Beyond Metrics: Building Data-Backed, Player-Centric Products at Schell Games

In experience-driven products like video games, standard growth playbooks often fall short. To build sustainable games and digital experiences, product leaders must balance business KPIs with user delight. Guided by the principle of making money to make great games - rather than making games just to make money - product teams face a unique path to long-term success.

Join Jeremiah Young and Erin Sawyer, Product Managers at Schell Games, for a practical deep dive into turning player insights into sustainable, KPI-driven growth that is good for both the player and the business. Through case studies from Among Us 3D and early-stage R&D, Jeremiah and Erin will share frameworks for converting player feedback into high-impact product decisions.

You’ll learn how to combine quantitative analytics, playtest feedback, user reviews, and support tickets to diagnose root problems and build data-backed solutions. They’ll also share candid tactics for working alongside disciplines like art, design, and engineering to test bold ideas, iterate rapidly, and fail forward.

Agenda:

• 5:30-6:00 - arrival and networking
• 6:00-7:00 - session content
• 7:00-7:30 - networking and farewell

Note that we will not have food or drink provided at this meetup, but you are welcome to bring your own food to the session.

Many thanks to the Business Technology Group (BTG) at Carnegie Mellon University for arranging the venue for this session!

Speaker Bios:

Erin Sawyer is a product manager at Schell Games, where she has worked on Among Us 3D and unannounced titles. Her work focuses on advocating for both the player and the business, an approach heavily influenced by her background in psychology, data science, and Human-Computer Interaction. She holds a Master's in HCI from Carnegie Mellon University, bringing a values-driven perspective shaped by past work in sleep and cognition research at Michigan State University's Sleep and Learning Lab, mobile games at Jam City, and her award-winning transformational game Kaleidoscope (Serious Play Gold 2024).

Jeremiah Young is an Associate Product Manager at Schell Games, currently focusing on Research & Development. Bridging the gap between creative vision and market viability, Jeremiah directs development teams in prototyping and identifying the core mechanics that drive successful games. Among his recent projects, he guided the studio's partnership with Innersloth to deliver Among Us 3D: Definitive Edition. Before transitioning into the games industry, he spent five years in Equity Research Sales at UBS, bringing a unique ability to synthesize market trends and stakeholder needs into actionable product strategies. He holds a degree in Management Science from UC San Diego and an MBA from USC Marshall School of Business.