We’re joined on the AI and Games podcast by Andy Kelly, a former games journalist and now PR manager at Devolver Digital, who is largely famous for being that guy who bangs on about Alien: Isolation on social media more than we do! You might remember Andy as a voice in our Alien: Isolation retrospective on the AI and Games YouTube channel in 2025.

Andy sits down with Tommy to talk about ‘Perfect Organism: The Assembly Cut’, a new version of his unofficial companion book about Creative Assembly’s horror game. There’s a lot of interesting stuff to talk about in this episode, including:

* How Andy got screwed out of royalties from Unbound: the publisher of the original version of ‘Perfect Organism’

* How the conversation around Alien has changed since the original book launched in 2024.

* What to expect in the updated edition published by Lost in Cult.

* How the 10 year anniversary of the game provided more info for the book.

* Andy and Tommy muse about the recently released Alien: Isolation 2 trailer.

You can pre-order your copy of Perfect Organism: The Assembly Cut athttps://www.lostincult.co.uk/perfectorganism

You can find Andy Kelly over on Instagram and BlueSky:https://www.instagram.com/ultrabrilliant/https://bsky.app/profile/ultrabrilliant.xyz

Timestamps

* [00:00] Preshow Stinger

* [00:45] Intro

* [01:10] Welcome!

* [10:57] Andy's Alien Love Affair

* [15:12] The Perfect Organism

* [17:05] Why Update the Book?

* [23:21] Alien is back in the conversation.

* [25:32] Building an updated edition.

* [29:30] Sponsored by AWS

* [30:35] Revision or Expansion?

* [38:10] Still Nothing Really Like It

* [43:16] Alien: Isolation 2

* [57:26] Final Book Plug

* [59:03] Closing

AI and Games is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.

Welcome to the first edition of Below the Line on the AI and Games Podcast where Tommy jumps into the comment section of the AI and Games YouTube channel, and bring up some of the interesting conversations happening over there.

Be sure to check out our YouTube channel and leave your comments at:http://www.youtube.com/@aiandgames

The videos we talk about in this episode are:

AI 101 - Director AI: youtube.com/watch?v=Mnt5zxb8W0Y

AI and Games #85: Forza Horizon 6: youtube.com/watch?v=kTpYThv3L3k

AI and Games: COTA Explained: youtube.com/watch?v=LpXl0EPU8uY

The AI and Games Podcast is presented by AWS for Games.

Follow us on Spotify | Apple Podcasts | YouTube Music | YouTube | PocketCasts

All of our work including the AI and Games YouTube series, newsletter, and this here podcast is fan-funded by our community. You can support our work and get access to bonus content by visiting AIandGames.com.

Since the AI and Games Podcast launched Tommy’s been out and about and busy attending games industry events. So we’re circling back to some of the big stories that have happened recently, including EA’s Generative AI adoption targets, Xbox continuing to burn brightly, EU AI Act, Stellar Blade’s K-Pop/K-Slop music video, and more.

Timestamps

[00:00] Preshow Stinger

[01:16] Welcome!

[06:42] Support AI and Games

[09:17] Catching up on my Backlog

[12:57] Pragmata

[20:03] MINOS

[26:33] Sponsored by AWS

[27:39] Headline Catch-Up

[28:14] Japan’s JOGA Report

[30:47] Shifting Policy on AI for UK and China

[32:11] Xbox is Burning

[39:37] EA’s GenAI “Adoption Targets”

[47:17] Stellar Blade’s AI-Generated K-Pop Video

[52:32] EU AI Act Transparency

[58:32] Introducing ‘Below the Line’

[01:01:41] Credits

Links and References

Pragmata on Steam:https://store.steampowered.com/app/3357650/PRAGMATA/

MINOS on Steam:https://store.steampowered.com/app/3181650/MINOS/

Our newsletter on EU AI Act transparency: https://www.aiandgames.com/p/what-does-the-eus-ai-transparency

Our newsletter covering many of the stories in this issue from last week: https://www.aiandgames.com/p/uk-and-chinas-shifting-ai-mandates

That weird Stellar Blade K-Pop music video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5Ncuote9ADo

--The AI and Games Podcast is presented by AWS for Games.

Follow us on Spotify | Apple Podcasts | YouTube Music | YouTube | PocketCasts

All of our work including the AI and Games YouTube series, newsletter, and this here podcast is fan-funded by our community. You can support our work and get access to bonus content by visiting AIandGames.com.

We welcome our first guest to the AI and Games podcast: Dr Michael Cook is a senior lecturer at King’s College London and has over a decade’s experiences as a researcher in procedural content generation and generative design for video games. Earlier this year he published ‘Next Level’, a book designed to be an introductory text for people new to PCG in games, and provides a fun and accessible entry point for people who don’t have a background in computer science to understand what’s happening.

Tommy sits down with Mike for a right good natter about the process of bringing ‘Next Level’ to life. From the challenges of introducing complex subject matter to a general audience, deciding on what topics to cover, and why you can’t talk about Dwarf Fortress without also bringing up Caves of Cud.

Catch Tommy’s review of ‘Next Level’ on the AI and Games newsletter:

https://www.aiandgames.com/p/next-level-a-warm-and-encouraging

The AI and Games Podcast is presented by AWS for Games.

Follow us on Spotify | Apple Podcasts | YouTube Music | YouTube | PocketCasts

All of our work including the AI and Games YouTube series, newsletter, and this here podcast is fan-funded by our community. You can support our work and get access to bonus content by visiting AIandGames.com.

For the opening episode of our shiny new AI and Games Podcast - presented in association with AWS for Games - I wanted to give an overview on how and where AI exists within the video games industry.

We’re pleased to announce the launch of the new AI and Games podcast!

Building on our existing output of newsletter and YouTube videos, we’re launching a new biweekly/fortnightly programme where we’ll be expanding on all of the content people have come to know and love us for, but in a new nice and digestible podcast format.

We’ll be digging into the headlines, providing explainers on the big talking points in the industry, and running interviews with people across the sector about the successes, failures, challenges, and risks of AI as it becomes an increasingly larger talking point in video games.

This builds on over 10 years of work we’ve produced in AI on video games as part of both our YouTube channel and our weekly newsletter in providing a hype-free and accessible introduction to how artificial intelligence intersects with video games.

AI and Games is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.