Player Driven

Greg
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Welcome to Player Driven, the hub where gaming insights and community collide.We believe that behind every great game is a thriving community and an unforgettable player experience. Whether it’s building inclusive environments, exploring the latest tech, or diving into the art of storytelling, our mission is simple: to empower the creators, communities, and players that make the gaming world extraordinary.What We’re About:🎮 Insightful Conversations – Through our podcast and community clubhouse, we bring industry leaders, creators, and innovators together to explore the cutting-edge of gaming.🌍 Player-Centric Focus – From accessibility to trust and safety, we champion the initiatives that keep players at the heart of the industry.📈 Data Meets Creativity – With a knack for combining KPIs with compelling narratives, we highlight strategies that don’t just work but resonate.🤝 Community Building – We celebrate what makes the gaming community special: its people. From indie developers to AAA veterans, every voice matters here.Join us as we explore what drives games, empowers communities, and defines success in the ever-evolving gaming landscape.Your Game. Your Story. Your Community.

  1. -17 H

    From Side Project to Steam Launch: What a Two-Man Indie Team Learned the Hard Way

    What does it really take for a two-person indie team to turn an after-hours idea into a real shipped game? In this episode of Player Driven, Greg sits down with Max Mraz of Moth Atlas to talk about the long road behind Tombwater, a handcrafted horror western action game built over four years while balancing full-time jobs. What started as a small experiment quickly became something much bigger, forcing the team to figure out scope, structure, production, and eventually, what kind of help they actually needed to get the game across the finish line. The conversation digs into the reality behind indie development when you are not a full studio with departments, producers, and extra hands. Max shares how the team stayed organized, how they thought about what belonged in version one, and why building the game was only part of the challenge. The other half was everything around launch: QA, community, support, and the operational work that most people do not think about until it is staring them in the face. They also get into one of the more honest questions indie developers wrestle with: when does self-publishing stop making sense? Max breaks down why working with a publisher mattered for a team like his, what support actually made a difference, and which parts of the process he was most grateful not to have to own himself. If you are an indie developer, a publisher, or just someone who loves hearing how games actually get made, this episode is a great look at the gap between having a cool idea and getting a game into players’ hands. In this episode, we cover: How Tombwater went from a small side project to a full commercial releaseWhat it looks like to build a game after work while holding a full-time jobHow a two-person team managed scope, production, and version one decisionsWhat most indie teams underestimate about launching a gameWhy professional QA is very different from casual playtestingHow publishing support helped remove major operational burdensThe value of community support without forcing the developer to run everythingWhat Max would tell other tiny teams trying to build something realAbout Tombwater Tombwater is a handcrafted action game that blends Soulslike, Zelda-like, and Metroidvania elements inside an Eldritch Horror Wild West setting. Players explore a cursed town, uncover hidden mysteries, and battle through dangerous enemies, bosses, spells, weapons, and secrets. Links Wishlist / play Tombwater on SteamLearn more about Midwest GamesMore episodes at Player Driven#PlayerDriven #IndieGames #GameDevelopment #IndieDev #SteamGames #GamePublishing #Soulslike #GameDesign

    40 min

  2. 21 AVR.

