Jobs in Games: Kwalee’s John Wright shares his games industry journey to VP of mobile publishing

• “A publisher’s true value lies in working on hundreds, if not thousands, of games and turning them into commercial successes”
• “Gaming is a unique industry, and I’ve seen many instances where simply reaching out on LinkedIn for advice has led to mentorships and even long-term partnerships”

Behind every great game is a team of creative developers making it happen. In our jobs in games series, we highlight some of the individuals working in the games industry, whether they are veteran developers with big hits under their belts or entirely new to the industry working on their very first title.

In this interview, we caught up with Kwalee’s vice president of mobile publishing, John Wright, who shares a lifelong love of video games that saw a departure from his original career in finance through to roles at the likes of Unity and IronSource.

We discuss what Wright’s current role at Kwalee entails, his proudest moments, the importance of mentorship and some advice for developers looking for a publisher. 

PocketGamer.biz: First, can you tell us a little about yourself and your history with games? Have you always been interested in them from a young age? 

John Wright: My professional journey into games began long after my passion for them had taken root. My first console was a Commodore 64, which was handed down to me by my cousin, who was about six or seven years older than I was at the time. I must have been around four or five years old.

My first new console was a Sega Master System II, which my parents bought for me. It didn’t come with any games, but luckily, Alex Kidd was pre-installed, and that’s where my fascination began. Later, Sonic the Hedgehog became an obsession, particularly trying to speedrun the entire game, though it took me 20 years to achieve that.

And how did you initially get into the games industry? 

I actually started my career in finance. I studied accountancy, got my AAT and CIMA qualifications, and worked at large corporations like WPP. But, quite honestly, I didn’t enjoy it.

Around the age of 24 or 25, I experienced an identity crisis. For as long as I could remember, I’d said I wanted to be an accountant, but after years of study and work, I realised I’d made a grave mistake for my future.

Fortunately, my employer at the time gave me the chance to manage the company’s e-commerce website and web marketing. After two years of managing the online business and learning about performance marketing, I transitioned into a performance marketing role in PCC at GreenManGaming. The rest, as they say, is history.

How do you reflect on your journey so far? You’ve worked at the likes of IronSource, Luna Labs, Unity, and more. What did each of these experiences teach you? 

The bulk of my career has always been on, let’s call it ‘the dark side’ of gaming, meaning I’ve worked on the third-party tech side rather than developing games directly.

The advantage of this has been exposure to hundreds of developers and a wealth of knowledge across a variety of genres and games. Over the years, I’ve managed well over $10 billion in client revenue or spend, whether in user acquisition or monetisation. In my last year at Luna, we managed nearly $2 billion in UA alone. This experience gave me tremendous insight into what makes a game successful.

When we founded Luna, I knew exactly who to approach and what to ask to get the most out of our solutions.

How did the position at Kwalee come about? You’ve recently celebrated being at the company for a year. How do you feel now that you’re a year in? 

As a good friend always says: “Your network is your net worth.” That’s precisely how I ended up at Kwalee.

I’ve known Jason Falcus and David Darling since 2016. I first met Jason at Gamescom, where he showed me an early prototype of TENS!, which became one of Kwalee’s first hits.

I worked with Jason and David for many years, first as the account director for Kwalee at IronSource, launching hugely successful games like Plank, Go Fish, Spillz and others. 

Interestingly enough, my first step into playable ads, which was my door into Luna, came from Plank mobile game, where (at IronSource) we created one of the first industry-successful playable ads, generating huge IPMs and becoming about 90% of the UA for the game.

Then Kwalee became one of Luna’s product partners in Beta, helping us shape the product, which would eventually be acquired by IronSource and then Unity. When the opportunity for the VP of Mobile Publishing role at Kwalee arose, Jason gave me a call, and this is how I ended up at Kwalee.

Kwalee has had a bunch going on, from new game releases to partnerships and the Hitseeker platform. How does the team juggle all of these aspects? 

Time management, prioritisation, and delegation are critical, but transparency is what really makes everything work.

The bigger the company becomes, the more important it is to address big strategic topics openly with the whole organisation so people have a real understanding of what we’re focusing on and why. 

At Kwalee, we hold monthly and quarterly meetings with the entire mobile team. At this moment, about 180 people.

We ensure everyone understands our strategic goals and why certain things take priority. Once there’s transparency, teams can shift resources and focus where needed, even if it means putting one project on hold to support another; that’s more crucial. There’s no ego here. Everyone is happy to pivot if they know it’s for the company’s greater good.

How do you help to guide the Kwalee team? And what advice would you offer to others looking to pursue a career in games when the industry has been suffering from huge layoffs over recent years?  

