Michael Chu -- lead writer of Overwatch and game designer on World of Warcraft, Diablo 3 and more -- joins the show to talk about his 20 years at Blizzard developing some of the world's most influential games, his love for Tolkien and Star Wars, and all the lessons he learned trying to build the incredible world of Overwatch. It's an extra-length helping of game development and story design discussion, and even though I say this all the time, it truly was my favorite episode yet.

Remember to subscribe to The 1099 for more podcasts from your favorite people in the game dev and games media worlds.

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Episode 236: Overwatch Writer Michael Chu on 20 Years at Blizzard

The 1099 is an interview-based podcast that highlights the best writers, YouTubers, developers, publishers, and people in video games and beyond. Founded by Josiah Renaudin and hosted by Joseph Knoop, the duo brings on guests from all over the industry to talk about what they do, current trends, and methods for breaking into games.

Big thanks to Simon Viklund for writing the original theme music (you can check out his work at www.simonviklund.com) and Zach Buckley for the remix(find his work at www.zwbuckley.com). Also, thanks to the talented Aaron Sanfillippo for the logo design. Find him at www.ajscreative.com.

Leisure

Art of Rally is a gorgeous low-polygon take on the wild world of rally racing, with tight turns and plenty of burning rubber. Creator Dune Casu joins the show to discuss his love of rally racing, the sport's incredibly dangerous history, what it was like to take sketchy rally racing classes, and his stint as a digital nomad living out of a van. Apparently my old article helped inspire him to do it, dear god. I clearly have too much power.

If you couldn't tell by my gushing, Art of Rally is an incredible game that I can't put down, and I was so thrilled to have Dune on the show to discuss all things game dev. Enjoy the show.

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Follow Dune @ FunSelektor

Episode 254: Art of Rally creator Dune Casu on racing culture, nomad life, and rally school

When the newest, biggest video game launches, it's not long after that folks start complaining about bugs. But the art, business, and struggle of video game QA is something that few truly appreciate. So I recruited two incredible QA experts -- Chloe Read of QA-Quest.com and Shane Elliot of East Side Games -- to reveal what QA looks like from the inside, how the industry treats its QA workers and loses them, and all the misconceptions average gamers have about this very particular science. Enjoy the show!

For more resources, check out QA-Quest.com and EastSideGames.com.

Episode 253: What Nobody Understands About Video Game QA

Gamasutra news editor and noted Hitman diehard Alissa McAloon joins the 1099 to discuss why Hitman 3 is so damn good. We talk all about the amazing new levels, how weird it is to care about Hitman's plot, how fun it is to kill rich douchebags, and how we think Hitman could influence IO's upcoming 007 game.

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Follow Alissa at @ gliitchy on Twitter

Episode 252: Hitman 3 Review with Gamasutra's Alissa McAloon

Umurangi Generation blends the world of cyberpunk -- giant robots, kaiju, and penguins -- with the much more in-your-face world of today -- with COVID keeping us indoors, QAnon poisoning countless minds, and fascism on the rise. I talk with developer Veselekov about his Maori background, how neoliberal and conservative politics have failed nations like Australia, and how it all translates into a game where you take photos of mechs and giant squid monsters.

Episode 251: Umurangi Generation Creator Veselekov on Fascism, QAnon, and Giant Robots

Truth is a pathless land. - J Krishnamurti

These words influenced a young Matt Nava, who would go on to direct art for thatgamecompany's Journey, Flower, and later found Giant Squid and direct The Pathless and Abzu. On this week's episode, we dive into Matt's career, his father's art, and how the exhilarating and lush world and gameplay of The Pathless came to be. Matt also reflects on lessons learned from his early years of working on Flower and Journey, and what it means to find your own path in life that no one has walked before.

The Pathless is out now on PS4, PS5, and Epic Game Store.
Follow Joe: @ JosephKnoop
Follow The 1099: @ The1099Podcast
Support our musician at ZWBuckley.com

Episode 236: Overwatch Writer Michael Chu on 20 Years at Blizzard

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