The Fourth Curtain
A guided tour of videogame makery. Hosts Alex Seropian (founder of Bungie, Wideload, Industrial Toys) and Aaron Marroquin (Art Director, Game Designer, part-time magician) explore the minds that create our favorite video games. They aim to inspire, educate, and entertain listeners about the games they love and the people who make them.
Episodes
It's Raining Technology with Nexon's Owen Mahoney
We have an insight-packed and hopeful discussion with Owen Mahoney, CEO of Maplestory's Nexon. This Choplifter fan went on to acquire JAMDAT and DICE for EA, then saw the future with Embark. We discuss forever games, where stories come from and the huge growth coming - this week!TIMESTAMPS[0:00:00] Intro: Owen Mahoney[0:10:22] Medium shifts favor beginnersOwen explains why every major technol
The Guts of Indie with Animal Well's Billy Basso
We're hyped to talk secrets with Billy Basso, creator of the award-winning smash Animal Well. Beginning with educational and medical games he went on to solo develop Animal Well, which delivers a huge game in less than 40 MB. Surgery, celebrity and an ARG - this week!TIMESTAMPS[0:00:00] Intro: Billy BassoAn introduction to Billy Basso, developer of Animal Well.[0:07:54] Choosing film school o
Patrick Söderlund and the Raiders of the Arc
We kick off Season 4 with Patrick Söderlund, CEO/founder of Embark Studios and maker of the hit Arc Raiders. Former head of DICE and Battlefield at EA, he found faster ways to build. We discuss owing the community, AI, and incredible value - this week! [00:00:00] Intro: Patrick Söderlund[00:13:23] The recipe for games people want to playPatrick explains that the core motivation isn't money, i
We Open the Curtain on Season Fourth
Our intrepid hosts provide a prologue to the fourth season of the podcast with a wide-ranging conversation on the state of the videogame industry. With appreciation for GDC, Resident Evil 9 and Phil Spencer, they also talk (of course) AI and signs we may finally be exiting the trough - this week!Support the showThank you for listening to our podcast all about videogames and the amazing people who
Grade Expectations 2025
For our end of year episode Aaron and Alex reflect on the year and a raft of topics in videogame dev: Steam Deck vs Switch, understanding how AI will work for dev, Netflix's place and "successful to nice" ratios! Devils and Dungeonauts within - this week!Support the showThank you for listening to our podcast all about videogames and the amazing people who bring them to life!Hosted b
Live Long and Prosper with Amazon's Christoph Hartmann
VP of Amazon Games Christoph Hartmann is our guest. At BMG he helped launch GTA and went on to co-found 2K Games and publish NBA 2K, Civilization, Bioshock and Borderlands. We discuss the upcoming King of Meat, a very fresh take on how AI can help gamedev and more - this week!Episode Highlights[00:00:00] Intro: Christoph Hartmann[00:20:32] From Music to Games: Christoph’s First Break at BMGChristo
Trip Hawkins, the Electronic Artist
We're thrilled to speak with Trip Hawkins, founder and CEO EA, 3DO, Digital Chocolate and more. From childhood football strategy, to WWIII Sims, he grew to make a company of electronic artists who made legendary games. Calming Steve Jobs, hacking consoles and many firsts - this week!Episode Highlights[00:00:00] Celebrating 100 Episodes and a Wild Week for EA Alex and Aaron mark The Fourth Cur
Ghost of Yotei's Mud Blood and Steel, with Sucker Punch
It's a one-two move with Sucker Punch's Chris Zimmerman and Brian Fleming. Now shipping Ghost of Yotei, they tell us about leaving Microsoft for Sony and becoming a gamedev powerhouse. Tales of exact pitches and being great instead of good - this week!Episode Highlights[00:00:00] Intro: Chris Zimmerman & Brian Fleming of Sucker Punch ProductionsAn introduction to Chris and Brian, co-
The Origin Stories of Elder Scrolls' Paul Sage
We get an inside look this week from Paul Sage, founder and CEO of Ruckus Games. Inspired by Ultima 3, he worked his way up to lead designer of Ultima Online, to Borderlands 3 and more. Now working on a new project at Ruckus, we talk LEDs to 2600, Multima and when players outsmart you - this week! This week's episode contains mentions of suicide. Viewer discretion is advised.Episode Highlight
How to Make an Atari Sandwich, with David Gardner
David Gardner joins us this week with tales of the early days of videogames. A teenage tech prodigy, he was employee #11 at EA, ran Atari and is now a games VC. We talk Hawkins distortion fields, Atari sandwiches and when EA was hip - this week!Episode Highlights[00:00:00] Intro: Meet David GardnerAn introduction to David Gardner’s journey in games, from his early days to becoming a leader at Elec
