Mitch Lasky

Mitch Lasky, a legendary gaming investor with pivotal stakes in Riot Games and Discord, teams up with Blake Robbins, Benchmark principal and co-host of the GameCraft podcast. They dive into the evolution of gaming business models, tracing the journey from niche markets to mainstream dominance. The duo explores the rise of free-to-play games and subscription services, along with the critical role of digital platforms like Steam. They also discuss the impact of AI on game development and the burgeoning landscape of esports as a vivid marketing tool.

Mitch Lasky, a Partner at Benchmark, is a powerhouse in the gaming industry with a 30-year legacy including leadership roles at Activision and EA. In this engaging discussion, Mitch explores the investment landscape of gaming, emphasizing long-lasting game models and player engagement strategies. He reflects on the revolutionary impact of titles like Doom and examines the rise of digital platforms. The conversation also touches on mentorship's pivotal role in the industry and the transformative potential of subscription models like Microsoft Game Pass.

Legendary investor Mitch Lasky shares insights on the importance of GTM in gaming, missed investment opportunities in Twitch, evolving game investments, designing altruistic monetization systems, and navigating the challenges of the AAA game business model.

Venture capitalist Mitch Lasky discusses game industry insights, shareware models, EA buying Maxis, paying for mobile visibility. Memories of arcade gaming, legal complexities, early revenue strategies, theory of fun in game design, Spore evolution. Negotiations, founding a mobile game studio, online gaming business models, narrative-driven games evolution, customer data consolidation strategy, EA restructuring vision, sports subscriptions, and VC success.

Venture capitalist Mitch Lasky discusses the evolution of game design, the impact of user interactions on game development, monetization strategies, the shift towards free-to-play models, the evolution of the gaming industry, challenges in game development across platforms, emotional gameplay, gifting and altruism in video games, game complexity, growth of Discord, AI in game development, character balance in games, past collaborations, future opportunities in the gaming industry, and the evolution of video game business models.