Podcasts › Tech for Non-Techies
298. Inside the gaming industry: what every business leader should know
What's in this episode
The gaming industry generates more revenue than music and film combined. It is the birthplace of innovations now used across entertainment, advertising, and AI. It is a fantastic sector for non-technical founders to flourish. And most business leaders know almost nothing about it. In this episode, Sophia Matveeva speaks with Jen Glennon, editor at Polygon, one of the leading publications covering the games industry, for an accessible and surprising introduction to a sector that is reshaping technology and culture. Listen to learn: How gaming became the world's largest entertainment sector, with projected revenues of $564 billion in 2026 Why Fortnite makes $6 billion a year from a free game — and what that model means for every business thinking about digital monetisation Why Mark Zuckerberg's metaverse missed what gaming had already built —— and why that's a lesson in understanding markets before you enter them What the Hollywood studio model tells us about how gaming companies are built, funded, and acquired Timestamps: 00:00 - Introduction: The high-risk, high-reward nature of gaming 02:52 - Why the gaming industry is so huge 04:45 - Who actually plays games? Demographics reveale