The Business of Video Games Podcast

Imagine what happens when a new episode of The Business of Video Games Podcast all of a sudden release on a Monday! Almost as mindwrecking as if one accidentally started a career in game development, right? Well, say no more dear listener! In this episode, Shams sits down with Trent Kusters, co-founder of League of Geeks (Armello), who did just that.

In this first part of our two part interview with Trent, he unpacks the unlikely chain of events that led him into the industry. From bluffing(!) his way into covering the Halo 3 midnight launch as a journalist (...student?) to shipping 10 games in three years at Australia’s Torus Games, Trent shares how daring decisions, a good portion of curiosity and a bit of naivety shaped his early career.

We dive into what it was like learning game development in a fast-moving “factory” studio, why constraints can make some designers better, and how those early lessons later affected Trent’s approach to building studios and most of all - games.

BUT NOT before Shams and Fernando have talked about Steams 2025 Year Summary Blog Post.

For more from Trent Kusters, please follow him on LinkedIn here and Twitter here.

Time for a one off with the great folks at Oro Interactive who currently is on a real victory lap with 300k units sold of Roadside Research within two weeks(!) and 400k units sold for Super Battle Golf within it's first week! Absolutely bonkers.

But not as bonkers as Shams who is once again away on a mission celebrating Swedish games at the Swedish Game Awards 2026, while Fernando sits down with our guests Sam and Daniel to chat about what it’s actually like running a tiny (but fast!) publishing label. They dive into how it all started, how they decide what feels right, and also, why Oro don’t really care for big pitch decks or drawn-out processes.

Specifically, we look deeper into the topic of moving quickly when something clicks, spotting that one small detail that makes a game stand out, and most importantly - why staying small might be the whole point.

Please follow Sam and Daniel at Oro Interactive here!

50 episodes! Imagine that!

We are back again with our dear friend Agostino Simonetta in the second part of our two part interview. This time with Fernando taking the lead for a deeper one-on-one since Shams had to go and spread some democracy across the galaxy (as he should).

Fernando and Ago is immediately getting in to familiar territory with conference season, industry rituals, and the strange push and pull of showing up (or not). From there, it drifts into bigger questions about the usual suspects as growth and consolidation, but more importantly - what really happened during the acquisition rush of the past few years?

Expect perspective shaped by experience, a few (unexpected?) analogies, and the kind of side paths that make us rethink how stable the industry really is.

Oh yeah, also expect banter. Of course.

Follow Agostino on LinkedIn here as well as GSC Game World here

Friends! It's 2026 and we're back!

In this first part of a two-episode conversation, Shams and Fernando sit down with none other than industry veteran Agostino Simonetta. They talk through a career in games that was shaped less by master plans and more by circumstance, timing, and a fair number of hard calls.

From early production work to platform-side roles at PlayStation and Xbox, to what it actually feels like to try to push new ideas inside very large organizations. Along the way, they touch on the Italian game development scene, the realities of platform strategy, and why innovation inside big companies often comes with friction, compromises, and missed chances.

Follow Agostino and CSC Game World here 

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It's Fri... Monday!

In this end-of-year episode, Shams and Fernando look back on 2025. From personal wins to the industry-wide turbulence that affects everyone. They both reflect on a surprisingly strong year for their work while acknowledging how tough it’s been for many studios, with layoffs, consolidation and cautious decision-making shaping the landscape.

Topics iniclude the major deals almost known more for what they signal about power and money, than for the games themselves, as well as the ongoing conversation around the tension between creative risk and AAA budgets. How does franchises who get stuck trying to “stay fresh” without alienating fans, and why could “franchise fatigue” actually be more of a quality problem?

And what would a wrap up in 2025 be without the AI conversation, the VR conversation, the new hardware (Switch 2) conversation and of course some hot 2026 industry predictions..? ;)

Til next time, Happy Holidays!