Kiwi Talkz

Episodios

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  #213 - Unleash The Avatar - India's First AAA Game | Developer Interview With Varun Mayya 25.07.2026 1h 21m

  Varun Mayya is an entrepreneur, content creator, author and now he is venturing into game development and working on India's most ambitious game ever. Unleash The Avatar #unleashtheavatar #indiangaming See the latest trailer gameplay footage here. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y_zBp21BWI0 WEBSITE - https://www.unleashtheavatargame.com/TIMESTAMPS00:00 - Intro01:28 - Varun Loves The Mechanics Of Dota & Rocket League03:56 - How Varun Started Making Video Games05:15 - Journey To Making Unleash The Avatar/Multiplayer Games06:00 - Soulslikes/Black Myth Wukong/Sekiro07:39 - Games Are Sustainable/Gamers Demands11:19 - Unreal Engine/Photogrammetry Of India For Unleash The Avatar12:48 - Scanning An Entire Indian Town For Assets In Unreal Engine15:00 - 1st Trailer For Unleash The Avatar Was To Hire Talent16:15 - Varun’s Smart Plan To Hire The Best Engineers19:12 - Aftermath Of 2nd Trailer21:30 - Developing The Game Start Up Style/Revelation From The 2nd Trailer23:02 - Bollywood Influence On The Game/Anatomy Of The Story28:10 - Varun Is Closely Involved With The Entire Project29:43 - Target Audience For Unleash The Avatar32:10 - Using A Metronome For The Bosses33:20 - Aura Farming/Taunts In The Game/Difficulty Settings36:22 - Black Myth Wukong Inspirations & Differences41:39 - Black Myth Wukong’s Marketing43:16 - Bold Marketing Strategy For Unleash The Avatar50:14 - Why India Hasn’t Produced AAA Games/Entrepreneurs54:55 - Risk & Reward/Varun’s Views On Business57:00 - Stigma From Parents Regarding Gaming & Content Creation In India59:00 - Success & Failures Drives Everything Forward1:00:10 - Economics Of AAA Games In India Vs U.S.1:06:40 - Unleash The Avatar Was Largely Made Inhouse/Rockstar India1:08:31 - Why India Will Become A Haven For Game Development1:13:30 - Assassin’s Creed Setting In India1:15:30 - Indian Lore & Culture In Unleash The Avatar1:18:39 - Where To Keep Up To Date With Unleash The Avatar
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  #212 - John Ricchio On GTA 5, GTA 6, Rockstar, RDR1, Leadership, AI, Crunch, Cut Content etc. 11.07.2026 1h 15m

  John Ricchio was a former producer at Rockstar on games such as GTA 5, RDR1 & Max Payne 3. In this interview he covers his time training people on QA, being a producer and a leader to teams at Rockstar, working on GTA, RDR, MP and more.. #gta #gta5 #rockstargamesTIMESTAMPS00:00 - Intro01:27 - The Importance Of QA/Training QA People04:30 - QA People At Rockstar/Advancing Your Career From QA08:19 - Will AI Be Used To Save Time For QA12:21 - Unicorn Dev Specialists/T Shaped Game Developers14:30 - Managing Over 200 People On RDR & GTA 5/Producing Challenges21:45 - Relinquishing Control/R* San Diego Changed Processes For GTA 524:40 - Cut Content From GTA 5 Due To Resources26:10 - Working Through Constraints/Picking Your Battles27:10 - Having Your Work Cut From R* Games28:37 - Will GTA 5 Cut Content Be In GTA 629:21 - Cancelled Game Content Ended Up In GTA IV/Tech Changes30:02 - New Ideas Usually Transcend Cut Content30:57 - RDR Undead Nightmare/Hot Coffee Mini Game32:05 - Rockstar’s Approach To DLC33:17 - Managing R* Devs During High Times Of Stress/Crunch41:20 - R*Can Get Away With Anything/Unionisation42:15 - R” Are Good Because Of Iteration But It’s At The Cost Of Crunch43:26 - Why John Left Rockstar/Crunch46:45 - Leaders Initiate Crunch Either For Results Or Out Of Fear52:40 - John Speaks About GTA 6 57:40 - The Future Of The Industry1:00:11 - Q+A - Will R* Devs Lose More Creative Freedom As The Studio Gets Bigger1:03:43 - Hanging Out With Dan & Sam Houser1:05:10 - Following GTA 5’s Model For GTA 61:06:03 - GTA 5’s Launch1:07:02 - Q+A - How Much Did The 360/PS3 Limit The Scope Of GTA 51:09:30 - Why R* Release On Console First Before PC1:12:30 - John Is Currently Unemployed/Where To Follow John
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  #211 - Andrew Kim On Naughty Dog, Uncharted, Marvel, Film, Concept Art, Sony Santa Monica 20.06.2026 1h 3m

  Andrew Kim is a freelance concept artist who has worked on video games, tv and film. Hes done numerous concepts for games in the MCU and he did concept art for Uncharted 2-4 #uncharted #uncharted4 #uncharted3 ANDREWS WEBSITE IS HERE https://www.andrewkimart.com/TIMESTAMPS00:00 - Intro00:34 - Differences Between Working In Video Games & Film/TV04:41 - Getting A Job at Naughty Dog07:20 - Working With The Designers On Concept Art For Uncharted09:03 - The Process Was Similar Between Uncharted 2,3 & 410:46 - Leaving Marvel/Being A Freelancer On Uncharted 412:30 - Why Andrew Left Naughty Dog15:30 - How Film Union Works18:23 - The Challenges Of Being A Freelancer In The Film Industry20:55 - It’s Not What You Know, It’s Who You Know21:30 - How You Network In The Film Industry23:10 - ART CONCEPT REEL - Uncharted 2 33:40 - Sony Santa Monica Has 6 Hour Interviews35:30 - Naughty Dog Interview Was 20 Minutes36:19 - Interviewing Process In The Game Industry Now37:49 - Andrew Would Work On Uncharted 5 If Asked39:20 - Andrew Had Limited Interactions With Amy & Bruce40:17 - ART CONCEPT REEL - Uncharted 342:39 - Uncharted 3 Piece Got Andrew His Job At Marvel44:00 - ART CONCEPT REEL - Uncharted 359:36 - Where To Follow Andrew
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  #210 - Quentin Cobb Interview On Uncharted 4, The Last Of Us, Naughty Dog, Ironroot Games 06.06.2026 1h 4m

