Bra podd

What if the next great game studio doesn’t come from the West?

In this episode, Ben chats with Rob Wynne and Clark Kosene from Rising Tide Studios—an unannounced AAA-inspired indie team taking a bold leap: building a game that truly bridges Eastern and Western audiences.

We dive deep into why the moat of Western AAA game development is disappearing fast—and how China, with more devs than the U.S. and EU combined, is already playing on equal footing. Rob and Clark share the untold story of how Rising Tide’s founding team (ex-Activision and former Soulslike directors) aims to skip the slow forming-storming norm and go straight to "performing" with their next-gen isometric action roguelike.

Why are Western games losing ground?
Can a game truly appeal to both Western and Eastern markets?
How do you create narrative depth without sacrificing gameplay flow?
Why creativity thrives on constraints—and how Rising Tide harnessed it

Clark also reflects on transitioning from screenwriting to games, and the team’s surprising approach to embedding story: real-time commentary inspired by Chinese crosstalk comedy. Their goal? A game where narrative flows during gameplay—not in between.

If you're interested in global game dev trends, narrative innovation, or the future of indie-AAA (triple-I) development, don’t miss this conversation.

Stay Connected:

Ben Carcich (Host, Building Better Games)

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/benjamin-carcich
Substack: https://bencarcich.substack.com
Website: https://www.buildingbettergames.gg
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@BuildingBetterGames

Rob Wynne (Co-founder, Rising Tide Studios)

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/robwynnestudiofounder
Website: https://projectgreatwall.com
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@RisingTideOfficial

Clark Kosene (Narrative Lead)

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/clark-kosene-25745227
Website: https://kosenecreative.com
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@kosenecreative4589

Rising Tide Studios

Website: https://projectgreatwall.com
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@RisingTideOfficial

Get full uncut episodes & behind-the-scenes content:

https://www.patreon.com/buildingbettergames

E88: Why Eastern Game Dev Might Be The Future with Rob Wynne and Clark Kosene

Senaste avsnitt

E94: Why You Should Think About Publishing More In Game Dev with Elizabeth Howard

E93: The Collapse of the Games Industry with Trent Kusters

E92: 5 Principles Game Producers Need with 35-Year Industry Vet Steve Sargent

E91: How to Stop Compromising and Make the Studio You Actually Want with Critical Path Games

E90: The Engineering Talent Pipeline is Broken: Juniors, AI & the Future of Game Dev w/ Carly Taylor

E89: The Cost of Power: Leadership, Burnout & Survival in Game Dev with Melissa Phillips

E88: Why Eastern Game Dev Might Be The Future with Rob Wynne and Clark Kosene

E87: Toxic Culture in Game Development: The Real Metrics That Matter with Charlie Sull

E86: Why User Acquisition Isn't Just For Mobile Anymore with Matej Lančarič

E85: Why Your Game Vision Sucks (And Why You're Not Alone!) with Graham McAllister

E84: The Real Cost Of Founding A Game Startup with Joseph Kim

E83: 3 Steps To Leading Well In Game Development

E82: The Art & Science of Game Prototyping with Leif Johansen

E81: Why You Aren’t Ready for Where Game Dev Is Going with Leif Johansen

E80: How UGC Is Transforming The Games Industry with Bungie and Look North World Founder Alex Seropian

E79: Why AAA is Failing and How to Recover and Other Questions - Our First Q&A Episode!

E78: How to Lead Game Dev in Uncertain Times, with Omar Kendall

E77: How You Know Which Game To Make, with Omar Kendall

E76: How to Market Your Game with Chris and Joe from Ignition Facility

E75: Why It’s So Hard To Get Players To Play Your Game, with Joe and Chris from Ignition Facility

E74: How To Write Compelling NPCs For Space Marine 2 with Matthew Garcia-Dunn

E73: The Challenges Game Studios Face And Saying Goodbye with Aaron Smith

E72: How to Engage Players and Improve Retention through Flow with Kevin Scheepers

E71: How Baldur’s Gate 3’s Story And Cinematics Were Built with John O’brien and Greg Lidstone

