GDC, plus what they’ve been playing and thinking about lately - because even in a packed episode, there’s always room for a little extra.
Find Red Hook Studios on Steam here
We are back!
And what a time to be alive when we start of Season 4 with two real bangers.
Chris Bourassa and Tyler Sigman are the creative minds behind Darkest Dungeon and co-founders of Red Hook Studios. Chris - who still believes he’s not really an artist, despite shaping one of the most iconic visual styles in gaming - joins forces with Tyler, the design wizard and production mastermind.
In this episode (the first of two), we dive into their backstory, unpack their Kickstarter ride, and explore how they turned stress, madness, and misery into one of the most unforgettable indie darlings out there.
Find Red Hook Studios on Steam
In our final episode of the season, Shams and Fernando drop the guest format to tackle a few persistent myths and misconceptions that have been quietly annoying us all year.
We dig into things like:
How a game can be a bestseller and still be considered a disappointment
What minority investments really mean — and what they don’t
No shouting, no hot takes (okay, maybe one), just two people who’ve seen a few things, trying to make sense of a business that often doesn't.
Thanks for listening this season — see you soon.
support us on patreon: https://www.patreon.com/BusinessOfVideoGames
Nobody does shadow drops (the act of releasing a game with no advance marketing) quite like Landfall Games, who've done it many times; most recently moving 2 million units of PEAK in less than 2 weeks after shadow dropping it in June.
Fernando talks to Landfall's Chief Business Officer Rebecca Lautner and Head of Publishing Kirsten-Lee Naidoo to get the inside story of how they've become the masters of this unusual tactic.
XCOM designer and Sid Meier protege Jake Solomon is embarking on a new mission: CEO of his own studio. Jake gives Shams and Fernando a window into his extraordinary career, telling stories from his days at Firaxis and talking about his journey to found Midsummer Studios.
Follow Jake's progress at https://www.midsummerstudios.com/
Fourty two is the answer to life - but it's also the number of points of wisdom justly dispensed by games industry veteran Paul Kilduff-Taylor - mastermind behind Developer/Publisher/Operator - Mode 7 Games. Paul wrote the list of "42 Essential Game Dev Tips That Are Immutably Correct and Must Never Be Disputed by Anyone Ever At Any Time!" and we unpack some of these and try to figure out why Paul is a very wise man. Because he is.
(sorry about Shams audio - its fixed in the next episode!)
Check out the original blog post here
https://modecollapse.substack.com/p/42-essential-game-dev-tips-that-are
And more info on Mode 7 Games: https://www.mode7.games/
Season 3 finally continues with a truly unique indie business auteur!
Xalavier Nelson Jr. runs Strange Scaffold, a game studio that defies convention—achieving repeated success while staying boldly artistic. Listen in to hear Xalavier and Strange Scaffold manage what so few others do.
👉 Visit Strange Scaffold and explore their games here. https://www.strangescaffold.com/
As we're in a festive mood we decided to try something new and unpack what life is like at a service provider in the games industry. Some describe it as the hardest biz dev job in the industry and they wouldn't be wrong.
Serial entrepreneur Alexander Bergendahl shares how Lootlocker helps developers and publishers level up and get closer to their players.
https://lootlocker.com/
This episode, we’re diving into the wild world of user-generated content (UGC) with Scott Reismanis, CEO of Mod.io. Ever wondered WHY mods go from hobby projects to gaming game-changers such as DOTA or CS? Scott’s here to spill the beans on Mod.io’s mission, the challenges of getting studios on board, and why UGC is still the future (spoiler: it’s awesome).
We’ll chat about big decisions, big trends, and big dreams for modding.
Mods, memes, and major insights—don’t miss it!
In this episode we sit down with two true operators in the biz dev space - Callum Underwood and Alex Nicholson. By night they're up to shenanigans - by day - more shenanigans - but also they run Uwu Biz a one stop shop for your business development or really - any needs you might have as a successful developer. Callum and Alex regale us with how they operate in tough times.
https://www.uwu.biz/
Welcome to a new season of the Business of Video Games Podcast! Your host finally cut his hair, grew up and got himself a job (more on in a future episode)!
Meaning that this season we'll be bringing on a new co-host - Fernando Rizo - business developer extraordinaire - familiar to regular listeners. Expect monthly episodes this season and more behind the scenes materials for patreons - otherwise our format stays the same - the hardest hitting business interviews in the games industry.
In this episode we interview Soren Lundgard - CEO of Ghostship Games - developers of smash hit Deep Rock Galactic. We uncover the secrets of their success and how they are re-invest in the Danish games industry.
Finally we arrive at the season finale! In this episode your's truly shares the story of trying, and failing, at starting a game studio. Why start a studio in this day and age? How did Shams go about doing and why did the studio endeavour end in shambles (but with a lot of learnings)?
If you want to see some screenshots of some of the prototypes have a look here:
https://shorturl.at/4BWAS
See you next season!
We arrive finally in the fifth and final episode in the series where we talk to Kim Nordström - games industry meganerd, veteran and author of "Up, Down, Up - why some game companies succeed while others fail. This episode delves into the final phase that companies go through before throwing in the towel - namely the "Decline Phase". We unpack why companies end up here and how you navigate out of these dreaded waters.
You can find more info about the book here: https://updownupbook.com/
After a short (!) hiatus we're back with Kim Nordström and "Up, Down, Up" - the ultimate book about why some game companies fail and others succeed. This time about the "Mature" phase. Sounds more risqué than it sounds - but still worth a listen - if you dare.
You can find more info about the book here: https://updownupbook.com/
We return yet again to our home base this season - Indie publisher Hooded Horse. They recently release Manor Lords and it was a roaring success selling over 2M copies in less than 3 weeks. We talk to their CEO Tim Bender and Chief Marketing Officer Abhishek Chaudhry to understand what went right, wrong and what the team would do differently.
Find Manor Lords here https://store.steampowered.com/app/1363080/Manor_Lords/
And follow Hooded Horse here: https://x.com/HoodedHorseInc
Times are grim in the games industry - at least they are if you're running a business looking for money. But there's light at the end of the tunnel! We think. The trick is just to survive until Gandalf comes riding back with backup. To discuss how to survive until 2025 when things might look better we invited Robert Bäckström - ex Fatshark, Raw Fury and much more to talk about survival strategies for game developers.
Visit Aurora Punks here: https://www.aurorapunks.com/
And Robert here: https://twitter.com/aurora_punker
We're back with another episode in the series where we explore the book - "Up, Down, Up - Why some game companies succeed while others fail" written by Kim Nordström. This time we talk about the growth phase of the companies journey. We delve into what characterizes this phase and how the focus of companies change during this phase. We talk about crazy concepts such as "Culture transfer rate" and other tricks of the dark arts.
You can find more info on it here: https://updownupbook.com/
In this episode we had a chat with Astrid Refstrup - CEO of Tripletopping and now in charge of Developer Relation & Business Development at the games fund WINGS who invest in gender marginalized teams. Astrid shares war stories and we talk about WINGS modus operandi. We try to figure out how one balances business excellence with idealistic goals.
You can find Wings and their application process here:
Wings:
https://wingsfund.me/
https://wingsfund.me/apply/
And Astrid can be reached here:
https://www.linkedin.com/in/astrid-mie-refstrup-344969136/
https://twitter.com/Astridmrefstrup
We're back with another episode in the series where we explore the book - "Up, Down, Up - Why some game companies succeed while others fail" written by Kim Nordström. This time we talk about the startup phase of the companies journey. Kim shares insights and takeaways from other companies that mastered and flubbed this critical phase.
You can find more info on it here: https://updownupbook.com/
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