The Game Business Show

In this edition of The Game Business, we finally dive into AI properly with Jon Gibson, the head of transformation at Keywords Studios.Keywords works with numerous major game studios around the world and has a unique perspective on AI. And in our chat, Gibson talked about AI being in its ‘chaos’ phase, and how few studios have worked out how to use it within their pipelines. We also discuss the growing concerns from game makers around the use of the technology.Also this week we touch upon the Super Mario Galaxy movie, and the familiar sounding Netflix Playground. Enjoy. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.thegamebusiness.com/subscribe

Video games are growing again on Kickstarter. But why aren't more developers doing it? And how should studios approach crowd-funding... if at all?In this episode of The Game Business Show, Chris speaks with Kickstarter games boss Asher McClennahan and Ico Partners' Thomas Bidaux (a well known Kickstarter expert) to find out what's going on in the world of video game crowd-funding. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.thegamebusiness.com/subscribe

This week, we speak to the leaders of AdHoc Studio, the developer behind the smash hit superhero workplace comedy game Dispatch.In this edition, we discuss the team's 'hell' of trying to find a publisher, why the game was viewed as being high risk, and their experiences of self-publishing the title.Plus, we chat comedy games, their relationship with Critical Role, the episodic model, and what the team is planning to do next. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.thegamebusiness.com/subscribe

The Game Business has been around for an entire year, and to mark the occasion, we have Game File reporter Stephen Totilo on today’s episode of the Show. Stephen was our very first guest back in March 2025.Today, Stephen and Chris discuss Nintendo’s current performance, Epic’s shock lay-offs, and the positive impact of Meta removing Horizon Worlds from the Quest Store. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.thegamebusiness.com/subscribe

In this edition, Scopely co-CEO Javier Ferreira discusses the state of the mobile video games market, what it's learning from Pokémon Go, the impact of Google's lower fees, making PC and console games, what it looks for when acquiring companies, and why it's obsessed with never being right. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.thegamebusiness.com/subscribe

This week, we dive into the big conversation around the new European age rating rules, which mean games that feature loot boxes and mechanics that entice people to come back may be subjected to higher age ratings. On the Show, we are joined by Dirk Bosmans, the director general of the European ratings body PEGI, and Ian Rice, the director general of the Games Rating Authority, to discuss the topic. We also discuss the Nvidia controversy, GDC's numbers, Ubisoft's new hires and much more. Enjoy. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.thegamebusiness.com/subscribe

We speak to Take-Two CEO Strauss Zelnick about why investors shouldn't be concerned about video games being built with AI tools.We also chat about in-game advertising within PC and console games, the firm's global expansion plans, its ageing audience, the DRAM crisis, Roblox, and what it takes to be a good video games CEO. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.thegamebusiness.com/subscribe

This week it's our GDC 2026 special, featuring two big interviews. The first is with Guy Richards, the global director of ID@Xbox. He talks to us about how indies relate to Project Helix and the ‘return of Xbox’.We also had a great chat with Ben Porter of Newzoo about its latest PC and console report, which includes the reveal that PC will overtake console by 2028.Plus we chat GDC 2027, layoffs at EA's Battlefield team, and loads more. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.thegamebusiness.com/subscribe

Last year, video game veteran Peter Moore visited London to promote his memoir: Game Changer. During his visit, we had the privilege of interviewing him live on stage to hear stories from his time at Sega, Xbox, EA and Liverpool Football Club. He discussed the Dreamcast era, the highs and lows of Xbox 360, EA becoming the worst company in America and the heartbreak of leaving his dream job. Check it out This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.thegamebusiness.com/subscribe

Today, we are joined be GameSpot writer, presenter and producer Lucy James to discuss how Capcom pulled off such a huge launch for Resident Evil Requiem. We also teamed up with Fancensus to look at what AI is recommending to gamers. Plus, we discuss those topics, plus PlayStation’s apparent PC pivot, The Sims 4’s new UGC approach, and the US Government’s investigation of Tencent. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.thegamebusiness.com/subscribe