  Quentin Cobb is the CEO and Co-Founder of Ironroot Games, he was previously a designer at Naughty Dog on Uncharted 4 & The Last Of Us and did a 5 year stint at Zenimax before on a cancelled project he was laid off. #uncharted4 #uncharted #thelastofus SOCIALS TWITTER - @QTrainCobb INSTAGRAM @qtrain.cobb/ @IIronrootGames https://ironrootgames.com/TIMESTAMPS00:00 - Intro00:30 - Why Quentin Cobb Loves Wutang Clan01:37 - Crunch On Uncharted 404:02 - Working On Lost Legacy04:40 - Why Quentin Left Naughty Dog06:07 - Was It Harder To Salvage Uncharted 4 Rather Than Creating A New Game07:36 - Quentin Worked On Chapter 8 In Uncharted 409:00 - Puzzle Sequences Were Difficult In Uncharted 4/Bruce Straley10:35 - Difficulty Of Making Puzzles11:50 - Shifting Mindset From Single Player To Multiplayer13:39 - Why The Last Of Us Was A Life Changing Experience/Working With Bruce Straley19:30 - Sony Executives Didn’t Believe The Last Of Us Would Succeed20:30 - Naughty Dog Was Shocked How Well The Last Of Us Was Received22:30 - Overcoming The Trauma Of Project Blackbird Being Cancelled27:00 - Indie Dev Community Are Kind & Supportive28:01 - Ironroot Games New Action-Adventure Project29:40 - Naughty Dog Teams Were Well Connected/Small Team Sizes32:00 - AAA Is All About Trends As Opposed To Making Games With A Heart34:00 - Creating A Unique Game Can Be Tricky36:30 - Advice From Bruce Straley/Pacing In Games40:17 - Microsoft Pulled Funding For Bruce Straley’s Indie Game41:40 - How Devs Try To Get In Front Of Layoffs/AAA Industry Isn’t Stable43:04 - Naughty Dog Layoffs/No One Is Safe44:00 - Last Of Us Part II/Quentin Is Glad He Didnt Work On It45:39 - Working On Last Of Us Part 1 Was Nostalgic46:30 - Intergalactic/Meeting His Old Naughty Dog Colleagues48:05 - Quentin Didnt Work Much With Amy & Neil48:58 - Q+A - Why Was India Chosen For Lost Legacy50:17 - Is It Easier To Make A Story First Or Design Mechanics First51:30 - Q+A - How To Get A Design Job At Naughty Dog54:30 - A Portfolio Is More Important Than A Degree57:19 - Q+A - What New Things Were Possible Going From PS3 To PS4 For Uncharted58:55 - Diminishing Returns With The Next Hardware1:00:30 - Padding In Open World Games1:03:05 - Where To Follow Ironroot Games & Quentin
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  #209 -Jake Kazdal Interview On Nintendo, Eiji Aonuma, Zelda, SEGA, Hirokazu Tanaka, Awaysis 23.05.2026 1h 6m

  Jake Kazdal is a japanese game developer who has worked on games such as Galak-Z and Skulls Of The Shogun, he has worked for Nintendo, SEGA and Square Enix and is releasing his new game Awaysis very soon. This is a rare pullback of the curtain on Japanese design. #nintendo #zelda #botw WEBSITE - http://awaysis.jp/ https://store.steampowered.com/app/3334760/Awaysis/TIMESTAMPS00:00 - Intro00:45 - Differences Between Japanese & Western Development02:30 - Differences Between SEGA & Square Enix/Japanese Work Culture07:00 - Nintendo Devs Are Retiring/Japanese Devs Are Nimble09:15 - Kyoto’s Indie Scene/Hiring People At 17-Bit10:39 - Japanese Labour Laws11:40 - What Nintendo Devs Do Once They Retire/Retirement Age At Nintendo11:46 - Nintendo Dev Legends Have Playtested Awaysis14:11 - Playtesting With Awaysis16:25 - Importance Of Iterating On Tutorials/What Is Awaysis20:20 - Local Multiplayer Can’t Be Matched/Online Multiplayer/Covid23:30 - Getting Hirokazu Tanaka To Compose Awaysis/Jake Is A Huge Nintendo Fan25:40 - Pitch To Hirokazu Tanaka26:50 - Physics System Of Awaysis29:54 - Super Mario 64/Game Controls Are Too Tight Nowadays33:28 - Graphics Take Precedent Over Physics34:28 - The Physics System In Zelda: Tears Of The Kingdom36:40 - Being Friends With Eiji Aonuma/The Glider In BOTW38:14 - Physics Limitations In Unreal Engine42:24 - Zelda BOTW & TOTK Are Masterpieces/Next Zelda43:15 - Friendship With Eiji Aonuma44:17 - Working At SEGA/Being Mentored By Tetsuya Mizuguchi46:19 - Working With Steven Spielberg On Elemeno/Mirrors Edge50:21 - Original Ideas In Games Are Few & Far Between52:30 - Oversaturation Of Indie Games/Devs Leaving The Industry55:11 - Devs Getting Laid Off Despite Success/The Dire State Of The Industry56:15 - Stability Working At Nintendo & Valve/Struggles For Funding01:01:00 - Gen-Z Play GAAS/Gamers Are Playing Old Games1:03:49 - Where To Keep Up With Awaysis
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  REVIEW - Super Mario Galaxy Movie With Former Nintendo Devs!! 09.05.2026 56m

