Xsolla Sessions
Xsolla Podcasts: State of Play & Xsolla Conversations
Where the future of game commerce comes to life
Xsolla brings you two powerful podcast series designed to spark honest dialogue, uncover untold stories, and guide the evolving business of games.
State of Play is our flagship narrative podcast, hosted by Chris Hewish with Lia Ballentine and Joe Pierpont. This richly produced series combines deep-dive interviews, documentary storytelling, and immersive sound design to explore the biggest shifts in the global games industry. From platform battles and regulatory shakeups to breakthrough monetization trends, State of Play is where game business leaders turn for context, clarity, and connection.
Xsolla Conversations delivers a fast, focused format with real-time insights from the front lines. These short-form episodes (under 20 minutes) feature candid chats with developers, partners, and internal experts, highlighting what’s working now in game development, community building, and direct-to-consumer strategy.
Together, these shows surface the voices shaping the next era of interactive entertainment. Whether you're launching your first title or leading a global studio, tune in weekly to hear from the people defining what’s next in gaming.
Xsolla Sessions
WHY CFOS CAN’T IGNORE THE DIRECT-TO-PLAYER MODEL ANYMORE – FEATURING NIANTIC’S JEFF SHOUGER
In today’s episode, Xsolla’s Chris Hewish sits down with Jeff Shouger, CFO at Niantic, the studio behind Pokémon GO, Peridot, and Monster Hunter Now. Jeff shares how Niantic approached the shift to web shops from a financial perspective, what convinced them to go direct-to-player, and the measurable impact they’ve seen since.
If you're in the game industry and curious about how top studios navigate monetization, platform relationships, and the future of AR-driven commerce, this one’s for you. Now, let’s get into it!
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