The Games Industry Elephant Laura Fryer 2024-12-21 | At the Game Awards, Swen from Larian shared the secret for winning Game of the Year. It sounded simple enough, so why are games like Avowed and Assassins Creed Shadows already mired in controversy? What happened to common sense around content choices and why would a leader get into a public fight with Elon Musk? Let's discuss the Elephant in the Room using real examples from Gears, Fighter Ace and a little-known project that Xbox decided to pass on.
Games Industry Bubble Laura Fryer 2024-11-23 | Dragon Age Veilguard joins the ranks of Concord and Redfall in the history of commercial game failures. Bioware will never make their money back and it puts the studio at risk. Why aren't AAA games listening to gamers instead of lecturing them and why did the games industry bubble form in the first place?
Navigating Toxic Positivity Laura Fryer 2024-10-19 | Concord's failure demonstrated that a culture of feedback is critical to create successful games, but how do you approach feedback when, as "This is Vegas" team member Iambic9 asks, "these problems are often political in cause (or solution)?" In this video, I share an approach that anyone can use and reveal the untold story of how a new producer saved the multiplayer launch of many early Microsoft games including Monster Truck Madness, Microsoft Golf, and Fighter Ace.
Culture Killed Concord Laura Fryer 2024-09-14 | Concord failed because the culture of the studio made them unable or unwilling to see and fix its problems. Sadly, reality-driven game development isn't a new story and confounds many game developers.The Overwatch model was a success, but gamers evolved, and Concord needed to evolve with them. We faced similar issues with Vanguard, a game that aspired to compete with World of Warcraft. I also discuss Gotham City Impostors, which faced challenges with its characters and pricing.
How Franchises Fail Laura Fryer 2024-07-17 | It can be daunting to ship a game or movie based on a franchise, to innovate without alienating existing fans. In this video, we'll explore some recent franchise failures and how they could have been avoided.
Why Studios Fail Laura Fryer 2024-06-22 | Why are game studios failing and what can be done about it? In this video we'll talk about a few of the key ingredients needed to reverse this disturbing trend.
Darkest Before the Dawn Laura Fryer 2024-05-17 | The games industry is struggling as gamers push back on poor quality games and antiquated practices. Sony's reversal on Helldivers 2 was a victory for gamers and I'm optimistic that we're on the verge of a Gaming Renaissance.
The Chainsaw Hoax Laura Fryer 2024-04-14 | In 2006, I was in a reality TV show titled "The Race to E3", which framed me and Peter Moore as the super villains who tried to cut the chainsaw from Gears of War. In this video, I set the record straight on the Chainsaw Hoax once and for all.
Q&A 1 Laura Fryer 2024-03-29 | In this video I answer some of your questions and offer some thoughtson how to set your creators free.
Developing Gears of War Laura Fryer 2024-02-16 | Even the best relationships have conflict and Gears of War was no different. In this video I’ll talk about some of the tricky negotiations between Epic and Xbox and exclusively reveal what happened when a Sony stage appearance triggered Xbox executives.
Gears and E3 Laura Fryer 2024-01-18 | The Gears team thrived on events like E3, with its glitz, glamour andinspiration. E3 was a moment that drove the team to glory, and theintense pressure made victory even sweeter. E3 is no more, and for goodreason, but we lost something special: a heartbeat that focused theindustry. This is the first in a series of Gears related videos.
The Game Core Laura Fryer 2023-12-10 | Behind every great game is a great team, and within every great team isa great core. Built on trust and passion, the core team glues the largerteam together. From Bungie to Id to Monolith, we'll explore what thecore looks like, what makes it work, and what can go wrong.
When Companies Collide Laura Fryer 2023-11-08 | With the recently closed Microsoft/Activision deal, I talk about thechallenges and opportunities, and what goes on behind the scenes, duringMergers and Acquisitions (M&A).
Surviving a Layoff Laura Fryer 2023-10-19 | What are the early warning signs of a layoff? How can you keep your job or get an even better one? This video explores layoffs and how to survive them.
Meta lost Carmack Laura Fryer 2023-09-22 | Every year at Oculus Connect, John Carmack would give the most popularand least scripted talk of the event. When John left it was a blowto Meta's future.
Will Meta Win? Laura Fryer 2023-09-14 | In October of 2021, Meta went all in on the Metaverse. With Oculus dead and most of the original team gone, will they have enough trust, experience and love to succeed?
Baldurs Gate 3 broke the games industry Laura Fryer 2023-08-28 | Talking about the games industry's surprising reaction to the successof Baldur's Gate 3.
Why Xbox Lost Laura Fryer 2023-08-16 | In a recent podcast, Xbox head Phil Spencer admitted that Xbox had lostafter the Xbox One generation. As a founding member of the Xbox team, Ioffer my perspective on what went wrong.
What Happened to Perfect Dark? Laura Fryer 2023-08-02 | Perfect Dark has been in development for years, but is still years away from shipping. What happened? My thoughts on what went wrong.
The Product Triangle Laura Fryer 2023-07-19 | The Product Triangle is a simple way to think about and explain the tradeoffs you make shipping games.
Redfall Laura Fryer 2023-07-05 | Xbox was the best at playtesting and Production. What happened to Redfall?
My Portfolio Laura Fryer 2023-07-05 | In the games industry, artists will provide a portfolio so you can see their work first-hand. In that spirit, here's a short video covering several of the products I've shipped. It's been quite a ride.
