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Lessons Learned: From IC to First-Time Manager

Lessons Learned: From IC to First-Time Manager

Stepping into your first manager role in game product management is both exciting and daunting. I still remember my first week — I thought I’d be spending my time on strategy and big-picture planning. Instead, I found myself juggling three competing priorities, a last-minute feature change, and a teammate in

Part 4: Beyond the Numbers – Using Qualitative Signals in Game Development

Part 4: Beyond the Numbers – Using Qualitative Signals in Game Development

How to Manage Up and Across: Stakeholder Alignment in Game Development

How to Manage Up and Across: Stakeholder Alignment in Game Development

In data-driven mobile game development, great ideas can fail if the people around them aren’t aligned. Whether you’re pitching a new feature to executives or coordinating with peers in art, design, analytics, marketing, and engineering, your success as a product manager depends on how well you manage up

Designing Your Career Roadmap (Not Just Your Next Job)

Career Advice Featured

Designing Your Career Roadmap (Not Just Your Next Job)

✨ TL;DR: Don’t treat your career like a to-do list of titles. Build it like a product roadmap—anchored to a clear vision, aligned to your values, and open to iteration. Most PMs think about their careers in terms of job titles: Associate, PM, Senior PM, Lead PM, Director.

Part 3: The Role of A/B Testing in Live Service Games

Part 3: The Role of A/B Testing in Live Service Games

Part 2: Defining the Right Metrics: Leading vs. Lagging KPIs

Part 2: Defining the Right Metrics: Leading vs. Lagging KPIs

TL;DR: Metrics guide your team’s decisions, but the wrong ones can mislead. This post breaks down how to define the right KPIs and structure them effectively for live-service games. Series: Data as a North Star – Part 2 of 5 In live-service games, strong metrics help teams prioritize, evaluate

Part 1: How to Craft Better Hypotheses

Part 1: How to Craft Better Hypotheses

TL;DR: Every great experiment starts with a great question. A clear hypothesis keeps your team focused on learning — not just launching. This post breaks down how to write sharper, testable hypotheses in the messy world of live games. Series: Data as a North Star – Part 1 of 5 Most

Product Success = Clarity, Not Just Shipping

Product Success = Clarity, Not Just Shipping

Most teams ship features without knowing what success looks like. Then they scramble to interpret results after launch. But what if you could define your success criteria before you even start building? Expected Outcomes aren’t just a reporting tool — they’re a leadership mindset. They create clarity, drive alignment,

From Gacha to Ethical Crossroads

From Gacha to Ethical Crossroads

When Japanese mobile games popularized “gacha” mechanics in the early 2000s, few foresaw how randomized reward chests would reshape engagement across virtual worlds. Today, loot boxes—virtual packs of unknown items purchasable with real money—fuel as much as 40% of revenue for some publishers, thriving in both free-to-play mobile

Building a Culture of Learning: From Hypothesis to Insight

Building Culture

Building a Culture of Learning: From Hypothesis to Insight

Mobile gaming has become one of the most data-heavy product spaces, and today leaders are expected to champion this shift—not just tolerate it. Data-driven decision making isn’t a nice-to-have; it’s table stakes for live-service mobile teams. But what does it really look like in practice, and how

What Game PMs Actually Do (and Don’t)

Roles & Responsibilities

What Game PMs Actually Do (and Don’t)

Most writing about product management focuses on B2B software: roadmap ownership, stakeholder alignment, and clean feature delivery. B2C PMs enter the conversation through the lens of growth funnels, A/B testing, and conversion optimization. But game PMs—particularly those working on live service titles—occupy a distinct niche: one that

10 Things I Wish Someone Told Me Before Becoming a Game PM

Career Advice Featured

10 Things I Wish Someone Told Me Before Becoming a Game PM

...and none of them are "play more games." Becoming a Game PM isn’t just about knowing how to spec a feature or track KPIs. It’s about operating in chaos, managing egos, translating half-formed ideas into roadmaps, and doing it all while balancing player empathy with business

Why I'm Writing This

Why I'm Writing This

After more than a decade in mobile games, I’ve built features, games, live ops calendars, and full product organizations. I’ve seen what happens when PMs have to do it all — scope, design, coordinate, analyze — often without clear ownership or support. I’ve had to prioritize between retention and