How To Start Strong As A New Video Game Leader

New role, new studio, real stakes. We explore how to make your first 90 days as a game leader count, drawing on Michael Watkins’ proven framework and years of hard-won lessons from creative, technical, and production floors. From the first one-on-ones to the first visible win, we walk through a practical playbook for earning trust, reducing risk, and setting a durable pace.

We start with the discovery mindset: listening across departments, spotting patterns in pain points, and reading culture as carefully as code. Then we move into accelerated learning—getting fluent in pipelines, tools, and sprint habits while finding the quiet influencers who shape how work really gets done. You’ll hear how to build a focused 30-day learning agenda, summarize insights each week, and turn observation into clear next steps without breaking momentum.

Context matters, so we unpack the STARS model—Startup, Turnaround, Accelerated Growth, Realignment, Sustaining Success—and show how each situation demands a different tempo and tone. We share how to diagnose your environment in two weeks, align your 90-day plan, and communicate your read to senior leadership to stop effort from leaking into mismatched priorities. From there, we dig into early wins: choosing visible, solvable targets like review flow fixes, clearer sprint goals, or cross-discipline syncs that raise morale and output. We also map the relationships that become your safety net—executives, department heads, senior ICs, and unsung heroes like QA leads—so trust compounds through small promises kept.

To keep progress alive, we outline alignment rituals and a one-page vision with priorities, success metrics, and non-negotiables. We highlight the habits that build culture—modeling transparency, elevating rising leaders, and celebrating collaboration over heroics—and we close with a quarterly cadence to review outcomes, reset 30-60-90 plans, and keep learning. If you’re stepping into a new leadership role in the video game industry, this guide helps you start strong, navigate complexity, and turn the first three months into a foundation for lasting impact.

If this resonated, follow the show, share it with a teammate who’s leveling up, and leave a quick review so more game leaders can find it.

Chapters

• 0:00 Welcome And Episode Focus
• 1:31 Why The First 90 Days Matter
• 2:32 Discovery Mindset And Listening First
• 4:23 Week One Tactics And Humility
• 5:43 Accelerate Learning: Tech And Culture
• 7:28 First 30 Days Learning Plan
• 8:39 Matching Strategy With STARS
• 10:44 Securing Visible Early Wins
• 12:25 Building Alliances And Trust
• 14:23 Alignment, Vision, And Expectations

Transcript

SPEAKER_00: 0:38

Hey there, Press Starters, and welcome to the Press Start Leadership Podcast, the podcast about game-changing leadership, teaching you how to get the most out of your product and development team and become the leader you were meant to be. Leadership coaching and training for the international game industry professional. Now, let me introduce you to your host, The Man, the Myth, the Legend, Christopher Mifstude.

