The Gaming Playbook w/ Harry Phokou

How do you actually get your game discovered in 2026, without killing creativity?
In this episode, I sit down with Frode Krisner, Founder and Co-CEO at Gameopedia, the hidden data layer powering discovery for YouTube, Google, Amazon, Samsung, and others, reaching over a billion gamers every year.
We explore how game discovery really works, why genre is breaking down, how emotional data beats tags, and how AI can amplify creativity instead of replacing it.
If you’re a game developer, founder, publisher, investor, or strategist, this episode will permanently change how you think about discovery, data, and creativity in games.
Hivemind: B2B Gaming Events
Curated roundtable mixers for founders and executives in the games industry.
Food and drinks provided.
2026 event calendar now live.
https://hivemind.world/
Hivemind: LinkedIn Content for Games Founders & Executives
LinkedIn go-to-market support for founders and executives in the games industry.
Free 2-hour workshop + complimentary strategy consultation.
https://hivemind.show
Connect with Frode:
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/frode-krisner-87692b6/
Website: https://gameopedia.com/
Lumos: https://asklumos.com/
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
02:15 Why Gameopedia exists and what it actually does
04:03 How gaming saved Frode’s life
06:27 How data actually decides which games get discovered
09:16 Lumos: turning game data into real developer decisions
11:30 How Gameopedia actually works behind the scenes
14:04 How specific features shape a game’s success or failure
17:08 When data helps creativity — and when it ruins it
20:28 Why most developers compare against the wrong games
22:54 When data-driven thinking actually hurts innovation
25:33 How publishers and investors really judge games
26:32 Using data to strengthen your pitch (not fake it)
28:05 Catching fatal game mistakes before it’s too late
33:10 Why game tagging is broken (and genres don’t help)
38:34 Making serious game data accessible to indie devs
42:19 Why players don’t choose games by genre
48:48 How broken tagging systems hurt discovery
54:17 The Gameopedia flywheel explained
59:32 Building a company with extreme time and energy limits
01:06:01 Hiring great people (and what founders get wrong)
01:15:55 The best interview question founders should ask
01:18:51 Leadership, suffering, and self-reflection
01:24:03 Asking for help without losing authority
01:26:19 Facing fear to unlock growth
01:35:53 Why caring about people actually matters

The traditional game publisher model is breaking, and indie developers are feeling it first.
Today, I'm joined by Dino Patti, co-founder of Playdead, creator of Limbo & Inside, and CEO of coherence. Dino explains why publishers are losing relevance, how developers can build momentum without giving away 50% of their revenue, and what the future of multiplayer games really looks like.
If you’re an indie game developer, studio founder, or thinking about working with a publisher, this episode will save you years of mistakes.
Connect with Dino:
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/dinopatti/
X: https://x.com/DinoPatti
Website: https://coherence.io/
Connect with Harry:
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/hphokou/
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@hphokou
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/hphokou
Join our industry events: https://hivemind.world/
Never run out of LinkedIn content ideas again: https://idea.phokou.com/c/system
Get exclusive podcast recaps & industry insights:→ Subscribe to The Gaming Playbook Weekly at thegamingplaybook.com
Chapters:
00:00 Intro
02:20 Why the old publisher model is breaking
04:03 Publishers vs marketing agencies (hard truth)
05:34 What publishers actually do (and don’t)
08:09 Why VCs struggle to invest in games
11:00 The real cost of giving up 50% revenue
14:00 What developers need before asking for funding
15:55 Marketability, “spark,” and why most games fail
18:10 Feedback traps & why publishers aren’t validators
20:36 Survivor bias in indie success stories
22:44 Vampire Survivors multiplayer explained
25:55 Making single-player games multiplayer fast
27:12 The future of hybrid multiplayer games
31:54 Selling a studio, regret, and loss of purpose
37:09 Buying the studio back & what went wrong
39:44 The biggest mistake when choosing co-founders
43:25 Family businesses, trust & worst-case planning
46:49 Who shouldn’t start a company
47:39 Learning business without formal education
55:29 What’s next for coherence
57:04 Building companies that build companies
58:50 Final thoughts & where to find Dino

