New Overlords Behind The Games: Recent Episodes
Jeff Vilimek and Sema
This is the Behind The Games podcast, where we seek creators of all kinds to find out what’s behind our favorite games.
Farley Chery is an Associate Teaching Professor at Worcester Polytechnic Institute and renowned expert in Technical Art in games. We talk about Tech Art, kinematics, and his start in research, the games industry and teaching. We also talk about https://rigsofcolor.com, a project he sponsors focused on creating diverse models, rigs, and a platform for future inclusive, interesting game design.Stay connected to us by subscribing on YouTube and your favorite podcast feed so you don’t miss the next interview. Enjoy!
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Back from PAX with ten big highlights and a dozen more shout outs to games, studios, and publishers that caught our eye among the tons that were there. This sampling looks across a bunch of game types and styles, shows off the games, and talks about the studios too. Special thanks to John Maloney who helped produce this on the ground at PAX on the New Overlords media team. Also special hello and shout-out to Folklore, Smol Games, Inktale, and Battery Staple studios who we’ve featured or interviewed in the past. Enjoy!Stay connected to us by subscribing on YouTube and your favorite podcast feed so you don’t miss the next interview. Enjoy!
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David is a Senior Systems Designer for Crystal Dynamics, but we know him best for his work at Bioware on Star Wars The Old Republic. We talk to David about his origin story, the design of the “Galactic Seasons” seasonal reward track for SWTOR, and some principles of game design in general. Thanks, David!Stay connected to us by subscribing on YouTube and your favorite podcast feed so you don’t miss the next interview. Enjoy!
The post Designing Game Seasons – Interview with David Staats first appeared on NEW OVERLORDS.
Marcel, Founder of Orion Games, along with the team there, are making an amazingly artistic action game that tracks across six distinct art styles. Marcel talks about the origins of the game and studio, what the layers of fun are that they needed to consider to refine the concept, and what’s next for Orion Games.Stay connected to us by subscribing on YouTube and your favorite podcast feed so you don’t miss the next interview. Enjoy!
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While AI experiments are making headlines Ricardo Sisnett and the team at modl.ai are building tools that game developers can use now to make better games. We talk with Sisnett about his journey from biz tech to Riot to AI tech. We then get into how testing with AI is happening at scale today and where things are headed next. Thanks, Sisnett!Stay connected to us by subscribing on YouTube and your favorite podcast feed so you don’t miss the next interview. Enjoy!
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Much like a book editor helps an author shape writing into a book and get it printed, a game producer and project manager gets all the creativity of the team and helps tie it together and get it in our hands. Dazia has been producing games and running projects for many years and tells us about that, about the games industry in Mexico, and about women in the industry across Latin America. Thanks, Dazia!Stay connected to us by subscribing on YouTube and your favorite podcast feed so you don’t miss the next interview. Enjoy!
The post Producing Games – Interview with Dazia Pineda first appeared on NEW OVERLORDS.
Coreborn! Hauke Gerdes, Co-founder and Creative Director of Blankhans, joins us to talk about their in-development multi-player, survival, building adventure game! We’ve been following their public showcase of development as the game marches to an alpha soon and a potential release this year. Thanks, Hauke!Check out Coreborn: Nations of the Ultracore at https://coreborn.gg
Stay connected to us by subscribing on YouTube and your favorite podcast feed so you don’t miss the next interview. Enjoy!
The post Creating Coreborn – Interview with Hauke Gerdes first appeared on NEW OVERLORDS.
One of the studios we featured on our PAX West follow-up episode was Festive Vector, the one person studio founded by David Evans. David, recently launched Sail Forth! We talk with David about the origin of the game, getting it made, and his philosophy of game development centered around the player and the “toy” in the game. Thanks, David!Check out Sail Forth at https://www.sailforthgame.com/
Stay connected to us by subscribing on YouTube and your favorite podcast feed so you don’t miss the next interview. Enjoy!
The post Making Sail Forth And The Toy Within – Interview with David Evans first appeared on NEW OVERLORDS.
Rogue AI Simulator, launching right now, is only the latest in a series of games developed by Sim, a solo developer in Malaysia. We talk with Sim about his history going back to developing flash games, his actual dream job, and wide ranging topics including how the Red Queen Hypothesis means there’s no rest for a game dev. Thanks, Sim!Check out Rogue AI Simulator at https://store.steampowered.com/app/1790370/Rogue_AI_Simulator
Stay connected to us by subscribing on YouTube and your favorite podcast feed so you don’t miss the next interview. Enjoy!
The post Red Queen Hypothesis – Interview with Sim YC of Nerdook Productions first appeared on NEW OVERLORDS.
For help digging into a couple topics including game school and degrees as well as gaming industry law considerations, we are joined by Ross Hersemann, Legal Counsel, Founder of Loading Law, and Adjunct Professor at DePaul University. Thanks, Ross!Get in contact with Ross at https://www.loadinglaw.com
Stay connected to us by subscribing on YouTube and your favorite podcast feed so you don’t miss the next interview. Enjoy!
