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You’re Becoming Hysterical – Inside Alien: Isolation with Will Porter & Anthony Howell
What goes down when several creators of a cult classic finally step into the same room – over a decade on from shaping one of gaming’s most terrifying sci-fi experiences?
In this special episode of ReadyAimFire, we welcome Anthony Howell and Will Porter, two pivotal forces behind Alien: Isolation alongside our very own Kez, who provided the likeness and performance capture for Amanda Ripley. From the chaos of early table reads to alchemy inside the studio, together they reminisce over the creative process that redefined survival horror – and the Alien franchise itself.
You’ll hear:
- The cast’s first rehearsal felt like “table read for a film”, a rarity in video games, with the entire script in hand before anything was shot
- Will Porter landed his writing gig after showing a game demo in a pub. He never planned to stay, but became “part of the furniture” for a year and a half
- How Samuel’s iconic “can we see it?” line became a personal favourite of the writing team, living rent-free in their vocabulary
- Kez’s face was scanned for Amanda Ripley, before months later she had to return – just to have her ears scanned!
- Anthony Howell was gifted a handmade Samuels Christmas ornament by a fan, and proudly hangs it on his tree every year.
“The thrill of being part of that franchise was definitely there because it's iconic, it's a huge thing. It was more excitement than nerves.” – Anthony Howell
Whether you’re new to the original, or a superfan whetting your appetite for the upcoming Alien: Isolation 2 – this episode’s a timely trip down memory lane, and an insight into the creation of a gaming classic.
🧭 Timestamps:
00:00:28 - Alien: Isolation “reunion” – meeting again after over 10 years
00:02:38 - Anthony Howell’s surprise: only his second game job
00:03:18 - How games were uncharted territory for many UK actors
00:05:41 - Project Zomboid’s unique vision and unexpected cult following
00:07:31 - Designing vulnerability: traits and accessibility in Zomboid
00:08:33 - Will Porter joins Alien: Isolation to provide “overflow writing”
00:09:47 - Creative adaptation: writing for evolving game features in real time
00:13:53 - “Like a film”: sensations from the first full script table read
00:15:29 - Anthony on acting Samuels: “a good android” and emotional restraint
00:17:30 - How Kate Saxon’s theatre background shapes performance direction
00:20:11 - The epic “spacewalk” scene – bringing theatre scale to games
00:22:45 - Will on the thrill of experiencing RSC actors performing his lines
00:24:23 - Being part of something that changes a franchise
00:28:08 - The special feeling of performance capture versus ‘just’ voice
00:29:00 - Streaming the game: Anthony’s hilarious trouble escaping the pods
00:33:48 - Building fear: rules for vulnerability and horror in game design
00:41:06 - Getting her ears scanned - a first for Kez
00:42:19 - The real question: how would you survive a zombie (or Alien) attack?
👤 Guest Info:Anthony Howell is an actor who has appeared as lead roles with the RSC as well as on TV in series like Foyle’s War and Outlander. His gaming credits include Black Myth Wukong, Final Fantasy XVI and Margit in the Elden Ring series.
🌐IMDb 📸 Instagram
Will Porter has written for many games as well as Alien: Isolation, including No Man’s Sky, Observation and Mafia: Definitive Edition. He’s also the creator-writer-director of cult Steam smash, Project Zomboid.
🌐IMDb 📸 Instagram
🔗 Resources & Mentions:(chronological order of appearance)
- Alien: Isolation
- Alien (Film, 1979)
- Alien Covenant
- Alien: Romulus
- Castlevania: Lords of Shadow
- Creative Assembly (Studio)
- Need for Speed: Shift 2
- Electronic Arts (EA)
- Project Zomboid
- Horizon Zero Dawn
- Kate Saxon (Director)
- Dan Abnett (Writer)
- Dion Lay (Writer)
- Mafia: Definitive Edition
- RSC (Royal Shakespeare Company)
- Red Dwarf (TV)
- Observation
- Dead Space
- Pac-Man
- Brain Academy
- Tetris
- Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2
- World of Warcraft
💬 Quotes:
“I'd never really worked with actors properly before that first time. When you became Samuels, it was like some sort of amazing magic trick.”
