The Business of Video Games Podcast
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Podcast Overview
<p><strong>Welcome to The Business of Video Games Podcast.</strong><br />A show where we shed some light on the inner workings of the games industry—the why, how, who, and what the hell?! behind business decisions, publishing calls, and the steps (and missteps) that happen behind the scenes.</p> <p>Basically: the inside view on how and why things are actually done the way they are. Not just guesswork on 4Chan.</p> <p>The podcast is hosted by <strong>Shams Jorjani</strong> (CEO of Arrowhead Game Studios, Chairman of the Board at Hooded Horse, and founder of the Almost Ready Games Fund) and <strong>Fernando Rizo</strong> (former Chief Sales & Business Development Officer at Raw Fury, now Partner at Kaboodle Games).</p> <p>In every episode, we invite a guest from the industry to unpack an interesting decision or event, share lessons learned, or explain why all of us armchair experts got it wrong (or occasionally right).</p> <p>This podcast previously ran for four years at Paradox Interactive and was available there until they decided to remove it. It might yet return someday - as a DLC in one of their games.</p>
Language
🇺🇲
Publishing Since
9/23/2022
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Recent Episodes
August 6, 2026
Episode 62 - People don't buy new games
It's Friday and we are back to to tackle two major industry deep-dives, but not before touching base on Microsoft and EA, comparing BBC quotes and teasing a Patreon-exclusive story about a spectacularly failed kosher salt business. First up, Shams and Fernando unpacks Joakim Achren’s newsletter breakdown (link here) on the "Six Reasons VCs Pulled Back from Games," examining why early-stage bets and public game studio IPOs are falling flat. Paired with insights from Thomas Bidaux’s ICO Partners newsletter, which recently tracked an all-time record number of Steam releases, they further explore why standing out is harder than ever. Next up, it's time to dissect Matthew Ball’s massive, "doorstop" state-of-the-industry deck "The State of Video Gaming in 2026" (link here). Ball’s data reveals a sobering picture: actual growth is heavily carried by Roblox and subscriptions, overall gamer numbers might be shrinking due to screen fatigue, and median players are sticking to forever-games rather than buying new titles. And of course this is just the tip of the iceberg in Ball´s presentation. Thanks for listening! Shams quoted in BBCIco Partners NewsletterAlmost Ready Games FundThat page in Ball´s deck around time spent on new games that Fernando mentioned? Page 35 (link to deck once more here)
July 24, 2026
Episode 61 - Basically too many games - Jon Shafer
Shams and Fernando bring on their buddy Jon Shafer (former Lead Designer on Civ V) from Conifer Games to cut through the noise and break down the actual state of PC gaming post-Steam Next Fest! Spoiler alert: that 2010s indie golden age everyone misses? It’s dead and buried. Jon’s been obsessively tracking Steam data (while juggling his double PC setup optimized for Steam demos), and the new reality is, well to be honest, brutal. To survive today, developers either need to pump out a game in two months or bleed over it for up to 14 years - there is zero in-between. Welcome to the "go short or go long" meta. The trio also look into the wildest trends currently hijacking the platform such as the unapologetic explosions of co-op "friend slop," the massive wave of players jumping between Roblox and Steam, and why traditional buying habits are out while cult-level fandom is in. In short - the dev scene might be an absolute bloodbath right now, but for players? We might just be sitting in a brand-new golden age. Thanks for listening! The BBC articleDesigner Notes Podcast
July 10, 2026
Episode 60 - 14 layers
It's Friday! And what do you expect? After our last conversation unexpectedly blew up and wormed its way into the gaming news cycle for a day or two (or three?), we are now back to talk about ... you guessed it! Xbox! In this episode, we dive right back into the Xbox ecosystem, looking closely at Game Pass, the massive acquisitions, the enormous amout of layoffs, and what scaling up really looks like in today's gaming landscape. We also touch on the delicate PR strategies companies use to avoid becoming the "bad guys" of the industry. Is it even possible? Plus, stick around until the end for a little palette cleanser where we chat about some highly recommended tabletop chaos, current gaming obsessions, and a surprising confession about a specific James Bond-actor... Thanks for listening and have a great weekend!
68 total episodes available
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- What is The Business of Video Games Podcast?
<p><strong>Welcome to The Business of Video Games Podcast.</strong><br />A show where we shed some light on the inner workings of the games industry—the why, how, who, and what the hell?! behind business decisions, publishing calls, and the steps (and missteps) that happen behind the scenes.</p> <p>Basically: the inside view on how and why things are actually done the way they are. Not just guesswork on 4Chan.</p> <p>The podcast is hosted by <strong>Shams Jorjani</strong> (CEO of Arrowhead Game Studios, Chairman of the Board at Hooded Horse, and founder of the Almost Ready Games Fund) and <strong>Fernando Rizo</strong> (former Chief Sales & Business Development Officer at Raw Fury, now Partner at Kaboodle Games).</p> <p>In every episode, we invite a guest from the industry to unpack an interesting decision or event, share lessons learned, or explain why all of us armchair experts got it wrong (or occasionally right).</p> <p>This podcast previously ran for four years at Paradox Interactive and was available there until they decided to remove it. It might yet return someday - as a DLC in one of their games.</p> - How often does this podcast release new episodes?
This podcast updates bi-weekly.
- Where can I listen to this podcast?
This podcast is available on 8 platforms including Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and more. You can also use the RSS feed directly.
- Does this podcast accept guests?
Yes, this podcast regularly features guests.
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