This week we hear about the incredible career of game designer Stieg Hedlund! From his early days tinkering with BASIC on a Bally Astrocade to shaping some of the most iconic titles of the '90s like Comiz Zone, The Ooze, and the legendary Diablo.  

Contents:

00:00 - The Week's Retro News Stories 

42:26 - Stieg Hedlund Interview

Please visit our amazing sponsors and help to support the show:

Bitmap Books - https://www.bitmapbooks.com

Take your business to the next level today and enjoy 3 months of Shopify for £1/month: https://shopify.co.uk/retrohour

We need your help to ensure the future of the podcast, if you'd like to help us with running costs, equipment and hosting, please consider supporting us on Patreon:

https://theretrohour.com/support/

https://www.patreon.com/retrohour

Get your Retro Hour merchandise: https://bit.ly/33OWBKd

Join our Discord channel: https://discord.gg/GQw8qp8

Website: http://theretrohour.com

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/theretrohour/

X: https://twitter.com/retrohouruk

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/retrohouruk/

Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/theretrohour.com

Twitch: https://www.twitch.tv/theretrohour

Show notes

Ecco The Dolphin Remastered: https://tinyurl.com/37hdwzw3

Lost Lynx game is revived: https://tinyurl.com/58nav3y3

Fallout 1 and 2 Lost Source Code Found: https://tinyurl.com/297mzhec

Batman on the Sinclair QL: https://tinyurl.com/2wttffa4

Bubsy The Purrfect Collection: https://tinyurl.com/5n98dbxy

This week, we’re joined by game designer and author Stuart Maine, whose 28-year career spans iconic titles like Theme Hospital, Dungeon Keeper, and G-Police: Weapons of Justice. Stuart shares stories from the heyday of Bullfrog and Psygnosis, reflects on the golden era of first-person shooters, and reveals the wild behind-the-scenes of cancelled games and dev kit coffee tables. Plus, we dive into his latest book Hurt Me Plenty which explores the blockbuster FPS era of 2003–2010.

Contents:

00:00 - The Week's Retro News Stories

37:15 - Stuart Maine Interview

Please visit our amazing sponsors and help to support the show:

Bitmap Books - https://www.bitmapbooks.com

Take your business to the next level today and enjoy 3 months of Shopify for £1/month: https://shopify.co.uk/retrohour

The Retro Hour Book: https://retrohour.myshopify.com/

We need your help to ensure the future of the podcast, if you'd like to help us with running costs, equipment and hosting, please consider supporting us on Patreon:

https://theretrohour.com/support/

https://www.patreon.com/retrohour

Get your Retro Hour merchandise: https://bit.ly/33OWBKd

Join our Discord channel: https://discord.gg/GQw8qp8

Website: http://theretrohour.com

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/theretrohour/

X: https://twitter.com/retrohouruk

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/retrohouruk/

Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/theretrohour.com

Twitch: https://www.twitch.tv/theretrohour

Show notes

Sega opens first shop: https://tinyurl.com/44mb6amr

Sega HQ relocating: https://tinyurl.com/38eyzs3t

New Vectrex shooter from Alan Wake dev: https://tinyurl.com/buup3kwp

WavePhoenix revives classic controller: https://tinyurl.com/ra7a8y9c

Fan remake of Altered Beast: https://tinyurl.com/5n8kn8rs

This week, we’re joined by the brilliant Tobias Kopka—aka Melkor of Haujobb—as we explore the importance of the demo scene. We explore how this underground digital art movement went from C64 crack intros to global recognition through the ‘Art of Coding’ UNESCO initiative. From the days of 2,000 sweaty kids attending events like The Gathering to international cultural bids, Tobias shares some amazing stories, including running demos on ATMs and sending them into space! 

