Episodes
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How Star Wars: Galactic Racer Was Built
Adam Orth chats with Matt Webster, Co-Founder & CEO of Fuse Games and Craig Derrick, Executive Producer at Lucasfilm Games. Together they discuss how the Star Wars license allowed them to create a racing game not tied to tires on asphalt; why and how they implemented roguelike elements into the...
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From Riot to 2K and the Power of Transmedia with REL Hunt
Adam Orth chats with REL Hunt, Senior Director, Global Creative at 2K. Together they discuss her journey in games and creativity; her work in music and ideas on building a framework of music strategy for games; transmedia around live-service IP; and her new role as a Creative Director leading a...
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Smilegate's Harold Kim on Building Long-Lasting IP
Adam Orth chats with Harold Kim, SVP of Business Development at Smilegate. Together they discuss Smilegate's portfolio strategy and how that informs what partners they elect to work with; the importance of building rich IP that can stand the test of time; Smilegate's role in supporting studios…
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GMN Source Files - Composer Austin Wintory
Grammy and Bafta winning composer Austin Wintory stars in the premiere episode of Source Files, a new series in the Game Maker's Notebook podcast family where we ask developers what games were most influential in their own careers. Austin recounts which three games had a profound influence on his...
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How to Create an Immersive Climbing Game with Cairn
Chris Charla chats with The Game Bakers' Audrey Leprince and Emeric Thoa about their latest release, the climbing adventure Cairn. Together they discuss the history of their studio with titles like Furi and Haven; how they approach narrative by making players make big choices with no clear right…
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MARVEL Tōkon: Fighting Souls with Sony Interactive Entertainment's Reed Baird and Marvel Games' Michael Francisco
Jun Shen Chia chats with Michael Francisco, Senior Product Development Manager, Marvel Games and Reed Baird, Senior Producer, SIE PlayStation Studios XDEV. Together they discuss the development of MARVEL Tōkon: Fighting Souls including how the project was first envisioned and when they began...
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LEGO Batman: Legacy of the Dark Knight with TT Games' Jonathan Smith
Trent Kusters chats with Jonathan Smith, Vice President, Product at TT Games. Together they discuss his path from the LEGO Company to TT Games and helping define the pillars of a LEGO game; the importance of teamwork and consistency towards their continued success; working with DC to bring the...
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How A Viral Animation Turned Into a Sword-Fighting Dinosaur Game with Jean Nguyen
Adam Orth chats with Jean Nguyen, the creator behind the viral hit Dinoblade. Together they discuss his early work in games through animation; the story of his viral animation featuring a Spinosaurus with a sword; deciding to expand on the concept and make it a full game; learning game…
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Slay the Spire 2 and Building the Deckbuilder Genre with Mega Crit's Casey Yano
Karrie Shao chats with Mega Crit Games Co-Founder Casey Yano. Together they discuss developing the Slay the Spire series which helped kick off the deckbuilder genre; design pillars and an emphasis on clear information; how streamers picking it up lead to its meteoric rise; what they added to the...
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Actor Judy Alice Lee on Hades II's 12,000+ Lines of Dialogue
Alexa Ray Corriea chats with actor Judy Alice Lee. Together they discuss how she began her career as a recording engineer before finding herself inside the acting booth; how game accents differ from real life; her fears on overexposure; landing the role of Melinoë in Hades II and its 12,000+…
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Yacht Club Games' Sean Velasco on Mina the Hollower, Scope Creep, and What's Next
Trent Kusters chats with Yacht Club Games' Founder Sean Velasco. Together they discuss Yacht Club's follow up to the Shovel Knight series, Mina the Hollower including what they wanted to do differently from their previous titles; working within the Game Boy Color aesthetic and how that affects…
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How 007 First Light Adds to the James Bond Legacy with Hakan Abrak
Trent Kusters chats with Hakan Abrak, CEO & Co-Owner of IO Interactive. Hakan is also the Game Director on IOI's take on the Bond legacy with 007 First Light. Together they discuss how IOI met with MGM and the Ian Fleming estate to first pitch the project; the responsibilities they felt to stay...