– Will Porter
"It will go down as one of the things I feel incredibly proud of and. And it was an amazing experience."
– Anthony Howell
Enjoyed the episode? Don’t forget to:
- Follow the podcast on Spotify or Apple Podcasts
- Subscribe on YouTube for full episodes and clips
- Leave a review and let us know who you want featured next!
🎧 Check Out More ReadyAimFire Episodes:
- Episode 1: Devora Wilde on Lae’zel and Performance in Baldur’s Gate 3
- Episode 2: Michael Geary on Warhammer, Magic, and Mushroom Warriors
- Episode 3: Damien Goodwin on directing Returnal, Helldivers 2 and more
- Episode 4: Doug Cockle on D&D love and voicing Geralt in the Witcher
- Episode 5: Tom McKay & Luke Dale on Kingdom Come Deliverance 2
- Episode 6: Kirsty Gillmore on directing for games including Baldur’s Gate 3
- Episode 7: Hannah Price, Oli Chance, Morgan Rushton & Martin Vaughan on Final Fantasy XVI
🔗 Listen & Subscribe:
🎧 Spotify: https://readyaimfire.tv/spotify
🍏 Apple Podcasts: https://readyaimfire.tv/apple
▶️ YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@ReadyAimFireStudio
🌍 Website & Email Sign-Up: https://readyaimfire.tv
📱 Follow ReadyAimFire:Instagram: @readyaimfirestudio
TikTok: @readyaimfirestudio
Twitter/X: @rdymfr
LinkedIn: ReadyAimFire
Bluesky: readyaimfire.bsky.social
New episodes drop every other week.
Subscribe now and rediscover the games you love.
Listen to ReadyAimFire
Copyright 2026 ReadyAimFire
View all episodes
By ReadyAimFireWhat goes down when several creators of a cult classic finally step into the same room – over a decade on from shaping one of gaming’s most terrifying sci-fi experiences?
In this special episode of ReadyAimFire, we welcome Anthony Howell and Will Porter, two pivotal forces behind Alien: Isolation alongside our very own Kez, who provided the likeness and performance capture for Amanda Ripley. From the chaos of early table reads to alchemy inside the studio, together they reminisce over the creative process that redefined survival horror – and the Alien franchise itself.
You’ll hear:
- The cast’s first rehearsal felt like “table read for a film”, a rarity in video games, with the entire script in hand before anything was shot
- Will Porter landed his writing gig after showing a game demo in a pub. He never planned to stay, but became “part of the furniture” for a year and a half
- How Samuel’s iconic “can we see it?” line became a personal favourite of the writing team, living rent-free in their vocabulary
- Kez’s face was scanned for Amanda Ripley, before months later she had to return – just to have her ears scanned!
- Anthony Howell was gifted a handmade Samuels Christmas ornament by a fan, and proudly hangs it on his tree every year.
“The thrill of being part of that franchise was definitely there because it's iconic, it's a huge thing. It was more excitement than nerves.” – Anthony Howell
Whether you’re new to the original, or a superfan whetting your appetite for the upcoming Alien: Isolation 2 – this episode’s a timely trip down memory lane, and an insight into the creation of a gaming classic.
