Player Driven

Building Safer Multiplayer Spaces with Nodecraft's Jon Yarbor

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Description

Summary:
In this episode, Greg sits down with Jon Yarbor, co-founder of Nodecraft, to discuss how private servers, accessibility, and player-focused design are reshaping multiplayer gaming. Jon shares his entrepreneurial journey, explains why privacy is the future of online play, and reveals how Nodecraft makes server hosting simple and accessible. If you're an indie or mid-sized game developer—or just a gamer who loves multiplayer—you’ll want to tune in!

Key Topics:

  1. The Importance of Privacy in Multiplayer Gaming Jon highlights the demand for private gaming spaces, contrasting them with chaotic public lobbies.
    Notable Quote: “Most players just want to game with their friends in a safe space—they don’t want the noise of public lobbies.”
  2. Empowering Players Through Accessibility Nodecraft eliminates technical barriers, allowing anyone to create and manage their own servers.
    Notable Quote: “You shouldn’t need to be an IT expert to host a Minecraft server for your kids or community.”
  3. Jon’s Unconventional Journey to Founding Nodecraft From working at Subway to starting Nodecraft, Jon shares how his passion for gaming drove his entrepreneurial path.
    Notable Quote: “I didn’t want to spend all my mental energy at a software job—I needed to save it for building something I believed in.”
  4. The Role of Support in Player Satisfaction Jon discusses why investing in front-line support reps is critical for gaming platforms.
    Notable Quote: “Great support reps are the unsung heroes of the gaming world.”
  5. How Accessibility Fuels Player and Developer Success Jon explores how user-generated content (UGC) and easy-to-use servers can transform engagement for players and revenue for studios.
    Fascinating Stat: Only 2% of active players create servers when traditional hosting tools are used—Nodecraft is changing that.

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