The Aias Game Maker's Notebook

Alexa Ray Corriea chats with writer Evan Narcisse. Together they discuss his work across video games and comic books; how starting as an outsourcer helped him get his start in the industry; how outsourcing let him observe game development practices across many different studios; how his game Dot's Home explores historical practices that made home ownership difficult for minorities; and what the games industry needs to do to provide avenues into development for people from marginalized backgrounds. Watch this episode on our YouTube channel. If you enjoyed this episode, please consider leaving us a rating and review.

Trent Kusters chats with Ironwood Studios' Alex Dracott and Seth Rosen about their hit sci-fi first-person driving survival game, Pacific Drive. Together they discuss their journey including their work on AAA games; what led to them creating their own studio and the hurdles they had to jump through to get started; the origin of Pacific Drive and what inspired them; and how the premise of a driving survival game allowed them to implement original ideas and add new levels of immersion. Watch this episode on our YouTube channel. If you enjoyed this episode, please consider leaving us a rating and review.

Trent Kusters chats with Hunter Bridges and Dave Padilla from Evening Star. Together they discuss their studio's debut title, Penny's Big Breakaway. Additionally they discuss their journeys into development and how the openness of developers helped get them started; how working with SEGA helped them prepare for future projects; the importance of documentation and avoiding knowledge silos; how developing their own engines influenced the type of studio they built; and how playtesting with a younger audience helped their development of Penny's Big Breakaway. Watch this episode on our YouTube channel. If you enjoyed this episode, please consider leaving us a rating and review.

Alexa Ray Corriea chats with Senior Narrative Director at Insomniac Games, Jon Paquette. Together they discuss the craft of writing and working together on a writing team; how writers and designers collaborate to craft gameplay systems that fit within a game's narrative; and what it takes to create a dual protagonist story like that of Marvel's Spider-Man 2. Watch this episode on our YouTube channel. If you enjoyed this episode, please consider leaving us a rating and review.

Austin Wintory chats with Composer Lennie Moore. Together they discuss his work on the original Outcast and its sequel Outcast: A New Beginning which came recently, 25 years later; the ins and outs of the business of composing music for video games including tips for young composers entering the industry; and the profound effect Lennie had on Austin's own career being one of his formative teachers at USC.  Watch this episode on our YouTube channel. If you enjoyed this episode, please consider leaving us a rating and review.

Trent Kusters chats with multidisciplinary artist Niklas Åkerblad. Together they discuss his career leading up to his newest title, Ultros, including his early love of games and illustration; the revolutionary game development scene in Sweden; the profound impact Hotline Miami had on his career; the complexity of games as expressive and technical creations of art; and the philosophical and poetic storytelling inside Ultros. If you enjoyed this episode, please consider leaving us a rating and review. The Game Maker's Notebook is sponsored by Xsolla. To learn more, go to xsolla.pro/AOIAAS.

Alexa Ray Corriea chats with Baldur's Gate 3 Actor Neil Newbon. Together they discuss his journey as an actor and the challenges he encountered that almost caused him to abandon his craft; finding an avenue for creative expression in video games including acting and directing; how social media warps expectations; and why he decided to start teaching. If you enjoyed this episode, please consider leaving us a rating and review. The Game Maker's Notebook is sponsored by Xsolla. To learn more, go to xsolla.pro/AOIAAS.

The audio version of this interview is entirely in Japanese. To watch the subtitled version, please visit our YouTube channel. Shuhei Yoshida chats with longtime producer of the TEKKEN series, Katsuhiro Harada. Together they discuss Harada-san's journey from working at a Namco arcade to joining the development team for TEKKEN; how the series has evolved to target a global audience; the importance of live events to the growth of the fighting game community; and his thoughts on the future of the genre and game development in general. If you enjoyed this episode, please consider leaving us a rating and review. The Game Maker's Notebook is sponsored by Xsolla. To learn more, go to xsolla.pro/AOIAAS.

Alexa Ray Corriea chats with actor Nadji Jeter. Together they discuss his journey throughout games and traditional film and television; what it's like being Miles Morales for the past decade; what it takes to bring the characters inside Marvel's Spider-Man 2 to life; and the gravity of being a part of the Marvel universe.  Watch this episode on our YouTube channel. If you enjoyed this episode, please consider leaving us a rating and review. The Game Maker's Notebook is sponsored by Xsolla. To learn more, go to xsolla.pro/AOIAAS.

Adam Orth chats with the Director of Cyberpunk 2077: Phantom Liberty, Gabe Amatangelo. Together they discuss Gabe's journey to game development and how he found himself at CD PROJEKT RED; how the initial release of Cyberpunk 2077 affected the team and what steps they took to course-correct; the game design and story elements they emphasized to add weight to every decision; and being consciously nuanced with real-world allegories. Watch this episode on our YouTube channel. If you enjoyed this episode, please consider leaving us a rating and review. The Game Maker's Notebook is sponsored by Xsolla. To learn more, go to xsolla.pro/AOIAAS.