Contents:

00:00 - The Week's Retro News Stories 

39:49 - Tobias Kopka Interview

Please visit our amazing sponsors and help to support the show:

Bitmap Books - https://www.bitmapbooks.com

Take your business to the next level today and enjoy 3 months of Shopify for £1/month: https://shopify.co.uk/retrohour

The Retro Hour Book: https://retrohour.myshopify.com/

We need your help to ensure the future of the podcast, if you'd like to help us with running costs, equipment and hosting, please consider supporting us on Patreon:

https://theretrohour.com/support/

https://www.patreon.com/retrohour

Get your Retro Hour merchandise: https://bit.ly/33OWBKd

Join our Discord channel: https://discord.gg/GQw8qp8

Website: http://theretrohour.com

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/theretrohour/

X: https://twitter.com/retrohouruk

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/retrohouruk/

Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/theretrohour.com

Twitch: https://www.twitch.tv/theretrohour

Show notes

Wii Homebrew Channel closes: https://tinyurl.com/yy32spc4

Frontier Force: https://tinyurl.com/53uy5u54

Breakspace Spectrum magazine – Issue 1 released: https://breakspace.itch.io/issue-1

Toys R Us – the movie: https://tinyurl.com/48trvmhm

Linecraft for Pico-8: https://tinyurl.com/5cbyrynu

We’re joined by legendary game developer American McGee, who takes us on a journey from his humble beginnings on the Timex Sinclair and Commodore 64 to designing iconic levels for Doom II and Quake. He shares behind-the-scenes stories from iD Software, reveals how a Ferrari-driving neighbour turned out to be John Carmack, and discusses the gothic inspirations behind American McGee’s Alice. Plus, we hear about his time at EA, and why being fired from iD turned out to be one of the best things that ever happened to him!

Contents:

00:00 - The Week's Retro News Stories 

35:28 - American McGee Interview

Please visit our amazing sponsors and help to support the show:

Bitmap Books - https://www.bitmapbooks.com

Take your business to the next level today and enjoy 3 months of Shopify for £1/month: https://shopify.co.uk/retrohour

The Retro Hour Book: https://retrohour.myshopify.com/

We need your help to ensure the future of the podcast, if you'd like to help us with running costs, equipment and hosting, please consider supporting us on Patreon:

https://theretrohour.com/support/

https://www.patreon.com/retrohour

Get your Retro Hour merchandise: https://bit.ly/33OWBKd

Join our Discord channel: https://discord.gg/GQw8qp8

Website: http://theretrohour.com

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/theretrohour/

X: https://twitter.com/retrohouruk

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/retrohouruk/

Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/theretrohour.com

Twitch: https://www.twitch.tv/theretrohour

Show notes

YouTube Turns 20: https://tinyurl.com/mrx88ybs

Windows on Game Boy: https://tinyurl.com/25mkwpdp

OutRun the Movie: https://tinyurl.com/5n6r8ntk

Neon Hearts City: https://tinyurl.com/yvezebcn

Upcoming events

RetCon 2025 – https://retconfestival.co.uk/

PT1210 – https://www.ptweekender.com/

RetroMessa – https://www.retromessa.no/

As the Commodore Amiga celebrates its 40th birthday, we hear stories from original developers Dale Luck, Jeff Porter, Andy Finkel, and others. Recorded live at VCF East in New Jersey, our Dan gets the story of this legendary machine direct from the people who made it happen.

Thanks to Amiga Bill for recording the interview, and joining us for the news this week!

🌟 Twitch: twitch.tv/AmigaBill

📺 YouTube: youtube.com/@AmigaBill

🌐 Website: AmigaBill.tv

VCF Event: https://vcfed.org/

Contents:

00:00 - The Week's Retro News Stories 

45:00 - Amiga 40th Panel

Please visit our amazing sponsors and help to support the show:

Bitmap Books - https://www.bitmapbooks.com

Take your business to the next level today and enjoy 3 months of Shopify for £1/month: https://shopify.co.uk/retrohour

The Retro Hour Book: https://retrohour.myshopify.com/

We need your help to ensure the future of the podcast, if you'd like to help us with running costs, equipment and hosting, please consider supporting us on Patreon:

https://theretrohour.com/support/

https://www.patreon.com/retrohour

Get your Retro Hour merchandise: https://bit.ly/33OWBKd

Join our Discord channel: https://discord.gg/GQw8qp8

Website: http://theretrohour.com

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/theretrohour/

X: https://twitter.com/retrohouruk

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/retrohouruk/

Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/theretrohour.com

Twitch: https://www.twitch.tv/theretrohour

Show notes

New Sega Saturn homebrew racer: https://tinyurl.com/2sn87by7

Compute’s Gazette returns: https://tinyurl.com/yc7km7yn

Limited Run DOOM I & II collection: https://tinyurl.com/yyw46vhc

AmigaOS update released: https://tinyurl.com/4fzbs2d8

Mechanoids 2 – The Final Conflict: https://tinyurl.com/3mkh48rs

This week we’re joined by Neil Haldar, a pivotal figure behind the legendary Unreal Tournament. From dropping out of medical school to leading major projects at Sierra Online, GT Interactive, and MGM Studios, Neil shares incredible stories from his time shaping iconic games. Plus, we rewind to the 3DO era, and get the inside story on licensed games like 007 Racing and Rocky.

