From Silent Hill to Immortality with Sam Barlow | The AIAS Game Makers Notebook Podcast Academy of Interactive Arts & Sciences 2022-10-24 | Trent Kusters chats with Game Director at Half Mermaid, Sam Barlow. Together they discuss how his career began; his early studio work and getting to work on the Silent Hill franchise; his decision to go indie; his experiences that led to his first indie project; the intricacies of creating games that require a full film crew; and looking at his newest title Immortality through the lenses of both Her Story and Telling Lies. Watch the episode here or listen to the full episode on your podcast app of choice: interactive.org/Interviews/the_game_makers_notebook.asp
BattleBit Remastered with Max Larry Fink | AIAS Game Makers Notebook Academy of Interactive Arts & Sciences 2023-08-21 | Adam Orth chats with Max "Larry" Fink, one of the 3 developers behind the smash hit online shooter, BattleBit Remastered. Together they discuss the history of BattleBit Remastered's development; how the team uses community feedback; being in the eye of the storm with the massive attention their game has garnered; and the unique design choices that help BattleBit Remastered stand out.Watch the full episode here or listen on your podcast app of choice: interactive.org/Interviews/the_game_makers_notebook.aspFollow us: twitter.com/Official_AIASinstagram.com/official_aias
Actor Laura Bailey Talks About Her Career and Stray Gods | The AIAS Game Makers Notebook Podcast Academy of Interactive Arts & Sciences 2023-08-14 | Austin Wintory chats with actor Laura Bailey about her iconic work in games and animation. Together they discuss her early career and catching her first big break; her work in animation that led to a prolific career in video games; her process for getting into character; being a part of the highly popular Critical Role; and working together alongside the all-star cast of the recently released Stray Gods. Watch the full episode here or listen on your podcast app of choice: interactive.org/Interviews/the_game_makers_notebook.aspFollow us: twitter.com/Official_AIASinstagram.com/official_aias
Creating More Star Wars Music than John Williams with Gordy Haab | Game Makers Notebook Podcast Academy of Interactive Arts & Sciences 2023-07-17 | Austin Wintory chats with longtime Star Wars franchise composer Gordy Haab. Together they discuss how Gordy found himself scoring more music for the space epic than even John Williams; creating music new music for an established franchise with your own voice and avoiding imitation; the complex approval process when working on Star Wars titles; and the fundamental differences between composing for video games and other types of media.Watch the full episode here or listen on your podcast app of choice: interactive.org/Interviews/the_game_makers_notebook.aspFollow us: twitter.com/Official_AIASinstagram.com/official_aias
Creating a Rhythm-Action Game with Hi-Fi Rush Director John Johanas | AIAS Game Makers Notebook Academy of Interactive Arts & Sciences 2023-07-03 | Digital Eclipse LA's Adam Orth chats with John Johanas, the Game Director for the recently released rhythm-action game, Hi-Fi Rush. Together they discuss John's journey into development and how he landed himself in Japan and working with legendary game creator Shinji Mikami at Tango Gameworks; transitioning from design to leading his first full game project on The Evil Within 2; the personal weight of directing a sequel to a high profile game and earning your team's trust; how John's background in music lead to the creation of Hi-Fi Rush; and how the team balanced art, combat, and level design to guide players through the music enhanced gameplay. Watch the full episode here or listen on your podcast app of choice: interactive.org/Interviews/the_game_makers_notebook.aspFollow us: twitter.com/Official_AIASinstagram.com/official_aias
From Metal Gear to Star Wars with Composer Stephen Barton | AIAS Game Makers Notebook Podcast Academy of Interactive Arts & Sciences 2023-06-26 | Austin Wintory chats with Composer Stephen Barton. Together they discuss his career inside and outside of games including his early work as part of the Metal Gear franchise; working with Infinity Ward on the Call of Duty: Modern Warfare franchise; and his recent projects with Respawn Entertainment on the Titanfall games, Apex Legends, and the Star Wars Jedi series including the recently released Star Wars Jedi: Survivor. Watch the full episode here or listen on your podcast app of choice: interactive.org/Interviews/the_game_makers_notebook.aspFollow us: twitter.com/Official_AIASinstagram.com/official_aias
