THE GAMING PLAYBOOK
Harry Phokou sits down with experts in the games industry who have never been interviewed before. Through these in-depth conversations, we unpack the “Playbook” that made them so successful.
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Latest Episode
The games industry is changing fast, and not everyone is keeping up. Today, I sit down with Charlotte Cook (former Team17, Sega, Skybound, angel investor, and fractional CCO) to break down what’s really happening behind the scenes of the games industry right now.
We cover why publishers are obsessed with safe bets, how greenlight decisions actually work, why most developers misunderstand publishing deals, and what it really takes to get a game signed in today’s market. Charlotte also shares hard-won lessons from transitioning into fractional and consultancy work post-COVID, navigating burnout, AI’s impact on teams, and why people, not tools, remain the biggest multiplier in games.
If you’re a game developer, publisher, founder, consultant, or anyone trying to survive (and thrive) in the modern games industry, this episode will challenge a lot of assumptions.
Connect with Charlotte:
LinkedIn: 
/ itscharlottecook
E-mail: charlotte@calmconsultancy.co.uk
Connect with Harry:
LinkedIn: / hphokou
YouTube: 
/ @hphokou
Instagram: 
/ hphokou
Join our industry events: https://hivemind.world/
Never run out of LinkedIn content ideas again: https://idea.phokou.com/c/system
Get exclusive podcast recaps & industry insights: → Subscribe to The Gaming Playbook Weekly at https://join.thegamingplaybook.com/
Featured Episodes
Recent Episodes
The games industry is changing fast, and not everyone is keeping up. Today, I sit down with Charlotte Cook (former Team17, Sega, Skybound, angel investor, and fractional CCO) to break down what’s really happening behind the scenes of the games industry right now.
We cover why publishers are obsessed with safe bets, how greenlight decisions actually work, why most developers misunderstand publishing deals, and what it really takes to get a game signed in today’s market. Charlotte also shares hard-won lessons from transitioning into fractional and consultancy work post-COVID, navigating burnout, AI’s impact on teams, and why people, not tools, remain the biggest multiplier in games.
If you’re a game developer, publisher, founder, consultant, or anyone trying to survive (and thrive) in the modern games industry, this episode will challenge a lot of assumptions.
Connect with Charlotte:
LinkedIn: / itscharlottecook
E-mail: charlotte@calmconsultancy.co.uk
Connect with Harry:
LinkedIn: / hphokou
YouTube: / @hphokou
Instagram: / hphokou
Join our industry events: https://hivemind.world/
Never run out of LinkedIn content ideas again: https://idea.phokou.com/c/system
Get exclusive podcast recaps & industry insights: → Subscribe to The Gaming Playbook Weekly at https://join.thegamingplaybook.com/
Why do 90% of games fail, even when the game itself is good?
Today, I sit down with Robbie Ferguson, Co-Founder at Immutable, to break down the real data-backed reasons most games never make their money back, and what the top-performing studios do differently.
Robbie shares insights from 690+ funded game launches, explains why Steam wishlists are often misleading, and reveals how pre-launch audience warming, cohort quality, and lifecycle marketing determine whether a game succeeds or dies quietly.
If you’re a game founder, marketer, indie dev, publisher, or investor, this is a must-watch breakdown of modern game economics and launch strategy.
Connect with Robbie:
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/robbieferguson/
Website: https://www.immutable.com/free-demo-campaign
Connect with Harry:
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/hphokou/
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@hphokou
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/hphokou
Join our industry events: https://hivemind.world/
Never run out of LinkedIn content ideas again: https://idea.phokou.com/c/system
Get exclusive podcast recaps & industry insights: → Subscribe to The Gaming Playbook Weekly at https://join.thegamingplaybook.com/
Building great teams is harder than building great products.
Today, I sit down with Ionuț Codreanu, Head of Studio at Funcom and veteran of titles like Assassin’s Creed and Dune: Awakening, to break down what actually makes teams work in game development and beyond.
We explore hiring mistakes founders make early, why “rockstar” employees often fail long-term, how to build a strong core team, and what remote work during COVID really changed inside studios. You’ll also hear practical advice on hiring, culture, leadership conflict, market validation, and how aspiring developers can break into the industry today.
