Building Games, Battling Burnout, and Betting on Global Talent, with Max Albert, CEO of Adrenaline Interactive
Description
Is in-game advertising the future of media? Can Hearthstone be a mental health tool? Why do most founders fail with overseas talent?
In this episode of Founders & Empanadas, I sit down with Max Albert—founder of Adrenaline Interactive and former eSports athlete turned venture-backed gaming CEO—for a fast-moving conversation on the real future of gaming, monetization models that aren’t predatory, and the personal story behind how gaming helped him recover from depression and drop back into life.
We cover:
- Why in-game product placement will eat traditional advertising
- The harsh truth about scaling with vague specs
- The overlooked power of games in managing mental health
- The emotional toll of startup life (and how to stay in the game)
- Why perseverance is more valuable than product
- And the one thing young founders should prioritize before building anything
If you’ve ever wondered what gaming can teach you about product, performance, and personal growth—this episode delivers.
📌 Timestamps:
0:00 – Intro and first empanada
4:30 – Max’s founding story: NFL games, Ford, and quitting
6:00 – Why gaming’s future is female
9:30 – Ethical monetization vs. ad spam
13:00 – Blockchain gaming: genius or grift?
15:00 – Open vs. closed game economies
18:00 – What Activision Blizzard got right
20:00 – The “stagnation” myth in gaming
22:00 – Virtual product placement explained
26:00 – Hardest roles to hire for in gaming
28:00 – Why most overseas teams fail (and how to fix it)
29:00 – The Ukraine story that changed Max’s perspective
34:00 – Using gaming to manage anxiety
37:00 – Escapism vs. empowerment in Gen Z
41:00 – The Hearthstone-to-CEO mindset
44:00 – Funniest failed startup ideas Max ever heard
47:00 – Max’s hot take: love before legacy
49:00 – Story beats data: how he raised $2M
United States