Sarah and Colin Northway Discuss I Was a Teenage Exocolonist | AIAS Game Makers Notebook Academy of Interactive Arts & Sciences 2023-06-19 | Trent Kusters chats with Sarah Northway and Colin Northway from Northway Games. Together they discuss both of their early careers and the path they eventually took which led them to develop games together; examining early projects including the Fantastic Contraption series and Rebuild; how their releases always seem to be at the zeitgeist of cultural and technological shifts in gaming; traveling the world while developing games; and the development of their latest hit, I Was a Teenage Exocolonist.Watch the full episode here or listen on your podcast app of choice: interactive.org/Interviews/the_game_makers_notebook.aspFollow us: twitter.com/Official_AIASinstagram.com/official_aias
Exploring Diablo IV Game Development with Director Joe Shely | AIAS Game Makers Notebook Podcast Academy of Interactive Arts & Sciences 2023-06-12 | Ted Price chats with Diablo IV Game Director, Joe Shely. Together they discuss the challenge of meeting expectations for such a beloved franchise; key decisions around classes, balance, and skill trees; their goals behind the end game; and how to design memorable bosses.Watch the full episode here or listen on your podcast app of choice: interactive.org/Interviews/the_game_makers_notebook.aspFollow us: twitter.com/Official_AIASinstagram.com/official_aias0:00 Intro2:26 Meeting Joe4:50 Diablo IV Team Culture8:29 Player Expectations11:59 Exploring the tone for Diablo IV17:46 Creating Coherency between Main/Side Quests24:00 Town Design and Layout Constraints27:00 Balancing Combat across Classes32:42 Designing Skill Trees39:09 Boss Fight Design49:29 Diablo IV's Shared Open World54:50 Quality of Life Improvements in Game Sequels58:15 Creating a Compelling Endgame1:01:50 Post-Launch Content/Development1:04:05 Launch-Focused vs Live-Service Development1:07:40 A Chat with Xsolla
Creating the Gamiest Game in Neon White with Ben Esposito | AIAS Game Makers Notebook Podcast Academy of Interactive Arts & Sciences 2023-06-05 | Trent Kusters chats with Ben Esposito, Game Director behind the Annapurna Interactive published Neon White. Together they discuss what sparked his interest in game development; his work at The Unfinished Swan and What Remains of Edith Finch developer Giant Sparrow; the long development journey of his previous game Donut County; and how he followed that up by creating the "gamiest game" he could think of in Neon White. Watch the full episode here or listen on your podcast app of choice: interactive.org/Interviews/the_game_makers_notebook.aspFollow us: twitter.com/Official_AIASinstagram.com/official_aias
From Blizzard to Vox Machina with Composer Neal Acree | AIAS Game Makers Notebook Podcast Academy of Interactive Arts & Sciences 2023-05-29 | Austin Wintory chats with award-winning composer Neal Acree, who has created music for several of Blizzard's most well known franchises including Warcraft, Diablo, and Overwatch. Together they discuss his career inside and outside of games; how he first started working with Blizzard; the differences between composing music for an existing universe and creating for a completely new IP; and his work on Critical Role's The Legend of Vox Machina. Watch the full episode here or listen on your podcast app of choice: interactive.org/Interviews/the_game_makers_notebook.aspFollow us: twitter.com/Official_AIASinstagram.com/official_aias
Procedural Music Composition with Composer Chance Thomas | AIAS Game Makers Notebook Podcast Academy of Interactive Arts & Sciences 2023-05-22 | Austin Wintory chats with veteran composer Chance Thomas. Together they discuss his 20+ year career across video games, television, and flim and what ultimately led him to recently announce his retirement. They cap off their discussion exploring his final and most ambitious work, the procedural score for Ubisoft's The Settlers: New Allies.Check out Chance's memoir here: hugesoundrecords.com/memoirWatch the full episode here or listen on your podcast app of choice: interactive.org/Interviews/the_game_makers_notebook.aspFollow us: twitter.com/Official_AIASinstagram.com/official_aias
Shiny Shoes Mark Cooke talks Monster Train and Inkbound | The AIAS Game Makers Notebook Podcast Academy of Interactive Arts & Sciences 2023-05-08 | Trent Kusters chats with Shiny Shoe Co-Founder and CEO Mark Cooke. Together they discuss his journey in game development starting off as an intern at LucasArts; founding Shiny Shoe and the evolution of the studio; the conception and development of Monster Train; and their upcoming early access title Inkbound.Watch the full episode here or listen on your podcast app of choice: interactive.org/Interviews/the_game_makers_notebook.aspFollow us: twitter.com/Official_AIASinstagram.com/official_aias