    The Rise of Web Shops: How Games Are Reclaiming Players and Profit

    For years, mobile gaming operated under one unspoken rule: give up ~30% of your revenue to platform holders like Apple and Google. That model is starting to break. In this episode of Player Driven, Greg sits down with Gil Tov-ly, CMO of Appcharge, to unpack one of the biggest structural shifts happening in gaming right now: the move toward direct-to-consumer (DTC). Gil brings a unique perspective, having worked across adtech, UGC platforms, and now fintech infrastructure for game studios. He shares how rising user acquisition costs, platform restrictions, and regulatory pressure have pushed studios to rethink how they monetize and engage players. What used to be an experiment is quickly becoming the backbone of the industry.  🔑 What We Cover  Why the “30% platform tax” is no longer sustainable  How DTC web shops are unlocking 20–25% more margin for studios  The real reason DTC is about more than revenue — it’s about owning the player relationship  How top studios are already driving 30–40% of revenue through web stores  What actually happens to player behavior when you introduce off-platform payments  Why trust (not tech) is the biggest barrier to adoption  The rise of new roles like DTC managers and web shop leads inside studios  How AI is reshaping marketing, product design, and creative workflows in gaming 🎯 Key Takeaway The biggest shift isn’t just saving money. It’s control. Studios are moving from renting their players through platforms… to owning the relationship, the data, and the monetization strategy end-to-end. And once that happens, everything changes.  🚀 Why This Matters We’re entering an era where:  Growth is coming from efficiency, not just more playtime  Margins are being reinvested into UA, LiveOps, and AI  Direct player relationships are becoming a competitive advantage DTC isn’t a side channel anymore. It’s becoming core infrastructure for modern game studios. Links Appcharge - Payments Built for Mobile GamesPlayer Driven Discord: https://discord.gg/zdwAqvgvfyPlayer Driven

    48 min

  3. 14 AVR.

    The Data on Q2's Biggest Games (And Who's Going to Lose)

    Player Driven Live — April 9, 2026 The Q2 release window wars, Nintendo's dual-platform strategy, and whether the gaming industry actually understands its own audience. Hosted by Greg Posner & Colan Neese | ~57 min 🎬 THE MARIO MOVIE (00:00) The Mario Movie: A Kids' Film That Actually Works (And Why Critics Miss the Point) Greg and Colan return from spring break having both seen The Super Mario Bros. Movie 2. Their verdict: the "bathroom test" (did the kids stay seated?) is a pass. Colan gives it 8/10, appreciates the Bowser Junior dynamic, and criticizes Yoshi being cast purely as comic relief with zero plot relevance. Greg argues the film has a clear, accessible plot — critics are holding a children's movie to the wrong standard. Both note Sony Pictures Animation is pulling away as the most innovative studio, and the Star Fox comic-book sequence hints at what that IP could look like with the right treatment. Also discussed: → Illumination vs. Pixar vs. Sony Pictures Animation — which studio's model wins? → Is Zelda a stronger film IP than Mario? → Is Pokémon replacing Mario as Nintendo's flagship mascot for younger audiences? → Mario as Mickey Mouse — beloved as a symbol, not a character 🎮 RELEASE WINDOW WARS (15:10) Q2's Shark Tank: Forza Horizon 6, 007: First Light, and LEGO Batman All Launch in 8 Days Three AAA titles — Forza Horizon 6 (May 19), LEGO Batman: Legacy of the Dark Knight (May 22), and 007: First Light (May 27) — are stacked into a single week that used to be GTA 6's window. Colan breaks down the data: Forza is the undisputed winner. Bond is second but paid a real cost for moving its release date — demand share dropped after Forza entered the same window. LEGO Batman is tracking at 40% the volume of Lego Skywalker Saga at the same pre-launch point. Also discussed: → Why Forza Horizon 6 setting Tokyo as its world is a smart bet on the largest racing audience → Bond's release window mistake: June was wide open and nobody was there → IO Interactive's best move: demo access for fence-sitters; Amazon should be co-marketing this → Bond as a franchise: the model of recasting across eras gives it more flexibility than Indiana Jones or Star Wars → LEGO Batman's upside case: it becomes the default summer game for kids once Forza attention fades 🏢 WB GAMING IN CRISIS (33:30) Warner Brothers Gaming: A Beloved Studio Trapped in a Hot Potato of Ownership TT Games and the broader WB gaming portfolio have been handed from Time Warner to AT&T to Discovery — and now reportedly to Paramount — without anyone in the chain having meaningful gaming expertise. Colan's read: Rocksteady's Suicide Squad misfire wasn't a studio failure, it was the predictable output of a gaming division adrift. Greg pushes back to note the gameplay loop itself was solid — the live service model was the wrong wrapper. The prescriptive take: the LEGO Group should just acquire TT Games outright. Also discussed: → Top 5 best-selling LEGO games of all time — Star Wars dominates, LEGO Batman (2008) is #2 AND the best-selling superhero game ever → LEGO Group's survival story: Star Wars, Batman, and Harry Potter licensing saved the company from bankruptcy in the early 2000s → Why the Paramount acquisition will likely mean more cuts, not a turnaround 🎯 NINTENDO STRATEGY (45:15) Nintendo's Quiet Genius: Two Cozy Sim Games, Two Platforms, Two Audiences Tomodachi Life: Living the Dream is the second-largest game coming in Q2 — and it's a Switch (original) exclusive, not Switch 2. Colan spots a potentially intentional strategy: Pokémon Legends: Z-A serves Switch 2 owners while Tomodachi Life serves the 150M+ Switch install base without requiring a hardware upgrade. Greg argues this is smart portfolio thinking. The broader point: with Xbox and PlayStation reportedly pushing toward $1,000 hardware, Nintendo's af

