diabolical

In which I interview Mike Willette, Game Design Manager at Amazon Game Studios, about the new MMORPG New World. We talk game systems, what makes this game stand out from the competition and how it changed from a survival game to the MMO it is today. Audio-only for the time being.

P.S. I’m traveling to the Pacific Northwest today. Time for some more rain!

This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit diabolical.substack.com/subscribe

In the latest episode of the diabolical podcast I chat with the creators of Netflix’s The Dragon Prince about the fantasy show, its upcoming seasons and the game that the company is making in conjunction with the series. Enjoy, and thanks for listening!

Subscribe to the podcast on iTunes. Watch the YouTube version here.

(P.S. There was no early access version of this episode this week due to my recent travels).

This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit diabolical.substack.com/subscribe

I talk with fellow game journalist JJ Lugo about video games and more video games in a video gamey episode of the diabolical podcast. Enjoy!

This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit diabolical.substack.com/subscribe

In episode 4 of the diabolical podcast, I talk about game design, the history of Darkest Dungeon and the upcoming Epic Game Store Early Access exclusive Darkest Dungeon 2 with the game’s creators, Tyler Sigman and Chris Bourassa.

This episode was released two days early for premium subscribers and Patreon backers. Enjoy!

Video version:

This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit diabolical.substack.com/subscribe

I just realized that this didn’t post properly when I released it last week. My bad! I was in the midst of setting up my Patreon and somehow this email fired off without the actual podcast. Embarrassing!

Oh well, what’s done is done. Here’s the full episode with podcaster and game journalist Colin Moriarty of Last Stand Media. This is Episode 3 of the diabolical podcast. Episode 4 goes live today also for premium subscribers to this Substack or Patreon backers. That will go live in just a few minutes.

Thanks, and apologies for the snafu! Enjoy the podcast!

This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit diabolical.substack.com/subscribe

I have covered the Chris Avellone story at my Forbes blog and here at diabolical in two different posts and I’ve made two different videos about the matter. The first of those, in its audio form, is this bonus episode of the diabolical podcast. I discuss my frustration with game journalism and the Twitter squabbles I found myself embroiled in this weekend and the Chris Avellone sexual misconduct case. Enjoy—if enjoy is the right word for this kind of controversial story.

This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit diabolical.substack.com/subscribe

No guest in this episode. This one is actually the audio version of my latest YouTube video on the Tolkien Society’s gender-and-diversity themed Summer Seminar and why pushing for as much “diversity” and “representation” as possible in Lord of the Rings is the wrong way to approach diversity to begin with. We need more unique stories told from as many points of view, cultural backgrounds and so forth as possible—not forced Diversity Inc. style representation that checks boxes and fills quotas.

This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit diabolical.substack.com/subscribe

In the latest episode of the diabolical podcast I speak with Sunless Sea and Fallen London developer Alexis Kennedy and his partner and business partner Lottie Bevan.

The two co-founded the studio Weather Factory, the developer of Cultist Simulator. In 2019, Kennedy was accused of various improprieties—from infidelity to preying on young women in the video game industry and abusing his power as the head of Failbetter Games.

The accusations never made it past Twitter, and the only truly specific allegations had to do with a past relationship that ended badly, but Kennedy was shunned from the industry regardless.

I’ll have a longer written piece up with more backstory to supplement this podcast at diabolical later this morning (direct to subscribers’ inboxes). The podcast will also be up on my YouTube channel later this morning as well. Thanks for listening!

Update: Here’s the longer article on this story. And here’s the YouTube version.

Listen to the diabolical podcast Episode 1—with game journalist and developer Ollie Barder—right here.

If you enjoyed this podcast and want more like it, please consider subscribing to diabolical as a paid subscriber to make more of these possible. And if you’d like to send me any tips, you can subscribe to this newsletter and simply reply to any issue in your inbox. I’ll do my best to get back to you.

This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit diabolical.substack.com/subscribe

In the very first episode of the diabolical podcast I talk about video games, video game journalism and the video game industry with my colleague Ollie Barder.

Ollie has worked in the industry for years, in testing and development as well as a game journalist at Forbes. He is a font of knowledge about the video game industry and he has a unique perspective as a Brit living and working in Japan.

I really hope you enjoy this and I have lots more planned for the podcast, the YouTube channel and this Substack—all three of which are really part of the same overarching project.

You can watch the video version of this podcast below:

Thanks for watching/listening and subscribing! It’s been crazy crazy crazy busy setting up the YouTube channel, getting guests for the podcast and so forth but I promise I’ll be back to posting more regularly here soon as well. Thanks for your understanding!

This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit diabolical.substack.com/subscribe