Hello, everyone. Quick heads up before we start today's episode. The Global Agile Summit is happening on May the 4th. Yes, May the 4th. And even with a big blowout Star Wars party, you have to join. It will be online and it's, like always, free to attend. We have four tracks this year that I'm really excited about. And I think you will too. Stick around to the end of the episode to know what they are. If you want to check it out already now, you can check it out at bit.ly forward slash global agile 26. That's the numerals two and six at the end. So one more time, that's bit.ly forward slash global agile 26, all one word, all lowercase, and two and six are the numerals two and six. So stick around till the end of the episode and I'll tell you what's in store. But for now, on to today's episode. Hello, everybody. Welcome to one more episode of this week's special Global Agile Summit preview episodes. And joining us today, we have Egan Rackley. Hey, Egan. Welcome to the show. Thank you for having me. I'm glad to be here. I should actually say welcome back to the show because you've been on the show before. Link is in the show notes. So we're here to talk about the Global Agile Summit, which starts on May 4th with a big party. Make sure you check that out and register for the party as well as all of the other sessions. And today, Egan is going to introduce to us the Agile in Gaming, that's game development track, which he and Kat Antonovics are hosting for the Global Agile Summit. And I wanted to bring him in so you can hear directly from the horse's mouth. That's horse. I mean, Egan. What are the amazing things they've planned and some of them already executed on in the Agile and Gaming track? But Egan, before we dive into the track, tell us a little bit about yourself and how did you end up being a track host at the Global Agile Summit? Yeah, sure. So, you know, I had the pleasure of working with you in the 2020s, early 2020s. And you definitely had an impact on me when we worked together. You were our Agile coach at Mauerbytes and you helped me recognize strengths I'd been dismissing in myself as a leader that I could turn the volume up on. and helped turn me on to some of my people-first instincts, you know, into actual leadership access, which has been just a change the way I thought about leadership. So when last year in 2025, when I had a chance to volunteer for the summit, I jumped at it just to get all the benefits that everybody gets from this, right? It's exposure to ideas. It's a chance to work with a team that I admire and enjoy working with. And it's something I love doing. So I co-hosted the development track last year with a couple of other great developers. And around the same time, I was deep into a transition into the game development career. So I had the opportunity to bring on some game dev speakers last year. I thought they were engaging and the audience seemed to enjoy them. So when the team suggested making a dedicated gaming track this year, it was an easy yes for me. It sounded like fun. And I get to learn from my peers in the game dev industry, which is something that I'm always excited about. Some of the most amazing game developers. We'll be talking about that in a second. Now, before we get into the sessions, tell us the story of this gaming session. Because it's not usual that we see a track dedicated to game development in Agile conferences. So what did you think the mix between Agile and game development would be just perfect for this year's Global Agile Summit? Well, I think a lot of people hopefully feel curious about gaming, whether they're in a gaming space or not. I certainly do. And I think that a lot of the problems we solve in gaming are the same problems people are solving in Agile everywhere, just with sort of a different space. But also, Agile is very specific in gaming. A lot of the way it works is mechanically different because you are working with so many different disciplines in a studio and so many different management styles, I guess, for those disciplines. that just, I don't know, even something like storyboarding is functionally different because you're sort of describing a car in a city that makes these sounds, that drives with physics in this way, that it's just a very sort of a slightly different, still the same approach, but just slightly different implementation. So I think that when you go to gaming conferences, you don't often often hear people talk about agility in the same way that we're talking about agility here. And I thought that was a very interesting space to be able to share with the audience. Yeah, absolutely. We'll dive to that for sure, because I actually want to hear about that keynote by Clinton Keith, because the opening statement is enlightening. And I want you to explain to our audience what that meant. Without giving out all the details that for the keynote So stay tuned check out the program at globalagilesummit Now what do you think are the biggest gaps between what you saw of agile practice before you joined the game development industry and after you joined the game development industry What are the big differences in terms of how agile gets applied or perhaps misapplied in the gaming industry? I think it's the same problem that we have anywhere, right? Is that I think that there's sort of the framework or the patterns of Agile, and there's the principles that are you developing the mindset, right? And I think that I've seen Agile implemented multiple different ways in gaming. It's been different at every studio I've been at. Some of them have been sort of a framework-only implementation where they're trying to build the mindset on the team. And you're getting a lot of resistance there. I've seen it sort of have a nice medium in between where the whole studio doesn't have the mindset, but you can clearly see that teams are starting to develop it. And really interesting for me is the studio I'm at right now is led by this executive producer named Chris Whiteside, and he doesn't like Agile at all. and he runs a really humanist-centered, and I'm putting words in his mouth, but my view of it is a really humanist-centered version of Waterfall that can pivot quickly, which my argument is it's fairly agile, but it's not something he believes in, but it's also one of the most agile places I've ever worked. So I've seen the gamut, just like you'd see in any business. I mean, everybody's at different stages of development and have different mental models, and they're