Pixel Pizza (Pixel Pizza Productions)

Joining us this week on Pixel Pizza is community manager and marketing expert Catherine Litvaitis! Catherine has helped build and foster communities for prominent indie games like Bear and Breakfast, In Stars and Time, and The Tartarus Key. She tells us all about writing social media in-character, what makes a great digital storefront description, and her work on the YouTube cult classic Shrek Retold! All that plus more, and music from Overkissed.

LINKS:

🐦 Catherine's Twitter: @LitvacArt

🐊 Floridale Man: @TheFloridaleMan

💿 OverKissed: https://audiobambino.bandcamp.com/album/cut04-xx

This week on Pixel Pizza we are joined by head honcho of the video game music/sound design studio A Shell in the Pit, Gordon McGladdery! The studio has brought audio to some of the most acclaimed games in recent years, including Untitled Goose Game, Wandersong, and Rogue Legacy. Gordon shares his story of finding his way into game development after pursuing woodworking, teaching English in South Korea, and studying film. He also gives us a condensed version of his GDC talk on sustainability in managing a game studio! With music from Nagz.

LINKS:

🐦 Gordon's Twitter: @ASiTP_Gord

🐙 A Shell in the Pit: https://ashellinthepit.com/

💿 Nagz: https://nagz.bandcamp.com/

✉️ Contact Us: pixelpizza at yahoo dot com

This week on the show we've got the two Brazilian devs that make up Helena Creative Studio-- Gabriel Felipe (Gabs) and Gabriel Vinicius de Souza (GV). Together they've been hard at work on their first game, the upcoming experimental RPG Moth Kubit. It's already made a big impression at the Tokyo Game Show and Latin American Games Showcase, and even been featured in a Nintendo Direct presentation! Listen to their story, plus music from Floor Baba, now 🦋

LINKS:

🎮 Moth Kubit: https://store.steampowered.com/app/2257830/Moth_Kubit/

💿 Floor Baba: https://floorbaba.bandcamp.com/

Are you MAD? Are you ANGRY? Chill out and listen to a new Pixel Pizza! Joining us from Cape Town, South Africa is Luc Wolthers of the studio Free Lives. Some of his notable and outrageous works include BroForce, Gorn, and the upcoming Anger Foot. Luc is an art generalist, so we dive into all aspects of designing character concepts and implementing them in smart and interesting ways. Music from Powered by Energy Drinks! LINKS: 🐦 Luc's Twitter: @LucWolthers 🎨 Luc's ArtStation: https://www.artstation.com/lolthers 🦶 Anger Foot: https://angerfoot.com 💿 Powered by Energy Drinks: https://poweredbyenergydrinks.bandcamp.com 🍕 Pixel Pizza Socials: @PixelPizzaPod ✉️ Pixel Pizza Email: pixelpizza at yahoo dot com

Roll for initiative before listening to this episode 🎲 Our guest this week is Christoffer Bodegård, Swedish game writer and solo dev. He's contributed writing to games like Raft and Apsulov: End of Gods, and has been working for the past several years on his own project, the DnD and Disco Elysium-inspired Esoteric Ebb! We talk about freelance writing, the Swedish gamedev scene, and adding dumb fun choices to your game. Music from Slamhaus!

LINKS:

🎮 Esoteric Ebb Wishlist: https://store.steampowered.com/app/2057760/Esoteric_Ebb/

🌐 EE Website: https://esotericebb.com/

💿 Slamhaus: https://slamhaus.bandcamp.com/

✉️ Contact us: pixelpizza at yahoo dot com

Welcome back, Pixel Pizza community! This week we are joined by Kay-Lynne Fehr, Community Manager at Noodlecake Studios. Noodlecake is both a developer and a publisher-- you might've heard of their in-house games like Golf Blitz and their collaborations like Soundfall. Kay-Lynne tells us about her role in helping to launch both types of games and managing their player bases post-launch. If you've wanted a deep dive into what a community manager in the game industry does, this is the episode for you! Previous guest DJ Slope brings us his video game mixtape for this week's music.

LINKS:

🎮 Noodlecake Games: https://noodlecake.com/

🐦 Kay-Lynne’s Twitter: @KayLynneJean

💿 DJ Slope: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=awO2gJCdeTs

🍕 Pixel Pizza Socials: @PixelPizzaPod

▶︎ Pixel Pizza YouTube: https://bit.ly/3BgOyHX 

Let’s get technical this week as we talk with up-and-coming solo indie developer Aurora! They discuss combining their skillset in music, pixel art, and programming to make games. Aurora also talks us through the Godot engine and how they are using it for their procedurally generated exploration game, Silt Spawn! If you’re just getting started on your development journey and want to hear from somebody who’s been there, this is the episode for you. LINKS: 🐦 Aurora’s Twitter: @ggauroras 📀 Aurora’s Bandcamp: https://ggauroras.bandcamp.com 🎮 Aurora’s games: https://ggauroras.itch.io 🍕 Pixel Pizza socials: @PixelPizzaPod ✉️ Pixel Pizza email: pixelpizza at yahoo dot com

Blazing into your eardrums at the speed of sound, it's a brand new Pixel Pizza 💨 This time around we've got game director & designer Noah Copeland on to discuss his recently finished passion project, Sonic Triple Trouble 16-Bit. He talks riffing on your team's work, the importance of a great intro, and a little bit about his next original game. The music comes from Noah too!

LINKS:

🌐 Noah's Website: www.noahcopeland.com

🐦 Noah's Twitter: @NoahNCopeland

⚡️ Noah's GameJolt: https://gamejolt.com/@NoahNCopeland

🍕 Pixel Pizza Socials: @PixelPizzaPod

✉️ Pixel Pizza Email: Pixelpizza at yahoo dot com

Get snackin' on some Pixel Pizza as you hear from Chris Stallman, the Art Lead at Young Horses. His strikingly funny and weird style has brought the hit games Octodad: Dadliest Catch and Bugsnax to life! Chris tells us how he makes his characters so distinctive, working game design into character design, and what food he ate in the Bugsnax research process 😋 Music from Temmy!

LINKS:

🐦 Chris's Twitter: @ChrisStallman

🐴 Young Horses: https://younghorsesgames.com/

💿 Temmy: https://temmy.bandcamp.com/

🍕 Pixel Pizza Socials: @PixelPizzaPod

✉️ Pixel Pizza Email: pixelpizza at yahoo dot com

Joining us as our latest game industry guest is writer Merritt K. Merritt is the Managing Editor at Fanbyte, an Artist-in-Residence at NYU, and writer/editor of the book "Videogames for Humans" as well as the upcoming "LAN Party"! With all that background plus her own history as a podcaster and game developer, we've got a lot to talk about. So pull up a chair, grab a snack, and get ready to listen and jam out to some accompanying tracks from Captain Groovitron!
LINKS:
📖LAN Party: https://vol.co/product/lan-party/

🐦Merritt’s Twitter: @MerrittK

🐝Merritt’s Hive: @MerrittK

📸Merritt’s Instagram: @MerrittK9

💿Captain Groovitron: https://captaingroovitron.bandcamp.com/

🍕Pixel Pizza Socials: @PixelPizzaPod

📺 Pixel Pizza YT: https://www.youtube.com/@pixelpizzapod

This week we have a record-breaking THREE guests! Coming to us all the way from Italy are some of the developers behind the oddly relaxing indie hit, Placid Plastic Duck Simulator. Game designer Valerio Bernardino, composer Francesco Clemente, and programmer Mattheo Chironi break down how this "game about nothing" came to be, the small details they are proudest of, and the importance of committing to your craziest ideas. Plus for the first time we have pizzeria recommendations from the birthplace of pizza itself! Synthwave/chiptune artist Vector Hold brings us some tracks that are just as chill as the game we're discussing!
LINKS:
🦆 Placid Plastic Duck Simulator: @PPDuckSimulator

📀 Vector Hold: https://vectorhold.bandcamp.com/

🍕 Pixel Pizza Socials: @PixelPizzaPod

We've got a (mostly) virus-free chat this week with rising indie star Millie Walker, better known as Karatkuro! Our discussion delves into her upcoming monster-catching/3D platformer hybrid Myth Caller: The Nightmare Shaman, the journey of getting into game development via Game Maker, and the importance of being open about your failures. Add in some sick beats from Heavy Viper, and you've got an episode you don't wanna miss!

LINKS:

🐦 Millie’s Twitter: @Karatkuro

🎮 Myth Caller: https://www.mythcaller.com/

💿 Heavy Viper: https:/heavyviper.bandcamp.com/

🕊Pixel Pizza Twitter: @PixelPizzaPod

📷 Pixel Pizza Instagram: @PixelPizzaPod

This week, I had a really great chat with Kathryn DeFeo, artist at WayForward! She's the first person so far on the show who I haven't known prior, but even so we had an awesome conversation about her journey in games, getting into the gaming scene in Rochester, the challenges of working on games for kids, and even how dreams impact her art design! And, of course, some sick musical interludes courtesy of Defense Mechanism!