Indie Megabooth's Digital Nomad Kelly Wallick
This week we talk with the founder of the Indie Megabooth and games VC Kelly Wallick. Through her indie beginnings to her investing portfolio, community has always been the core. We discuss the Indie Game Festival, spotting hits and making a great pitch deck - this week!Episode Highlights[00:00:00] Founding the Indie MEGABOOTH: Building a Platform for Indie GamesKelly shares how she launched the I
Fallout's Feargus Urquhart Stares into the Abyss
Our guest is Feargus Urquhart, founder and CEO of Obsidian, the premier maker of videogame RPGs. Having mastered 27 second pizzas he moved to testing and production of huge titles like KOTOR, Baldur's Gate and Fallout. We discuss snatching victory from the jaws of defeat with Pillars of Eternity, and when a feature is real - this week!Episode Highlights[00:00:00] Founding Obsidian Entertainme
Making Myst a World with Rand and Robyn Miller
Our guests are Rand and Robyn Miller, founders of Cyan (World) and creators of the smash game Myst. From humble beginnings in Hypercard kids' games, they made the 3D puzzle experience Myst which changed the world of adventure games. We discuss GRR Martin stories, line art to 3D and more - this week!Episode Highlights[00:00:00] How Myst Was Made: The Birth of a Gaming Landmark Robyn and Rand M
World of Warcraft's Seth Sivak Tips the Dealer
Our guest this week is Seth Sivak, VP Development for World of Warcraft at Blizzard. From early years at Zynga he became Founder and CEO of Proletariat, shipping big games like Spellbreak. We discuss being an Imagineer, the three components of creative decisions and "always be pitching" - this week! Episode Highlights[00:00:00] Why Games Fail: No Audience, No HypeSeth explains how severa
Night Street's Mac Reynolds Captures the Last Flag
Our guest this week is Mac Reynolds, CEO and co-founder of Night Street Games, making the PvP shooter Last Flag. As manager of the band, Imagine Dragons, he learned how to find magic from the grind and now applies that to a videogame. We discuss Eagle Scouts, learning to advocate and CTF - this week! Episode Highlights[00:00:00] Realizing How Hard It Is to Make a Game Mac shares how his early assu
Oregon Trail's Phillip Bouchard Blazes Deadly Paths
Our guest this week is the poster boy for educational software going massively mainstream, Phillip Bouchard. Starting in the world of mainframes he created a worldwide hit on Apple II and beyond. We talk Apple getting kickstarted and science for fun and profit this week!Episode Highlights[00:00:00] The Legacy of The Oregon Trail: Still Remembered 40 Years Later Philip reflects on the surprising lo
Killer Instinct's Adam Boyes Tears Down the Walls
Our guest this week is Adam Boyes, longtime co-CEO of Iron Galaxy and now founder of Vivrato. From Killer Instinct to The Last of Us Part I, he’s helped bring major games to life and now supports devs launching their own. We discuss putting in raunchy stuff, nemawashi and his magic deck of challenges - this week!Episode Highlights[00:00:00] "Shipping Will Burn You": Why Making Games Is t
Dead by Daylight’s Rémi Racine Bets on Himself
Our guest Rémi Racine is the founder & CEO of Behaviour Interactive—the studio behind Dead by Daylight and dozens of other titles. A veteran of the games industry for over 25 years, Rémi has helped shape not just iconic games but also the entire Canadian game development landscape - this week! 00:02:10 — From Montreal to Mainstream: Remi’s first game at age 24Discover how Remi’s early passion
Uncharted's Nolan North's Weird Ability to Yell
Our guest Nolan North has brought to life your favorite videogame characters with his voice! From Uncharted's Nathan Drake and Assassin's Creed's Desmond Miles, to scores of others, he is a top talent in the industry. We discuss the freedom of preparation and being broke but happy - this week!Episode Highlights[00:00:00] From Soap Operas to Sound Booths: Nolan North’s Unexpected VO
Hogwarts Legacy's John Blackburn is Cool in the Arcade
Our guest John Blackburn is a founder and CEO of Avalanche Software, makers of hundreds of games for dozens of platforms, such as Hogwarts Legacy and Disney Infinity. He has tales of when games paid royalties and having to take a chance. We discuss how to talk to execs and being true but not canon - this week!Episode Highlights[00:00:00] Mortal Kombat Funded Avalanche’s Origins John Blackburn reve