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Following Up Disco Elysium with ZERO PARADES: For Dead Spies with Studio Head Allen Murray
Adam Orth chats Allen Murray, Studio Head of ZA/UM Studio and Head of Production on ZERO PARADES: For Dead Spies. Together they discuss the legacy of the studio and the pressure of following up a beloved debut in Disco Elysium; the deliberate choices they made around the setting and themes; how...
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Subverting Expectations in Titanium Court with AP Thomson
Trent Kusters chats with AP Thomson, creator of the surreal strategy-puzzle game, Titanium Court. Together they discuss his path into games and meeting his long time collaborator Jenny Jiao Hsia; working together on the award winning Consume Me; the development of Titanium Court including…
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How Replaced Explores the Relationship Between Technology and the Human Condition
Adam Orth chats with Igor Gritsy and Yura Zhoanovich of Sad Cat Studios about their 2.5D cinematic action-platformer, Replaced. Together they discuss developing the story as an exploration between technology and it's relationship with the human condition; designing combat that fits a cinematic...
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Jake Birkett on Forbidden Solitaire, Casual Games, and Surviving Gamedev for 11 Years Without a Hit
Trent Kusters chats with Jake Birkett of Grey Alien Games. Together they discuss how he worked together with Night Signal Entertainment on their card-slashing "horror" collaboration, Forbidden Solitaire; the importance of managing scope with small teams; how to properly understand Steam user...
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Dosa Divas' Chandana Ekanayake Talks Food, Music, and Indie Development
Alexa Ray Corriea chats with Chandana Ekanayake of Outerloop Games. Together they discuss developing his newest game Dosa Divas, including the origin of the narrative and using food as a storytelling device; weaving together story with combat; the importance of the introductory hour of gameplay;...
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How People of Note Explores Heavy Subjects with Whimsy and Musical Theater
Alexa Ray Corriea chats with Jason WIshnov, CEO of Iridium Studios, about their newest title, People of Note. Together they discuss where the initial design concepts originated from; the difficulty of finding a publisher before landing with Annapurna; friction between narrative and game design;...
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Housemarque's Gregory Louden on Saros, Narrative and Game Design
Trent Kusters chats with Gregory Louden, Creative Director behind Housemarque's latest dark sci-fi bullet-ballet, Saros. Together they discuss his early work in film with directors such as Alfonso Cuarón and Ridley Scott; transitioning into games and his path from VFX, to narrative, and…
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Mewgenics: From Flash Games to Cat Armies with Edmund McMillen & Tyler Glaiel
Trent Kusters chats with Edmund McMillen and Tyler Glaiel, creators of the hit cat-army tactical roguelite, Mewgenics. Together they discuss their history creating games during the boom of the flash and Xbox Live era including titles such as Aether, The Binding of Isaac, and The End is Nigh;...
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MOUSE: P.I. For Hire - Creating a Rubber Hose Noir Detective Story
Adam Orth chats with Mateusz Michalak (CEO & Co-Founder) & Mateusz Lechowski (Narrative Director) from Fumi Games about their studio debut title, Mouse: P.I. For Hire. Together they discuss the origins of the studio being based around animation with no game dev experience; the inspirations and...
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How Mixtape Tells a Coming of Age Story via Music with Johnny Galvatron
Adam Orth chats with musician and game developer Johnny Galvatron. Together they discuss his newly released coming of age story told through music, Mixtape including the origins of the idea; how they selected the music first and built the story around the soundtrack; building a "horizontal slice"...
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Re-release: Bioshock Creator Ken Levine on Judas, Writing and Narrative in Games
We're on a release break for new episodes, so here's one our past great chats from Oct, 9 2023! Adam Orth chats with Ken Levine, the legendary creator behind the Bioshock series and the upcoming Judas. Together they discuss Ken's journey into game writing; using art as a healthy outlet for...
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Re-release: Before Your Eyes with Oliver Lewin and Graham Parkes
We're on a release break for new episodes, so here's one our past great chats from May 16, 2022! Corey May speaks with the Oliver Lewin and Graham Parkes, two of the developers behind Before Your Eyes. Together they discuss how they created the blinking mechanic in game jams; the process of...
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Re-release: The History of Dwarf Fortress with Zach and Tarn Adams
We're on a quick release break for new episodes, so here's one our past conversations from Mar 27, 2023 with Tarn Adams and Zach Adams, brothers who together created Dwarf Fortress! Trent chats with the brothers about their 20 year journey in creating the aforementioned title including the early...