LINKS:

🐦 Kathryn's Twitter: @juuhachi

🎮 Kathryn's Twitch: https://www.twitch.tv/juu_piter

📖 The Book of Symbols (context explained in show!): https://bit.ly/3BbMdgZ

🎵 Defense Mechanism: https://defensemechanism.bandcamp.com/

📸 Instagram: @PixelPizzaPod

🕊 Twitter: @PixelPizzaPod

Buckle in for an in-depth, thought-provoking chat with one of gaming's most prolific new creators, Xalavier Nelson Jr! Whether it's for his journalism at Kotaku, his writing for Hypnospace Outlaw, or his own game development ventures like El Paso, Elsewhere, you have definitely seen Xalavier's work before.

Topics discussed include the context of how games are made, what devs look for in voice acting auditions, and why game controllers are all built the same now (pour one out for the Xbox Duke). Music from Gouphy Mouvy '97!

LINKS:

🎮 Strange Scaffold: https://linktr.ee/strangescaffold

🗣️ Xalavier's Socials: @WritNelson

💿 Gouphy Mouvy '97: https://dukenmaris.bandcamp.com/album/isekai-2-hotel-lobby-core-in-another-world

✉️ Pixel Pizza Contact: pixelpizza at yahoo dot com

Send off 2022 with one last slice of Pixel Pizza! The guest this week is Leo Dasso, an indie game developer and consultant working on the gorgeous paranormal twin-stick adventure game Hauntii. The incomparable RiZi brings us a set of beats to round things out!

LINKS:

🐦Leo’s Twitter: @RealZigZagLeo

🌕Moonloop Games: moonloop.games

👻Hauntii: https://store.steampowered.com/app/2060790/Hauntii/

💿RiZi: https://rizi-rizu.carrd.co/

🍕Pixel Pizza Socials: @PixelPizzaPod

Our guest today has probably been on more podcasts than I have, and that's saying something! Video game composer Chase Bethea has over a decade's worth of industry experience working on all kinds of games in all kinds of genres. Jazz, Calypso, chiptune...you name it, he's done it! So as you can imagine there's a lot to dive into. We discuss what it's like hopping from genre to genre, how he's seen his personal style evolve, and what it was like giving the keynote speech for Global Game Jam 2022. To top it all off, we play some of Chase's newest music from the game Of the Peril of Parrots!

LINKS:

🐦 Chase's Twitter: @Chasebethea

🌐 Chase's Website: www.chasebethea.com

🍕 Pixel Pizza Socials: @PixelPizzaPod

✉️ Pixel Pizza Email: pixelpizza at yahoo dot com

Unfortunately we don't have a proper interview this week for you, but rest assured there are plenty more to come. So, this week's guest is...me?! Yep, Pixel Pizza host Jared Ettinger is on the scene with a solo act to keep the show going. If you've wanted to learn a bit more about the interviewer you've been listening to, now's your chance. I discuss my own background in the industry and also dive into some video game news headlines.

Some dope chiptune/vocaloid tracks this week from 3xBlast!

LINKS:

📸 Jared's Instagram: @Jgevoices

💿 3xBlast: https://3xblast.bandcamp.com/

🍕 Pixel Pizza Socials: @PixelPizzaPod

✉️ Email: pixelpizza at yahoo dot com

Here we are at Episode X! I'm joined by my oldest and closest friend, the one and only Alyssa Menes, to discuss her work composing and sound designing for games ranging from indies to AAA, as well as her current venture as conductor of the New Jersey Gamer Symphony Orchestra! This week also marks the 10th anniversary of our shared favorite game, Kid Icarus: Uprising, so of course we sing its praises and play tracks from Alyssa's stellar cover album Meet the Light! 

LINKS:

🐦 Alyssa's Twitter: @ACMenes

💿 Meet the Light: https://acmenes.bandcamp.com/releases

🕊 Pixel Pizza Twitter: @PixelPizzaPod

📸 Pixel Pizza Instagram: @PixelPizzaPod

Let's give a warm welcome to Japanese indie dev Justin Matsuzawa, developer of the upcoming RPG Starlight Legacy! Justin tells us all about his game and we dive into the everlasting appeal of Pokemon, feedback from both Japanese and Western audiences, and making a game that isn't meant to be revolutionary but just fun. Our music this week comes from Parasitic Humanoid Volleyball Club 🏐

LINKS:

🐦 Justin's Twitter: @jmatz1995

📀 Parasitic Humanoid Volleyball Club: https://parasitichumanoidvolleyballclub.bandcamp.com/

🍕 Pixel Pizza Socials: @PixelPizzaPod

✉️ Pixel Pizza Email: pixelpizza at yahoo dot com

Choose your pizza and get ready to fight on this week's episode! Matt DeLucas is in the (Zoom) house talking about making his own fighting games, Battle High and MerFight. And it's not only those-- he's been working with the studio Fighting Chance on their drag queen-inspired fighter, Drag Her! Plenty of cool game design nuggets on this episode. Plus, MisfitChris gives us some throwback trance off his recent Downer EP! 

LINKS:

🐦 Matt’s Twitter: @Mattrified

🎮 Mattrified Games: www.mattrifiedgames.com

💿 MisfitChris: https://misfitchris.bandcamp.com/

🍕 Pixel Pizza Socials: @PixelPizzaPod

📺 Pixel Pizza YouTube: https://bit.ly/3BgOyHX

All the way from Portugal, we've got Vertical Reach Games' Kevin Colegate on the show! His technical prowess has not only brought the iconic visual novel Aviary Attorney to Nintendo Switch, but also created the eerie PS1-inspired horror adventure The Tartarus Key. (He's also listened to 30 episodes of the show?? 😳) We discuss networking with other devs, scanning 19th century artwork, and the horrors of Banjo-Kazooie. Chiptune artist of the week is drtrnbnsndwtr! LINKS: 🐘 Kevin's Mastodon: https://mastodon.gamedev.place/@KMaki 🌐 Vertical Reach Website: http://verticalreach.pt/ 📀 Drtrnbnsndwtr: https://drtrnbnsndwtr.bandcamp.com 🍕 Pixel Pizza Socials: @PixelPizzaPod ✉️ Pixel Pizza Email: pixelpizza at yahoo dot com

Cozy up and stay warm (or cool, if listening to this at time of release) with Benjamin Salvqist, CEO of Pine Creek Games. The studio recently made waves with the showcase of their hand-drawn survival game Winter Burrow, and we get deeper into the inspirations behind its atmosphere, game design, and worldbuilding. Music from KnifeHandChop!

LINKS:

🌲 Pine Creek Games: https://www.pinecreekgames.com/

🎮 Winter Burrow: https://store.steampowered.com/app/3008740/Winter_Burrow/

💿 KnifeHandChop: https://knifehandchop.bandcamp.com/

✉️ Email us! pixelpizza at yahoo dot com

On this week's episode of Pixel Pizza, we're speaking with 3D environment and prop artist Sophie Stübinger in Germany! In her five years in the gaming industry she has already worked on major titles including Fortnite and Party Animals, and has most recently brought her talents over to Double Fine. Sophie tells us about working from home, building a portfolio, and trying new art styles. Music from Pixelization!

LINKS:

🐦 Sophie's Twitter/Insta: @Merilwenart

🎨 Sophie's ArtStation: https://www.artstation.com/merilwen

💿 Pixelization: https://pixelization.bandcamp.com/

✉️ Contact us: pixelpizza at yahoo dot com

In a blast from the past this week, the director of Soundtrec studio and the Video Games Orchestra, Shota Nakama is here on the show! I used to see his concerts all the time when I was living in Boston and hosting Pixel Pizza on the radio about a decade ago. Since then he's expanded into production on high-profile Japanese games including Final Fantasy XV, D4: Dark Dreams Don't Die, and Bayonetta 3. Most famously at the moment, Shota has been helming the Sonic Symphony World Tour! Together we reminisce on the early days of VGO, talk about changing up your daily routine, and making deadlines. Plus, chiptune music from Caspro!

LINKS:

🗣️ Shota's Socials: @Shotanakama

🦔 Sonic Symphony: https://www.sonicsymphonytour.com

💿 Caspro: http://caspromusic.bandcamp.com

✉️ Contact us!: pixelpizza at yahoo dot com

Pixel Pizza goes international this week as we talk with French composer and sound designer Charles Bardin! We talk about analyzing game music, taking risks in the creative process, and his newly-released game, A Musical Story! With musical breaks from another talented French artist, Throno Crigger!

