Game Developer Podcast (GameDeveloper.com)

On Game Developer Podcast episode 30 we have KEN AND ROBERTA WILLIAMS, cofounders of SIERRA ON-LINE and the legendary minds behind games like KING'S QUEST and MYSTERY HOUSE, discussing their RETURN TO GAME DEVELOPMENT after 25 years and their recent REVIVAL OF A TEXT-BASED CLASSIC.

Indie game dev SUPERSTAR Nina Freeman is a designer at Tacoma developer Fullbright, and is also known for making intensely personal games like Cibele and How Do You Do It? She joined us to chat about her process for digging deep into autobiographical material, and turning that into evocative - and brilliant - games.

LYNDSAY PEARSON, VP of franchise creative for THE SIMS at MAXIS joins us to talk about her career spanning 20 years with THE SIMS franchise, touching on lessons learned in QA and PRODUCTION, building games that thrive on COMMUNITY INVOLVEMENT, and advice for people taking their first steps into game development.

Danielle is joined by Deborah Chantson, Writer and Narrative Designer at Sticky Brain Studios Inc., to discuss her multifaceted career writing for games, interactive media, TV and short films, as well as her gorgeous forthcoming folklore adventure game, Rooster. Wishlist Rooster on Steam: https://store.steampowered.com/app/1834220/Rooster/ Stay on top of the latest news: https://www.gamedeveloper.com/latest-news

Strange Scaffold founder Xalavier Nelson Jr. sits down with Danielle to discuss his company's ongoing efforts to operate ethically, how said efforts impacted the creation of El Paso, Elsewhere, and how he handles life and leadership in a tumultuous industry.

Danielle sits down with legendary adventure game designer Charles Cecil, cofounder of Revolution Software, to discuss the upcoming remake of Broken Sword - Shadow of the Templars, the difference between classic and modern adventure gamers, the infamous "goat puzzle," finding that hint system sweet spot, and a lot more. Learn more about GDC Showcase: https://showcase.gdconf.com/ Check out Broken Sword - Shadow of the Templars: Reforged on Steam: https://store.steampowered.com/app/2544110/Broken_Sword__Shadow_of_the_Templars_Reforged/

Danielle and Alissa sit down with Chris Zukowski of How to Market a Game to discuss the ins and outs of marketing an indie, including when to launch your game's Steam page, how best to utilize alternative platforms like itch.io, the many perils of Early Access, and a lot more.

Hannah Flynn has overseen the marketing of successful games like Fallen London, Sunless Sea, and Sunless Skies as communications director at Failbetter Games. On this episode, learn practical tips on how to be a more effective game marketer!

Danielle is joined by GDC Content Marketing Manager Beth Elderkin and Conference Producer Sam Warnke to discuss the secret, year-round work that goes into orchestrating everyone's favorite developer-focused conference. Follow us on TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@official_gdc Check us out on Twitter: https://twitter.com/Official_GDC

Yarn Spinner lead developer and Secret Lab co-founder Jon Manning shares the secret trick to teaching writers to code, sings the praises of good documentation, and explores game dev lessons learned from tool development. And a special thank you to Dove for sponsoring today's episode! Dove is on a mission to challenge and change female representation in video games through the global launch of its Real Virtual Beauty campaign. Learn more at: https://www.dove.com/uk/stories/about-dove/real-virtual-beauty.html

Brandon Sheffield is lead writer on Lab Zero's excellent action RPG platformer Indivisible. Find out how he injects humor, emotions, and personality into Indivisible's dozens of characters.

JASON RONALD is the director of program management for the Xbox Platform Team, leading development of the Xbox Series X and S. Learn more about the years-long process of creating these NEXT-GEN BEASTS.

A hands-on early-stage GAME INVESTMENT GURU in more than 20 independent game studios, game biz vet JASON DELLA ROCCA shares how to PITCH to publishers, venture capitalists, and when you should pitch your project to one or the other (but not necessarily both!).

