Manage episode 523737633 series 3677412
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Constantine on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/constantine-t-3931261aa/
What does a Project Manager in the game industry actually do? If you think it's just scheduling and emails, this conversation with Constantine from Wargaming will change your perspective.
We pull back the curtain on one of game dev's most vital yet misunderstood roles. Constantine breaks down how his job is really about unblocking talented people and holding the chaos at bay, managing communication, scope, and risk so that artists, programmers, and designers can do their best creative work.
In this discussion, we cover:
The core difference between a Project Manager and a Producer.
Why soft skills are the ultimate hard skills for managing creative teams.
Practical approaches to scope creep, conflict resolution, and risk management.
The underutilized superpower all teams should leverage their PM for.
The realities of player perception, market unpredictability, and project heartbreak.
00:00 - Intro
01:14 - Perception vs. Reality of the Job
03:38 - Producers vs. Project Managers
06:51 - The Importance of Communication
08:05 - Soft Skills as Hard Skills
12:58 - Knowing a Little About Everything
16:06 - Underutilized Role: Risk Management
19:07 - Managing Personalities & Conflict
22:02 - What to Expect from Team Leads
23:22 - Essential Tool: Mastering Jira
27:02 - Estimating New & Unknown Projects
29:22 - Dealing with Tech Team Bottlenecks
32:13 - Favorite Phase: Prototyping
35:21 - Player Perception & Market Realities
41:59 - Cancelled Projects & Industry Heartbreak
45:59 - Game Pricing & Market Adaptation
47:50 - Networking & How Hiring Really Works
49:48 - Where to Find Constantine & Outro
44 episodes