    57 min

  4. 7 AVR.

    You’re Not Designing Games… You’re Designing Behavior

    This week’s episode takes a different angle. What started as a conversation about Epic, Disney, and the state of the market quickly turned into something bigger… a discussion about systems. From live service games to theme parks to parenting, the same core question shows up everywhere: What behaviors are your systems actually driving? We break down:  Why Fortnite’s evolution is less about content and more about system design  The gap between Disney’s IP strength and product experience  How Riot approaches game design through behavioral systems  Why “day zero design” matters for community and retention  And a personal story that brings all of this into a very real context This isn’t a trends episode. It’s a lens shift. Key Takeaways  Systems shape behavior more than content ever will  Engagement loops can work too well and create unintended outcomes  Retention is a systems problem, not a content problem  Community health is designed early, not fixed later  The same behavioral patterns show up across games, platforms, and real life Why This Matters For teams in player support, community, live ops, and trust & safety: You’re not just reacting to player behavior. You’re dealing with the output of systems that were designed upstream. Understanding that changes how you:  Diagnose issues  Prioritize fixes  Influence product decisions  Advocate internally Links & Mentions  Player Driven Workshop (Community + Day Zero Design)  Lewis Ward’s GDC breakdown on Riot and system-driven design Join the Discord

    31 min

  5. 31 MARS

    ENCORE: How One MMO Taught a Future Investor to Break Markets

    This week, we’re bringing back one of the most interesting conversations we’ve had on Player Driven. Andrew Wagner didn’t learn economics in a classroom first. He learned it inside a game. Before managing investment portfolios, Andrew was running a guild in an MMO, experimenting with supply, demand, reputation, and player behavior in real time. What started as “just playing the game” turned into a full system for production, scaling, and market control. And the wild part… it worked. He built a network of players motivated by progression instead of profit, scaled production, and ultimately flooded the market to outcompete everyone else.  Why This Conversation Matters Right Now A lot has changed in the last few months across gaming: • Teams are rethinking LiveOps loops to re-engage players instead of just shipping content  • Community is being treated as a system, not a support function  • Player behavior is becoming the core KPI behind retention and monetization We talked about this in our recent Player Driven workshop: 👉 You can’t fix a community after launch. You design it from day zero.  And we’re seeing it play out everywhere… From LiveOps refresh strategies discussed at GDC to how games are trying to balance monetization with player trust. What We Cover in This Episode • How Andrew discovered economics through an MMO instead of school  • Why game economies mirror real-world markets more than people realize  • The role of reputation and perception in player-driven systems  • How player motivation (progression vs profit) changes everything  • Why most players don’t act “rationally”… and why that matters  • How communities shape economies just as much as design systems  • The fine line between optimization and exploitation in games The Bigger Takeaway Games are one of the best environments to understand human behavior. Not because they’re simple…  But because the feedback loops are fast, visible, and unforgiving. If you work in:  • Player support  • Community  • LiveOps  • Trust & safety You’re not just reacting to players. You’re shaping the system they operate in. What’s New at Player Driven We’ve been doubling down on connecting the people working behind the scenes of games: • March Workshop: Focused on building community from day zero  • New breakdown with Laura Hall (Schell Games) on what player support actually looks like early-stage  • Player Driven Live: GDC takeaways, LiveOps trends, and game breakdowns (including Crimson Desert and emerging titles) If you’re working in these spaces and want to connect with others doing the same work, join us. Final Thought Andrew’s story isn’t just about one game. It’s about understanding systems, incentives, and people. And once you see it… You start noticing it everywhere.

