Africa’s gaming market is young, fast-growing, and mobile-first. In this episode, host Alexandra Takei, Director at Ruckus Games, is joined by Cordel Robbin-Coker, CEO of Carry1st, and Temi Afolabi, a lead on XBOX’s Global Expansion team, to examine the opportunity and hurdles of scaling games in Africa. They break down Africa’s demographics, monet…

In today's episode, host David Taylor dives into the world of Minecraft’s massive creator ecosystem with two of its most influential creators: Raf is the co-founder of Spark Universe, a studio behind one of the most widely used Minecraft tools, Essential Mod, which connects millions of players through a live services platform. With over 50 million …

In this episode, podcast David Taylor is joined by Alexander Hicks, the co-founder of Twin Atlas, one of the most innovative studios in the Roblox ecosystem. Twin Atlas is the team behind blockbuster experiences like Creatures of Sonaria, which ranks among the top 30 Roblox games in terms of revenue and engagement according to CreatorExchange.io. A…

In this episode, host Alexandra Takei, Director at Ruckus Games, sits down with Derek Qiu, Head of Overseas Operations at NetEase, to explore the cross-border distribution journey of Once Human, a supernatural survival game from Starry Studio. They discuss the rapid evolution of China's gaming market, how Chinese developers like NetEase are increas…

Our guest today, has led teams overseeing some of the biggest commercial successes from the MMORPG genre, and has leveraged those experiences to support dozens more through publishing roles for Xbox Game Studios Publishing and ArenaNet. In this conversation, David Taylor sat down with Crystin Cox, Head of Publishing at ArenaNet and a 20-yr veteran …

In this episode, host Devin Becker welcomes fellow Naavik host and consultant David Taylor to discuss insights from Naavik’s recent State of UGC Gaming deep dive and beyond. We discuss how leading UGC platforms are evolving and where they face the most promise and challenges, from Roblox’s growing ad and brand integrations to Fortnite’s challenge o…

In this episode, host, Alexandra Takei, Director at Ruckus Games, dives into the intersection of brand marketing, live streaming, and culturally relevant branded experiences. Joined by Wiktoria Wójcik, co-founder of InStreamly, the conversation explores how brands can integrate into live streaming platforms like Twitch, YouTube, and Kick. InStreaml…

In this episode, host Sam Distaso dives into the cutting edge of VR game development with Devin Reimer (founder and CEO of AstroBeam) and Ed Saxton (CPO of Schell Games). From the early startup days of VR to the evolution of mixed reality, Devin and Ed share how their studios use first-principles thinking to craft unique experiences. We explore how…

For the first time in Naavik’s history, we’re excited to bring a live audience show experience to air! At GDC, host, Alexandra Takei, Director at Ruckus Games, sat down with Nick Popovich, CEO and Founder of Monomi Park, in San Francisco for a conversation centered around “doing it all yourself” in the indie games market — no external funding, crow…

In this episode, host Niko Vuori interviews Justin Stolzenberg, co-founder of Metica, a startup aiming to revolutionize gaming analytics through AI-driven insights and personalized experiences. Founded by ex-King and ex-Apple employees, Metica’s approach is a unique combination of King’s iterative, hyper-data-driven approach and Apple’s high-polish…

In this episode, our host, Alexandra Takei, Director at Ruckus Games, sits down with Kyu Lee, Chief Business Development Officer at Com2Us, Partner at CRIT Ventures, and ex-president of Com2Us USA. They explore Com2Us Holdings' evolution from its early days as Gamevil to becoming a global mobile powerhouse with hits like Summoners War, one of the i…

In this episode, host Niko Vuori speaks with Jeff Zirlin, co-founder of Sky Mavis and the play-to-earn OG, Axie Infinity, about the significant developments in the web3 gaming space, particularly the transition of the Ronin blockchain to a permissionless model. They discuss Jeff's background and journey into web3, the origin story and wild ride of …