What Have You Got to Lose with Blizzard's Michael Morhaime
Our guest Michael Morhaime was President and CEO of Blizzard during its glory years, shipping Warcraft, Starcraft, World of Warcraft, Diablo and more! Now Founder and CEO Dreamhaven he's won an Emmy and is in the AIAS Hall of Fame. We discuss red tape, how many billion dollar franchises you need on your resume and more - this week![00:01:00] Blizzard’s High Standards: Canceling Half Their Gam
The Sims' Bing Gordon is Specifically Right
Our guest Bing Gordon has had a long successful run in videogames and tech. From marketing lead to Chief Creative Officer at EA, he helped shaped NASCAR, The Sims and other huge titles. We discuss pitching, two beer strategies and Speilberg's smoke test - this week!Episode Highlights[00:04:00] How Bing Gordon Helped Launch Electronic ArtsBing shares the story of co-founding EA when it was a s
Portal's Kim Swift's Cake is Not a Lie
Our guest Kim Swift turned a student demo into the mega-hit Portal. Previously the Head of Creative for Xbox Games Publishing, she also did level design on Left 4 Dead and was Design Director for Star Wars: Battlefront II. We discuss how to pitch, owning IP on Mars and whether or not the cake is a lie - this week!Episode Highlights[00:00:21] Kim Swift’s Game Design Origin StoryKim talks about how
The Blinding Flame of Red Dead's Christian Cantamessa
Our guest Christian Cantamessa began in point and click adventures before becoming lead designer and writer for Red Dead Redemption. Now CEO of Day 4 Night Studios Inc., he is also the writer and director of the film, Air. We discuss concern about GTA III, embracing the game and telling stories in games - this week![00:00:00] – From Donald Duck to GTA III: Career Whiplash Christian recalls the sur
Command and Conquer's Louis Castle's Triple Threat
Our guest Louis Castle helped invent real-time strategy games with Command and Conquer and has a BAFTA for Boom Blox. Now leading Childlike Wonder Games, we discuss casino ethics, switching to real-time and building toys - this week!Top 8 Highlights[00:00:00] – Lifelong Learning: The Key to Game Design Success Louis Castle opens the episode by emphasizing the importance of constant learning as a g
Tencent's Amir Satvat Flexes the Data Muscle for Good
Our guest Amir Satvat wants to get you a job in games. A business development executive at Tencent, he won the Game Changer award for the incredible community he built which has helped over 3k gamedevs find their next role with mentorship, mock interviews and more. We discuss "the troubles" and hopes for the future - this week!You can find Amir's website and community here: https://
Outer Wilds' Alex Beachum's Cool Weird Emotional Prototypes
Our guest Alex Beachum turned his thesis project into the mind-bending smash Outer Wilds. Inspired by greats such as Zelda and Antichamber, it blazed new ground by having a nonviolent (though definitely mortal) player. We discuss emotional prototypes, four distinct mysteries and the IGF - this week!Highlights[00:00:30] Emotional Prototyping: Designing with Feeling Alex Beachum discusses the idea o
The Maestro of Modding Sandi Montaño
In this inspiring episode of The Fourth Curtain, we sit down with Sandi Montaño, a self-taught modding phenom who went from stay-at-home dad to one of the most downloaded indie creators in the gaming world. With over 31 million downloads of his content for games like ARK: Survival Ascended and Hogwarts Legacy, Sandi proves you don’t need a degree—or even a formal background in game development—to
Exploding Kittens' Elan Lee Stacks the Deck
Our guest is Exploding Kitten's Elan Lee. Starting with animating breath for the film Titanic, he went on to create the world's first alternate reality game, The Beast, at Microsoft. Later he gamified Nine Inch Nails and voter registration and went on to launch the most successful Kickstarter ever for Exploding Kittens, redefining family game night. This episode features great stories an
Journey's Jenova Chen and the Art of the Positive Game
This week's guest is Jenova Chen, creator of Journey, Sky: Children of the Light and other games. A BAFTA winner, he has strong opinions about morality in games and the value of positivity. We discuss the unique way he starts games, GDC's value and being the opposite of GTA - this week![00:00:00] Music as the Highest Resolution Emotional MediumJenova Chen explains why he believes music i
Alex Irvine's Storytelling Secrets from Marvel Rivals and Beyond!