Super Meat Boy and The Binding of Isaac's Edmund McMillen has done it again. Mewgenics has sold one million copies in just a week and is one of this year's breakout indie hits.In this interview with McMillen and Tyler Glaiel, we discuss the Mewgenics story, why it took so long to make, and why the duo avoid working with publishers at all costs. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.thegamebusiness.com/subscribe

This week, Chris touches on the noise around Xbox's leadership changes, the cuts at Eurogamer and shares some news about the return of The Game Business Live.But the big guest is once again Matthew Ball, who discusses layoffs, the DRAM crisis, PC handhelds, streaming, subscriptions and in-game advertising on PC and console. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.thegamebusiness.com/subscribe

We speak to new UK studio Fuse Games about its debut game Star Wars: Galactic Racer, the first new Star Wars racing game in over 20 years. We discuss working with Lucasfilm, how it secured such a big licence, the state of racing games, and just who exactly are Fuse Games This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.thegamebusiness.com/subscribe

Industry analyst and advisor Matthew Ball has released his annual presentation, which this year asks (and answers) the question: if video games are at an all-time high, why are so many game companies still struggling?To mark its release, Matthew joins us for a bumper interview around all things video games. In part one of our interview, Ball discusses China and Roblox problem, the console challenge, the loss of game funding, and the missed opportunity with older players.Meanwhile, Chris recaps some of the biggest stories, including Circana's prediction about the market in 2026, Steam Deck OLED becoming unavailable and more news in the on-going discussion around Highguard. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.thegamebusiness.com/subscribe

In this special edition of The Game Business Show, Chris visits 22Cans to meet with five video game legends: Mark Healy, Kareem Ettouney, Ian Wright, Russell Shaw and Peter Molyneux. The five are famous for Fable, Black & White and Dungeon Keeper, and have reunited to create one last game together: Masters of Albion.Chris uncovers their history, what drove them back together, and what to expect from their gaming swan song. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.thegamebusiness.com/subscribe

In this week's edition of The Game Business Show, Chris speaks with two of the leaders behind the Fallout 76 online game: Bill LaCoste and Jon Rush. The three specifically talk about the hit Fallout TV show on Amazon, and the impact that it has had on the RPG. We also learn more about the game's surprisingly friendly community. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.thegamebusiness.com/subscribe

In this week's edition of The Game Business Show, we are joined by Circana boss Mat Piscatella, where we discuss the biggest video games coming out this year (that are not Grand Theft Auto). We also review the US games market. Plus, Chris gives his take on the Sony, Nintendo and Take-Two financials. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.thegamebusiness.com/subscribe

In this week’s edition of The Game Business Show, we sit down with World of Warcraft leaders Holly Longdale (VP) Ion Hazzikostas (game director), where we discuss the game’s ageing audience, the impact of World of Warcraft Classic, working with Microsoft and the future of the Warcraft IP. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.thegamebusiness.com/subscribe

This week we have guests aplenty on the Show, including GDC organisers Mark DeLoura and Beth Elderkin, who discuss their latest State of the Industry report, and give us an update on how GDC 2026 is shaping up in the face of turbulent external challenges.We also welcome former GDC organiser and current AIAS boss Meggan Scavio, who joins us to announce this year’s edition of the Game Maker’s Sketchbook.Plus, we cover the latest cuts at Ubisoft, UK consumers vs Valve and another strong financial performance for Capcom. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.thegamebusiness.com/subscribe

In this edition of The Game Business Show, Chris sits down with the leaders of Wildlight, which is the studio behind the new online raid shooter Highguard. The new game launches after a hostile reception to its big The Game Awards reveal last month.The team discuss that reception, its decision to self-publish Highguard, and the lessons it's learned from working on Apex Legends. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.thegamebusiness.com/subscribe

