Welcome to the newly relaunched IGN Unfiltered, my monthly interview series where I sit down with the best, brightest, and most fascinating minds in the video game industry. I'm back with a brand-new bar/arcade set – complete with a working beer tap! My guest this month is Sean Krankel, the creator of Oxenfree and the upcoming Afterparty. In this interview, Sean discusses his unique journey into game development, starting with a job on a late-'90s Aaron Spelling teenage soap opera (during which time he threw up in Spelling's bowling alley), working at Disney, and eventually setting up Night School Studio with his cousin and bringing Oxenfree (and now Afterparty) to life – including how Xbox Game Pass has been a boon to his studio's success.

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Episode 45: Sean Krankel (Oxenfree, Afterparty)

IGN Unfiltered goes in-depth with creators of your favorite video games, talking not just about the games themselves but about the fascinating lives of the people behind them. New episodes each month!

Video Games

Games & Hobbies

Games

Leisure

Star Wars Jedi: Survivor game director Stig Asmussen returns to IGN Unfiltered for another long-form conversation about building a AAA Star Wars game. He discusses what it takes to build a great sequel, the future of the Star Wars Jedi franchise, the potential use of Unreal Engine 5 in the future, what the success of Jedi Fallen Order did for his team, and much more!

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Episode 65: Star Wars Jedi: Survivor Director Stig Asmussen (2023)

Subscribe to the horror series set in the universe of “The Callisto Protocol,” the hotly anticipated game from Striking Distance Studios.  
Helix Station was once the jewel of the Jovian system, but it’s been a decaying ghost ship ever since its Carpenter drive went supercritical. When a dangerous escaped criminal seeks refuge there, officers of the Black Iron Prison force a pair of veteran skip tracers to help recover him. But once on Helix, they discover murderous alien life forms, as well as unspeakable horrors from their past.
Starring Gwendoline Christie and Michael Ironside. IGN is publishing and distributing Helix Station in partnership with Striking Distance Studios, creator of the game The Callisto Protocol. The first two episodes of The Callisto Protocol: Helix Station are available now, with new episodes dropping every Thursday. You can find it wherever you get your podcasts. 
Listen & Subscribe here!

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IGN Presents | The Callisto Protocol: Helix Station

Cliff Bleszinski, renowned designer of Gears of War, Unreal, Unreal Tournament, Jazz Jackrabbit, and more, returns for his first IGN Unfiltered interview since 2016 to discuss his life and career as detailed in his new memoir, Control Freak. Cliff talks about the making of Gears of War, Epic's decision to sell Gears to Microsoft, his friendship with Hideo Kojima, his admiration for Shigeru Miyamoto, and much more!

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Episode 64: Gears of War Creator Cliff Bleszinski

Justin Roiland reveals the origin of Rick & Morty's voices, the long road towards finally getting a hit show, and the longer road towards creating a successful video game studio – including lots of discussion Squanch's upcoming comedy-FPS, High on Life. WARNING: Explicit language throughout.

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Episode 63: Rick & Morty Co-Creator Justin Roiland

My guest this episode is Halo Infinite head of creative and longtime Bungie writer Joseph Staten. In this career-spanning interview, Staten discusses his unique path into the video game industry, the early days of Halo at Bungie, helping create Destiny, and how he's affected Halo Infinite since joining the team in 2020 just prior to the one-year delay.

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Episode 45: Sean Krankel (Oxenfree, Afterparty)

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