trying to combine those into a functional system. For me, it's already rather interesting that somebody would be against Agile, because if they're hiring people that are even a few years younger than you and me, they will not have ever experienced anything but Agile. Yeah. Yeah, yeah. It's very interesting. And I think that probably, and I can't speak for him. He is an amazing producer. I'm guessing he was exposed to some Agile implementations where someone thought they would install Agile on a team instead of nurture it. And they probably thought, like, forget this mess. You know, I have a better plan. And his seems very Agile to me. All right. He came up with it on his own. Exactly, exactly. And when you were shaping the track and selecting the speakers, what were you looking for? What are the patterns or themes that you were intentionally trying to highlight? This is going to sound a little weird. But in the 90s, there was this company called Zorlac out of, I think they're out of Reno, Nevada. And I was a skateboarder at the time, and they make skateboards. And they did not make premier skateboards. They were not a premier company, but they were cool as hell. And they had this video called Zero Hero that was a skate video. And me and my skate buddies all just watched that video endlessly because it wasn't some dude doing like a three-story drop across a highway and then they just get me across water. You know, it was all things like you could almost see yourself doing. It was like just one or two steps beyond where our very best would be. right? And so I wanted to create a track that felt like that. So my 14-year-old self is going to vomit a little bit when I say this because I see it as accessible excellence, right? It is just pushing beyond right where we were, but you could watch these tracks and say like, oh, I could do that. That could be me. This is this on Monday morning. I want to go in and try to be that person a little more. So I was trying to pick speakers from a range of exposure and skills in the game industry that sort of met that criteria. Let's make that real. Give me an example of just that thing, that thing that feels just a little bit more demanding than what we did yesterday, but totally doable next Monday. Okay, so I guess what I'm looking for, especially with this summit, because our theme is simple social fun, is things that will uplift people. the gaming industry is in dire straits at the moment. It's been very challenging to be part of it. So I wanted something that would make someone show up on Monday morning and say, I'm going to get back on the horse. And so if you fall off again, get back on the horse. So Umari Jazz is one I'm going to call out as really focused on developing Agile in an indie space. And the themes that go throughout the summit that I think Clinton's keynote sort of identify about the changes in the game industry really resonate with what Umar is doing, where he is building up teams from the ground up, building up indie teams, helping them manage their process better, because I think that's where the space is moving. That's sort of the direction that we seem to be heading is more indie, smaller teams, more agile groups of people, less AAA studios, spending billions on a game or millions on a game. and just sort of small budget creative work. Yeah. And actually, that's a great segue to the to the key message that Clinton brings. So lift the veil just a little bit. But are some of the things that people may think they know but actually they are quite surprising once you hear Clinton keynote Yeah I mean so I you know Clinton really reveals a lot of what failing in the gaming industry right now. And his title of the talk is the game industry as we know it is ending. And the future is good could be much better, you know, and I think that with the advent of tools like AI, it's going to allow all of the great ideas that just sit in people's heads and never get made, the ability to see the light of day. It also has great resources for improving your process and improving your communication and improving your marketing. And so I think what we're going to see is a real boom in, not to give too much away, in how teams are working differently and smaller and more agile. So I think that we have to go through this transitional period where the systems that were in place are not innovating. They're kind of doing the same thing over and over again. And they're kind of falling apart because the margins are very thin. And I think we're going to find a more agile way of working in the future. And I would argue that we've already found it. It's just not evenly distributed, as Gibson's quote goes. The future is already here. All right. So tell us a little bit more about the sessions that you've curated for this. We've talked about Clinton. And you mentioned Umar as well. But what are some of the key insights and the speakers that you have for us this year? Yeah, I mean, so we've got a great array of speakers. I tried to get speakers from the macro level and otherwise. and the micro level. And so one of the speakers I'm really excited about is Kat Anatovich. I said that totally wrong. It's Antonovich, who is actually an associate level. And I very intentionally wanted to find associate speaker because they've been so disproportionately affected by the layoffs. If you are a junior in this industry right now, good luck. It is really, really challenging finding a job. So I wanted to sort of capture that, but also she comes with a degree and background in social work in the Netherlands, and it's very interesting to see how she applies that to teams and change. Another, Markus Jort has a fantastic talk about BitMagic, which is a game development platform that is fully AI driven. And the things you can do with it are amazing, just like the amount of things you can get out of your head into this platform. So he talks a little bit about setting up Agile in Finland and then what they're doing at Bitmagic, which is, I think, really exciting. Yeah, and we have several other great speakers. Kari Kovastodian, I probably said that wrong too. It talks about agile at the macro level, right? When you're running multiple studios, how do you keep teams from crunching? How do you keep their environments healthy despite the pressures of the industry? And he talks about how he does that, which is just honestly a heartwarming talk for me. So we have more than that, too. Do you want me to go over everyone's talk? No, no, that's