Today's edition of The Game Business Show is a VR special, where we react to the news that Meta is scaling back its investment in virtual reality.The VR sector has come to rely on Meta for much of its player base and revenue, so this news sounded existential. But is it?On the Show today, we welcome VR specialist and analyst Cassia Curran, and Owlchemy Labs (that’s the Job Simulator lot) boss Andrew Eiche, who discuss where we are with VR, and how it might survive This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.thegamebusiness.com/subscribe

In today's edition of The Game Business Show, Palworld developer Pocketpair looks back on its 'difficult and scary' move into publishing and funding other people's games. We speak to publishing and community boss John 'Bucky' Buckley to discuss the games he's signed so far, what he looks for from pitches, and what life is really like at the Palworld studio This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.thegamebusiness.com/subscribe

In this edition of The Game Business Show, we explore the idea that there may not be a video game industry at all! And we are joined by industry veteran, consultant, investor and developer (plus co-owner of Spilt Milk Studios) Nicholas Lovell to discuss the subject.In addition, we look at the latest cuts at Ubisoft, Larian’s shifting position on AI, and the drop in Battlefield 6 players. Enjoy! This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.thegamebusiness.com/subscribe

We're joined by Hazelight boss Josef Fares, the creative mastermind behind A Way Out, It Takes Two and Split Fiction - games that have collectively sold more than 43 million copies. In our chat with Fares, we discuss the state of the industry, the impact Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 might have on publishers, their relationship with EA, AI, and unlocking the 'creative monster' in his staff. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.thegamebusiness.com/subscribe

In today's edition of The Game Business Show, Chris is joined by The Guardian's Keza MacDonald to discuss the Switch 2's first Christmas on the market. The two also talk about Nex Playground and its impending European launch, how the Fallout TV show boosted Fallout 4, and Keza's upcoming book 'Super Nintendo'. Finally, the Phasmaphobia team also join the Show to talk about its new publishing division. Enjoy This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.thegamebusiness.com/subscribe

In our first edition of The Game Business Show of 2026, we speak with video game acting legend Troy Baker. Chris and Troy chat Indiana Jones, the importance of trust in creating art, the AI future, indie games, the role of game actors in marketing, Kill Bill Fortnite, and Troy's ambition to make his own video game. A nice fun (hopefully inspirational) one to kick off the year. Enjoy! This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.thegamebusiness.com/subscribe

To wrap up the year, we have gone back over our nearly 80 episodes and picked some of our favourite moments. Our first draft of this would have been at least five hours long. And we wouldn’t do that to you. So we’ve had to be brutal and select what we think were the more interesting or entertainment moments from the past nine months.Enjoy! This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.thegamebusiness.com/subscribe

It is our last News and Analysis Show of 2025! This week, we dive into the big stories of the moment, we reveal who REALLY won The Game Awards 2025, and we look back at the year that was with Newzoo’s director of market intelligence Emmanuel Rosier.Plus, why the whole industry needs to be wary of Rockstar's on-going union row, and why Netflix and Warner Bros might be a good fit when it comes to video games after all.Enjoy! This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.thegamebusiness.com/subscribe

In a bleak month for video game consoles, a surprising new competitor emerged in the form of Nex Playground. The sold-out family game console is the spiritual successor to Wii, and the company behind it has huge ambitions. In this episode of The Game Business Show, Chris speaks to Nex CEO David Lee to find out the story behind the platform, and what comes next. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.thegamebusiness.com/subscribe

In today's edition of The Game Business Show, Chris sits down with Bethesda's creative director and executive producer Todd Howard ahead of the release of the new TV show. Along with Samsung's head of gaming Kevin Beatty, the three discuss the ways in which Bethesda are looking to drive interest in the video games by capitalising on the TV show's immense popularity.They also discuss streaming, the important of games people being involved in the TV production, and keeping Elder Scrolls, Fallout and Starfield fans happy. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.thegamebusiness.com/subscribe

