#56 – Ionut Codreanu: Building Game Studios That Actually Ship

Building great teams is harder than building great products.

Today, I sit down with Ionuț Codreanu, Head of Studio at Funcom and veteran of titles like Assassin’s Creed and Dune: Awakening, to break down what actually makes teams work in game development and beyond.

We explore hiring mistakes founders make early, why “rockstar” employees often fail long-term, how to build a strong core team, and what remote work during COVID really changed inside studios. You’ll also hear practical advice on hiring, culture, leadership conflict, market validation, and how aspiring developers can break into the industry today.

Whether you’re building your first team, scaling a game studio, or trying to break into game development, this episode gives you real, battle-tested insight; no theory, no fluff.

Connect with Ionut:
Website/LinkedIn: http://ionutcodreanu.ro/

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

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Chapters:
00:00 Intro
02:35 What a Head of Studio actually does day-to-day
04:52 What “building a team” really means in game studios
07:28 The biggest hiring mistake founders make
09:38 Culture fit vs skills: where most hires go wrong
16:34 Competitive personalities & cultural mismatch
17:30 Why hiring people “like you” works (and when it fails)
20:14 Profiling candidates: red flags, yellow flags, honesty
25:09 Rockstar employees: worth it or not?
26:47 When imperfect hires are unavoidable
28:31 How COVID & remote work changed team dynamics
34:33 What a “core team” really is (and why it matters)
36:38 Indie studios vs big studios: who’s actually right?
38:05 Producers, managers, and shipping games
39:30 Creative vs product conflict inside studios
41:58 How to handle disagreement without breaking teams
50:14 The biggest mistakes studios make
53:16 Why “fun” is the most misunderstood concept in games
58:41 Breaking into the games industry today
01:04:03 Unreal vs Unity & industry shifts
01:06:55 Final advice on leadership and team building