The House of the Dev

S2E5. What defines the future of games? With Ilya Eremeev

The House of the Dev

Show Notes

Raphael Colantonio and Peter Salnikov talk to Ilya Eremeev, co-founder and managing partner of The Games Fund, a video-game-focused VC fund. No boring financial talks this time. We let ourselves discuss the foggy future of video games and what - or who - defines it the biggest measure. The gamers? The publishers and funds? The platforms? Maybe the devs themselves?

- What is the danger of ongoing sequels and remakes? How franchises grow insanely big and what is the worst about it; - "What if you had a gun?" - how ubiquitous mandatory player weaponizing affects the design of games; - Do we really need hype culture? - Why you don't have to be scared to offer new ideas; - The HR crisis in AAA segment, and competition with indie studios for lead specialists; - The AI: our thoughts and worries on the most promising tools of the era.

This and much more - only in the new episode of The House of The Dev podcast. Thanks for listening.

Watch full season 1: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLZU6dd_qQ48OP1NCKGsQPa4nQmlKPJ9JY

Or listen on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/3BRad6ckhGiOZ13VgEISnK

More from The House of the Dev

Aug 19, 2026

Рафаэль Колантонио и Петр Сальников снова у микрофонов. В этом выпуске они общаются с Дэйвом Ошри — сооснователем и директором New Blood Interactive (Dusk, Fallen Aces, Gloomwood и др.). Обсудили их уникальный подход к раннему доступу, умение слушать игроков и смелость посылать мейнстрим подальше.

Aug 19, 2026

Raphael Colantonio & Peter Salnikov are back at the mics to talk to Dave Oshry, co-founder and CEO of New Blood Interactive (Dusk, Fallen Aces, Gloomwood etc) about their unique approach to early access, listening to players and saying ‘screw you!’ to mainstream. Find financial support for your game studio at IndieGo Fund: https://indie-go.ru/fund – Are retro-looking games easier & safer to create? – Episodic games as TV seasons. Why big updates are good; – “Better to have a sold-out club show than to play for an empty stadium”; – Front to end, brick by brick. Core devs & floating teams: what’s New Blood’s pipeline like? – A rushed game will stay bad forever: why it’s important to take the time you need.

May 25, 2026

Chris Avellone, the legendary writer and game designer, talks to Raphael Colantonio and Peter Salnikov on his approach to storytelling and narrative design in games and much more in this thoughtful, very open and sometimes funny episode. Hire, pay, and stay compliant with your team in 100+ countries, in one place: https://mellow.io/demo?utm_source=youtube&utm_medium=influence&utm_campaign=general&utm_content=thotd Find financial support at IndieGo Fund: https://indie-go.ru/fund - Who is Chris Avellone, and how his experience at the D&D table affected his future career; - How ‘Typhon’ became ‘Prey’ - and how the story of that game came to be at all; - The damage devs take from using forced IPs: cases of Dark Messiah of Might & Magic, System Shock 2; - Choices in RPGs and the depth they provide; the cases Mass Effect & Fallout: New Vegas’ Legion; - Why is Pathfinder: Kingmaker more Fallout than Baldur’s Gate? - Restraints as values: how limitations might lead a game out of the darkness; - Leaks, scores, bad PR, press relations and other mutual pains of game developers & media.

May 25, 2026

Крис Авеллон, легендарный сценарист и геймдизайнер, беседует с Рафаэлем Колантонио и Петром Сальниковым о своём подходе к сторителлингу и нарративному дизайну в играх и многом другом в этом откровенном и местами смешном эпизоде.

Feb 6, 2026

Рафаэль Колантонио и Петр Сальников общаются с Ником Германом, соавтором Dispatch, большого хита 2025 года, о кинематографичных играх, снижении порога входа для новых игроков, эпизодической структуре и плаванию против течения. При поддержке Indie Go: https://bit.ly/4opM7cC

See all episodes →