  I got together some of the old Retro Studios crew including Kynan Pearson (Metroid Prime 2,3 & DKCR), Jay Epperson (DKCR & Tropical Freeze), Eric Kozlowsky (DKC Tropical Freeze) and Brad Taylor (DKC Tropical Freeze), the latter has never appeared on the show before. Hope you enjoy this, cause we had a blast recording it. #supermariogalaxy #supermario #mariogalaxyTIMESTAMPS00:00 - Intro00:25 - Overrall Thoughts08:30 - Fox/Starfox Movie09:53 - Smash Bros Movie12:00 - Super Mario World Vinettes13:12 - Lack Of Story/Nintendo Are Still Learning How To Make Movies14:53 - Nintendo Fans Are Aging Out16:00 - The Movie Shouldve Been Super Mario World Instead Of Super Mario Galaxy18:03 - No Licensed Music19:46 - Should Mario Have A Deeper Story?24:04 - Film Critics Don’t Respect Gaming/Video Game Films25:01 - Peach Is OP/Super Mario Bros 227:15 - Where Do They Go From Here30:21 - Rumored Star Fox Game/Fox Appearance33:38 - Kiwi’s Opinion On The Film/Hollwood Actors Being Mario Fans36:25 - Being An Artist And Picking Apart Art In The Movie39:43 - The Film Should Be Watched At 0.7 Watch Speed40:30 - Nintendo Are Hands On With Legacy Characters43:10 - Bowser Jr44:30 - Koopalings/3rd Mario movie/Cappy45:30 - Super Mario Odyssey/Original Idea For SMO’s Artstyle48:00 - The Soundtrack/Starfox49:23 - Nintendo Cross Promotion52:40 - DKC Tropical Freeze Original Name53:53 - Final Thoughts/Plugs For Nothing LOL54:57 - The Dire State Of The Game Industry
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  #207 - Heather Cerlan Interview On Naughty Dog, Bethesda, Last Of Us, Hawthorne, Creation Engine 25.04.2026 1h 7m

  Heather Cerlan a former artist at Naughty and Bethesda, in this interview she shares her journey from a passionate artist to a studio founder, discussing her experiences at Naughty Dog and Bethesda, her insights on game development, and her ambitious new project Hawthorne. Discover lessons on persistence, navigating industry challenges, and the future of game art and design. HAWTHORNE INFO https://playhawthorn.com/ #thelastofus #starfield #unchartedTIMESTAMPS00:00 - Intro00:55 - Being In A Rockband02:30 - Heather Kept Pestering Naughty Dog Till They Hired Her06:17 - Having Imposter Syndrome At Naughty Dog/Naughty Dog Didnt Have Producers08:30 - Bethesda Are About Quantity/Naughty Dog Is About Quality10:36 - Heather’s Role At Bethesda/Starfield13:45 - Pros & Cons Of Creation Engine15:05 - There Was Pressure Internally For Bethesda To Migrate To Unreal Engine16:59 - Uncharted Lost Legacy Production Issues/Intense Crunch22:44 - Working On The Shiva Temple24:28 - Heather’s View On Her Work Getting Remastered/Originals Vs Remasters29:28 - Working With Neil Druckmann/Lesbian Stories33:04 - Heather Had Concerns On LGBTQ Themes In Last Of Us Part II38:00 - Naughty Dog Were Split On Joel’s Death In TLOU Part II38:48 - The Reason Heather Left Naughty Dog40:04 - Work On Hawthorne/NEAR Studios43:41 - Bruce Nesmith46:00 - Hawthorne Is Skyrim Meets Stardew Valley/Raising Money/Bad Publisher Terms48:15 - How Naughty Dog & Bethesdas Culture Has Influenced Hawthorne51:16 - Q + A - Differences Between Naughty Dog & Bethesda54:54 - Todd Howard Is A Neil Druckmann Fanboy56:42 - Heather Feels Very Lucky/The Decision To Start Her Own Company59:18 - Overcoming Fear With Hawthorne1:05:22 - Where To Follow Heather & Keep Up With Hawthorne
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  #206 - Gabriel Betancourt Interview On Naughty Dog, Last Of Us, Neil Druckmann, Lighting, Nintendo 18.04.2026 1h 39m

