* website: www.gamedevadv...
* Patreon career coaching: / gamedevadvice
* info@gamedevadvice.com - reach out!
* Game Dev Advice hotline: (224) 484-7733
Connect With Links:
* Ben Kvalo - / benkvalo
* Ben Kvalo - / benkvalo
* Midwest Games - www.midwestgam...
* Midwest Games - / midwestgames
* Midwest Games - www.instagram....
* Midwest Games - www.youtube.com/ @Midwest_Games
Show Links:
* MDEV - www.mdevconf.com/
* Into the Breach - subsetgames.com/
* Dark Sky - www.midwestgam...
* Hive Jump 2: Survivors - www.midwestgam...
* Feardemic - www.feardemic-...
* Ryan Reynolds Mint Mobile sale - www.hollywoodr...
* Borderlands movie - borderlands.mo...
* Mafia III - wmafiagame.com/...
* Skee-Ball - skeeball.com/o...
In this episode, I speak with Ben Kvalo, the Founder and CEO of Midwest Games. Discover how Midwest Games focuses on supporting underserved developers in overlooked regions, aiming for a more sustainable industry, and learn about the upcoming MDEV conference. Ben shares his journey into the game industry, starting with his transition from radio to an operations coordinator role at 2K. Hear his thoughts on the importance of persistence, patience, and leveraging transferable skills when breaking into the industry. He also advises aspiring game developers to be adaptable and continuously seek new opportunities, while encouraging current developers to stay ahead of industry trends and get involved in high-priority projects within their companies.
Ben then discusses his decision to leave Netflix and start Midwest Games, highlighting the mental and emotional challenges of making a significant career change. Gain insights into the publisher-developer dynamic, emphasizing the importance of research and targeting the right publishers when pitching a game. Learn about the inherent imbalance in favor of publishers due to the high supply of games and limited publishers, along with his desire for more publishers. Hear his ideas on securing a publishing deal, such as reaching out directly to decision-makers, and how marketing efforts need to be authentic. Discover his thoughts on AI and AR/VR in the future of game development, noting the potential for increased efficiency and innovation, as well as the challenges with these technologies.
We wrap things up with his passion for Skee-Ball and his work on some favorite projects, such as Borderlands 2, Mafia 3, and Into the Breach. Learn his key piece of advice on the importance of networking and building genuine connections within the industry for both new and existing game developers.
Bio:
Ben Kvalo is an entertainment and video games industry leader, most recently supporting the build-out of films and games at Netflix. Prior to Netflix, Ben has worked at two of the largest global video game companies, 2K and Blizzard, working across various roles in the publishing, marketing, and technology end of games and Esports. Ben has worked on some of entertainment's biggest brands across video games and film. He's led film campaigns for Bird Box, Extraction, Army of the Dead, and over 50 other titles. He has also worked on major game franchises like NBA2K, Borderlands, BioShock, Civilization, Mafia, and all of Blizzard’s Esports brands, having helped to publish over 100 titles. Ben is originally from Wisconsin, having graduated from the University of Wisconsin-Green Bay.
Time Stamps:
0:02 Intro Snippets
0:48 Intro
2:05 Ben’s Role & Mission
4:24 Madison Game Dev
5:40 MDEV Conf
7:38 Ben’s Background
9:23 Wishes He Knew Then
10:35 First Job Advice
13:13 Currently In Advice
15:10 Navigating Change
21:47 Industry Sustainability
23:25 Finding Publishers
28:45 Steam Challenges
32:24 Bad Marketing
36:38 Branding
39:02 Layoffs & Future Hits
40:06 Favorite Projects
43:35 Curious About Now?
45:50 AR/VR & AI
50:21 Funny Story
52:15 Games He’s Playing
54:35 Skee-Ball
56:39 Contacting Ben
57:20 Networking & Connecting
58:20 Outro
29 сен 2024