In today’s edition of The Game Business Show, we speak with Day 4 Night, the studio behind the upcoming Bradley The Badger, which received its debut at The Game Awards. The studio was formed by Davide Soliani (Mario + Rabbids) and Christian Cantamessa (Red Dead Redemption), and was one of the most distinctive games on show. It’s also a game that has received big investment from the likes of 1Up Ventures and Krafton. We spoke to Christian and Davide about securing funding during a challenging time for games, the importance of doing something a bit crazy, and trying to bring satire to the game space. Note: This week’s episode suffers from some audio issues, particularly in the second half. We apologise for the sound, and if you’d rather read the interview, you can at www.thegamebusiness.com. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.thegamebusiness.com/subscribe

Hello!This week is our The Game Awards special, featuring TGA host, executive producer and CEO Geoff Keighley (who, yes, also happens to be the co-founder of The Game Business).In this edition, Geoff discusses what goes into building the Awards, reaching an even wider audience, the changing way games are announced, and much more.Enjoy! This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.thegamebusiness.com/subscribe

On this week’s The Game Business Show, Chris is joined by Andy Robinson, the founder and editor of Video Games Chronicle. Together, we chat about the latest industry stories, the growing popularity of old games, plus the latest data coming out of the Asia and MENA game markets.But best of all, they're joined by Dr David Doak and Steve Ellis, two of the masterminds behind GoldenEye, Perfect Dark and TimeSplitters. Doak and Ellis join the Show to discuss their new rogue-like Scrabble game, Beyond Words. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.thegamebusiness.com/subscribe

In this edition of The Game Business Show, Chris speaks to Owen Mahoney, the former CEO of Nexon, to discuss what the industry can learn from Arc Raiders developer Embark, the studio he acquired during his ten years at the publisher.We also chat about how AI might triple the size of the video game market, the importance of balancing art and business, the structural problems facing AAA studios, the VC funding challenge, when to be patient and when to give up, and a whole lot more. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.thegamebusiness.com/subscribe

In today's episode of The Game Business Show, we speak to the Tekken development team including executive game director Katsuhiro Harada, chief producer and game director Kouhei Ikelda and producer Michael Murray.The trio discuss rising video game budgets, the importance of live events, potential new revenue streams and what goes in to creating a new Tekken character. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.thegamebusiness.com/subscribe

On Today's episode, Chris is joined by YouTuber and media entrepreneur Ralph Panebianco (or Skill Up as he’s also known).The two chat about the Unity/Epic partnership, the on-going row between Rockstar and a UK workers union, the success of the ROG Xbox Ally X, the F1 franchise taking a year off (sort-of) and Ralph's new media website This Week In Videogames.And our big topic is about the shooter genre. Specifically, the challenges faced by Call of Duty and the early success of Battlefield 6 and Arc Raiders, with exclusive data supplied by Ampere.Enjoy! This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.thegamebusiness.com/subscribe

In this week's edition of The Game Business Show, we secure a very rare interview with Bandai Namco Entertainment CEO and president Nao Udagawa. During the chat, We ask Udagawa-san about the firm's strong relationship with FromSoftware, the rise of Japanese-made games, the desire to grow its own IP, plus movies, merchandise, mobile and more. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.thegamebusiness.com/subscribe