  Gabriel Betancourt is a former lighting artist at Treyarch and of course Naughty Dog. We cover his career at Naughty Dog and various other topics on the game industry. #thelastofus #lastofus #lastofuspart2 WEBSITE - https://gabereel.com/ CALORIE GAME - https://www.caloriequest.app/TIMESTAMPS00:00 - Intro/Gabriel Watches Kiwi Talkz & Lists His Favourite Guests01:44 - It’s Hard To Find Info On Lighting Artists/Early Days As A Lighting Artist03:00 - Naughty Dog Has A Designer First, Speciality Second Philosophy06:25 - Naughty Dog Devs Had Huge Arguments During The Last Of Us09:17 - Game Development Requires The Risk Of Offending People13:00 - Delivering Negative News In A Positive Way14:54 - Game Devs Being Passionate & Emotional18:45 - Naughty Dog Changed As The Studio Got Bigger/AAA Team Sizes Are Too Big24:43 - The Brilliance Of Nintendo/Making Your Game Fun27:35 - 60 People Worked On World Of Warcraft/Small Teams Make The Best Games29:38 - Graphics & Gameplay Were Even During The Seventh Generation31:00 - Art Is Used To Cover Up Gameplay Issues32:34 - Everyone At Naughty Dog During The Last Of Us Was A Monster In Skill33:00 - How Gabriel Joined Naughty Dog/New IP’s Increasingly Are Risky36:20 - Bruce Straley & Neil Druckmann Risked Their Careers For The Last Of Us37:45 - Uncharted 2 Put Naughty Dog On The Map38:42 - Last Of Us Happened Because Bruce & Neil Were Influenced By Robert McKee Conference43:44 - Why Gabriel Left Naughty Dog46:49 - Last Of Us Part 2 Pre-production Ran Like Clockwork49:58 - Gabriel Was Surprised By The Last Of Us Part 2 Controversy/Gabriel’s Suggestion Was Shot Down By Neil52:19 - Neil Druckmann’s Specialty/Problems With The Last Of Us Part 255:00 - Dubar’s Number/Bureaucracy01:01:40 - Changes At Naughty Dog That Impacted Last Of Us Part 21:06:30 - Specialists Left Naughty Dog Which Created Gaps In Skills Needed In The Teams1:07:50 - A Game Will Be Good If The Director Has A Vision1:09:54 - Gabriel Was Initially Skeptical Of The Last Of Us1:11:39 - On Gabriels First Day Neil & Bruce Had A Special Presentation About The Last Of Us1:16:35 - Q+A - How Did The Lighting Change Between Uncharted & The Last Of Us1:30:22 - Q+A - Is Baked Lighting Better Than Path Traced Lighting 1:35:00 - Lighting On GTA 6 Trailers1:36:03 - Closing Comments/Where To Follow Gabriel
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  #205 - Benson Russell Interview On Naughty Dog, The Last Of Us, Uncharted, Neil Druckmann, Scope.. 11.04.2026 1h 32m

  Benson Russell was a former designer at Naughty Dog on The Uncharted Trilogy and The Last Of Us.He has now started his own consulting firm to help game developers navigate a lot of the pitfalls in game development. #uncharted #thelastofus #naughtydog WEBSITE FOR CONSULTING https://www.unhandledexceptions.io/ TIMESTAMPS00:00 - Intro00:32 - The Most Important Aspect Of Design/Player Fantasy02:50 - Why Games Take So Long To Make/North Star You Need For Development05:45 - Why Naughty Dog Games Are So Well Made/Story Is Their North Star08:18 - Games Shouldn’t Take So Long To Develop/Wandering13:30 - Scope Neglect/The Doomsday Clock16:00 - Why Intergalactic Crunch Happened/Naughty Dog Treats Internal Deadlines Like External Deadlines18:23 - Bureauacracy/How Games Differ From Other Creative Outlets23:13 - Naughty Dog’s Work Structure26:20 - Planning/Core Mechanics27:00 - Flexible Working Hours At Naughty Dog/Crunch At Naughty Dog29:00 - Why Benson Left Naughty Dog32:45 - Benson Was P!ssed Off With Naughty Dog Deleting His Work On Last Of Us Part 146:01 - Working With Evans Wells & Neil Druckmann47:00 - Clashing With Neil Druckmann50:14 - Working With Amy Hennig51:20 - Uncharted 2’s Introduction/Creating Introductions In Games56:00 - Focus Testing At Naughty Dog/Companies Interpret Data Wrong1:02:30 Q+A - How Much Naughty Dog Looks At The Competition When Designing Games1:06:10 - AAA Studios Pivoting When They Are Too Deep/Games Should Be Cheaper1:10:00 - Cost Of Game Development On The West Coast/China’s Meteoric Rise1:16:04 - Uncharted 2 Was Influenced By Resident Evil 51:16:48 - Q+A - What Is Naughty Dog’s Hiring & Training Process1:24:00 - Why Naughty Dog Started Losing Talent1:26:00 - Is Game Development A Young Person’s Game/Knowledge Isnt Being Passed Down1:31:00 - Closing Comments
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  #204 - Rob Carr Interview On Rockstar Games, GTA 5, GTA 6, Audio Design, AI, Red Dead Redemption.... 28.03.2026 1h 25m

  Rob Carr is an audio designer who is best known for his tenure at Rockstar Games on L.A. Noire, RDR1, GTA 5 and RDR2. He is currently living in Finland working on his game Nyrkkipöytä #rockstargames #gta #gta5 WEBSITE - https://audioexpat.wordpress.com/TIMESTAMPS00:00 - Intro00:30 - How Rob Went From Being A Music Teacher To Working At Rockstar Leeds07:51 - Moving From Handheld Games To Console Games/Rockstar Have Unlimited Resources08:30 - The Psychology Of Sound/Finding Sounds That Sound Like Other Sounds11:19 - There Are No Constraints On Audio With Rockstar Open World Games13:10 - In Audio Everything You Can Use Is Recordable/Rob Has A 3TB Audio Library15:17 - Tools & Workflow19:50 - Technology Evolution/AI 23:51 - Rob Has Been Unemployed For Over A Year/Problems With The Game Industry/25:50 - Learning A Coding Language27:40 - Difference Between Numbers People & Creative People30:30 - Working On Audio Bugs For Red Dead Redemption 1/Why It’s One Of Rob’s Favorite Games34:30 - Playing A Game And Not Disecting It37:30 - The Cost Of Buying Games39:10 - GTA 643:21 - Why Rob Left Rockstar45:24 - Crunch Culture/Europe Has Better Work Life Balance46:45 - Moving To Finland/Rob’s Brother Has Motor Neuron Disease51:35 - Rob Can’t Relocate For Work Anymore/Dire State Of The Game Industry53:10 - Working From Home Has Ceased Because Of Security Reasons55:20 - Why Rob Worked At The Office During Covid56:51 - Dealing With Ear Fatigue During Crunch/How Audio People Deal With Crunch1:05:30 - Q+A - Do You Physically Go On Location To Get Raw Recordings1:08:00 - Q+A -What’s Rockstar Setup To Test Audio Systems1:10:48 - Q+A - Is There A Particular Idea That Had To Be Cut1:13:52 - Robs Game - Nyrkkipöytä1:21:19 - Where To Follow Rob
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  Fallout Season 2 Review With Former Fallout Devs (Jonah Lobe, Bruce Nesmith etc.) 14.03.2026 1h 15m