Dive into the compelling world of storytelling with acclaimed author Alex Irvine, known for his immersive contributions to Marvel games, graphic novels, and groundbreaking Alternate Reality Games (ARGs) like I Love Bees. In this episode, Alex shares his insights on creativity, the delicate balance between talent, persistence, and luck, and the intricate art of narrative design across various media
Hope for the Future with Halo's Joe Staten
This week's guest is Halo and Destiny's Joe Staten. Beginning as a farmhand, he went on to lead teams in the Halo franchise, be on the core team for Destiny, write a NYT bestselling novel and work with the great Peter Jackson. Now looking for his next role, we discuss how Bungie was like a family business, the most important mysteries and creativity and risk - this week!Episode Highlight
Games Workshop's Ian Livingstone, Fantasy Knight in Real Life
This week's guest is a founder of Games Workshop, publisher of White Dwarf magazine, creator of the Fighting Fantasy Books and Executive Chair of Eidos Interactive Sir Ian Livingstone. This Knight of the British Empire started a business while living in a van, prevailed through a Satanic panic about his Fighting books, saw the promise of a certain Tomb Raider and birthed a mass media entertai
Best of 2024
In this week's episode we recap some of the best moments from Season 2, with John Romero on hits and misses, how Peter Molyneux makes a game, Ed Fries on Xbox's Valentines Day massacre, Warren Spector on how playstyle is everything and much more! 🎮 The Fourth Curtain – S2 Best Of Highlights[00:00:00] – Season 2 Recap & Patreon Launch 🎉Alex and Aaron reflect on Season 2, announce the
Ed Boon Gets into the Nitty-Gritty Metal
Welcome to the Season Two finale episode! And it's a Monster!!!! (Never fear, we will be back in a couple of weeks with some special episodes to bridge the gap to Season Three!)This week's guest is Ed Boon, co-creator of Mortal Kombat and Injustice and Chief Creative Officer of Mortal Kombat and NetherRealm Studios! Starting in the world of pinball, he moved onto arcade games at the lege
From Pong to Deconstructor: Mishka Katkoff’s Global Gaming Journey
Ok, we know this episode should be called Something Fun on the Toilet with MK, but we're chose to keep it classy. Our guest this week is Michail Katkoff, a veteran of Zynga, Supercell, and Rovio, partner in Play Ventures, and founder of Deconstructor of Fun. In all of these different roles he's developed a unique understanding of our industry from different perspectives. We discuss produ
Things Blow Up with Mike Pondsmith
In this episode of The Fourth Curtain, legendary game designer Mike Pondsmith joins hosts Alex and Aaron for an in-depth conversation about his expansive career, from creating the tabletop RPG Cyberpunk to collaborating with CD Projekt Red on Cyberpunk 2077. Mike discusses his early days in game development, the creation of Night City, and the challenges of translating tabletop concepts into video
The Business Romance of Mihai Pohontu
This week on The Fourth Curtain, we’re joined by Mihai Pohontu, CEO and Chairman of Amber Studio, a distinguished figure in the gaming industry. Mihai, who was recently named Romanian Entrepreneur of the Year, shares his fascinating journey from the upheaval of post-revolution Romania to becoming a leader in global game development. A self-described business romantic, Mihai offers insightful persp
Warren Spector Gets the Keys to the Kingdom
Our guest Warren Spector is the creative producer behind vastly influential games like Ultima Underworld, System Shock, Deus Ex and many others. Now working on (working title) Argos, he joins us to talk about the birth of the immersive sim, having amazing mentors and ways to start a game, this week!The conversation dives deep into Warren's career, discussing his design philosophy around playe
Ed Fries Races The Beam
In this episode of The Fourth Curtain, Alex and Aaron sit down with Ed Fries, a pivotal figure in the gaming industry and former VP at Microsoft, where he helped launch the Xbox. Ed shares stories from his early days at Microsoft, including how he made the leap from working on Office products to heading up the game division. He dives into the creation of the original Xbox, the challenges the team
Frank Gibeau's Silver Bullets for Game Development
