Contributors
Meet the game gurus, strategists and monetization veterans who contribute valuable content to Game Biz Institute.
Meet the Xsolla team
The people behind Xsolla's game business expertise
Maksim Sazonov
Director of Product Analytics, Xsolla
Senior Analytics Leader with over 10 years of experience driving business growth through data strategy and advanced analytics, having built teams of up to 21 people and delivered over $2M in incremental revenue across fintech, travel, and e-commerce.
-512x512.webp)
Andy Jennings
Head of Growth Marketing, Xsolla Ads & Rewards
Head of Growth Marketing for Xsolla Ads & Rewards, and a mobile growth marketing leader with over a decade of experience driving user acquisition and performance marketing for games and mobile apps.
%201-382x382.webp)
Loon Cheah
Senior Business Development Manager, Payments, Xsolla
A results-oriented Business Development Manager with 8+ years of cross-industry experience across FinTech and Telecommunications. I focus on identifying high-value growth opportunities, both in untapped markets and within existing client relationships, and turning them into sustainable business outcomes.
-512x512.webp)
Yueran Wei
Director of Business Operations and Strategy, Xsolla
Consumer & Creator Marketing Leader with 11+ years across gaming and PC/consumer technology in Greater China, turning products into stories, communities, and measurable growth.
-512x512.webp)
John Park
Head of Business Development, APAC, Xsolla
Someone who knows how to manage multiple stakeholders’ interests and to deliver tangible results without losing sight of the overall objectives and goals.
Elena Svergunenko
UX Research Director, Xsolla
CX/UX leader with 8+ years of expertise across digital products, shaping strategy through a deep understanding of game studios, publishers, and players to drive business growth.
Chris Hewish
President, Xsolla
Author of Durable Advantage: Five Pillars of the Modern Game Business, and a trusted game and technology executive with operational and strategic leadership experience at Activision, DreamWorks, and Xsolla.
-1-400x400-400x400.webp)
Derrick Stembridge
Vice President of Global Public Relations, Xsolla
Leading global strategy for communications and media relations, and telling the story of how Xsolla helps developers launch, grow, and monetize their games.
-2-1920x1920.webp)
Mark Caplan
Global IP licensing advisor, Xsolla Agency
Entertainment and licensing executive with 30+ years building global consumer products, gaming, and licensing businesses for major film, television, and sports entertainment properties.
Learn how Xsolla’s video game monetization experts can help accelerate your business. Xsolla is a global video game commerce company with a robust set of tools and services designed specifically for the game industry
By submitting this form, you consent to receive the digital guide.You can unsubscribe at any time. For more information, please read our Privacy Policy.
Industry experts
Game business leaders and specialists who contribute to GBI
Stuart Muckley
Co-founder, Code Wizards Group
Engineer, videogames and esports veteran, and co-founder of Code Wizards Group who spent decades helping studios launch, scale, and keep players engaged during high-pressure moments. Once a hands-on coder, he now focuses on untangling tough technical problems, sharing lessons learned, and asking hard questions early, before they turn into expensive ones.
Emilien Eychenne
Chief Growth Officer & Co-Founder, Adikteev
Co-founder of Adikteev, an adtech company he built with a high school friend from a gamification platform in 2012 into a business generating $250M+ in revenue. Under his leadership, Adikteev expanded into performance marketing and ROAS campaigns, opened offices in the US and APAC, and grew into a leading player in app retargeting with a recent expansion into CTV advertising.
-808x789.webp)
Brian Crecente
Editorial consultant to the video game industry
Founder of Kotaku, co-founder of Polygon, former games editor at Rolling Stone and Variety, and founder of Pad & Pixel, an editorial consultancy serving the video game industry. He writes the Substack newsletter Game.
%201-1527x1527.webp)
Shawn Layden
Former Chairman of SIE PlayStation Worldwide Studios, Game Industry Strategic Advisor
Shawn Layden is a games industry veteran who spent more than 30 years at Sony, holding leadership roles across PlayStation in North America, Japan, and Europe before serving as Chairman of Worldwide Studios. He now works as an independent advisor, helping companies navigate the evolving global games and entertainment technology businesses.
-501x501.webp)
Eliza Chrichton-Stuart
Head of Operations, GAM3S.GG
Head of Operations at GAMES.GG, a platform building discovery infrastructure across a fragmented gaming ecosystem.
-500x500.webp)
Richard Bartle
Game Design Professor, University of Essex
Co-creator, MUD1. Author of the first book about virtual world design "Designing Virtual Worlds", New Riders, 2003. Independent consultant, Emeritus Professor of Game Design.
Machaiah Kalengada
Program Director, GDAI
Program Director at Game Developer Association of India, the national industry body representing India's game development ecosystem.
-800x800.webp)
Shawn Fischtein
Co-founder and CEO, Gaggle Studios
CEO at Gaggle Studios, the creative force behind the hit multiplayer social deduction game, Goose Goose Duck.
Elizaveta Savenkova
Chief Business Development Officer, ZiMAD
CBDO at ZiMAD, mobile games developer and publisher, leading global business development, managing partnerships with industry giants and driving long-term growth initiatives.
Are you a game industry expert with insights that inform? Help us grow Game Business Institute and earn revenue for contributions that have direct impact.
Game Biz Institute
The game industry's most extensive library of business insights.
© 2006 — 2026 Xsolla (USA), Inc.