SPEAKER_01: 1:07

Hey there, Press Starters, and welcome back to another awesome edition of the Press Start Leadership Podcast. On today's episode, we'll be discussing the first 90 days as a leader in the video game industry, how to start strong and succeed. Apply the proven principles from Michael Watkins The First 90 Days to Game Studio Leadership. Learn how to build trust, gain traction, and deliver results. The leadership transition that defines your future. Whenever I take on a new leadership role in the video game industry, whether it's a promotion with a familiar studio or stepping into a completely new company, I always return to one book, Michael D. Watkins The First 90 Days. Over the years, this book has become my compass for navigating the critical first three months of any leadership transition. Watkins' core principle is simple, but profound. The actions you take in your first 90 days can determine your success or failure in the months and years that follow. Those first few weeks are about more than learning the job. They are about setting the tone, earning trust, and creating momentum. In game development, where culture, creativity, and production pressures intertwine, these 90 days are even more pivotal. Studios are living organisms, full of passion, egos, artistry, and deadlines. Leading a studio or team means balancing the visionary with the practical, guiding people through both excitement and exhaustion. Over time, I have adapted the lessons from the first 90 days that fit the unique realities of our industry. What follows is how I apply Watkins' framework when I step into a new leadership role at a video game studio, along with actual steps any leader can use to make their transition smooth, strategic, and impactful. Understanding the leadership transition. The first 90 days of leadership are full of adrenaline and ambiguity. You are eager to make an impact, but aware that every word, decision, and silence is being watched. Watkins describes this as a transition trap, where new leaders either rush into decisions or hesitate too long, both of which can erode credibility. In the game industry, this trap can be especially dangerous. Creative environments thrive on trust, and the wrong early moves can unintentionally alienate team members or disrupt momentum. When I take on a new role, I resist the urge to act immediately. Instead, I start by listening. Really listening. I treat those first weeks as a discovery phase. My goal is to understand three things. The people. Who holds influence? Who feels unheard? Who is burned out or disengaged? The product. What is the true state of the project beyond the presentations and spreadsheets? The culture. How do decisions actually get made? What are the unwritten rules of this studio? By understanding these layers, I can begin to see where I can contribute the most value. Actual steps for week one. Hold introductory one-on-ones. Schedule short conversations with key team members across departments. Ask what is working, what is not, and what they wish leadership understood. Listen before leaving. Take notes, resist the temptation to fix things immediately. Early observation is a form of strategy. Identify quick insights. Write down recurring themes you hear across conversations. These patterns will shape your next moves. Study the culture. Watch how meetings unfold. Notice who speaks up, who hesitates, and how people respond to feedback. The first step to leadership success is humility. You cannot lead what you do not yet understand. Accelerate your learning. Watkins emphasizes one critical idea. New leaders must learn before they can lead. The faster you understand your environment, the faster you can make meaningful impact. In a video game studio, learning happens on two levels, the technical and the cultural. You must learn how the work is done and how the people doing the work operate. Learn the technical environment. Every studio has its own DNA. Pipelines, tools, workflows, production rhythms differ wildly between projects. A studio using Unreal Engine for a narrative-driven RPG operates differently than one producing a mobile live service title. I spend my first two weeks diving into the technical and production side. I review documents, attend sprint meetings, and watch how information flows from leads to producers to developers. I learn the language of the team before trying to speak it. Learn the cultural environment. Just as important as understanding this tech is understanding the culture base. The informal system of habits, communication patterns, and unspoken values that guide behavior. In every studio I have joined, there were people who quietly shape the culture without holding senior titles. Identifying and connecting with these individuals early is invaluable. They are often your most honest sources of information and your first allies. Actionable steps for the first 30 days. Create a learning agenda. Identify what you need to know about the project, the team, and the studio. Interview key players. Schedule learning sessions not just with direct reports, but also with adjacent teams. Ask why often. Learn the reasoning behind existing processes before proposing improvements. Summarize weekly learnings. At the end of each week, reflect on what you discovered and how it shapes your understanding. Accelerated learning builds credibility. Shows your curiosity, respect, and commitment to the team's success. Match strategy the situation. One of Watkins' most powerful frameworks is the STARS model, which categories leadership transition into five types. Startup. You are building something new from the ground up. A new studio, IP, or project. Your focus must be on vision, structure, and assembling the right team. Startups require optimism, clarity, and resilience. Turnaround. You have entered a troubled studio or project that needs revitalization. Maybe morale is low, milestones are slipping, or leadership has lost trust. In this situation, your first job is to stabilize and rebuild confidence. Accelerated growth. The studio or project is expanding quickly, scaling from small to large. Leadership here is about building systems that can grow without breaking creativity. Realignment. The studio or project is functional but drifting. Alignment between creative direction and execution has weakened. You must reestablish clarity and purpose. Sustaining success. Everything is going well, which can be deceptively dangerous. Complacency sets in easily here. Your job is to keep innovation alive and ensure continued growth. Actual steps that match strategy of the situation. 1. Diagnose early. Determine which star's category fits your situation within the first two weeks. 2. Adjust expectations. Understand that a turnaround and a startup require different energy, tone, and speed. 3. Tailor your goals. Align your first 90-day plan with your star's diagnosis. 