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The Sounds of ARC Raiders with Audio Director Bence Pajor
Austin Wintory chats with Bence Pajor, the Audio Director behind Embark Studios' smash hit extraction shooter, Arc Raiders. Together they discuss his early career in music and how he transitioned to audio design; his work at DICE on the Battlefield series; the moral implications when designing...
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Jenny Jiao Hsia Shares The Story Of Her Life In CONSUME ME
Alexa Ray Corriea chats with Jenny Jiao Hsia, co-director of Consume Me. Together they discuss where Jenny first got the idea to tell a semi-autobiographical story through video games; learning to not micromanage and lean on your team; how personal finances restrict or enable creativity; the...
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Arc Raiders Design Director Virgil Watkins
Adam Orth chats with Virgil Watkins, the design director behind Embark Studios' smash hit extraction shooter, Arc Raiders. Together they discuss his early passion in modding and how it led to him joining Embark Studios as a Technical Designer on the initial PVE version of Arc Raiders; how…
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Ben Starr on Acting and the State of the Games Industry
Alexa Ray Corriea chats with Actor Ben Starr. Together they discuss his role in the multi-D.I.C.E. Award winning game Clair Obscur: Expedition 33; balancing authenticity and restraint in the public sphere; voice acting in a game filled with intimacy in Date Everything!; and his observations on…
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Battlefield 6 Creative Director Thomas Andersson
Adam Orth chats with Battlefield 6 Creative Director, Thomas Andersson. Together they discuss his path in games from level design to direction; what it takes to lead a team the size it takes to create a Battlefield title; the pillars and core features that drove the mission in the newest entry…
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The State of Games Writing with Writer & Narrative Director Cara Ellison
Karrie Shao chats with writer and narrative designer Cara Ellison. Together they discuss her path from television to games; the global development scene and the difficulties facing developers today; her desire to bring local culture to the global stage; and her work with Fireproof Games on the...
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Cory Davis (Spec Ops: The Line) & Robin Finck (Nine Inch Nails) on Psychedelic Horror in SLEEP AWAKE
Adam Orth chats with Eyes Out co-founders Cory Davis (Spec Ops: the Line) and Robin Finck (Nine Inch Nails) about their studio's debut game, SLEEP AWAKE. Together they discuss their distinct paths from traditional games and music and how they found themselves collaborating together; the unique...
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The Audio Experience of Ghost of Yotei with Rev. Dr. Bradley D. Meyer
Grammy Award winning composer Austin Wintory chats with Rev. Dr. Bradley D. Meyer, Audio Director at Sucker Punch Productions. Together they discuss his path to gaming and joining Sucker Punch; his thoughts on audio design including on his latest work in Ghost of Yōtei; the complex marriage of...
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Talking Game Maker's Sketchbook with Double Fine's Tim Schafer
Guest host Tim Schafer (Double Fine Productions) chats with Jon Gibson (iam8bit) Meggan Scavio (AIAS), and Sibel Sunar (fortyseven communications) about their joint effort to celebrate the world of game art, the Game Maker's Sketchbook. Together they discuss the history and goals of the showcase;...
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Abiotic Factor with Geoff "Zag" Keene and Henry Feltham
Corey May chats with Abiotic Factor developers Geoff "Zag" Keene and Henry Feltham from Deep Field Games. Together they discuss the challenges and benefits of working in small teams; the importance of relationships and communication; narrative design as a production tool; balancing seriousness…
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History of the Anno series with Creative Director Manuel Reinher
Trent Kusters chats with Ubisoft Mainz Creative Director, Manuel Reinher. Together they discuss his extensive work in the Anno series and his path from the art team to direction; the creative and technical challenges of working in the historical strategy game genre; their approach to depicting…
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Narrative Design in DISPATCH with Director Nick Herman
Alexa Ray Corriea chats with Adhoc Studio's Nick Herman about their debut title, Dispatch. Together they discuss the difficulties of funding narrative based titles and how that led to their collaboration with Critical Role; how they approached the superhero genre from outside the fandom…
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Double Fine's Lee Petty talks Keeper and Creative Leadership
Trent Kusters chats with Lee Petty, Creative Director on Double Fine's newest adventure, Keeper. Together they discuss where the idea to anthropomorphize a light house; why they avoided dialogue and how it pushed them creatively; how silence and emptiness shape emotional tone; the importance of...
