Naavik Gaming Podcast

The State of Video Game Publishing (with Serenity Forge)

Dec 20, 2024

Zhenghua (Z) Yang, Founder and CEO of Serenity Forge, shares his inspiring journey from overcoming illness to leading a thriving gaming publisher. He discusses the competitive landscape of video game publishing and the unique strategies his team employs for success. AI's role in the industry is framed as a tool for innovation rather than a threat. Z also highlights the importance of robust distribution strategies and flexible deal-making, showcasing how passion and adaptability are key to thriving in this vibrant sector.

59:48

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Episode guests

Zhenghua (Z) Yang

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Episode notes

Podcast summary created with Snipd AI

Quick takeaways

Zee Yang's personal journey illustrates how video games can provide emotional support, inspiring his mission to create impactful gaming experiences.

Serenity Forge's successful transition from game development to publishing highlights the importance of collaboration and nurturing relationships with indie developers.

Adapting to the evolving gaming landscape is crucial, as creators must prioritize quality content to meet the discerning expectations of modern players.

Deep dives

The Inspiring Journey of Zee Yang

Zee Yang's journey to founding Serenity Forge is marked by personal struggles and transformative experiences. At 18, he faced a life-threatening illness that led him to discover the power of video games as a coping mechanism. During his treatment, games like Final Fantasy and multiplayer experiences connected him with friends who supported him through a difficult time. This profound connection fueled his desire to create games not just for entertainment, but to make a meaningful impact on others, ultimately guiding him to pursue game development with an intention to help people.

Intro

3min

From Illness to Innovation: A Game Journey

30min

Navigating the Impact of Artificial Intelligence in Game Development

4min

Building a Gaming Empire

9min

The Importance of Distribution Strategies in Game Publishing

3min

Innovative Deal-Making in Gaming

7min

Excitement Beyond Serenity Forge: DICE, Manga, and Community Engagement

3min

The sub-AA/AAA world of games has become increasingly competitive in recent years, and yet Serenity Forge, a diverse 40-50 person publisher based out of Colorado, has found a way to grow, develop, and publish games with very high success rates. How do they do it?

To answer this question, host Aaron Bush is joined by Zhenghua (Z) Yang, the founder and CEO of Serenity Forge. They discuss Z’s inspiring story, how publishing has evolved over the past decade, and how Z goes above and beyond to ensure success. They also dig into the nuances of working with subscription platforms, the underdiscussed benefits of physical sales, building unique distribution, structuring publishing deals, and how AI does (and doesn’t) impact the way they think about supporting games.

If you want a case study of how to win and stand out in a crowded gaming market, make sure to give this episode a listen!

We’d also like to thank AWS for Games for making this episode possible. AWS for Games aligns purpose-built game development capabilities — including AWS services like Amazon GameLift as well as solutions from AWS Partners — to help game developers build, run, and grow their games. For more information, visit https://aws.amazon.com/gametech/

If you like the episode, please help others find us by leaving a 5-star rating or review! And if you have any comments, requests, or feedback shoot us a note at podcast@naavik.co.

Who’s On:

Guest - Zhenghua (Z) Yang: https://www.linkedin.com/in/serenityz/

Host - Aaron Bush: https://www.linkedin.com/in/aaron-bush-846b8185/

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Sound design by Gavin Mc Cabe.