How I Went From a 3D Artist to GM of a Billion-Dollar Game
“My growth is a reflection of the company's growth because I’ve always been given an opportunity to grow” – Justin McFarlane
In a recent chat with host Mishka Katkoff, Jackpot Party Casino GM Justin McFarlane shared a career path that breaks the usual mold. He went from 3D artist to running SciPlay’s Billion Dollar flagship title—not by fast-tracking through roles or jumping companies, but by staying with one employer for 17 years and growing into each opportunity along the way.
You might think, “Right place, right time.” Justin would agree—to a point. But luck doesn’t carry you for nearly two decades. Something else does.
Jackpot Party Casino has generated over $1.45 billion in lifetime revenue for SciPlay, with more than 30 million downloads and an RPD north of $35. The company has posted consistent YoY growth since 2013, despite platform shifts, ownership changes, and industry shocks like IDFA.
Justin started in UI and 3D art. Over time, he moved into production, then strategy, and eventually GM. He picked up tools like Jira, taught himself forecasting, and learned monetization and LiveOps mechanics by doing the work.
Justin didn’t stay at SciPlay because he lacked ambition or alternatives. He stayed because the company continuously offered new challenges, and because he chose to get closer to the product rather than orbit around it.
Leadership Built Over Time, Not Titles
One of the most striking parts of Justin’s story is how culture — not hierarchy — fueled his rise. On the podcast, he described his philosophy as people-first: build an environment where talented people thrive, and great products will follow.
He also backs it with action.
During the post-COVID period, when Jackpot Party’s team was split between Austin and Cedar Falls, Iowa, Justin made the controversial call to centralize everyone in Cedar Falls (population just over 40,000), even if it meant losing top talent who couldn’t relocate.
Cedar Falls, Iowa. Image courtesy of cedarfalls.com
Why? Engagement was slipping. Vision was fading. “The product,” he said, “is a reflection of the environment it’s built in.”
Not exactly a textbook play... But Justin called it a reset — because if the team couldn’t see each other, they couldn’t see the product either.
It was a hard call, especially with a 9-figure title on the line. But he could make it because he’d earned trust. His team believed in him. The board backed him. And most importantly, he knew what rebuilding culture would take, because he’d already done it once.
Empowering Teams, Not Micromanaging
It’s tempting to frame these choices as visionary, but really, they’re the product of proximity. Justin had been close to the work long enough to notice what was off before the signals became obvious. That kind of judgment doesn’t come from outside the system. It’s built through years of context and hundreds of in-the-moment decisions.
One thing he mentioned during the podcast: how tempting it can be, especially when you’re experienced, to just give the answer. But he resists that urge. Even when he knows the right call, he holds back (when the stakes allow), because if you always solve the problem, the team never builds its own judgment.
That’s the kind of leadership that scales teams — not just products.
Turns out, slow isn’t stagnant. It’s strategic.
There’s a broader point here that applies to how we think about talent and leadership in games. The industry still has a strong bias toward movement. More titles. More scope. More logos. But there’s a growing body of evidence — and Justin’s story is part of it — that depth, context, and continuity matter more than we give them credit for.
According to Harvard Business Review, external hires often underperform compared to internal promotions and usually come with higher costs. LinkedIn’s 2023 Future of Recruiting report reinforces this: companies with strong internal mobility see significantly better retention. In fact, according to LinkedIn’s internal mobility analysis, employees who make internal moves have a 75% chance of staying at their company after two years, compared to just 56% for those who don’t. Most top-performing live service teams aren’t constantly changing out their leadership — they’re built around people who’ve stayed long enough to accumulate real product context and team trust.
What Playing the Long Game Really Looks Like
Not everyone should stay at the same company for 17 years. But the idea that staying too long means you’re stagnating? That’s a lazy assumption, and one this industry should retire.
Justin’s story is proof of what’s possible when companies invest in internal growth and when individuals bet on themselves over the long term.
Most companies would never let someone grow from artist to GM. Most teams wouldn’t trust a gut-based relocation call. But most teams also don’t last a decade with consistent growth.
Sometimes the fastest way up is the slow climb. And sometimes the smartest decision in the room doesn’t come from the dashboard — it comes from the person who’s been around long enough to see the pattern before it forms.
And that’s the kind of value AI won’t replicate anytime soon. It’s not about raw output. It’s about intuition, timing, and trust. The kind of judgment that only comes from sticking around long enough to matter.
