The Business of Games
The Business of Games: A podcast for developers, publishers, and executives navigating the ever-changing game industry.
From monetization models to player behavior, from platform shifts to emerging markets, The Business of Games is your guide to all the things transforming how games are built, marketed, and scaled.
Hosted by Chris Hewish and Lia Ballentine, each episode blends strategic insight, cinematic storytelling, and candid conversations with the people driving the business of play. You’ll hear from top executives inside studios and strategic partners across the ecosystem who are uncovering the ideas, tactics, and trends shaping tomorrow’s opportunities.
Whether you’re launching your first game or scaling a global studio, you’ll find practical strategies, future-forward thinking, and real-world examples you can act on right away.
The Business of Games is brought to you by Xsolla, your strategic partner behind the scenes. We bring together “All the Things” to help you simplify operations, unlock new revenue, reach more players, and launch fast.
Visit xsolla.com to learn more, connect with our team, and access all the things you need to level up your business of play. Want to join the conversation? Follow and comment on our LinkedIn page at The Business of Games Podcast, where we’ll be sharing updates, highlights, and continuing the discussion. And don’t forget to subscribe, rate, review, and share the podcast with friends and colleagues who want to learn more about the business of games.
The Business of Games
From comics to controllers: Bronson Lingamfelter on digital ownership and the future of game discovery
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Welcome to Coffee.Press.Play., brought to you by The Business of Games Podcast, powered by Xsolla.
Recorded live at GDC 2026 inside the Xsolla Clubhouse, this series puts a twist on the traditional interview format: guests play a round of a classic video game against host Chris Hewish and the outcome determines whether they face an easy question or a hard one.
In this first episode, Bronson Lingamfelter, co-founder and Chief Operating Officer of One Earth Rising, takes on Chris in a quick battle and earns the easy question — though what follows is anything but a simple conversation.
Bronson's path into gaming runs through one of digital media's most transformative moments. Nearly 20 years ago, he helped digitize the comic book industry, co-founding Comixology and building the Buy Once Read Anywhere platform that powered digital comics for Marvel, DC, Image, and more.
Now, Bronson is applying those same instincts to games: using emerging technology to rethink how players discover, own, and engage with the titles they love. At One Earth Rising, that means driving new game ownership out of retail environments, bridging loyal CPG audiences into gaming experiences on PlayStation and Steam, and opening up discovery in ways the industry hasn't fully explored yet.
One word captures how he got there: ownership.
What you'll hear:
- How digitizing comics shaped Bronson's approach to game ownership
- What Comixology built and why it mattered before the Walking Dead show changed everything
- How One Earth Rising is using retail activations and CPG partnerships to bring new players into games
- Why Bronson sees emerging technology as the key to unlocking the next chapter of game discovery
Let’s get into it.
Coffee.Press.Play. is an ongoing mini-series, and more conversations with our GDC guests are on the way. Listen on your favorite podcast platform or watch full episodes on our YouTube channel.
Missed us at GDC 2026? Stay tuned to our LinkedIn page for announcements on where we'll be next. And catch up on recent episodes at xsolla.com/podcast.
For more insights and resources, visit xsolla.com/podcast. Want to join the conversation? Follow and comment on our LinkedIn page at The Business of Games Podcast. That’s where we’ll be sharing updates, highlights, and continuing the discussion. And don’t forget to subscribe, rate, review, and share the podcast with friends who want to learn more about the business of games.
