Game Maker's Notebook

Karrie Shao chats with Mega Crit Games Co-Founder Casey Yano. Together they discuss developing the Slay the Spire series which helped kick off the deckbuilder genre; design pillars and an emphasis on clear information; how streamers picking it up lead to its meteoric rise; what they added to the formula in Slay the Spire II and how they implemented coop; how they parse feedback; and what happened when they upset a large portion of their Chinese audience.
This episode is supported by 
Xsolla
iam8bit
Episode Host: Karrie Shao
Producers: Claudio Tapia and Josh Chu, The Academy of Interactive Arts & Sciences
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Alexa Ray Corriea chats with actor Judy Alice Lee. Together they discuss how she began her career as a recording engineer before finding herself inside the acting booth; how game accents differ from real life; her fears on overexposure; landing the role of Melinoë in Hades II and its 12,000+ lines of dialogue; and her tips as a remote actor for the perfect home recording studio.
This episode is supported by 
Xsolla
iam8bit
Episode Host: Alexa Ray Corriea
Producers: Claudio Tapia and Josh Chu, The Academy of Interactive Arts & Sciences
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Please consider supporting game dev students with: AIAS Foundation

Trent Kusters chats with Yacht Club Games' Founder Sean Velasco. Together they discuss Yacht Club's follow up to the Shovel Knight series, Mina the Hollower including what they wanted to do differently from their previous titles; working within the Game Boy Color aesthetic and how that affects game design; the dangers of scope creep and importance of guiding principles; balancing combat complexity; and what's next for their studio.
This episode is supported by
Xsolla
Episode Host: Trent Kusters
Producers: Claudio Tapia and Josh Chu, The Academy of Interactive Arts & Sciences
If you enjoyed this episode, please consider subscribing and leaving us a rating and review.
Support the show and get all of our episodes early/ad-free: https://bit.ly/4kU34Lt
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Please consider supporting game dev students with: AIAS Foundation

Trent Kusters chats with Hakan Abrak, CEO & Co-Owner of IO Interactive. Hakan is also the Game Director on IOI's take on the Bond legacy with 007 First Light. Together they discuss how IOI met with MGM and the Ian Fleming estate to first pitch the project; the responsibilities they felt to stay true to the Bond IP; balancing dialogue and humor and how that differs from film to games; the casting process of finding a new Bond; and what they learned from the Hitman series that informed the design of a 007 experience.
This episode is supported by
Xsolla
Episode Host: Trent Kusters
Producers: Claudio Tapia and Josh Chu, The Academy of Interactive Arts & Sciences
If you enjoyed this episode, please consider subscribing and leaving us a rating and review.
Support the show and get all of our episodes early/ad-free: https://bit.ly/4kU34Lt
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Please consider supporting game dev students with: AIAS Foundation

Adam Orth chats Allen Murray, Studio Head of ZA/UM Studio and Head of Production on ZERO PARADES: For Dead Spies. Together they discuss the legacy of the studio and the pressure of following up a beloved debut in Disco Elysium; the deliberate choices they made around the setting and themes; how they implemented over 700,000 words of dialogue; making every decision and moment impactful to avoid ludonarrative dissonance; and balancing their creative vision while deescalating risk.
This episode is sponsored by:
Xsolla
Episode Host: Adam Orth
Producers: Claudio Tapia and Josh Chu, The Academy of Interactive Arts & Sciences
If you enjoyed this episode, please consider subscribing and leaving us a rating and review.
Support the show and get all of our episodes early/ad-free: https://bit.ly/4kU34Lt
Follow us: linktr.ee/AIAS
Please consider supporting game dev students with: AIAS Foundation