LINKS:

🧀 Glee-Cheese Studio: https://www.glee-cheese.com/

🎸 A Musical Story: @A_Musical_Story

🎮 Steam Demo: https://store.steampowered.com/app/1546100/A_Musical_Story/

💿 Throno Crigger: https://thronocrigger.bandcamp.com/

🐦 Pixel Pizza Twitter: @Pixelpizzapod

📸 Pixel Pizza Instagram: @Pixelpizzapod

Baba Is You

Podcast Is Available

Listener Is Interested

One of indie gaming's most clever minds, Arvi Teikari, joins us this week to dive deep into his game design process! With music from Synhancer

*No new episode next week, see you the week after*

LINKS:

🎮 Arvi's Games: https://hempuli.itch.io/

🪄 The Legend of Zelbaba: https://youtu.be/69CH0Zpvnd4?si=vtDNd3ZDh5_FokGO

💿 Synhancer: https://synhancer.bandcamp.com/

✉️ Podcast Inquiries: pixelpizza at yahoo dot com

Welcome back to another teen angst-ridden episode of Pixel Pizza! This week we've got acclaimed comic writer and game developer Meredith Gran on the show, talking about her point-and-click adventure game Perfect Tides and its upcoming sequel Perfect Tides: Station to Station 👨‍🎤 We discuss reconnecting with your inner teenager, how socializing on the internet has changed in the past 2 decades, and what a Thingus is! Music from Vaguesoft aka Lucil3.

LINKS:

🌐 Meredith's Website: https://meredithgran.com/

🎮 Perfect Tides: https://store.steampowered.com/app/1172800/Perfect_Tides/

📀 Vaguesoft: https://abitofchiptune.bandcamp.com/album/damn-thats-good

✉️ Pixel Pizza contact: pixelpizza at yahoo dot com

Coming to us from Chicago (though not a deep dish fan) is Joel Corelitz, the composer of some of the biggest games in recent memory-- his resume includes Death Stranding, Mortal Kombat 1, The Murder of Sonic the Hedgehog, and Eastward to name a few! Joel walks us through the surprising usefulness of NERF guns for audio, finding the soul of a project, and being inspired by your collaborators. Killer chip music this week from Zane Little!

LINKS:

🌐 Joel's Website: https://joelcorelitz.com/

🐦 Joel's Socials: @JoelCorelitz

💿 Zane Little: https://zanelittle.bandcamp.com/

✉️ Pixel Pizza Contact: pixelpizza at yahoo dot com

Is it cold in here? Maybe because there was no episode last week due to vacation, or maybe because this week we've got the Frostman himself, Digital Eclipse's Head of Production Stephen Frost! You might know Digital Eclipse for their in-depth collections of the Street Fighter and Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles games, or their interactive documentary Gold Master series. We discuss all of those and everything else Stephen has tackled and learned in his 20+ years in the industry. Music from Chosen Realm!

LINKS:

🌘 Digital Eclipse: www.digitaleclipse.com

🐦 Stephen's Twitter: @Frostman007

✉️ Contact Us: Pixelpizza at yahoo dot com

No new guest this week so, in the tradition of some great podcasts, reviving an old popular episode for those who may have missed it! Originally published on April 20, 2022 🔥, this talk with the brothers behind Ackk Studios goes in-depth into their creative process and the development & release of their cult hit RPG, YIIK. As the highly anticipated I.V release draws even closer, it's a perfect time to refresh yourself and check the game out!

LINKS:

🐦 Ackk Twitter: @Ackkstudios

🖥 Ackk Website: https://www.ackkstudios.com/

📼 Ackk YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCFB-XJP9x8DEUq-vBP-2hSA

👾 YIIKCord (on Discord!): https://discord.com/invite/yiik

🍕Pixel Pizza Socials: @PixelPizzaPod

✉️ Pixel Pizza Contact: pixelpizza at yahoo dot com

Hope you're feeling free this Friday 'cause we've got the Creative Director of the Game Bakers, Emeric Thoa! His studio is behind some of the most striking games of the past few years, like Furi and Haven. We discuss leading your own studio, the theme of freedom in Emeric's games, and what's next in the oven for the team 🥧 Music tracks from My Sister's Fugazi Shirt!

LINKS:

🌐 The Game Bakers: https://www.thegamebakers.com/

🐦 The Game Bakers Socials: @TheGameBakers

💿 My Sister's Fugazi Shirt: https://mysistersfugazishirt.bandcamp.com/

🍕 Pixel Pizza Socials: @PixelPizzaPod

✉️ Pixel Pizza Contact: pixelpizza at yahoo dot com

Yo yo yo yo! This week we're chatting with Brazilian solo game dev LakeFeperd. He's best known for his action-platforming series Spark the Electric Jester. We chat about his roots in the fan game scene, finding your niche, and how to analyze what works and what doesn't in game design. A super informative chat for anyone looking to jump into making their own stuff! With musical interludes from the awesome Sunnexo.

LINKS:

🐦 Lake’s Twitter: @LakeFeperd

🎮 Feperd Games: https://feperdgames.com/

💿 Sunnexo: https://sunnexo.moe/

🕊 Pixel Pizza Twitter: @PixelPizzaPod

📸 Pixel Pizza Instagram: @PixelPizzaPod

No guests this week, so it's time for another clipshow! Catch up on Pixel Pizza with words of wisdom from some of our most popular guests over the past year. This handcrafted 8-slice pie of an episode contains flavors from around the world. And while the interviews may be old, we've got new chiptune music from P-Chip! So get ready to kick back and listen to the following folks:

-Bannon Rudis, director of River City Girls 2

-Valerio Bernardino, Francesco Clemente, and Mattheo Chironi, developers of Placid Plastic Duck Simulator

-Kay-Lynne Fehr, Community Manager at Noodlecake Studios

-Seth Kearsley, director of the Kingdom Hearts animated pilot

-Rhea Gupte & Prateek Saxena, developers of Fishbowl

-LakeFeperd, developer of the Spark the Electric Jester games

-Tony Grayson, director of AntonBlast

-Kim Belair, CEO of Sweet Baby Inc.

LINKS:

💿 P-Chip: https://p-chip.bandcamp.com/

🍕 Pixel Pizza Socials: @PixelPizzaPodcast

✉️ Email us: Pixelpizza at yahoo.com

This week we have not one, but TWO guests joining us to talk about their games! Denny McCorry and Lesther Reynoso run the indie gaming outfit Possum House Games, where they make pixelated projects of all kinds, from shepherd sim Heavy is the Crown to the upcoming shooter TankPig. It was especially cool hearing both an artistic and technical perspective! Plus great music from another upstate NY native, HangOnGetReady!

LINKS:

👾 Possum House Games: https://possumhousegames.com/

📀 HangOnGetReady: https://hangongetready.bandcamp.com/

📷 Instagram: @PixelPizzaPod

🕊 Twitter: @PixelPizzaPod

Coming to us from Mexico City is this week's guest, Anwar Noriega! He's the CEO of Wabisabi Games, developers of the recently released RKGK (aka Rakugaki). Anwar tells us about making a platformer for adults, creating game industry opportunities in Latin America, and Japanese pizza. Chiptune music this week comes from Leumaestro! LINKS: 🎮 RKGK: https://rkgk.com/ 💿 Leumaestro: https://leumaestro.bandcamp.com/ ✉️ Contact Us: pixelpizza at yahoo dot com

This week's guest has built up an impressive online following through his weekly development updates on Twitter. It's Ryan Mahony, solo dev of the PS1-inspired shooter/RPG called Gunmetal Gothic 💀 Ryan tells us about the technical challenges of networked play, designing for both single player and multiplayer, and perfecting the authentic PS1 look. And we ask @Ynoham himself the important question: Why no ham??? Chiptunes from Jetsetsuna!

LINKS:

🐦 Ryan's Twitter: @Ynoham

🎮 Gunmetal Gothic: https://store.steampowered.com/app/2248150/Gunmetal_Gothic/

📀 Jetsetsuna: https://jetsetsuna.bandcamp.com/

🍕 Pixel Pizza Socials: @PixelPizzaPod

✉️ Pixel Pizza Email: pixelpizza at yahoo dot com

We've got a double order of pizza for you this week! Thanks to the power of #brandsynergy, I connected with the director of the post-apocalyptic beat-em-up Pizza Kidd! His name is Collin Venuto, and his unique background as a Philadelphia-based record producer and product designer has informed the way he makes games in a really fascinating way. Tunes this week come from the Icelandic chiptune artist Buddypal!

LINKS:

🎮 Pizza Kidd on Steam: https://store.steampowered.com/app/2105260/Pizza_Kidd/

👾 Pizza Kidd Discord: https://discord.gg/v2uvZTbXdE

🐦 Pizza Kidd Twitter: @KiddPizza

📀 BuddyPal: https://buddypal.bandcamp.com/

🍕 Pixel Pizza Socials: @PixelPizzaPod

This week on the Pixel Pizza Podcast we bird up 🕊️ with the founder of Glass Bottom Games, Megan Fox! You might know her work from the hit skateboarding game, SkateBIRD, or the side-scrolling noir title Hot Tin Roof. Megan talks about normalizing failure, sharing solutions to tech struggles via her blog, and how a bird would realistically hold a sword. Chiptune music this week from P​!​x3l_BLAM3_F0rtr3​$​$!

