Womenize! – Inspiring Stories is our weekly series featuring inspirational women from games and tech. For this edition we talked to Kirsi Rossi, CEO at Random Potion. Read more about Kirsi in this interview:
 
Hi Kirsi! What is it that makes Random Potion special as a company?

Hi, thanks for inviting me! The more I have talked with other game studios, the more I have noticed that we have a different approach to hiring people. Many studios are looking to hire seniors only but we have a mix of both talented juniors and seniors in our team. I think that it has been a good combination to get fresh new ideas and challenge old ways of doing things. It is a nice feeling to see your team members growing into more demanding roles and also when there is talent and passion, great things can happen.

Another thing that makes us special is that our company’s first released game was a multiplayer co-op. Many people told us to not do multiplayer for our first game but to start with something smaller instead that is easier to sell to publishers. It was good advice but we just didn’t take it. Afterwards I have thought about how interesting the game industry is because it is full of stories of people who started to do something that was not overall wise but they still managed to do that – and some successfully. That’s why I never give too strong opinions because I don’t want to put people down with their dreams.

How did your studies in Business Administration support your career in the games industry?

BBA studies are a good background for understanding the commercial side of the games. Developers don’t necessarily always see the business side as interesting but I think it is important that everyone in a team understands the basics of it and considers that in the development. We all have our bills to pay, so there needs to be a balance between creative and business goals.

I also think that BBA studies are good for any founder. It helps to understand investors and publishers’ point of views when you are pitching game projects. If you have enough budget, you can hire experts to help you with HR, finance, etc, but founders are still the ones who are building the company and its values, culture and vision.

Do you have any advice for someone looking to get started in the games sector in Finland?

Finland has really nice game communities that are supporting each other. I recommend joining different events – most are now online so it is possible even outside of Finland. Also don’t hesitate to contact people who you think can help or advise you directly. If you see someone working in an interesting game company, just send a message and ask that person for lunch or coffee to talk about the topic that interests you. When I started in games, I was surprised how friendly and helpful people are – especially because Finns are often considered quiet and timid.

Thank you for your time, Kirsi!

Random Potion‘s upcoming game “Ignis Universia” has a Kickstarter campaign going until August 12, 2021:

Kirsi’s links: Twitter │ Random Potion on Twitter │ Ignis Universia on Kickstarter

Womenize! – Inspiring Stories Feature by Sophie Brügmann