Product Development in the Gaming Industry — Ben Jones, Creative Director at ZeniMax Online Studios

Great mobile and web-based products must start with effective UX. The same holds true for the gaming industry.

On this episode, Ben Jones, Creative Director at ZeniMax Online Studios, joins us to share his gaming industry expertise on topics including:

— The importance of adaptability within the gaming industry.
— Why building an effective game development team starts with trust, transparency and effective communication.
— Why artwork and storylines need to be of high quality for games to succeed.
— The up-front work involved in game development.
— Why it’s important to establish clear guidelines right from the start.
— The pros and cons of working with existing IP vs. creating new IP.
— The changing landscape of mobile and web-based product connectivity.
— How to best manage and communicate with remote and hybrid development teams.
— The hiring process for building great development teams.
— Practical ways to start a career in game design and development.

In this episode, Ben says, “If you operate on transparency and trust as guiding principles when building a team, you will find success. Not just in terms of the product you’re building but also with your peers. This has brought my team a long way over the last five years, and I’m excited for where these principles can take us in the future.”

00:00 Intro
00:29 Meet Ben Jones, Creative Director at Zenimax Online Studios
1:15 About Zenimax Online Studios – an award-winning game studio behind the online RPG The Elder Scrolls
3:34 A Career in Games – Ben's journey into the gaming industry
5:52 The difference in product development for games vs apps
8:19 Connecting art, storyline and gameplay
16:08 Connectivity and access to products from multiple devices
19:34 The pandemic's effect on gameplay and the gaming experience
24:20 Setting your team up for success
26:46 Team structure for game development
28:54 Fostering collaboration and communication for a distributed team
35:56 Insights for other leaders building out teams
39:11 Advice for breaking into the gaming industry
42:54 What advice would you give your younger self?
45:01 This episode's Majestyk Byte!

To learn more, head to https://www.majestykapps.com/ to check out the article associated with this episode.

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This episode is brought to you by Majestyk Apps

We imagine, design, and build digital products. With clients like Chevrolet, Audiomack, IBM, Barefoot, and more, you can be sure you are in good hands. Reach out to us at MajestykApps.com

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