LINKS:

🌐 Glass Bottom Games: www.glassbottomgames.com

☁️ Megan's BlueSky: https://bsky.app/profile/glassbottommeg.bsky.social

🐘 Megan's Mastodon: https://mastodon.gamedev.place/@glassbottommeg@peoplemaking.games

💿 P​!​x3l_BLAM3_F0rtr3​$​$: https://pixelblame.bandcamp.com/

✉️ Questions? Comments?: pixelpizza at yahoo dot com

Game director Stoyan Stoyanov unmasks his journey and process on this week's Pixel Pizza! We get deep into his problem-solving strategies, talk about his quest design on Cyberpunk 2077, and reflect on the rapidly changing state of the games industry. Music from Siberia Zero!

LINKS:

🌐 Stoyan's Website: https://stoyanovdesign.com/

💿 Siberia Zero: https://siberiazero.bandcamp.com/

Here we are, back again for episode 2! This week on Pixel Pizza, I'm joined by an old grad school friend of mine, Naomi Burgess. We reminisce on our time creating interactive experiences at Carnegie Mellon, and discuss her time since developing VR educational tools in Switzerland with the University of Lucerne, as well as her current gig in Sacramento as a Gameplay Engineer for Exploding Kittens! Lots of fun talk here, combo-ed with fun music from Remute!

LINKS:

🐦 Naomi's Twitter: @Seawardeyes
🎮 Naomi's Itch.io: https://noms.itch.io/

📀 Remute: https://remute.bandcamp.com/ 

📷 Pixel Pizza Instagram: @PixelPizzaPod

🕊 Twitter: @PixelPizzaPod

Today I'm joined by Peter Lazarski, longtime indie dev and lover of all things that go bump in the night! We chat about his career in both the indie space and at a larger game company, his development streams on Twitch, and how Dungeons and Dragons has influenced the way he makes games. Featuring some fitting tunes from Witch Café! 

LINKS:

🎃 Peter's Website: www.imaginarymonsters.com

🖥 Peter's Twitch: www.twitch.tv/imaginarymonsters

👾 Peter's Discord: www.discord.gg/imaginarymonsters

📀 Witch Café: https://witchpop.bandcamp.com/

🐦 Pixel Pizza Twitter: @Pixelpizzapod

📸 Pixel Pizza Instagram: @Pixelpizzapod

Coming soon to your earbuds...from the makers of Pixel Pizza Episode 99 and Pixel Pizza Episode 100...it's *gasp* Episode 101!

Alright that bit ran its course. Derek Lieu is this week's guest and he's a professional trailer editor for video games! Derek has made trailers for some of the biggest games in recent memory, like Half-Life: Alyx, Psychonauts 2, Among Us, and many more. He tells us what goes into a great game trailer, some of the common pitfalls in the field, and a little bit on musicals! Songs come from this week's artist Mikro Orchestra:

LINKS:

🌐 Derek's Website: https://www.derek-lieu.com/

⏰ Derek's TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@derek_lieu

💿 Mikro Orchestra: https://mikroorchestra.bandcamp.com

✉️ Contact Us: pixelpizza at yahoo dot com

A new episode means a new run here on Pixel Pizza, where we'll be chatting with Pedro Guerra- creative director on the exciting indie roguelike Elsie! Pedro tells us all about accessibility features, working with publishers Playtonic and Jirard the Completionist, and delicious Cuban pizza 🇨🇺🍕

Chiptune artist of the week is Drama Trial!

LINKS:

🐦 Knight Shift Games Twitter: @KnightShiftTeam

🧪 Playtonic Publisher Twitter: @PTonicFriends

🎮 Completionist Twitter: @Completionist

💿 Drama Trial: dramatrial.bandcamp.com

🍕Pixel Pizza Socials: @PixelPizzaPod

✉️ Pixel Pizza Email: pixelpizza at yahoo dot com

💡🎥🎬 What goes into a game cutscene? What makes a cinematic sequence truly cinematic? Find out on this week's Pixel Pizza as we speak to Capcom Cinematic Designer Ryan Wetherall, who's worked on cutscenes for games like TellTale's The Walking Dead, Horizon: Zero Dawn, and Cyberpunk 2077! We discuss making the most of the tools in your utility belt, and the differences in Eastern and Western approaches to games. Our chillest music yet comes from Spiritual Path!

LINKS:

🌐 Ryan's Website: http://ryanwetherall.com/

💼 Ryan's LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ryan-wetherall-78360515/

💿 Spiritual Path: http://positivemantrasmusic.bandcamp.com

🍕 Pixel Pizza Socials: @PixelPizzaPod

✉️ Pixel Pizza Contact: pixelpizza at yahoo dot com

We are so back! This week is another brand new episode with a brand new guest and music selection. Joining us today is the incredible producer and marketer Dianna Lora-- her scrappy adaptable mentality has taken her through some of gaming's biggest studios including Sony, Ubisoft, Zynga, and Deep Silver! Dianna and I chat about supporting your team, taking on new skills, and starting one of the first video game streaming shows! Music from Otorii Station.

LINKS:

🐦 Dianna's Twitter: @Grlpantsgr

💿 Otorii Station: https://otoriistation.bandcamp.com/

🍕 Pixel Pizza Twitter: @PixelPizzaPod

✉️ Pixel Pizza Contact: pixelpizza at yahoo dot com

This week we welcome indie developer David Peters to the show! David recently started his career in games with the shoot-em-up Cycle Chaser H-5 and the surreal platformer Somnabuster. Both games are defined by their striking hand drawn art style and arcade like gameplay, both of which we dive deep into on today's show! Featuring music from chiptune artist Mala Society 🎧

LINKS:

🗣️ David's Socials: https://pd-cgt.carrd.co/

💿 Mala Society: https://zingarmusiclab.bandcamp.com/album/8-beat-chipsounds

On a delightfully devilish Pixel Pizza, indie director Alfred Kamon is here to talk about his upcoming strategy roguelike RPG Food Devils! We discuss the massive success of the game's Kickstarter, what it's like to lead Studio Daimon, and making the leap of faith into full-time game development. Music from Bubble Blade! LINKS: 🎮 Food Devils (wishlist!): https://store.steampowered.com/app/2861730/Food_Devils/ 🐦 Studio Daimon: @StudioDaimon 💿 Bubble Blade: https://bubbleblade.bandcamp.com/ ✉️ Contact Us!: pixelpizza at yahoo dot com

This week on Pixel Pizza we've got a multitalented artist and 3D modeler who's worked in a variety of mediums, Kylee Solari! But make no mistake, she's worked on a bunch of awesome games including the hit dodgeball arena game Knockout City! Topics discussed include influence from collectable creature games of the 90's, making realistic pastries in-game, and Brooklyn pizza + cookies!

LINKS:

🎨 Kylee's Social Media (all): @KyleeKayport

💿 D4C4: https://d4c4.bandcamp.com/

🍕 Pixel Pizza Socials: @PixelPizzaPod

✉️ Pixel Pizza Email: pixelpizza at yahoo dot com

On this installment of the Pixel Pizza Podcast we speak with Unbound Creations CEO Jakub Kasztalski. Jakub and his team have made all sorts of games ranging from political thrillers like Headliner to chaotic cute games like Rain on Your Parade. We talk about using games as a teaching tool, what goes into porting to consoles, and the studio's next game, Just Crow Things. Music from Thefricolix!

LINKS:

🐦 Unbound Creations: @Unboundcreation

🐦‍⬛ Just Crow Things: https://unboundcreations.com/games/crowy/

💿 Thefricolix: https://thefricolix.bandcamp.com/

✉️ Contact Us: pixelpizza at yahoo dot com

Pixel meets Pixel when I talk with Lex Oberwetter, writer of the cult indie game Pixel Puzzle Makeout League! We dive deep into Lex's writing process, their approach to character dialogue, and current games we've been enjoying with great writing. Supplying the tunes this time around is Polish chip musician Kono Neko! 

LINKS:

🐦 Lex's Twitter: @LexGetDangerous

🧩 Pixel Puzzle Makeout League: https://picross.love/

🐱 Kono Neko: https://kononeko.bandcamp.com/

🕊 Pixel Pizza Twitter: @PixelPizzaPod

📸 Pixel Pizza Instagram: @PixelPizzaPod

Following up on last week's show, we are joined by Sweet Baby CEO Kim Belair! Kim's background writing for games ranges from AAA hits like Assassin's Creed: Valhalla to innovative indies like Lost Your Marbles on the Playdate. She discusses founding the studio and her missions to make the industry more accessible for newcomers and give opportunities to developers from underrepresented backgrounds. She also raves about the story of Elden Ring! The music this week comes from PachiiMochii!

