In this episode, host
Alexandra Takei, Director at
Ruckus Games, sits down with
Mac Reynolds, co-founder and CEO of Night Street Games and Night Street Records, and
Matthew Berger, Game Director at Night Street Games. Together, they unpack the journey of building
Last Flag — a zany 5v5 hero shooter with capture-the-flag at its heart and music embedded deep in its DNA.
From a scrappy prototype built with an outsourced team to a 50+ person studio, they share lessons on pivoting engines, refining the core loop, and innovating within the oversaturated PC shooter market. They discuss how music shapes gameplay moments, creates immersion, and differentiates
Last Flag from typical shooters — and in a first-ever moment at Naavik, we share exclusive music tracks straight from the game itself.
The conversation also explores parallels between the business of music and gaming industries, what game devs can learn from music artists, and the realities of cutting through noise on Steam for a new IP. After listening, watch the trailer and sign up to playtest
here.
We’d like to thank Neon – a merchant of record with customizable webshops optimized for conversion – for making this episode possible! Neon is trusted by some of the biggest names in gaming and can help you sell direct without the typical overhead. To learn more, visit
https://www.neonpay.com/?utm_source=naavik We’d also like to thank Levellr — the Discord community intelligence platform — for making this episode possible. Learn more about unlocking real-time community insights at
levellr.com.
If you like the episode, please help others find us by leaving a 5-star rating or review! And if you have any comments, requests, or feedback shoot us a note at podcast@naavik.co.
Watch the episode:
YouTube Channel