Show notes
Michail Katkoff and Rhys Elliott break down the widening gap between legacy studios bogged down by process and fresh teams building with urgency. From the slow death of bloated AAA games to the shaky economics of Game Pass, they explore why shorter, more creative games are winning hearts—and why team quality now matters more than genre. Plus: why subscription models are struggling, and how devices like Switch 2 and Steam Deck might reshape portable play.Rhys Elliotwww.linkedin.com/in/rhyselliott/Alinea Analyticswww.alineaanalytics.com00:00 Introduction and Background04:52 Fat Cats vs. Hungry Cats22:05 Evaluating Game Development Teams24:36 Investment Principles in Startup Life26:31 The Shift from AAA to AA Games33:25 The Demand for Shorter Games39:45 The Challenges of Subscription Gaming49:04 The Future of Game Pass and Subscription Models53:35 The State of Subscription Services55:50 Live Services vs. Premium Games66:20 The Future of Portable Gaming