LINKS:
👼 Sweet Baby, Inc.: https://sweetbabyinc.com/
🥯 Kim's Twitter: @BagelOfDeath
💿 PachiiMochii: https://pachiimochii.bandcamp.com/
🍕 Pixel Pizza Twitter/Insta: @PixelPizzaPod

Sorry folks, another week with no new upload 😢 I really do promise there are more in the pipeline!! So again we've got a little trip down memory lane with an older pod for those who may have missed it. James Landino brought the passion and grooves back in June 2022, and he's still killing it today over in Japan working on games like Omega Strikers so this episode is as relevant as ever. Hope you enjoy and see you next week with (fingers crossed) a new guest!

LINKS:

🐦 James’s Twitter: ⁠@JamesLandino⁠

🌐 James’s Website: ⁠www.jameslandino.com⁠

📀 Rare Drop: ⁠https://raredrop.bandcamp.com/⁠

🍕 Pixel Pizza Twitter: ⁠@PixelPizzapod⁠

Another week with no guest, sorry folks...I promise there are some exciting ones in the near future!! To give you some weekly content anyway, I've refurbished another classic episode of Pixel Pizza that I really enjoyed making but may have gone unnoticed. Marcus aka Siactro has been making throwback 3D platformers for the past few years and found a lot of success on the Switch with Toree 3D and Toree 2 🐥🐥

Get caught up on the development history of Toree before the next game, Toree Saturn, launches next year! Thanks once again to Marcus for joining me and for StrayBoom for the kick-ass music.

LINKS:

🐦 Marcus's Twitter: ⁠@Siactro⁠ 📺 Marcus's YouTube: ⁠https://youtube.com/c/Siactro⁠

🎵 StrayBoom: ⁠https://strayboom.bandcamp.com/⁠

📸 Pixel Pizza Socials: ⁠@PixelPizzaPod

✉️ Pixel Pizza Email: pixelpizza at yahoo dot com

🎊 2023 is here and we ain't stoppin' the pizza train! 🎊 Joining us from Spain is Sergio Fernández, Community Manager and Script Writer for the indie team Aeternum Game Studios. They recently launched their killer hand-drawn Metroidvania, Aeterna Noctis, as well as the roguelike follow-up, Summum Aeterna. So we have a lot of good material to chat about!

Sergio discusses building out a community, writing for different gameplay structures, and creating a game universe across multiple titles. Kicking off our chiptune features for the year is Humanure (please follow the link below to his page and do NOT google his name 🤣)

LINKS:
🎮 Aeternum Game Studios: https://www.aeternathegame.com/
🐦 Aeternum Twitter: @AeternaTheGame
💿 Humanure: https://straybolts.bandcamp.com/
🍕 Pixel Pizza Socials: @PixelPizzaPod
📺 Pixel Pizza YT: https://www.youtube.com/@pixelpizzapod

Guten Tag! We continue the Pixel Pizza World Tour with a stop in Germany to chat with Marcus Horn, better known as Siactro. His budget 3D platformers Toree 3D, Toree 2, and MacBat 64 have made a big splash on the Switch eShop. We talk about the evolution of the indie scene, communicating your vision in marketing, and finding your niche audience. Plus an EXCLUSIVE special announcement! With chiptunes from StrayBoom! 

LINKS:

🐦 Marcus's Twitter: @Siactro
📺 Marcus's YouTube: https://youtube.com/c/Siactro

🎵 StrayBoom: https://strayboom.bandcamp.com/

🕊 Pixel Pizza Twitter: @PixelPizzaPod

📸 Pixel Pizza Instagram: @PixelPizzaPod

Hope you had a good Thanksgiving week, listeners! But now turkey is out and pizza is back in 🍕 Bringing us back is acclaimed investigative game reporter Rebekah Valentine! She's handled a number of major stories over at IGN as well as on Gamesindustry.biz and USGamer. Reb tells us all about her reporting process, how she chases down a story, and the present and future of the games industry. Sounds intense, I know, but a very fun and exciting chat overall! Also featuring some incredible chiptunes from Japanese artist Hal_bits!

LINKS:

☁️ Rebekah's BlueSky: duckvalentine.bsky.social

🌐 Rebekah's articles: https://www.ign.com/person/duckvalentine

💿 Hal_bits: https://halbits.bandcamp.com/

✉️ Contact: pixelpizza at yahoo dot com

On this week's Pixel Pizza we talk with indie game journalist & community manager Jupiter Hadley! As a co-founder of news site Big Boss Battle she covers the most innovative releases and game jams. Plus, as a CM for Toya Play Studio, she works on licensed Roblox experiences for popular IP like Miraculous Ladybug. Jupiter gives us some info on her upcoming book about indie games, talks introducing her own kids to gaming and the internet, and delves into the importance of a community-first approach to indie game development. Music from EKIA!

LINKS:

🐦 Jupiter's Twitter: @Jupiter_Hadley

💿 EKIA: https://ekiaa.bandcamp.com/

✉️ Contact us: pixelpizza at yahoo dot com

Join us this week on the Pixel Pizza Podcast for a special chat with PR pioneer Matt Atwood! Matt's been around the block, starting as a voice actor for Working Designs in the 90's to mastering the world of gaming PR at companies like Sega, Capcom, 2K, and EA. We chat about how the process has changed in that time, as well as more practical tips like how to communicate the essence of what makes a game worth playing. Taking us in and out of the episode are tracks by chiptune artist Giant Robot!

LINKS:

🎮 Reverb Communications: http://reverbinc.com/

🐦 Matt’s Twitter: @Matwood11

💿 Giant Robot: https://giant-robot.bandcamp.com/

🍕 Pixel Pizza Twitter/Insta: @PixelPizzaPod

📺 Pixel Pizza YouTube(!): https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC0d0z50dWcdc_dpEdbM8n5A

It might have just been Turkey Day here in the USA, but hope you've saved room for pizza! My awesome grad school colleague Joey Yeo joins in today to chat about how early 2000's internet culture introduced her to game design, learning to work on larger teams, and how to make things more efficient for your coworkers. Our chiptune artist of the week this time is Castle Turing! Not to date the episode even further but with the uncertainty of the social media landscape right now, I'd love any input on where you'd like to see Pixel Pizza pop up next. Hit us up at pixelpizza@yahoo.com with any thoughts/questions/etc! LINKS: 🐦 Joey’s Twitter: @Yeojoey 🌐 Joey’s Website: https://yeojoey.com/ 📀 Castle Turing: https://castleturing.bandcamp.com/ 🍕 Pixel Pizza Socials (for now): @PixelPizzaPod 📺 Pixel Pizza YT: https://bit.ly/3BgOyHX

Another week I'll be out of town, but not gonna leave you guys high and dry again! Here's a redux of one of our more popular early episodes featuring LakeFeperd, the beloved Brazilian developer behind the Spark the Electric Jester trilogy ⚡️🃏 And music from Sunnexo!

If you're a recent listener I hope you enjoy, and if you were here when this originally premiered thanks for sticking around :)

LINKS:

🐦 Lake’s Twitter: @LakeFeperd

🎮 Feperd Games: https://feperdgames.com/

💿 Sunnexo: https://sunnexo.moe

No pizza this week, just lasagna! Xania Lasagna, that is-- our guest known for her work throughout the PlayDate scene. Xania not only makes games for the indie handheld platform, but also publishes Uncrank'd Magazine and produces the YouTube news show Uncrank'd TV. She tells us about finding the best games on the platform both big and small, her character-first game design process, and more. With music from Squaretune Magician!

LINKS:

📕 Uncrank'd: https://linktr.ee/uncrankd
🗣️ XaniaLasagna: https://linktr.ee/xanialasagna

In this super exciting episode of the Pixel Pizza Podcast, we talk with creative/art director Rex Crowle! He's worked with a number of beloved studios including Lionhead, Media Molecule, Double Fine, and Terrible Toybox (Ron Gilbert's studio). Rex and I discuss working alongside your heroes, developing an art style that represents the ethos of your game, and bringing every team member's creative fingerprints into the project. Music this week comes from Akitakita!

LINKS:

🌐 Rex's Website: https://rexcrowle.com/

🗣️ Rex's Twitter/Bluesky: @Rexbox

💿 Akitakita: https://akitakita.bandcamp.com/

✉️ Pixel Pizza Contact: pixelpizza at yahoo dot com

We unlock the door to the Pizza Realm on this week’s show, speaking with solo game developer Yahya Danboos. He works in VR for UniVRs as well as on his own original title, the Kingdom Hearts-inspired Luminous Nights! We discuss his highly successful YouTube devlogs, the 1001 Arabian Nights, and the importance of making the games that you want to play! Music by Yellowpop! LINKS: 🐦 Yahya's Twitter: @YahyaDanboos 📺 Yahya's YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@YahyaDanboos 🎮 Luminous Nights on Steam: https://store.steampowered.com/app/1949610/Luminous_Realms/ 👾 Luminous Nights Discord: https://discord.com/invite/aAcUcqa5jA 💿 Yellowpop: https://yellowpop.bandcamp.com/album/charisma-check 🍕 Pixel Pizza Socials: @PixelPizzaPod ✉️ Pixel Pizza Email: pixelpizza at yahoo dot com

The Reunion draws near...The awesome game composer and DJ, James Landino, returns to Pixel Pizza after our radio run in Boston! He's been up to a lot since then, including writing music for games like No Straight Roads and the hit anime Tower of God. We go over his creative process, how he presents himself professionally, and his new business venture: Rare Drop. And we play music off his newest EP, Gamecore!

