Scaling for Success: Ryan Burnett on Building and Leading Respawn Madison

In this episode, Greg sits down with Ryan Burnett, the Studio Director at Respawn Madison, to talk about his journey in building a new studio from scratch, his leadership philosophy, and the growing game development hub in the Midwest. Ryan shares insights on how Respawn handles LiveOps for Apex Legends, the challenges of recruiting talent, and maintaining a healthy work culture. They also dive into the importance of consistent work in live-service models and the evolving role of player feedback in game development.

Key Timestamps:

1. Building Respawn Madison (01:03 - 03:23)Ryan discusses how he was tasked with building a studio in Madison, explaining the importance of assembling a leadership team and building culture from the ground up. He highlights how there’s no guidebook for building a studio, and much of the journey involves figuring things out as you go.
2. Midwest Game Development Hub (03:23 - 04:47)Ryan touches on how the Midwest, specifically Madison, is becoming a hotbed for game development. He notes that within a 15-mile radius, games like Call of Duty, Fortnite, PUBG, and Apex Legends are being developed—making the Midwest a hidden gem for game development.
3. Preventing Burnout and Managing LiveOps (09:18 - 10:58)Ryan emphasizes that preventing burnout in a LiveOps environment is about more than just managing work hours. It's about effective decision-making, good communication, and maintaining consistent workloads without overwhelming peaks. The importance of predictability in LiveOps is key to maintaining a healthy team.
4. The Role of Player Feedback (16:43 - 18:31) Apex Legends is constantly evolving based on feedback from the player community. Ryan explains how Respawn uses multiple channels—like analytics, social media, and community forums—to gather both quantitative and qualitative feedback, which directly influences their content roadmap.
5. Leadership and Culture in Game Development (32:10 - 35:15)Ryan speaks about his leadership philosophy, focusing on building a team-oriented culture where good ideas can come from anyone. He also shares his journey from being a tech programmer to taking on leadership roles, recognizing that his strength lay in working with people and solving challenges collaboratively.

Conclusion:

This episode provides a unique look into the journey of building a new game studio and leading in the fast-paced world of LiveOps. Ryan Burnett’s emphasis on leadership, player feedback, and work-life balance offers valuable lessons for industry professionals looking to grow their teams and deliver sustainable results in live-service games.

00:00 Introduction to Ryan Burnett and Episode Topics
00:56 Ryan's Industry Experience and Role at Respawn Madison
02:08 Challenges in Starting a Game Studio
03:39 Madison as a Gaming Development Hub
05:56 Recruiting Talent to the Midwest
10:10 Preventing Burnout in Game Development
16:38 LiveOps and Player Feedback
20:21 If you had an opportunity to go back to college and choose a different path, would you choose a different path and what path would that be?
26:36 As a studio director, where can you progress from this role, and what skills are transferable to other positions?
31:39 Communication in Distributed Teams
34:07 Game Development Brainstorming and Playtesting
38:31 Balancing Gaming with Family Time
39:55 Leadership and Industry Knowledge
42:13 Before we go, is there anything you want to talk about or share with the audience?