Contents:

00:00 - The Week's Retro News Stories 

42:36 - Neil Haldar Interview

Please visit our amazing sponsors and help to support the show:

Bitmap Books - https://www.bitmapbooks.com

Take your business to the next level today and enjoy 3 months of Shopify for £1/month: https://shopify.co.uk/retrohour

The Retro Hour Book: https://retrohour.myshopify.com/

We need your help to ensure the future of the podcast, if you'd like to help us with running costs, equipment and hosting, please consider supporting us on Patreon:

https://theretrohour.com/support/

https://www.patreon.com/retrohour

Get your Retro Hour merchandise: https://bit.ly/33OWBKd

Join our Discord channel: https://discord.gg/GQw8qp8

Website: http://theretrohour.com

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/theretrohour/

X: https://twitter.com/retrohouruk

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/retrohouruk/

Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/theretrohour.com

Twitch: https://www.twitch.tv/theretrohour

Show notes

AI-generated Quake mixes reactions: https://tinyurl.com/tcevvphu

John Carmack defends AI Quake II level: https://tinyurl.com/55kne3rm

New N-Gage release: https://tinyurl.com/28rzes4x

The World Is Not Enough prototype: https://tinyurl.com/54vwzw6p

GameCube comes to Switch 2: https://tinyurl.com/3v7cujsc

This week, we catch up with Richard Moss and welcome first-time guest Connor O’Keane, the creative minds behind the spine-chilling documentary series TerrorBytes. In this follow-up to our earlier chat with the TerrorBytes team, we explore the evolution of horror in video games, from lo-fi jump scares to controversial bans and accidental nightmares. Plus, why horror in games is more than just guts and gore, and what really makes a game scary…

TerrorBytes website: https://terrorbytesdoc.com/

Contents:

00:00 - The Week's Retro News Stories 

35:09 - TerrorBytes Interview

Please visit our amazing sponsors and help to support the show:

Bitmap Books - https://www.bitmapbooks.com

Take your business to the next level today and enjoy 3 months of Shopify for £1/month: https://shopify.co.uk/retrohour

The Retro Hour Book: https://retrohour.myshopify.com/

We need your help to ensure the future of the podcast, if you'd like to help us with running costs, equipment and hosting, please consider supporting us on Patreon:

https://theretrohour.com/support/

https://www.patreon.com/retrohour

Get your Retro Hour merchandise: https://bit.ly/33OWBKd

Join our Discord channel: https://discord.gg/GQw8qp8

Website: http://theretrohour.com

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/theretrohour/

X: https://twitter.com/retrohouruk

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/retrohouruk/

Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/theretrohour.com

Twitch: https://www.twitch.tv/theretrohour

Show notes

Long Lost NES Populous Found: https://tinyurl.com/y434kfzw

Ghosts ’N Goblins Tribute Gladmort: https://tinyurl.com/ymr98anx

Krogharr – New Amiga Slasher: https://tinyurl.com/79xfph5p

Exploding PSPs Warning: https://tinyurl.com/mvj9msph

This week, we’re joined by YouTuber Kari Lawler, who’s breathing new life into vintage systems! At 21 years old, Kari’s love for old-school computing spans BBC Micros, Apple IIs, and even programming from classic magazine listings. We chat about her early coding days, winning a space tech challenge at 15, the origins of her channel, and why treating viewers with intelligence is the key to her fast-growing fanbase. 

