When it comes to saving money, working efficiently or creating value for players, what should take priority in game dev? No matter what your opinion is, tools are a possible solution to all of these problems.   In this episode, we’re joined by Jean-Eric Khalife, product manager at Hypixel Studios, to talk about what happens when tools are overlooked or used poorly, and when they shouldn’t be used. Formerly a tech artist, he’s a pro at solving problems and has plenty of examples to prove his ability to strategize the use of tools. He also shares his approach to building tools, as well as the steps you can take to improve your games and build better tools that your team will want to use.   So, when should you invest in proprietary tools? How should you prioritize tools differently during different stages of production, or different stages of a company? What can you do when your leaders won't invest in better tools?   Tune in to hear Jean-Eric’s answers to these questions and lots more!   Topics discussed in this episode: Why tools are forgotten about and undervalued When you should and shouldn’t use a third party tool When to invest in proprietary tools Examples from his work on League of Legends Prioritizing tools in each stage of development Cost of change Savings money versus creating player value Jean-Eric’s process for building tools How to get people to switch tools   Connect with Jean-Eric Khalife on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jeaneric/ Sign up for the Building Better Games Newsletter for monthly tips to help you lead game teams! https://buildingbettergames.gg/newsletter/   Check out our website: https://buildingbettergames.gg/   If you’ve enjoyed this episode and wonder if we could help your studio or company out, email us at info@valarinconsulting.com to set up a free 90-minute call!   For more episodes, head to the Building Better Games Podlink https://www.pod.link/1559448378   Connect with us: https://www.tiktok.com/@building_better_games https://www.instagram.com/building_better_games/ https://www.linkedin.com/company/valarin-inc/   Content Editor: Jonathan Singh   This episode was produced by Podcast Boutique https://www.podcastboutique.com