On this episode of the GDC Podcast we have DAVID GARDNER, a 30 plus-year game industry professional who now runs venture capital firm London Venture Partners. He tells us how you can secure funding for your game project and what to look for in an investor. He also knows how to fly planes!

The GameDeveloper crew sits down to discuss its favorite games of 2023, including Alan Wake 2, Dredge, Immortals of Aveum, Forspoken, El Paso Elsewhere, Baldur's Gate 3, and a lot more. Happy Holidays, y'all!

Greg Haynes, lead games user research at AbleGamers breaks misconceptions about game accessibility and explains what accessibility *really* means. Recorded LIVE during GDC Summer 2020!

Hot off the heels of major unionization wins at Blizzard Entertainment and Bethesda Game Studios, Senior Editor Bryant Francis is joined by Emma Kinema of the CWA, as well as Autumn Mitchell and Chris Lusco of Bethesda Softworks, to discuss the ongoing surge of organizational efforts sweeping the video game industry. Read more about the new unions at Blizzard and Bethesda: https://www.gamedeveloper.com/production/over-500-blizzard-entertainment-workers-form-wall-to-wall-union SAG-AFTRA performers call strike against major game studios over AI: https://www.gamedeveloper.com/production/sag-aftra-authorizes-video-game-actor-strike-over-ai Read Bryant's piece on Project 2025 and its potential impact on game developers: https://www.gamedeveloper.com/business/how-will-project-2025-impact-game-developers-

We're joined by indie ROLE MODELS ADAM HINES and SEAN KRANKEL, cofounders of Night School Studio, developers of games such as Afterparty and the ABSOLUTELY ICONIC indie game OXENFREE. We talk narrative design, Oxenfree after five years, and FOCUSING your talents.

FABLED industry veteran EMILY GREER, co-founder of KONGREGATE and most recently founder of DOUBLE LOOP GAMES joins us to talk about toxicity in the workplace and the role power dynamics play when people act terribly. We also wax nostalgic about Flash and take a look at the mobile game market!

Dave Lang, the super snazzy founder of Iron Galaxy Studios, joins the GDC Podcast to talk about creating a studio that's built to last, quality of life in the game industry, and old rumors about Midway Games and the mafia.

On GDC Podcast episode 8 we have CELIA HODENT, a user experience consultant, psychology PhD, and author who'll get us LEARNED about cognitive science, UX, and how our brains process something as complex as a video game.

LINDSAY GRACE is Knight Chair in Interactive Media and an associate professor at the University of Miami School of Communication. He joins us to chat about GAMES AND ACADEMIA, games with SOCIAL IMPACT, and the BLACK EXPERIENCE in game development.

We're joined by game industry power couple SOREN and LEYLA JOHNSON of MOHAWK GAMES who share their experiences in developing and releasing strategy games like OFFWORLD TRADING COMPANY and the new Civilization-meets-Crusader Kings strategy game OLD WORLD. The pair also get candid about DIVERSIFYING their (formerly) homogenous studio.

On GDC Podcast episode 26 we have INDIE MAVERICK GREG LOBANOV, writer and director on the fantastic IGF finalist CHICORY: A COLORFUL TALE. He talks about making Chicory, PUZZLE DESIGN, and bringing CREATIVITY out of players.

With Summer Game Fest 2024 and its commingling events safely behind us, it’s finally time for everyone’s favorite part of video game announcement season: the post-show analysis! Danielle is joined by Senior Editor Bryant Francis and News Editor Chris Kerr for an in-depth discussion of everything that Sony, Microsoft and Geoff Keighley brought to the table, as well as our favorites from Day of the Devs and a few choice words on raw incompetence. Read Phil Spencer's controversial defense of Xbox layoffs: https://www.gamedeveloper.com/business/phil-spencer-deems-xbox-layoffs-very-hard-but-needed-for-sustainable-business- Scope the rest of our SGF 2024 coverage: https://www.gamedeveloper.com/keyword/summer-game-fest Get the latest from our newsletter: https://gd-resources.gamedeveloper.com/free/w_gamf01/prgm.cgi

FOREST SWARTOUT LARGE is executive producer at IO Interactive working on the HITMAN franchise. We talk design philosophies behind the STEALTHY Hitman series, BURNOUT and WORK-LIFE BALANCE, and what makes for an effective VIDEO GAME PRODUCER.

