Uploaded September 2025 | Updated September 2026, 20 hours ago
From AAA stints at Cygames, tri-Ace, EA, and more to founding his own studio, Xanthos Vouldis joins Colors of Web3 & Entrepreneurship to unpack how great games are made and why his next title is an invitation-only real-time multiplayer dieselpunk airship battle game.
We dive into his design framework, team roles, and why he’s building an invitation-only game community with squad-based online battles and a single-player campaign for every ship. Expect deep systems (armor, firing angles, crew management), PC-first plans, and a release target sometime next year.
Xanthos also explains pricing (a premium buy-in), natural-language NPCs that can brief you mid-mission, and a wild perk: finish a campaign and they’ll ship you a physical model of your customized airship. At the end, he also shares how early players can snag invites.
⌛ Timestamps:
00:00:00 Episode trailer
00:00:35 Show & guest introduction
00:02:24 Why Japan & early career (Cygames, EA, Tri-Ace, DMM)
00:04:05 A simple game design framework (the “chair” analogy)
00:09:30 Who builds a game? Roles, teams, and pipelines
00:13:29 Speedrunning solo dev: free assets & engine templates
00:15:58 D&D as the best game-design bootcamp
00:23:04 Founding Studio Vale; Houdini + selective AI for art
00:42:14 Fixing “multiplayer fatigue” & role clarity
00:46:49 Why early, ongoing player testing matters
00:54:54 The future: prioritize gameplay over spectacle
01:01:36 Episode outro and next episode preview
Follow Xanthos & Studio Vale:
Studio Vale's Website: stvale.com/about-us
Xanthos's LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/xanthosvouldis
For gamers that are interested in testing the real-time multiplayer airship game, you can book a meeting with Xanthos here: meetings-na2.hubspot.com/xanthos
Our social media:
Crypto card guide: cryptocardguide.com
Twitter/X: x.com/ColorsofWeb3pod
LinkedIn: linkedin.com/company/colors-of-web3-entrepreneurship
If you enjoy this episode, please subscribe to stay updated on our upcoming episodes with industry experts and innovators in the Web3 and Entrepreneurship spaces. Thank you for listening!
From AAA stints at Cygames, tri-Ace, EA, and more to founding his own studio, Xanthos Vouldis joins Colors of Web3 & Entrepreneurship to unpack how great games are made and why his next title is an invitation-only real-time multiplayer dieselpunk airship battle game.
We dive into his design framework, team roles, and why he’s building an invitation-only game community with squad-based online battles and a single-player campaign for every ship. Expect deep systems (armor, firing angles, crew management), PC-first plans, and a release target sometime next year.
Xanthos also explains pricing (a premium buy-in), natural-language NPCs that can brief you mid-mission, and a wild perk: finish a campaign and they’ll ship you a physical model of your customized airship. At the end, he also shares how early players can snag invites.
⌛ Timestamps:
00:00:00 Episode trailer
00:00:35 Show & guest introduction
00:02:24 Why Japan & early career (Cygames, EA, Tri-Ace, DMM)
00:04:05 A simple game design framework (the “chair” analogy)
00:09:30 Who builds a game? Roles, teams, and pipelines
00:13:29 Speedrunning solo dev: free assets & engine templates
00:15:58 D&D as the best game-design bootcamp
00:23:04 Founding Studio Vale; Houdini + selective AI for art
00:42:14 Fixing “multiplayer fatigue” & role clarity
00:46:49 Why early, ongoing player testing matters
00:54:54 The future: prioritize gameplay over spectacle
01:01:36 Episode outro and next episode preview
Follow Xanthos & Studio Vale:
Studio Vale's Website: stvale.com/about-us
Xanthos's LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/xanthosvouldis
For gamers that are interested in testing the real-time multiplayer airship game, you can book a meeting with Xanthos here: meetings-na2.hubspot.com/xanthos
Our social media:
Crypto card guide: cryptocardguide.com
Twitter/X: x.com/ColorsofWeb3pod
LinkedIn: linkedin.com/company/colors-of-web3-entrepreneurship
If you enjoy this episode, please subscribe to stay updated on our upcoming episodes with industry experts and innovators in the Web3 and Entrepreneurship spaces. Thank you for listening!
