LATEST · EP 153 · No AI Doesn't Mean What You Think It Does
Player Driven
Player Driven Podcast
──LONG-FORM CONVERSATIONS

One hour,
two operators.

153 EPISODES
NEW EVERY TUESDAY
ROBLOX: ALGORITHM IS KING - The End of "AAA" and the Rise of the Viral Dev
44:11
EP_128· VIDEO MISSING

ROBLOX: ALGORITHM IS KING - The End of "AAA" and the Rise of the Viral Dev

Episode SummaryForget the old ways of game development. The Roblox platform isn't a sandbox—it's a brutal, high-frequency, algorithmic battleground.

PLAYER DRIVENNOV 25, 2025
ENCORE: Managing LiveOps at Scale: Inside Respawn's Build & Release Team with Julie Banta
51:32
EP_127· VIDEO MISSING

ENCORE: Managing LiveOps at Scale: Inside Respawn's Build & Release Team with Julie Banta

📄 Episode SummaryIn this episode, Greg sits down with Julie Banta, Director of Engineering for Build & Release at Respawn, to break down what it actually takes to keep a massive live game like Apex Legends running day after day.

PLAYER DRIVENNOV 18, 2025
The Rules We Break: Eric Zimmerman on Game Design, Loops, and Culture
1:13:49
EP_126· VIDEO MISSING

The Rules We Break: Eric Zimmerman on Game Design, Loops, and Culture

Episode OverviewWhat does it really mean to design a game — and what can that teach us about culture, creativity, and even our daily lives? In this episode, Greg is joined by Lewis Ward and Eric Zimmerman, legendary game designer, professor…

PLAYER DRIVENNOV 11, 2025
The Power of Local Events in Building the Future of Gaming
46:44
EP_125· VIDEO MISSING

The Power of Local Events in Building the Future of Gaming

🎧 Episode Description (Hook + Intro)What if the biggest leaps in gaming don’t happen at global mega-conferences, but in regional rooms where developers, vendors, and communities connect in a meaningful way? In this episode of Player Driven…

PLAYER DRIVENNOV 4, 2025
Building Shooters at Scale: Thad Sasser on Battlefield, COD, and the Future of FPS
46:33
EP_124· VIDEO MISSING

Building Shooters at Scale: Thad Sasser on Battlefield, COD, and the Future of FPS

Episode OverviewWhat does it take to build a shooter that can handle millions of players and still keep people coming back for more? In this episode, Greg is joined by Thad Sasser, a veteran designer whose career has touched some of the mos…

PLAYER DRIVENOCT 28, 2025
From Times Square to Discord: How Yellow Pike Powers Player Connections
44:31
EP_123· VIDEO MISSING

From Times Square to Discord: How Yellow Pike Powers Player Connections

Episode SummaryIn this episode of Player Driven, Greg talks with Keith Pape, founder of YellowPike Media, about how to build authentic, lasting connections between studios, players, and communities.

PLAYER DRIVENOCT 21, 2025
Regulation, Retention, and the Future of LiveOps with Oscar Clark
58:34
EP_122· VIDEO MISSING

Regulation, Retention, and the Future of LiveOps with Oscar Clark

Overview What happens when regulation collides with game design? In this episode, I sit down with industry veteran Oscar Clark to unpack the EU’s proposed changes around virtual currency, the ethics of monetization, and why “finding the fun…

PLAYER DRIVENOCT 14, 2025
Marketing That Moves the Needle with Christine Dart
48:27
EP_121· VIDEO MISSING

Marketing That Moves the Needle with Christine Dart

The gaming industry is full of brilliant products that never reach their potential. Not because the game isn’t good, but because the marketing strategy behind it doesn’t scale. In this episode of Player Driven, we explore how studios can turn marketing into a repeatable growth engine — not just a launch-day megaphone.

PLAYER DRIVENOCT 7, 2025
ENCORE - The Next Frontier in Game Development: AI-Powered Testing with Shaun Laker
55:36
EP_120· VIDEO MISSING

ENCORE - The Next Frontier in Game Development: AI-Powered Testing with Shaun Laker

Description The games industry is moving faster than ever — live service updates, cross-platform launches, and endless content drops. But QA hasn’t kept pace. Bugs slip through, launches stumble, and player trust takes a hit.

PLAYER DRIVENSEP 30, 2025
Pixel Therapy: Why Games and Mental Health Go Hand in Hand with Eric Chou
45:59
EP_119· VIDEO MISSING

Pixel Therapy: Why Games and Mental Health Go Hand in Hand with Eric Chou

Description Eric Chou started with a mod for Command and Conquer. Today, he runs Honor Games and works on the front lines of mental health.

PLAYER DRIVENSEP 23, 2025
From Stay-at-Home Dad to Six-Figure Modder: Why Your Next Big Hire is Already Playing Your Game
53:58
EP_118· VIDEO MISSING

From Stay-at-Home Dad to Six-Figure Modder: Why Your Next Big Hire is Already Playing Your Game

What does it take to turn a gaming hobby into a six-figure salary? In this episode, Greg sits down with Sandi, a stay-at-home dad who taught himself to create mods for ARK: Survival Ascended and ended up building a UGC empire with over 80 m…

PLAYER DRIVENSEP 16, 2025
Balancing Family, Career, and Community in the Games Industry with Amir Satvat
1:01:33
EP_117· VIDEO MISSING

Balancing Family, Career, and Community in the Games Industry with Amir Satvat

Episode SummaryHow 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 l…

PLAYER DRIVENSEP 9, 2025
Navigating the Indie Apocalypse: A Publisher's Playbook for Survival and Success
1:33:10
EP_116· VIDEO MISSING

Navigating the Indie Apocalypse: A Publisher's Playbook for Survival and Success

A deep dive into the evolving landscape of video game publishing, offering invaluable insights for indie developers on how to thrive in a crowded market.