I’ve reached that point in my career where I’ve achieved a lot, and I’m genuinely content where I am. What gives me the most satisfaction now is seeing my team members grow and succeed.

Mentorship has become one of the most rewarding aspects of my role. I love working with aspiring talent, helping them reach those important milestones and guiding them as they take the next step in their careers.

Throughout my professional journey, I’ve had some incredible mentors who shaped and guided me, and I firmly believe that anyone in the games industry, especially those just starting out, should be open to finding one.

Gaming is a unique industry, and I’ve seen many instances where simply reaching out on LinkedIn for advice has led to mentorships and even long-term partnerships.

Is there any advice you could offer to developers looking for a publisher? 

Be open to feedback and try to stay as objective as possible about your game.

I know games are like personal projects, especially for smaller teams, but the tough reality is that even visually stunning or really fun games don’t always translate into successful businesses.

Publishers have access to vast amounts of industry data and understand what works and what doesn’t from a broad perspective. So, if they suggest changes or recommend adding something, it’s coming from a place of expertise, not just a hunch. Everything is backed by data and years of experience.

A publisher’s true value lies in working on hundreds, if not thousands, of games and turning them into commercial successes. It’s not just about funding or marketing. It’s about understanding what makes a product succeed. Listen to their input, and you’ll likely see a noticeable improvement in your game’s lifetime value.

What is your favourite aspect of your role? What is a typical day like for you or is part of the appeal that it is so varied, from travelling to events, to meeting with potential developers and managing a team. 

It’s all about working with people. Whether it’s supporting my internal teams to achieve success in different ways, like launching a new game or innovating with something like Hitseeker, or simply mentoring individuals and watching them grow.

My day-to-day varies greatly depending on the week’s priorities. I aim to divide my time evenly across the studios in the mobile division, including publishing, but I also need to keep the board updated on our progress toward goals, ensure release schedules are on track, and make sure the teams supporting mobile, like tools and tech, understand why we’re asking them to build something.

It’s a hugely varied role. I still enjoy travelling, speaking on stage, and giving advice to new people in the industry, though it’s harder to justify now with a young family at home.

Kwalee has been nominated for various awards, and you yourself have been nominated for the outstanding leadership TIGA award. How do you feel about these types of accomplishments? 

I’m obviously grateful for the recognition, and it’s reassuring to know we’re heading in the right direction.

While I’ve been at companies that have won awards before, this is the first time I’ve been individually nominated, and I’m really proud of that.

Whether I win or not, I’m just honoured to have been selected. I have to say, though, none of this would be possible without the support of my team. They’re the real rockstars, and I consider myself incredibly lucky to work alongside them on so many exciting games and projects.

Is there anything you feel particularly proud of in terms of your career so far, or any stand-out moments?

I come from a very modest, working-class background. I grew up on a council estate in East London. Honestly, people from my background don’t often get the chance to pursue their dreams, so the fact that I have is incredibly meaningful to me.

My career is full of unforgettable memories, but some stand out more than others:

• Taking Plank to world number one with the first mainstream, successfully developed playable ad (by IronSource).
• Receiving a call from Nadav Ashkenzay (CRO at Unity), inviting me to join a new strategic team in Tel Aviv, managing monetisation and UA for some of the world’s biggest developers.
• Building and successfully exiting Luna Labs to IronSource.
• The IronSource IPO.
• Speaking on stage at Google Think Games in Istanbul.
• Being interviewed by Forbes and TechCrunch.
• Seeing Unity’s acquisition of IronSource and elevating Luna to the next level.
• Launching Hitseeker, which I believe is the best publishing portal in the world.

These moments have shaped my journey, and I’m incredibly proud of them.

What would you like to see for yourself in the future within the games industry? Any big dream projects? 

My favourite game series of all time is Final Fantasy. If I could work on any project, it would be something related to that IP.

While I don’t see it happening, as I’ve focused my career on mobile casual games, managing a project for Final Fantasy would be an absolute dream come true.

That said, I’m incredibly excited to continue my journey at Kwalee – building and growing it into a dynasty. I want to keep expanding, adding more studios, investing in great teams and projects, and creating even more games that fulfil Kwalee’s mission: “Making the most fun games for the world’s players.”

Finally, is there anything we should be on the lookout for from you and the Kwalee team? 

We’ve got some fantastic games in the pipeline at the moment. One that I’m particularly excited about is a hybrid casual idle adventure game. It looks amazing and has been testing really well. 

We’ve also got a casual solitaire game with a homebuilder twist that I believe has real potential to stand out in an extremely competitive space.

On top of that, we’re working on some exciting partnerships with major industry players, which I can’t reveal just yet, but I’m looking forward to announcing them in due course.