The Last Spell with Ishtar Games Benjamin Coquelle & Bruno Laverny | Game Makers Notebook Podcast Academy of Interactive Arts & Sciences 2023-04-24 | Trent Kusters chats with Benjamin Coquelle (Project Manager and Game Designer) and Bruno Laverny (Marketing Director) from Ishtar Games. Together they discuss the journey that led each of them to Ishtar Games; the development of The Last Spell; the features they felt were crucial to showcase to funding partners and potential customers; communicating with your community during early access; and their next game, Lakeburg Legacies.Watch the full episode here or listen on your podcast app of choice: interactive.org/Interviews/the_game_makers_notebook.aspFollow us: twitter.com/Official_AIASinstagram.com/official_aias
Real World Inspirations in Tchia with Awacebs Phil Crifo | AIAS Game Makers Notebook Podcast Academy of Interactive Arts & Sciences 2023-04-17 | Trent Kusters chats with Phil Crifo, the Creative Director behind the recently released tropical open-world adventure game, Tchia. Together they discuss his path into game development; meeting his development partner and releasing their first game to little fanfare; finding the courage and inspiration to start the next project; and how his home island of New Caledonia became the inspiration and setting of Tchia.Watch the full episode here or listen on your podcast app of choice: interactive.org/Interviews/the_game_makers_notebook.aspFollow us: twitter.com/Official_AIASinstagram.com/official_aias
The History of Dwarf Fortress with Zach and Tarn Adams - Part 2 | Game Makers Notebook Podcast Academy of Interactive Arts & Sciences 2023-04-03 | Trent Kusters chats with Tarn Adams and Zach Adams, brothers who together created Dwarf Fortress. This is part 2 of an extended interview where they discuss the 20 year journey in creating the aforementioned title including the early inspirations that led them to learn programming; the games they developed before Dwarf Fortress; crucial creative and community milestones; working together with Kitfox Games on the updated version for Steam; and their favorite stories from their ever growing community.Watch the full episode here or listen on your podcast app of choice: interactive.org/Interviews/the_game_makers_notebook.aspFollow us: twitter.com/Official_AIASinstagram.com/official_aias
The History of Dwarf Fortress with Zach and Tarn Adams - Part 1 | Game Makers Notebook Podcast Academy of Interactive Arts & Sciences 2023-03-27 | Trent Kusters chats with Tarn Adams and Zach Adams, brothers who together created Dwarf Fortress. This is part 1 of a 2 part extended interview where they discuss the 20 year journey in creating the aforementioned title including the early inspirations that led them to learn programming; the games they developed before Dwarf Fortress; crucial creative and community milestones; working together with Kitfox Games on the updated version for Steam; and their favorite stories from their ever growing community.Watch the full episode here or listen on your podcast app of choice: interactive.org/Interviews/the_game_makers_notebook.aspFollow us: twitter.com/Official_AIASinstagram.com/official_aias
Creating Universes That Last Decades: Blizzard | D.I.C.E Summit 2023 Academy of Interactive Arts & Sciences 2023-03-21 | From Warcraft to Diablo to Overwatch and more, Blizzard Entertainment has created game universes that last - and are loved - for decades. Watch Blizzard Entertainment's Holly Longdale (Executive Producer, World of Warcraft), John Hight (General Manager, Warcraft), Rod Fergusson (General Manager, Diablo), Lydia Bottegoni (Executive Vice President of Story and Franchise Development), Allen Adham (Co-Founder and Chief Design Officer), and moderator Raph Koster (CEO, Playable Worlds) as they discuss their approaches to creating and maintaining these beloved universes.To learn more about the D.I.C.E. Summit, go to dicesummit.org
Industry Town Hall | D.I.C.E. Summit 2023 Academy of Interactive Arts & Sciences 2023-03-20 | Watch the 2023 D.I.C.E. Summit Industry Town Hall (moderated by GamesBeat's Dean Takahashi) with Jane Pinckard (Xbox), Anna Sweet (Bad Robot Games), Careen Yapp (Embracer Group), and Mike Ybarra (Blizzard Entertainment).Learn more about the 2023 D.I.C.E. Summit @ dicesummit.org/.
