In this episode of the Player: Engage podcast, we had the pleasure of hosting Arseny Lebedev, a gaming industry veteran and co-founder of Original Games. Arseny shared his extensive journey from his early days as an intern at Large Animal Games to founding Signus Labs and eventually leading a studio at MZ. His entrepreneurial spirit has been a driving force throughout his career, and his unique, opinionated perspective on the gaming industry is both refreshing and thought-provoking.

Arseny's experience is not just limited to gaming; he also worked in his family's renewable energy components business, which gave him a solid foundation in sales and contract negotiation. This experience proved invaluable when he later ventured into the gaming industry, where he successfully managed large deals and partnerships.

During our conversation, Arseny emphasized the importance of throwing oneself into challenging situations and the value of travel in gaining diverse perspectives. He shared anecdotes from his time in Southeast Asia and how those experiences shaped his approach to business and life.

We also delved into the challenges and opportunities of remote work and office dynamics in the current landscape. Arseny provided insights into how Original Games manages a remote team, the tools they use for communication and project management, and the considerations they've had to make when setting up their office space in Lisbon.