Arcade evangelists Josh Debonis and Nik Mikros of BumbleBear Games join Danielle to discuss the unlikely origins of their modern coin-op classic, Killer Queen. [Our apologies for the audio quality on this one, folks! We think the discussion is still worth it!]

LARS DOUCET, co-founder of Level Up Labs and recently a contributor to Valve's Steam Labs project, joins fellow Texan Kris Graft to talk about the BRUTAL WINTER STORM that left many without access to heat, power, water, and food for days.

Danielle is joined by veteran indie beat journalist Joel Couture to discuss his annual "Road to the IGF" series. With every 2024 Independent Games Festival finalist interviewed, which conversations stick out the most? And how can you, our beloved developers, best prepare for an interview? Find out!! Complete Road to the IGF coverage can be found at https://www.gamedeveloper.com/keyword/road-to-the-igf Find Joel at https://twitter.com/Joel_Couture Learn about the IGF at https://igf.com/ Discover the rest of GDC 2024 at https://gdconf.com/

On GDC Podcast episode 22 we welcome SPELUNKY developer DEREK YU. We chat about the development and design of his fantastic SPELUNKY games, how INDIE GAME DEVELOPMENT has changed over the years, and how game development is an EXPLORATION OF IDEAS.

With shelter-in-place orders in...place, lots of people are jumping on Zoom and playing Jackbox Party Packs. Mike Bilder, CEO of Jackbox Games, joins us to talk about designing for humor, how stay-at-home has affected his studio, and scaling for record-breaking traffic spikes for Jackbox's catalog of hilarious games.

In this episode fresh from the GDC Showcase archives, Bryant sits down with Ben Brode, Chief Development Officer at Second Dinner (Marvel Snap) to discuss the importance of expertise in your own game, exploring the limits of your design space, striking the balance between "functional" and "understandable," thinking like a game designer, and much more. Learn More about GDC: https://gdconf.com/?_mc=hsad_gdcsf_gamdev_le_x_x_2025 Similar Talks @ GDC 2025: https://gdconf.com/conference/game-design?_mc=hsad_gdcsf_gamdev_le_x_x_2025 More From Ben Brode: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HjhsY2Zuo-c

Indie game dev original JENOVA CHEN of Journey developer thatgamecompany explains why he's drawn to designing EVOCATIVE games like Flower, Journey, and the studio's latest game Sky: Children of the Light. Meanwhile, Alissa finds an excuse to talk about Hitman and Kris professes his love for ugly electronics.

PHIL TIBITOSKI, the TWO-ARMED president of OCTODAD and BUGSNAX developer Young Horses joins us to talk about making wonderfully WEIRD video games, the dev process at Young Horses, PRICING YOUR INDIE GAME in today's market, and what it was like pitching a WILD GAME like Bugsnax to PlayStation.

A-1 class act GREG KASAVIN, creative director at HADES developer SUPERGIANT GAMES talks narrative design, his journey from game journalist to game developer and the allure of the ROGUELIKE GENRE.

Indie publishing DREAMBOAT Mike Rose with No More Robots talks about his approach to data-driven indie marketing and publishing, what he looks for when signing new games, and the daring practice of gaming the Nintendo eShop.

Grant Shonkwiler is a rising star of video game production, having worked on games including Doom, Wolfenstein: The New Order, and Fortnite. He joined Gamasutra editor-in-chief Kris Graft and news editor Alissa McAloon on the newly-minted GDC Podcast.

