The Gaming Playbook w/ Harry Phokou

#50 - Joe Hills: Why Most Game Launches Fail and What Studios Miss

Today's guest is Joe Hills, an expert game marketer, ex-Blizzard, Supercell, Meta, Riot, and now Head of Gaming & Partnerships at Once Upon a Time. Also newly joined the Advisory Board for Great Ormond Street Hospital. We break down why studios obsess over launch day, how long you should actually market a game, why gut instinct vs data is misunderstood, and what indie devs consistently get wrong. Joe explains how to find your audience, build long-term hype, create content players genuinely care about, and avoid the traps that kill campaigns before launch. If you’re an indie or AA studio trying to stand out in a brutal market, this episode is for you. Connect with Joe: LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/joe-hills/ [https://www.linkedin.com/in/joe-hills/] Website: https://www.onceuponatime.agency/ [https://www.onceuponatime.agency/] Connect with Harry: LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/hphokou/ [https://www.linkedin.com/in/hphokou/] YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@hphokou [https://www.youtube.com/@hphokou] Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/hphokou [https://www.instagram.com/hphokou] Get exclusive podcast recaps & industry insights: → Subscribe to The Gaming Playbook Weekly at thegamingplaybook.com [thegamingplaybook.com] Chapters: 00:00 Intro 02:40 Why Studios Obsess Over Launch Day 03:35 What Studios Misunderstand About Marketing 05:00 What Every Indie Developer Should Know 07:14 Launch Timing, GTA6, and Market Windows 09:16 Joe's Gaming Preferences 12:46 Social Games, Roguelikes & Replayability 15:42 What Joe’s Agency Actually Does 17:35 How Devs Should Think About Clippable Moments 19:20 Tools That Help Identify Your Audience 22:59 How to Brief an Agency Properly 25:44 How to Choose (and Evaluate) a Marketing Agency 29:49 When Marketing Fails: Is It You or the Agency? 33:12 Leadership, Hiring, and Hard Lessons 36:33 Surviving Layoffs & Career Advice 41:12 The Biggest Mistake Studios Make in Marketing 43:52 Mojang, Dev Diaries & The Power of Human Stories 46:41 How to Reach Joe & Closing Thoughts

#49 - Jenny Xu: From Indie Game Dev to CEO & Staying Focused Under Pressure

Today's guest is Jenny Xu, a long-distance runner, Forbes 30 Under 30, and CEO of Talofa Games. Jenny breaks down her wild journey from making 100+ games as a kid to raising $6M and building Monster Walk, a genre-bending fitness RPG. We dig into founder focus, beating overwhelm, fundraising reality, personal identity, creative intuition, and the life moments that shaped her. If you’re building games, raising money, or trying to stay disciplined as a founder, this episode is for you. Connect with Jenny:LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/xujennyc/ [https://www.linkedin.com/in/xujennyc/]Monster walk: https://linktr.ee/talofa [https://linktr.ee/talofa] Connect with Harry:LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/hphokou/ [https://www.linkedin.com/in/hphokou/]YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@hphokou [https://www.youtube.com/@hphokou]Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/hphokou [https://www.instagram.com/hphokou]Get exclusive podcast recaps & industry insights:→ Subscribe to The Gaming Playbook Weekly at thegamingplaybook.com [thegamingplaybook.com] Chapters:00:00 Intro03:14 How Jenny started making games at 12 (anime, Pokémon, Flash)05:25 Paying for college with mobile games07:24 Edgy genres, horror dating sims, and internet anonymity10:29 How to make streamers pick up your game (real strategy)13:41 Building Talofa: combining fitness + games15:15 Monster Walk deep dive: world, mechanics, steps16:48 Behaviour change through game design18:22 Mission-driven recruiting & team motivation19:27 Fundraising reality: insecurity, desperation, and losing confidence21:53 The turning point: pitching from personal truth24:56 Why she taught fitness every single day for 3 years27:16 Jenny's 'almost quit' story & getting into the Niantic contest32:10 “Applying to everything” & creating your own luck36:34 Founder focus: events, burnout, and intentional calendars42:56 Calendar engineering, morning vs. evening energy45:42 Remote work strategies, treadmill calls, and keeping energy up47:45 What she’d do differently when building the first product51:18 Filtering feedback without losing creative vision53:34 The emotional story: surprising her parents with a wedding59:44 Life timing, gratitude, and closing reflections

