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PODCAST

Naavik Gaming Podcast

The Naavik Gaming Podcast is a business-focused exploration of the companies, trends, strategies and leaders that are defining the future of games. To learn more and see other great content visit www.naavik.co.

business video games

All Episodes

58:53

Why Web3 Gaming Is Just Getting Started: Insights...

Naavik Gaming Podcast ·

2025/03/04

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 Axie Infinity, the evolution of the Ronin blockchain, the introduction of the Ronin Developer Console, and the impressive growth metrics of the

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59:40

Building a #1 Earning VR Game

Naavik Gaming Podcast ·

2025/02/26

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 that 3D virtual spaces are the future of social experiences. In this conversation, our host, David Taylor, sat down with Anand Agarawala, the

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63:54

The Future of AI Unscripted Entertainment

Naavik Gaming Podcast ·

2025/02/21

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 narratives combine to create an entirely new genre of entertainment. Jacob and Nico express their belief in AI’s potential to address the “cost

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72:52

Cloud Creations: Scaling up Game Development

Naavik Gaming Podcast ·

2025/02/11

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 reduce production costs, streamline workflows, and enable innovations like off-client AI processing. We also explore how AWS helps address

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66:48

The State of Video Game Financing in 2025

Naavik Gaming Podcast ·

2025/02/07

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 a goldmine for game studios, is now retreating, and if not retreating, shifting many of their investments to infrastructure. The duo discuss hard

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61:42

Can Play-to-Earn Ever Be Sustainable?

Naavik Gaming Podcast ·

2025/02/04

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 registered users) and revenue generation (over $20 million in the past 12 months). The conversation delves into the sustainability of

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57:18

The Story of Crunchyroll, GGWP, and Forge

Naavik Gaming Podcast ·

2025/01/31

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 direct-to-consumer loyalty programs for games teams. In this conversation, we explore the many lessons Kun learned from scaling Crunchyroll and

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55:25

Finding Success with AI Agents and Content Creators

Naavik Gaming Podcast ·

2025/01/28

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 Proxima, to unpack the lessons learned from Proxima’s success with the viral sensation Suck Up!, a game developed where players act as vampires

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71:48

Building and Scaling Communities in 2025

Naavik Gaming Podcast ·

2025/01/24

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 transformation of community roles over the past decade, from the decline of forums to the rise of Discord and influencer-driven strategies. The discussion

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69:10

Web3 Gaming: What Will 2025 Bring?

Naavik Gaming Podcast ·

2025/01/21

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 dynamics of funding, particularly for indie studios. The conversation also touches on the challenges faced by AAA games in adopting web3

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56:52

Inside NCSoft: Strategy, Partnerships, and Korean...

Naavik Gaming Podcast ·

2025/01/10

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, focusing on strategic pivots like transitioning from subscription models to free-to-play, embracing mobile gaming, and forging key partnerships with

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68:59

The Evolution of Sports Betting (with FanDuel’s Founder)

Naavik Gaming Podcast ·

2025/01/07

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 FanDuel multi-billion dollar class action lawsuit and the evolving landscape of sports betting and gaming technology. Transitioning from FanDuel to

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59:48

The State of Video Game Publishing (with Serenity Forge)

Naavik Gaming Podcast ·

2024/12/20

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 and CEO of Serenity Forge. They discuss Z’s inspiring story, how publishing has evolved over the past decade, and how Z goes above and beyond to

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53:02

Lessons In Writing and Directing Video Game IP

Naavik Gaming Podcast ·

2024/12/17

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 Star Wars: The Old Republic and Battlefield 2042 to crafting Stories from the Outlands for Apex Legends, Neel’s work has been viewed tens of

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61:06

Navigating the Botting Industry: Fraud, Cheating, and...

Naavik Gaming Podcast ·

2024/12/13

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 the botting phenomenon. Their nuanced conversation covers why gaming is rife with bots, when bots are good, when bots are bad, and what gaming can

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70:25

Mastering Merge: How StarBerry Built a Merge-2 Hit

Naavik Gaming Podcast ·

2024/12/10

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’s Merge Mansion), the challenges of the merge category, and the importance of community engagement through platforms like Discord. Antti shares

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50:28

Transforming UA Creatives Through AI (with Reforged...

Naavik Gaming Podcast ·

2024/12/06

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.They dive into how the world of online content and digital marketing may evolve in the coming years, what Reforged Labs is building to help mobile

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45:51

Gaming, Music, & Tipping: A New Era for Creator Payments

Naavik Gaming Podcast ·

2024/12/04

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 benefits over traditional platforms like Spotify and Apple Music. Sam shares the story behind Wavlake, its current mission, and how its

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64:19

Can Alternative App Stores Thrive Post-DMA?

Naavik Gaming Podcast ·

2024/11/29

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 insights into the company's revenue model, user demographics, and the impact of blockchain technology through their AppCoins initiative. The

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60:58

Gaming IP in 2024: How to Create Lasting Impact on UEFN

Naavik Gaming Podcast ·

2024/11/26

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 how IP is created. In summary, IP has never been more adaptable. Host, Alexandra Takei, Director at Ruckus Games, sits down with Kevin Mariano,

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436 results

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