Naavik Gaming Podcast
Hosted by Naavik Gaming
A games industry business podcast where consultants from the advisory firm Naavik interview founders and executives on market trends and strategy.
This is a graduate-level briefing on the business of gaming, delivered by practicing industry analysts. Unlike personality-driven shows, Naavik's hosts open episodes with data-heavy monologues that frame the subsequent interview, leveraging their firm's research on topics like M&A, user acquisition, and new market entry. The conversations are for professionals, dissecting business models, financial underwriting, and operational strategy with a level of specificity that assumes a baseline industry knowledge.
“Its primary distinction is the rotating panel of expert hosts who are active consultants and operators in the fields they cover. The show's structure, which pairs a data-rich opening analysis with a focused guest interview, sets it apart from more casual, conversational podcasts.”
Who hosts this show
The Naavik Gaming Podcast is the content arm of Naavik, a research, consulting, and advisory firm for the games industry. The show features a rotating cast of hosts—who are themselves Naavik consultants and industry professionals—interviewing founders, executives, and investors. Each episode is a business-focused exploration of the trends, strategies, and leaders shaping the future of video games, from M&A and monetization to AI and live-ops.
Credentials & credits
- Kalie Moore, Podcast Host & CEO at High Vibe PR
- Alexandra Takei, Podcast Host & Business Director at Ruckus Games
- Devin Becker, Podcast Host & Senior Games Industry Consultant at Naavik
- Aaron Bush, Co-Founder & Managing Partner at Naavik
- Abhimanyu Kumar, Co-Founder & Managing Partner at Naavik
Other ventures
- Naavik (Consulting & Advisory)
- High Vibe PR (Boutique Communications Firm)
- Ruckus Games (Venture-backed Studio)
- Medal.tv (Gaming Clip Platform)
What kind of podcast
- Country
- United States
- Region
- usa
When new episodes drop
- 01What Game Studios Can Learn from the AI Microdrama BoomJun 23, 2026 · 49 min
- 02Lessons from Real M&A Transactions: Getting Studios BoughtJun 9, 2026 · 1h 06m
- 03How to Reduce Churn and Keep Players PlayingJun 2, 2026 · 59 min
- 04True Crime, Now Playable: Inside Scriptic's Cross-Platform BetMay 26, 2026 · 56 min
- 05Listening to Players at ScaleMay 20, 2026 · 59 min
- 06Premium: Driving Back Catalogue, DLC, and the Long TailMay 15, 2026 · 1h 06m
- 07Inside Dorian's No-Code UGC PlatformMay 5, 2026 · 1h 04m
- 08Fandoms, Writing Moats, and the Future of Interactive Fiction (FIX)Apr 28, 2026 · 1h 02m
Notable episodes
- 01Lessons from Real M&A Transactions: Getting Studios Bought
Provides a clear, actionable breakdown of the different buyer archetypes (PE vs. strategic) and what makes a game studio truly acquirable in the current market.
- 02What Game Studios Can Learn from the AI Microdrama Boom
A forward-looking analysis of an emerging entertainment category, framing it as a direct competitor to mobile games with similar business models and challenges.
- 03How to Reduce Churn and Keep Players Playing
A practical guide to player retention, moving beyond theory to discuss specific behavioral indicators and technical causes of churn that developers can address.
What you'll be asked on this show
Hosts begin with a detailed, data-supported monologue to frame the topic before the guest even speaks. The first questions often establish foundational definitions (e.g., "Can you define 'sell-side advisor' for me?") or the guest's origin story. Questions are specific, referencing industry trends and data, demonstrating deep preparation. The interview is structured to logically progress from broad market context to the guest's specific strategies and tactical advice, often using the guest's business as a case study for the larger industry.
This is a multi-host interview show where each host specializes in a specific vertical, such as M&A, new media formats, or live-ops data. Episodes consistently begin with a prepared, analytical monologue from the host to establish context before the guest is introduced. The tone is professional, analytical, and deeply rooted in business and financial metrics.
Questions Naavik Gaming keeps coming back to
12 cataloguedIf you're going on this show as a guest, expect some version of each of these. Each note explains when Naavik Gaming reaches for it.
origin
1- Q.01
“What's the short version of how your company came to be?”
Asked early to establish the guest's background and the firm's founding story.
process
3- Q.01
“Can you quickly define [key industry term] for the audience?”
Used to establish a common vocabulary and make complex topics accessible.
- Q.02
“What are the key indicators or behavioral signals you track for [churn/engagement]?”
Moves the conversation from theory to specific, actionable data points.
