Kael Barend

My work in game business development covers scouting award winning titles, managing complex negotiations, drafting terms and P&L documents, and working with partners to license titles for physical editions. I built the publisher Maximum Entertainment Playtest Program, the game funnel tracking systems, and the full evaluation methodology. I also advise several other game related businesses in both tabletop and digital spaces.I am currently open to employment and consulting .

Key Experience

-Consultant, Agora Gaming Partners
Nov 2024 - Present
-Founder and Moderator, The Bizdev Circle (a server for publishing professionals)
Jun 2024 - Present
-Business Development Manager, Maximum Entertainment
Dec 2019 - Dec 2025
-Game Developer & Game Development Intern, Floodgate & Fantasy Flight Games
Jan 2019 - Dec 2019
-Board Game Industry Advisor, Goblin Bros
July 2018 - Present
-Game Reviewer & Content Writer, Gaming Cypher
May 2018 - Dec 2018

Areas of Speciality

  • Scouting and BD: Using game industry savviness I found and pushed to sign high scoring projects that strengthened the portfolio, raising well over $10M in net revenue.

  • Licensing Support: I have experience working with external IP holders to license physical merchandise and games based on IP. I even helped bring about anime and film based collabs.

  • Community Building and UI Testing: I built a structured playtest group and helped nurture and grow the group to over 3,000 through our discord servers and CRM mailing tools

  • Event Planning Expertise: I founded and organized BGB Con, a board game conference in Berkely with several hundred attendees. I am also a frequent public speaker at conferences around the world, and have helped manage multiple conference booths.

  • And More...: I have worked with every department at Maximum Entertainment and have worn many hats. I can help with Production, Marketing, QA, PR, and more.

Major Projects

Kael has been an incredible asset to Agora Gaming Partners. When we were just getting started and needed assistance for game scouting & playtesting Kael stepped up and helped us run our pipeline for over 1 year. Resulting in several closed deals and support for various clients.He's on point with his evaluations, always on schedule and managed developers very well. It'd be our pleasure to work with him again
-Pontus Maehler: Co-Founder, Agora Gaming Partners (Current)

In my years in the games industry, I can categorically say that I have not come across someone with the same breadth of knowledge about games as Kael. Whether it be an indie game, board game or even a game in the real world, Kael has probably played it and certainly has an insightful take on the game’s quality and fun. I relied on Kael to deliver quality analysis on whether games we were evaluating had the potential we required - and he also helped a great deal in creating and managing relationships with developers.
-Stefan Metaxa: Associate Director of Business Development at Maximum Entertainment (Formerly)

Such a fantastic eye for games and an excellent ambassador for the games you believed in. You are going to go on to be an incredible asset for your next company.
-Christina Seelye: Founder and CEO of Maximum Entertainment (Formerly)

Kael is one of the most knowledgeable and passionate gamers I’ve had the pleasure of working with. He has a strong instinct for industry trends and a talent for identifying promising projects early in development. Whether evaluating games, playtesting, scouting, or supporting broader business development efforts, Kael consistently goes above and beyond. I’d highly recommend him to anyone seeking expertise in these areas.
-Shane Bierwith: President of Maximum Entertainment (Formerly)

Kael holds an incredible wealth of knowledge that has proven to be vital when signing our titles. His ability to pinpoint the precise strengths and weaknesses of a title has provided strong building bases for our marketing team to work off of time and time again.
-Deisy Ochoa Mendoza: Partner Manager at Maximum Entertainment (Formerly)

The sense of community Kael helped build at Goblin Bros. has been key to our success and growth as a company. I am confident in Kael's leadership, industry insight, and deep passion for games... Indeed, if I had a position commensurate with his experience, I would hire him without hesitation.
-Ted Woolley: Colonel United States Air Force (Retired), Owner of Goblin Bros (Current)

Kael did an excellent job as an intern at Fantasy Flight Games, taking instruction well, responding to assignments quickly and thoroughly, and taking the initiative on developing game design skills on the job. This included a stand-alone practice game design project that Kael developed and tested over the course of several weeks, leading to a presentation of this project to myself and others on the miniatures team. Kael displayed excellent creativity and flexible learning skills, and is someone I'd be happy to have the chance to work with again in the future!
-Max Brooke: RPG & Miniatures Games Producer & Developer at Fantasy Flight Games (Current)

Kael is a professional, hard-working young man. He meets deadlines and is very creative an innovative in his reviews. I enjoy reading his work and am happy to recommend him to any job that he seeks.
-Galit Gordon: Chairman, Co-Founder, Sr. Editor at GAMING CYPHER, CORP. (Current)

As a business owner, efficiency is a critical requirement of anyone I work with. I’m often reminded that true competency is a super power. The years-long rapport between Kael and myself has proven he’s one of those superheroes. Our business relationship began when he scouted us out for a potential publishing opportunity. As we’ve kept in contact over time, I’m continuously reminded of his excellent communication, attention to detail, passion, timeliness, and wealth of industry knowledge. I’ve been blessed to have him in our corner, fighting for our success. Any organization would be lucky to add him as an asset to their team.
-Trever Lowe: Creative Director, Lowe Bros Studios (Current)

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