The Gaming Playbook w/ Harry Phokou

Today I’m joined by Teemu Haila, Co-Founder and Chief Product Officer at Metaplay. Teemu has spent more than 20 years in game development, co-founded PlayRiven before its acquisition by Rovio, and now works at the intersection of AI and live service game development.
We talk about how AI agents are already changing the way games are built and run, including a real example where work that previously took two engineering teams two months was completed by one developer using AI in two weeks. We also cover AI-powered game testing, faster iteration, how much smaller game teams could become, and why LiveOps needs to be designed into a game from the very beginning.
If you’re a game developer, studio founder or publisher trying to understand how AI will change the way games are built, tested and operated, then this episode is for you!
Connect with Teemu:
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/teemuhaila/
Website: https://www.metaplay.io/lp/multiplayer-live-service-game
Connect with Harry:
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/phokou/
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@UCtZBNcgtKJR2NtGct3-cFWg
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/hphokou/
Join our industry events: https://hivemind.world/
Get exclusive podcast recaps & industry insights:
→ Subscribe to The Gaming Playbook Weekly at https://join.thegamingplaybook.com
Chapters:
0:00 Intro
1:52 Teemu Haila joins the podcast
3:41 Why AI gives generalists an advantage
5:53 How AI is changing LiveOps
11:09 The 30x AI game development example
15:31 How AI could transform game testing
21:50 How much smaller can game teams become?
26:17 Why discovery becomes the bottleneck
29:55 How game developers can avoid being left behind
34:14 The best way to learn AI is to start building
40:33 Why marketers can now build games
43:48 Validating game ideas before building them
46:47 Why LiveOps must be designed from day one
52:33 What Metaplay actually does
56:05 Web games, playable demos and new ways to test ideas
1:00:59 Should Harry start a game publisher?
1:03:10 Finding profitable game niches big studios ignore
1:05:56 Harry's venture studio plan
1:10:51 How to connect with Teemu

Today, I’m joined by Magnus Lysell, co-founder of Light Up Games and a former product manager at Paradox Interactive, where he worked on games including Cities: Skylines and Surviving Mars. He now helps developers and publishers launch games globally, with a particular focus on China.
We talked about why game developers often think about China too late, how publishing and marketing games there actually works, and what developers need to know about localization, Steam, Bilibili, Heybox, pricing and local partners.
If you’re a game developer, studio founder or publisher looking to reach more players, understand the Chinese games market or build a smarter global publishing strategy, then this episode is for you!
Connect with Magnus:
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/magnuslysell/
Website: https://lightup.games/en
Connect with Harry:
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/phokou/
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@HivemindWorld
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/hphokou/
Join our industry events: https://hivemind.world/
Get exclusive podcast recaps & industry insights:
→ Subscribe to The Gaming Playbook Weekly at https://join.thegamingplaybook.com
Chapters:
00:00 Intro
00:45 Magnus Lysell and Light Up Games
03:10 What game developers get wrong about publishing
03:56 Why studios treat China as an afterthought
05:49 Why a launch trailer isn’t enough in China
06:40 How early should you prepare for China?
08:02 Do you need an ISBN to publish in China?
09:20 Can you sell PC games through Steam in China?
10:11 Which games perform well in China?
11:24 A 3-step strategy for entering the Chinese market
12:08 How important can China be for game revenue?
13:19 How poor localization can hurt your game
14:17 From Paradox to game publishing
15:44 How to price games for the Chinese market
17:18 Magnus’s advice for game developers
18:15 Why game developers should know about Heybox

Today, I’m joined by Mikkel Weider, the new CEO of Everplay Group, home to Team17, astragon Entertainment and StoryToys, with hundreds of games across its portfolio.
We talked about what publishers look for in games, how developers can stand out in an increasingly crowded market, and why understanding your audience and market matters just as much as making a great game.
If you’re a game developer, running an indie studio, or trying to understand how publishers think about games, then this episode is for you!
Connect with Mikkel:
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mikkelweider/
Pitch your game:
Simulator games: https://www.astragon.com/
Indie, party & selected shooter games: https://www.team17.com/
Kids games: https://storytoys.com/
Connect with Harry:
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/phokou/
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@HivemindWorld
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/hphokou/
Join our industry events: https://hivemind.world/
Get exclusive podcast recaps & industry insights:
→ Subscribe to The Gaming Playbook Weekly at https://join.thegamingplaybook.com
Chapters:
00:00 Intro
00:49 Inside Everplay, Team17, astragon & StoryToys
03:22 Mikkel’s first months as Everplay CEO
05:20 The growing game discovery problem
07:04 Building direct relationships with players
08:26 Should studios stick to the genres they know?
10:42 What publishers look for in new games
12:57 How much innovation does a game need?
14:51 Leading and operating a games group
17:46 Delegation, trust & accountability
21:13 Firefighting vs pursuing opportunities
22:21 Technology, AI & the future of games
26:13 Building a culture of ownership
28:59 Publishing vs game development
30:02 Should games launch on every platform?
31:48 How to pitch your game to Everplay

