Game Studio Strategy: Get Help Early, Or Pay For It Later

The Cost of Not Listening to Your Team

The costliest mistakes in studio leadership don't arrive all at once. They build in the gaps between what teams say and what leaders actually hear...or what they ignore. In this episode of Gaming Decoded, recorded on location at GamesBeat Summit 2026, host Andrea Rene and Vivrato founder Adam Boyes sit down with Jen Maclean, co-founder and CEO of Dragon Snacks Games. Drawing on leadership roles at Xbox, AWS, and the IGDA, Jen shares the frameworks she uses to build teams that know why they show up, communicate before things go wrong, and hold the line on the values that matter most. This episode covers: * Why the first thing Dragon Snacks did as co-founders was to write a values and principles document * What drift looks like on a team of eight and how to catch it early * Why sharing your pitch deck with your whole team might be the most underrated communication tool you have * Approaching difficult conversations as if you are 51% wrong * Why knowing what you will not tolerate is the truest test of your company values Connect with Jen: LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jenmaclean1/ [https://www.linkedin.com/in/jenmaclean1/] Learn about Dragon Snacks Games: https://www.dragonsnacksgames.com/ [https://www.dragonsnacksgames.com/] Learn more about Vivrato: http://www.vivrato.com [http://www.vivrato.com] Connect with Gaming Decoded: podcast@vivrato.com [podcast@vivrato.com] Subscribe on YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/teamvivrato [http://www.youtube.com/teamvivrato] Connect with Andrea Rene: http://www.andrearene.com [http://www.andrearene.com] Instagram: http://www.instagram.com/andrearene_ [http://www.instagram.com/andrearene_] LinkedIn: http://www.linkedin.com/in/andrearene [http://www.linkedin.com/in/andrearene] X: http://www.x.com/andrearene [http://www.x.com/andrearene] Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/andrearene.bsky.social [https://bsky.app/profile/andrearene.bsky.social]

Inside Gaming’s Job Market Crisis

At GamesBeat Summit 2026, host Andrea Rene sat down with Amir Satvat, Founder of Always Supporting the Games Community job board, and Adam Boyes, CEO & Founder of Vivrato, to examine the current state of the games industry job market through community-driven data and firsthand experience. Amir shares insights from the ASGC community, including: * Why 30% of laid-off developers have been out of work for over a year * How the average job search peaked at nine months before improving slightly * Why only 10–15% of listed game industry roles are even opened by applicants * The importance of networking and long-term relationship building in today’s hiring environment * Concerns around “brain drain” and the estimated 120,000 years of experience leaving the industry The conversation also explores career transitions, executive engagement, benefits and stability in the evolving workforce, and how the ACC community has grown into one of the largest career support networks in games. What should we decode next? Let us know in the comments! Connect with Amir: http://www.asgc.gg [http://www.asgc.gg/] https://www.linkedin.com/in/amirsatvat/ [https://www.linkedin.com/in/amirsatvat/] Learn more about Vivrato: http://www.vivrato.com [http://www.vivrato.com/] Connect with Gaming Decoded: podcast@vivrato.com [podcast@vivrato.com] Subscribe on YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/teamvivrato [http://www.youtube.com/teamvivrato] Connect with Andrea Rene: http://www.andrearene.com [http://www.andrearene.com/] Instagram: http://www.instagram.com/andrearene_ [http://www.instagram.com/andrearene_] LinkedIn: http://www.linkedin.com/in/andrearene [http://www.linkedin.com/in/andrearene] X: http://www.x.com/andrearene [http://www.x.com/andrearene] Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/andrearene.bsky.social [https://bsky.app/profile/andrearene.bsky.social]

Game Studio Strategy: Get Help Early, Or Pay For It Later

Most studio leaders don't realize they need help until it's already too late to act on it. In this episode of Gaming Decoded, Andrea Rene sits down with CEO and Founder of Syndicate of Play, veteran executive Mark Stanley. Drawing on 25-plus years across companies like Sega, PlayStation, GameStop, and Xbox, he explains why studios keep making the same avoidable mistakes at the worst possible time. Mark covers why power in the games business is concentrated in so few hands, how the shift from physical to digital changed developer leverage for good, and what trust-based publisher-developer relationships actually look like in practice versus the old top-down model. The conversation gets candid about the moments when outside perspective matters most -- and why so many studios wait until the train has already left the station before asking for it. In this episode: -Why developer-publisher trust is at a historic low and what rebuilding it looks like -How too many decision-makers pull a product apart before it ever reaches players -When to bring in outside strategic help, and how to find the right people -How indie founders can build an advisory network from day one -Why accessibility is a launch requirement, not a nice-to-have Glossary Decoded: Accessibility What should we decode next? Let us know in the comments! Timestamps: 00:00:00 - Introduction 00:01:56 - Mark's Background: Sega, PlayStation, Xbox and Beyond 00:02:46 - Locked by the Big Few: How Publisher Power Has Shifted 00:05:43 - The Trust Deficit Between Developers and Publishers 00:08:25 - Bringing Players Into the Process 00:10:22 - Too Many Cooks: Managing Feedback Without Losing Your Vision 00:12:00 - Why Large Studios Struggle to Pivot in Time 00:15:59 - When Should a Studio Bring in Outside Help? 00:16:41 - Building Your Network and Advisory Board Early 00:18:26 - The IGDA Indie Collective: Help When It Mattered Most 00:22:43 - Ask the Question: Overcoming Imposter Syndrome 00:27:35 - Games 4 Change and Oceanic Society 00:30:49 - Balancing Social Impact With Commercial Reality 00:33:15 - Glossary Decoded: Accessibility Connect with Mark: http://www.syndicateofplay.comLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/markstanleyglobal/ Learn more about Vivrato: http://www.vivrato.com Connect with Gaming Decoded: podcast@vivrato.com Subscribe on YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/teamvivrato Connect with Andrea Rene: http://www.andrearene.com Instagram: http://www.instagram.com/andrearene_ LinkedIn: http://www.linkedin.com/in/andrearene

