Amazing depth but very accessible. Highly recommended

Great podcast

Always insightful whether talking about the past or current industry conditions. A must listen for anyone in the business of games.

In Season 1, Episode 06 of Gamecraft ("Console Castles”, around minute 29:36-30:30), Mitch Lasky talks about a false story of Satoru Iwata punching someone at an investor meeting as if it actually happened. (More info about this is shared in a Medium article titled “Satoru Iwata NEVER Punched a Man at an Investor Meeting.”) I emailed Mitch and Blake to politely point out this inaccuracy and to ask them to please consider uploading a new audio file for Season 1, Episode 06 that does not include the false Iwata story. I also asked them to please consider removing the "Iwata chooses violence" link from the episode's show notes. Mitch sent me two email replies. In one of them, he wrote: "I am a busy man and I am not going to honor your request. I have my own issues with Iwata whom I dealt with personally and I don’t share your belief in his sainthood. I have disavowed this story publicly and that’s the end of it.” One's opinion of Iwata is not relevant to the fact that a false story about him was propagated on the Gamecraft Podcast. Also, I never claimed that Iwata was a saint and I have not found any evidence of Mitch publicly disavowing the false Iwata story. It's possible that Mitch did publicly disavow the false Iwata story in the joint Acquired/Gamecraft podcast episode, but that portion of the conversation was cut from the public version of the podcast (this is just speculation). Since Gamecraft presents itself as an authoritative source of information on the video game industry, it should be held to a high standard of accuracy. Gamecraft cannot be trusted as a reliable source of information because the co-hosts have demonstrated an unwillingness to take a few minutes to remove an egregious factual error from one of their episodes. Out of respect for the late Satoru Iwata (and accuracy), I hope that one of the co-hosts of Gamecraft chooses to upload a new audio file of Season 1, Episode 06 that does not include the false Iwata story. I also hope that they remove the misleading "Iwata chooses violence" link from the episode's show notes. These corrections would help prevent future Gamecraft listeners from being misled to believe a false and defamatory story about Satoru Iwata. If these corrections are made, I will gladly update my review and change my rating to 5 stars.

As a software exec and passionate gamer, I am annoyed by how much I love this podcast. Mitch’s fascinating perspective and Blake’s organic back-and-forth is fantastic. Now I’ve listened through Season 2 and have no more episodes to look forward to, so minus 1 star for that. For that reason I can only give it 5 stars.

As a casual gamer who grew up in the N64 and game boy era, have very much enjoyed getting a peak behind the curtain of the business of video games. Mitch’s stories of the industry + key moments in its history (John Carmack, Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater, Madden) are enjoyable and fun to listen to. Not to mention learning about games I’ve never heard of or some of the unique innovations they’ve fostered. Definitely sent this podcast to a friend running an Indie game publisher out of Colorado. Have binged both seasons as soon as they came out + am already hoping to see a third.

One of my favorite shows. Mitch provides context and learnings that you’ll hear nowhere else. Really like Blake’s take on where trends are moving.

Excited for Season 2! Unexpected surprise today

Checked out this podcast at Phil Spencer’s recommendation. Despite being an avid gamer in high school some 15 years ago, I knew very little about the actual video games business. Enter Gamecraft with its engaging discussions peppered with amusing historical anecdotes that together provide an excellent overview of how the once nascent video games industry grew into the behemoth it is today (and where it may go from here). As a consumer PE investor (i.e., non-tech background), I especially appreciated the technical explanations of the various business models the games industry has favored over the years. Gamecraft is highly recommended for prospective VC investors or any video games enthusiasts interested in learning about the business side.

this podcast is amazing, Mitch has a way with words and Blake is a great foil to balance out the pods structure. as a technologist, entrepreneur, and avid gamer, i feel like i learned so much from this that i can apply to future ventures. i would absolutely love a bonus episode or season 2!

Amazing podcast for anyone interested in the history of game development. Provided a whole new level of insight, first for the nostalgic games of my childhood, and then for the game dev industry where I’ve spent my career over the past 15 years. The series is nicely organized, and the hosts are consistently well prepared. Couldn’t ask for anything more. Beyond a second season ;) Season 1 was a highly effective overview. My half-baked suggestion for season 2 would be to do deeper-dive case studies featuring guest interviews.

Would welcome a bonus episode or two - perhaps deep dives into cohorts of game publishers that didn’t get a ton of air time (including indies). Thanks for the hours of content.

Looking forward to more content!

so good, please do more episodes. maybe even one where mitch just tells more crazy stories

TOP 5 Favorite Podcast Show

Great podcast and insights, 10/10 would listen to more seasons

A thoughtful, kaleidoscopic journey through the business innovations and historical moments that define gaming today.

Loving every episode so far.