#58 – Charlotte Cook: Why the Games Industry Is Playing It Safe (Ex-Team17 Executive)

The games industry is changing fast and not everyone is keeping up.

Today, I sit down with Charlotte Cook (former Team17, Sega, Skybound, angel investor, and fractional CCO) to break down what’s really happening behind the scenes of the games industry right now.

We cover why publishers are obsessed with safe bets, how greenlight decisions actually work, why most developers misunderstand publishing deals, and what it really takes to get a game signed in today’s market. Charlotte also shares hard-won lessons from transitioning into fractional and consultancy work post-COVID, navigating burnout, AI’s impact on teams, and why people, not tools, remain the biggest multiplier in games.

If you’re a game developer, publisher, founder, consultant, or anyone trying to survive (and thrive) in the modern games industry, this episode will challenge a lot of assumptions.

Connect with Charlotte:
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/itscharlottecook/
E-mail: charlotte@calmconsultancy.co.uk

Connect with Harry:
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/hphokou/
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@hphokou
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/hphokou

Join our industry events: https://hivemind.world/

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Chapters:
00:00 Intro
02:15 Why the games industry feels stagnant right now
03:52 Inside publisher pressure, incentives, and safe bets
05:50 Leaving Team17 & starting a consultancy (twice)
08:46 Navigating conferences without a big title
12:00 How pitches really get judged at events
14:06 Publishing myths developers still believe
15:15 What publishers now expect before signing a game
18:32 Financial reality vs creative ambition
20:59 Why some games succeed years after launch
23:09 Greenlight decisions: what actually matters
26:27 Pricing strategy & why devs get it wrong
28:09 IP, minimum guarantees & access problems
30:21 Democratizing IP for indie developers
33:23 Why people are the real multiplier in games
36:01 AI, efficiency, and fear inside studios
41:32 Fractional work: pros, cons & survival tips
43:56 Burnout, energy cycles & working for yourself
48:58 Building community as an independent operator
52:04 Consultants, stigma & industry perception
56:55 Risk, creativity & the future of games
57:21 What Charlotte does as Fractional CCO day-to-day