Over the years, Spatial has undergone a wide-ranging evolution. It evolved from an AR collaboration platform to a Roblox competitor (with 2M+ creators), and it's now a VR game developer with the top earning VR game on the Meta Quest store (Animal Company). Spatial has raised almost $50M, according to Crunchbase, based on the founders’ convictions t…

In this episode, host, Alexandra Takei, Director at Ruckus Games, is joined by Jacob Rapoport (CEO and Co-Founder) and Nico Vereecke from Evil Plan to discuss their groundbreaking project in AI-powered, unscripted fantasy entertainment. The conversation explores the future of interactive storytelling, where community influence and fully AI-driven n…

Cloud technology is transforming the way games are developed, hosted, and maintained. In this episode, host Devin Becker is joined by Chris Melissinos, AWS Principal Evangelist for video games, to discuss the growing role of cloud services in game development. Chris highlights how Amazon Web Services (AWS) is empowering developers with tools that r…

In this episode, host Alexanda Takei, Director at Ruckus Games, sits down with Spike Laurie, Partner at Hiro Capital, to dissect gaming finance's grim reality in 2025. The conversation starts with a discussion on the industry's downturn, marked by studio closures and a reduction in funding, particularly at the Series A level. Venture capital, once …

In this episode of the Naavik Gaming podcast, host Niko Vuori welcomes back Luke Barwikowski, founder and CEO of Pixels.xyz, to discuss whether Play-to-Earn mechanics can, in fact, be sustainable. Luke shares the evolution of Pixels, its unique approach to Play-to-Earn gaming, and the strategies that have led to significant user growth (10 million …

The intersection of anime, games, and technology takes center stage in this episode. Host Aaron Bush is joined by Kun Gao, a serial entrepreneur known for co-founding Crunchyroll, the world’s leading anime streaming platform, and now charting new paths in the games industry with GGWP, an AI-driven moderation platform, and Forge, which is enabling d…

Today, we dive deep into the world of gaming innovation with a guest who’s been at the forefront of some of the industry’s most exciting trends — from enabling user generated content to launching the first commercially successful game leveraging AI agents. In this conversation, our host, David Taylor, sits down with Ran Mo, the Founder and CEO of P…

The role of community management in gaming has never been more critical. In this episode, our host Alexandra Takei, Director at Ruckus Games, joins Andrew Beegle, founder of Beegle Productions and Gravity Gang, and Tim Smith, co-founder of Cohezion AI, to discuss the evolving discipline of community management. Together, they explore the transforma…

In this episode, host Niko Vuori is joined by Naavik’s own web3 analyst, Devin Becker, to dive into the current state of web3 gaming, reflecting on the past year and looking ahead to 2025. They discuss the industry's significant developments, including the emergence (finally!) of quality games, the evolving regulatory landscape, and the shifting dy…

To kick off the new year, host Alexandra Takei, Director at Ruckus Games, interviews Songyee Yoon, former President and Chief Strategy Officer of NCSoft and now founding partner at PVP Ventures, which recently raised a $100M fund to invest in AI startups. They explore NCSoft’s transformation from its early days to a global gaming powerhouse, focusi…

In this episode of the Naavik Gaming Podcast, host Niko Vuori interviews Nigel Eccles, the co-founder and former CEO of FanDuel, exploring his journey in the online gaming world, the origin story of FanDuel, its competition with DraftKings, and the regulatory challenges faced by the fantasy sports industry. Nigel shares the inside scoop on the FanD…

The sub-AA/AAA world of games has become increasingly competitive in recent years, and yet Serenity Forge, a diverse 40-50 person publisher based out of Colorado, has found a way to grow, develop, and publish games with very high success rates. How do they do it? To answer this question, host Aaron Bush is joined by Zhenghua (Z) Yang, the founder a…