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SILENT HILL f Director Al Yang on Creating an All-New Chapter in the Legendary Horror Franchise
Jun Shen Chia chats with SILENT HILL f game director Al Yang of Neobards Entertainment. Together they discuss how Neobards collaborated with Konami and famed Japanese writer Ryukishi07 on creating the newest chapter in the Silent Hill series; designing the combat to create tension and feel like a...
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Making THE OUTER WORLDS 2 with Obsidian's Brandon Adler and Kyle Koenig
Adam Orth chats with Brandon Adler and Kyle Koenig about their latest work at Obsidian Entertainment, The Outer Worlds 2. Together they discuss the lessons they learned from the first game and what they sought to improve; how they implemented comedic and narrative elements into every aspect of...
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Becoming the Ghost of Yōtei with Erika Ishii
This episode contains spoilers for the game 'Ghost of Yōtei' Alexa Ray Corriea chats with actor and producer, Erika Ishii who stars as Atsu in Ghost of Yōtei. Together they discuss Erika's journey in acting and how they found themselves working in video games; working with Sucker Punch and their...
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The Challenges of Game Localization, Writing and Recording with Shloc
Alexa Ray Corriea chats with Oli Chance and Morgan Rushton from localization studio Shloc Ltd. Together they discuss how they got into the business of game localization; their long history working on massive IP like the Final Fantasy, Dragon Quest, and Death Stranding series; how they tackle...
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Absolum - Dotemu's Path From Licensed Games to Original IP
Trent Kusters chats with Dotemu CEO, Cyrille Imbert. Together they discuss Dotemu's work in licensed IP including how they pitch to license holders; the short-term financial and long-term relationship damage caused by releasing subpar products; how they inadvertently revived the beat 'em up genre...
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From "Katamari Damacy" Through "to a T" with Keita Takahashi
Trent Kusters chats with creator of the cult classic Katamari Damacy and the recently released to a T, Keita Takahashi. Together they discuss how he went from sculpting to his first job at Bandai Namco; the origins and development of Katamari Damacy and his subsequent works; his philosophy on...
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Obsidian's Josh Sawyer's Thoughts on Creating Engaging RPGs
Alexa Ray Corriea chats with Josh Sawyer, Studio Design Director at Obsidian Entertainment. Together they discuss his thoughts on developing RPGs; what he learned from working at legendary studio Black Isle Studios; how to successfully adapt Dungeons & Dragons to video games; writing for games…
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The Development World of RPGs with Jeff Gardiner
Adam Orth chats with Jeff Gardiner from Something Wicked Games. Together they discuss his long history in the world of RPG development including titles in the Elder Scrolls and Fallout series; the trials and tribulations associated with starting your own studio; the perilous state of the games...
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Games Writing with Lis Moberly, Creative Lead @ 20th Century Games
Alexa Ray Corriea chats with Lis Moberly, Creative lead at 20th Century Games. Together they discuss how the path towards game development has changed over the years and the difficulties young people face with job placement; working with and helping junior writers join and stay in the games...
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From Used Car Salesman to Indie Game Publisher: The New Blood Story
Trent Kusters chats with Dave Oshry of New Blood Interactive. Together they discuss how he went from games journalism to publishing; navigating the ins and outs of publishing on PC and how they landed their first deal; how nostalgia meets modern in the boomer shooter genre; their approach to the...
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How to Pitch Game Projects to Publishers with Focus Entertainment's Yves Le Yaouanq
Adam Orth chats with Focus Entertainment's Chief Content Officer, Yves Le Yaouanq. Together they discuss his journey and the lessons he's learned working for some of the biggest game developers and publishers in the industry; his work on the research and development side of games; the need for...
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How Ready or Not Creates Tension Behind Every Door
Trent Kusters chats with Sean Gorman (Lead Designer) and Mark Ranson (Art Director) from Void Interactive, creators of the tactical first-person shooter, Ready or Not. Together they discuss how the studio balances realism, tension, and storytelling without glorifying violence; their "fear every...
About this show
A game dev podcast featuring in-depth conversations between video game makers on the business and craft of interactive entertainment.
Hosted by
Academy of Interactive Arts & Sciences
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