In this two-part episode of the Game Developer Podcast, Editor in Chief Danielle Riendeau finds the answers to these questions (and others!) by speaking with Rez Graham, senior AI programmer and Director of Game Programming at the Academy of Art University’s School of Game Development, as well as Game Developer Senior Editor Bryant Francis. Find Rez on Twitter at https://twitter.com/rezibot Peep his GDC talk on rolling your own game engine at https://schedule.gdconf.com/session/independent-games-summit-a-case-for-making-your-own-engine/901862

Unknown Worlds CEO and co-founder Charlie Cleveland joins Alissa and Danielle to discuss Moonbreaker's miniatures, Subnautica's scares, the importance of gaining creative momentum, integrating community feedback while maintaining design cohesion, the elegance gained by eschewing grids, and a lot more.

Rod Humble and King Choi of Paradox Tectonic join Danielle and Alissa to discuss their enormously ambitious upcoming life sim -- Life by You -- as well as their approach to flat hierarchies, empowering mod communities, balancing feature creep in an inherently sprawling project, and a lot more.

Following years of working on Halo, Call of Duty, and other triple-A franchises, Matthew Burns went the independent route and has now, with Zachtronics, released the arresting visual novel Eliza, a story about the ethical conflicts surrounding an AI therapy program. Find out how a game with so little room for choice was brilliantly designed to say so much about player agency.

Danielle takes a brief voyage with Joel, Alex and Mikey of Black Salt Games to discuss the process and priorities behind their debut horror/fishing game, DREDGE.

BRYAN COLLINSWORTH, game designer at THE LAST OF US PART II developer NAUGHTY DOG, joins us to chat about his philosophies on GAME DESIGN, and how he helped bring outstanding performances to NPC allies in TLOUII.

On the latest episode of the GDC Podcast, Drinkbox Studios sr. artist and FABULOUS Forbes 30 under 30 game developer Gabby DaRienzo talked about art, creativity, burnout, and of course, death. Also starring: her cats.

Indie game marketing consultant CHRIS ZUKOWSKI joins us to offer practical tips when MARKETING YOUR INDIE GAME. We talk about EMAIL MARKETING, super effective STEAM PAGES, building your game's COMMUNITY, and more.

Danielle is joined by John Warren, CMO of hardware startup GLYDR, to discuss accessibility in video games, GLYDR's new foot-based controller, the hardware Kickstarter meta, filming fake VR accidents with your wife, weathering a tumultuous industry, and of course, Peanut Butter the Speedrunning Dog. For more on GLYDR, check out http://www.feetlegal.com/ Submit a post to the Game Developer Blog at https://reg.gdconf.com/blog-submission And GDC 2024 is just around the corner; March 18-22! https://gdconf.com/

JUSTIN KEENAN, writer and narrative designer on ZA/UM's instant classic DISCO ELYSIUM talks about writing interesting characters, choice design, and the team writing process at ZA/UM.

On Episode 39 of the Game Developer Podcast, we’re digging into this year’s GDC State of the Game Industry Report. Join host Danielle Riendeau and a rotating cast of editors, analysts, and experts as they share the key takeaways from the 2024 report and discuss how those factors will impact the game industry moving forward. This month we’re joined by senior editor Bryant Francis and community editorial coordinator Holly Green from the Game Developer team, games tech research director Dom Tait and principal analyst Liam Deane from the Omdia team, and content marketing manager/State of the Game Industry project lead Beth Elderkin from the GDC team. Listen to the episode to hear data and commentary on topics like industry layoffs, game engine trends and switch ups, unionization and studio conglomeration concerns, generative AI ethics and usage, and more. Be sure to check out the full report on the GDC website for deeper looks at the data, commentary from developer participants, and many more important topics beyond the above. Useful Links: GDC 2024 State of the Game Industry Report https://reg.gdconf.com/state-of-game-industry-2024 Game Developer State of the Game Industry Coverage https://www.gamedeveloper.com/keyword/state-of-the-game-industry-report Game Developer Blog Submissions https://reg.gdconf.com/blog-submission GDC 2024 (March 18-22, 2024) https://gdconf.com/ Omdia https://omdia.tech.informa.com/advance-your-business/media-and-entertainment/games-tech-intelligence-service