  I got some of the old devs who worked on Fallout to help review Season 2 of the Fallout series. Bruce Nesmith got the time wrong so didnt join until the last 20 minutes. #fallout #falloutnewvegas #bethesdaTIMESTAMPS 00:00 - Fallout Is The Best Video Game Adaptation Of All Time 02:21 - Fallout S2 Thoughts Overrall 05:40 - Macauley Caulkins Acting 06:48 - Walton Goggins/The Ghoul 07:44 - Ella Purnell’s Accent As Lucy 08:40 - The Deathclaws 17:05 - The Prydwens/Factions 18:06 - Brotherhood Of Steel Tone Was Wrong 18:50 - Trust The Audience More/Have More Talking Instead Of Actions Scenes 20:21 - S2 Is A Setup For S3/The Roaches Were Scarier Than The Deathclaws 21:07 - Release Strategy 21:56 - Super Mutants/Ron Perlman 26:15 - Super Mutants In Fallout 4/Todd Howard’s Direction 26:50 - Deprioritize Brotherhood Of Steel In Fallout 5 28:10 - Bethesda’s Views On Fallout New Vegas 31:45 - Where Will S3 Go?/The Toddification Might Cause A Degrade 33:00 - Thaddeus/Keep The Show Low Key & Not Focused On Spectacle 35:55 - Casuals Buying The Games As A Result Of The Show 36:37 - Fallout 3 Remaster Will Release After S3/Remasters 37:50 - Bethesda Games Won’t Be Remade 38:57 - Deathclaw Differences Between Fallout 3 & 4 40:10 - Favourite Scenes 46:18 - Devs Give The Show A Score Out Of 10 47:00 - Making The Show Go On Indefinitely 48:13 - Bruce Nesmith Joins & Gives His Review 50:25 - Bruce’s Hopes For S3 50:45 - Will The Show Influence Fallout 5 51:56 - Bethesda Will Give Fallout 5 To Someone Else/Todd Howard 55:45 - Todd Howard’s Retirement 59:22 - Story Threads In S3 Will Be Less 1:01:20 - Hank’s Story/Will The Ghoul’s Story End In S3 1:03:30 - Practical Effects 1:04:59 - Actors Everyone Would Like In A Cameo 1:10:09 - Final Thoughts
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  #202 - Featurecast Interview On Terminator 2D No Fate, Composing, Brad Fiedel, Sound Design.... 07.03.2026 1h 4m

  Featurecast is a DJ turned video game composer, he is most associated with @BitmapBureau and his most recent work was his stellar work on Terminator 2D No Fate. #terminator #terminator2 #terminator2dnofateTIMESTAMPS00:00 - Intro00:19 - How The Name Featurecast Came About04:05 - Working With Bitmap Bureau08:57 - Learning To Make SFX While Doing It10:50 - Getting Creative Freedom On Terminator 2D No Fate14:30 - Scrapping Music And Starting From Scratch/Reviews Praising The Soundtrack15:45 - Trusting Your Gut16:00 - How Featurecast Composed For Terminator 2D No Fate18:10 - Researching The T2 Score/Recreating The Score For T2D No Fate20:58 - Easter Eggs From T1 & T2 Score/T1000 Death22:31 - Having The T2 Score On Loop To Prepare/Different Genres In The Music24:15 - Melody/Terminator Film Scores Don’t Have Melody26:50 - Blurring The Line Between Music & Sound Design28:00 - Later Terminator Movies Didnt Capture Brad Fiedels Musical Identity29:30 - Different Time Signatures/Police Station Time Signature/Future Level 331:20 - Writing & Mixing At The Same Time34:56 - Making The Soundtrack Loud For Bitmap Bureau Games36:00 - Playing The Game For Inspiration On The Music38:05 - Music In The Escape From Hospital Level/Bitmap’s Custom Engine 40:10 - Recording The T1000 SFX/Creating SFX/Finding Your Own Way Of Doing Things43:01 - Not Wanting To Be Influenced By Other Music44:25 - Going Back And Listening To Your Own Music/LEGO Breakfasts46:28 - It’s Not What You Know But Who You Know48:12 - No Longer DJing In Clubs/Patreon/Mashups51:49 - Q+A - What Drives Composition For Licensed Material53:22 - Dealing With Imposter Syndrome54:00 - Playing Music For The Devs The First Time57:14 - Q+A - What Is Your Favourite Moment From Terminator 259:08 - Q+A - What Are Your 3 Favourite VST Instruments1:00:42 - Changing VSTs For Every Project1:03:26 - Closing Comments
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  #201 - Jay Epperson Interview On Retro Studios, Donkey Kong Country Tropical Freeze, Mario Kart 7, Concept Art..... 28.02.2026 1h 1m

