Risk by Design: Mario Wynands | CEO @ PikPok | GGJ Podcast Ep. 18

In episode 18, Sponsored in part by Sony Playstation’s Hero Project, Susan talks with New Zealand studio founder and longtime developer Mario Wynands about what it means to help build a national game industry almost from scratch and turn local projects into globally recognized work. Drawing on his early days as a gamer and programmer in a country that was not yet known for games, his experience starting and sustaining a studio through multiple hardware generations and market shifts, and his role in nurturing Wellington’s ecosystem as it grew from a handful of teams to a connected community, Mario shares how he navigated the leap from contract and handheld projects into original IP, why regional meetups and game jams became critical infrastructure for isolated creators, and how he approaches studio leadership as a long‑term design problem in its own right. From mentoring emerging developers and collaborating with initiatives like Global Game Jam to advocating for policy, funding, and education that recognize games as both culture and industry, he talks about the emotional reality of building something that didn’t exist before, what it means to make games that feel distinctly “from here” while resonating worldwide, and why the future of New Zealand games depends on supporting diverse voices, sustainable studios, and deeper cross‑border collaboration. 00:00 Intro 01:37 Meet Mario Wynands 05:53 Work with your head 08:19 Making Games 13:22 Finding Mentors When you're the First 16:23 Buisiness Dev 19:45 The Scariest Leap 24:28 Sponsor: PlayStation Hero Project 28:38 From Coder to Business 30:22 Looking Beyond the Games 34:44 Unusual Advantages 37:52 The move to Colombia 41:27 What are the next big risks? 45:36 Where to find Mario 47:40 Outro Guest Bio: Mario Wynands is the CEO and co-founder of PikPok, a leading publisher of video games for mobile, desktop, and console based in Aotearoa New Zealand. Since 1997 he has led the studio in building a successful games portfolio that includes the critically and commercially successful Rival Stars® Horse Racing, Into the Dead® franchise, Super Monsters Ate My Condo™, Shatter® and more, which have been recognized with BAFTA and DICE Award nominations, as well as included on App Store and Google Play best of year lists. Wynands is a graduate of Victoria University in Wellington with degrees in business management and computer science. https://store.steampowered.com/app/22... https://www.meta.com/en-gb/experience... https://store.steampowered.com/app/46... Just launched: https://apps.apple.com/us/app/barbie-... or https://play.google.com/store/apps/de... Join our Substack - https://tinyurl.com/GGJPodcastSubstack GGJ Podcast Sponsors: https://www.playstation.com/en-in/ind... https://www.playstation.com/en-in/chi... https://www.playstation.com/en-in/men...