Pixel Pizza

This week on Pixel Pizza, rock out with narrative designer Idris Grey MacChruteir 🤘 Idris's career has spanned across multiple countries and major studios-- they've worked at Monolith on Middle-Earth: Shadow of War, Guerilla on Horizon: Forbidden West, and are currently in Japan working with Unseen (Ikumi Nakamura's studio) on KEMURI!

Idris breaks down how they design for specific characters, make an open world feel alive, and write a meaningful cover letter. Chiptune music this week also comes to us from Japan via Maak!

LINKS:

🐦 Idris's Twitter: @SirensStrand

🎮 Unseen: @UnseenTokyo

💿 Maak: https://maakmusic.bandcamp.com/

✉️ Contact Us: pixelpizza at yahoo dot com

This episode originally aired on October 26, 2022.

Let's look back on a Pixel Pizza favorite in this chat with Trombone Champ developer Dan Vecchito. We talked about using the principles of improv comedy in games, going viral, and the best pizza in Brooklyn! For the full Trombone Champ experience, this episode's musical breaks were all in-game performances from YouTube creators. Find their links below and see you next week with a new show!

LINKS:

🐦Holy Wow Twitter: ⁠@HolyWowStudios⁠

🎮Trombone Champ: ⁠https://store.steampowered.com/app/1059990/Trombone_Champ/⁠

📀 Tim & Matt Play: ⁠https://youtu.be/bf021cCR7tQ⁠

💿 JawGBoi: ⁠https://youtu.be/1pYm-_C91wQ

Join us on this week's Pixel Pizza Podcast as we talk to Capybara Games President Eileen Hollinger! Eileen's had some incredible experiences in the industry, like working at ThatGameCompany and forming her own indie game publisher, Astra Fund. She tells us how she made the jump from educational content to working alongside the devs of Journey, Katamari Damacy, and the latest on her studio's newest game Battle Vision Network! Music from Hydragyrum Beholder!

LINKS:

🐦 Eileen's Twitter: @Eileen_Holli

🌐 Capy Games: @Capygames

🎮 Battle Vision Network: @BVN_Game

💿 Hydragyrum Beholder: https://hydragyrumbeholder.bandcamp.com/

✉️ Contact Us: pixelpizza at yahoo dot com

On this installment of the Pixel Pizza Podcast we speak with Unbound Creations CEO Jakub Kasztalski. Jakub and his team have made all sorts of games ranging from political thrillers like Headliner to chaotic cute games like Rain on Your Parade. We talk about using games as a teaching tool, what goes into porting to consoles, and the studio's next game, Just Crow Things. Music from Thefricolix!

LINKS:

🐦 Unbound Creations: @Unboundcreation

🐦‍⬛ Just Crow Things: https://unboundcreations.com/games/crowy/

💿 Thefricolix: https://thefricolix.bandcamp.com/

✉️ Contact Us: pixelpizza at yahoo dot com

Cozy up and stay warm (or cool, if listening to this at time of release) with Benjamin Salvqist, CEO of Pine Creek Games. The studio recently made waves with the showcase of their hand-drawn survival game Winter Burrow, and we get deeper into the inspirations behind its atmosphere, game design, and worldbuilding. Music from KnifeHandChop!

LINKS:

🌲 Pine Creek Games: https://www.pinecreekgames.com/

🎮 Winter Burrow: https://store.steampowered.com/app/3008740/Winter_Burrow/

💿 KnifeHandChop: https://knifehandchop.bandcamp.com/

✉️ Email us! pixelpizza at yahoo dot com

In a blast from the past this week, the director of Soundtrec studio and the Video Games Orchestra, Shota Nakama is here on the show! I used to see his concerts all the time when I was living in Boston and hosting Pixel Pizza on the radio about a decade ago. Since then he's expanded into production on high-profile Japanese games including Final Fantasy XV, D4: Dark Dreams Don't Die, and Bayonetta 3. Most famously at the moment, Shota has been helming the Sonic Symphony World Tour! Together we reminisce on the early days of VGO, talk about changing up your daily routine, and making deadlines. Plus, chiptune music from Caspro!

LINKS:

🗣️ Shota's Socials: @Shotanakama

🦔 Sonic Symphony: https://www.sonicsymphonytour.com

💿 Caspro: http://caspromusic.bandcamp.com

✉️ Contact us!: pixelpizza at yahoo dot com

This week on the Pixel Pizza Podcast we bird up 🕊️ with the founder of Glass Bottom Games, Megan Fox! You might know her work from the hit skateboarding game, SkateBIRD, or the side-scrolling noir title Hot Tin Roof. Megan talks about normalizing failure, sharing solutions to tech struggles via her blog, and how a bird would realistically hold a sword. Chiptune music this week from P​!​x3l_BLAM3_F0rtr3​$​$!

LINKS:

🌐 Glass Bottom Games: www.glassbottomgames.com

☁️ Megan's BlueSky: https://bsky.app/profile/glassbottommeg.bsky.social

🐘 Megan's Mastodon: https://mastodon.gamedev.place/@[email protected]

💿 P​!​x3l_BLAM3_F0rtr3​$​$: https://pixelblame.bandcamp.com/

✉️ Questions? Comments?: pixelpizza at yahoo dot com

Get ready to go Psycho Mode this weekend with an all-new Pixel Pizza! Today we've got Ukrainian developer Yehor aka Martingor. Together with his wife Masha, Yehor is developing the finger-shooting roguelike FPS Psychofinger! We talk about taking inspiration from anime, what it's like making a game with your partner, and advice for first-time developers. Music from Curious Quail!

LINKS:

👉 PSYCHOFINGER: https://linktr.ee/psychofinger

💿 Curious Quail: http://curiousquail.bandcamp.com/

✉️ Pixel Pizza Contact: pixelpizza at yahoo dot com