What really happens when your game suddenly explodes to hundreds of thousands of players?
Today, I sit down with Felix Oechsler, CTO and Managing Director at Nitrado, to unpack the brutal realities of launching and scaling multiplayer games. From Last Epoch’s massive launch to DDoS attacks, server costs, hyperscalers vs bare metal, and why most studios get infrastructure decisions wrong far too late.
This episode is essential viewing for indie developers, studio leads, and anyone building multiplayer games who want to avoid costly launch disasters, downtime, and player frustration. We go deep into real-world war stories, backend failures, scaling strategies, and why infrastructure decisions should be made way earlier than most developers think.
If you’re preparing for success or already feeling the pain of scale, this episode will save you time, money, and regret.
Connect with Felix:
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/felix-oechsler-05589192/
Website: https://gamefabric.com/
Connect with Harry:
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/hphokou/
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@hphokou
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/hphokou
Join our industry events: https://hivemind.world/
Never run out of LinkedIn content ideas again: https://idea.phokou.com/c/system
Get exclusive podcast recaps & industry insights:
→ Subscribe to The Gaming Playbook Weekly at thegamingplaybook.com
Chapters:
00:00 Intro
00:19 What GameFabric is and why it exists
04:02 What happens when a game unexpectedly blows up
06:46 When developers should start thinking about infrastructure
08:38 Load testing mistakes studios keep making
09:55 Backend services developers forget to scale
11:01 Hidden infrastructure failures (logging, monitoring, costs)
13:16 Should developers even make multiplayer games anymore?
17:17 Hyperscalers vs bare metal: real cost breakdown
21:54 Why gaming-optimized infrastructure matters
24:07 What a DDoS attack actually is (plain English)
30:04 Is DDoS actually solvable?
34:11 Queues, lag, and why Fortnite does it right
37:17 Is there a limit to players on one server?
40:00 What makes a platform truly developer-focused?
44:08 Should studios build infrastructure in-house?
48:03 Career lessons going from engineer to CTO
50:38 Focus, leadership, and avoiding burnout
55:14 Trust, delegation, and scaling teams
58:32 Games Felix is playing right now
59:11 How to connect with Felix

What actually is a game brand, and why do so many studios still get marketing wrong?
Today, I sit down with Edd Newby-Robson, a senior games industry marketing leader with 20+ years of experience across EA, Codemasters, Avalanche Studios, and iconic franchises like Need for Speed, Dirt, The Hunter: Call of the Wild, and more.
We break down what brand really means in games, why marketing should start at the beginning of development (not launch), and how studios can survive in a world where 18,000+ games launch every year on Steam.
Whether you’re an indie developer, AAA marketer, producer, or founder, this episode is a masterclass in modern game marketing, positioning, and brand strategy.
Connect with Edd:
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/edwardnr/
Connect with Harry:
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/hphokou/
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@hphokou
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/hphokou
Join our industry events: https://hivemind.world/
Never run out of LinkedIn content ideas again: https://idea.phokou.com/c/system
Get exclusive podcast recaps & industry insights:
→ Subscribe to The Gaming Playbook Weekly at thegamingplaybook.com
Chapters:
00:00 Intro
02:08 What a “brand” actually means in games
06:13 Need for Speed: when players define your brand
10:04 Indie studios: brand mistakes to avoid
14:14 Logos vs brand attributes (and why visuals aren’t enough)
19:55 When should marketing start in game development?
22:31 How to check if your game idea has a real market
26:40 Why great games still fail commercially
28:12 Moving from marketing into production at EA
35:42 Who really owns P&L: marketing vs development
38:40 How marketers earn trust with developers
40:52 Overhyping games: Cyberpunk, No Man’s Sky & reality
45:48 Hiring great marketers (and avoiding bad hires)
52:19 Building community early: Discord & playtesting
56:37 Battlefield Labs & community-driven development
58:39 Avalanche’s Frontrunners program & early validation
01:02:15 Tips for beginners in games

What does it really take to build and lead a game studio that actually ships, without burning people out?
Today, I'm joined by Joni Lappalainen, CEO and Co-founder of Dreamloop Games, who breaks down 10+ years of studio leadership, risk management, sustainable growth, and why overwork culture quietly destroys teams.
We dive into time tracking, “hero complex,” healthy crunch, service leadership, AI myths, mentoring, and what founders consistently get wrong about productivity and success in the game industry.
If you're a game developer, studio founder, producer, or leader who want longevity, not just hype, this episode is for you.
Connect with Joni:
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/joni-lappalainen-dreamloop/
X: https://x.com/dlg_joni
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/joni_dlg_official/
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
02:26 Joni’s unconventional path into games
05:06 Starting a studio after 3 months as a junior dev
08:39 Dreamloop’s risk-management philosophy
13:18 What problem Joni is focused on solving today
14:04 Why Dreamloop tracks employee work hours
15:48 The “hero complex” and why overworking backfires
18:15 Rest, creativity, and why productivity myths fail
23:51 How to talk about burn out with your team
25:48 996 culture vs sustainable careers
32:38 Is crunch ever acceptable? How to do it safely
35:37 Calendars, boundaries, and the “not-to-do list”
39:25 What great leadership actually looks like
41:51 Building trust so teams speak up early
48:00 How to run effective 1-on-1s
50:56 Loneliness, connection, and performance at work
55:38 AI in game development: hype vs reality
01:00:59 How not to use AI
01:03:35 Hardest part of building Dreamloop
01:05:15 Mentorship, asking for help, and learning faster
01:09:36 Final thoughts and recommendations