IW: We’re a business and I’d be lying if I said the health of our bottom line isn’t a priority, but many businesses sacrifice employee happiness for profits and that just doesn’t make sense. The health of any business’s bottom line is directly related to employee happiness. That’s especially true in this industry where competition for talent is high. There are long hours and the work is demanding. If you aren’t waking up in the morning excited about the day ahead of you, why would you bother showing up? Our employees aren’t clock-punchers. They’re creative, talented people who want to enjoy full, rich lives and work is only one part of that equation – albeit a big part. If we didn’t respect that reality, we’d be out of business. So we invest the time and money in building an environment that rewards creativity and individuality, and encourages the free flow of ideas. We go after great game contracts that our employees want to work on, projects they’re proud to be part of. And we have fun. That’s a huge priority around here.

MC: As I discussed in Francois Dominic Laramee’s book Secrets of The Game Business, happier employees are more apt to work more enthusiastically, possess more company loyalty and, consequently, develop better games. So why isn’t every game development company like a Radical?

IW: I can’t really speak for other companies, but game development is a relatively young industry and perhaps there’s a learning curve that some companies are still struggling with. I think Radical may have an advantage because we grew at a steady pace over the last decade, giving us the time and perspective to build the necessary infrastructure to support our core values as we evolved.

MC: Regarding your educational background as a business school graduate, some of today’s most successful people in the game industry have completely non-game related backgrounds. In the past year there seems to have been a sort of gold rush of schools offering game-specific degrees and programs. If someone ultimately wants to found their own game development company, what, in your opinion, facilitates a greater likelihood of success? A degree in game design or a business degree?

IW: Education is a great thing, but this industry isn’t really about degrees. It’s about people and ideas. If you have the right people who are talented and dedicated, and their primary goal is to create the best products in the world, then you’re set up for success. Of course, as a game developer it’s also important to have a sense of the business and be able to build a framework for financial sustainability. But I wouldn’t want to discourage anyone with great ideas and drive from taking a chance just because he or she isn’t formally trained in business. Game development is a serious business, but the industry was founded by people who took risks and tried things that had never been tried. I hope we never lose that spirit.

MC: Have you taken any courses on game development? Learned any particular programming languages or art software? Do you think it’s important for the people at the top to have a fundamental understanding of the actual mechanics of making a game?

IW: My personal experience has been immersive, to say the least. When you construct a game company from the ground up, you can’t help but develop an intimate knowledge of just about everything from the game engines you’re building to the kinds of chairs your employees sit on. I don’t expect every one of my employees to share that level of knowledge, but it’s important that all of us—not just managers—have a solid understanding of game development, the game industry, and what we do here every day. It’s important in any company. The more we know, the more connected we all feel to one another and the end product.

IW: There are a lot of changes going on—it’s the nature of our industry—but one that really stands out is how game savvy consumers are becoming. At the same time, the industry is increasingly hit-driven. What that means is there are top games with huge development budgets, smaller games with tiny budgets, and little in between. To survive and thrive, game companies need to go out on a limb with every title and create something amazing to ensure their place as developers of those top titles.

IW: I hope that the industry is able to take more risks on more original titles. I’d also like to see game development budgets grow to reflect the quality that consumers want.

IW: Well, I read everything from the Hollywood Reporter to see what movies have been green lit to the Gamasutra website to see who’s doing what in the industry. Everyone at Radical stays up-to-date on what’s going on, so a lot of the information I get is from our employees. And that’s the best kind because it’s not just one reporter’s perspective—there’s a dialogue around it.

IW: This is a very high-risk business, and a license provides a huge marketing advantage with a well-known brand virtually guaranteeing a certain level of sales. It’s very similar to the film industry, in that getting a big name star will help the sales of your film. As I mentioned before, I’d like to see the industry take more risks on more original titles in the future. The film industry has gotten cautious in recent years and theatres are flooded with remakes and sequels, but there’s still room for original stories to be told. This industry was built on original ideas, on the basic human need to create. As game consumers, we need to support original titles. As game developers, we need to convince publishers to invest in new ideas.

IW: We‘ve been giving back to the community since Radical was founded in 1991. With the formation of the Radical Foundation, we were able to organize our efforts. Essentially, we provide funding, volunteers, equipment and other forms of support for non-profit organizations or individual projects that share our commitment to the local community. Right now we’re working with local organizations to help educate and empower under-privileged youth. Giving money to a good cause is a great thing, but getting involved is personally rewarding. Through the Foundation, every Radical employee can experience that.

IW: That’s easy: people, people, and people. I am where I am thanks to every employee at Radical who works hard to create amazing games, thanks to the publishers who believe in us as a company and continue to give us coveted game contracts, and thanks to my family and friends who continue to support me. Sentimental perhaps, but true.

IW: I don’t know if you’d call it idiosyncratic, but I play hockey every Tuesday morning. If I don’t, everything just feels off.