Join Alex Seropian (founder of Bungie) and Aaron Marroquin as they dive into the incredible minds behind the video game industry in The Fourth Curtain. In this episode, they chat with Frank Gibeau, the CEO of Zynga, who takes listeners on a journey through one of the most legendary corporate turnarounds in gaming history. From his early days at EA to leading Zynga through a $12.7 billion acquisiti
Jordan Weisman Makes Stuff Up
Our guest this week is the legend Jordan Weisman. Creator of BattleTech, Crimson Skies and the world's first alternate reality game, he's now working on Adventure Forge, a platform to help non-engineers make videogames. We talk buying D&D from Gary Gygax, at Gary's house!, the secret to entrepreneurship and creating the "Bungie bubble" this week![00:07:00] Interview In
Harvey Smith Knows the Secret to Magical Games
Our guest this week is the co-creative director of Arkane Studios, Harvey Smith. Starting out in QA for System Shock and other games, he went on to be lead designer for Deus Ex and ultimately made Dishonored at Arkane. We talk meeting your heroes, recombining systems and the secret to making a magical game this week! [00:00:00] - Harvey Smith discusses his first encounter with a game that sparked
Behind the Headlines: Dean Takahashi’s Journey Through Gaming’s Biggest Stories
In this exciting episode of The Fourth Curtain, hosts Alexander Seropian and Aaron Marroquin dive deep into the world of gaming journalism with none other than Dean Takahashi, the lead writer of GamesBeat at VentureBeat. With over three decades of experience covering tech and gaming, Dean shares his unique insights on the evolving landscape of the gaming industry, the challenges of maintaining jou
Rod Fergusson Shakes The Jello
This week's guest is a well-known "closer" who has steered the ship for some of the biggest games ever. Beginning with Train Simulator, he went on to serve as Producer for Counter-Strike Xbox, Gears of War, Infinity Blade, BioShock Infinite. Now helming Diablo at Blizzard, he talks triage, teamwork and not shaking the jello - this week!Support the showThank you for listening to our
Inside CD Projekt RED: Michal Nowakowski on The Witcher, Cyberpunk, and Gaming's Future
Our guest this week is Michal Nowakowski the co-CEO of CD Projekt Red, the renowned studio behind iconic games like The Witcher and Cyberpunk 2077.With nearly two decades at CD Projekt, Michal shares his journey from the early days of video game distribution in Poland to leading one of the world's most celebrated game development companies.Beginning as a game distributor, CD Projekt went on t
Brian Reynolds Surrounds the Fun Part 2
Our conversation with the gamedev legend Brian Reynolds continues as we dive into the true meaning of 4X, the Train Reynolds business model, NPC insults and the research secrets of this podcast - this week!Support the showThank you for listening to our podcast all about videogames and the amazing people who bring them to life!Hosted by Alexander Seropian and Aaron MarroquinFind us at www.thefourth
Brian Reynolds Surrounds the Fun Part 1
Our guest Brian Reynolds has a story so nice we had to hear it twice! In Part 1 we hear about coding at Radioshack, mentorship with Sid Meier and making Civilization 2 basically by himself. A great conversation with a legend to resume Season 2 of The Fourth Curtain!Support the showThank you for listening to our podcast all about videogames and the amazing people who bring them to life!Hosted by Al
From Gamer to Creator with Uri Marchand
Co-founder and CEO of Overwolf, Uri Marchand has been building _THE_ UGC platform for over fourteen years and Overwolf has paid more than $200 million to mod-makers going deep on games from Minecraft to Stardew Valley! A hardcore Real Time Strategy player, Uri's company now supports all types of games including Ark and The Sims. We talk the funnel from gamer to creator, the best books on busi
Mark DeLoura Leverages Games for More
Our guest Mark DeLoura has had a stunningly wide-ranging career: game developer and executive for Nintendo, Sony and THQ, Editor in Chief of Game Developer magazine, Senior Advisor for Digital Media in the White House, author of Programming Gems book series, built hardware and software for NASA and served on the Board at Games for Change. This week he joins us to talk about building entertainment
