E53 How Often Should You Release in Game Dev with Josh Thaler

Building Better Games

In this episode, Josh Thaler discusses the mindset and skills required to build successful live service games. He emphasizes the importance of total ownership, where every team member takes responsibility for the features they develop. Josh also highlights the need for empathy and grit in the team, as well as the importance of building a strong technical foundation with tools like continuous integration and delivery. He explains the significance of release cadence and the need for predictability or complete unpredictability. Josh also shares insights on metrics, organizational challenges, and the role of cross-functional teams in live service development.

Key Takeaways:

• Total ownership is crucial in live service development, where every team member takes responsibility for the features they develop.
• Empathy and grit are essential traits for successful live service developers.
• Building a strong technical foundation with tools like continuous integration and delivery is necessary for efficient live service operations.
• Release cadence should be either predictable or completely unpredictable to meet player expectations.
• Metrics should focus on the end-to-end player journey and provide insights into the game's performance and player experience.

Check out https://coldironstudios.com/ for careers

Resources:

• The Checklist Manifesto (Book)

• Anything by Brene Brown around Vulnerability

• Simon Sinek for leadership

• Books on leadership

• Crucial Conversations

Connect with Josh Thaler on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/joshua-thaler/

Courses built by game devs for game devs - check out “Succeeding in Game Production” https://www.buildingbettergames.gg/succeeding-in-game-production

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Content Editor: Jonathan Singh