PLAYER DRIVENSEP 2, 2025
From Sneakers to Startups: ASICS Ventures' Joe Pace on Building a VR Sport from Scratch
34:11
EP_115· VIDEO MISSING

From Sneakers to Startups: ASICS Ventures' Joe Pace on Building a VR Sport from Scratch

In this episode of Player Driven, Greg talks with Joe Pace, VP at ASICS Ventures, about the company’s surprising leap into virtual reality with DISC, a brand-new competitive sport built for Meta Quest.

PLAYER DRIVENAUG 26, 2025
Love, Power, Wealth: The True Drivers of Player Behavior
1:11:14
EP_114· VIDEO MISSING

Love, Power, Wealth: The True Drivers of Player Behavior

Episode Summary: Mark Otero (CEO of Azra Games, creator of Star Wars: Galaxy of Heroes) joins Player Driven to break down the real reason most games fail — they ignore what players actually want.

PLAYER DRIVENAUG 19, 2025
From Chaos to Control: Christina Camilleri on Building Safer Games by Design
58:25
EP_113· VIDEO MISSING

From Chaos to Control: Christina Camilleri on Building Safer Games by Design

Episode Summary: Christina Camilleri leads trust and safety product strategy at Netflix Games — but her journey started as a shy kid finding refuge in online worlds.

PLAYER DRIVENAUG 12, 2025
The Devs Who Came Before Us: And Why We Need Their Stories Now
55:39
EP_112· VIDEO MISSING

The Devs Who Came Before Us: And Why We Need Their Stories Now

🎮 Episode SummaryWhat can a former QA tester at EA, a punk-rock producer at Midway, and the exec who helped launch No Man’s Sky teach us about today’s game industry? In this episode, Adam Boyes (founder of Vivrato and longtime industry vet…

PLAYER DRIVENAUG 5, 2025
The Economics of Gaming: How One Player Broke an MMO and Launched a Career
1:01:21
EP_111· VIDEO MISSING

The Economics of Gaming: How One Player Broke an MMO and Launched a Career

Guest: Andrew Wagner, Author of Economics of Online Gaming and Founder of Wagner Road Capital CoHost: Lewis Ward, Research Director @ IDC 🎙 Episode Summary What happens when a high schooler treats an MMORPG like a business case study? Andr…

PLAYER DRIVENJUL 29, 2025
One Account, One Life: Can This Fix Online Gaming
45:16
EP_110· VIDEO MISSING

One Account, One Life: Can This Fix Online Gaming

What if you only had one digital life across all games... would you still cheat? In this episode, we dig into the world of online cheating, digital accountability, and the business of fair play with Andrew Wailes from PlaySafe ID.

PLAYER DRIVENJUL 22, 2025
The Future of Gaming is User-Generated: A Conversation with Look North World's Alex Seropian
46:06
EP_109· VIDEO MISSING

The Future of Gaming is User-Generated: A Conversation with Look North World's Alex Seropian

Episode Summary: In this episode, we're joined by Alex Seropian, a true legend in the gaming industry and the co-founder of Bungie, the studio behind Halo.

PLAYER DRIVENJUL 15, 2025
ENCORE: Blending Community and Social Media: Insights with Fiene Ziegler of InnoGames
44:52
EP_108· VIDEO MISSING

ENCORE: Blending Community and Social Media: Insights with Fiene Ziegler of InnoGames

Episode Overview: In this episode, Greg Posner interviews Fiene Ziegler, Senior Community Management Specialist at InnoGames.

PLAYER DRIVENJUL 8, 2025
From Club Penguin to Imagine Island: Building Games That Last a Generation
47:57
EP_107· VIDEO MISSING

From Club Penguin to Imagine Island: Building Games That Last a Generation

📖 Episode Summary:This episode of Player Driven, in collaboration with Community Clubhouse, dives into the future of kids' gaming and digital safety.

PLAYER DRIVENJUL 1, 2025
Managing LiveOps at Scale: Inside Respawn's Build & Release Team with Julie Banta
51:32
EP_106· VIDEO MISSING

Managing LiveOps at Scale: Inside Respawn's Build & Release Team with Julie Banta

Guest: Julie Banta, Director of Engineering, Build & Release at Respawn Entertainment Summary: In this episode of Player Driven, Greg sits down with Julie Banta, Director of Engineering at Respawn, to explore the underappreciated world of b…

PLAYER DRIVENJUN 24, 2025
The Sound of Safety: How Modulate is Cleaning Up Voice Chat & Beyond with Mike Pappas
49:17
EP_105· VIDEO MISSING

The Sound of Safety: How Modulate is Cleaning Up Voice Chat & Beyond with Mike Pappas

Mike Pappas discusses Modulate's Toxmod, a sophisticated voice AI that analyzes emotional nuance and behavioral dynamics in online interactions.

PLAYER DRIVENJUN 17, 2025