156. From Bioshock to 10Six Games: Susan Cumming’s Founder Journey of Resilience and Reinvention

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In this powerful episode, host Sophie Vo sits down with Susan Cummings — co-founder of 2K Games, Tiny Rebel Games, and now 10Six Games — to explore her 25+ year journey through the gaming industry. From signing legendary IPs like Bioshock and Borderlands to founding and evolving multiple studios, Susan shares unfiltered insights on intuition-driven leadership, building (and rebuilding) companies, and the courage to start again after failure.

This is a masterclass in resilience, creativity, and navigating the business side of game development.

🎮 Key Highlights

* Founding 2K Games & Legendary IPsSusan talks about co-founding 2K Games, the origin stories behind signing Bioshock and Borderlands, and the importance of trusting instincts over rigid P&L analysis.

* The Role of IntuitionShe emphasizes how gut instinct, developed over years of experience, led to taking big risks that paid off — like acquiring the Civilization IP and signing Bioshock when no one else would.

* Tiny Rebel Games Journey (first venture)Suzanne reflects on building Tiny Rebel with her husband, starting as a lifestyle business and evolving into a venture-backed studio, including their work on Doctor Who and AR projects like Wallace & Gromit.

* Scaling Challenges & Lessons LearnedCandid lessons about growing too fast after raising a $7M seed round, and how scaling quickly can undermine agility and creative freedom.

* New Lessons: The Power of Small Teams & Indie SpiritHer renewed belief in small, senior, highly aligned teams — what she describes as a "rock band" model — and how it fosters creativity and faster iteration.

* Personal Resilience & Founding 10Six GamesAfter closing Tiny Rebel, Susan shares the emotional and practical challenges of transitioning, grieving, and finding the energy to build again with 10-6 Games.

* Working with a Life PartnerHonest reflections on co-founding multiple companies with her husband, the unique dynamics of mixing work and family life, and how they divide creative and business roles.

* New Ventures & Generative AIInsights into how Suzanne is now leveraging generative AI and building a new roguelike game experience with 10-6 Games.

💡Leadership Insights

✅ Trust your instincts, even when the data says otherwise.Original IP often requires leaps of faith

✅ Validate early and often.

✅ Small, senior teams can stay agile, avoid heavy process overhead, and iterate faster.

✅ Scaling too fast can be a trap.Hiring quickly to match a large funding round can lead to misalignment and risk when market conditions change.

✅ Leadership means making hard calls.As a founder, you must be willing to take responsibility for big decisions, even when unsure.

✅ Founding with a partner requires strong boundaries and deep trust.

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