LINKS:
🐦 James’s Twitter: @JamesLandino

🌐 James’s Website: www.jameslandino.com

📀 Rare Drop: https://raredrop.bandcamp.com/

🍕 Pixel Pizza Twitter: @PixelPizzapod

Shoutout to all the Rhapsodogs this week, because we're talking with Nico Papalia, creator of the hit indie RPG Athenian Rhapsody! Nico shares his stories about playtesting for comedy, staying physically active while making games, expanding his IP, and making his own pizza. This week's music comes to us from _beto!

LINKS:

🎮 Athenian Rhapsody: https://linktr.ee/athenianrhapsody

💿 _beto: https://betodev.bandcamp.com/

✉️ Questions? Comments?: pixelpizza at yahoo dot com

Bored? Wondering what's for dinner? It's Pixel Pizza, of course! This week we have two incredible guests working on the cult interactive adventure-inspired game (iykyk), Arzette: The Jewel of Faramore. It's Seth Fulkerson, lead developer at Seedy Eye Software, and Audi Sorlie, producer at Limited Run Games! We go over the amazing story of how Arzette came to be, having a positive experience making games, and the excitement/back pain of turning 30. If you need something to listen to while scrubbing your floors, this is the episode for you! Music by Aeroplankton~ LINKS: ❎ Seth's X: @TheDopster 🐦 Audi's "Twitter": @PC98_Audi 💎 Arzette Socials: @ArzetteGame 📺 Digital Foundry: https://www.youtube.com/@DigitalFoundry 💿 Aeroplankton: https://aeroplankton.bandcamp.com 🍕 Pixel Pizza Socials: @PixelPizzaPod ✉️ Pixel Pizza Contact: pixelpizza at yahoo dot com

Prepare for trouble...the good kind! Joining in this week is Arman Nobari, the founder of Good Trouble Games. He discusses how his background in UX and portrait art and a battle with cancer and a brain tumor (CW if that subject is sensitive to you) led him to create his own game, Harlow! Also very excited to have music from an artist I've long been a fan of, Mega Flare!

LINKS:
🎮 Good Trouble Games: https://www.goodtrouble.games/
🤖 Harlow: https://www.nintendo.com/store/products/harlow-switch/
🌐 Arman's Website: http://www.armannobari.com/
🐦 Arman's Twitter: @_ArmanNobari
💿 Mega Flare: https://megaflare.bandcamp.com/
🍕 Pixel Pizza Twitter/Insta: @PixelPizzaPod

Joining us this week is talented game composer Star Victoria Power, aka Slide20XX ⭐️ They've recently done work on games like Calico and Bloodstained: Dominique's Curse, and were even featured as part of Bandcamp's best soundtrack releases of 2022. Having worked towards making music for games since the age of 13, Star offers a lot of meaningful insight into how to balance pursuing your passions while still being practical. With music from Mistil!

LINKS:

⭐️ Star's socials: @Slide20XX

💿 Mistil: http://mistil.bandcamp.com

📕 The Algebra of Wealth by Scott Galloway

🍕 Pizzeria of the Week: Rocco’s Pizza in Seattle

Can you smmmelllll what Pixel Pizza's cookin'? (This is the only wrestling reference I know, please do not expect any more) This week we chat with another longtime friend of the show, Niharika Jain! As a technical artist at 2K Games, she recently shipped her first AAA title- WWE 2K22. Niharika tells us about her journey to this point, what she's learned about the animation process, and much more. EchoLane brings us some chill chiptune tracks to go along with it!

LINKS:

📇 Niharika's LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/niharika-jain-2806b8156/

📀 EchoLane: https://echoln.bandcamp.com/ 

🐦 Pixel Pizza Twitter: @PixelPizzaPod

📸 Pixel Pizza Instagram: @PixelPizzaPod

Somebody order a pizza? Well this one's topped with roguelikes, deckbuilders, and...Space Invaders?! Eddie Cai, designer of the upcoming Star✩Vaders, walks us through what it's like bringing this methodical yet exciting concept to life. With chiptune jams from Paula Haunt!

LINKS:

👾 Star✩Vaders Steam: https://store.steampowered.com/app/2097570/StarVaders/

🐦 Eddie's Twitter: @AxolotlStar

💿 Paula Haunt Bandcamp: http://paulahaunt.bandcamp.com

📺 Paula Haunt YT: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCOIhvgSingg1cz1L1jCBFsw

🍕 Pixel Pizza Socials: @PixelPizzaPod

✉️ Pixel Pizza Email: pixelpizza at yahoo dot com

Hold onto your hats! This week's Pixel Pizza features a convo with Ubisoft Massive lead writer & narrative designer Aoife O'Friel. Aoife has helped bring Assassin's Creed Odyssey and Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora to life, and she tells us about the lore and research that goes into making those worlds as immersive as possible. And our music this week comes from Nicky Spacebum!

LINKS:

🐦 Aoife's Twitter: @AoifeOFriel

🌐 Aoife's Website: https://aoifeofriel.wixsite.com/portfolio

💿 Nicky Spacebum: https://nickyspacebum.bandcamp.com/

✉️ Contact Us: Pixelpizza at yahoo dot com

Get ready to go Psycho Mode this weekend with an all-new Pixel Pizza! Today we've got Ukrainian developer Yehor aka Martingor. Together with his wife Masha, Yehor is developing the finger-shooting roguelike FPS Psychofinger! We talk about taking inspiration from anime, what it's like making a game with your partner, and advice for first-time developers. Music from Curious Quail!

LINKS:

👉 PSYCHOFINGER: https://linktr.ee/psychofinger

💿 Curious Quail: http://curiousquail.bandcamp.com/

✉️ Pixel Pizza Contact: pixelpizza at yahoo dot com

 With all the work she's done, our guest this week probably needs no introduction! But just in case... You've read her work on websites like Rock Paper Shotgun, Vice, and Nintendo Life, or in games with her narrative writing like Winding Worlds and the upcoming Moonstone Island. That's right, coming to us from Canada is Kate Gray! Kate tells us about her approach to writing in a gaming news site's voice, her process of nominating games as a juror on the IGF Narrative Awards, and finding inspiration in anime characters for her work on games. So grab a slice and stick around; you’ll also hear some new music from Broken Alias! LINKS: 🐦 Kate’s Twitter: @HowNotToDraw 🌐 Kate’s Website: kategray.me 📀 Broken Alias: http://brokenalias.bandcamp.com 🍕 Pixel Pizza Socials: @PixelPizzaPod

This week on the show we've got Canadian solo indie dev Devon Wiersma! Devon's best known for the graffiti sandbox Bombing!! games, which were inspired by their own experiences as a street artist. They're also currently working on the procedurally generated mech action game Centauri Dark, so there's a lot to talk about with their varied catalog of work! Tune in for that and chiptune music from Caspro & friends.

LINKS:

☁️ Devon's Bluesky: https://devonwiersma.bsky.social

📝 Devon's Tumblr: https://devsgames.tumblr.com/

📺 Devon's Twitch/YT: SlaughterNeko

🎮 Devon's Games: https://store.steampowered.com/curator/45172739

💿 Caspro: https://caspromusic.bandcamp.com/

You made it to Friday! Take a breath and listen to this week's Pixel Pizza with the Social Media & Operations Manager of Extremely OK Games, Heidy Motta. We talk about what it was like behind the scenes during the huge success of Celeste, and how her role on the team has expanded as the team continues working on Earthblade. Chiptunes this week from Opus Science Collective!

LINKS:

🌐 Heidy's Website: https://www.heidy.page/

🆗 Extremely OK Games: https://exok.com/

💿 OSC: https://opussciencecollective.bandcamp.com/

✉️ Pixel Pizza Contact: pixelpizza at yahoo dot com

Hey guess what? I got sick this week. It wasn't fun, and had to push our regularly scheduled recordings back a week.

But you know what are fun?? Clip shows! That's right, in true podcast fashion, we're doing a roundup of all 14 of our guests thus far. From each one we've hand-picked a story that was educational, insightful, or just plain funny. Hope y'all enjoy and we'll see you next week when SEASON 2 begins proper! 