🧭 Timestamps:
00:00:28 - Alien: Isolation “reunion” – meeting again after over 10 years
00:02:38 - Anthony Howell’s surprise: only his second game job
00:03:18 - How games were uncharted territory for many UK actors
00:05:41 - Project Zomboid’s unique vision and unexpected cult following
00:07:31 - Designing vulnerability: traits and accessibility in Zomboid
00:08:33 - Will Porter joins Alien: Isolation to provide “overflow writing”
00:09:47 - Creative adaptation: writing for evolving game features in real time
00:13:53 - “Like a film”: sensations from the first full script table read
00:15:29 - Anthony on acting Samuels: “a good android” and emotional restraint
00:17:30 - How Kate Saxon’s theatre background shapes performance direction
00:20:11 - The epic “spacewalk” scene – bringing theatre scale to games
00:22:45 - Will on the thrill of experiencing RSC actors performing his lines
00:24:23 - Being part of something that changes a franchise
00:28:08 - The special feeling of performance capture versus ‘just’ voice
00:29:00 - Streaming the game: Anthony’s hilarious trouble escaping the pods
00:33:48 - Building fear: rules for vulnerability and horror in game design
00:41:06 - Getting her ears scanned - a first for Kez
00:42:19 - The real question: how would you survive a zombie (or Alien) attack?
👤 Guest Info:Anthony Howell is an actor who has appeared as lead roles with the RSC as well as on TV in series like Foyle’s War and Outlander. His gaming credits include Black Myth Wukong, Final Fantasy XVI and Margit in the Elden Ring series.
🌐IMDb 📸 Instagram
Will Porter has written for many games as well as Alien: Isolation, including No Man’s Sky, Observation and Mafia: Definitive Edition. He’s also the creator-writer-director of cult Steam smash, Project Zomboid.
🌐IMDb 📸 Instagram
🔗 Resources & Mentions:(chronological order of appearance)
- Alien: Isolation
- Alien (Film, 1979)
- Alien Covenant
- Alien: Romulus
- Castlevania: Lords of Shadow
- Creative Assembly (Studio)
- Need for Speed: Shift 2
- Electronic Arts (EA)
- Project Zomboid
- Horizon Zero Dawn
- Kate Saxon (Director)
- Dan Abnett (Writer)
- Dion Lay (Writer)
- Mafia: Definitive Edition
- RSC (Royal Shakespeare Company)
- Red Dwarf (TV)
- Observation
- Dead Space
- Pac-Man
- Brain Academy
- Tetris
- Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2
- World of Warcraft
💬 Quotes:
“I'd never really worked with actors properly before that first time. When you became Samuels, it was like some sort of amazing magic trick.”
– Will Porter
"It will go down as one of the things I feel incredibly proud of and. And it was an amazing experience."
– Anthony Howell
Enjoyed the episode? Don’t forget to:
- Follow the podcast on Spotify or Apple Podcasts
- Subscribe on YouTube for full episodes and clips
- Leave a review and let us know who you want featured next!
🎧 Check Out More ReadyAimFire Episodes:
- Episode 1: Devora Wilde on Lae’zel and Performance in Baldur’s Gate 3
- Episode 2: Michael Geary on Warhammer, Magic, and Mushroom Warriors
- Episode 3: Damien Goodwin on directing Returnal, Helldivers 2 and more
- Episode 4: Doug Cockle on D&D love and voicing Geralt in the Witcher
- Episode 5: Tom McKay & Luke Dale on Kingdom Come Deliverance 2
- Episode 6: Kirsty Gillmore on directing for games including Baldur’s Gate 3
- Episode 7: Hannah Price, Oli Chance, Morgan Rushton & Martin Vaughan on Final Fantasy XVI
🔗 Listen & Subscribe:
🎧 Spotify: https://readyaimfire.tv/spotify
🍏 Apple Podcasts: https://readyaimfire.tv/apple
▶️ YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@ReadyAimFireStudio
🌍 Website & Email Sign-Up: https://readyaimfire.tv
📱 Follow ReadyAimFire:Instagram: @readyaimfirestudio
TikTok: @readyaimfirestudio
Twitter/X: @rdymfr
LinkedIn: ReadyAimFire
Bluesky: readyaimfire.bsky.social
New episodes drop every other week.
Subscribe now and rediscover the games you love.
Listen to ReadyAimFire
Copyright 2026 ReadyAimFire