The Action Arcade Strategy of Shannon Loftis
For a second time we are graced with the presence of videogame legend Shannon Loftis! Veteran of running Flight Simulator and Age of Empires at Microsoft, she was instrumental in the acquisition of Rare for Xbox game Studios. Now an advisor to Duke University's videogame program she joins us to talk franchises, Animal Well and the great Profanisaurus!Support the showThank you for listening to
The Definition of Indie with Schmid and Kho
Our guests this week are creators of the visually-striking games Cocoon, Limbo and Inside. Jakob Scmid is co-founder of Geometric Interactive and Erwin Kho is the artist guiding a couple of those projects. We talk about readable environments, demo scenes and more this week!Support the showThank you for listening to our podcast all about videogames and the amazing people who bring them to life!Host
The Conference
This past March, 30,000 people went to San Francisco for the annual Game Developers Conference. Going since 1988, GDC, brings together people from all corners of the game development community. The Fourth Curtain followed four different journeys intersecting this conference.The First Timer: Aaron has never gone to GDC and it terrified him.The Seasoned Pro: Patrick Curry, game studio founder on how
How To Start A Game Studio
In this inaugural Lunch Club episode of The Fourth Curtain we discuss starting a Game Studio, something Alex has done a few times. We fail to actually eat lunch, but we do talk about the following topics:1) Why? Why do you want to start one? What are good reason to do so and what’s a game studio really?2) Strategies. If you are starting a studio, does it have a strategy? Platform, genre, technolog
Tim Morten's Giant Strategy
This week’s guest Tim Morten has been putting the “real” in real time strategy for years. Formerly lead on Starcraft II, he’s now CEO of Frost Giant Studios, where they’re making Stormgate, a game intended to broaden the RTS audience. We talk compromises, learning how to make games and Korea’s love of Starcraft this week!Support the showThank you for listening to our podcast all about videogames a
Kristian Segestrale’s Midas Touch
Our guest this week was a founder of Glu and Playfish and an early investor in Supercell. Now he’s CEO of Super Evil Megacorp working on TMNT for Switch. We talk the early days of mobile, the great Vainglory and roguelites in a very educational episode this week!Support the showThank you for listening to our podcast all about videogames and the amazing people who bring them to life!Hosted by Alexa
Up All Night with Ted Price
Beginning with a 3DO dev kit he was developing on alone (!), Ted Price went on to make Spyro the Dragon, Ratchet and Clank and Spiderman. His company Insomniac has been making games for a boggling 30 years! We talk odd jobs, Hail Marys and hands for mechanics this week.Support the showThank you for listening to our podcast all about videogames and the amazing people who bring them to life!Hosted b
Sharing a Vision with Paul and Katy Bettner
Our guests Paul and Katy Bettner are the Co-CEOs of Playful Games. Paul got his start making Age of Empires and Halo Wars. Together Paul and Katy made the leap into mobile founding NewToy, where Words with Friends became one of the most-played games of all time. They’re now working on Wildcard, a game aiming to fulfill the promise of web3. We talk Alec Baldwin, terrible MySpaces and feelings this
Peter Moore Takes His Shot
Our guest Peter Moore keeps ending up on top, whether it’s Reebok, Sega, EA Sports or Liverpool FC. His remarkable journey begins with semi-pro football, veers into videogames to become a father of the Dreamcast, head of EA Sports and has come full circle as owner of Santa Barbara Sky FC. Stories of recruiter calls, a dead Seaman and the Four C’s this week!Visit Peter's new football team: htt
What Could Go Right with Mitch Lasky
You may know not the name of our guest Mitch Lasky, but you absolutely know his work. He created Activision’s third-party business and basically kicked off mobile gaming. As a VC he played a key role in the creation of Riot, Discord, Twitter and a dozen other hit businesses. Longtime partner at Benchmark Capital he’s now an owner of the LAFC soccer team. We talk the role of venture capital, market
