What does it look like when a shy kid who hated networking accidentally builds a game with 200 million players, survives corporate lawsuits, charms tax inspectors into forgetting why they came, and learns to lead by doing? That’s Jeroen Derwort’s story. In this episode of Humor in the C Suite, Kate Davis sits down with the former CEO of Gamebasics to explore how humor, humility, and a very healthy relationship with imperfection built one of the most unlikely success stories in gaming history — and what every leader can take from it.
About Jeroen Derwort
Jeroen Derwort began coding Online Soccer Manager from his attic bedroom in 2001 as a passion project. He had no idea it would grow into a global phenomenon with over 200 million players. As CEO of Gamebasics for 16 years, he navigated everything from intellectual property disputes with football’s biggest organizations to high-stakes corporate negotiations — all while building a culture rooted in creativity, humor, and genuine human connection. In 2021 he sold Gamebasics to Miniclip. Around the same time he also exited Roster Buster, an aviation crew scheduling app used by 400,000 airline crew across 400 airlines, which was acquired by CAE. He now chairs the Dutch Games Association and teaches game development at The Hague University of Applied Sciences. His book Score takes readers behind the scenes of the whole journey.
Key Topics Covered
Jeroen and Kate explore how humor functioned as a genuine survival mechanism through the most stressful periods of building and scaling two tech companies simultaneously. They talk about the culture Jeroen created at Gamebasics — informal, creative, and rooted in shared laughter — and how that culture attracted people who genuinely wanted to be there. Jeroen shares how he handled the legal battles and corporate pressure that threatened to end the game entirely, and why having a light-hearted lawyer was one of the best leadership decisions he ever made. They dig into what it felt like when employees left and why Jeroen was genuinely hurt every time — a vulnerability Kate notes in 55+ episodes of the podcast she has never heard a leader admit before. And they cover Jeroen’s philosophy on perfection: that doing something and seeing what happens will always beat waiting until everything is right.
Standout Quotes
“Not taking myself too seriously, seeing the irony in things — that really helped. That was my survival mechanism.” — Jeroen Derwort
“I found it difficult when people left the company. I thought — why are you leaving the best company? And then eventually I left myself.” — Jeroen Derwort
“You cannot really fail if you don’t have huge expectations. Just try it and see where it goes. If it goes well, you double down.” — Jeroen Derwort
Jeroen’s Advice for Leaders
Don’t wait for perfect. Put something out and see what happens. If it gets traction, double down. If it doesn’t, you haven’t lost much. Humor is a leveler — it makes you approachable, keeps your team grounded, and gives everyone permission to be human at work. And when people leave — because they will — send them off with kindness. The goodbyes you handle with grace have a way of coming back around in ways you never expected.
About the Book — Score
Score takes readers behind the scenes of Gamebasics from its origins as a bedroom hobby project to a global tech company with 50 employees and millions of obsessed users worldwide. It covers high-stakes encounters with corporate giants, battles against digital hooligans, boardroom clashes with the world’s biggest football clubs, and the very personal journey of a shy nerd who had to learn to lead, negotiate, and survive the Champions League of the gaming industry. Available now!