4. Communicate your assessment. Share your perspective with senior leadership to ensure everyone sees the same picture. Knowing the type of situation you are in prevents wasted effort and mismatched strategies. Secure early wins. Lockett's advice to secure early wins resonates deeply in the game industry. The right early success sets the tone for your leadership. It builds credibility and shows that change can bring value. The trick is choosing the right kind of wins. In creative environments, symbolic wins can matter as much as practical ones. Improving meeting efficiency or resolving a production pain point might not seem glamorous, but it demonstrates awareness and action. When I enter a new leadership position, I identify two to three opportunities for early wins. They are usually issues that are visible, solvable, and meaningful to the team. For example, simplifying a review process, improving communication between departments, or clarifying sprint goals. Actionable steps for early wins. Identify pain points. Ask the team what frustrates you the most about our current process. Pick achievable targets. Choose wins that can be completed within 60 days. Deliver visibly. Communicate progress openly so the team feels the impact. Celebrate as a team. Recognize contributions publicly to reinforce trust and shared success. Early wins are not about ego. They are about proving your commitment to making things better. Build alliances and trust. Leadership is not a solo mission. Watkins emphasizes the importance of building alliances early. In game development, this means more than forming partnerships with executives. It is about connecting with creative, technical, and operational leaders across the studio. Whenever I join a new studio, I create a relationship map. It helps me identify who I need to build trust with, both vertically and horizontally. These include department heads, project leads, senior developers, and sometimes unsung heroes like QA leads or office managers who keep the studio running smoothly. Trust is built through consistency and listening. People respect leaders who follow through on promises, seek understanding before judgment, and communicate transparently. Actual steps for building alliances. Map your key relationships. Identify 10-12 individuals whose support will be essential. Schedule intentional check-ins. Do not rely on hallway conversations. Make time for real dialogue. Deliver small commitments. Follow through quickly on what you promise, even if minor. Acknowledge expertise. Let others teach you. It earns respect faster than asserting authority. Alliances are your leadership safety net. When challenges arise, and they always do, these relationships become your foundation. Achieve alignment and manage expectations. In the first 90 days, Watkins reminds us that misalignment kills momentum faster than failure. In a video game studio, this is especially true. Miscommunication between creative, technical, and production teams is one of the most common sources of conflict. Early in my transitions, I prioritize aligning everyone around shared goals. I make sure my understanding of success matches that of the executive team and the department leads. If these perspectives differ, the result is confusion and frustration. Alignment requires clarity of direction, open dialogue, and continuous reinforcement. You cannot communicate your vision once and expect it to stick. It must be repeated, refined, and reinforced until it becomes second nature. Actionable steps for achieving alignment. Create a shared vision document. Summarize priorities, goals, and success metrics in one page. Set regular alignment meetings. Keep communication flowing across leadership layers. Ask for feedback. Encourage open discussion if something feels unclear or inconsistent. Reiterate often. Vision fades without repetition. Keep reminding your team what you are all building together. Alignment turns chaos into collaboration. It transforms a group of talented individuals into a unified team. Build your leadership team and culture. Watkins notes that building your leadership team early is essential. In the game industry, this means identifying and empowering the people who will help you carry your vision forward. When I take on a new leadership role, I look for the quiet influencers, people who keep others grounded, who are respected but may not seek attention. These individuals often embody the studio's best values and can help shape its future culture. Leadership culture forms from your daily actions, not your mission statements. People watch how you handle setbacks, how you give credit, and how you respond to pressure. Cultural starts with consistency. Actionable steps to build culture and team strength. Identify rising leaders. Notice who others naturally turn to for help or advice. Delegate purposefully. Empower others to make decisions with clear boundaries. Model transparency. Share both successes and challenges openly. Celebrate collaboration. Recognize team-oriented behavior, not just individual achievements. Your leadership culture becomes your legacy. Build it intentionally. Sustain momentum beyond the first 90 days. The first 90 days sets the tone, but true success is measured over the long term. Watkins encourages leaders to use the 90-day mark not as an ending, but as the beginning of a sustainable rhythm. Once you've earned trust, aligned your strategy, and delivered early wins, it is time to maintain and build upon that foundation. I treat every quarter as a new 90-day chapter. At the end of each period, I reflect on what has been achieved, what needs adjustment, and what I can learn moving forward. Actionable steps to sustain progress. Conduct quarterly reviews. Evaluate progress, morale, and alignment with senior leaders. Reset goals. Build new 30, 60, 90 day plans based on evolving needs. Maintain learning habits. Keep listening and adapting as the studio grows. Reinvest in relationships. Check in regularly with key stakeholders to keep trust strong. Leadership is not a sprint, it is a series of deliberate steps taken consistently over time. Final thoughts. Leading with intention. The first 90 days taught me that leadership success is not accidental. It is the result of intentional actions taken early and often. Every new leadership role, whether a promotion or a new studio challenge, is a chance to learn, grow, and shape something lasting. When you step into that new office or join that first leadership meeting, remember that your first 90 days will define your trajectory. Focus on listening, learning, aligning, and delivering meaningful wins. Approach each day with curiosity, humility, and purpose. Your actions in those first three months will echo through your entire tenure. And when your next transition comes, return to the basics, review the lessons, and begin again. Stronger, wiser, and ready to lead. Alright, and that's this week's episode of the Press Start Leadership Podcast. Thanks for listening, and as always, thanks for being awesome.