E70: How to Move Faster With Flow in Game Dev with Kevin Scheepers

E69: How Product Thinking Can Help Your Game with John Cutler

E68: How to Create an Effective Game Vision with Graham McAllister

E67: The #1 Reason Game Dev Fails with Graham McAllister

E66: How to Optimize Game Development with Patric Palm, Founder of Favro

E65: How To Do Game Design During Ideation with Greg Street

E64: Why Estimation In Game Dev Is So Hard

E63: People, Products, And Playtests: Staying Connected To Your Players (Republish of Episode 1)

E62: What Leadership Skills Matter Most in Game Development?

EP61: How to Get Promoted in Game Dev

EP60: Breaking Down GDC 2024 - Upcoming Trends, Triumphs, and Tribulations

EP59: Should You Be a Servant Leader in Game Development?

EP58 Why Your Favorite Games Are Getting More Expensive to Make

EP57 Addressing the Real Issues of Today's Games Industry

E56 Solving Despair and Burnout in Game Development with Greg Street

E55 How to fix the Friction Between Creative Directors & Producers

E54 How to Design for Live Service Games w/ Head of League of Legends Andrei Van Roon

E53 How Often Should You Release in Game Dev with Josh Thaler

E52 How to do User Research in Game Dev with Steve Bromley

E51 How to Spot a Great Product Manager with Paul Gebel

E50 How to Launch a Live Service Game with Serge Knystautas

E49 How to Solve Communication Problems at Your Game Studio

E48 Why Agility in Game Dev Is Failing Your Team

E47 The 3 Skills You Need to be a World-Class Game Producer

E46 The 3 Ways Game Producers Fail and How YOU can Avoid Them

E45 How to Become an S-Tier Manager in Games

E44 How to Build Your Game Better in a Live Service World

E43 Why You're Struggling with Collaboration with Jim Benson

E42 Why You Should (And Shouldn't) Use Unreal, Unity, or Something Else for Game Dev with Jean-Eric Khalife

E41 How a Toxic Relationship Between Publishing and Game Dev is Hurting Us All with Joel McGinnis

E40 How to Make Tough Decisions Fast in Game Dev with Linda Fane

E39 How to Drive Real Change as a Game Producer with Leslee Sullivant

E38 How AI Can Help You Lead Game Dev with Bill Frischling

E37 How to Stop Cheaters in Video Games with Paul Chamberlain

E36 Work Systems: How to Build Process that Leads to Better Results

E35 How to Create a Reliable Game Roadmap: Managing Uncertainty, Risk, and Team Readiness

E34 Why You Need to Be Aware That Games Are Big Business (and What Can Go Wrong) with Susan Cummings and Ryan Scott

E33 How to be a Master of Web3 Gaming Debates: Susan Cummings & Ryan Scott Share Key Insights

E32 How to Convince The Leaders Above You to Support Your Change

E31 How to Keep an Open Mind During Difficult Times with Joseph Kim

E30 How to Estimate Accurately Without Burning Trust or Your Team

E29 Ideation, Pre-production, and Production: How to Lead During the Different Phases of Game Development

E28 How to Lead and Collaborate in a Remote World

E27 Remote Work Exposed: A Deep Dive into the Pros, Cons, and Controversies

E26 How to Build Trust as a Leader with Zach Blitz

E25 How to Build a Games Studio That Delivers the Promise of the "Dream Job" with Josiah Kiehl

E24 How to Get a Job in Game Development

E23 How to Handle Layoffs as a Leader with Sophie Vo Part 2: The Breakdown

E22 How to Handle Layoffs as a Leader with Sophie Vo Part 1: The Story

E21 How not to Lose Your Game Vision on the Altar of "Getting Shit Done"

E20 How to Get People on Board with Your Ideas: with Jeff Hackert

E19 BBG Extras: Tabletop RPGs vs Video Games with Tyler Kamstra of RPGBOT.net

E18 How to be a AAA Art Director in Game Dev with Tomáš Jech

E17 Should You Create a Video Game Startup? What Founders Need To Know with Joakim Achren