The Game Production Academy

In this episode, Purva Garg, experienced senior game producer, dives deep into the intricacies of art production in mobile games compared to console games. We discuss the differences in volume, pace, and complexity of assets, and how these factors impact production timelines. The conversation reveals the unique pressures and mindsets in mobile game development, highlighting the constant need for content due to the live and free-to-play nature of mobile games. We also explore the impact of user acquisition costs, the role of LiveOps, and the crucial balance producers need to maintain between planned and reactive work. Tune in to understand the complexities and strategies involved in managing art production in the fast-paced world of mobile gaming.00:00 Introduction to Art Production in Games00:08 Differences in Output Volume and Speed00:43 Challenges in Mobile Game Art Production02:59 Live Games and Continuous Content Generation03:56 Prototyping and Agile Development in Mobile Games05:18 Importance of Visuals in Mobile Games06:49 Marketing's Impact on Game Development09:18 User Acquisition and Retention Strategies13:10 Prioritization and Team Management25:46 Balancing Tech Debt and Content CreationOriginal YouTube recording:https://youtu.be/sl1Vy6s96UUWelcome to Game Production Academy. I am Liam Wickham. This channel is for game producers and production leaders who want more predictable delivery without burning teams out. I cover planning, leadership and risk management with practical tools you can use immediately - templates, examples and case breakdowns. I am also the author of Risk Management for Video Game Professionals (CRC Press, 2026). If you teach or study game production, you can use the same material to build industry-ready practice.LinksRisk Management Bookgame-production.com/riskmanagementbookFree Resource Librarygame-production.com/freeresourcesNewsletter...

In this webinar-to-podcast episode, Liam Wickham breaks down nine critical risks that repeatedly derail game projects, with early warning signals and practical mitigations you can apply immediately.You will hear:Why risk management gives teams a shared language to spot problems early and act before delivery becomes unstableThe nine critical risk patterns, including:Market misalignment (building a game nobody wants) and vision driftPre-production shortcuts that create expensive late surprisesScope churn (scope creep and feature creep) as a predictable crunch and delay engineCommunication gaps (silos, undocumented decisions, delayed propagation)QA underinvestment, where defects compound until stability and delivery collapsesLaunch failures, negative reception and the public trust spiral after release - plus what credible recovery looks likeThis is designed for producers, studio leads and discipline leads who want fewer late surprises, less rework and more predictable delivery.Free companion PDF (board export):https://game-production.thinkific.com/products/digital_downloads/criticalrisksOriginal webinar recording:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bp-Sfj9rVqcWelcome to Game Production Academy. I am Liam Wickham. This channel is for game producers and production leaders who want more predictable delivery without burning teams out. I cover planning, leadership and risk management with practical tools you can use immediately - templates, examples and case breakdowns. I am also the author of Risk Management for Video Game Professionals (CRC Press, 2026). If you teach or study game production, you can use the same material to build industry-ready practice.LinksRisk Management Bookgame-production.com/riskmanagementbookFree Resource Librarygame-production.com/freeresourcesNewsletter...

Hello! I’ve put a free download on Game Production Academy. I made it for anyone who has been job-hunting in games for months and needs more options quickly. I have worked inside and outside the games industry, and I have had to translate my own CV between games roles and non-games roles regularly. I have also worked across nearly all of the role types covered in this toolkit, so the guidance here is grounded in how these jobs operate day to day.This episode is actually an audio only version of my YouTube video but I reckon it's ok to listen to! I talk you through what's in the guide.https://youtu.be/822DXdbyGrs?si=tgHJVXGxzTyNuDZSThis 30 page toolkit, written by me, helps you: Identify role targets that match what you already do Translate your CV and LinkedIn profile into language employers outside games recognise Understand which gaps matter and which do not Apply more widely without pretending to be someone you are not  Download here:https://game-production.thinkific.com/products/digital_downloads/unlock-potential-outside-gaming If you know someone who’s out of work, please share it with them. (You can still apply for games roles. This is about widening the net, not “leaving games”.) Welcome to Game Production Academy. I am Liam Wickham. This channel is for game producers and production leaders who want more predictable delivery without burning teams out. I cover planning, leadership and risk management with practical tools you can use immediately - templates, examples and case breakdowns. I am also the author of Risk Management for Video Game Professionals (CRC Press, 2026). If you teach or study game production, you can use the same material to build industry-ready practice.LinksRisk Management Bookgame-production.com/riskmanagementbookFree Resource Librarygame-production.com/freeresourcesNewsletter...

