#5 - Yahsir Qureshi: "How do you build a successful gaming studio?" - Team-building, Gaming Studio Management & more

Today’s guest is Yahsir Qureshi, the VP and Head of Studio at Sandsoft Games, also an accomplished advisor and investor in the tech industry.

He has more than 14 years of unique experience across both AAA Console and F2P mobile games building some of the most successful franchises ever released including Need for Speed, FIFA Ultimate Team, Dawn of Titans, and CSR Racing 2 in Production, Product, and Business Development Roles.

In this episode, he shares his journey in the gaming industry, lessons learned at EA and Zynga, and his extraordinary strategies for team-building and studio management.

Whether you're a CEO, Head of Studio, a senior or aspiring game developer, this podcast is for you.

Connect w/ Yahsir Qureshi (Guest):
LinkedIn: ⁠⁠https://www.linkedin.com/in/yahsir-qureshi/⁠⁠

Connect with Harry:
LinkedIn: ⁠https://www.linkedin.com/in/hphokou/⁠
Youtube: ⁠⁠https://www.youtube.com/@UCtZBNcgtKJR2NtGct3-cFWg⁠
Instagram: ⁠https://www.instagram.com/hphokou

Chapters:
00:00 Introduction
00:37 Career Moves: EA, Zynga, and Return to EA
04:48 Lessons from EA and Zynga That Shaped Yahsir’s Views
07:48 Exceptional Philosophy in Team Building at Sandsoft
11:44 Sandsoft 's scope of operations: Publishing, Investing, Developing
18:27 Unique Approach to Building a Team from Scratch
26:13 Reasons Behind In-Office Work Over Remote at Sandsoft
28:58 What is the ‘Tribe Format’ and How Flat Hierarchy Works at Sandsoft
35:44 Who in Their Team Kills Games and Why It’s Important
41:37 Senior Developers and Alignment of Incentives
49:31 What is Yahsir’s Role as an Advisor
51:13 MENA Region as a Place to Be in Games
58:16 Yahsir’s Way of Maintaining Network - LinkedIn
1:00:07 Advice for Young People