Adam Orth chats with Roman Campos-Oriola, Eric Baptizat, and Philippe Ducharme from Motive Studio. Together they discuss what led to the decision to remake a beloved classic in Dead Space; which elements from the original release they decided to keep and what they thought they could improve; and the intricate balance between the tools, enemies, and environments that create Dead Space's tension filled gameplay.  Watch this episode on our YouTube channel. If you enjoyed this episode, please consider leaving us a rating and review. The Game Maker's Notebook is sponsored by Xsolla. To learn more, go to xsolla.pro/AOIAAS.

Writer and Narrative Designer Alexa Ray Corriea chats with Actor Samantha Béart. Together they discuss the difficulty they faced attempting to enter the games industry; working together with the cast and crew at Larian; the intricacies of romance amidst an impending apocalypse; and the steps the industry still needs to take towards the path of diversity and inclusion. Watch this episode on our YouTube channel. If you enjoyed this episode, please consider leaving us a rating and review. The Game Maker's Notebook is sponsored by Xsolla. To learn more, go to xsolla.pro/AOIAAS.

Austin Wintory chats with award winning composer Oleksa Lozowchuk. Together they discuss Oleksa's career across games, television, and film including writing music for hit games like Capcom's Dead Rising franchise and Sony's Horizon franchise; the pitfalls of self-referential compositions; transitioning to a creative director role and working on his own original IP; and what he learned throughout his career that can help young creatives navigate the unique challenges of games. Watch this episode on our YouTube channel. If you enjoyed this episode, please consider leaving us a rating and review. The Game Maker's Notebook is sponsored by Xsolla. To learn more, go to xsolla.pro/AOIAAS.

Adam Orth chats with narrative designer Meghna Jayanth. Together they discuss Meghna's childhood moving around the world and how those experiences shaped her views; the unique aspects of writing for games; the habits, development woes, and finances of live service games; and how Thirsty Suitors takes players through an authentic and emotional journey. Watch this episode on our YouTube channel. If you enjoyed this episode, please consider leaving us a rating and review. The Game Maker's Notebook is sponsored by Xsolla. To learn more, go to xsolla.pro/AOIAAS.

Austin Wintory chats with the composing team collectively known as Ninja Tracks, Kaveh Cohen and Michael Nielsen. Together they discussed how they first met and what drove them to create a composing partnership; how they've worked together across various video games, TV shows, and films; and why they decided to add music publishing to their repertoire. If you enjoyed this episode, please consider leaving us a rating and review. The Game Maker's Notebook is sponsored by Xsolla. To learn more, go to xsolla.pro/AOIAAS.  

Trent Kusters chats with Alex Ritchie and Joel Mason of Black Salt Games, developers of the indie hit, Dredge. Together they discuss their game development journeys; the original ideas around Dredge and what the early prototypes looked like in terms of art and design; balancing difficulty and consequence in the various zones; and how they introduced an aura of spookiness throughout the game. If you enjoyed this episode, please consider leaving us a rating and review. The Game Maker's Notebook is sponsored by Xsolla. To learn more, go to xsolla.pro/AOIAAS.

Austin Wintory chats with legendary composer Grant Kirkhope. Together they discuss his long career composing some of the most iconic music in gaming with titles and series such as GoldenEye 007, Banjo-Kazooie, Donkey Kong, World of Warcraft, and Mario + Rabbids. Watch this episode on our Youtube channel. If you enjoyed this episode, please consider leaving us a rating and review. The Game Maker's Notebook is sponsored by Xsolla. To learn more, go to xsolla.pro/AOIAAS.

Austin Wintory chats with award-winning Composer Cris Velasco. Together they discuss his long and illustrious career working on some of the biggest franchises in gaming including Mass Effect, God of War, Darksiders, and Borderlands; and his love of painting and fine art and the ways his two passions inform each other. Watch this episode on our Youtube channel. If you enjoyed this episode, please consider leaving us a rating and review. The Game Maker's Notebook is sponsored by Xsolla. To learn more, go to xsolla.pro/AOIAAS.

Shuhei Yoshida chats with FINAL FANTASY XVI Producer Naoki Yoshida. Together they discuss his career and what led to him helping relaunch FINAL FANTASY XIV and eventually producing the newest entry in the series; the key decisions they made with FINAL FANTASY XVI with their approach to story and gameplay; how they navigated the pandemic and how it impacted development; and his thoughts on what young game developers looking to break into the industry can do to prepare themselves. The audio version of this interview is entirely in Japanese. To watch the subtitled version, please visit our YouTube channel. If you enjoyed this episode, please consider leaving us a rating and review. The Game Maker's Notebook is sponsored by Xsolla. To learn more, go to xsolla.pro/AOIAAS.

Trent Kusters chats with Sabotage Studio President and Creative Director, Thierry Boulanger. Together they discuss his journey into games including the early influences that led him towards development; founding Sabotage Studio and the design pillars they follow; key lessons they learned creating The Messenger that they implemented in Sea of Stars; and playing within the limits of retro games while creating modern experiences. If you enjoyed this episode, please consider leaving us a rating and review: https://apple.co/3rF0EtC The Game Maker's Notebook is sponsored by Xsolla. To learn more, go to xsolla.pro/AOIAAS. Watch this episode on our Youtube channel: https://www.youtube.com/@OfficialAIAS