  Jay Epperson is a concept artist who is probably most famous for his concept art on Donkey Kong Country Returns and especially on Tropical Freeze. #nintendo #donkeykong #donkeykongcountry Thanks to the Patreon Producers for making this happen Stipe, Borkey, Magic8TIMESTAMPS00:00 - Intro00:35 - How Jay Went From Being An Illustrator To Becoming A Concept Artist At Retro04:50 - Interview Process At Retro/Getting Artists To Draw In Interviews07:22 - Coming In As A Concept Artist Towards The End Of DKC Returns10:20 - Retro’s Environmental Artists Were Smart11:13 - Jay’s Art Is In The DK Theme Park13:15 - Working With Designers16:10 - Doing Concept Art On Tropical Freeze18:42 - Choosing Vikings Over Aliens For The Concept19:57 - Tikis Vs Snowmads/Reusing Assets21:20 - Why The Ice World Is The Last Level22:00 - Sales On Wii U/Coming Up With The Different World Themes25:06 - CONCEPT ART REEL - Juicy Jungle World29:27 - CONCEPT ART REEL - Water World31:11 - CONCEPT ART REEL - Mangroves World/Cut Concepts32:38 - CONCEPT ART REEL - Savannah World33:18 - Showing Portfolios To Potential Employers Without Breaking NDAs33:50 - There Arent Limitations On The DK IP34:35 - Referencing Rare’s Work35:33 - Nintendo Japan Were Hands Off On Concept Art36:22 - Working On Mario Kart 7/Jay Isn’t Included In The Credits38:30 - Jay’s Outlook “My Next Piece Will Be My Best Piece”40:25 - Japan & Retro Testing Mario Kart 741:06 - Jay Reviews DK Bananza25:29 - Jay Thinks DK Bananza Is A One Off47:00 - Jay Doesnt Like K Rool’s Character Design50:39 - DK’s New Look52:22 - Why Jay Left Retro Studios53:20 - Retro Studios Is One Of The Best Studios To Work For54:00 - Retro Studios Art Team/Metroid Prime 455:35 - Nintendo Are Art Forward Not Technology Forward56:35 - Will Retro Work On Donkey Kong Again?57:35 - Will Retro Work On Metroid Prime 5/Would Jay Work On DK Again If Retro Asked59:40 - Closing Comments
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  #200 - Denis Dyack Interview On Nintendo, Eternal Darkness, Deadhaus Sonata, AI, Epic Lawsuit...... 14.02.2026 2h 16m

  Denis Dyack is a legend in the industry and one of the few devs who has been exposed to both the Japanese and Western way of designing games. He is the man behind Legacy Of Kain and Eternal Darkness. I spoke with him in 2023 and he returns to promote his new game Deadhaus Sonata #nintendo #legacyofkain #epicgames My first interview with him is here https://youtu.be/Txt85DT68rQ WEBSITE - https://deadhaussonata.com/ TWITTER - @DDyack TWITTER - @DeadhausGameTIMESTAMPS00:00 - Intro00:00 - Whats Changed In 3 Years Regarding Deadhaus Sonata05:02 - Deterministic Systems/Quantum Theory12:00 - Why Taking A Break Benefited The Project/Celestial Clock14:50 - Weather Physics/Zelda: BOTW/History20:20 - The Game Will Live Forever/Stop Killing Games25:20 - The Different Engines Used For Deadhaus Sonata/Unreal Engine 527:40 - Why Unreal 5 Games Are Badly Optimised/The Industry Is In Dire Straits34:20 - GTA 6’s Impact On The Industry/AAA Games Are Too Big In Size37:29 - Denis’s Thoughts On Resident Evil/Pitching A Game To Nintendo42:00 - Western Publishers Only Care About Graphics44:00 - Embracers Demise/Why Pitching Games Now Is So Hard47:28 - Game Devs Are Terrified Of Nintendo Treehouse51:20 - How Marketing Teams Look At Games/Lack Of Innovation53:50 - Getting Investment For Games/Denis Couldnt Get Funding58:30 - U.S. Culture/Talent/ Japan’s Advantage Over The Rest Of World In Game Development1:01:50 - Darwinism/People Misunderstand AI1:12:20 -Technology Doesnt Save Time1:19:30 - Why Nintendo Will Easily Survive The Dire Times InThe Industry1:22:15 - AI In Games Can Beneift Gamers1:24:20 - Prophecy Of Tothe1:28:09 - Silicon Knights Demise Deeply Hurt Denis/Society Is Crumbling1:29:30 - Making Up With Epic & Tim After The Lawsuit1:32:10 - Working With Tanabe/Friendship With Iwata1:35:00 - Exploitation In The West/Denis Is A Japanese Developer1:38:00 - Why Miyamoto/Kojima Are One Of A Kind1:41:11 - Denis Was Crushed When Miyamoto Wasnt Impressed By Realistic Graphics1:44:10 - Denis Changed Deadhaus Sonata Art From Realistic To Stylized1:46:15 - Criticism Of Game Trailers/CGI Trailers1:48:48 - Q+A - Who Came Up With TV Change Effect In Eternal Darkness1:50:30 - Q+A - What Would A Hyperthetical Sequel To Legacy Of Kain Be1:57:53 - Q+A - Nintendo’s Approach To Marketing On Eternal Darkness2:00:02 - Eternal Darkness On NSO/Possible Remake And Sequel2:02:10 - Worldbuilding In Legacy Of Kain & Eternal Darkness/Narrative Games2:07:41 - Q+A - Adding Transitions In Eternal Darkness Because The Gamecube Loaded Too Fast2:10:00 - Consoles Are All The Same Now/AAA Is Now A Bad Moniker2:13:45 - Closing Comments
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  #199 - Alpha 7 Interview On Witcher IV, Witcher III, Motion Capture, CD Projekt Red, Poland and more.... 27.12.2025 1h 13m