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A new classic-style MMORPG is an ambitious project, especially for a small indie team. We talk to John Gust, the executive producer helping lead the team on this newly launched gaming world. Thanks, John!Check out Embers Adrift at https://www.embersadrift.com
Stay connected to us by subscribing on YouTube and your favorite podcast feed so you don’t miss the next interview. Enjoy!
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One of the most eye-catching indie games at PAX West was Elements – Find The Stones. We talk with the game creator Devon Parsons about the game, how he got started, and ideas about making great games. Thanks, Devon!Wishlist Elements on Steam at https://store.steampowered.com/app/1468110/Elements/
Stay connected to us by subscribing on YouTube and your favorite podcast feed so you don’t miss the next interview. Enjoy!
The post The Art of Elements – Interview with Devon Parsons first appeared on NEW OVERLORDS.
Snowcastle Games started with a story that has expanded into the Earthlock series of games. We talk with founder Founder, Bendik Stang, and Marketing Lead, Nicholas Rajan about how this cohesive lore and worlds are now a platform for new games like Ikonei Island and the Earthlock RPG games. We also talk about game development in the Nordics and some indie dev community celebration that Snowcastle has been sponsoring annually through their “Advent Calendar of Games”. Thanks, Bendik and Nick!Get Earthlock and Ikonei now at https://www.snowcastlegames.com/ and jump in on the indie games giveaways at https://www.snowcastlegames.com/adventcalendar2022!
Stay connected to us by subscribing on YouTube and your favorite podcast feed so you don’t miss the next interview. Enjoy!
The post Exploring Earthlock – Interview with Snowcastle Games first appeared on NEW OVERLORDS.
Lead by a veteran team and backed by top partnerships, Lightforge Games was founded recently on an amazing bedrock of core values. Matt Schembari, Co-Founder and CEO, talks with us about how they’ve gone a step beyond in creating a studio modeled for the future. Open Salary, all-remote, and flexible work are just some of …
Forging a Studio of the Future – Interview with Matt Schembari, CEO of Lightforge Games Read More »
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CD Projekt Red and a couple other bigger studios have spawned a growing indie games scene across Poland. Joanna Keler has been in the middle of it working on a game called Moonshine Inc. and showing it off at places like PAX West where we met. She tells us all about it and also talks …
Indie Games In Warsaw – Behind The Games Podcast interviews Joanna Keler Read More »
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Below The Stone combines pixel-art, roguelike gameplay, procedurally generated deep layers, and rpg-like character progression. Mike talks to us about the game and how he and his team have taken it from idea to kickstarter to an adventure we’ll all get to play soon. Thanks, Mike! Check out Below The Stone at https://www.strollart.com/ and be …
Behind Below – Behind The Games Podcast with Mike of Strollart Studios Read More »
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Fresh off a world tour showcasing an early view of Moonatic Studios new game called One Last Breath, we catch up with Eneko Zubiaurre. We talk about the style, art and themes of this atmospheric adventure puzzle game with deep themes and meaning. We also hear about Moonatic Studios origins and the game dev scene …
First Look At A Last Breath – Behind The Games podcast with Eneko of Moonatic Studios Read More »
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Ska Studios has been ahead of the curve making stylish indie games for many years now. We talk with the studio core, James Silva and Shane Lynch, about their latest souls-like game Salt and Sacrifice, how it’s made, how they got to this point, and what might be next for gaming like this. Thanks James …
Making Salt and Sacrifice – Interview with Ska Studios on the New Overlords Behind The Games Podcast Read More »
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ROTU has a series of VR games that push the boundaries of where VR experiences are headed. Their latest game, Eolia combines amazing music and audio, lore, story, and exploration with a hands first VR design for the Meta Quest 2. Jason Parks, the CEO, joins us to talk about the game, tech and all …
Hand First VR – Behind The Games chat with Jason Parks of ROTU Read More »
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Mikhaël Vaillancourt founded Folklore Games a number of years ago, pulled in his sister Jes Vaillancourt and an amazing team of creators, and now they are hard at work on a groundbreaking game. Spiral is a beautiful and engaging exploration puzzle-solving game wrapped around the concept of cognitive decline and memory loss. We talk about …
A Game To Remember – Behind The Games chat with Folklore Games Read More »
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One does not simply walk into video game development! Shae Rossi is a writer and content designer for Standing Stone Games working on Lord of the Rings Online. She talks to us about taking her writing skills and literature degree and building on that to break into the games industry. We also get to hear …
Simply Walking Into Gamedev – Behind The Games chat with Shae Rossi of LOTRO Read More »
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Getting started in game development, especially indie game development takes a huge commitment and a lot of work. Sometimes narrowing the focus and just getting your first game out there is the breakthrough you need. Somara Atkinson is an indie game developer just about to ship his first game. He talks with us about what …
Shipping Your First Game – Behind The Games chat with Somara Atkinson Read More »
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I was out at PAX West 2022 and met some really cool creators and studios. Sema and I walk through a sample of 10+ smaller games, studios, and creators that caught my eye. Let us know if you want a more detailed video on any of the studios we talk about here. Stay connected by …
10+ Cool Studios From PAX West 2022 – Behind The Games Podcast Special Episode Read More »