A Plague Tale: Requiems Audio Design with Aurélien Piters & Maxime Touchon | Game Makers Notebook Academy of Interactive Arts & Sciences 2023-03-20 | Austin Wintory chats with Aurélien Piters (Audio Director) and Maxime Touchon (Sound Designer). Together they discuss developing the audio design behind Asobo Studio's A Plague Tale: Requiem including their influences; the process of casting the actors; what they learned from the previous entries; working together with composer Olivier Deriviere and the music team in creating the right mood; and what it takes to create the unsettling sound of a mischief of rats. Watch the full episode here or listen on your podcast app of choice: interactive.org/Interviews/the_game_makers_notebook.asp
Korean Game Development with Pearl Abyss America CEO, Jeonghee JJ Jin | Game Makers Notebook Academy of Interactive Arts & Sciences 2023-03-13 | Min Kim from Bonfire Studios chats with Jeonghee "JJ" Jin, the CEO of Pearl Abyss America. Together they discuss how Korea's unique culture and environment has helped shape it's games industry; how Korean game companies are growing and evolving based on years of global expansion; and building experiencing for an ever growing global audience. Watch the full episode here or listen on your podcast app of choice: interactive.org/Interviews/the_game_makers_notebook.asp
Games and the Open Metaverse: Neal Stephenson Opening Keynote | D.I.C.E. Summit 2023 Academy of Interactive Arts & Sciences 2023-03-09 | Are there structural ways we can prevent the Metaverse from ending up as a patchwork of walled gardens full of noise? What can we learn about that from games and the game industry? Neal Stephenson explores these questions and his perspective on the Metaverse as it’s unfolding.To learn more about the D.I.C.E. Summit, go to dicesummit.org/.
Assassins Creed Valhalla: Dawn of Ragnarök Composer Stephanie Economou | AIAS Game Makers Notebook Academy of Interactive Arts & Sciences 2023-03-06 | Austin Wintory chats with composer Stephanie Economou, who recently won the first ever Grammy for video game music for her work on Assassin's Creed Valhalla: Dawn of Ragnarök. Together they discuss her career in film and television; the differences between composing for traditional media versus games; the learning curve that comes with game development; and how Ubisoft allowed her to experiment with black metal and folk music on Dawn of Ragnarök's soundtrack.
Double Fines Tim Schafer Hall of Fame Award | The 26th Annual D.I.C.E. Awards Academy of Interactive Arts & Sciences 2023-02-26 | At the 26th Annual #DICEAwards, the AIAS honored an industry legend - Tim Schafer of Double Fine Productions - for his amazing contributions to the video game industry over his illustrious 30+ year career. Former colleague Greg Rice (Sony Interactive Entertainment) presented Schafer with the Academy’s prestigious Hall of Fame award. The Hall of Fame award is reserved for individuals who have been instrumental in the development of highly influential games. These individuals are usually associated with having moved a particular genre forward. Candidates are typically designers or creative directors, but can also be technologists, producers or production executives. These individuals demonstrate the highest level of creativity and innovation which results in significant product influence on a scale that expands the scope of the industry. The candidates and inductee are chosen by the Academy Board and announced at the D.I.C.E. Awards.More info: interactive.org/news/26th_annual_dice_awards_winners.aspTwitter: twitter.com/Official_AIASInstagram: instagram.com/official_aias
The 26th Annual D.I.C.E. Awards Academy of Interactive Arts & Sciences 2023-02-26 | Celebrating some of the best games of 2022, the 26th Annual #DICEAwards brings game developers and the interactive entertainment industry together for a night to recognize and honor their peers in 23 categories. Co-hosted by @kindafunny's Greg Miller and @IGN's Stella Chung.Since 1996, the D.I.C.E. Awards have recognized games, individuals and development teams that have contributed to the advancement of the multi-billion dollar worldwide entertainment software industry. The D.I.C.E. Awards are the most credible, respected and recognized awards for the interactive entertainment community with voting cast by members of the Academy’s 33,000+ membership base.More info: interactive.org/news/26th_annual_dice_awards_winners.aspTwitter: twitter.com/Official_AIASInstagram: instagram.com/official_aias