Writing and directing for transmedia is an often overlooked part of world building in video games, but as consumers it is one of the most memorable elements of any game we play. Our host, David Taylor sat down with Neel Upadhye, a creative powerhouse who has left his mark on some of the most iconic franchises in gaming. From shaping the lore of Sta…

Botting, an often misused term that encapsulates multi-accounting, cheating, and fraud, plays a pivotal role in gaming — sometimes enhancing experiences but often undermining them. Our host, Alexandra Takei, Director at Ruckus Games, sits down with Henry LeGard, CEO and co-founder of Verisoul, and George Ng, CTO and co-founder of GGWP, to unpack th…

In this episode of the Naavik Gaming Podcast, host Niko Vuori interviews Antti Hattara, co-founder and CEO of StarBerry Games, about their successful mobile game, Merge Mayor. As the game surpasses the $25 million revenue milestone, the conversation covers the game's journey from an idle game that pivoted into a merge-2 (along the lines of Metacore…

AI is increasingly touching every corner of the games industry, and one of the areas it may have the largest impact on is user acquisition. Today, host Aaron Bush is joined by Robert Huynh, co-founder and CEO of Reforged Labs, to discuss how AI will transform the way gaming creatives are made, experimented with, and ultimately convert consumers. Th…

Today, host Devin Becker is joined by Sam Means, Founder of Wavlake, and Ben Cousens, Chief Strategy Officer of ZBD, for an exploration of alternative payment systems for creators in the music and gaming industries. The conversation dives into how Wavlake leverages Bitcoin to revolutionize artist payments and music distribution, offering unique ben…

In this episode of the Naavik Gaming podcast, host Niko Vuori interviews Álvaro Pinto, co-founder and COO of Aptoide, an independent app store with over 430 million users and 10 billion downloads. They discuss the evolution of app distribution, the concept of decentralization, and how Aptoide has grown and adapted over the years. Álvaro shares insi…

One of UEFN's biggest strengths is that it is a melting pot of intellectual property. Jeremy Pedron, Lead Game Designer at JOGO Studios, calls it “a vast childhood playroom”, a place where you can combine playing with Batman while also playing with Legos. As creative costs go down to zero, the modern gaming market is undergoing a transformation in …

Host Devin Becker is joined by Zach Nass, Head of Gaming at nSure.ai, to discuss the complex and evolving landscape of payment fraud prevention in gaming. Zach shares insights into why payment fraud in gaming has become such a critical issue today, the unique challenges posed by game-specific economies and marketplaces, and the importance of nuance…

Host Niko Vuori and guest George Isichos, core contributor at Game7, discuss the current state of web3 gaming, focusing on the latest Game7 x Naavik research report (which you can download here). They explore the evolution of the ecosystem, the impact of platforms like Telegram and Epic Games Store, and emerging economic models such as Play-to-Aird…

If you’re reading this, you’re probably one of LinkedIn’s 1B+ global users. You might have also noticed some of your professional connections playing one of LinkedIn’s new games — Queens, Pinpoint, Crossclimb, or Tango — and may even be wondering "why are there games on LinkedIn?" Host Alexandra Takei, Director at Ruckus Games, sits down with Laksh…

A new frontier is emerging with the advent of "web shops," also known as direct-to-consumer distribution methods. Alexandra Takei, Director at Ruckus Games, sits down with Chris Faught, the CEO and founder of Neon, a direct-to-consumer payments service currently working with Space Ape, Metacore, and Theorycraft to build customizable web shops and g…

Host Aaron Bush welcomes Shahar Sorek, CMO of Overwolf, and Nick Tuosto, co-founder of Griffin Gaming Partners and GoodGame Advisors, to discuss the growing – and increasingly interconnected – impact of transmedia and modding on the gaming industry. As beloved entertainment IPs partner with more types of game creators, we examine how these transmed…

Fortnite has paid out roughly $500 million to creators since UEFN and Creator Economy 2.0 launched in March of 2023. These payouts, which have increased 32.5% YoY (measured from March through September), are showing no signs of slowing down. However, Fortnite Creative engagement as a proportion of total Fortnite engagement has actually declined as …

