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In this special Q&A episode for Episode 100, we're answering your most pressing questions from the Game Production Community Discord!

Join Ben Carcich as he dives into critical topics that every game development leader faces, from navigating project pivots to building a healthy team culture. We'll explore:

✅ When to scale your team up (or down)
✅ How to prepare for meetings and ensure they are actually valuable
✅ Why "safe" project pivots don't exist and what to do instead
✅ The common gaps in game production and how to fill them
✅ The evolution of the game producer role over the last decade

This episode is packed with Ben's honest, experience-based insights to help you move past conventional wisdom and build better games.

A special thanks to Jan for curating these questions from the GPC Discord, and for Juney who runs it.
👉 Connect with Jan here: https://www.linkedin.com/in/tanoyjl/
👉 Check out the Game Production Community Discord: https://discord.com/invite/gameproduction

Connect with us:
🔗 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/benjamin-carcich
🌐 Website: https://www.buildingbettergames.gg
▶️ YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@BuildingBetterGames

If you enjoyed this video and want to see more content on how to build better games, hit Subscribe! Your support helps us create more videos that help you solve the problems that matter.

#GameDev #GameDevelopment #GameProducer #Leadership #GameDesign

Stuck in slow loops and broken systems? The Game Dev Leadership Accelerator can help you make lasting change. Sign up to learn more: https://forms.gle/nqRTUvgFrtdYuCbr6

Why do most teams default to two-week sprints, even when they're wrong?

In this episode, Ben Carcich breaks down a simple model with three dials that you should use to tune your iteration length. He explains why iteration length is a product lever, not a calendar convenience for your leadership, and how choosing the right rhythm for your team can reduce thrash, increase learning speed, and improve value delivery.

What you’ll learn in this episode:

• The three dials that shape iteration length

• What the “reciprocal commitment” of an iteration is and why it matters

• The problem with rolling work from sprint to sprint

• How shorter iterations improve focus and learning without adding more meetings

• Why shorter beats longer iterations for exposing hidden problems

This episode is for game developers and leaders who want to learn how to:

• Set an iteration length you can defend and adjust to reduce thrash.

• Avoid becoming a slave to a broken work system that doesn't serve you.

• Have more effective meetings and move faster with less effort.

Connect with us:

• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/benjamin-carcich

• Website: https://www.buildingbettergames.gg

• YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@BuildingBetterGames

If you enjoyed this video and want to see more content on how to build better games, hit subscribe! Your support helps us create more videos that help you solve the problems that matter.

#GameDev #ProjectManagement #Leadership #Agile #Scrum

Is there a way to predict whether a game will hit or flop? In this episode, Ben is joined by Colan Neese, who has spent a lot of time looking at how audiences relate to products at companies like Twitch and Nielsen. Colan's work at Mind Game Data is focused on "puzzling through the problem of anticipating which games are likely to take off at launch and which seem to be headed nowhere".

The conversation challenges the conventional wisdom about what drives a successful launch, revealing why our data-driven approaches have been too narrow to anticipate success.

In this episode, you’ll learn:

🎮 Why launching at the wrong time can sink your game

👥 How building a community early can make or break you

🔊 The truth about player attention (it’s not just about genres or loud voices online)

📅 When to move your launch date, despite the cost

🕵️‍♂️ And how to spot if your game is actually gaining traction without outside help

Learn more about Colan Neese:

Connect with Colan on LinkedIn at https://www.linkedin.com/in/colanneese/ and subscribe to his newsletters:

• Mind Game Patch Notes: https://www.linkedin.com/newsletters/mindgame-patch-notes-7336099537939255300/

• LinkedIn Newsletter: https://www.linkedin.com/newsletters/7336099537939255300/

The Game Dev Leadership Accelerator is live. A successful game begins with leaders who catalyze success instead of wasting everyone’s time. This conversation is a great example of the mindset we teach at Building Better Games at focusing on what matters, not what distracts.
Are you ready to level up your leadership? Book a call with us now!: https://calendly.com/bcarcichcoaching/15-minute-one-on-one

Connect with us:

• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/benjamin-carcich

• Website: https://www.buildingbettergames.gg

• YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@BuildingBetterGames

#GameDev #GameIndustry #DataAnalytics #MarketingStrategy #Leadership