    1 h 5 min

  6. 24 MARS

    Day Zero Design: Why Your Community Strategy is Your New Game Engine

    Guests:   Karin Johnson: Co-founder of Magic Potion Games (Veteran of Club Penguin and Fortnite)Hege Tokerud: CEO/Founder of Aiba (Cybersecurity and AI moderation specialist) Episode Summary In this strategic primer for GDC 2026, we sit down with industry veterans to discuss why community is no longer just a marketing checklist—it’s the new competitive advantage. From the "social-first" origins of Club Penguin to the technical scaling of modern hits like Fortnite, we explore how to design communities alongside your game mechanics to ensure longevity, safety, and player loyalty. Key Takeaways Community as Design, Not Reaction: Successful games like Club Penguin were built on "social loops" (e.g., Penguin Chat) rather than just adding multiplayer to existing mechanics.The "Grey Filter" & Social Engineering: Discover how "silent muting" and empowering players with roles (like the Club Penguin Tour Guides) can police toxicity more effectively than heavy-handed bans.The Business Case for Safety: Data from 2023 shows that "nice" games can generate up to 80% more revenue than toxic ones. Safety isn't just ethical; it’s a growth engine.Empowering the Flywheel: Learn how leaning into player-driven lore and "happy accidents"—like Fortnite’s accidental cross-play launch—can create massive spikes in retention and investment.Scaling Without Burnout: Why 2026 is the year to move from manual moderation to AI-assisted tools that allow small teams to focus on making the game "magical" rather than just policing it.Notable Quotes "You can’t really fix a broken community after it’s built. If you’re not building the foundation from day zero, you’re at risk." — Greg Posner "I guarantee what your audience comes up with... is gonna be better than what the best game designers in the world can ever come up with in a room. Let them be the game designers." — Karin Johnson "We shouldn't talk about safety as something very mystical. We should put numbers on it and show that this is really good business." — Hege Tokerud  Resource Links Play Imagine Island: imagineisland.game Connect with Aiba: Aiba.ai Event: Visit the Community Clubhouse during GDC 2026 (Tuesday, March 10th).

