The AIAS Game Maker's Notebook

Robin Hunicke returns as guest host and sits down with Lucas Pope (Return of the Obra Dinn, Papers, Please). They discuss their start in games, formulating Papers Please, the urge to continue learning, and how important relationships are when telling a story. Pope is an American-born developer. He is best known for Papers, Please and Return of the Obra Dinn. For info on the AIAS, follow us on Twitter @Official_AIAS, Facebook or visit us at interactive.org. Email at info@interactive.org.

Shuhei Yoshida joins Ted to talk about Sony's approach to new IP, his thoughts on VR, where the industry is heading, how players are evolving and what it means for developers. Shuhei Yoshida is the President of Sony's Worldwide Studios for Sony Interactive Entertainment. The Worldwide Studios operation includes over a dozen studios globally, across US, Europe, and Japan. For info on the AIAS, follow us on Twitter @Official_AIAS, Facebook or visit us at interactive.org.

At DICE19, Robin Hunicke chats with Justin Ma (FTL: Faster Than Light, Into the Breach) about following up on a successful game, development hurdles, finding strength in uncertainty, and discovering success by creating the games they want to play. Ma is a co-founder, artist, & designer at Subset Games. He is best known for his work on FTL: Faster Than Light. For news and info on the AIAS, follow us on Twitter @Official_AIAS, Facebook or visit us at interactive.org. Email us at info@interactive

To kick off season 2 of GMN, Ted sits down with Bryan Intihar (Spider-Man PS4) to talk about his journey from journalist to game developer, the challenges of working on an existing IP, and his perspective on what it takes to be a successful creative director. Intihar is the Creative Director on Marvel's Spider-Man at Insomniac Games.  For news and info on the AIAS, follow us on Twitter @Official_AIAS, Facebook or visit us at interactive.org. Email us at info@interactive.org.

Vince Zampella (Call of Duty, Titanfall) stops by to chat with Ted about building successful companies, growing multiple teams, and making tough decisions in AAA development. Zampella is the Founder and CEO of Respawn Entertainment. He is best known for creating the Call of Duty series. For news and info on the AIAS, follow us on Twitter @Official_AIAS, Facebook or visit us at interactive.org. Email us at info@interactive.org.

Mike Bithell (Thomas Was Alone, Volume) joins guest host Robin Hunicke (Journey, Luna) to talk about team dynamics, developer career transitions, guide rails for young developers, and maintaining an online presence. Bithell is the CEO and Founder of Bithell Games. He is best known for his work on Thomas Was Alone.  For news and info on the AIAS, follow us on Twitter @Official_AIAS, Facebook or visit us at interactive.org. Email us at info@interactive.org.

Kelly Wallick sits down with guest host Robin Hunicke (Journey, Luna) to chat about curating online marketplaces to attract new consumers, designing humane software, and their lasting friendship.  Wallick is the CEO and Founder of Indie MEGABOOTH, dedicated to the display and promotion of indie games.   For news and info on the AIAS, follow us on Twitter @Official_AIAS, Facebook or visit us at interactive.org. Email us at info@interactive.org.

Jenova Chen (Journey, Flower) joins Ted on the show to talk about balancing creative risks, building a universally accepted game, interpreting test data like a doctor, and how thatgamecompany is just like a pirate ship. Chen is the President & Creative Director at thatgamecompany. He is best known for his work on Journey. For news and info on the AIAS, follow us on Twitter @Official_AIAS, Facebook or visit us at interactive.org. Email us at info@interactive.org.

Jason Rubin (Crash Bandicoot, Jak and Daxter) stops by to chat with Ted about founding Naughty Dog, leaving and returning to the industry, and the current state of VR. Rubin is the VP of Content at Oculus. He is best known for the Crash Bandicoot and Jak and Daxter series. For news and info on the AIAS, follow us on Twitter @Official_AIAS, Facebook or visit us at interactive.org. Email us at info@interactive.org.

Ashraf Ismail (Assassin's Creed IV: Black Flag, Assassin's Creed Origins) sits down with Ted to talk about building large scale game systems, respecting cultures and history, the challenges of quest creation, and why it's important that games are worth their price. Ismail is a game director at Ubisoft. His work includes Assassin's Creed Origins and Assassin's Creed IV: Black Flag. Follow us on Twitter @Official_AIAS, Facebook or visit us at interactive.org. Email us at info@interactive.org.

Industry veteren Tim Schafer (Psychonauts, Grim Fandango) stops by to chat with Ted about creating new IP, humor in games, celebrity culture, crowdfunding games, and Double Fine's publishing efforts. Schafer is a game designer and the founder of Double Fine Productions. He is best known for games like Full Throttle, Grim Fandango, Psychonauts, and Brütal Legend. Follow us on Twitter @Official_AIAS, Facebook or visit us at interactive.org. Email us at info@interactive.org.

A special episode with Artist and Into the Pixel winner, Romain Jouandeau of Sucker Punch Productions for his winning piece “Cove” from upcoming game Ghost of Tsushima. Bob Rafei of Big Red Button Entertainment chats with Jouandeau about his process as a concept artist, the impact of growing up by the sea, and their greatest artistic inspirations.   For news and info on the AIAS, follow us on Twitter @Official_AIAS, Facebook or visit us at interactive.org. Email us at info@interactive.org.

Siobhan Reddy (LittleBigPlanet) sits down with Ted to talk about the upcoming game Dreams, the importance of community support, user-generated content, and the "glitter and doom" that comes with being a game developer. Reddy is the co-founder and studio director of Media Molecule. The studio is best known for their title LittleBigPlanet. For news and info on the AIAS, follow us on Twitter @Official_AIAS, Facebook or visit us at interactive.org. Email us at info@interactive.org.

Ru Weerasuriya (Lone Echo) chats with Ted about his experience starting a company, building his team's culture, the common thread in their respective games, and the world of virtual reality. Weerasuriya is the Founder/CEO & Creative Director of Ready At Dawn Studios.  For news and info on the AIAS, follow us on Twitter @Official_AIAS, Facebook or visit us at interactive.org. Email us at info@interactive.org.

Cory Barlog (God of War) stops by to share with Ted stories from God of War's development, the impact of social media on games, the experience gained through failures, and the expectations of present-day gamers. Barlog is the creative director at SIE Santa Monica Studio. He is best known for his work on the God of War series. For news and info on the AIAS, follow us on Twitter @Official_AIAS, Facebook or visit us at interactive.org. Email us at info@interactive.org.