Mission One: The Executive Edge · 2026-03-05 · 31 min
In this episode of Mission One: The Executive Edge, Gerard Miles and Dan Hampton explore one of the most consequential hires a mobile gaming company can make: a world-class product leader. Unlike many roles in tech, the product function in gaming sits at the intersection of game design, data science, live operations, and monetization strategy. The right product leader can turn a struggling title into a breakout success or build the foundation for a billion-dollar franchise. The wrong hire, however, can stall a studio’s momentum and derail entire product roadmaps. Gerard and Dan begin by unpacking how the product discipline in gaming evolved. Modern gaming product leadership grew out of the social gaming era and the rise of free-to-play mobile titles, creating a hybrid role that blends creative instincts with analytical rigor. The result is a highly specialized talent pool that has only existed for the past 15 - 20 years. One of the central challenges in hiring for this role is distinguishing between executives who truly drove a game’s success and those who were simply along for the ride.
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