In this episode:Jordan sits down with Bruce Harlick, a seasoned game designer who primarily worked on role-playing games. Bruce has worked with some of the industry's biggest names, including Zynga, LucasArts, NCSoft, and Hangar 13, and is now Systems Design Director at Ripple Effect Studios. He shares deep insights into game design, live ops, and the creative challenges of balancing business demands with game development.Topics covered:How to determine the right amount of content to launch withDesigning games to avoid a never-ending content treadmill for your teamThe benefits of live ops for creativity in comparison to launching new gamesHow to design effective content toolsThe impact of tech and procedural debt on a game’s futureBalancing between retention and revenue in LiveOps gamesHow to put together a quarterly calendar of content releases in a way that balances the key KPIHow to balance out risky new features with reliable featuresThe importance of working closely with the game’s community to design content players loveWhy passion and empathy are critical to successful game designFor more game industry tips:Learn more about Jordan & Bright BlackListen on iTunes | Spotify (Support the show and leave a review)Visit www.playmakerspodcast.com for the full blog post and more!Timestamps:[03:04] Bruce’s journey from tabletop games to live ops[06:15] Lessons from managing content on tabletop role-playing games like Champions[10:12] Transition from physical to digital games, and joining Monolith to work on The Matrix Online[13:00] Learning from The Matrix Online and the rise of live game operations[17:14] The importance of designing for live operations early on[21:00] How live games differ from launching a one-time game product[25:32] Creating evergreen systems and scalable content for live games[28:52] Managing tech debt and the challenges of balancing performance with content expansion[32:33] The value of collaborating with your community for live content[36:15] Designing a quarterly calendar for content updates[40:52] Balancing creativity and risk in game updates[44:43] Bruce’s thoughts on live ops and creating long-lasting gamesResources & media mentioned in this episode:Connect with Bruce Harlick:LinkedIn

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