Who Is Your Game For? (And Why It Matters)

Most games don’t fail because they’re bad. They fail because no one knows who they’re for. In this episode of Gaming Decoded, Andrea Rene sits down with Tracey McGarrigan, founder and CEO of Ansible Comms and Tech Advisors, a strategic marketing and communications consultancy working with games studios and executives around the world. They break down what actually drives success in game launches, and why so many studios get it wrong. She also shares the real story of a game that went to the community and said: get us 100,000 Steam wishlists or we cancel this project, and what happened next. They unpack: -What a real go-to-market (GTM) strategy looks like -Why defining your audience early is non-negotiable -The biggest communication breakdowns inside studios -How indie teams can do effective marketing without big budgets -Why “launch day” matters less than ever Glossary Decoded: Go-to-Market Strategy Chapters: 00:00 What Is a Go-To-Market Strategy? 00:50 Why Game Marketing Feels Like “Dark Arts” 02:15 The Biggest Communication Mistakes in Studios 05:15 Why Teams Ignore Marketing Until It’s Too Late 06:50 Start Here: Defining Success 08:00 The Real Meaning of “Target Audience” 10:15 Fixing Misalignment Inside Game Studios 13:20 Who Is Your Game Actually For?14:40 Why Developers Skip Audience Definition 17:15 How Indie Teams Can Do Marketing Without Budget 19:15 Events vs Digital: Where to Find Your Audience 21:05 Using Showcases (Steam Next Fest, etc.) 23:45 What Is a GTM Strategy? (Glossary Decoded) 24:50 What a Strong GTM Plan Actually Includes 27:10 The Risk of Undocumented Marketing Strategy 29:00 Real Story: Canceling a Game Before Launch 33:10 Why Failure Can Be a Strategic Win Connect with Tracey McGarrigan:LinkedIn: http://www/linkedin.com/in/tamcgarrigan [http://www/linkedin.com/in/tamcgarrigan] Ansible Comms: http://www.ansiblecomms.com [http://www.ansiblecomms.com] Learn more about Vivrato: http://www.vivrato.com [http://www.vivrato.com] Connect with Gaming Decoded: podcast@vivrato.com Subscribe on YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/teamvivrato Connect with Andrea Rene Instagram: http://www.instagram.com/andrearene_ LinkedIn: http://www.linkedin.com/in/andrearene [http://www.linkedin.com/in/andrearene] Website: http://www.andrearene.com [http://www.andrearene.com] Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/andrearene.bsky.social

Why Most Live Service Games Fail (And How to Fix Them)

The games industry has a structural problem that most studios refuse to name: development and publishing have been at war for decades, and players are paying the price. In this episode of Gaming Decoded, host Andrea Rene sits down with Jonathan Lander, CEO & Founder of Square Corners Consulting and a Vivrato Visionary with over two decades leading online games at CCP (EVE Online) and ZeniMax Online (Elder Scrolls Online). Jon makes the case that the siloed model most studios still operate under was designed for physical retail in the 90s and has no business running a live service game in 2025. He also argues that the industry is still in its early stage of professionalization, roughly equivalent to where pharma was when it was still figuring out what medicine actually meant, and explains what it will take to grow up. This episode covers: * Why development and publishing silos actively damage the quality of games * How to build an integrated studio model that actually works * The live service chicken-and-egg problem: great game first, or great product first? * Why listening too closely to your community might be hurting you * Why you should make games for demographics you are not part of * The untapped opportunity in making games for Gen Alpha Glossary Decoded: Publishing Timestamps: 00:00 – What It Takes to Launch a Live Service Game 01:22 – The Biggest Problems in the Game Industry Today 02:14 – Why “Anyone Can Make a Game” Changed Everything 03:20 – The Collapse of Traditional Publishing Models 08:56 – From Silos to Integration: The Future of Development 11:15 – Why Marketing Must Start Earlier 13:00 – The Real Challenge of Live Service Games 18:40 – Roblox, Fortnite & the Future of Engagement 21:19 – Why “One Game for Everyone” Doesn’t Exist 22:28 – Niche Games vs Mass Market Strategy 27:10 – Why Games Get Canceled Mid-Development 28:00 – The Danger of Dev vs Publishing Disconnect 28:54 – The Rise of Community Power 31:32 – The Right Way to Use Player Feedback 37:23 – Proof That Integration Works 39:12 – Advice for Future Game Leaders 41:22 – Glossary Decoded: What “Publishing” Really Means Connect with Jon:Square Corners Consulting: http://www.squarecornersconsulting.com LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jonathan-lander-9364101/Learn more about Vivrato: http://www.vivrato.comConnect with Gaming Decoded: podcast@vivrato.comSubscribe on YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/teamvivratoConnect with Andrea Rene: http://www.andrearene.comInstagram: http://www.instagram.com/andrearene_LinkedIn: http://www.linkedin.com/in/andreareneX: http://www.x.com/andreareneBluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/andrearene.bsky.social