    49 min

  7. 17 MARS

    Half a Million Karma and a Shipped Game: The Renee Gittins Story

    Episode Overview In this episode, Greg sits down with Renee Gittins — studio founder of Stumbling Cat, former IGDA Executive Director, ex-General Manager of Phoenix Labs Vancouver, Forbes 30 Under 30 for Games, Reddit legend, and now a debut author. Renee unpacks her wildly non-linear path into the games industry, the lessons she learned shipping her indie game Potions: A Curious Tale, and her hard-won wisdom on community building, marketing, and navigating the chaos of game development. Guest Bio 🌐 Website: Renee Gittins📚 Free studio resources: gamedevfoundry.com🎮 Game: Potions: A Curious Tale — available on Steam and all major consoles🔗 Connect on LinkedInKey Topics From Biotech to Game Dev: A Winding Road – Before gaming, Renee built concussion detection sensors and early wearables, eventually pivoting to game development after realizing she could turn her passion into a career during her senior year of college.Going Viral on Reddit – As a "Reddit native" with a 15-year-old account, Renee leveraged her genuine community standing and knowledge of memes to host a verified AMA that reached millions of views.The Technical vs. Bureaucratic Reality of Porting – While Unity made the technical porting of Potions: A Curious Tale manageable, Renee found that the publishing paperwork and platform management took 10 to 20 times longer than the actual coding.Key Takeaways & Advice Embrace Critical Feedback – While new developers often become defensive, Renee argues that experienced developers should actively beg for critical feedback to truly improve their craft.Simplify Your Call to Action (CTA) – To increase conversion, developers should remove barriers; for example, asking players to wishlist a game on Steam is often more effective than forcing them to join a Discord or sign up for an account.Research Before You Launch – Renee spent nearly a year researching Kickstarter by interviewing both successful and unsuccessful developers to avoid common pitfalls like underestimating the cost of physical rewards. Resources Mentioned 🌐 gamedevfoundry.com — Free studio operations resources (marketing templates, HR guides, production best practices, pitch decks, and more)🌐 Renee Gittins — Renee's personal site with links to talks, white papers, and more🎮 Potions: A Curious Tale — on Steam and all major consoles📖 How to Be Enough — self-help book for perfectionists and those with imposter syndrome (recommended by Renee)

    39 min

  8. 10 MARS

    Is Privacy a Myth? Why the US Government Wants to Dismantle Tencent

    Episode Summary: While the team is away at GDC in San Francisco, we’re bringing you a deep-dive encore of one of our most provocative conversations. Greg and Colan sit down to dissect the mounting pressure from the U.S. government on Tencent to divest its massive stakes in Riot Games, Supercell, and Epic Games. We explore the reality of data privacy in the modern age, the "cultural war" of gaming IP, and whether the West is prepared to compete with the sheer output of Chinese development. In This Episode, We Discuss: The CFIUS Investigation: Why the U.S. government is increasingly wary of Tencent’s influence over American gamer data.The "Privacy Myth": Colan breaks down the sobering reality of how our data is already bought, sold, and modeled in the ad-tech ecosystem.The Rise of Chinese IP: How games like Genshin Impact and Marvel Rivals are shifting the balance of global gaming power.Bungie’s Marathon: Our initial impressions of the "grimy" extraction shooter and why Bungie is pivoting away from its "simplified" gameplay roots.Sony vs. Steam: Analyzing Sony’s recent decision to slow down PC releases and the long-term threat of the Steam Deck and SteamOS.The Lego Takeover: A lighter look at the massive world of Lego-gaming crossovers and why your favorite IPs are being "blocked".Featured Links: Join the conversation on our Discord: playerdriven.ioFollow Colan's Newsletter: Patch Notes on Substack

    1 h 1 min
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À propos

Welcome to Player Driven, the hub where gaming insights and community collide.We believe that behind every great game is a thriving community and an unforgettable player experience. Whether it’s building inclusive environments, exploring the latest tech, or diving into the art of storytelling, our mission is simple: to empower the creators, communities, and players that make the gaming world extraordinary.What We’re About:🎮 Insightful Conversations – Through our podcast and community clubhouse, we bring industry leaders, creators, and innovators together to explore the cutting-edge of gaming.🌍 Player-Centric Focus – From accessibility to trust and safety, we champion the initiatives that keep players at the heart of the industry.📈 Data Meets Creativity – With a knack for combining KPIs with compelling narratives, we highlight strategies that don’t just work but resonate.🤝 Community Building – We celebrate what makes the gaming community special: its people. From indie developers to AAA veterans, every voice matters here.Join us as we explore what drives games, empowers communities, and defines success in the ever-evolving gaming landscape.Your Game. Your Story. Your Community.

Informations

  • Création
    Greg
  • Années d’activité
    2023 - 2026
  • Épisodes
    150
  • Classification
    Tous publics
  • Copyright
    © 2026 Player Driven
  • Site web de l’émission
    Player Driven