Rise and Play Podcast Sophie Vo

Is that a crazy idea to start a new game company in 2024?!

We are resuming the podcast in May, tackling the multiple challenges of building a new company/studio and surviving in 2024.



We kick off this new season, with the journey of Sophie Vo, founder of Rise and Play and first-time CEO of a game company.



Sophie shares her process of becoming a CEO, the challenges of fundraising and pitching, applying the learnings from 100+ entrepreneurs she interviewed in the podcast, building a company like a studio/product, and the importance of digging into co-founders' team dynamics and trust.



Co-host Claire Rozain interviews Sophie, exploring topics from the necessity of curiosity and learning in leadership roles to practical advice for new founders.

The discussion covers the strategies used by Sophie to navigate her company through difficult times, turning constraints into creative opportunities and not being afraid of making the hard call in times of business crisis.



04:04 Sophie Vo's Leap into Entrepreneurship: Building a Game Company in 2024, why???

09:46 Facing Skepticism and Embracing the Challenge

16:23 The Importance of Continuous Learning and Curiosity

19:50 From Solopreneur to Co-Founder: The Decision to Collaborate

20:09 The Solopreneur Journey and Team Dynamics

21:35 Building an Aligned Founding Team and the Role of a CEO

24:47 Effective Leadership and Role Clarity With Mission Cards

28:02 Building Trust and Embracing Challenges

33:47 Adapting to Market Constraints and Embracing Innovation

36:13 Final Thoughts and Advice for Entrepreneurs in 2024



💌 Don't forget to subscribe to Rise and Play for further news: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.riseandplay.io/blog⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ If you enjoyed today's episode make sure to rate it on Spotify, leave a review on Apple Podcasts, or simply share it with a friend.

In this special episode, Sophie Vo shares a heartfelt thank you to the community for their loyalty and support over the past three years, and reveals a major personal update: the start of her new game company, Kylan. This new venture will lead to a short break in podcast content, but we assure listeners that this is just a brief hiatus!


We are onboarding new co-hosts so if you're interested in giving it a try, contact us at sophie@riseandplay.io
Workshop and 1-1 coaching inquiry at sophie@riseandplay.io
Next networking event in Berlin on April 25th: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/rise-and-play-x-starberry-x-metacore-networking-brunch-tickets-861332878827?aff=oddtdtcreator



We're back in May! In the meantime, enjoy the evergreen top content from the previous episodes:

91. Founder Jens Begemann's⁠ Retrospective on Running Wooga For Over A Decade

90. Solving the Team Culture Map Puzzle  with Jen Donahoe

77. Master Emotionally Charged Conversation

59. How to Plan and Nurture Your Career in Games with Miska Katkoff and Sophie Vo

52. Running your 1:1 in a modern workplace (remote) - with Marko Kecman

43. Coaching episode: Tamara Rose Morales, On Examining Your Life Script 

32. What You Did Not Know About UX- with Devon Wyland, Head of UX at Solsten



💌 Don't forget to subscribe to Rise and Play for further news: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.riseandplay.io/blog⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ If you enjoyed today's episode make sure to rate it on Spotify, leave a review on Apple Podcasts, or simply share it with a friend.

In this episode, we interview Jamie Smith, a principal game designer at People Can Fly, about the challenges and insights into design leadership for AAA development. While agile development with quick feedback loop is common for mobile games, it is not for AAA! So how do you combine the mindset of agility and traditionally long and siloed AAA game development?

Jamie Smith, with over 13 years of experience working on AAA titles like Tom Clancy's The Division, FIFA, and Call of Duty, discusses his career journey, the transition from production roles to a leadership position, and the importance of team autonomy, cross-discipline collaboration, and decision-making structures in delivering successful game projects. The conversation sheds light on the balance between creative direction and the multitude of factors influencing game design, including technical limitations, publisher expectations, and market comparison, aiming to provide valuable insights for improving management skills and understanding the complexity and legacy of AAA game development.

More about Jamie's work and open AAA design learnings: https://youtu.be/q250xvbn9hg?si=kOEbYofqAGMJzVeH

02:42 The Evolution of a Game Designer, from IC to Leader

12:01 Leading Teams and Defining Quality in AAA Game Design

17:00 Navigating Conflicts and Priorities in Game Development

23:35 Adopting a Holistic Approach to Game Design

29:57 Reflecting on 13 Years in AAA Game Development



💌 Don't forget to subscribe to Rise and Play for further news: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.riseandplay.io/blog⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ If you enjoyed today's episode make sure to rate it on Spotify, leave a review on Apple Podcasts, or simply share it with a friend.

