Strategic advisory
Clarify studio direction, commercial positioning, operating models, partnerships and the choices that shape the next phase.
01Advisory
Where I add value
Practical advice when the stakes are high.
I work directly with the people responsible for the next decision, helping them test the plan, identify trade-offs and move with more confidence.
Core focus
Strategic advisory · M&A readiness · Leadership counsel · Writing and speaking · Selective operating work
02Services
Five ways I work with clients.
M&A strategy and readiness
Prepare for a transaction, assess value drivers, pressure-test the story and get ready for diligence, negotiations and transition.
Leadership counsel
Use a direct, experienced sounding board for growth, restructuring, succession, difficult team decisions and strategic resets.
Writing and speaking
Clear, practical perspectives on company building, technical leadership, AI-assisted development and the realities behind acquisition.
Selected work beyond games
Apply games-industry operating experience to technology strategy, creative organisations and evidence-led decision-making.
For hands-on game engineering, visit DinoSloth ↗.
03Engagements
Defined projects, fixed fees.
Most work starts as a single project with a stated scope, a fixed fee and a written outcome. Some projects lead to further ones. A twenty-minute intro call is free. Fees are in pounds sterling; USD, EUR, SGD and THB invoices can be agreed.
Orientation
£500One conversation, fixed fee
- A short brief, read in advance
- A 60-minute call on your immediate question
- A short written note on the sensible next move
Strategy session
£1,500One decision, one week
- A written brief, read in advance
- A 90-minute working session
- A short written note of options and next steps
Transaction readiness
from £20,000Sell-side, fixed scope over three to four weeks
- Value drivers and the story a buyer will test
- A mock review of what a buyer's team will find, with gaps and fixes ranked
- Readout to founders and board
Acquirer strategy
from £25,000Fixed scope over four to six weeks
- Whether to buy, and what the target is worth to you
- Deal structure, risks and integration plan
- Readout to the board or investment committee
Strategy project
from £25,000Ten days over four to eight weeks
- Direction, positioning, operating model or restructuring
- Working sessions with the leadership team
- A written plan the team can run independently
Follow-on retainers are agreed after a first project, once both sides know what is useful. Speaking and writing are quoted on request.
04Independence
Two practices, clear lines.
I also run DinoSloth, which carries out technical diligence for buyers and investors. The rules below apply to me personally, whichever practice a piece of work comes through.
Conflicts
I do not advise a company on a sale that I have assessed for a buyer, and I do not assess a company for a buyer that I have advised. Buy-side technical diligence is carried out through DinoSloth. Financial and legal diligence stay with accountants and lawyers. I take no success fees, commission or paid introductions. Relevant relationships are disclosed before scoping, and where confidentiality prevents disclosure I decline the work.
Next step
Bring the decision into focus.
Tell me what decision is in front of you and where you are in it. I will tell you straight whether I am the right person to help.