From the Air Force to infinite worlds: Jan Roessner on stoicism, interoperability, and the future of game assets

Welcome to Coffee.Press.Play., brought to you by The Business of Games Podcast, powered by Xsolla. Recorded live at GDC 2026 inside the Xsolla Clubhouse, this series puts a twist on the traditional interview format: guests play a round of a classic video game against our Xsolla host and the outcome determines whether they face an easy question or a hard one.In this episode, host Ed Lin sits down with Jan Roessner, CEO and co-founder of One Earth Rising — a company building cross-platform infrastructure to make game assets interoperable and bring real-world brand and IP engagement into the digital world of games.Jan's path into the industry runs through 13 years as an Air Force officer, and the leadership philosophy he built there still drives how he builds teams and sets goals today. Now he's applying that same clarity of purpose to one of the more ambitious ideas in the games business: a future where achievements travel between titles, where watching a TV show can unlock in-game content, and where the boundaries between game worlds start to disappear.What you'll hear:How military service shaped Jan's approach to leadership and decision-makingWhy the technology foundation for true asset interoperability is finally hereWhat a future built on cross-platform, cross-media game engagement could look likeLet's get into it.Coffee.Press.Play. is an ongoing mini-series, and more conversations with our GDC guests are on the way. Listen on your favorite podcast platform or watch full episodes on our YouTube channel.Missed us at GDC 2026? Stay tuned to our LinkedIn page for announcements on where we'll be next. And catch up on recent episodes at xsolla.com/podcast.For more insights and resources, visit xsolla.com/podcast. Want to join the conversation? Follow and comment on our LinkedIn page at The Business of Games Podcast. That’s where we’ll be sharing updates, highlights, and continuing the discussion. And don’t forget to subscribe, rate, review, and share the podcast with friends who want to learn more about the business of games.