Riot Games: Brandon Beck and Marc Merrill

Riot Games: Brandon Beck and Marc Merrill

At USC in the late 1990s, Marc Merrill and Brandon Beck were bonding over video games and noticing that free, player-made modifications for the game Warcraft III were becoming wildly popular online. The two friends were so impressed by these mods that they decided to create their own multiplayer strategy game with an unusual twist: they'd offer the game for free, but charge players money for new characters or customizable clothing (or "skins"). Many investors balked at the idea, unsure that a free game—created by total novices—would generate enough revenue. After three rocky years of development, Marc and Brandon's company Riot Games launched League of Legends in 2009. Over the past 11 years, it's become one of the most popular PC games of all time, pulling in $1.5 billion in 2019 alone.

Order the How I Built This book at: https://smarturl.it/HowIBuiltThis

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Episoder(817)

Advice Line with Leah Solivan of Taskrabbit (September 2024)

Advice Line with Leah Solivan of Taskrabbit (September 2024)

Taskrabbit founder Leah Solivan joins Guy on the Advice Line, where they answer questions from three tech founders working to identify and grow their core customer base. First we meet Kate in Los Ange...

20 Mar 202549min

Skype and Kazaa: Niklas Zennström

Skype and Kazaa: Niklas Zennström

In the early 2000s, one of the most popular pieces of software in the world was a free peer-to-peer file-sharing network called Kazaa. It was launched by two Scandinavian entrepreneurs, Niklas Zennstr...

17 Mar 20251h 10min

Advice Line with Jenn Hyman of Rent The Runway

Advice Line with Jenn Hyman of Rent The Runway

Rent the Runway co-founder and CEO Jenn Hyman joins Guy on the Advice Line to answer questions from three early-stage entrepreneurs. Plus, Jenn’s take on how letting go of ego helps business leaders s...

13 Mar 202545min

SpotHero: Mark Lawrence

SpotHero: Mark Lawrence

After racking up thousands of dollars in fines, Chicago roommates Mark Lawrence and Jeremy Smith figured there had to be an easier way to park. So in 2011, they launched SpotHero as a peer-to-peer ser...

10 Mar 20251h 7min

Advice Line with Alberto Perlman of Zumba

Advice Line with Alberto Perlman of Zumba

Zumba co-founder and CEO Alberto Perlman joins Guy on the Advice Line, where they answer questions from three early-stage founders. Plus, Alberto’s take on the value of partnerships for growing brands...

6 Mar 202549min

PayPal: Max Levchin (June 2022)

PayPal: Max Levchin (June 2022)

During its formative years in the late 1990's, Paypal attracted an extraordinary group of young entrepreneurs, who then went on to build some of the best known companies in tech. They became known as ...

3 Mar 20251h 23min

Advice Line with Lyndon Cormack of Herschel Supply Co.

Advice Line with Lyndon Cormack of Herschel Supply Co.

Herschel Supply Co. co-founder Lyndon Cormack joins Guy on the Advice Line, where they answer questions from three early-stage founders about leveraging brand stories to reach new customers.Today we m...

27 Feb 202546min

Lenny & Larry’s Protein Snacks: Barry Turner

Lenny & Larry’s Protein Snacks: Barry Turner

When Barry Turner co-founded Lenny & Larry’s, the idea of selling a protein-packed breakfast muffin was practically unheard of: it was the early 1990’s, and protein-fortified food was not yet a thing....

24 Feb 20251h 4min

Populært innen Business og økonomi

stopp-verden
lydartikler-fra-aftenposten
dine-penger-pengeradet
rss-penger-polser-og-politikk
e24-podden
rss-borsmorgen-okonominyhetene
livet-pa-veien-med-jan-erik-larssen
pengepodden-2
tid-er-penger-en-podcast-med-peter-warren
pengesnakk
utbytte
rss-sunn-okonomi
finansredaksjonen
morgenkaffen-med-finansavisen
lederpodden
rss-markedspuls-2
lederskap-nhhs-podkast-om-ledelse
stormkast-med-valebrokk-stordalen
liberal-halvtime
arcticpodden