Jesse Schell Glimpses the Future
A circus veteran who literally wrote the book on game design, Jesse Schell had a major impact on one of the biggest IPs in contemporary culture. Founder of Schell Games (member of the very exclusive “no layoffs” club) and now working on Among Us and other VR games, he has long taught entertainment technology at Carnegie Mellon. We talk Imagineering, chickens and eggs, and very specific predictions
Susan Cumming's Exceptional Track Record
Co-Founder of 2K Games, Susan Cummings has closed some of the biggest deals in videogames – Bioshock, Borderlands, she got XCOM for free! Now the CEO of Tiny Rebel Games she’s making a Petaverse which is cooler than the metaverse. Rockstar vibes, checkbook fun and our second brush with Patrick Stewart, this week!Support the showThank you for listening to our podcast all about videogames and the am
The Ars Technica of Lorne Lanning
Computer graphics pioneer Lorne Lanning founded Oddworld Inhabitants and made six Oddworld games for multiple platforms including helping to launch the original Xbox. His journey has taken him from playing one of the first ColecoVisions to making animations for the DoD’s “Star Wars” program, to videogames. We talk voice acting, how to get a free Cray and the impact of AI this week!Support the show
Tracing the Silhouette of Jordan Mechner
Filmmaker and graphic novel artist Jordan Mechner got his start with the smash hit videogames, Karateka and Prince of Persia. His technique of using rotoscoping brought unique fluidity and realism to his titles. We talk The Last Express, his graphic novel Replay and echoes of the past this week!You can visit Jordan's website at http://www.jordanmechner.comSupport the showThank you for listeni
Mike Wilson's Holy War
Mike Wilson’s commitment to game artists getting their due is impossible to overstate. From his beginnings at DWANGO and iD, to Gathering of Developers, to Devolver, he has pursued a lifelong mission of getting #gamedevs their rightful piece of the pie. A fascinating trip through the last 30 years of game business this week on The Fourth Curtain!Support the showThank you for listening to our podca
Dennis Fong Improves the Internet
Like many of our guests, Dennis "Thresh" Fong has many “firsts” to his name. Not just first pro gamer, but first influencer, builder of many first gamer communities. Now his company Good Games Well Played is successfully combating toxicity in games. A great conversation with Fatal1ty mentor and Elon Musk competitor this week!Support the showThank you for listening to our podcast all abou
Mastermind of God Games Peter Molyneux
With a list of awards and firsts as long as your arm, this week’s guest made the “god game” into an artform, and then went on to multiple other genres – Syndicate, Dungeon Keeper, Black and White, Fable. Hear how he works like a Victorian, can’t afford a pavement artist and avoids inspiration from other games this week!Peter's Blog: https://developmolyneux.blog/Support the showThank you for l
Scott Miller's All Out of Bubble Gum
This week our guest has several high profile innovations to his name – shareware in games, bullet time before The Matrix. He helped launch id Software and then Duke Nukem, Max Payne and so much more. He's back with a new iteration of Apogee delivering pure fun in a retro aesthetic. Come hear how Scott discovered the Build engine and hired, then fired his own parents! Character names and indie
Dylan Cuthbert, Clever as a Star Fox
This week we meet up with Q-Games founder, Star Fox maker and all around technical wizard Dylan Cuthbert! Dylan is one of the few game developers to have made it big on three different continents! His story of how he got his first job at 17 in the UK will blow your mind. We talk hacking, legendary Japanese devs and much more this week!Support the showThank you for listening to our podcast all abou
Stephen Lim and Trevor Romleski's Forward Operations
This week our guests are lifelong gamers Slim and Trevor. Together they put Valorant on the map and have now formed a new studio, RaidBase, to build a PvP sandbox game where players can build reputations. With experience in pro gaming and the psychology of games, we talk MMOs, hierarchies of needs and complex testing techniques, this week on The Fourth Curtain!Support the showThank you for listeni
