The Business of Games
Episodes
From comics to controllers: Bronson Lingamfelter on digital ownership and the future of game discovery
03 Apr 2026
Contributed by Lukas
Welcome to Coffee.Press.Play., brought to you by The Business of Games Podcast, powered by Xsolla.Recorded live at GDC 2026 inside the Xsolla Clubhous...
Live from GDC: Coffee, conversations, and the business of games
27 Mar 2026
Contributed by Lukas
Welcome to The Business of Games Podcast, brought to you by Xsolla.GDC 2026 brought us something a little different. At Coffee.Press.Play., hosts Chri...
The executive summary: what GDC 2026 revealed about the future of games
20 Mar 2026
Contributed by Lukas
Welcome to The Business of Games Podcast, brought to you by Xsolla.Every March, the games industry makes its pilgrimage to San Francisco. GDC isn&apos...
Authenticity at scale: Mac Marshall on what direct-to-consumer really means for brand and comms
13 Mar 2026
Contributed by Lukas
Welcome to The Business of Games Podcast, brought to you by Xsolla.Direct-to-consumer is often framed as a distribution or monetization decision. But ...
Curation, control, and connection: David Pava on the real work of direct-to-consumer marketing
13 Mar 2026
Contributed by Lukas
Welcome to The Business of Games Podcast, brought to you by Xsolla.Marketing a game used to end at launch. In this extended cut, host Chris Hewish sit...
From campaigns to trust: what direct-to-consumer really means for marketing
06 Mar 2026
Contributed by Lukas
Welcome to The Business of Games Podcast, powered by Xsolla.In this episode, hosts Chris Hewish and Lia Ballentine explore one of the most consequenti...
Direct to player: the five principles reshaping the business of games
27 Feb 2026
Contributed by Lukas
Welcome to The Business of Games Podcast, brought to you by Xsolla.In this episode, hosts Chris Hewish and Lia Ballentine lay the foundation for a spe...
Retail, rewired: gift cards, payments, and the business of access
30 Jan 2026
Contributed by Lukas
Welcome to The Business of Games Podcast, powered by Xsolla.Game commerce isn’t just about platforms and storefronts. It’s about who can actually ...
Discoverability is the new retail: how games get found, bought, and sustained
23 Jan 2026
Contributed by Lukas
Welcome to The Business of Games Podcast, powered by Xsolla.In this episode, Lia Ballentine talks with Adam Krause and TJ Consunji, Managing Partners ...
Retail in games: from holiday peaks to always-on strategy
16 Jan 2026
Contributed by Lukas
Welcome to The Business of Games Podcast, powered by Xsolla.In this episode, Lia Ballentine is joined by special co-host Lauren Baca, Global VP of Mar...
Welcome to Season 2 of The Business of Games Podcast
09 Jan 2026
Contributed by Lukas
The business of games is evolving, and in Season 2, we’ll explore what’s driving the industry forward.We’ll dive into the shifts reshaping how g...
From platforms to players: 2025 reflections, 2026 predictions
19 Dec 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Welcome to The Business of Games Podcast, brought to you by Xsolla.In this episode, hosts Chris Hewish and Lia Ballentine close out the year with a sp...
Web3 & Games Part 3: Building What Comes Next
05 Dec 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Welcome to The Business of Games Podcast, brought to you by Xsolla.In this episode, hosts Chris Hewish and Lia Ballentine close out our three-part ser...
Building the open garden: Web3 insights from Mythical Games’ Arron Goolsbey
28 Nov 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Welcome to The Business of Games Podcast, brought to you by Xsolla.In this Extended Cut, host Lia Ballentine talks with Arron Goolsbey, Chief Operatin...
A sustainable framework for Web3 games: insights from AppsFlyer’s Brian Murphy
21 Nov 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Welcome to The Business of Games Podcast, brought to you by Xsolla.In this Extended Cut, host Lia Ballentine talks with Brian Murphy, Head of Gaming a...
Invisible Web3, smarter launches: a playbook for indies with Mark Long, CEO of Villain Studios
07 Nov 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Welcome to The Business of Games Podcast, brought to you by Xsolla.In this Extended Cut, host Lia Ballentine talks with Mark Long, veteran producer, i...
Web3 & Games Part 2: The Ongoing Experiment
31 Oct 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Welcome to The Business of Games Podcast, brought to you by Xsolla.In this episode, hosts Chris Hewish and Lia Ballentine move from definitions to dep...
Web3 and games: beyond the hype with David Kim
24 Oct 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Welcome to The Business of Games Podcast, brought to you by Xsolla.In this Extended Cut episode, host Lia Ballentine sits down with David Kim, a publi...
