How did a small indie studio compete with Fortnite for the largest Discord server in gaming?
Seth Sivak, former founder and CEO of Proletariat, joins Eden Chen (CEO of Pragma) and Kevin Zhang (Partner at Upfront Ventures) to share the rollercoaster journey of his game studio. From humble beginnings at Zynga to building one of gaming's largest Discord communities with Spellbreak, Seth reveals how persistence and experimental marketing kept his studio alive through multiple near-death experiences. How did timing, luck, and adaptability factor in? Seth candidly discusses the challenging fundraising landscape and the factors that ultimately led to Proletariat's acquisition by Blizzard.
Need inside information on how a game studio survives? Seth details Proletariat's evolution from mobile games to Battle Royale, including partnerships with Amazon/Twitch and Epic Games. From business model decisions, marketing strategies, and the constant pressure of operating with less than two months of runway for years, Seth offers hard-earned wisdom for gaming entrepreneurs. His advice: invest in the right team and remember that cutting through the noise requires extraordinary effort.
Seth Sivak was most recently VP of Development on World of Warcraft at Blizzard Entertainment. Previously, he was the co-founder and CEO of Proletariat Inc, which was acquired in 2022 by Activision Blizzard. His background is in engineering, product, and design.
Discussion points:
(00:00) Seth's viral Discord community - Building one of gaming's largest Discord servers rivaling Fortnite
(07:09) From engineer to game designer - Seth's journey from mechanical engineering to Zynga and the founding of Proletariat
(13:49) Bootstrapping the studio - Shipping two mobile games and raising $2.5M amid the mobile gaming boom of 2013
(21:00) World Domination - Creating an Apple Editor's Choice game, building community through Twitch streaming, and inside funding round
(26:14) Survival mode - Streamline's partnership with Amazon/Twitch, facing near-shutdown, and pivoting in a frozen fundraising landscape
(32:31) Viral marketing experiments - Finding unconventional channels, creating exclusivity, and the power of "just gameplay" trailers
(35:35) Spellbreak lessons - Why the free-to-play model was wrong, cross-platform challenges during COVID, and missed fundraising opportunities
(41:30) Exit strategy - The decision to sell to Blizzard, the challenges of staying independent after 10 years, and managing a stressful runway
(48:49) Lightning round - Call of Duty campaign, dream IPs, productivity hacks, and critical advice for game founders
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The Gaming Founders Podcast is brought to you by Eden Chen, CEO of Pragma, and Kevin Zhang, Partner at Upfront Ventures.
Pragma is a venture-backed backend game engine founded by the engineering leaders who built the platforms for some of the largest live service games including League of Legends, Fortnight, Destiny 2, and Plants vs. Zombies 2. Pragma powers services like accounts, matchmaking and player data for the world’s most ambitious live service games. Eden Chen is a serial entrepreneur and co-founder of Pragma, Fishermen Labs and Lightmark Capital, and started his career in investment banking at Citigroup and Lehman Brothers.
Founded in 1996 in Los Angeles with investing professionals based in LA and SF, Upfront Ventures has backed startup teams across all technology sectors, with about half in Southern California, and the rest across the US and Europe. Kevin Zhang is an avid gamer and former neurobiology researcher who leads gaming and healthcare investments at Upfront Ventures, including Pragma.
Resources:
Seth Sivak LInkedIn
Seth Sivak Website
Seth Sivak Substack
Gaming Founders Podcast
Eden Chen LinkedIn
Kevin Zhang LinkedIn
FirstLook.gg
Upfront Ventures
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