In this episode, we deconstruct the success of Beatstar, from the lens of design and company culture at Space Ape Games, with our special guest Charmie Kim, Game lead at Space Ape Games.

We explore the evolution of game development from first-mover advantages beginnings to the complex, research-driven approach necessary in today's competitive market.

Through Charmie's journey from working on Samurai Siege Live Ops to leading the highly successful music game Beatstar, we uncover insights on how to innovate within various game genres, and the importance of research, marketing, and adapting to the market. Beatstar has grossed over $125m and has attracted over 60m players since its launch in September 2021.

Key takeaways: the significance of direct player engagement, the strategic necessity of market research before genre selection, and the pivotal role of diverse team adaptability in meeting contemporary gaming demands.

01:35 Charmie Kim: A Trailblazer in Game Design and Leadership

06:00 Tracing Charmie Kim's Journey from Fashion to Game Design

15:47 The Strategic Shift at Space Ape Games: Exploring New Genres

20:32 Innovating in the Music Game Genre with BeatStar

32:06 The Importance of Market Research in Modern Game Development

37:13 Concluding Thoughts and the Future of Game Development



💌 Don't forget to subscribe to Rise and Play for further news: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.riseandplay.io/blog⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ If you enjoyed today's episode make sure to rate it on Spotify, leave a review on Apple Podcasts, or simply share it with a friend.

We interview Derk De Geus, co-CEO and Co-Founder of Paladin Studio to explore leadership lessons learned over two decades in the gaming industry. The episode covers the genesis of Paladin Studio, its transition from a service company to a game development studio, and how it navigated challenges and growth without external investment. Bootstrapping successfully a studio is a rare story we hear of these days!

Derk shares insights on the importance of self-awareness, empathetic communication, and aligning one's core being with their professional roles. The discussion delves into the pitfalls of rapid scaling, the benefits of retreats for personal and leadership development, and the significance of creating a supportive and creative company culture.



01:37 The Genesis of Paladin Studio: A 20-Year Journey

03:50 Navigating the Early Days and the Shift to Entertainment Games

09:20 The Evolution of Leadership and Business Strategy

16:14 The CEO's Dilemma: Balancing Creativity and Business and Finding Balance

23:20 Embracing Creativity Beyond Work

24:11 The Synergy of Creative and Business Minds

26:13 The CEO Role Reimagined: Co-CEO for Creative Freedom

26:25 Navigating Operational and Strategic Challenges

28:33 The Transformative Power of Retreats

35:26 Leadership as a Journey of Self-Discovery

39:59 Cultivating a Culture of Shared Values



💌 Don't forget to subscribe to Rise and Play for further news: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.riseandplay.io/blog⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ If you enjoyed today's episode make sure to rate it on Spotify, leave a review on Apple Podcasts, or simply share it with a friend.

Different teams make different games, for different audiences,

In this episode, we interview the duo Caroline Marchal and Charu Desodt, respectively CEO and Studio Director at Interior Night, to share their journey building an innovative AAA studio from scratch.

Interior Night is an independent game studio formed by Quantic Dream and Sony veterans based in London, dedicated to creating innovative interactive stories for a broad and mature audience. They are the crreators of the original interactive drama As Dusk Falls , a new take on narrative games which received unanimous reviews (9/10 IGN, 9/10 GameSpot, 9/10 Steam).

We cover the evolution of the AAA industry, the growth of representation of women in gaming, the journey of starting a new AAA studio and the significance of having a clear vision and being persistent with it. Caroline had a strong vision of a new kind of AAA narrative games she wanted to make for a mature audience (mothers, non gamers, spouses), and supported by a highly experienced diverse team, she materialized that vision successfully with their first title As Dusk Falls.

01:16 Interior Night Studio: A Female-Led Game Development Studio

02:21 The Journey of the Studio Founders: From Game Designers to Studio Leaders

06:26 The Birth of Interior Night: A Leap of Faith into Entrepreneurship

09:44 The Making of 'As Dust Falls': A Unique Interactive Narrative Experience

18:54 The Impact of 'As Dust Falls' on Players: A New Approach to Gaming

22:01 The Journey of Funding and Building a Game Studio

30:38 Reflections on Leadership and the Future of the Gaming Industry



💌 Don't forget to subscribe to Rise and Play for further news: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.riseandplay.io/blog⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ If you enjoyed today's episode make sure to rate it on Spotify, leave a review on Apple Podcasts, or simply share it with a friend.