The Business of Video Games Podcast
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.
Listen on:
Episodes
Wednesday Sep 27, 2023
Wednesday Sep 27, 2023
Welcome back to a new season of the Business of Video Games podcast! In this episode we recap the state of the industry, talk about what's new for this season and talk about a little thing called marketing momentum - which Baldur's Gate 3 seems to have in spades.
Monday Jul 17, 2023
Monday Jul 17, 2023
It's time for the season finale before we go on a summer break. We're joined by Raw Fury's Chief Sales and Business Development Officer - Fernando Rizo. He talks about one of their latest releases that might have gone very differently had it not been for some major decisions behind the scenes late in the game.
Wednesday Jun 21, 2023
Wednesday Jun 21, 2023
We invited Tanya Short back to the podcast to unpack how the Dwarf Fortress release actually fared. If you didn't catch episode 6 please give that a listen first to get insights into Kitfox's strategy heading into one of indie gaming's biggest releases.
Sunday May 14, 2023
Sunday May 14, 2023
In this episode we talk about Early Access! we're visited my Aron Pietron from Eremite Games - developers of early access smash hit Against the Storm. A roguelike fantasy city builder. You'll be an early access mastermind after this episode.
Let us know what you think!
Sunday Apr 16, 2023
Sunday Apr 16, 2023
We return with a deep dive episode on a topic requested by one of our Patrons - the mega success of Valheim! What drove its success, how was the follow-up, what are the learnings.
Sunday Mar 19, 2023
Sunday Mar 19, 2023
For this episode we're welcoming industry veteran Oskar Burman to the studio. After a long career in the mobile and AAA spaces, he founded VR developer and publisher Fast Travel Games back in 2016. Oskar shares an unfiltered look at what life is like as a VR developer, and what he believes is on the horizon for VR. Enjoy!
Monday Feb 27, 2023
Monday Feb 27, 2023
We return with a deep dive episode on a topic requested by one of our Patrons - what does a typical life cycle of a (premium) game look like?
Saturday Feb 04, 2023
Saturday Feb 04, 2023
Shams and Daniel are joined in the studio by Tanya X Short, founder and creative director at Kitfox Games.
This recording took place just a few short weeks before the release of legendary cult classic Dwarf Fortress on Steam, published by Kitfox. Ever wondered what life is like for a publishing captain in the days leading up to the release of a lifetime? Well, here's your answer.
Thursday Feb 02, 2023
Thursday Feb 02, 2023
Trailer for the upcoming 6th episode - featuring Tanya X Short - co-founder of Kitfox Games.
Saturday Jan 14, 2023
Saturday Jan 14, 2023
New year, new season! In this episode we dive into the topic of culture. What is it, why is it important, and what are some examples of it done right - and wrong - in our beloved industry. Happy listening!
The Business Of Video Games
This is the podcast where we shine a bit of light on the soft underbelly of the video games industry. Where we try to figure out what the hell were people thinking when they made decisions and hopefully become better at running games businesses ourselves.