In this episode, host Niko Vuori and guest Sean Ryan delve into the emerging category of social sweepstakes, a gaming model that barely existed as recently as 2017 but has rapidly evolved into a multi-billion dollar industry. In 2023, social sweeps generated almost $6 billion in revenue, and this number is expected to double to nearly $12 billion b…

Sebastian Park, co-founder of Infinite Canvas and a favorite recurring guest, joins host Aaron Bush to dive into the fascinating topic of building games on new platforms and with new technologies. They discuss how Infinite Canvas rapidly iterates, uses off-the-shelf LLM tech, and what the team has learned lately from building on Discord, Twitch, an…

In this episode, host Niko Vuori and guest Danny Moy, Chief Strategy Officer at SciPlay, delve into the highly competitive category of social casino. They discuss the evolution of SciPlay, the demographics of social casino players, and the integration of casino mechanics into mainstream games. The conversation also touches on the importance of live…

What is culture, and why does it matter? Seth Sivak, the founder and ex-CEO of Proletariat, a studio most known for its title Spellbreak, joins our host, Alexandra Takei, Director at Ruckus Games, to discuss the importance of organizational culture in the gaming industry. Proletariat was founded in 2012 by Seth and four other co-founders and went t…

With metagames becoming a key component of player engagement and monetization, it’s more important than ever to get them right. Host Devin Becker welcomes Christopher Molozian, CEO of Heroic Labs, to discuss the evolving landscape of metagame systems and the technology that powers them. Christopher explains how Heroic Labs' platform integrates seam…

When designing content creation tools for the masses, most platforms have to make trade-offs across accessibility, ease of use, capability, and power of the toolsets. However, AI has the potential to provide the best of both worlds. For instance, co-pilot technology empowers non-technical creators to write code, and 3D gen-AI enables entire environ…

“AAA is not in crisis; it is in a moment of change.” In this episode, Kate Kellogg, the COO of EA Studios, joins our host, Alexandra Takei, Director at Ruckus Games, to discuss game launches, EA's strategic approach, and how EA staffs and organizes itself to win. We discuss the challenge of aligning development resources with performance expectatio…

It's no secret that distribution across all major gaming platforms is virtually inaccessible to all but the most deep-pocketed developers. The go-go days of being able to bootstrap a studio or raise a modest amount of funding to grow and scale a title are long gone, and there have been very few emerging platforms that show outsized promise. But is …

In recent years, there’s been considerable discourse about the game industry’s challenges. However, according to today's guest, Jiten Dajee, one core element has been missing from the conversation: the root technical causes underlying many of today’s business woes. After all, game tech shapes the way games are developed and managed, which in turn d…

If you are into fantasy sports, Dream 11 is a household name. Boasting over 220M active users, it is one of the most popular fantasy sports platforms in the world. But what you might not know is that Dream 11 is just one part of the Dream Sports Group, which aspires to be a full 360 sports experience beyond fantasy (including merchandise, travel, s…

Over the last few years, brands have increasingly gravitated to platforms like Roblox as a way to reach younger audiences. In 2023 alone, we saw 240 brand activations on Roblox, which doubled from the year prior. In terms of revenue, this contributed to over $80 million in brand spend, which equates to roughly 10% of Roblox's developer earnings for…

The gaming industry is currently facing an identity crisis, with widespread layoffs, escalating budgets, and a flood of new games hitting the market. In light of these macro trends, game studios and platforms need to find ways to leverage their existing strengths or develop new strategies for long-term success. Ben Feder, Managing Partner at Tirta …

UGC is hot, hot, hot right now. Roblox is on track to pay out half a billion USD to creators - annually - and never has it been more possible for young, individual creators to make a meaningful living as “game developers.” But is Roblox the only place for such creators? HiberWorld, a platform that's empowering anyone to build and share their own 3D…