#653: Elan Lee, Co-Creator of Exploding Kittens — How to Raise Millions on Kickstarter, Deconstructing Mega-Successes, Secrets of Game Design, The Power of Positive Constraints, The Delights of Craftsmanship, and The Art of Turning Fans into Superfans

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Elan Lee (@elanlee) is the co-creator and chief
executive officer of Exploding Kittens, a
leading gaming and entertainment company. Under his leadership,
Exploding Kittens has expanded its portfolio to nearly 30
different games with more than 20 million games sold in more than
50 countries since its founding in 2015. 


Before founding Exploding Kittens, Lee was the chief design
officer at Xbox Entertainment Studios, where he led the
Interactive Entertainment Portfolio. Prior to that, he was the
founder and chief creative officer of Fourth Wall Studios and
co-founder of 42 Entertainment. He began his career at Microsoft
Games Studios as a lead designer on the original Xbox. 


Lee has won a Primetime Emmy for the series Dirty Work; Game
Innovator of the Year for Exploding Kittens; a Peabody Award for
the world’s first alternate reality game, The Beast; and an
IndieCade Trailblazer Award for a distinguished career in
interactive entertainment, among others.


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*


[06:00] Poetry For Neanderthals and collaborating with creative
cohorts.


[16:41] Kitty Test Pilots and core gameplay loops.


[22:21] Crowdfunding, alternate reality games, and internet
archaeology.


[25:54] Matthew Inman and The Oatmeal millions.


[32:18] The perils of operating faster than the speed of Gmail.


[34:06] Converting casual fans into superfans.


[34:51] What not to do when your Kickstarter goes better than
expected.


[36:51] The budget of production needs to fit the fun.


[43:01] Does size matter?


[44:44] From direct-to-consumer sales to being featured in big
box stores.


[47:07] Building a game from scratch quickly.


[52:26] Guiding principles.


[56:37] Foundational game recommendations for beginners.


[1:05:10] Is Settlers of Catan the game you think it is?


[1:07:35] Lessons learned from game design veteran Jordan
Weisman.


[1:08:50] If you built Jar Jar Binks’ neck, they practically let
you run the place.


[1:11:38] If you can’t rock the vote, then clothe the vote.


[1:15:35] Other practical Jordanisms.


[1:16:55] Steven Spielberg and The Beast.


[1:23:19] Hate playing Candy Land with your kids? Design new
games with them.


[1:28:02] Growing Exploding Kittens from a game into a company.


[1:32:56] International shipping nightmares.


[1:36:13] Why an open-door policy had to be shut.


[1:38:27] Employees and their roles.


[1:41:50] Milestones.


[1:43:06] When big asks get big results.


[1:47:18] Investor expectations.


[1:52:15] What kind of retirement does someone who makes fun for
a living envision?


[1:56:07] Dance partners, algorithm defiance, and other parting
thoughts.


*


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