Hello and welcome to this week’s News edition of The Game Business.On the Show today, we are joined by Shams Jorjani, the CEO of Helldivers 2 developer Arrowhead. Shams and I chat about the Helldivers 2 launch on Xbox, before diving into some big stories, including the delay to GTA 6, the layoffs at Square Enix, the NetEase-backed studio closures, and the debate triggered by a Eurogamer review, which marked down Arc Raiders for its use of AI voice generation.Then we tackle the big breaking story, the return of the Steam Machine (plus Valve’s new VR headset), and what it might mean for the console space.Meanwhile, in today’s articles (below), you can read about Sham’s experience of launching Helldivers 2 on Xbox, plus my own take on the Steam Machine, and what it might mean for the market.Enjoy!Valve’s Steam Machine is a threat to PlayStation and XboxI can’t believe it’s been ten years since the last time since we all got over-excited about Valve entering the console space.The 2015 Steam Machines (and Steam Link) were Valve’s attempts at taking PC gaming into the living room. It failed. We estimate somewhere between 300,000 – 400,000 Steam Machine units were sold worldwide in three years.Consoles are designed to be simple. When you buy a game, you know it will work and it has been optimised for the machine you own. There’s not a plethora of different configurations to worry about. The 2015-era Steam Machines didn’t deliver on this. They neither had the flexibility of a PC, or the simplicity of a console.Yesterday, the Steam Machine made a comeback in the form of a cube-shaped device that has six times the horsepower of the Steam Deck. It comes with a new Steam controller, and will be available next year. It currently doesn’t have a price.So, why will this time be any different?Well, ten years is a lifetime in gaming terms, and Valve has taken some lessons from its previous attempts. The original Steam Machines were all made by partner manufacturers and there were multiple devices to choose from. This time, it’s just the single proposition and it’s been built internally by Valve. It’s a far clearer and cleaner offering that ties into the modest success it’s had with the Steam Deck handheld.More significantly, PC gaming has exploded in the ten years since the original Steam Machines. Analyst Matthew Ball points out that Steam players own $90 billion worth of games (or entitlements) today, while in 2015 it was a tenth of that. Traditional console games are also common on Steam now, and even first-party Xbox and PlayStation software is available on the platform.Put simply, the execution appears to be better, and PC gaming is dominant today. Nevertheless, I can’t help but see this Steam Machine as an enthusiast product that appeals to a small, albeit lucrative, group of players.The Game Business is reader-supported. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.From my view, there are two main potential audiences for the Steam Machine.The first are existing PC/Steam users that want an effective way to take their PC gaming into the living room. It’s a similar audience to what the Steam Deck has been targeting, which are gamers looking for a way to continue playing Steam away from the desktop.This is a pretty high-end customer; someone who can justify buying a second gaming PC for use in a different scenario. As a point of comparison, Steam Deck has sold between four and five million units, according to various analysts. It’s a small audience but a significant one, because these players are often the most engaged users and therefore the highest spenders.The second potential audience for the Steam Machine are console players that are interested in PC games, but have been put off by the complexity of it all.These people certainly exist, but it’s hard to know how large that group might be. For all its comparative simplicity, Steam Deck hasn’t unlocked many new customers for Steam (at least according to documents shared with me last year, which revealed that over 90% of Steam Deck owners are existing Steam players).And if Valve wants its Steam Machine to expand its audience significantly, it’ll need an attractive price point, strong marketing, and wider retail distribution than just its own store. This is all very costly.Should PlayStation and Xbox be worried?If this is just an extension of PC gaming into a different space, is it really competition for PlayStation and Xbox? Well, yes.Even if the Steam Machine only speaks to a small group of existing Steam customers, we can make some assumptions about who they are. It’s likely these are gamers that own multiple devices, including PS5 and Xbox machines. It’s likely they game a lot and spend a lot of money on their hobby. And if they were to pick up a Steam Machine, we might expect these high valued customers to spend more of their time, and by extension money, within the Steam ecosystem, as opposed to Sony or Microsoft’s (or even N

Today on The Game Business Show, Chris talks to industry legend and former Nintendo of America president Reggie Fils-Aime. The two discuss the Nintendo Switch 2, the state of the console industry, leadership, the future of games and a whole lot more. Check it out. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.thegamebusiness.com/subscribe

In today's episode of The Game Business Show, Chris is joined by video game political journalist George Osborn (Editor of Video Game Industry Memo), where they discuss the rise of global Governments utilising video games to influence the population. The duo also chat Nintendo financials, Amazon backing away from MMOs and the rise of remakes and remasters. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.thegamebusiness.com/subscribe