  Alpha 7 is a professional mocap studio that was spun off from owner Maciej Kwiatkowski from working with CD Projekt RED( He played Geralt in the Witcher from 1 through to III.) Staff as follows Maciej Kwiatkowski, Madeline Page and Michal Derlicki #cdprojektred #witcher #cyberpunk2077SOCIAL MEDIA INSTAGRAM MACIEJ - @maciej_kaskader MADELINE - @madeline_maddie_page MICHAL - @derlickimichal WEBSITE - https://alpha7.pro/TIMESTAMPS00:00 - Intro00:50 - Mocap Performers Training Regime 03:21 - Gameplay Sessions/Behind The Scenes Of Mocap04:44 - Advantages Of Mocap Over Shooting On Location05:45 - Differences Between Mocap In Film & Video Games07:50 - Motion Capture Changes From Witcher I To Witcher IV11:21 - Becoming Geralt In The Witcher14:35 - How The Game Industry Changed In Poland After Witcher III/CD Projekt RED18:00 - Poland Has An Advantage Over America Now In Terms Of Development Costs21:23 - Working On The Witcher IV Trailer25:09 - How They All Met/You Need To Be A Good Actor To Do Mocap31:35 - Males & Females Playing The Opposite Gender In Mocap36:55 - Explaining Motion Capture Is Hard To Do Through Words/Gollum37:50 - Most Challenging Characters To Work On42:28 - Doing Mocap Despite Being In Pain43:39 - How Alpha 7 Started49:21 - Q+A - What Equipment You Need To Do Mocap At Home52:50 - Q+A - What Is Special About Working With CD Projekt Red58:55 - Q+A - Benefits & Drawbacks Of AI In Motion Capture & Game Development1:05:45 - Where To Follow Alpha 7/Gaming Industry Advantages Over Hollywood
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  DK Bananza Review With Former Donkey Kong Country Devs!!! 20.12.2025 1h 3m

  I am joined by Kynan Pearson (Senior Designer on DKC Returns) and Ted Anderson (Environmental Artist on DKC Returns & Tropical Freeze) to review DKC Bananza#donkeykongbananza #donkeykong #donkeykongcountry TED ANDERSONS UPCOMING GAMES https://store.steampowered.com/app/3565460/Tahitian_Driftin/ https://store.steampowered.com/app/3968340/Foolish_Earthlings/ TED ANDERSONS GAME STUDIO PROMOTION IN AUSTIN TEXAS INFO IS HERE https://www.oddwoodbrewing.com/TIMESTAMPS00:00 - Intro00:39 - 2D Sections In DK Bananza02:45 - Voxel Tech Limiting DK Bananza/Destructible Terrain06:15 - Animal Transformations/Nintendo’s Design Philosophy Evolution17:29 - DK Bananza Is A Beautiful Mess/Honouring Rare’s Contributions22:00 - DK Bananza Music/David Wise’s Absence Is Felt26:15 - Nostalgia In Nintendo Games27:10 - Favourite Layer Debate spoilers 30:20 - Void Kong31:53 - The Final Boss/Ending ***SPOILERS***37:50 - Nintendo Universe Merging40:51 - Mario & DK Crossover 42:50 - DK Bananza Was Built On The Foundation Of Odyssey43:49 - DK Bananza Control Scheme51:20 - Voxel Terrain/Camera Issues53:33 - Art Direction Of The Final Boss55:30 - Void Kong Boss Fight/Ending Build Up58:07 - Pauline Singing Mechanics01:00:28 - Donkey Kong Film01:02:03 - Closing Comments/Pixel Arcades
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  REVIEW - Hollow Knight: Silksong (With Demon Souls Dev) 08.11.2025 1h 5m

  Joe Houston who worked on Demon Souls Remake joins me to review the GTA of indie games Hollow Knight:Silksong!! I did an interview with him a number of years ago, which you can find here. https://youtu.be/skAWid5zYfg #silksong #hollowknight #hollowknightsilksongTIMESTAMPS00:00 - Intro00:40 - Silksong Overview01:30 - Silksong’s Difficulty/The Purpose Of Difficulty In Games07:10 - Runbacks10:54 - Bosses Of Silksong13:40 - Progression Doesnt Help With The Difficulty16:20 - Top Moments In The Game/Story19:50 - Best Areas In Silksong22:45 - Demon Souls & Dishonored Shaping Joe’s Views On Silksong26:37 - Why Demon Souls Remake Didnt Have An Easy Mode/Silksong Nerfs29:10 - Team Cherry Sticking To It’s Vision/Serving Core Players31:30 - Silksong Is Too Long/Length In Games35:12 - Replayability37:45 - Bosses That You Die on The Most39:37 - Will Silksong Win GOTY/GOTY Nominees44:05 - Specificity Of Silksong45:09 - Tastes In Games Change As You Get Older 48:18 - Distribution Model Of Games50:00 - Team Cherry’s Intentions/Devs Get Bored While Developing Games52:00 - Playtesters On Games56:00 - Team Cherry Won’t Make An Easy Mode/Achievements Provide Data To Devs 58:30 - WHATS MORE IMPORTANT TO DEVS - PLAY TIME OR SALES?1:00:20 - Vertical Slices/Why A Games Quality Can Be All Over The Place1:02:40 - Closing Comments/Silksong DLC
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  #196 - Filip Coulianos Interview On It Takes Two, Josef Fares, FPS Cameras, Nintendo & Jump Space 25.10.2025 1h 9m

