Ep 1. Sean Wylie-Toal, Extra Dimension Games

The first ever episode of Story Mode, the weekly video interview series for exclusive insights into the gaming industry, brought to you by Sanlo.

Join Sanlo CEO, Olya Caliujnaia, as she talks to Sean Wylie Toal, CEO & Co-Founder of Extra Dimension Games. Sean has over 20 years of experience in the gaming industry. He cofounded Bight Games in 2004 and served as their CTO until 2011. Bight Games was acquired by EA in 2011, where Sean worked as Group CTO until 2016. In 2017, Sean cofounded Extra Dimension Games and has served as the CEO ever since.

What you'll learn in this episode:

00:44 - Extra Dimension Games' new mobile game Starbrew Cafe

01:15 - Sean's start in the gaming industry

02:32 - What it's like being a CEO with a software engineering background and the biggest challenges that come along with it

04:37 - How can you enable your teams to do their best work and be happy

06:21 - The importance of openness and vulnerability as a CEO/leader

07:29 - How to navigate a strategic pivot while keeping your team intact

09:10 - How to stay at the forefront of the gaming industry

11:46 - The importance of escapism in mobile gaming

12:55 - Retrospective on Sean's biggest hit game "The Simpsons: Tapped Out"