PAX East was a surreal moment for me for a lot of reasons. Not only was it a chance to meet my online friends for the first time, but it was also an opportunity to meet industry icons, fist bump those who inspired us, and meet incredible developers and publishers with games that they’re extremely proud of. 

One of these publishers was Midwest Games, founded in 2023 by Ben Kvalo, formerly of 2K, Blizzard, and Netflix Games, and located in Green Bay, Wisconsin. Their mission as a publisher, yes, advertises that they are looking for games from underrepresented voices and overlooked developers with good ideas, but this time in the midwest.

Tell me where you’ve heard all of those buzzwords before.

But upon meeting the team, these flashy statements seemed to be more than marketing bullet points. They really made an impression on me and proved that they were anything but another stereotypical indie games publisher. 

Meeting Kvalo, as well as Chief Marketing Officer Jen Corbett and QA Lead Kristen Lambert was really inspiring. Even someone as accomplished and as iconic as Larry Herb, former Xbox Community Personality better known as MajorNelson and now a consultant for the publisher, took time out of his busy schedule to just talk for fifteen minutes with us. 

Each one of them took time to really get to know me and Boss Rush, what we wanted to do as a team, and shared stories about each game and where they came from. Most importantly, they treated us like we belonged there.

That level of respect is rare these days, especially from the CEO of a publisher and an industry icon. I mean this in the best way, but Kvalo was so unassuming, talkative, and polite that I didn’t even realize he WAS the CEO until someone told me, only introducing himself as Ben. As someone who works with CEOs and large companies at my day job, this was truly a welcomed change of pace. 

Though I didn’t have as much interaction with Community Manager Ryan Greenberg or COO Alyssa Walles as I would have liked, my interactions with them were also nothing but positive.

Yes, you could chalk it up to “this is an event” or “they’re there to promote games” and “they’re trying to sell,” and I get all of that and sure, they’re not in the business to make friends. But as someone who works in marketing, I know what that looks like

The team at Midwest Games felt humbly different and that is what makes them a special company. They will be the one to keep an eye on in the coming years as they prove that yes, great games can come from anywhere, even from the snow-covered, cheese-filled city of Green Bay. Never underestimate where people come from. 

Thanks to Midwest Games and their developers, Gylee Games, 1 Simple Game, Magic Games, and Ganymede Games for providing a wonderful experience at PAX East. You can learn more about Midwest Games and each of these developers by visiting their website.

Check Out These Games And More From Midwest Games!

Related Article: PAX East 2024: Gylee Games’ Ra Ra Boom is the Next Great Beat’em Up Worth Cheering For

Source: Midwest Games

The Boss Rush Podcast – A Podcast About Video Games

The Boss Rush Podcast is the flagship podcast of The Boss Rush Network and Boss Rush Media. Each week, hosts Corey Dirrig, Stephanie Klimov, LeRon Dawkins, and Pat Klein come together with their friends, colleagues, and fellow creators to talk about their week in video games, discuss industry topics, conduct interviews, answer listener questions, and more. New episodes every Monday. Get each episode one week early and more perks over on the Boss Rush Network Patreon page.

This feed also includes Boss Rush Spotlight podcasts and Boss Rush Video Game Book Club. Get both shows early on Patreon. 

Email the Show: podcast.bossrush@gmail.com

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