Directing God of War Ragnarök with Eric Williams of Santa Monica Studio | AIAS Game Makers Notebook Academy of Interactive Arts & Sciences 2023-02-20 | God of War Ragnarök and many other great titles from 2022 are nominated at the 26th Annual #DICEAwards! Tune in to see the winners in every category on February 23rd at 8pm PT on IGN: ign.com/videos/the-dice-awards-2023-livestreamTed Price chats with Eric Williams, the game director behind Santa Monica Studio's smash hit, God of War Ragnarök. Together they discuss being handed the mantle to a storied franchise; his leadership philosophy in guiding the team towards shared goals; the first steps they took when developing a such a highly anticipated sequel; and the key decisions they made when designing the combat, quests, and character development. Watch the full episode here or listen on your podcast app of choice: interactive.org/Interviews/the_game_makers_notebook.asp
Opus and Taiwanese Game Development with Sigonos Scott Chen | AIAS Game Makers Notebook Podcast Academy of Interactive Arts & Sciences 2023-02-06 | Trent Kusters chats with Scott Chen of the Taiwanese independent studio Sigono. Together they discuss the early influences that led him to Carnegie Mellon where he met his Sigono Co-Founder, Brian Lee; their earlier titles and the lessons learned in narrative and scope that led to the Opus series; and the challenges and opportunities of the Taiwanese development scene.Watch the full episode here or listen on your podcast app of choice: interactive.org/Interviews/the_game_makers_notebook.asp
IMMORTALITY Composer Nainita Desai | AIAS Game Makers Notebook Podcast Academy of Interactive Arts & Sciences 2023-01-30 | Austin Wintory chats with composer and Emmy winner Nainita Desai. Together they discuss her early life in music and musical heroes; the process and challenges of composing for games versus television or film; her recent work with Sam Barlow on IMMORTALITY and Telling Lies; and the touchstones they developed for creating music for such unique games.Watch the full episode here or listen on your podcast app of choice: interactive.org/Interviews/the_game_makers_notebook.asp
History of NieR with YOKO TARO, Yosuke Saito, and Keiichi Okabe | Game Makers Notebook Podcast Academy of Interactive Arts & Sciences 2023-01-23 | Shuhei Yoshida chats with YOKO TARO, Yosuke Saito, and Keiichi Okabe about their work in the NieR series. Together they discuss the early development of the NieR series and its connections to the Drakengard series; the early development of NieR: Automata and critical decisions regarding the gameplay, story, and music; deciding to release a new version of NieR: Replicant for overseas fans; and their thoughts on current development both inside and outside of Japan.0:00 Introduction3:10 Interview Start4:12 NieR / Drakengard Connection7:33 NieR's Unique Gameplay Mechanics10:10 Adding the Route System to the Game12:41 Scale of Games from PS2 to PS3 Era14:49 NieR Gestalt vs NieR Replicant16:35 Music in the NieR franchise25:21 Developing NieR:Automata39:48 How Music changed for NieR:Automata41:57 Decisions made on NieR Replicant "Version Upgrade" 45:58 How NieR brought Okabe-san back into music50:56 Thoughts on Game Release Reactions54:06 Games "don't need to be fun"56:06 Next Generation of Game Makers1:04:23 Future of NieR
From Hearthstone to MARVEL SNAP with Ben Brode of Second Dinner | AIAS Game Makers Notebook Academy of Interactive Arts & Sciences 2023-01-16 | Trent Kusters chats with Ben Brode, Co-Founder and Chief Development Officer at Second Dinner whose debut title MARVEL SNAP has been recently nominated for multiple D.I.C.E. Awards. Together they discuss his early inspirations in board games; his career at Blizzard Entertainment and work on Hearthstone; the road that led him to start his own studio and landing the MARVEL license for their first game; and key decisions they made with MARVEL SNAP to keep players engaged. Watch the full episode here or listen on your podcast app of choice: interactive.org/Interviews/the_game_makers_notebook.asp
How tinyBuild Evacuated Their Developers During the Ukraine Invasion | Game Makers Notebook Podcast Academy of Interactive Arts & Sciences 2022-12-19 | Trent Kusters and tinyBuild CEO Alex Nichiporchik revisit Alex's presentation from D.I.C.E. Barcelona 2022 where he discussed "Development Under Siege," the efforts tinyBuild went through to evacuate their development staff leading up to and during the invasion of Ukraine by Russian forces. tinyBuild had over 180 developers across both Ukraine and Russia, and Alex details the mass mobilization efforts they undertook to get their employees to safety and the challenges they faced along the way. Watch the full episode here or listen on your podcast app of choice: interactive.org/Interviews/the_game_makers_notebook.aspImage credits:Kyiv (oblast) in Ukraine.svg by TUBS / CC BY-SA 3.0Donetsian Region in Ukraine (claims hatched).svg by Leftcry / CC BY-SA 4.0Kherson in Ukraine.svg by TUBS / CC BY-SA 3.0Dnipropetrovsk in Ukraine.svg by TUBS / CC BY-SA 3.0
