Our Story
After over 25 years of working in both video games & management consulting, I saw that there was an huge unmet need in the games industry for the professional advice on strategy, operations and marketing that other industries took for granted.
It was clear that gaming’s massive growth in scale had not been matched by its supporting business ecosystem.
I saw that as a result, industry leaders were getting very little good external advice to help maximise their growth, adapt to industry challenges or develop new revenue streams. In the absence of a better alternative, decisions were being made with only internal perspectives or informal suggestions from personal networks.
I resolved to change this and set up Player One Consulting with the aim of being the definitive source of advice on business, marketing & operational strategy for games companies.
We’ve already helped many companies on their way to success, but the task is really just beginning. With more experts being brought into our team and our constantly improving methods being implemented, we believe the future is a bright one.
The games industry continue to be hugely dynamic and challenging. More than almost any other, it needs both clear-eyed strategy & operations excellence to succeed.
Bringing the external perspective, industry best-practice and client value focus of Player One Consulting to your challenges & goals is the way to make that success happen.
Dr. Chris Bain,
Founder & CEO
How we work
We believe that every client is unique, and deserves a solution that meets their specific needs.
We also understand that there are common challenges faced by companies across the industry, and that there are corresponding best practices that can be used to address them.
Our project teams are skilled at managing this balance, combining their extensive & varied industry experience with our structured & proven project approach. We have a very practical focus, and we reject the politics, platitudes and lazy “hot takes” that make up so much of the advice offered in the marketplace today.
The projects we deliver vary in scale and duration, but are always 100% focused on client value. We always begin with an initial intro call to truly understand what the client is looking for, before coming back with our proposal to deliver on the client’s objectives.
We work with our clients to build a coherent, effective project team combining our “best-of-breed” experts in their disciplines, with the relevant client personnel, and manage the project until the value has been delivered.
Our Experience
Our Team
Dr. Chris Bain
Chris is a highly-experienced games industry strategist with over 28 years experience. As CEO of Player One Consulting, he has worked directly with over 100 games companies on their commercial strategy and runs the Games Scale Up accelerator for indie game studios, an intensive growth programme whose many alumni have seen industry awards, critical acclaim and long-term commercial success
Chris also actively advises non-games companies and IP holders on how to successfully partner with the games industry on transmedia and other initiatives.
Previously, Chris spent 13 years as an executive at Microsoft Xbox, where he headed up EMEA business strategy, before being promoted into a commercial leadership role where he delivered record revenue and market share growth in the CEE region.
During his extensive time in the industry, Chris has been involved in the release of over 100 games and has worked with numerous developers & publishers across all major platforms.
Prior to Microsoft, Chris was a management consultant for Accenture, running business transformations projects for major companies.
He also holds a science PhD and has published several academic papers.
Chris specialises in scenario planning, operating model design & marketing strategy. He is particularly passionate about optimising games company business models to succeed in the changing market environment.
Charlotte Grafton-Callaghan
Charlotte is a strategy and communications specialist with a career spanning over 18 years across games and wider entertainment. She has launched some of the biggest global franchises, including Batman Arkham, The Witcher, F1, LEGO, Civilization, and WWE2K and driven growth for a range of innovative scale-ups. Her experience includes working with Warner Bros, 2K, HBO, Bandai Namco, Red Bull, Gucci, BMW and the NBA, as well as a wide range of high-growth businesses.
She focuses on advising leadership teams across strategy and communications, pairing both disciplines to strengthen delivery and reduce risk during launches, funding rounds, pivots, restructures and periods of rapid growth.
Charlotte recently developed "The AAA Playbook", a strategic system built to address these challenges quickly, ensuring companies are set up to deliver with confidence in fast-moving markets.
Nathalia Garcia
A marketing leader with 18 years experience in games, Nathalia has led large teams at major publishers including PlayStation, Square Enix and Team17. As a consultant, she's supported Jagex-owned Gamepires studio, Maze Theory and Dream Reality Interactive. Her particular expertise is go-to-market planning across all touchpoints of the marketing and publishing journey. With a deep understanding of how to scale marketing teams and manage projects across multiple platforms, she's able to bring real value to games companies from indie to AAA and from PC/console to mobile.
Mingzhen Li
Mingzhen brings over seven years of experience in the gaming industry, with a focus on helping international games succeed in China’s dynamic market. As a former Senior Communications Manager at Creative Assembly, she led marketing activities for the Total War franchise in China, significantly boosting its regional visibility and player engagement. In her role within console game publishing in Shanghai, she worked closely with industry leaders such as Microsoft Xbox and Sony PlayStation, successfully launching high-profile titles including Final Fantasy XV, Sonic Forces, and nearly 30 other international games into the Chinese market.
Rob Bartholemew
With 20 years in games, Rob was most recently part of the senior leadership team at Creative Assembly. As Chief Product Officer, he was instrumental in shaping the trajectory of one of the industry's most iconic strategy franchises and has overseen the launch and ongoing support of a decade of titles from the UK's largest studio.
His focus on the expansion of the Total War series, establishment of multi-title strategic partnerships, and successful implementation of live support strategies, resulted in record-breaking revenues and millions of engaged players worldwide. With a background at Bethesda, SEGA and Take 2, Rob has built a career in connecting game teams with their audiences, enhancing player experiences and driving long-term franchise growth.
Gabriel Tse
Gabriel is a product, technology, and creative leader with nearly two decades of experience across AAA and AA studios, high-growth startups, and higher education. At Epic Games, he helped transform Quixel Megascans into a core pillar of Unreal Engine 5, supporting landmark showcases such as Lumen in the Land of Nanite, Valley of the Ancient, The Matrix Awakens, and Electric Dreams. He's also held roles as a TPM and Lead Artist at major gaming studios.
He specializes in production strategy, operational execution, and technology decisions, bringing a pragmatic results-driven approach that helps teams ship with confidence.
Piers Duplock
Piers is a games industry consultant and studio leader who works with companies on strategy, structure, and production at scale. He brings a production-led perspective to leadership and advisory work, grounded in 15 years of experience delivering complex projects and guiding teams through high-pressure development cycles.
He advises founders and leadership teams on how to build effective production structures, make clear strategic decisions, and prepare studios for growth, partnerships, and long-term sustainability. Piers is especially focused on helping developers ship better games without burning out, and on building studio practices that hold up beyond a single release.