How do game studios actually get funded, and when should you choose VC, a publisher, project financing, or another route?
Today I’m joined by Ali Farha, Investment Associate at Behold Ventures, to break down how game funding actually works from the investor side, and what developers need to understand before raising money.
We talked about the difference between VC, publishers and project financing, when each funding route makes sense, what games VCs actually look for in a studio, how the investment process works, and why your pitch should change depending on who you’re raising from.
If you’re an indie developer, studio founder, or game developer trying to fund your next game, understand your financing options, or make your studio more investable, then this episode is for you.
Connect with Ali:
LinkedIn: ⁠https://www.linkedin.com/in/alifarha/⁠
Website: ⁠https://behold.vc/⁠
Listen to Ali’s previous episode: ⁠https://open.spotify.com/episode/0OEtoYIT1n1m1bjiBu5dDD?si=814233edcdf145f2
Connect with Harry:
LinkedIn: ⁠https://www.linkedin.com/in/phokou/⁠
YouTube:⁠ https://www.youtube.com/@HivemindWorld⁠
Instagram: ⁠https://www.instagram.com/hphokou/⁠
Join our industry events: https://hivemind.world/
Get exclusive podcast recaps & industry insights:→ Subscribe to The Gaming Playbook Weekly at https://join.thegamingplaybook.com
Chapters:
00:00 Intro
02:34 How games VC works
05:35 Bootstrapping, friends & family, angels and VC
07:11 VC vs project financing
08:24 Why founders should look for “smart money”
10:16 The value of a VC network
11:48 How should an indie studio fund its game?
13:01 How the VC investment process actually works
16:28 Do VCs take control of game studios?
18:43 Questions founders should ask investors
19:23 What makes a game studio investable?
20:09 How to pitch a VC vs a publisher
21:32 Combining VC, publishers and other funding
22:47 Mobile games and UA financing
24:06 Could UA financing come to PC and console?
27:35 The future of AAA, AA and indie games
30:30 Final fundraising advice for game developers

Today I’m joined by Adam Jaffe, a mobile gaming marketer with nearly two decades in the industry. He was Playtika’s 10th employee and Head of User Acquisition, and later served as VP of Marketing at Social Point.
We talked about why organic growth in mobile gaming has become so much harder, where studios should be looking for new users now, and why pouring more money into marketing won’t save a product that isn’t ready to scale.
If you’re building, marketing or running a mobile game business and want a clearer picture of where the market is heading, this episode is for you.
Connect with Adam:
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/adjaffe/
Website: www.trofeo.io
Live Trofeo demo: play.trofeo.io/play
Connect with Harry:
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/phokou/
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@HivemindWorld
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/hphokou/
Join our industry events: https://hivemind.world/
Get exclusive podcast recaps & industry insights:
→ Subscribe to The Gaming Playbook Weekly at https://join.thegamingplaybook.com
Chapters:00:00 Intro
04:14 How mobile gaming changed from the early days
08:14 How ATT and IDFA changed mobile user acquisition
13:32 Why organic growth and virality disappeared
19:30 Why media platforms now hold the power
23:25 Why mobile game studios have less room to fail
29:19 Risk aversion, layoffs and the cost of playing safe
32:25 Where mobile games get users in 2026
35:33 How rewarded traffic actually works
41:26 How to make rewarded user acquisition work
44:54 CTV as the next mobile marketing frontier
46:37 Mobile game monetization beyond traditional ads
56:53 Premium vs free-to-play mobile games
59:43 Why marketers need to understand the game itself
01:01:29 Aligning product and marketing around ROAS
01:05:16 Don’t let marketing get ahead of your product