Me and Simon Hope had a chat about production recruitment back in 2022 I think it was. Hope you enjoy it!Welcome to Game Production Academy. I am Liam Wickham. This channel is for game producers and production leaders who want more predictable delivery without burning teams out. I cover planning, leadership and risk management with practical tools you can use immediately - templates, examples and case breakdowns. I am also the author of Risk Management for Video Game Professionals (CRC Press, 2026). If you teach or study game production, you can use the same material to build industry-ready practice.LinksRisk Management Bookgame-production.com/riskmanagementbookFree Resource Librarygame-production.com/freeresourcesNewsletter...

Back in 2021, Callum Godfrey and Anil Das-Gupta chat about product management in mobile and PC/console. This is a great chat, full of healthy debate!Welcome to Game Production Academy. I am Liam Wickham. This channel is for game producers and production leaders who want more predictable delivery without burning teams out. I cover planning, leadership and risk management with practical tools you can use immediately - templates, examples and case breakdowns. I am also the author of Risk Management for Video Game Professionals (CRC Press, 2026). If you teach or study game production, you can use the same material to build industry-ready practice.LinksRisk Management Bookgame-production.com/riskmanagementbookFree Resource Librarygame-production.com/freeresourcesNewsletter...

Renee talked frankly about being a woman in the games industry, back in 2020.Welcome to Game Production Academy. I am Liam Wickham. This channel is for game producers and production leaders who want more predictable delivery without burning teams out. I cover planning, leadership and risk management with practical tools you can use immediately - templates, examples and case breakdowns. I am also the author of Risk Management for Video Game Professionals (CRC Press, 2026). If you teach or study game production, you can use the same material to build industry-ready practice.LinksRisk Management Bookgame-production.com/riskmanagementbookFree Resource Librarygame-production.com/freeresourcesNewsletter...

Me and Renee chat back in 2020 about game production.Welcome to Game Production Academy. I am Liam Wickham. This channel is for game producers and production leaders who want more predictable delivery without burning teams out. I cover planning, leadership and risk management with practical tools you can use immediately - templates, examples and case breakdowns. I am also the author of Risk Management for Video Game Professionals (CRC Press, 2026). If you teach or study game production, you can use the same material to build industry-ready practice.LinksRisk Management Bookgame-production.com/riskmanagementbookFree Resource Librarygame-production.com/freeresourcesNewsletter...

Me and Chris have a chat around production - from 2020.Welcome to Game Production Academy. I am Liam Wickham. This channel is for game producers and production leaders who want more predictable delivery without burning teams out. I cover planning, leadership and risk management with practical tools you can use immediately - templates, examples and case breakdowns. I am also the author of Risk Management for Video Game Professionals (CRC Press, 2026). If you teach or study game production, you can use the same material to build industry-ready practice.LinksRisk Management Bookgame-production.com/riskmanagementbookFree Resource Librarygame-production.com/freeresourcesNewsletter...

Me and Chris have a chat about production - from 2020.Welcome to Game Production Academy. I am Liam Wickham. This channel is for game producers and production leaders who want more predictable delivery without burning teams out. I cover planning, leadership and risk management with practical tools you can use immediately - templates, examples and case breakdowns. I am also the author of Risk Management for Video Game Professionals (CRC Press, 2026). If you teach or study game production, you can use the same material to build industry-ready practice.LinksRisk Management Bookgame-production.com/riskmanagementbookFree Resource Librarygame-production.com/freeresourcesNewsletter...

In 2020, me and Anthony chatted about all things game production. Enjoy!Welcome to Game Production Academy. I am Liam Wickham. This channel is for game producers and production leaders who want more predictable delivery without burning teams out. I cover planning, leadership and risk management with practical tools you can use immediately - templates, examples and case breakdowns. I am also the author of Risk Management for Video Game Professionals (CRC Press, 2026). If you teach or study game production, you can use the same material to build industry-ready practice.LinksRisk Management Bookgame-production.com/riskmanagementbookFree Resource Librarygame-production.com/freeresourcesNewsletter...

