Up, Down, and Back Up. How the Experience of Gaming Companies Teaches to Overcome Crises

Kim Nordström is a practitioner with over twenty years of experience in the industry: he has witnessed the ups and downs from the inside, working at Paradox Interactive and King (including positions as Vice President and General Manager).

To understand how companies achieve success, the author not only compiled all his experience into this book but also spoke with over a hundred founders, CEOs, and top executives, finding interesting patterns. What helps studios grow? What destroys culture and management? Which decisions truly pull a company out of decline?
«Up, Down, Up» is a handbook for anyone who wants to view the gaming industry as a business.

The experiences of companies such as Valve, DICE, Rovio, Starbreeze, Blizzard, EA, and many others will help you learn:
– How to choose managers and negotiate roles, responsibilities, and decision-making (down to specific models of delegation).
– How to recognize and prevent decline: a clear look at the facts, the right changes, and relying on the company’s strengths.
– How to prepare for growth in advance: when to hire people, how to establish communication, and why organizational structure defines the product.

«This book offers a behind-the-scenes look at legendary gaming companies. Based on dozens of interviews with industry leaders, Kim shows which decisions helped studios grow and which led to crises and downturns. This is an honest analytical review for those who want to understand the stages of development that gaming companies go through, what challenges they face, and how successful founders address them. The book will be especially useful for studio founders, executives, and anyone interested in the inner workings of the gaming industry»