- Q.03
“How do you approach moderation and quality control for [UGC/AI-generated] content?”
Addresses the practical and ethical challenges of new content models.
advice
2- Q.01
“What does a studio or company have to look like to be acquirable/successful in this space?”
This question seeks the key qualifying criteria for success, whether for M&A or general market viability.
- Q.02
“What are the biggest causes of [problem] that developers can address ahead of time?”
Focuses on finding preventable root causes for common industry challenges like player churn.
industry
2- Q.01
“What is your company's core idea that the rest of the industry is missing?”
Probes for the guest's unique market thesis and competitive advantage.
- Q.02
“How does a [PE firm's] thesis differ from a [strategic acquirer's]?”
This format is used to compare and contrast the motivations of different players in the ecosystem.
money
1- Q.01
“Walk us through how your company makes money and the revenue model.”
A direct question to get a clear breakdown of the guest's business and monetization strategy.
future
2- Q.01
“What does the [emerging industry] still need to learn from the games industry?”
Frames the conversation by drawing parallels and lessons from the more mature games market.
- Q.02
“Is the era of [cheap user acquisition / easy growth] over for good?”
Asks for a forward-looking perspective on major market shifts and trends.
technique
1- Q.01
“Tell me more about [specific tool or concept] you mentioned and what you've learned from it.”
A common follow-up to delve deeper into a unique or powerful tool the guest has introduced.
Signature segments
- · Data-Heavy Opening Monologue
- · The Interview and Insight Segment
Topics covered repeatedly
Who gets booked here
The show books C-suite executives, founders, and managing partners from game studios, technology platforms, and investment firms. Guests are typically leaders with direct operational experience in the episode's topic, such as M&A, creator economies, or data analytics.
- Angela Yuon What Game Studios Can Learn from the AI Microdrama Boom
- Brogan Keaneon Lessons from Real M&A Transactions: Getting Studios Bought
- Elad Levyon How to Reduce Churn and Keep Players Playing
- James Nichollson True Crime, Now Playable: Inside Scriptic's Cross-Platform Bet
- Tom Gayneron Listening to Players at Scale
- Ian Fieldingon Premium: Driving Back Catalogue, DLC, and the Long Tail
Where to find this show
Audience & reach
Sponsors are B2B service and technology providers (e.g., Heroic Labs, Medal.tv, Overwolf) targeting an audience of game developers and publishers. The angle is reaching a concentrated audience of senior decision-makers and industry professionals with purchasing power.
Subscriber and view counts are pulled live from YouTube and re-verified on a 30-day cycle. Listener estimates for the RSS feed aren't published here unless they're host-verified.
Pitch Naavik Gaming
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People also ask
- Who are the hosts of the Naavik Gaming Podcast?
- The podcast features a rotating group of hosts from Naavik's team of consultants and creators, including Kalie Moore, Alexandra Takei, and Devin Becker, each specializing in different areas of the games industry.
- What is the podcast's format?
- It is a weekly interview show. Each episode typically starts with a data-driven monologue by the host, followed by an in-depth conversation with a games industry founder, executive, or investor.
- Is the Naavik Gaming Podcast still active?
- Yes, the podcast releases new episodes on a weekly basis.
- Who is this podcast for?
- It is designed for professionals in the video game industry, including developers, publishers, investors, and executives who want to understand the business and strategy behind gaming.
- Where can I listen to the podcast?
- The podcast is available on major platforms like YouTube Music and others, with links on the official Naavik website.
- What is Naavik?
- Naavik is a research, consulting, and advisory firm focused on the business of gaming, offering services like market research, M&A advisory, and strategy consulting.
Built from the show's public RSS feed, YouTube, the host's own websites, and the cited sources below. Computed and AI-extracted fields are labelled. Facts only — no private info, no fabrication, no transcripts republished.
Sources & how this page was built
This page is AI-assisted, grounded in the public sources cited below, and host-verifiable. We publish facts only; we do not republish transcripts. If anything here is wrong, the host can claim and correct the page above.Model: gemini-2.5-pro · high confidence
- [01]Naavik Official Websitenaavik.co
- [02]About Us - Naaviknaavik.co
- [03]Naavik Gaming Podcast - Official Pagenaavik.co
- [04]Alexandra Takei - Forbes 30 Under 30forbes.com
- [05]Kalie Moore - Official Websitekaliemoore.com
- [06]Devin Becker - Personal Websitedevinbecker.com
- [07]Naavik Gaming Podcast | Podchaserpodchaser.com
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