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Player Driven
Player Driven Podcast
──LONG-FORM CONVERSATIONS

One hour,
two operators.

160 EPISODES
NEW EVERY TUESDAY
Are private servers piracy? Inside the ESA fight with Nodecraft's Jonathan Yarbor
43:46
UGC & CREATORS

Are private servers piracy? Inside the ESA fight with Nodecraft's Jonathan Yarbor

The ESA told California lawmakers private servers are piracy. NodeCraft's Jonathan Yarbor on the terminology it botched and why licensing beats litigating.

L02 OperatorFOUNDER +2
↳ 5 TAKEAWAYS
PLAYER DRIVENJUL 7, 2026
The Biggest Gaming Platform You've Never Heard Of (100M Players a Month)
41:39
EP_159

The Biggest Gaming Platform You've Never Heard Of (100M Players a Month)

Web games went from the thing you played to kill time in study hall to a platform pulling 100 million monthly active users.

0
PLAYER DRIVENJUN 30, 2026
Betting the Studio: Zach Letter on Surviving the Cut and Building Roblox's #1 Licensed Game
1:09:52
EP_157· LIVE OPS

Betting the Studio: Zach Letter on Surviving the Cut and Building Roblox's #1 Licensed Game

Zach Letter spent over a decade as a full-time YouTube creator with billions of views before he saw Roblox and recognized the exact platform mechanics he had already mastered: a title, a thumbnail, and an algorithm to beat.

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↳ 5 TAKEAWAYS
WITH ZACH LETTERJUN 16, 2026
Why Most Games Fail in the Gap Between the Idea and the Build
55:53
EP_156

Why Most Games Fail in the Gap Between the Idea and the Build

Lewis Ward spent sixteen years covering games as an analyst at IDC. Now he runs Design Desk at Player Driven, and his obsession has moved upstream, into the design layer where games are still just ideas.

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PLAYER DRIVENJUN 9, 2026
Let Bungie Die: The State of Sony, Activision, and Everyone Caught in Between
59:21
EP_155· VIDEO MISSING

Let Bungie Die: The State of Sony, Activision, and Everyone Caught in Between

Bungie's total mindshare has collapsed 86% since 2019, Destiny is winding down to a final mission, and Marathon is on life support.

0
PLAYER DRIVENJUN 2, 2026
Ad-Supported Xbox, the Death of the Open Web, and House Cats for AI
59:28
EP_154· VIDEO MISSING

Ad-Supported Xbox, the Death of the Open Web, and House Cats for AI

Matt Ball just joined Xbox, and Colan is calling his shot: a free, ad-supported Xbox tier is coming, and people are massively underestimating what free does to an ecosystem.

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PLAYER DRIVENMAY 26, 2026
Feedback at 150,000 Players: What V Rising Learned from Its Own Launch
58:06
EP_152· COMMUNITY

Feedback at 150,000 Players: What V Rising Learned from Its Own Launch

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…

L02 OperatorCOMMUNITY +1
↳ 5 TAKEAWAYS
WITH JEREMY FIELDINGMAY 12, 2026
Building NYC's Gaming Ecosystem from the Classroom Up with Alia Jones-Harvey
21:39
EP_151· INDUSTRY & BUSINESS

Building NYC's Gaming Ecosystem from the Classroom Up with Alia Jones-Harvey

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.

L03 LeadCOMMUNITY +2
↳ 5 TAKEAWAYS
WITH ALIA JONES-HARVEYMAY 5, 2026
From Side Project to Steam Launch: What a Two-Man Indie Team Learned the Hard Way
39:50
EP_150· LIVE OPS

From Side Project to Steam Launch: What a Two-Man Indie Team Learned the Hard Way

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…

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↳ 5 TAKEAWAYS
WITH MAX MRAZ APR 28, 2026
The Rise of Web Shops: How Games Are Reclaiming Players and Profit
48:21
EP_149· MONETIZATION

The Rise of Web Shops: How Games Are Reclaiming Players and Profit

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.

L02 OperatorLIVE OPS +1
↳ 5 TAKEAWAYS
WITH GIL TOV-LYAPR 21, 2026
The Data on Q2's Biggest Games (And Who's Going to Lose)
57:15
EP_148· VIDEO MISSING

The Data on Q2's Biggest Games (And Who's Going to Lose)

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.