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Bioware and Star Wars the Old Republic is well known for the strength of its narrative. Cinematic, fully voiced cut-scenes that put the player in the story with a feeling of agency is difficult to achieve without clear narrative direction and vision. Ashley Ruhl has been involved with narrative direction from the start for SWTOR …
Putting Players In The Story – Behind The Games chat with Ashley Ruhl Read More »
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I think we all agree that games are art, but some are more artistic than others. Inktale Studio has blended hand crafted art, story telling, and original music into an amazing game they are working on called Aron’s Gift. In this talk we are joined by all of Inktale Studios, Kristin and Joe Shiraef. Stay …
Drawing On Their Talents – Behind The Games chat with Inktale Studios Read More »
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Sarah Spiers journey to Development Director at Maxis, and being recognized by Forbes in their 30 Under 30 In Games, wasn’t a straight line. That said, it is inspiring and shines a light on how persistent incremental step, sometimes in unique directions, can lead to the best outcomes. Her journey so far has also been …
Life Imitates Sims – Behind The Games chat with Sarah Spiers Read More »
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QA isn’t (just) about playing the game. It’s a key game dev job from start to finish. This episode we’ve got Jonah Davidson, a QA Engineer with Finji. We talk about what a QA Engineer actual does from the very early stages of the game design process, through development and post release. Jonah also gives …
QA Isn’t Playing Games – Behind The Games chat with Jonah Davidson Read More »
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As Game Director at Infinity Ward’s new Austin studio, Chris builds on his vast AAA game creator and leadership experience at Bioware, where we first met Chris years ago. We talk about what a Game Director does, what games and design principles inspire him, how useful and less useful feedback comes across, and what’s on …
Leading From The Front – Behind The Games chat with Chris Schmidt of Infinity Ward Read More »
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We talk about Kate’s EDU experience at Worcester Polytechnic Institute, her experience building the indie game Call of Karen, her work sponsoring and organizing the Boston indie game dev scene, and her current game design role at Other Ocean Interactive working on games like Project Winter. Thanks Kate! Stay connected by subscribing on YouTube and …
Boston Indie Scene – Behind The Games chat with Kate Olguin Read More »
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We talk to Brian Winn and Will Jeffery, co-founders, on the journey from MSU to founding a studio. Plunder Panic, their early access game on Steam started as an Michigan State University Games for Entertainment and Learning Lab showcase project and spun out into a new studio designed to connect the MSU programs and students …
From EDU to Studio – Behind The Games chat with Will Winn Games Read More »
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Many game studios are having a moment right now where they need scale, and to learn to be better, more professional companies. IO Interactive has this figured out with leaders like Hector Padilla, a people manager at IO Interactive. IOI is the game studio that makes the Hitman series and soon a new 007 game. …
The People Are The Studio – Behind The Games chat with Hector Padilla of IO Interactive Read More »
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I’ve been playing the hell out of V Rising, the new early access vampire survival game from Stunlock Studios. Sema and I needed to hear the story behind this game so I reached out to Jeremy Fielding, the excellent community manager for Stunlock. We chat about the game, the origin story of Stunlock and history …
Making V Rising – Behind The Games chat with Jeremy Fielding of Stunlock Studios Read More »
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We’ve been talking to a lot of game devs and studios lately and I’ve been surprised at how many of even the smallest or solo developers are partnered up with a PR company. Sema and I don’t know all that much about what goes on there so I called up O’Dell, who I met at …
Every Game Needs PR – Behind The Games chat with O’Dell Harmon Jr. Read More »
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Lucia and her team at Total Mayhem Games are bold enough to make the game they want to make and it’s awesome. Their game, We Were Here Forever, bucks the trends in game design and is a success for it. We chat Lucia de Visser, the Co-founder and Managing Director, about the studio origin story, …
Total Mayhem – Behind The Games chat with Lucia de Visser Read More »
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How far would you go to make the game you are working on sound good? We interview Eduard Vaisman, the Bafta Nominated Audio Director for Far Cry at Ubisoft to find out. We talked to him about his wilderness trip seeking sounds, how the sound design was done for Far Cry 6, the difference between …
Sound Design For Far Cry – Interview with Eduardo Vaisman of Ubisoft Toronto Read More »
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There’s a new side scrolling shoot-em-up game releasing on iOS today called The Day We Fought Space!, and Sema and I got a chance to talk to the game creators this week. Catherine Kimport and Susan Schaffer are the core of Tursiops Truncatus Studios and we chat about their inspiration, their tools and process, and …
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Being in a marketing lead role for a video game company has a surprisingly big responsibility in helping plan and design the games up front. We interview Victoria Chin, the Marketing Manager for a Toronto game studio called Games By Stitch. In it we talk about what marketing does, what’s exciting in VR right now …
Right game at the right time with marketing – Interview with Victoria Chin Read More »
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In this very first interview our conversation with Salim Grant, a Senior Game Designer, draws on his experience in games design for games like Vanguard, Everquest 2, Neverwinter and ranges from what a game designer is, how they work, and how creating games is evolving. Reach out to us with your follow-up questions and we’ll …
What is a game designer? Interview with Salim Grant – Behind The Games Read More »
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