Kari's Channel: https://www.youtube.com/@karilawler

Contents:

00:00 - The Week's Retro News Stories 

39:46 - Kari Lawler Interview

Please visit our amazing sponsors and help to support the show:

Bitmap Books - https://www.bitmapbooks.com

Take your business to the next level today and enjoy 3 months of Shopify for £1/month: https://shopify.co.uk/retrohour

The Retro Hour Book: https://retrohour.myshopify.com/

We need your help to ensure the future of the podcast, if you'd like to help us with running costs, equipment and hosting, please consider supporting us on Patreon:

https://theretrohour.com/support/

https://www.patreon.com/retrohour

Get your Retro Hour merchandise: https://bit.ly/33OWBKd

Join our Discord channel: https://discord.gg/GQw8qp8

Website: http://theretrohour.com

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/theretrohour/

X: https://twitter.com/retrohouruk

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/retrohouruk/

Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/theretrohour.com

Twitch: https://www.twitch.tv/theretrohour

Show notes

Sensi Soccer on NES found: https://tinyurl.com/4mdu5bp3

Another Nintendo PlayStation: https://tinyurl.com/yhw79w7x

Wipeout Dreamcast: https://youtu.be/01MuoxLTQ9o

Full Size Amiga 1200 delayed: https://tinyurl.com/y7e9jhet

This week, we chat to the creators of RogueCraft, a stunning new Amiga title that recently won an award at the Debug Indie game awards. Ricki and Henning from Badger Punch Games tell us about their roots in Norway’s Amiga scene to developing for the MEGA65 and building procedural magic on vintage hardware, they share the journey of crafting one of the most exciting modern Amiga games. 

Badger Punch Games: https://www.badgerpunch.com/

Contents:

00:00 - The Week's Retro News Stories 

44:48 - Badger Punch Games Interview

Please visit our amazing sponsors and help to support the show:

Bitmap Books - https://www.bitmapbooks.com

Take your business to the next level today and enjoy 3 months of Shopify for £1/month: https://shopify.co.uk/retrohour

The Retro Hour Book: https://retrohour.myshopify.com/

We need your help to ensure the future of the podcast, if you'd like to help us with running costs, equipment and hosting, please consider supporting us on Patreon:

https://theretrohour.com/support/

https://www.patreon.com/retrohour

Get your Retro Hour merchandise: https://bit.ly/33OWBKd

Join our Discord channel: https://discord.gg/GQw8qp8

Website: http://theretrohour.com

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/theretrohour/

X: https://twitter.com/retrohouruk

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/retrohouruk/

Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/theretrohour.com

Twitch: https://www.twitch.tv/theretrohour

Show notes

Sega Saturn games streamed from Wi-Fi: https://tinyurl.com/4jft5txa

You can now order CEX from JustEat: https://tinyurl.com/3cdhfxew

Cancelled SNES title ‘Mortal Kombat Nitro’: https://youtu.be/n8ovAVUZroU

USB hyper hack for Xbox 360: https://youtu.be/IUK__yGXmds

Counter-Strike remake: https://tinyurl.com/44axx4nk

This week, we hear about the origins of The Elder Scrolls with the legendary VJ Lakshman, co-creator and a key figure in Bethesda Softworks’ early days. From the D&D roots of Elder Scrolls, and how procedural generation shaped an RPG legend. VJ also shares stories from his work on The Terminator, Crash Bash, Spyro The Dragon, and his time at Warner Bros. & Turbine, working on Lord of the Rings Online and Dungeons & Dragons Online. 

VJ on Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/stores/author/B07B3T9RLG

Contents:

00:00 - The Week's Retro News Stories 

40:53 - VJ Lakshman Interview

Please visit our amazing sponsors and help to support the show:

Bitmap Books - https://www.bitmapbooks.com

Take your business to the next level today and enjoy 3 months of Shopify for £1/month: https://shopify.co.uk/retrohour

The Retro Hour Book: https://retrohour.myshopify.com/

We need your help to ensure the future of the podcast, if you'd like to help us with running costs, equipment and hosting, please consider supporting us on Patreon:

https://theretrohour.com/support/

https://www.patreon.com/retrohour

Get your Retro Hour merchandise: https://bit.ly/33OWBKd

Join our Discord channel: https://discord.gg/GQw8qp8

Website: http://theretrohour.com

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/theretrohour/

X: https://twitter.com/retrohouruk

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/retrohouruk/

Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/theretrohour.com

Twitch: https://www.twitch.tv/theretrohour

Show notes

Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 3+4 Remakes Announced: https://tinyurl.com/3vje2vhr

Spectrum Next Gets 3rd Kickstarter: https://tinyurl.com/4nbfst6p

SNES Is Getting Faster, Nobody Knows Why: https://tinyurl.com/ms8dfj62

Acclaim Rises from the Ashes: https://tinyurl.com/yrtuw56v

PS3 Gets an Update: https://tinyurl.com/4ucx5enu