  In this engaging conversation, Filip Coulianos, co-founder of Keepsake Games, discusses his journey in game development, the influence of Half-Life 2 on his career, and the creative processes behind his latest project, Jump Space. He shares insights on addressing motion sickness in games, the importance of marketing for indie developers, and the evolving landscape of the gaming industry. The discussion also touches on the impact of working with Josef Fares and the lessons learned from successful titles like It Takes Two.#jumpspace #ittakestwo #fpsgamesTIMESTAMPS00:00 - Intro00:42 - Half-Life 2 Is The Citizen Kane Of Video Games01:52 - Becoming A Video Game Designer03:34 - How Half-Life 2 Influenced Jump Space06:00 - FPS Evolution/Animation Is Key To A Good FPS Camera09:10 - Motion Sickness In FPS Games14:30 - Moving Between First Person & Third Person In Jump Space17:30 - Camera Techniques/It Takes Two Camera19:19 - It Takes Two Devs Studied Super Mario 64 & Odyssey To Make The Game23:20 - The Making Of It Takes Two28:22 - Working With Josef Fares36:30 - Why Filip Left Hazelight/Having The Idea Of Jump Space Since 201241:43 - Jump Space’s Popularity/Daniel Kaplan’s Importance/Marketing48:00 - Jump Space’s Early Access Release Was Threatened By Silksong And GTA 651:09 - Jump Space’s Release Date52:00 - The Cost Of Game Development/Why So Many Game Studios Close57:38 - Where The Term AAA Came From/Some Games Will Survive The Game Studio Apocalypse59:37 - Studios Need To Sell 10 Million Units To Break Even On $100 Million Budget1:02:10 - Sweden Game Industry/Filip Was Determined To Succeed In The Game Industry1:05:15 - Will Jump Space Be Relased On Switch 2/PS5?1:08:17 - Where To Follow Keepsake Games & Jump Space
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  #195 - Joshua Jay Interview On Fallout 4, 76, Starfield, Gears Of War, Todd Howard & Creation Engine 04.10.2025 1h 18m

  Joshua Jay was a former world artist at Bethesda who worked on Fallout 4, 76 & Starfield, prior to that he was a world artist on the Gears Of War trilogy. Josh built a living saloon set in the style of Fallout 76 here! Check it out https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C7gBi3_lyag&t=167s #fallout #starfield #gearsofwar JOSHUAS ARTWORK CAN BE FOUND HERE https://www.joshuajayart.com/ https://www.artstation.com/joshua_jay_artTIMESTAMPS00:00 - Intro00:38 - Lord Of The Rings/Kurt Kuhlmann04:18 - Building A Fallout 76 Saloon13:43 - Todd Howard/Early Work On Fallout 417:51 - Fallout 4’s Colour Palette19:00 - Josh’s Work On Fallout 4’s World Art21:38 - Josh’s Gears Of War 3 Art Was Inspired By Fallout 322:30 - Epic Games Base Their Games On Licensing/Bethesda Vs Epic Culture25:10 - Unreal Engine Vs Creation Engine28:20 - Problems Developing Fallout 7633:25 - Why Fallout 76 Wasnt Delayed/Starfield Was Delayed Due To F07635:18 - Josh & Kiwi Butcher Shigeru Miyamoto’s Quote37:00 - Game Development Costs/Fallout 538:45 - What Josh Wants To See In Fallout 540:15 - Fallout TV Show Being 5 Seasons/TV Shows With Filler42:50 - Video Games With Filler/Alien Isolation45:15 - Video Games Should Be Shorter/Elder Scrolls VI/Rockstar Games48:30 - Josh Got Burned Out On Gears Of War/Josh Avoided Starfield For As Long As Possible52:40 - Working On Starfield53:30 - Q+A - How Bethesda Seamlessly Transition From Different Biomes In Their Games58:09 - Q+A - Were There Talks For Smaller Galaxies In Starfield In Pre-Production59:25 - Game Devs Not Having Time To Play Games/Josh Doesnt Play Many Games These Days1:01:42 - Josh Loves Shadow Of Mordor & War1:02:10 - Q+A - How Was Josh’s Day Organised In A Pie Chart At Epic & Bethesda1:04:45 - Pros & Cons Of Big & Small Studios/Star Wars Games1:07:32 - Josh Loves & Hates The Industry/Story Of Soldiers In Afghanistan1:11:24 - Josh Tells A Touching Story Of A Fallout Fan Who Died1:16:41 - Outro
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  #194 - GOG Interview On Game Preservation, DRM, Japanese Laws, Stop Killing Games....... 17.08.2025 1h 1m

  GOG is a digital distribution platform with a mission to preserve video games. I spoke with 3 employees Piotr(Senior PR), Marcin (Senior Business Developer) and Adam(Technical Producer). #gog #gamepreservation #pcgaming SOCIAL MEDIA WEBSITE - https://www.gog.com/en/ X - @GOGcom NOTE: Unfortunately the guys had some technical and internet issues, so we needed to use Google Meet to record this so the audio quality and even the video feed arent up to my usual standard, this is also why the layout is different to my usual format. Apologies for this, the guys are keen to do another one at some point, so if you would like that then like this post. timestamps00:00 - Intro00:50 - FFVII Is The Best Game Ever/Why Final Fantasy Isnt On GOG Yet03:29 - Japanese Publishers Are Coming Around To No DRM In Games08:50 - Why No DRM Is Important/Games Are Aging Slowly11:10 - Making GOG Viable For Publishers From A Cost Perspective16:34 - Working Around The Rights/Japanese Rights Are Very Complicated21:05 - GOG Preservation Program27:05 - GOG Has A Small Amount Of QA People/GOG’s Internal Tools31:48 - Simplying The Tools To Preserve Games32:58 - GOG’s Thoughts On AI36:01 - Working With Sony Was A Milestone/Japanese Publisher GOG Wants To Get38:20 - Offline Launchers40:20 - People Approaching GOG With Rights To Games/System Shock 243:29 - Gamers Care More About Gameplay Than Graphics Now49:57 - Q+A - What Has Enabled GOG To Give Away Free Games On Twitch/Amazon Prime52:34 - Q+A - Recreating Box Art & Manuals For Old Games55:55 - Q+A - Will GOG Collaborate With Stop Killing Games Initiative58:30 - Working With Politicians In The EU59:10 - Most Important Lesson Piotr Learned From His Late Uncle(THIS IS FUNNY ASF LOL) 1:00:46 - Closing Comments