#48 - Simon Sundén: Why Esports Helps Some Games And Hurts Others

Today's guest is Simon Sundén, a veteran of the competitive gaming scene, CEO of Clutch Group, and the operator behind major esports productions like the GeoGuessr World Cup. We dig into the rise of esports from its origins in South Korea, how livestreaming changed the industry forever, and why most studios misunderstand what esports is actually for. Simon breaks down what makes a game truly competitive, how to evaluate esports potential, and why watchability matters more than most devs realise. Whether you're a game developer, studio founder, or just obsessed with competitive gaming, this is a masterclass in understanding how esports really works. Connect with Simon: LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/simonsunden/ Company's LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/clutchgame/ Connect with Harry: LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/hphokou/ YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@hphokou Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/hphokou Get exclusive podcast recaps & industry insights: → Subscribe to The Gaming Playbook Weekly at thegamingplaybook.com Chapters: 00:00 Intro 03:03 The origins of esports and the Korean boom 07:43 How streaming transformed competitive gaming 13:14 How esports boosts game retention and monetization 19:06 How GeoGuessr unexpectedly became a successful esports 24:27 How to know if your game is ready for esports 32:51 Why watchability is crucial for streaming and competition 36:30 Could “Peak” become an esports? Simon’s analysis 41:30 What it actually takes to run an esports competition 45:08 Cutting noise, delegating smartly, and staying focused 51:18 Meetings, productivity, and the value of IRL networking 55:14 Essential advice for new studios today 57:16 Community building done right for modern games

#47 – Henri Lindgren: What It Takes To Survive As a Founder In Games

Today's guest is Henri Lindgren, a veteran games industry leader, CEO of Kokoon Games, and former head of Lightneer. We unpack the real side of building and leading game studios, from scaling startups to shutting down companies, rebuilding from scratch, and mastering resilience as a founder. Henri shares insights about leadership, culture, and mental endurance in the turbulent games industry, along with practical strategies for bootstrapping, raising angel investment, and avoiding the VC trap. Whether you’re a game dev, entrepreneur, or creative leader, this is a masterclass in staying resilient when the grind gets real. Connect with Henri:LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/henri-lindgren-9a388b39/ [https://www.linkedin.com/in/henri-lindgren-9a388b39/]Company's LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/kokoongames/ [https://www.linkedin.com/company/kokoongames/] Connect with Harry:LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/hphokou/ [https://www.linkedin.com/in/hphokou/]YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@hphokou [https://www.youtube.com/@hphokou]Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/hphokou [https://www.instagram.com/hphokou] Get exclusive podcast recaps & industry insights:→ Subscribe to The Gaming Playbook Weekly at thegamingplaybook.com [thegamingplaybook.com] Chapters:00:00 Intro02:30 Henri’s 16-year journey in gaming and founding Kokoon Games03:44 Why resilience is the most underrated founder skill07:22 The rise and fall of Lightneer: lessons in leadership and culture11:37 Bootstrapping vs VC: how to survive tough markets14:47 Building company culture and values from scratch19:10 Tactical resilience: how to simplify and refocus under pressure22:41 Time blocking, focus, and managing chaos as a founder26:34 Surviving event season and keeping mental reserves31:22 The myth of the solo founder hero33:47 Hiring smart and avoiding premature scaling36:17 CEO loneliness and coping with leadership isolation41:19 Raising angel investment vs VC in 2025’s market45:47 Cap tables, advisory shares, and avoiding equity mistakes49:20 The state of Finland’s games industry and what’s next55:44 Inside Kokoon’s new party game and design inspiration01:02:06 What Henri’s playing right now & closing thoughts

#46 – Matt Hitchcock: Why Great Games Still Fail Without Great Marketing

In this episode, I sit down with Matt Hitchcock, co-founder of Other Things Agency, to break down what it really takes to market, launch, and revive games in 2025. From creating game trailers that actually sell, to fixing poor launches and standing out on Steam, this is the conversation every indie developer and studio marketer needs to hear. Matt shares insights from working on campaigns for Elder Scrolls Online, Squirrel With a Gun, and Cloudheim, revealing how studios can build hype, craft effective trailers, and make their store pages convert. We also dive into hiring in the games industry, what great portfolios look like, and the mistakes job seekers keep making. If you’re building, marketing, or relaunching a game, this episode will save you time, money, and frustration. Connect with Matt: LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/matthitch/ [https://www.linkedin.com/in/matthitch/] E-mail: matt@otherthingsagency.com [matt@otherthingsagency.com] Website: https://otherthingsagency.com/ [https://otherthingsagency.com/] Connect with Harry: LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/hphokou/ [https://www.linkedin.com/in/hphokou/] YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@hphokou [https://www.youtube.com/@hphokou] Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/hphokou [https://www.instagram.com/hphokou] Get exclusive podcast recaps & industry insights: → Subscribe to the Gaming Rally Newsletter www.gamingrally.net [www.gamingrally.net] Chapters: 00:00 Intro 03:01 Elder Scrolls Online live-action trailer breakdown 05:13 Why trailers matter for conversion on Steam 08:25 When to start marketing your game 10:30 Working with creators the right way 12:10 Squirrel With a Gun – how to go viral with intent 17:12 The truth about viral formulas in game marketing 19:10 In-engine cinematic capture and authenticity 26:58 Why most indies underinvest in marketing 33:51 What to do if your game isn’t selling 37:12 Key art 101: how visuals sell your game 43:02 When and why to refresh your store art 45:11 Reviving and re-marketing older games 47:15 Continuous marketing done right 50:42 Hiring insights: what makes portfolios stand out 59:05 Common job applicant mistakes 1:02:00 Final advice for devs and creatives #GameMarketing #IndieDev #GameTrailers #SteamLaunch #GamingIndustry