LINKS:
🕊 Pixel Pizza Twitter: @PixelPizzaPod

📷 Pixel Pizza Instagram: @PixelPizzaPod

This week on Pixel Pizza, rock out with narrative designer Idris Grey MacChruteir 🤘 Idris's career has spanned across multiple countries and major studios-- they've worked at Monolith on Middle-Earth: Shadow of War, Guerilla on Horizon: Forbidden West, and are currently in Japan working with Unseen (Ikumi Nakamura's studio) on KEMURI!

Idris breaks down how they design for specific characters, make an open world feel alive, and write a meaningful cover letter. Chiptune music this week also comes to us from Japan via Maak!

LINKS:

🐦 Idris's Twitter: @SirensStrand

🎮 Unseen: @UnseenTokyo

💿 Maak: https://maakmusic.bandcamp.com/

✉️ Contact Us: pixelpizza at yahoo dot com

Join us this week for a chat with the up-and-coming Indian development team I Miss My Friends Studio! Writer/Art Director Rhea Gupte and Artist/Programmer Prateek Saxena formed their two-person studio during the pandemic. Their first game, Fishbowl, is based on their experiences during lockdown. We discuss how they've approached their first-ever game, the online resources they've used to figure out the craft, and how their skillsets complement each other. Tunes this week come from CrazyGoji!

🐦IMMF Twitter: @imissmy_friends

🌐IMMF Website: https://imissmyfriends.studio/

💿CrazyGoji: http://crazygoji.bandcamp.com

🍕Pixel Pizza Socials: @PixelPizzaPod

📺Pixel Pizza YT: https://www.youtube.com/@pixelpizzapod

New year, new pizza! Bringing us into 2024 is prodigious animator and developer Mason Hardison, known online as Chaoko. At the age of 25 he's already worked on a number of big-budget titles, including Nintendo's Advance Wars 1+2: Re-Boot Camp! Currently Mason is developing his own project, the high-speed platformer Kilaflow. He tells us about getting hired via Twitter, game design psychology, and transitioning from modding to making games professionally. And be sure to check out Kilaflow's Kickstarter when it launches in March! Music from Yoann Turpin 🎶

LINKS:

🌳 Mason's LinkTree: https://linktr.ee/chaokocartoons

⚡️ Kilaflow Demo: https://chaoko.itch.io/kilaflow-sage-2023-demo

💿 Yoann Turpin: https://yoannturpin.bandcamp.com/

✉️ Pixel Pizza Contact: pixelpizza at yahoo dot com

All the way from Sweden comes the founder of Studio Malosi, Niki Chalusi! In addition to leading her studio, Niki is also the producer and deisgner on the "androidpological" visual novel Flavor Favor! We discuss Niki's nonlinear path into the games industry, balancing wholesomeness and serious themes, and leveraging your team members' strengths. Featuring music from Neil Dinsmore! Plus a special guest 🐱 LINKS: 🎮 Flavor Favor: https://store.steampowered.com/app/2375450/Flavor_Favor/ 📰 Flavor Favor Newsletter (Get the game free at launch!): https://mailchi.mp/2ef47bacab3e/cqequ982f5 💿 Neil Dinsmore: https://neildinsmore.bandcamp.com/ 🍕 Pixel Pizza Socials: @PixelPizzaPod ✉️ Pixel Pizza Email: pixelpizza at yahoo dot com

This episode is high art ✨ Award-winning illustrator and game art director Marlowe Dobbe is here to talk about her journey into the industry! From her local involvement with the Portland Indie Gaming Squad to working with big names like Terry Cavanagh (on Dicey Dungeons) and Mega Crit (devs of Slay the Spire), Marlowe has learned a lot and has some great wisdom to share. Music this time comes from Laamaa!

LINKS:

🌐 Marlowe's Website: www.marlowedobbe.com

☁️ Marlowe's BlueSky: https://bsky.app/profile/marlowedobbe.bsky.social

🐷 Portland Indie Gaming Squad: http://discord.gg/pigsquad

💿 Laamaa: https://laamaa.bandcamp.com/

🍕 Pixel Pizza Socials: @PixelPizzaPod

✉️ Pixel Pizza Email: pixelpizza at yahoo dot com

In the podcast crossover of the century, Jake Innes of the Gaming Cult Podcast (which recently ended its ten-year run) joins Pixel Pizza for a postmortem on the long-running show, a dive into its various influences, and of course a healthy dose of worldwide opinions on obscure and up-to-date gaming. Since Jake is also an accomplished DJ in the footwork scene, we play some of his most recent tracks! You love it, my boy.

LINKS:

☁️ Jake's SoundCloud: https://soundcloud.com/djinnes

📻 House Nation & OST Live: https://rnb.org.au/

💿 Cult Trax Records: https://culttrax.com/

🎮 Gaming Cult Podcast (RIP 2012-2022): https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/gaming-cult-podcast/id498397940

📸 Jake's Instagram: @Dj_innes

🕊 Pixel Pizza Twitter: @PixelPizzaPod

📷 Pixel Pizza Instagram: @PixelPizzaPod

Can you believe it's been over 20 episodes of our gaming/chiptune podcast and we HAVEN'T had an actual chip musician on to interview?? Well, it's time to fix that! That's right, this week we are talking to one of the OGs (and the artist who introduced Jared to chiptune), Philly's own Paul Weinstein aka Chipocrite. We talk about discovering the medium, getting involved with the community scene, and the differences between writing music for games versus standalone songs. Naturally the songs this week come from Chipocrite too!

LINKS:

🎧 Paul’s Website: chipocrite.com

💿 Paul’s Bandcamp: https://chipocrite.bandcamp.com/

🐦 Paul’s Twitter: @Chipocrite

🕊 Pixel Pizza Twitter: @PixelPizzaPod

📷 Pixel Pizza Instagram: @PixelPizzaPod

Hot off the heels of releasing his latest game, River City Girls 2, director Bannon Rudis of WayForward sits down for a chat on Pixel Pizza! He tells us about his start in the film industry and transitioning over to games, how he records his own fighting moves as reference for his games, and designing a more nonlinear structure for RCG2 compared to the original. BitVortex sets the vibe for us with some great chiptunes~

LINKS:
📸Bannon’s Instagram: @BannonRudis

🌐WayForward: https://wayforward.com/

💿BitVortex: https://bitvortex.bandcamp.com/

🍕Pixel Pizza Socials: @PixelPizzaPod

📺Pixel Pizza YT: https://www.youtube.com/@pixelpizzapod

The year is winding down, but there's still a little more Pixel Pizza to go! This week you can enjoy a chat with the incredible pixel artist and game designer at Tako Boy Studios, Phil Giarrusso. Some of his notable works include Shovel Knight Dig, Creatures of Aether, and the upcoming (early access) card game Cross Blitz! Phil explains how he comes up with design rules for each project he's on, finding work through social media, and his favorite games of 2023! Chiptunes this week are Touhou covers from Kommisar~

LINKS:

🌐 Tako Boy Studios: https://www.takoboystudios.com/

💿 Kommisar: https://kommisarchiptune.bandcamp.com/

✉️ Pixel Pizza Contact: pixelpizza at yahoo dot com

Honored this week to speak with 7x academy award nominated sound designer/composer Kenneth C.M. Young! Kenny's recent work on Astro Bot got rave reviews this year, and his previous time at MediaMolecule included LittleBigPlanet and Tearaway. Kenny dives into his upbringing with Scottish & Applachian music, his unique path into becoming a game composer, and making audio feel like its own character. Chiptune music this week from Vyryr!

LINKS:

🌐 Kenny's Website: http://kennyyoung.com

🐦 Kenny's Twitter: @KCMYoung

🤖 Astro Bot OST: https://music.apple.com/ua/album/astro-bot-original-soundtrack/1770364118

💿 Vyryr: https://vyryr.bandcamp.com/

Foodies rejoice! This week we've got an episode jam packed with not only game development talk but also good eats around the world. This week's guest, accomplished business director and technical director Gwen Foster, has worked on a lot of games you might know: Superhot, Among Us, and Stacklands to name a few. But her current projects, the mind-bending Viewfinder and the Philippines-based cooking game Soup Pot, are just as unique and we dive deep into what it's like working on them from both a business and creative perspective. And we've got some tasty tunes from Break Error for your listening pleasure!

LINKS:

🐦📸 Gwen's Twitter/Instagram: @IfNotNowGwen

👀 Viewfinder: https://www.sos.games/viewfinder

🥣 Soup Pot: https://store.steampowered.com/app/1387810/Soup_Pot/

📀 Break Error: http://breakerror.bandcamp.com

✉️ Pixel Pizza Email: pixelpizza at yahoo dot com

Special delivery! Episode lucky number 3 is here. This week we've got Owen Watson, Lead Artist at Jackbox Games, here to talk about his influences, what makes good game art, and how a series known for indoor parties has adapted to pandemic play. We've also got musical interludes from Popskyy!