Pitching a 16th-Century Murder Mystery Game with Obsidians Josh Sawyer | AIAS Game Makers Notebook Academy of Interactive Arts & Sciences 2022-12-12 | Trent Kusters chats with Josh Sawyer, the Game Director behind Obsidian Entertainment's Pentiment. Together they discuss his long career in game development from his start at legendary studio Black Isle to his current work on projects like Fallout: New Vegas and the Pillars of Eternity series; how he successfully pitched a narrative-focused 16th-century murder mystery; how a small team created an experience full of historical detail and references; and how to have fun with fonts.Watch the full episode here or listen on your podcast app of choice: interactive.org/Interviews/the_game_makers_notebook.asp
Creating Escape Room Video Games with Wyatt Bushnell and Mike Salyh | Game Makers Notebook Podcast Academy of Interactive Arts & Sciences 2022-12-05 | Trent Kusters chats with Mike Salyh and Wyatt Bushnell, Co-Founders of Coin Crew Games. Together they discuss their debut title, Escape Academy; how both of their game development journies began; developing for location-based games and the lessons learned from the arcade; and transferring the real-life escape room experience into a video game while also building a unifying narrative.Watch the full episode here or listen on your podcast app of choice: interactive.org/Interviews/the_game_makers_notebook.asp
Horizon Forbidden West and Gotham Knights Composer Duo, The Flight | AIAS Game Makers Notebook Academy of Interactive Arts & Sciences 2022-11-21 | Austin Wintory chats with the composer duo collectively known as The Flight, Joe Henson and Alexis Smith. Together they discuss their journey into game development; what led them to becoming a composing duo; the advantages of working together and relying on each others strengths; and their recent work in titles like Horizon Forbidden West and Gotham Knights.Watch the full episode here or listen on your podcast app of choice: interactive.org/Interviews/the_game_makers_notebook.asp
Creating Cult of the Lamb with Julian Wilton | The AIAS Game Makers Notebook Podcast Academy of Interactive Arts & Sciences 2022-11-07 | Trent Kusters chats with Massive Monster's Julian Wilton. Together they discuss developing the smash indie hit Cult of the Lamb; Julian's early work on Newgrounds; how local government funding kickstarted the establishment of Massive Monster; how the pitching process with Devolver manifested; and developing a title from the ground up with marketing at the forefront. Watch the full interview here or listen on your podcast app of choice: interactive.org/Interviews/the_game_makers_notebook.asp
Return to Monkey Island with Ron Gilbert and Dave Grossman | AIAS Game Makers Notebook Podcast Academy of Interactive Arts & Sciences 2022-10-31 | Austin Wintory chats with 2 of the creators behind the Monkey Island series, Ron Gilbert and Dave Grossman on their return to the series. In addition, together they explore their journey into game development; developing the Monkey Island series at LucasArts; the creative choices they made throughout the series; balancing the old and new in Return to Monkey Island; and tackling controversial endings. Watch the full episode here or listen on your podcast app of choice: interactive.org/Interviews/the_game_makers_notebook.asp
PlayStation London Studio with Tara Saunders and Stuart Whyte | The Game Makers Notebook Podcast Academy of Interactive Arts & Sciences 2022-10-27 | Ted Price chats with PlayStation London Studio Co-Studio Heads, Tara Saunders and Stuart Whyte. Together they discuss studio culture including the values the studio created to guide them; their approach to supporting team well-being; and what their studio is doing to embrace diversity both inside and outside the studio.Watch the full episode here or listen on your podcast app of choice: interactive.org/Interviews/the_game_makers_notebook.asp
Co-Running a Studio with Iron Galaxys Adam Boyes and Chelsea Blasko | Game Makers Notebook Podcast Academy of Interactive Arts & Sciences 2022-10-03 | Chris Charla chats with Chelsea Blasko and Adam Boyes while at D.I.C.E. Barcelona. Fresh off their discussion on the D.I.C.E. stage, they discuss what being Co-CEOs of Iron Galaxy means; their history with Iron Galaxy and what led to their current roles; how their respective strengths compliment each other; working together with founder Dave Lang to make key studio decisions; the predatory nature of treating a workplace as a "family"; and their company values focused on improving employee quality of life while helping them evolve as a studio.Watch the full episode here or listen on your podcast app of choice: interactive.org/Interviews/the_game_makers_notebook.asp