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PLAYER DRIVENAPR 14, 2026
You’re Not Designing Games… You’re Designing Behavior
30:45
EP_147· VIDEO MISSING

You’re Not Designing Games… You’re Designing Behavior

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.

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PLAYER DRIVENAPR 7, 2026
ENCORE: How One MMO Taught a Future Investor to Break Markets
1:05:10
EP_146· VIDEO MISSING

ENCORE: How One MMO Taught a Future Investor to Break Markets

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.

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PLAYER DRIVENMAR 31, 2026
Day Zero Design: Why Your Community Strategy is Your New Game Engine
48:45
EP_145· COMMUNITY

Day Zero Design: Why Your Community Strategy is Your New Game Engine

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…

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↳ 5 TAKEAWAYS
PLAYER DRIVENMAR 24, 2026
Half a Million Karma and a Shipped Game: The Renee Gittins Story
38:57
EP_144· LIVE OPS

Half a Million Karma and a Shipped Game: The Renee Gittins Story

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…

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↳ 4 TAKEAWAYS
WITH RENEE GITTINS MAR 17, 2026
Is Privacy a Myth? Why the US Government Wants to Dismantle Tencent
1:00:30
EP_143· INDUSTRY & BUSINESS· VIDEO MISSING

Is Privacy a Myth? Why the US Government Wants to Dismantle Tencent

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.

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↳ 4 TAKEAWAYS
PLAYER DRIVENMAR 10, 2026
The Evolution of Moderation: Why AI Won’t Replace Humans… It Will Redefine Them
30:54
EP_142· TRUST & SAFETY· VIDEO MISSING

The Evolution of Moderation: Why AI Won’t Replace Humans… It Will Redefine Them

In this episode of Player Driven, host Greg welcomes back industry veteran Sharon Fisher to discuss the rapidly evolving landscape of content moderation.

L02 OperatorTRUST & SAFETY +1
↳ 5 TAKEAWAYS
PLAYER DRIVENMAR 3, 2026
Exploring the Psychological Traits That Motivate Video Game Players: From GTA to Fortnite and Beyond
48:30
EP_141· PLAYER PSYCHOLOGY· VIDEO MISSING

Exploring the Psychological Traits That Motivate Video Game Players: From GTA to Fortnite and Beyond

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…

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↳ 4 TAKEAWAYS
PLAYER DRIVENFEB 24, 2026
ENCORE: Balancing Family, Career, and Community in the Games Industry
1:02:54
EP_140· VIDEO MISSING

ENCORE: Balancing Family, Career, and Community in the Games Industry

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…

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PLAYER DRIVENFEB 17, 2026
The Dark Souls of Politics: Gaming for Change
51:04
EP_139· GAME DESIGN· VIDEO MISSING

The Dark Souls of Politics: Gaming for Change

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.

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↳ 4 TAKEAWAYS
PLAYER DRIVENFEB 10, 2026
How AI Is Rewriting Trust and Safety in Games
43:42
EP_138· TRUST & SAFETY· VIDEO MISSING

How AI Is Rewriting Trust and Safety in Games

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…

L02 OperatorTRUST & SAFETY +1
↳ 4 TAKEAWAYS
PLAYER DRIVENFEB 3, 2026
The Riot Publishing Paradox and The Resurrection of Hytale
56:13
EP_137· VIDEO MISSING

The Riot Publishing Paradox and The Resurrection of Hytale

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.

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PLAYER DRIVENJAN 27, 2026
300M Losses & $650 Legos: Is the Gaming Industry in a Tailspin?
25:17
EP_136· VIDEO MISSING

300M Losses & $650 Legos: Is the Gaming Industry in a Tailspin?

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.

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PLAYER DRIVENJAN 20, 2026
Player Support, Trust & Safety, and the Future of Community-Led Games | Schell Games
47:27
EP_135· COMMUNITY· VIDEO MISSING

Player Support, Trust & Safety, and the Future of Community-Led Games | Schell Games

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.

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↳ 4 TAKEAWAYS
PLAYER DRIVENJAN 13, 2026