Nathan Wooten of Wooshido joins us on the 'cast, discussing many things, including the day-to-day of being a published indie dev fighting for exposure, what it's like to have a rival game's release timing overshadow your game, different strategies for games to engage with their communities and monetize, and the pros and cons of story-driven games vs. "endless" games.

Nathan Wooten is the owner of Wooshido, an indie studio known for Cast Out Colony and Toaster Defense, both of which have been well-received at GDEX over the years. Check out their newest game, Smash Out Colony, which was released this January!

Visit this episode's page and watch the video version at https://www.thesandbox.space/podcast/260617

Watch the show live on Twitch: https://www.twitch.tv/thegdex

Claire Molitors has 10 years of experience in literacy education and curriculum development and has earned a BFA in Creative Writing and MA in Applied Linguistics. Currently she is a doctoral student in Instructional Design, with a focus on Game Development and researching women in collegiate competitive esports. You can visit her Weebly or check out Turtle Burger Gaming on YouTube or TikTok.

https://www.thegdex.com/speakers-2026/claire-molitors

Visit this episode's page and watch the video version at https://www.thesandbox.space/podcast/260610

Watch the show live on Twitch: https://www.twitch.tv/thegdex

Andrew Czarapata joins us this week, with Tom as special guest host standing in for Chris.

Andrew is the owner and founder of Chiaroscuro Entertainment, currently developing Odyssey of Dremid'ir, which released last month! Check out their YouTube for gameplay videos, developer streams and vlogs.

Visit this episode's page and watch the video version at https://www.thesandbox.space/podcast/260603

Watch the show live on Twitch: https://www.twitch.tv/thegdex

Today's guest is Adam Keith from Tekkou Studios. #gamedev

Adam Keith is Director and Developer at indie studio Tekkou Studios. They have made Stitched Together on Steam and are planning to debut their new game QURIOUS at GDEX 2026.

Visit this episode's page and watch the video version at https://www.thesandbox.space/podcast/260527

Watch the show live on Twitch: https://www.twitch.tv/thegdex

The team from Creation Mode Studios joins us to talk about their game Violets of Amicus.

Daniel and Kennedy Jewett run Creation Mode Studios together. They have been working on The Violets of Amicus since 2018, and recently made the jump to being full-time game developers.

Visit this episode's page and watch the video version at https://www.thesandbox.space/podcast/260520

Watch the show live on Twitch: https://www.twitch.tv/thegdex

Special Guest A.J. Caimi from ajtoons joins us on this week's episode.

A.J. Caimi is an indie dev and is the founder and solo developer of a studio called ajtoons, working on a visual novel called SIS and BRO: The Cyborg Siblings.

Visit this episode's page and watch the video version at https://www.thesandbox.space/podcast/260506

Watch the show live on Twitch: https://www.twitch.tv/thegdex

Friend of the show Caleb Eno is this weeks special guest to discuss the new changes to #xbox #gamepass pricing. #oregontrail. And the continual layoffs in the tech space.

Caleb Eno is one of Ohio's most devoted and passionate developers and is a core admin of the Central Ohio Gamedev Group. He has been building web and application software since at least 2015 and knows a thing or two about cybersecurity, technical design, level design and educational software. You can catch him gaming with his wife as GamingInTheGarret on YouTube and Twitch. You can also hear him on another podcast, Pages of Play, on Spotify and Apple Podcasts.

Visit this episode's page and watch the video version at https://www.thesandbox.space/podcast/260429

Watch the show live on Twitch: https://www.twitch.tv/thegdex

Adam Bankhurst from IGN is our guest today.  @IGN 

Adam Bankhurst is a news writer, reviewer, and features writer for IGN, where he also helps manage the homepage. Having joined in 2018, he has written thousands of articles and covers major gaming and entertainment events like E3 and PAX. Before IGN, Bankhurst gained experience in a variety of roles, including co-founding the website and podcast The Gamer's Advocate and serving as a chief strategy officer for a marketing group. An Ohio native, he also works with Extra Life Columbus, a fundraising program of Children’s Miracle Network Hospitals® which raises money for Nationwide Children's Hospital. Bankhurst is known for his expertise in all things related to gaming and entertainment franchises, particularly Disney, Star Wars, and Marvel. You can find him on Twitter and Instagram.

Visit this episode's page and watch the video version at https://www.thesandbox.space/podcast/260422

Watch the show live on Twitch: https://www.twitch.tv/thegdex

Chris Kuhn is our special guest talking about his latest game.

Chris Kuhn runs Casey Jones Labs and plans to present a new game called SkyChart: Airline Executive at GDEX 2026.

Visit this episode's page and watch the video version at https://www.thesandbox.space/podcast/260415

Watch the show live on Twitch: https://www.twitch.tv/thegdex

Jeff Stevens joins us this week to talk about the exciting world of ASCII art and creating a cult simulator.

Jeffrey Stevens is founder of Bucephalus Studios (Website) and creator of CultGame (Steam, Itch.io)

Visit this episode's page and watch the video version at https://www.thesandbox.space/podcast/260408

Watch the show live on Twitch: https://www.twitch.tv/thegdex