A hit game can harbour hope for an up-and-coming games company. But living up to the game's name and weathering the changing tides of player needs, industry upheavals, and privacy concerns can test the limits of any studio. In this episode, María Sayans, CEO of ustwo games peels back the layers of ustwo’s monumental success, Monument Valley—now celebrating its 10th anniversary and over 160m+ downloads—and offers indie developers concrete advice on cultivating a sustainable studio that can succeed despite any storm. She sheds light on how ustwo games adapts and evolves its keystone game to keep pace with changing player habits and how cross-platform is powering the studio’s success for years to come.

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CHAPTER TIMESTAMPS

00:00 - Intro

01:30 - Who are ustwo games?

05:42 - How Monument Valley shaped games

07:58 - Biggest changes to games audiences

12:30 - Are boomers the biggest gamers?

16:57 - How ustwo games evolved to match player need

21:08 - Would Monument Valley succeed if launched today?

25:09 - Maria's leadership model

29:00 - How ustwo’s company calendar builds company culture

32:19 - Is premium still a viable model?

35:55 - Why cross-platform?

40:07 - Ustwo’s upcoming releases

43:20 - Favourite games Q&A

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