great. That's a great teaser already. Because the next question is, of course, now you've introduced the talks. who do you think this track really is for who do you think should already be like hovering their mouse over the register now button right so honestly it's curious people um and that's also another thing that's theme that's running through the track is be curious stay curious um uh i think everybody like i said earlier maybe a little bit i i might be biased because i've always been interested in gaming but i think a lot of people are curious about gaming It's become such a cultural phenomenon over the last 40 years. And if you've never picked up a controller, you know who Mario is. You've been touched by it somehow. So when you listen to people, how people solve problems in this space with the creativity and the constraints and just the human dynamics, I think it's fun. And there's something in it, I think, for almost anyone. But just beyond that, these are the same problems everyone is solving in Agile. How do you build trust on teams under pressure? Introducing change when people are resistant or skeptical about what you want them to do. And those show up everywhere. So the goal for anyone who'd be interested is not to create a prescriptive solution, right? Like any of this is. We don't pretend we have one, but it's about getting down to the fundamentals of what makes people do their best work and what makes teams function well. and then turning the volume up on that. So I think that that is why I think people should tune in, because I think they're going to walk away with that the next day. Okay, let's make this even more practical. If you think about people that are going to join, register and attend every session in your track, what do you think they walk away with? What's the one thing you believe they will be doing differently the next Monday after the summit? I mean, that's what I said earlier. I think they will walk away uplifted with hope ready to get back on If you in the gaming industry back on that gaming industry horse which is really bucking a lot right now People have been experiencing layoffs and studio closures and canceled projects, and a lot of people in game development over the last four years have taken some serious hits, and I think some of them wake up genuinely wondering if it's worth it to stay in the industry and keep going. So I want this track to be the answer to that question. Just with some evidence that there are people out there doing this work thoughtfully, doing it well, and finding ways to remain human, despite the amount of pressures we're all under, and treat humans with the kind of respect that allows them to do their best work. so if someone is watching every session and they walk away Monday with a little more energy a little more curiosity one idea they want to try that's what this is for so that they get back up on that horse game industry and if they fall off they know they can get back on it again and if they happen to get the VIP pass they can re-watch and re-watch and re-watch and also share with their friends and get up on that horse every single week. And by the way, let's not forget, we start with the big blowout party, the May the 4th party on May the 4th, Monday. So check out the registration link on the website, globalagilesummit.com and make sure that you attend and get uplifted, as Egan said. All right, Egan, before you go, if people want to know more about you and the work that you're doing, where should they go? Sure. I mean, you know, Probably the best places on LinkedIn where I do most of my professional work, just search for Egan Rackley. I do have a website at eganrackley.com that is overdue for an update, but it's got the basics on how to contact me there, too. And, of course, at the Gaming Track at the Global Agile Summit. So I would encourage anyone who wants to have a conversation to reach out. I love talking to other people about these topics, and I will make time for you if you reach out to me. Absolutely. So make sure you check out the LinkedIn page. Egan's LinkedIn is on the show notes so that you can easily ask a few follow-up questions or ask about this or that talk. Yeah, and ask him about the registration link for the party, which goes on May the 4th. It's going to be an amazing party. Egan, it's been a pleasure. Thank you very much. And thank you for your generosity with your time and your knowledge. Vasco, it's a real honor for me to be here doing this with the team. And I'm just so grateful to have this opportunity. Hi there, friends. Thanks for sticking around till the end of the episode. So let me tell you what's coming. On May 4th, we're running the Global Agile Summit. It will be online and I want you there. This year, we have four tracks and each one is built around real conversations with practitioners. No slides, no keynote theater, There are just honest interviews with people doing the work, just like you. The first track is AI in organizations, where practitioners show what actually works. No hype, just AI that makes your Monday better. Happy Monday, everybody. And then we have the people track. Honest conversations about putting humans at the center of how we work and keeping them there. And third is agile in construction. And yes, I really mean brick and mortar construction. Lean and agile actual job sites. Build leaders removing waste. Teams transforming how buildings get built. Stay tuned for what I think will be a super track on agile in construction. And the fourth track is agile in gaming. How Game Studios Ship Without Burning Out. Agile inside the creative pressure cooker. Over the years, we've had more than 12,000 participants since 2017, the time of the first summit organized with the podcast. And this year, we're making it easier than ever to join. You can register for free and get access to the summit sessions live during the event week. That's May 4th to May 6th. Or you can grab the practitioner pass and get immediate access to last year's keynotes from Jurgen Apelo, Gojko Adzic, and Mirete Kangas. Right now, even before the summit starts. So grab your practitioner pass and start learning today. Head on over to bit.ly forward slash global agile 26. That's two, six, the numerals two and six. Sign up and I'll see you on May the 4th. And one more time, here we go. bit.ly forward slash global agile 26. All lowercase, all one word and 26. That's the numeral two and the numeral six. I'll see you on the conference floor. Thank you.