The History of Housemarque with Co-founder Ilari Kuittinen | The AIAS Game Makers Notebook Podcast Academy of Interactive Arts & Sciences 2022-09-26 | Ted Price chats with Ilari Kuittinen, Studio Head & Co-founder of Housemarque. Together they discuss the ups and downs of Housmarque's 30 year history in game development; growth, how their company philosophy has evolved over the years leading up to their latest release, Returnal; company culture, and managing a work/life balance; and Ilari's strategic advice for new companies starting out in games today. Watch the full episode here for listen on your podcast app of choice: interactive.org/Interviews/the_game_makers_notebook.asp
Creating Arcane with Alex Yee and Christian Linke | The AIAS Game Makers Notebook Podcast Academy of Interactive Arts & Sciences 2022-09-19 | Ted Price chats with Christian Linke and Alex Yee, two of the creative leads and executive producers of the Emmy award winning Netflix series, Arcane. Together they discuss what it was like creating a wildly popular and critically successful TV show based on one of the most popular video game IPs in the world; the ups and downs of the initial pitch process and early production; what they learned going from games to linear media; their advice for anyone who wants to take their game IP and build a new reality for it outside of games; and how key it is to make sure every creative decision is in service to the fans. Watch the full episode here or listen on your podcast app of choice: interactive.org/Interviews/the_game_makers_notebook.asp
Weird West with Raphaël Colantonio | The AIAS Game Makers Notebook Podcast Academy of Interactive Arts & Sciences 2022-08-29 | Trent Kusters chats with Raphaël Colantonio, the President and Creative Director of WolfEye Studios, who recently developed Weird West. Previously, Raphaël was also one of the Co-Founders of Arkane Studios. Together they discuss how Raphaël got his start working at Electronic Arts; founding Arkane Studios and working on their early projects like Arx Fatalis; deciding to leave Arkane after 18 years and beginning anew with WolfEye Studios; how they approach accessibility and challenge in an immersive sim; and the wins and near misses they identified after their first game as a new studio. Watch the full episode here or listen to the audio version on your podcast app of choice: interactive.org/Interviews/the_game_makers_notebook.asp
Horizon: Forbidden West with Guerrillas Mathijs de Jonge | The AIAS Game Makers Notebook Podcast Academy of Interactive Arts & Sciences 2022-08-22 | Ted Price chats with Guerrilla's Mathijs de Jonge. Mathijs is the Game Director for both the Horizon series and Killzone series. Together they discuss building a sequel to a highly successful first entry in a new series; balancing fresh new features with existing ones that were crucial to fans of the first title; and Guerrilla's approach to building a massive and ambitious title like Horizon Forbidden West. Watch the full episode here or listen on your podcast app of choice: interactive.org/Interviews/the_game_makers_notebook.asp
Moss Book II with Polyarcs Chris Alderson and Josh Stiksma | The AIAS Game Makers Notebook Podcast Academy of Interactive Arts & Sciences 2022-08-08 | Trent Kusters chats with Polyarc's Chris Alderson (Art Director, Co-Founder) and Josh Stiksma (Design Director). Together they discuss founding Polyarc and deciding to develop for VR; developing the first Moss and first announcing at E3; how the early feedback shaped the overall design of the series; the art and design choices they made to help the player connect with Quill, the game's protagonist; and finding the balance between VR experiences and traditional gameplay when designing Moss' dioramas. Watch the full episode here or listen on your podcast app of choice: interactive.org/Interviews/the_game_makers_notebook.asp
Halo Infinite with Joseph Staten | The AIAS Game Makers Notebook Podcast Academy of Interactive Arts & Sciences 2022-08-01 | Ted Price chats with Joseph Staten, the Head of Creative at 343 Industries and Halo Infinite. Joseph has been a part of the Halo franchise since the beginning and shares his insights on why Halo has had such broad, long-lasting appeal; how 343 Industries has tackled the challenge of developing an evolving single player campaign alongside a live-service experience; and his advice for creative leaders, designers, and writers.Watch the full episode here or listen on your podcast app of choice: interactive.org/Interviews/the_game_makers_notebook.asp
