Gina Jackson has a career spanning more than 30 years in the computer gaming industry. She has worked on around 300 titles in development and publishing roles, designed for consoles like the Nintendo SNES and PlayStation 5.
In 2023, she drew on her experience to co-found Pitchify, a marketplace built to speed up the funding process for developers and publishers.
Business Leader caught up with her earlier this year at the annual Games Finance Market conference in central London. It's a kind of speed dating event for video game makers to meet publishers and pitch ideas.
“As developers, we need to develop exactly what the audience wants and not the games we want to play,” warns Jackson.
Jackson encourages developers to scour game reviews and analyse sales data before pitching their ideas to publishers, however passionate they are about their concepts. Online customer reviews can be a very useful source of information, she points out, and you can now even use generative AI tools to summarise them for you.
“Don’t be afraid to really be vulnerable, really listen and be challenged by clients,” advises Jackson.
Related and recommended
After creating her own hair oil blends as a student, Lucie Macloud grew Hair Syrup into a multi-million pound business that she’s now expanding into Europe and the US
As generative AI use surges, organisations must manage copyright and data risks through clear policies, licensing and responsible content use
Thea Green, one of the UK’s most successful entrepreneurs in the beauty and self-care space, shares her advice
Nick Grey's story is a tale of grit, design obsession and the strategic choices behind sustainable success