Making it Real with John Romero
The massively prolific John Romero made 86 games before the hit Castle Wolfenstein and follow-ups DOOM and Quake. Now working on a new shooter in Unreal, he speaks to us about work ethics, culture shocks and starting over, this week on The Fourth Curtain!Support the showThank you for listening to our podcast all about videogames and the amazing people who bring them to life!Hosted by Alexander Ser
Season 2 - Episode 0
Alex and Aaron welcome in the new year, preview our second season, make predictions for 2024, share some insights from the 'wall of wisdom' and answer listener questions. Plus learn how to enter to win an OLED Steam Deck!Support the showThank you for listening to our podcast all about videogames and the amazing people who bring them to life!Hosted by Alexander Seropian and Aaron Marroqui
Bonus Level - Top Ten Tips From Ten Top Bosses
Alex and Aaron wrap up the year highlighting the ten things they learned doing a podcast that features the most interesting minds in videogames! Plus, a bag of chips! Make that five bags of chips - which we rate along the way. Do we uncover the true meaning of 'Honey Butter'? Listen to find out - and to find out how to win a brand new OLED Steam Deck!Support the showThank you for listeni
Nolan Bushnell's Happy Accidents
Creator of Pong, Atari and Chuck E. Cheese, Nolan Bushnell has had a galactic impact on both video games and culture in general. The only person to have employed Steve Jobs, through a series of happy accidents he set the video game industry in motion. A truly unique conversation about good problems, hind brains and more this week on The Fourth Curtain.Support the showThank you for listening to our
Noah Falstein's Amazing Arc
Founder of the Inspiracy, Noah Falstein went from playtesting Joust, to making Sinistar, to ground-floor stints at LucasArts, 3DO, Dreamworks and finally Chief Game Designer at Google. We talk through his very interesting career, with stops at VR, AI, medicine and more!Support the showThank you for listening to our podcast all about videogames and the amazing people who bring them to life!Hosted b
The Wizard of Xbox, Seamus Blackley
Strap in for a wild ride everyone! In part two of our deep dive we talk to the Father of the Xbox Seamus Blackley, He co-founded Looking Glass and Dreamworks Interactive, before making the Xbox and funding games at CAA. Get ready to be schooled on ancient Egypt by a strong candidate for The World’s Most Interesting Man.Support the showThank you for listening to our podcast all about videogames and
Matt Booty's Boggling Domain
President of Game Content and Studios for Microsoft's Xbox, Matt Booty manages many of the biggest video games in history - Minecraft, Halo, Elder Scrolls, Fallout. Starting as an audio designer at Midway he transitioned to studio management and beyond. We talk similarities with theater, tricky deadlines and the importance of communities this week. Support the showThank you for listening to o
Getting a Rise with Brian Fargo
One time Olympic hopeful and leader-in-exile Brian Fargo is a true legend. He founded Interplay and inExile Entertainment. He’s made dozens of smash hit games like Wasteland, Battle Chess, Lost Vikings and Fallout. He’s now mastering time and space with the Newgate Clockwork Revolution. We talk sales shenanigans, AI and much more in this week’s episode.Support the showThank you for listening to ou
All Right the First Time with Jason Rubin
Naughty Dog co-founder Jason Rubin made massive hits like Crash Bandicoot and Jak and Daxter before moving on to run THQ. Now he's building the metaverse at Meta. Lessons in business success and the future of technology in this week's episode!Support the showThank you for listening to our podcast all about videogames and the amazing people who bring them to life!Hosted by Alexander Serop
And the Winner is... Geoff Keighley!
Creator and Host of The Game Awards, Geoff Keighley is possibly the most recognizable face in videogames. Starting as a teenage game reviewer he wrote for Time Magazine, Kotaku, and Fortune, then became a TV personality on Spike TV and G4TV. Now his Game Awards has a global audience of over 100 million viewers. He spoke with us about his origins and vision for the future of games.Support the showT
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