In Part 1 of this two-part PocketGamer.biz special, hosts Peggy Anne Salz and Brian Baglow sit down with Jon Radoff, CEO of Beamable and an OG architect of online game infrastructure, building persistent systems long before “LiveOps” became a job title, to examine a shift many studios still underestimate.
The pressure is real: move faster, iterate based on real player behaviour and extend lifetime value without burning runway.
Studios know they need LiveOps. They know they need scale. What they often underestimate is where competitive advantage is now determined.
Drawing on decades of building and operating live online games, Jon explains why infrastructure decisions can quietly shape, or sabotage, everything that follows.
Peggy, Brian and Jon explore what Skillz’s acquisition of Beamable’s backend and LiveOps technology means for developers, and how bringing together competition systems, identity, payments and scalable backend services can reduce operational risk while freeing teams to focus on what actually differentiates their game.
The hard truth: “If you’re spending any of your effort building the tech instead of the fun, you’re accumulating debt that doesn’t do you any good.”
Jon makes the case for treating infrastructure as a strategic lever rather than a technical burden and for recognising that games are no longer products you ship, but businesses you operate.
In this episode, you’ll understand:
Why velocity and behavioural signal now outweigh feature roadmaps
How backend decisions directly impact runway, trust and long-term scalability
What unified competition, identity and LiveOps systems unlock for 20-person studios
Why socially connected mechanics are no longer reserved for massive teams
How creator-driven ecosystems like Roblox are resetting player expectations
Part 1 closes on a pivotal idea: monetisation matters, but creativity at scale is the multiplier.
In Part 2, the focus shifts outward to the macro forces shaping the industry and why we have entered what Sensor Tower calls the “monetisation-first” era.
Chapters
0:00 Game of Thrones Content Delivery Challenges
3:17 Why Developers Shouldn't Build a Backend
3:36 Aiming High and Iterating Rapidly
4:23 Driving Engagement Through Content and Events
9:10 The Number One Challenge: Velocity
9:38 The Second Problem: Lack of Evidence
12:07 The Need for Both Speed and Evidence
16:15 Monetization as a Design Decision
19:33 Embracing the Social Fabric in Games
23:42 Creating a Regular Content Cadence and Events
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