Corey May chats with Abiotic Factor developers Geoff "Zag" Keene and Henry Feltham from Deep Field Games. Together they discuss the challenges and benefits of working in small teams; the importance of relationships and communication; narrative design as a production tool; balancing seriousness and comedy; and what they didn't like about the survival genre that they hoped to remedy with Abiotic Factor.

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Producers: Claudio Tapia and Josh Chu, The Academy of Interactive Arts & Sciences

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Trent Kusters chats with Ubisoft Mainz Creative Director, Manuel Reinher. Together they discuss his extensive work in the Anno series and his path from the art team to direction; the creative and technical challenges of working in the historical strategy game genre; their approach to depicting the Roman Empire in the latest series release, Anno 117: Pax Romana; how a seemingly simple transition from square to hexagon tiles comes with massive ramifications in all parts of game design; and how they tackle accessibility without sacrificing complexity and depth.

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Episode Host: Trent Kusters

Producers: Claudio Tapia and Josh Chu, The Academy of Interactive Arts & Sciences

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Alexa Ray Corriea chats with Adhoc Studio's Nick Herman about their debut title, Dispatch. Together they discuss the difficulties of funding narrative based titles and how that led to their collaboration with Critical Role; how they approached the superhero genre from outside the fandom; balancing player choice with narrative intentions; what they learned from player testing; and why they chose the episodic format.

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Episode Host: Alexa Ray Corriea

Producers: Claudio Tapia and Josh Chu, The Academy of Interactive Arts & Sciences

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Trent Kusters chats with Lee Petty, Creative Director on Double Fine's newest adventure, Keeper. Together they discuss where the idea to anthropomorphize a light house; why they avoided dialogue and how it pushed them creatively; how silence and emptiness shape emotional tone; the importance of restraint; and what he's learned about leadership throughout his journey at Double Fine.

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Episode Host: Trent Kusters

Producers: Claudio Tapia and Josh Chu, The Academy of Interactive Arts & Sciences

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Jun Shen Chia chats with SILENT HILL f game director Al Yang of Neobards Entertainment. Together they discuss how Neobards collaborated with Konami and famed Japanese writer Ryukishi07 on creating the newest chapter in the Silent Hill series; designing the combat to create tension and feel like a puzzle; creating a game for existing fans that brings in new players; and balancing fun while trying to tell a deep emotional story.

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Episode Host: Jun Shen Chia

Producers: Claudio Tapia and Josh Chu, The Academy of Interactive Arts & Sciences

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Adam Orth chats with Brandon Adler and Kyle Koenig about their latest work at Obsidian Entertainment, The Outer Worlds 2. Together they discuss the lessons they learned from the first game and what they sought to improve; how they implemented comedic and narrative elements into every aspect of gameplay; what ideas ended up on the cutting room floor; and what's next for themselves and the franchise.

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Episode Host: Adam Orth

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This episode contains spoilers for the game 'Ghost of Yōtei'

Alexa Ray Corriea chats with actor and producer, Erika Ishii who stars as Atsu in Ghost of Yōtei. Together they discuss Erika's journey in acting and how they found themselves working in video games; working with Sucker Punch and their process working with performers; the advantages of bringing in the cast early in development; and the importance of acknowledging the team effort required to bring a game character to life.

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Episode Host: Alexa Ray Corriea

Producers: Claudio Tapia and Josh Chu, The Academy of Interactive Arts & Sciences

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Alexa Ray Corriea chats with Oli Chance and Morgan Rushton from localization studio Shloc Ltd. Together they discuss how they got into the business of game localization; their long history working on massive IP like the Final Fantasy, Dragon Quest, and Death Stranding series; how they tackle challenges like translating cultural differences; and working with actors and directors to localize performances.

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Episode Host: Alexa Ray Corriea

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Trent Kusters chats with Dotemu CEO, Cyrille Imbert. Together they discuss Dotemu's work in licensed IP including how they pitch to license holders; the short-term financial and long-term relationship damage caused by releasing subpar products; how they inadvertently revived the beat 'em up genre with titles like Streets of Rage 4 and Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Shredder's Revenge; and why and how they created their first original IP in Absolum.

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Episode Host: Trent Kusters

Producers: Claudio Tapia and Josh Chu, The Academy of Interactive Arts & Sciences

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Trent Kusters chats with creator of the cult classic Katamari Damacy and the recently released to a T, Keita Takahashi. Together they discuss how he went from sculpting to his first job at Bandai Namco; the origins and development of Katamari Damacy and his subsequent works; his philosophy on creating games with experiences not available in the real world; and how he hopes his newest game will help people open their minds to new perspectives.

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Episode Host: Trent Kusters

Producers: Claudio Tapia and Josh Chu, The Academy of Interactive Arts & Sciences

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