Deathloop Composer Tom Salta | The AIAS Game Makers Notebook Podcast Academy of Interactive Arts & Sciences 2022-07-25 | Austin Wintory chats with Composer Tom Salta. Together they discuss his career journey before games working in various aspects of the music industry; working with Arkane Studios on the Wolfenstein series and eventually Deathloop; assembling a score rooted in the 60s to support the various dynamics of Deathloop; and how his experiences in game development have helped establish his creative workflow.Watch the full episode here or listen on your podcast app of choice: interactive.org/Interviews/the_game_makers_notebook.asp
The Artful Escape with Johnny Galvatron | The AIAS Game Makers Notebook Podcast Academy of Interactive Arts & Sciences 2022-07-18 | Trent Kusters chats with Johnny Galvatron, the Creative Director behind the BAFTA award winning game, The Artful Escape. Together they discuss his transition from rockstar to game developer and how his experiences helped shape the narrative in The Artful Escape; building his first studio (Beethoven & Dinosaur) and searching outside of game development to find the right talent for the team; and working together with Annapurna Interactive who helped them put together a star-studded cast.Watch the full episode here or listen on your podcast app of choice: interactive.org/Interviews/the_game_makers_notebook.asp
New World with Game Director, Scot Lane | The AIAS Game Makers Notebook Podcast Academy of Interactive Arts & Sciences 2022-07-05 | Ted Price chats with New World Game Director, Scot Lane. Together they discuss how he and Amazon Games designed the various systems from crafting to combat; lessons they learned from building a such a massive game; how their team handles the live content pipeline; how they analyze internal and external feedback to make key decisions; and his advice for other developers working on live service games.Watch here or listen to the episode on your podcast app of choice.Twitter: twitter.com/Official_AIASWebsite: interactive.org/Interviews/the_game_makers_notebook.asp
Sable with Gregorios Kythreotis and Martin Kvale | The AIAS Game Makers Notebook Podcast Academy of Interactive Arts & Sciences 2022-06-27 | Trent Kusters chats with Gregorios Kythreotis (Creative Director, Shedworks) and Martin Kvale (Sound Designer) about their 2021 game collaboration, Sable. Together they discuss how Gregorios and his business partner Daniel Fineberg started their development studio Shedworks; how the idea for Sable developed; brining in Martin to design the audio; working together with Michelle Zauner of Japanese Breakfast on the soundtrack; infusing British humor into the cast of characters; and how Sable is an expert exercise in restraint.
Diving into the Destiny Universe with Bungies Luke Smith | The AIAS Game Makers Notebook Podcast Academy of Interactive Arts & Sciences 2022-06-13 | Ted Price chats with Bungie's Luke Smith. Together they discuss the Destiny Universe; designing repeatable gameplay for live services; balancing a massive experience like Destiny for veterans and new players; ensuring a player friendly experience; and how live service experiences can benefit the games industry as a whole.Watch the full episode here or listen on your podcast app of choice:interactive.org/Interviews/the_game_makers_notebook.asp
Exploring Tunic with Andrew Shouldice | The AIAS Game Makers Notebook Podcast Academy of Interactive Arts & Sciences 2022-06-06 | Chris Charla chats with Andrew Shouldice, the game developer and designer behind Tunic. Together they discuss his journey into game development and the decision to go indie; the influences behind Tunic; the pressure of debuting your first project; the joy of mystery and discovery; and building a world full of secrets. Watch the full episode here or listen on your favorite podcast app
Writer and Content Creator, Alanah Pearce | The AIAS Game Makers Notebook Podcast Academy of Interactive Arts & Sciences 2022-05-30 | Xalavier Nelson Jr. chats with writer and content creator Alanah Pearce. Together they discuss how her love of writing and video games began; creating content across a variety of mediums; getting her start in game development; cleared misconceptions after leaving media and joining development teams; and the importance of creating accessible games for all people and her venture the Video Game Accessibility Awards.Watch this full episode here or listen on your podcast app of choice!
