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David Li

CEO and CoFounder at Hidden Leaf Games

David Li is the CEO and Co-Founder of Hidden Leaf Games, a gaming company known for developing popular titles, including "Legends of Runeterra." With over a decade of experience in the gaming industry, Li has previously held significant roles at major companies such as Zynga, Riot Games, and NBCUniversal.

Background and Education

David Li's passion for gaming began early in his life, leading him to pursue a degree in computer science at the University of California, Berkeley, specifically at the Haas School of Business. It was during his time at university that he met his future business partner, with whom he shared a vision for creating AAA PvP games.

Career Path

Li started his career as a Product Manager at Zynga, where he quickly advanced to Lead Product Manager for "Hit it Rich," contributing to user growth and revenue strategies. He later worked at Riot Games as a Monetization Product Manager, focusing on optimizing game metrics and enhancing player experiences.

In 2015, he co-founded Hidden Leaf Games, where he has been instrumental in leading the company to success with innovative game releases and a strong team. His leadership has positioned Hidden Leaf Games as a notable player in the gaming industry, with a focus on creating engaging and competitive gaming experiences.12

Highlights

Mar 13 · linkedin

I’ve been following the VTuber industry for a while now and have been continuously impressed. As a life long anime fan (could you have guessed based on our company name), it’s no surprise to me that the VTuber community has had such an explosive growth in the past few years. In 2021, VTubers accounted for 38% of the top 300 most profitable YouTube channels. On Twitch, VTubing content grew by 467% year over year with VShojo leading the way. Just last year, Ironmouse won Content Creator of the Year at the Game Awards.

Very excited to finally announce a partnership that's been brewing between HLG and VShojo! Our companies and communities are both lovers of games, anime and streaming. I can’t say anymore at this point, but I’m personally super excited about the upcoming project we’re working on. I think it’ll be something familiar to all gamers but also something that we're pushing to unchartered territories that players will be excited about. We’re still early in the development cycle, but I get the same jittery excitement that I had when I first started working on FANGS.

I’ll be at GDC this year if anybody wants to catch up :)

Related Questions

What inspired David Li to start Hidden Leaf Games?
How did David Li's experience at Zynga influence his leadership style at Hidden Leaf Games?
What are some of the biggest challenges David Li has faced in the gaming industry?
How did David Li's role at Riot Games shape their approach to game monetization?
What future projects is David Li planning for Hidden Leaf Games?
David Li
David Li, photo 1
David Li, photo 2
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Experience

CEO and CoFounder at Hidden Leaf Games (November 2019 - Present)
Lead Product Manager at Endless Entertainment (August 2018 - July 2019), Lead Product Manager at Super Evil Megacorp (June 2017 - June 2018)

Education

University of California, Berkeley, Haas School of Business

Location

San Francisco, California, United States