Game Maker"s Notebook

01:08:50

Obsidian's Josh Sawyer's Thoughts on Creating...

Game Maker"s Notebook ·

2025/11/17

Alexa Ray Corriea chats with Josh Sawyer, Studio Design Director at Obsidian Entertainment. Together they discuss his thoughts on developing RPGs; what he learned from working at legendary studio Black Isle Studios; how to successfully adapt Dungeons & Dragons to video games; writing for games with dialogue stacks; parsing and implementing feedback while keeping true to your creative vision; and balancing RNG to improve player experiences. This episode is supported by Xsolla iam8bit Episode Host:

en

01:23:41

The Development World of RPGs with Jeff Gardiner

Game Maker"s Notebook ·

2025/11/10

Adam Orth chats with Jeff Gardiner from Something Wicked Games. Together they discuss his long history in the world of RPG development including titles in the Elder Scrolls and Fallout series; the trials and tribulations associated with starting your own studio; the perilous state of the games industry from funding to consolidation; and the lessons he learned in leading teams from some of the brightest minds in gaming. This episode is sponsored by: Xsolla Episode Host: Adam Orth Producers: Claudio

en

01:17:11

Games Writing with Lis Moberly, Creative Lead @ 20th...

Game Maker"s Notebook ·

2025/10/27

Alexa Ray Corriea chats with Lis Moberly, Creative lead at 20th Century Games. Together they discuss how the path towards game development has changed over the years and the difficulties young people face with job placement; working with and helping junior writers join and stay in the games industry; the importance of institutionalized knowledge; and the value of collaborating with writers from mediums outside of games. This episode is supported by Xsolla Episode Host: Alexa Ray Corriea Producers:

en

01:27:41

From Used Car Salesman to Indie Game Publisher: The...

Game Maker"s Notebook ·

2025/10/20

Trent Kusters chats with Dave Oshry of New Blood Interactive. Together they discuss how he went from games journalism to publishing; navigating the ins and outs of publishing on PC and how they landed their first deal; how nostalgia meets modern in the boomer shooter genre; their approach to the publisher/developer revenue split; how they uplift individual creators; and why their slogan of "We hate money" has led to prolonged success. This episode is sponsored by: Xsolla Episode Host: Trent Kusters

en

01:33:29

How to Pitch Game Projects to Publishers with Focus...

Game Maker"s Notebook ·

2025/10/13

Adam Orth chats with Focus Entertainment's Chief Content Officer, Yves Le Yaouanq. Together they discuss his journey and the lessons he's learned working for some of the biggest game developers and publishers in the industry; his work on the research and development side of games; the need for publishers to focus on quality of content and gameplay; and his advice to developers on pitching their projects to publishers. This episode is sponsored by: Xsolla Episode Host: Adam Orth Producers: Claudio

en

01:39:19

How Ready or Not Creates Tension Behind Every Door

Game Maker"s Notebook ·

2025/10/06

Trent Kusters chats with Sean Gorman (Lead Designer) and Mark Ranson (Art Director) from Void Interactive, creators of the tactical first-person shooter, Ready or Not. Together they discuss how the studio balances realism, tension, and storytelling without glorifying violence; their “fear every door” design philosophy; lessons learned from AAA development; and how they decide what to cut or keep to focus their vision. This episode is sponsored by: Xsolla Accelbyte Episode Host: Trent Kusters

en

01:26:09

Escape From Tarkov and the Creation of Extraction...

Game Maker"s Notebook ·

2025/09/01

Log in to your account at www.escapefromtarkov.com and redeem the code NIKITAONGMNPODCAST to receive a special gift from Battlestate Games. Trent Kusters chats with Nikita Buyanov, the COO, Founder, and Game Director at Battlestate Games, creators of Escape From Tarkov. Together they discuss his journey in games to the founding of Battlestate Games; the inspirations behind Escape From Tarkov that led to the creation of the extraction shooter genre; keeping their own artistic vision intact while

en

01:44:01

Creating a Modern but Retro Immersive Sim in Skin Deep

Game Maker"s Notebook ·

2025/08/25

Trent Kusters chats with Brendon Chung, Tynan Wales, and Suzanne Will about their immersive first-person shooter, Skin Deep. Together they discuss the inspiration for Skin Deep and how it evolved from it's original design; their desire to create an accessible entry point for the immersive sim genre; their ideas around level design and player guidance; what they left on the cutting room floor and how they decided what to remove; and how they successfully increased scope and team size during the

en

01:17:36

The Many Roles of Actor Alex Jordan on The Alters

Game Maker"s Notebook ·

2025/08/18

Alexa Ray Corriea chats with actor Alex Jordan who most recently starred in the sci-fi survival game, The Alters. Together they discuss his journey as an actor and his work in video games; the unique opportunity The Alters provided due to it's premise revolving around clones; how he worked with the development team to find a distinct voice for each character; and how he approached a script where he's essentially talking to himself. This episode is supported by Xsolla Episode Host: Alexa Ray Corriea

en

02:10:04

Creating the Music for Doom: The Dark Ages with...

Game Maker"s Notebook ·

2025/08/11

Austin Wintory chats with Brian Trifon and Brian Lee White from the award winning music composition and sound design team, Finishing Move Inc. Together they discuss their history in music and what led them to games; why they began collaborating on game scores and the advantages that brings; how they tackled a massive franchise with set audience expectations; and the genres and techniques they leveraged to give Doom: The Dark Ages a distinct sound. This episode is sponsored by Xsolla Episode Host:

en

01:28:46

How Ray Chase went from Actor to Game Developer with...