Whether you’re building your first team, scaling a game studio, or trying to break into game development, this episode gives you real, battle-tested insight; no theory, no fluff.
Connect with Ionuț:
Website/LinkedIn: http://ionutcodreanu.ro/
Connect with Harry:
LinkedIn: / hphokou
YouTube: / @hphokou
Instagram: / hphokou
Join our industry events: https://hivemind.world/
Never run out of LinkedIn content ideas again: https://idea.phokou.com/c/system
Get exclusive podcast recaps & industry insights: → Subscribe to The Gaming Playbook Weekly at thegamingplaybook.com
How do you actually get your game discovered in 2026, without killing creativity?
In this episode, I sit down with Frode Krisner, Founder and Co-CEO at Gameopedia, the hidden data layer powering discovery for YouTube, Google, Amazon, Samsung, and others, reaching over a billion gamers every year.
We explore how game discovery really works, why genre is breaking down, how emotional data beats tags, and how AI can amplify creativity instead of replacing it.
If you’re a game developer, founder, publisher, investor, or strategist, this episode will permanently change how you think about discovery, data, and creativity in games.
Hivemind: B2B Gaming Events
Curated roundtable mixers for founders and executives in the games industry.
Food and drinks provided.
2026 event calendar now live.
https://hivemind.world/
Connect with Frode:
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/frode-krisner-87692b6/
Website: https://gameopedia.com/
Lumos: https://asklumos.com/
Connect with Harry:
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/hphokou/
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@hphokou
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/hphokou
Get exclusive podcast recaps & industry insights:
→ Subscribe to The Gaming Playbook Weekly at thegamingplaybook.com
The traditional game publisher model is breaking, and indie developers are feeling it first.
Today, I’m joined by Dino Patti, co-founder of Playdead, creator of Limbo & Inside, and CEO of coherence. Dino explains why publishers are losing relevance, how developers can build momentum without giving away 50% of their revenue, and what the future of multiplayer games really looks like.
If you’re an indie game developer, studio founder, or thinking about working with a publisher, this episode will save you years of mistakes.
Connect with Dino:
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/dinopatti/
X: https://x.com/DinoPatti
Website: https://coherence.io/
Connect with Harry:
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/hphokou/
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@hphokou
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/hphokou
Join our industry events: https://hivemind.world/
Never run out of LinkedIn content ideas again: https://idea.phokou.com/c/system
Get exclusive podcast recaps & industry insights: → Subscribe to The Gaming Playbook Weekly at thegamingplaybook.com
What really happens when your game suddenly explodes to hundreds of thousands of players?
Today, I sit down with Felix Oechsler, CTO and Managing Director at Nitrado, to unpack the brutal realities of launching and scaling multiplayer games. From Last Epoch’s massive launch to DDoS attacks, server costs, hyperscalers vs bare metal, and why most studios get infrastructure decisions wrong far too late.
This episode is essential viewing for indie developers, studio leads, and anyone building multiplayer games who want to avoid costly launch disasters, downtime, and player frustration. We go deep into real-world war stories, backend failures, scaling strategies, and why infrastructure decisions should be made way earlier than most developers think.
If you’re preparing for success or already feeling the pain of scale, this episode will save you time, money, and regret.
Connect with Felix:
LinkedIn: / felix-oechsler-05589192
Website: https://gamefabric.com/
Connect with Harry:
LinkedIn: / hphokou
YouTube: / @hphokou
Instagram: / hphokou
Join our industry events: https://hivemind.world/
Never run out of LinkedIn content ideas again: https://idea.phokou.com/c/system
Get exclusive podcast recaps & industry insights: → Subscribe to The Gaming Playbook Weekly at thegamingplaybook.com
Want to be guest?
Have a story or strategy that gaming professionals need to hear? Apply here to be a guest on The Gaming Playbook. We’re always looking for leaders, innovators, and experts to share their wisdom with our audience.
For business inquiries or sponsorship opportunities, reach out to playbook@phokou.com
