91. Jens Begemann CEO's Diary: A Decade of Wooga's Evolution To Success

In this episode, we interview Jens Begemann, the former co-founder and CEO of Wooga, the Berlin-based casual mobile games company behind the success of Diamond Dash, Jelly Splash, and June's Journey.

We cover Jen's journey in the gaming industry and the lessons he learned as an entrepreneur that led him to found Wooga in 2008. We also explore the growth of Wooga, its successful games, and the company's shift to mobile gaming. The conversation touches on the significance of company culture, hiring the right people, and the need for constant adaptation in the ever-changing gaming market. We discuss the difficult decisions and strategic mistakes made along the way, as well as the ultimate decision to sell Wooga to Playtika at the end of 2018. Today, when we observe the company's growth and revenues, Wooga is more successful than it has ever been.

Topics covered:

- Challenges faced in the dot-com bubble burst in 2000

- Importance of having a network and clear vision before starting a company

- Growth of Wooga and its early successful games Brain Buddies, Diamond Dash, Bubble Island, Jelly Splash, Pearl's Perils

- Shift from Facebook games to mobile games

- Importance of company culture and hiring the right people, from the start

- Challenges and mistakes made leading to a difficult year with layoffs in 2017

- Decision to sell Wooga to Playtika in 2018

- Why Playtika was the right choice for Wooga, post-acquisition

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