Exploding Kittens' Elan Lee Stacks the Deck

Our guest is Exploding Kitten's Elan Lee. Starting with animating breath for the film Titanic, he went on to create the world's first alternate reality game, The Beast, at Microsoft. Later he gamified Nine Inch Nails and voter registration and went on to launch the most successful Kickstarter ever for Exploding Kittens, redefining family game night. This episode features great stories and a world exclusive product announcement - this week! [00:06:30] From ILM to Xbox Elan shares his early work on Titanic and Star Wars, including hand-animating breath and neck seams for Jar Jar Binks—yes, really. [00:18:30] The Xbox Origin Story Elan recounts joining Microsoft during the secretive beginnings of Xbox and working with gaming legend Jordan Weisman on the launch lineup. [00:30:45] Creating the First ARG with Spielberg How AI: Artificial Intelligence inspired Elan to pioneer alternate reality games, turning storytelling into an interactive experience. [00:35:00] Nine Inch Nails and “The Game That Calls You” Partnering with Trent Reznor, Elan built an ARG that included thermochromic CD ink, cryptic websites, and secret concerts. [00:41:30] The Clothing Line That Taught U.S. History A secret-encoded T-shirt line that secretly retold the story of the American Revolution—gamified fashion meets education. [00:49:00] Why Exploding Kittens Happened After stepping away from screens, Elan turned to physical games and launched Exploding Kittens, which raised $9 million on Kickstarter. [00:54:45] Inside the Chaos of Fulfilling 700,000 Orders How Elan went from a 200-copy side project to full-scale game production, leaning on friends (and Cards Against Humanity) to survive. [01:01:30] Teasing the New Exploding Kittens Board Game Elan reveals an exclusive about a brand-new 3D board game version of Exploding Kittens coming soon—with a mechanic that took two years to perfect. Support the show Thank you for listening to our podcast all about videogames and the amazing people who bring them to life! Hosted by Alexander Seropian and Aaron Marroquin Find us at www.thefourthcurtain.com Join our Patreon for early, ad-free episodes plus bonus content at https://patreon.com/FourthCurtain Come join the conversation at https://discord.gg/KWeGE4xHfe Videos available at https://www.youtube.com/@thefourthcurtain Follow us on Twitter: @fourthcurtain Edited and mastered at https://noise-floor.com Audio Editor: Bryen Hensley Video Editor: Sarkis Grigorian Producer: Kimya Taheri Art: Paul Russel Community Manager: Doug Zartman Featuring Liberation by 505