Back in July 2020, me and Callum chatted about all things game production.Welcome to Game Production Academy. I am Liam Wickham. This channel is for game producers and production leaders who want more predictable delivery without burning teams out. I cover planning, leadership and risk management with practical tools you can use immediately - templates, examples and case breakdowns. I am also the author of Risk Management for Video Game Professionals (CRC Press, 2026). If you teach or study game production, you can use the same material to build industry-ready practice.LinksRisk Management Bookgame-production.com/riskmanagementbookFree Resource Librarygame-production.com/freeresourcesNewsletter...

This is the podcast version of my YouTube walkthrough.In 2025 I launched a comprehensive Udemy course on the topic and you can find it here:https://www.udemy.com/course/risk-management-in-video-game-development/?referralCode=D6412142A30B4794B550Part 3 is a walkthrough of generating a Risk and Issue Log that you can download and use/abuse at your leisure.Here's the links to those files as promised:ExcelGoogle SheetsPart 1, a more general introduction around risk management in the game industry,  can be found here.Part 2 goes into more detail on actual risk and issue examples.Welcome to Game Production Academy. I am Liam Wickham. This channel is for game producers and production leaders who want more predictable delivery without burning teams out. I cover planning, leadership and risk management with practical tools you can use immediately - templates, examples and case breakdowns. I am also the author of Risk Management for Video Game Professionals (CRC Press, 2026). If you teach or study game production, you can use the same material to build industry-ready practice.LinksRisk Management Bookgame-production.com/riskmanagementbookFree Resource Librarygame-production.com/freeresourcesNewsletter...

Part 2 goes into more detail on actual risk and issue examples. I have based the categories on the only current academic research I could find on the topic. You can read that in full.In 2025 I launched a comprehensive Udemy course on the topic and you can find it here:https://www.udemy.com/course/risk-management-in-video-game-development/?referralCode=D6412142A30B4794B550Topics covered in Part 2 include:High level risksStaffing risksSchedule & Budget RisksInadequate specs (I decided to skip talking about Design specs here as that deserves its own section some other time)Fun FactorChange managementExpectations of third parties such as publishersSummaryPart 1, a more general introduction around risk management in the game industry,  can be found here.Part 3 is a walkthrough of generating a Risk and Issue Log that you can download and use/abuse at your leisure.Welcome to Game Production Academy. I am Liam Wickham. This channel is for game producers and production leaders who want more predictable delivery without burning teams out. I cover planning, leadership and risk management with practical tools you can use immediately - templates, examples and case breakdowns. I am also the author of Risk Management for Video Game Professionals (CRC Press, 2026). If you teach or study game production, you can use the same material to build industry-ready practice.LinksRisk Management Bookgame-production.com/riskmanagementbookFree Resource Librarygame-production.com/freeresourcesNewsletter...

This is the audio version of my popular Risk Management YouTube video.In 2025 I launched a comprehensive Udemy course on the topic and you can find it here:https://www.udemy.com/course/risk-management-in-video-game-development/?referralCode=D6412142A30B4794B550This is a general chat around risk management for those involved in making video games. This is an introduction to the topic and is aimed at game producers. Topics covered include:Why should you take risks and issues more seriously when making a game?What does risk management in the gaming world look like?What are risks and issues anyway?Why Risk and Issue logs are so usefulHow to tie in to Leadership meetings to really make this all usefulComplexity of game making affecting risks/issuesExample of how plans change, dependencies arise, etc and how your log can track this and assist in planningProducer accountabilityContinuous improvement of you and your team(s)Conversations, collaboration and transparency that arise for a positive approach to risk managementFollowing through and taking action: how this leads to gaining trust, faith and momentumPart 2 goes into more detail on actual risk and issue examples.https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1d9CSoy_z3wPart 3 is a walkthrough of generating a Risk and Issue Log that you can download and use/abuse at your leisure.https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PljB6IBZW2w&t=421sI mentioned some other articles on risk management for gaming. Here they are:https://www.gamasutra.com/view/feature/131309/risk_management_with_development_.phphttps://www.gamasutra.com/view/feature/191523Welcome to Game Production Academy. I am Liam Wickham. This channel is for game producers and production leaders who want more predictable delivery without burning teams out. I cover planning, leadership and risk management with practical tools you can use immediately - templates, examples and case breakdowns. I am also the author of Risk Management for Video Game Professionals (CRC Press, 2026). If you teach or study game production, you can use the same material to build industry-ready practice.LinksRisk Management Bookgame-production.com/riskmanagementbookFree Resource Librarygame-production.com/freeresourcesNewsletter...