DICE Summit 2015 kicked off this morning with opening remarks from AIAS’ Martin Rae and a keynote by CEO and Co-Founder of Riot Games, Brandon Beck.

Beck’s keynote centered around his working philosophy about developing talent and sustaining great company culture at the ubiquitous game publisher that is by now practically a household name. They have achieved this by creating a culture that puts the gamer first.

“The best way to be a company that authentically treats players well is to be a company of players,” says Beck. There are only very few exceptions to the rule, but for the most part, Beck sees that the company is composed of gamers who understand, appreciate and uphold that gamers-first mentality.

Treyarch studio head Mark Lamia continued the conversation by discussing zombies and what they meant for a game studio looking to receive the same kind of “participatory fan culture” television shows were known to enjoy. “Zombies showed us exactly who we were and what we’re made of.”