Web3 and Games Part 1: The What, Why, and Why Not (Yet)
17 Oct 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Welcome to The Business of Games Podcast, brought to you by Xsolla.In today’s episode, Xsolla’s Chris Hewish and Lia Ballentine kick off a three-p...
Building worlds, sustaining play: IOI’s Olivier Perbet on LiveOps, IP, and the future of AAA games
03 Oct 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Welcome to The Business of Games Podcast, brought to you by Xsolla.In this extended cut, host Chris Hewish sits down with Olivier Perbet, Chief Market...
Building in motion: Jenny Xu on Gen Z, LiveOps, and fitness as play
26 Sep 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Welcome to The Business of Games Podcast, brought to you by Xsolla.In this extended cut, host Lia Ballentine sits down with Jenny Xu, founder and CEO ...
The Gen Z effect: redefining games, identity, and community
19 Sep 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Welcome to The Business of Games Podcast, brought to you by Xsolla.In today’s episode, Xsolla’s Chris Hewish and Lia Ballentine take a closer look...
LiveOps unlocked: turning gameplay into growth
05 Sep 2025
Contributed by Lukas
LiveOps is no longer a backstage scramble. It’s a growth strategy.In this episode of The Business of Games: Extended Cut, host Chris Hewish sits dow...
The executive summary: winners, risks, and next bets from Gamescom
29 Aug 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Welcome to The Business of Games podcast, brought to you by Xsolla.In this special episode, host Lia Ballentine sits down with Chris Hewish, President...
The impact of LiveOps on the business of games
22 Aug 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Welcome to The Business of Games podcast, brought to you by Xsolla.In today’s episode, Xsolla’s Chris Hewish and Lia Ballentine take a closer look...
Building community through content creators
22 Aug 2025
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode of The Business of Games: EU Sessions, Nathan, Director of BD EMEA, interviews Timo Verschueren, co-founder of BlackSoup marketing age...
The loyalty blueprint: how games are redefining retention — featuring Xsolla’s Sarah Chafer & Travis Anderson
20 Aug 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Loyalty is no longer a nice-to-have. It’s a business strategy.In this episode of The Business of Games: Extended Cut, Lia Ballentine sits down with ...
The impact of loyalty & rewards on the business of games
15 Aug 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Welcome to The Business of Games podcast, brought to you by Xsolla.In today’s episode, Xsolla’s Chris Hewish and Lia Ballentine take a closer look...
The discovery engine: data, platforms, and what comes next — featuring AppsFlyer’s Brian Murphy
08 Aug 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Discovery isn’t just a marketing challenge. It’s the foundation of the entire business of games.In our most expansive Xsolla Conversations episode...
The long game: discovery after the download — featuring RTB House’s Ryan Goeden
01 Aug 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Discovery used to be about visibility. Now it’s about architecture.In this episode of Xsolla Conversations, Chris Hewish talks with Ryan Goeden, Gam...
The impact of discovery on the business of games – featuring Ryan Goeden (RTB House) & Nic Ingham (Xsolla)
25 Jul 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Discovery isn’t just about being seen anymore — it’s about building systems that scale. In this episode of State of Play, hosts Chris Hewish and...
From platforms to players: the new rules of game discovery — featuring Xsolla’s Nic Ingham
15 Jul 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Welcome to Xsolla Conversations. In this episode, Xsolla’s Chris Hewish sits down with Nic Ingham to discuss one of the biggest shifts in the game ...
What’s the future of mobile game commerce? — featuring Artem Liubutov, VP of Monetization at Xsolla
24 Jun 2025
Contributed by Lukas
In today’s episode, Xsolla’s Chris Hewish talks with Artem Liubutov, VP of Monetization Products & Solutions at Xsolla. With over 15 years in ...
The impact of web shops on the business of games – featuring Jeff Shouger (Niantic) & Artem Liubutov (Xsolla)
24 Jun 2025
Contributed by Lukas
In this premiere episode, hosts Chris Hewish and Lia Ballentine explore one of the biggest shifts in the mobile gaming industry: the rise of web shops...
Why CFOs can’t ignore the direct-to-player model anymore — featuring Niantic’s Jeff Shouger
16 Jun 2025
Contributed by Lukas
In today’s episode, Xsolla’s Chris Hewish sits down with Jeff Shouger, CFO at Niantic, the studio behind Pokémon GO, Peridot, and Monster Hunter ...
Discover the power of community: lessons from Deca Games
01 Jun 2025
Contributed by Lukas
In today's episode, Xsolla's Developer Relations lead, AJ Sath sits down with Stephen Lee, VP of Business Development at Deca Games to talk ...