What happens inside a studio when a game explodes past every projection on launch day? Jeremy Fielding, Community Manager and Narrative Coordinator at Stunlock Studios, was there when V Rising hit 150,000 concurrent Steam players — and he w…
Episode Description (the version that goes in podcast players) New York City has tripled gaming industry jobs since 2008. The average wage is now 14% above the citywide average.
What does it really take for a two-person indie team to turn an after-hours idea into a real shipped game? In this episode of Player Driven, Greg sits down with Max Mraz of Moth Atlas to talk about the long road behind Tombwater, a handcraf…
For years, mobile gaming operated under one unspoken rule: give up ~30% of your revenue to platform holders like Apple and Google. That model is starting to break.
Player Driven Live — April 9, 2026 The Q2 release window wars, Nintendo's dual-platform strategy, and whether the gaming industry actually understands its own audience.
This week’s episode takes a different angle. What started as a conversation about Epic, Disney, and the state of the market quickly turned into something bigger… a discussion about systems.
This week, we’re bringing back one of the most interesting conversations we’ve had on Player Driven. Andrew Wagner didn’t learn economics in a classroom first. He learned it inside a game.
Guests: Karin Johnson: Co-founder of Magic Potion Games (Veteran of Club Penguin and Fortnite)Hege Tokerud: CEO/Founder of Aiba (Cybersecurity and AI moderation specialist) Episode Summary In this strategic primer for GDC 2026, we sit down…
Episode Overview In this episode, Greg sits down with Renee Gittins — studio founder of Stumbling Cat, former IGDA Executive Director, ex-General Manager of Phoenix Labs Vancouver, Forbes 30 Under 30 for Games, Reddit legend, and now a debu…
Episode Summary: While the team is away at GDC in San Francisco, we’re bringing you a deep-dive encore of one of our most provocative conversations. Greg and Colan sit down to dissect the mounting pressure from the U.S.
In this episode of Player Driven, host Greg welcomes back industry veteran Sharon Fisher to discuss the rapidly evolving landscape of content moderation.
Episode Summary Why do we play the video games that we play? Is interest in the strategy game genre truly waning globally over time? Greg and Lewis sit down with gaming psychology pioneer and Quantic Foundry co-founder Nick Yee to answer th…
Episode Summary How do you break into the games industry later in your career? And once you’re in, how do you build a meaningful life and community without burning out? In this episode, Greg is joined by Amir Satvat, a Business Development…
On this episode of Player Driven, Lewis and Greg are joined by Joost Vervoort, Associate Professor at Utrecht University (in the Netherlands) and Science/Impact Director at Speculative Agency.
Recorded live at Pocket Gamer London, Greg sits down with Hill from Checkstep for a wide ranging conversation on trust and safety, AI powered content detection, parenting in a gaming household, and why moderation is no longer just about rem…
In this episode, Greg and Colan break down the surprising success of Hytale after its departure from Riot Games, the strategic restructuring at Ubisoft, and the evolving multi-platform future of Xbox.
Episode SummaryIs the gaming industry entering a "negative flywheel"? This week, we dive into the staggering reports of Black Ops 6 underperforming and what it means for the future of Microsoft Gaming and potential layoffs.
In this episode of Player Driven, Greg Posner sits down with Laura Norwicke Hall, Senior Player Support Specialist at Schell Games, to unpack what modern player experience really looks like when games scale.
What does it actually take to build a media and events business that survives multiple platform shifts, economic cycles, and industry hype waves? In this episode of Player Driven, Greg sits down with Chris James, CEO of Steel Media and the…
Episode Summary:In this special encore presentation, we revisit one of our earliest and most popular conversations. Originally recorded two years ago, Greg Posner sits down with Beau Button, the visionary CTO and Co-Founder of Atlas Reality…
What does ambition really look like inside modern game development? In this episode, Greg sits down with Jack Burrows to unpack how level designers think, work, and stay motivated across massive franchises and creative constraints.
In this episode, Greg sits down with Jim Welch, a composer turned developer turned studio founder whose creative journey spans Dragon Ball Z trailers to launching a party game in the spirit of Jackbox.
This episode features host Greg and Lewis Ward discussing the true nature of virtual worlds with Wagner James Au, author of Making a Metaverse That Matters, exploring the core design, economic, and community philosophies of successful platf…
Dive deep into the strategic mindset of level design, the shift from AAA development to indie studio entrepreneurship, and a radical new business model for creating innovative "Cocktail Games." Key Takeaways & Discussion PointsThe Reality o…
