Joe Burridge

Head of Talent at @PlayVentures | Investing in the Games Industry | ex-Epic Games, ex-EA | [email protected]

[Joe Burridge @JoeFindsTalent]

Stephen King has a son named Joe.

I'm not joking, but he is.

[Tim Sweeney @TimSweeneyEpic]

In the coming days, employers will see a stream of resumes of once-in-a-lifetime quality folks. An important thing to understand is that Epic never lowered our hiring standards as we grew, and the layoff wasn't a performance-based "rightsizing" as companies call it nowadays. It's a sound bet that anyone with Epic Games on their resume is in the top few percent of their discipline.

[Joe Burridge @JoeFindsTalent]

@JezCorden

[FORTUNE @FortuneMagazine]

“AI is transforming the gaming industry in massive ways."

@PlayVentures General Partner @ppphyl told #FortuneAISingapore that recent advancements in artificial intelligence are leading to one of the most “pivotal inflection points that we’re seeing in decades.” https://t.co/ZFTRwBB7Li

[Phylicia Koh (She/her) @ppphyl]

Since the start, @PlayVentures has this unique term that we include in our term sheet: the 2 year vesting cliff. Many founders get surprised by it.

The 2 year cliff is the ultimate Founders Insurance and protects YOU from your co-founder.

Why we insist on it:
1/ The brutal truth: we estimate that 15%+ of startups have founder breakups AFTER year 1.

2/ The danger zone for early founder breakups is Month 9-18. The cliff approaches, runway starts looking short, tension peaks

3/ Departing founder walks away with big chunk of equity even though company value is built in the years after

4/ Cap table dynamics, fundraising prospects for those who stay to build are weakened

Most founders think they're different. "We'd never break up!", "We've worked together before, it'll be fine." But hope isn't a strategy. Contracts are. Even if you don’t raise from Play, sign a 2 year cliff. A cofounder who plans to stick around won’t fight you on it.

Protect yourself before you wreck yourself.

Full breakdown on @DeconFun with real founder stories:
https://t.co/ZH20z0mYlq

[Phylicia Koh (She/her) @ppphyl]

That's a wrap on Play Summit 2025! 2 days of big brain energy talking and learning about gaming, UA, TikTok, fundraising, founder journeys, AI

🌏 25 nationalities, 120+ attendees including founders, co-investors, fund investors, and ecosystem partners joined us
🇸🇬 Dined with the view of the iconic Marina Bay Sands and at Lau Pa Sat (130 year old Victorian hawker centre with 6 Michelin stalls)
🍦 Ice cream and humidity break in church before diving into TikTok strategies

Big thanks to all the wonderful speakers who joined us to share alpha: @eve_halimi, @Anamlakhani_ from @alineainvest_ , Phillip Black, @matejlancaric , @willharbin, @saisrinivas, @MundiKlang, Burak Demir, @cocolitron

Play Summit 2026, here we come! (Location TBD 👀)

[Develop:Brighton 2026 @developconf]

Not an AAA studio? No problem! Joe Burridge (@JoeFindsTalent) from @PlayVentures will be sharing his advice on how indie studios can become magnets for top tier talent. #DevelopConf

[Tim Sweeney @TimSweeneyEpic]

NO FEES on web transactions. Game over for the Apple Tax.

Apple’s 15-30% junk fees are now just as dead here in the United States of America as they are in Europe under the Digital Markets Act. Unlawful here, unlawful there.

4 years 4 months 17 days.

[Joe Burridge @JoeFindsTalent]

I’ll be diving into everything I’ve learned about hiring and scaling teams from my time in AAA at EA and Epic, to helping ambitious gaming startups grow at breakneck speed as I've done in my early career and now at Play Ventures.

Full program here: https://t.co/cXnsGOjBkh

[Joe Burridge @JoeFindsTalent]

I have been waiting years to say this...I'M SPEAKING AT DEVELOP:BRIGHTON THIS YEAR! 😍

My talk is titled, "The Indie Edge: Attracting Talent When You’re Not AAA"

#developconf

[Joe Burridge @JoeFindsTalent]

@FutureFriendsVG Looks like a great opportunity. And hats off for using "shitposting" in a job ad 😍

[Joe Burridge @JoeFindsTalent]

The podcast is now live anywhere you listen to podcasts, links below:

Website: https://t.co/AhMC68Vgr9
Spotify: https://t.co/mScTYyevch
Apple Podcasts: https://t.co/dIwFl3SNfb
YouTube: https://t.co/ID6tNObxPp

[Joe Burridge @JoeFindsTalent]

What happens when you apply all of the values and learnings from being a rugby captain to talent in the world of startups and corporate?

Up next on The Talent Game podcast is a very fun conversation with John Wright (VP Mobile Games at Kwalee). Links below.

[Wassie 🧢 (Lena) @wassiecapital]

Wuu 👋🥺 wish all merry christmas & happy holidays! Excite welcome the 2025! 🎄🎁

— Play Ventures Team

[Joe Burridge @JoeFindsTalent]

The podcast is now live anywhere you listen to podcasts, links below:

Website: https://t.co/AhMC68Vgr9
Spotify: https://t.co/mScTYyevch
Apple Podcasts: https://t.co/dIwFl3SNfb
YouTube: https://t.co/ID6tNObxPp

[Joe Burridge @JoeFindsTalent]

Amir Satvat kicks off season 2 of The Talent Game podcast! 🎉

I absolutely loved this conversation especially as I've known Amir for a long time and this was the first time we've ever had a 1:1 conversation.

Links below, go listen!

[Joe Burridge @JoeFindsTalent]

1 year at Play Ventures today! 🎉

And what a learning curve it has been. I've spent the last 12 months figuring out the world of venture capital and thought I'd share that learning curve with you all. Let me know what you think!

https://t.co/fVdn4f42qr

[Joe Burridge @JoeFindsTalent]

Anyone else on BlueSky?

Decided to uninstall TikTok, Threads, Instragram, Facebook and X this week. Phew!

I'll be focusing my social efforts on LinkedIn, YouTube and BlueSky.

BlueSky https://t.co/rZLTvmm3Dr
YouTube https://t.co/Rdya4MxdbN
LinkedIn https://t.co/XBxiun9ZSY

[Joe Burridge @JoeFindsTalent]

@tha_rami Thanks Rami! I've just joined BlueSky, this starter pack is so helpful

[Joe Burridge @JoeFindsTalent]

@Big_Bubbaloola Thank you! Absolutely exhausted today 😆

[Joe Burridge @JoeFindsTalent]

Lone Wolf Backyard Marathon complete! This was a 6.2km loop 7 times. The elevation was brutal but it was an awesome event. That burger on lap 5 was exceptional. And my girls came to see me at the finish line 🥰