You wouldn't invest $3M without legal due diligence.
Most failed studios don’t fail because of bad ideas—they fail because the team can’t reliably execute. Team Due Diligence is a game studio team assessment that gives you a clear view of execution risk before you commit.
What you’ll know after this
- Whether the team can ship on the current plan
- Where execution risk is hiding (and why)
- What to change next—prioritized and actionable
The $50M problem
The cost of a missed milestone isn’t just time—it’s burn, credibility, and optionality. These are the failure modes that show up before schedules collapse.
Signals that execution risk is real
- Priorities change weekly, but capacity doesn’t
- Milestones look “on track” until they suddenly aren’t
- Dependencies are unclear; ownership is fuzzy
- Leadership alignment exists in slides, not in decisions
What Team Due Diligence checks
- Team operating system: planning, execution, and accountability
- Leadership: decision quality, clarity, and trust
- Scope discipline: what’s in, what’s out, and what’s drifting
- Delivery realism: the gap between plan and capacity
What is Team Due Diligence?
A short, structured engagement designed to surface execution risk and give you a clear recommendation.
Immersion
I embed with the team to see how work actually happens: planning, handoffs, decision-making, and day-to-day execution.
Assessment
I evaluate the team’s ability to deliver: leadership alignment, operating rhythm, dependency management, and scope control.
Deliverable
You get a written assessment, clear recommendation, and a prioritized roadmap of changes that will improve delivery reliability.
How it works
A simple, four-step process designed for speed, clarity, and minimal disruption.
Step 1
Kickoff
Confirm goals, timeline, and the key risks you want answered.
Step 2
Observation
Embedded time with the team to see how decisions and delivery actually happen.
Step 3
Assessment
Identify risks, root causes, and what must change to raise the probability of shipping.
Step 4
Recommendation
Deliver a written report and decision-ready recommendation (go / no-go / conditional).
Simple, transparent pricing
Based on team size and engagement depth.
Micro Studio
< 10 people
$20,000
~2 weeks
- Embedded observation
- Team dynamic assessment
- Comprehensive written report
- Go/No-Go recommendation
Small Studio
10–25 people
$30,000
~3 weeks
- Embedded observation
- Team dynamic assessment
- Comprehensive written report
- Go/No-Go recommendation
- Implementation roadmap
Mid Studio
25–50 people
$40,000
~4 weeks
- Embedded observation
- Deep team dynamic assessment
- Comprehensive written report
- Go/No-Go recommendation
- Detailed implementation roadmap
Investment Protection: 50% credit toward ongoing engagement if you fund the studio.
Track record
This is built from real operating experience—shipping, scaling teams, and making hard calls under pressure.
Awards
3 Game of the Year awards and an Emmy nomination.
Experience
27 years across game development, product leadership, and delivery.
Focus
Execution risk, team dynamics, and operating systems that raise the probability of shipping.
Case examples
Examples are intentionally anonymized. The point is decision logic, not private details.
Recommended
Strong leadership alignment, realistic scope, and a team rhythm that consistently closes work. Risks are known and actively managed.
Pass
The plan relies on heroics: unclear ownership, recurring rework, and leadership conflict that blocks decisions. High probability of schedule slip.
Conditional
The product opportunity is real, but execution risk is addressable only if specific changes happen first: scope reset, operating cadence, and clearer decision rights.
Who this is for
If any of these are true, you’re likely carrying avoidable execution risk.
- You’re considering funding a studio and want to de-risk execution
- A milestone is approaching and the plan feels “too optimistic”
- You suspect misalignment, but status reports look fine
- You need a clear go/no-go view before a larger investment
- You want an operating plan to improve delivery reliability
- You want independent signal—not internal politics
Testimonials
Results vary by situation, but the pattern is consistent: clarity, alignment, and more reliable execution.
“Colin spent time embedded with the team and quickly identified why milestones were slipping. The report gave us a decision-ready view of risk and the fixes that mattered most.”
“The assessment cut through optimistic planning. We got a clear read on execution capability and what had to change before the next funding step.”
“It was direct, calm, and practical. We left with alignment on scope and a stronger operating cadence.”
FAQ
Quick answers to the common questions I get from publishers, investors, and studio leaders.
A clear written assessment of execution risk, team dynamics, and delivery capacity—plus an actionable recommendation (go / no-go / conditional) and a prioritized set of next steps.
Schedule a confidential consultation
If you want a decision-ready view of execution risk—let’s talk. I’ll ask a few questions, understand the context, and we’ll confirm whether Team Due Diligence is the right next step.