Game Maker"s Notebook ·

2025/08/04

Alexa Ray Corriea chats with actor Ray Chase about his first project as a game developer, Date Everything. Together they discuss his memorable work as the voice behind many of our favorite characters and why he decided to try his hand at development; where the idea to date household objects came from; how they managed to write dialogue for 100+ dateable characters; and how they assembled the immense voice cast. This episode is supported by Xsolla Episode Host: Alexa Ray Corriea Producers: Claudio

en

02:07:42

How Moonhood Handcrafted The Midnight Walk with Real...

Game Maker"s Notebook ·

2025/07/28

Trent Kusters chats Klaus Lyngeled and Olov Redmalm from Moonhood, who recently released the handcrafted cozy horror game, The Midnight Walk. Together they discuss their early careers and how they found themselves working together and eventually co-founding their own studio; their previous work on titles such as Fe and Lost and Random and how that informed their latest game; creating the real-life puppets and the scanning technology they developed to implement them inside the game; and blending

en

01:43:54

How Two Studios Brought LEGO Horizon Adventures to Life

Game Maker"s Notebook ·

2025/07/21

Trent Kusters chats with Stéphane Varrault from Guerrilla Games and Xu Xiaojun from Studio Gobo about their collaborative work on LEGO® Horizon Adventures. Together they discuss how their two studios worked together on bringing Aloy's adventures to the LEGO® universe; what it takes to appeal to a younger audience; how they designed the game to focus on problem solving; adapting complex game mechanics for younger players; playtesting with children and applying player telemetry to improve the game;

en

01:31:13

Uncovering the Secrets Behind Bionic Bay with Creator...

Game Maker"s Notebook ·

2025/07/14

Adam Orth chats with Juhana Myllys, creator of physics based platformer Bionic Bay. Together they discuss how he identifies great ideas and where he finds inspiration; the early designs and concept art that led to the development of Bionic Bay; designing the core gameplay such as the swap mechanic and platforming; and creating a visual language that is both mechanical and organic. Episode Host: Adam Orth Producers: Claudio Tapia and Josh Chu, The Academy of Interactive Arts & Sciences If you

en

01:16:07

Creating the Music for Clair Obscur: Expedition 33...

Game Maker"s Notebook ·

2025/07/07

Austin Wintory chats with Lorien Testard, the composer for Sandfall Interactive's debut hit RPG, Clair Obscur: Expedition 33. Together they discuss his background in music theory and how he connected with Sandfall; working with singer Alice Duport-Percier to create the vocal pieces; creating a soundtrack with diverse sounds that keeps a unified vision; creating art for art's sake; and what kinds of projects he hopes to work on next. This episode is sponsored by Xsolla Episode Host: Austin Wintory

en

02:06:39

Exploring Wartales with Shiro Games' CEO Nicolas...

Game Maker"s Notebook ·

2025/06/30

Trent Kusters chats with CEO and Co-Founder of Shiro Games, Nicolas Cannasse. Together they discuss his career in games including co-founding two succesful indie studios with his prior work at Dead Cells developer Motion Twin; creating his own programming language called Haxe; his work as a game director on titles such as Evoland, Northgard, and Wartales; DLC as a platform for indie success; how to blend genres to create fresh experiences; and the importance of government advocacy for the health of

en

01:34:15

XCOM Creator Julian Gollop Shares Game Design Tips,...

Game Maker"s Notebook ·

2025/06/23

Trent Kusters chats with Julian Gollop, founder and game designer at Snapshot Games. Together they discuss his legendary journey designing games from the creation of the original XCOM: UFO Defense to his studio's latest release, Chip 'n Clawz vs. the Brainioids; how to use constraint as a key design pillar; having the courage to remove features for a better play experience; and when to lean on tried and true conventions and when to avoid them. This episode is sponsored by Xsolla Episode Host: Trent

en

01:34:44

How Clair Obscur: Expedition 33's Epic Story was...

Game Maker"s Notebook ·

2025/06/16

*This episode contains heavy spoilers for Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 Alexa Ray Corriea chats with Jennifer Svedberg-Yen, the lead writer on Sandfall Interactive's debut hit, Clair Obscur: Expedition 33. Together they discuss how she went from a career in finance and investments to her first job in games; how the world and characters evolved throughout the development process; exploring the idea of loss through multiple perspectives; writing romance that's true to the characters; and how they

en

01:53:00

Kingdom Come: Deliverance II with Lead Designer...

Game Maker"s Notebook ·

2025/06/09

Trent Kusters chats with Prokop Jirsa, Lead Designer on Kingdom Come: Deliverance II, the hit historical RPG by Warhorse Studios. Together they discuss the key pillars of the Kingdom Come series that influence the decisions they make around narrative and design; their focus on emergent gameplay and how that informs their philosophy on quest structure; designing a game where players feel the consequences of their decisions; and the importance of Czech culture and history to the look and feel of the

en

01:17:03

Writing the Mythos of South of Midnight with Zaire...

Game Maker"s Notebook ·

2025/06/02

Alexa Ray Corriea chats with writers Dani Dee and Zaire Lanier about their work on Compulsion Games latest action-adventure, South of Midnight. Together they discuss how they began their careers in writing and what led them to Compulsion Games; how the team stayed authentic to the folklore of the American Deep South; the process of writing the main character and their emotional progression throughout the story; and how the game handles difficult subjects like trauma, loss, and powerlessness. This

en

All Episodes

Similar Podcasts

Expres Ráno

Expres FM

The Homestead Challenge Podcast | Suburban Homesteading, Gardening, Food From Scratch, Sustainable Living

Brittany Gibson - Beginner Homesteader

FamilyGeekery - A Podcast About Comics, Video Games, and Anything Else Geeky!

QuickPixel Media

Modified Rides Podcast

Modified Rides Podcast

Living Clutter Free Forever - decluttering tips,home organizing, minimalist living

Caroline Thor - Professional Organizer...