LINKS:
🐦Owen's Twitter: @babypopdipstick

🕹Jackbox Games: https://www.jackboxgames.com/

🎵Popskyy: https://popskyy.bandcamp.com/

📸Pixel Pizza Instagram: @PixelPizzaPod

🕊 Twitter: @PixelPizzaPod

Jarvis, play Pixel Pizza. Coming to us from Montreal this week is accomplished game & TV writer Ashley Cooper! She's worked on a number of high-profile titles over the past few years, including Warhammer 40K Space Marine 2, Gotham Knights, and EA Motive's upcoming Iron Man game. We discuss Ashley's journey from TV writing to game writing, different types of game dialogue, and her background in standup comedy! Music this week comes from Robyn A1200 🎶 LINKS: 🌤️ Ashley's BlueSky: https://ashleycooper.bsky.social/ 🐦 Ashley's Twitter: @AshWritesGames 🌐 Ashley's Website: ashleywritesgames.com 💿 Robyn A1200: robynmusak.bandcamp.com 🍕 Pixel Pizza Socials: @PixelPizzaPod ✉️ Pixel Pizza Email: Pixelpizza at yahoo dot com

Today we dive into the heart of one of Hollywood's most prolific animators, Seth Kearsley! He's worked with every animation studio under the sun--Disney, Sony Pictures, Fox, Warner Bros, Dreamworks, Illumination, the list goes on--but you probably know him best for developing the Kingdom Hearts pilot animatic that's recently made the rounds online. We chat about his development as an artist, how he adapted the story of Kingdom Hearts into the structure of an animated series, and what makes a great game->animation adaptation. Taking us out is a personal favorite chiptune artist, Blitz Lunar!

LINKS:

🐦Seth’s Twitter: @SethKearsley

📀Blitz Lunar: https://blitzlunar.bandcamp.com/

🍕Pixel Pizza Socials: @PixelPizzaPod

📺Pixel Pizza YouTube: https://bit.ly/3BgOyHX

Today on the program we're chatting with South African sound designer Ulysses at Sea! You might've heard his work in games like Desktop Dungeons: Rewind and Tales of Kenzera: Zau. Ulysses and I talk about creating an ecosystem of sounds, building creature voices, and the unexpected ways sounds can resonate with players. Music from Bartizan Chill~

LINKS:

📺 Ulysses's YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@ulyssesatsea

🗣️ Ulysses's socials: @Ulyssesatsea

💼 Ulysses's LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ulysses-at-sea-611a38135/

💿 Bartizan Chill: https://bartizanchill.bandcamp.com/

We made it to triple digits! 🎉🎉 After 2 years, Pixel Pizza has reached the fabled 100 episode mark. We've had 100+ talented guests on the show from AAAs to indies, all with their own insightful perspectives on making games. To celebrate, this episode follows up with a whole bunch of those previous guests about where they're currently at and what they might be up to next! And to top it all off we've got music from our very first chiptune artist MEMODEMO! (Yes I know there are one or two Encore episodes, but I did remaster those so I'm still counting this as episode 100 😛) LINKS: 💿 Memodemo: https://memodemo.bandcamp.com/ ✉️ Pixel Pizza Email: pixelpizza at yahoo dot com

Join us on this week's Pixel Pizza Podcast as we talk to Capybara Games President Eileen Hollinger! Eileen's had some incredible experiences in the industry, like working at ThatGameCompany and forming her own indie game publisher, Astra Fund. She tells us how she made the jump from educational content to working alongside the devs of Journey, Katamari Damacy, and the latest on her studio's newest game Battle Vision Network! Music from Hydragyrum Beholder!

LINKS:

🐦 Eileen's Twitter: @Eileen_Holli

🌐 Capy Games: @Capygames

🎮 Battle Vision Network: @BVN_Game

💿 Hydragyrum Beholder: https://hydragyrumbeholder.bandcamp.com/

✉️ Contact Us: pixelpizza at yahoo dot com

Ready to get animated? Good, cause we're back with a guy who's specialized in bringing the magic of cartoons into the video game space. As an artist on the 2020 Battletoads reboot and a senior concept artist on the upcoming Disney Illusion Island, Rory Jobson tells us all about what it's like to create authentic games with beloved IPs while also giving people something they've never seen before. Moral of the day: Just because you miss an opportunity once, doesn't mean it won't come back around if you keep at it!

Music today from the awesome German chiptune duo AFX030!

LINKS:

🐦 Rory's Twitter: @RoryJobson

💿 AFX030: https://afx030.bandcamp.com/

🍕 Pixel Pizza Socials: @PixelPizzaPod

✉️ Pixel Pizza Email: pixelpizza @ yahoo.com

We've got two incredible guests for you this week! Coming to us from Furniture & Mattress Games are co-founders David Hellman (art director) & Nico Recabarren (game designer). David's best known for his work on the landmark indie game Braid, and Nico made a splash designing acclaimed puzzle game Ethereal. We go over both of their past experiences as well as their time working on their latest project, the puzzle/RPG hybrid Arranger! Music from Reia!

LINKS:

🖌️ David's Twitter: @Davidhellman

🧩 Nico's Twitter: @Cabezotta

🎮 Arranger: https://arranger.quest/

💿 Reia: https://reiaa.bandcamp.com/

✉️ Contact us: pixelpizza at yahoo dot com

Last show before January, when the time loop begins again 😈 To close out 2023 we've got an incredibly fun and informative chat with the developer behind the emotional and time-bending RPG In Stars and Time! Adrienne Bazir aka InsertDisc5 tells us about her approach to worldbuilding, character art, and narrative playtesting plus lots more. With music from Mabisyo!

LINKS:

🌐 Adrienne's Website: https://www.insertdisc5.com/

✏️ Adrienne's Tumblr: https://insertdisc5.tumblr.com/

🎮 In Stars And Time: https://store.steampowered.com/app/1677310/In_Stars_And_Time/

👕 Merch: https://theyetee.com/collections/all/products/in-stars-and-time-tee-1?_pos=1&_sid=d54d32fe0&_ss=r

💿 Mabisyo: https://mabisyo.bandcamp.com/

✉️ Pixel Pizza Contact: pixelpizza at yahoo dot com

Not skipping a beat, we return this week to chat with a guy who has been all around the industry: Bayaar Lo-Borjiged. We discuss his work on both the east and west coasts, from his surprising start as a Naruto game promoter to his QA work at major companies like Treyarch and 2K to forming the indie studio Skull Fire Games! Our chiptune music of the week comes from Tamás Kátai off his Jupiter 92 LP!

LINKS:

🐦 Bayaar’s Twitter: @SkullFireGames

💀 Skull Fire Games: https://skullfiregames.com/

💿 Tamás Kátai: http://tamaskatai.bandcamp.com

🍕 Pixel Pizza Twitter: @PixelPizzaPod

Prepare to vibe out with some chill beats from this week's guest, Joe Burke (better known as Obfusc)! His ambient tracks have been featured in hit indie games like Monument Valley, Neocab, and Harlow. Joe talks about his process of gathering field recordings, how he collaborates with devs to understand their vision for the sound of the game, and how he transitioned from having his tracks featured in games to working on them more directly.

LINKS:

📀 Joe's Bandcamp: https://obfusc.bandcamp.com/

🎶 Joe's Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/artist/7mxWXS9vNabNww98k0dyDn

🍎 Joe's Apple Music: https://music.apple.com/us/artist/obfusc/199840107

🍕 Pixel Pizza Twitter/Insta: @PixelPizzaPod

No matter where you are, it’s time for happy hour! We sit down with Tony Grayson, studio head of Summitsphere. They’ve just fully funded their new game on Kickstarter: The wild retro-inspired platformer Antonblast. Tony shares his candid thoughts on pitching to publishers, taking your game beyond its influences, and much more. He’s also responsible for the music in Antonblast, so we’ve got some tracks to share with you too!

-No episode next week, we will be on vacation-

LINKS:

🐦 Summitsphere Twitter: @Summitsphere

💥 Antonblast Kickstarter: antonblast.com

🎮 Tony’s Twitter: @GraysonZ80

🕊 Pixel Pizza Twitter: @PixelPizzaPod

📸 Pixel Pizza Instagram: @PixelPizzaPod

That nasty BA.2 variant has struck again, but we're powering through to give you the pizza you crave. So excuse the voice as I talk with the prolific content creator Daan Koopman, better known as Nintendaan. Whether it's advising on indie games, covering press events and reviews for Nintendo World Report, or First Look videos on YouTube, the man has done it all and he's here to talk all about it. With music from Astro Grey!

LINKS:

🐦 Daan's Twitter: @Nintendaan

🐘 Daan's Mastodon: @Nintendaan

💿 Astro Grey: https://astrogrey.bandcamp.com/

🎶 Marly Records: https://marlyrecords.bandcamp.com/

🕊 Pixel Pizza Twitter: @PixelPizzaPod

📸 Pixel Pizza Instagram: @PixelPizzaPod