Is the game funny, or just the players? Jackbox CEO says they get 'a lot of false positives' with a staff of comedy writers

Social improv games like those in Jackbox's Party Packs can have vastly different vibes depending on who you're playing with. Meemaw isn't likely to appreciate the phrase "glup shitto" the way your PC gaming friends will, and those sorts of high-variance dynamics are something Jackbox Games has to stay acutely aware of, according to CEO Mike Bilder.

"I mean we do a ton [of testing] internally, but then as games get greenlit, we'll bring in external groups," Bilder told PC Gamer associate editor Ted Litchfield in a recent interview. "We want to make sure that we're not just local-biased with our own opinions on things. We want to make sure these games are playing well."

Something that makes it especially hard to tell whether a game is funny or they're just having a good session is the fact that they work with comedy writers—people who can make a boring game seem funny just by cracking jokes while they play.

"We get a lot of false positives because we have such funny people here that work in the office, and they make games shine," said Bilder. "No matter what the concept is, you're gonna laugh, or the way they're hosting or emceeing the game, the pitch is hilarious, and it's like, can the game do that? Or is it just [studio creative director Arnie Niekamp]? Arnie's funny … a lot of times it is just Arnie."

In the same interview, Bilder also commented on generative AI. "The people are what make this product," he said. "The comedy, the writing, and the art, all that is done by people, and we have no intention of changing that."