{"type":"rich","version":"1.0","provider_name":"Transistor","provider_url":"https://transistor.fm","author_name":"Naavik Gaming Podcast","title":"The Game Server Hosting Company Private Equity Couldn't Buy","html":"","width":"100%","height":180,"duration":2916,"description":"Game server hosting is the layer nobody thinks about until it breaks. In this episode, Kalie Moore sits down with Max Podkidkin, Co-Founder and CEO of BisectHosting, to unpack how a Minecraft server that went dark for three days turned into a 15-year infrastructure business serving hundreds of thousands of customers across more than 140 countries. Max put the first hardware on a credit card, recruited a co-founder he met in his own Minecraft community, and built the company to nearly 100 employees without ever raising outside capital. They get into what those early years actually looked like, including hiding a laptop on a cart at a factory job to answer support tickets, the two years he and Andrew worked together over text before meeting face to face, and how a US and UK split gave them 24/7 coverage with a team of two.\n\nThe conversation also covers how the hosting business really works, from the economics of renting out resources to why running a server at home costs more than most people think. Max explains why BisectHosting has turned down repeated acquisition offers while private equity consolidates the market around them, how the team gets into a studio's Discord and pre-tests server files before working with a game studio, and what 15 years of hosting communities has taught him about why modding and UGC keep games alive long after launch. He also shares the studio's approach to AI, including Biko, the assistant built into their server panel that has cut support tickets by double digits without a single person losing their job.\nBig thanks to Heroic Labs for making this episode possible. Gram Games used Heroic Labs to tailor offers and events by player cohort, calling it \"critical\" in a post-IDFA world where retention is everything. Read how Gram merged personalization and advanced social features into a core system of their live operations:...","thumbnail_url":"https://img.transistorcdn.com/I6fElHVztPSpIDUYjOOJIkFaMWeOFfzmuK4Zvdw4g2k/rs:fill:0:0:1/w:400/h:400/q:60/mb:500000/aHR0cHM6Ly9pbWct/dXBsb2FkLXByb2R1/Y3Rpb24udHJhbnNp/c3Rvci5mbS9kYWVl/NmFiNWZkNTg2NDJh/ODQ0NjIzNmRiMDdl/YjJjOC5wbmc.webp","thumbnail_width":300,"thumbnail_height":300}