From Passion to Palia: Unraveling the Gaming Industry with Aidan Karabaich of Singularity 6

From Passion to Palia: Unraveling the Gaming Industry with Aidan Karabaich of Singularity 6

Author: Eden Chen and Kevin Zhang July 12, 2023 Duration: 52:42
The Gaming Founders Podcast
BusinessEntrepreneurship

The Gaming Founders Podcast Episode 10: From Passion to Palia: Unraveling the Gaming Industry with Aidan Karabaich of Singularity 6

In this episode, Eden and Kevin speak with Aidan Karabaich, co-founder and Chief Creative Officer of Singularity 6, as he shares his journey in the gaming industry. From an early passion for video games (playing Pac-Man and never being able to beat his grandmother) and experiences at the Florida Interactive Entertainment Academy to his pivotal role in Riot Games' Research & Development department, Aidan provides inspiring insights into game development and design. The conversation also delves into his collaboration with Anthony Leung on their new venture, discussing their unique hiring strategy, focus on team diversity, and the decision-making process for design.

Discussion points:

  • Background and introduction - Aidan Karabaich
  • Aidan’s experiences at the Florida Interactive Entertainment Academy
  • Discussing project cancellations and career pivots in gaming
  • Tenure at Riot Games and its impact
  • Playtesting in game development
  • The concept of 'hygge' (Danish for comfort and coziness) in the Community Sim space
  • Karabaich and Anthony Leung's journey starting the company
  • Hiring strategy and the emphasis on team diversity
  • The use of critical thinking interviews to assess design talent
  • Discussing the challenges and validation processes in game development
  • The decision-making process for design
  • The role and importance of intuition in the gaming industry
  • Discussion on the challenges of founding a gaming startup
  • Don’t try to do it all, or be a hero, as a founder - it’s a marathon not a sprint
  • The anticipation and preparation leading up to launch

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, Fortnite, 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.

-- Aidan Karabaich LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/aidankarabaich

-- Singularity 6: https://www.singularity6.com/about

-- Gaming Founders Podcast: pragma.gg/gamingfounders

-- Eden Chen LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/edechen

-- Kevin Zhang LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/kevinyzhang

-- Upfront Ventures: www.upfront.com

-- Pragma: pragma.gg


Behind every game you love, there's a story of how it almost didn't happen. The Gaming Founders Podcast pulls back the curtain on those pivotal moments, moving past the polished headlines to the real decisions and struggles that define a company's path. Hosts Eden Chen, a CEO building developer tools, and Kevin Zhang, a venture capitalist, bring a dual perspective to their conversations. They sit down with the people who actually built the studios, platforms, and technologies shaping play, focusing not on gossip but on the tangible lessons from the trenches. In each episode, you'll get an unfiltered look at the origin stories, the specific tactics that helped companies navigate crises, and the hard-won insights about team building, funding, and creative survival. This isn't just a series of interviews; it's a masterclass in building something that lasts within the volatile and thrilling world of games. Whether you're an aspiring entrepreneur, a developer with a side project, or simply fascinated by the business of creativity, this podcast offers a rare, grounded look at the resilience and strategy required to make it. Tune in for honest dialogue that cuts through the hype, providing a real-world education from those who have already played the game.
Author: Language: English Episodes: 19

Official website RSS
spotify
The Gaming Founders Podcast
Podcast Episodes
Fireside Chat with Mike Seavers at the Online Services Summit [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:11:44
What happens when your game studio scales from 300 to 5,000 people in record time?Mike Seavers, SVP of Technology at Scopely and veteran technical leader from Riot Games and Epic Games, joins hosts Eden Chen (CEO, Pragma…
From Struggling Startup to Gaming Giant: Bing Gordon's EA Odyssey [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:34:49
Today Bing Gordon, co-founder of Electronic Arts, joins hosts Eden Chen and Kevin Zhang to share his remarkable journey from a sports-obsessed kid in suburban Detroit to pioneering the modern gaming industry. Gordon deta…
Pivoting To Survive: Stan Vishnevskiy's Journey on Founding Discord [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:00:32
What desperate "Hail Mary" move saved Discord when it was about to fail? (Exclusive interview with rarely-interviewed co-founder)Discord almost died at launch. Then a desperate Reddit post changed everything. In this rar…
The Twitch Tactics: Kevin Lin's Streaming Journey [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:21:37
What strategic pivots and challenges did Kevin Lin face in transforming Justin.tv into Twitch, a platform that forever changed gaming and live streaming?Eden and Kevin welcome Kevin Lin, the co-founder of Twitch, to delv…
Stirling Rank's Rise with Ready or Not [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:02:49
In this episode, Eden and Kevin speak with Stirling Rank, COO and co-founder of Void Interactive. Stirling had an unconventional journey from high school filmmaking to creating the indie game hit Ready or Not. In the dis…

12»