In the fast-paced world of video games, keeping up with the latest trends isn’t just part of the job—it’s what keeps the thrill alive. Today, we’re sitting down with Ben Granados of PUBLSH, a veteran whose love for gaming is matched only by his expertise in the field. Ben has seen the industry’s many transformations and has some insightful thoughts on where things are heading next. From the rise of AI in game development to savvy strategies for indie creators, Ben unpacks the complexities of the gaming world into something any game lover can get excited about. Join us as we step into the future of gaming through the eyes of someone who knows it best.
1. Do you still find time to game these days? If so, what’s your go-to game?
“Yes, absolutely, I couldn’t imagine a world without gaming! The go-to game is COD, but I tend to play a bunch of games across different platforms. Playing games is at the core of my being and our company. It is one of the pillars that makes us experts. Currently, I am playing Diablo 4 on PC, DoubleDown Casino, Golf Clash, and Grand Mountain 2 on mobile, and Split Fiction and Monster Hunter Wilds on PS5.”
2. If you could step into any video game world for just one day, which game would it be? And based on your experience, what would be your game plan or strategy to make it work and succeed in that world?
“I would want to step into the 1890’s western United States as a Native American Warrior. There is an underserved market here and tremendous stories still to tell about America’s History. The game plan on how this rolls out, and becomes commercially successful is a secret and special sauce.”
3. Ben, with the gaming industry always on the move, what trends are you excited about? How does PUBLSH plan to influence these upcoming changes?
“We are excited about audiences, how they adapt, change, shift, and evolve. How Gen Alpha is very different from Gen Z and each generation thereafter. We are excited about how Asia and the MENA regions are making profound moves to contribute to the global video game ecosystem. We are excited about the shift and the need for healthier, more balanced, and mutually successful relationships amongst investors, publishers, and developers. We are focused on making meaningful impacts that are still pro-business, but also not anti-creative. PUBLSH will stand at the intersection where investors and developers tackle the challenges of audience shifts, market fit, and product fit. Our focus is to help the future of publishing be less focused on raising capital and more about delivering on thought leadership and building audiences.”
4. Indie developers often have tight budgets. From your experience, what are some smart, cost-effective ways they can stand out and attract players without massive advertising spending? What advice would you offer indie developers or small studios struggling to position their game in an overcrowded marketplace?
“The most cost-effective way for an indie to stand out is to make sure they are not standing in. Rather, solve for what it is about your product that made you decide to make it in the first place. Not enough energy and time is invested in how to distill down the ‘fun’ or the ‘amazing’ thing about their game. It feels like most Indies advertise for the sake of checking a box, rather than having exceptionally strong conviction around who their audience is and why they built the game they are building. When thinking about positioning your game, make sure that it doesn’t sound like any other game. In other words, after you go through the positioning exercise, be certain you can just put your competitor’s name in there and that it works just as well. Positioning often takes on a very generic form, but you truly need something as bespoke as hopefully the game you are making. If you are not able to find the ‘uniqueness,’ perhaps you should look at the product some more. It may be just iteration on something that worked previously, versus something that is truly unique and ownable.”
5. When it comes to finding the right audience, what strategies would you recommend to help indie developers test and confirm they’re targeting the right players?
“There are so many different strategies to deploy when it comes to finding the right audience – early access, UA, early testing, performance marketing. The challenge is that so much of this is already downstream rather than upstream. The real question before you even get to trying to ‘find the right audience’ is, what do gamers want? Identify a need in the marketplace, where it is being underserved. If you are trying to ‘find’ your audience AFTER your product is already in motion, it’s usually too late. Think more upstream and early wherever you can. If you are trying to find an audience later, oftentimes it is about creating an audience rather than simply trying to grab onto an existing audience.”
6. You’ve talked about focusing on collective efforts and a ‘fractional’ future at PUBLSH. Can you unpack what ‘fractional’ means here and why it’s important?
Fractional for us means flexibility. The ability to own or not own certain parts of the process, the revenue, the IP, etc. We wanted to create the most flexible way to partner so that it meets the needs of all developers and what they need more support or less support in.
7. What kind of challenges do your clients face, and how does PUBLSH help smooth out these issues for better outcomes?
“Our clients face the same uncertainty all developers face – the industry is shifting, and trying to stay in front of those shifts remains paramount. Some of those challenges are financial; other challenges revolve around consumption behaviors by all audiences around the globe. Our focus remains on audiences, consumers, how to locate them, and how to speak to them. The greater you know who your true audience is, how your product fits into the market, and how to act on those insights, the greater predictability you will have.”
8. Your team includes Wendy Hsu, Sam Clarke, and Tasha Kim, who’ve all worked together before. How does this history improve how you operate today?
“Wendy, Sam, and myself have worked together for the better part of 15 years. We have seen a lot in this industry over that time and have had the privilege of working on some of the biggest video game IPs in the world. This team has also worked on over 2000 games together, ranging from PC to console and mobile across the globe. There is an unlimited amount of market and product expertise to tap into. Tasha has been with us for about two years and comes with a decade of experience working with platforms, developers, and publishers, which is a perfect complement to our core.”
9. Looking to build several strategic partnerships by 2025, what makes a perfect partner for PUBLSH, and what goals do you have for these relationships?
“A perfect partnership is one in which we are an extension of their team, part of their family, and share in their passion for their product. The goals are aligned around delivering an exceptional product, one that the market desires and one that will bring new experiences to global audiences.”
10. With GDC 2025 having just concluded, could you share some insights on PUBLSH’s participation? What were the main focuses and outcomes for your team at the conference?
“The key takeaway was there is still hope for the industry, but hope is not a strategy. Thought leadership and expertise around market fit still remains in extremely high demand, and investors are looking for this level of intelligence to be brought to the table when trying to invest wisely. We are here to help derisk investment and provide the guidance necessary to not make bets but to form strategic relationships between investors and developers.”
Big thanks to Ben Granados for sharing his insights with us today!
Interested in connecting with Ben? You can reach him via LinkedIn or contact him and his team directly at PUBLSH for more information.
Written by Ronny Fiksdahl, Founder & Editor of Fix Gaming Channel.
