Pixel Pizza

Put on your nicest pair of headphones and get ready for a masterful audio experience with music designer Seth Wright! Seth's brought his talents to acclaimed titles like Ori and the Will of the Wisps, Marvel's Iron Man VR, and Batman: Arkham Shadow. Most recently he's gone freelance and founded Wright Music Interactive. We discuss the making of those projects and a bunch more on this week's show! Featuring music from Waddoop

We are back with a brand new game industry interview, and it's a blast! WayForward Producer Austin Ivansmith joins us to talk about his directorial process on games like DuckTales Remastered and The Mummy Demastered, as well as the live TV-like interactive experience Silent Hill: Ascension. We also discuss unconventional ways to communicate your vision to your teammates, typos in emails, and woodworking. With music from Grounds.!LINKS:☁️ Austin's Bluesky: ivandashsmith.bsky.social

No new guest this week, sorry!

Get crafty with us this week as we chat with Art Director & UI Artist Sofie Wikström! Sofie worked for years on the LittleBigPlanet franchise, as well as other popular titles like SteamWorld Build and the recently released Islanders: New Shores. She tells us about overcoming burnout, breaking down the art style of a franchise when developing sequels, and the importance of making environments look literally good enough to eat! Featuring tunes from JamelBurger

This week we have a fantastic conversation with Co-Lead at 7th Beat Games, Kyle Labriola! Kyle has worked on the popular rhythm games A Dance of Fire and Ice and Rhythm Doctor, and he's also done animation work on some of the Jackbox games. We discuss how Kyle "fell into" the industry, his initial reluctance to call himself a game developer, how Rhythm Doctor has evolved in its 10+ year development cycle, and accessibility for blind players. Plus music from PICE!LINKS:☁️ Kyle's BlueSky: https://kylelabriola.bsky.social

Gear up for an all-new Pixel Pizza with multidisciplinary artist Mark LaCroix! Mark runs the development & publishing studio Noble Robot. He talks about creating animations for the show Parks & Recreation, building an open-source engine for the PlayDate handheld, game design philosophies, and his involvement on previous guest JJ's Blippo+! Plus lots more AND music from Kaskatron!LINKS:

Take a trip out of the airwaves and Into the Unwell with Mathias Johansson and Andreas Göransson of the Swedish game studio She Was Such a Good Horse! Mathias is the studio's Co-Founder and Andreas is its Creative Community Manager, and they're currently hard at work on the cartoon-inspired roguelike brawler/platformer Into the Unwell. We discuss recreating the classic rubber-hose animation style in 3D, the importance of contextual abilities in roguelikes, and giving power to the powerless. Featuring music from GLLTCH!LINKS:

You made it to Friday!

Tune in to an all-new episode of the Pixel Pizza Podcast featuring music video director, commercial producer, and game developer Jennifer Jupiter Stratford! JJ's new FMV game Blippo+ is out on PlayDate and coming soon to Nintendo Switch. We get into recapturing the public access era of TV in a loving and authentic way, building confidence as an artist, and also her work with Sabrina Carpenter! Plus music from CMYKitsune & Alison Grace

Drop on in for an extremely fun episode this week featuring the director of the acclaimed indie adventure game OneShot, NightMargin! She tells us about pivoting from biology studies to game development, the process of creating OneShot, and her current work on the upcoming Margin of the Strange! Then we swap stories about our strangest dreams and keeping things too long in the freezer. Featuring music from BeatScribe!LINKS:☁️ NightMargin's BlueSky: http://nightmargin.bsky.social

Dive into a new Pixel Pizza featuring accomplished game designer James Beech! James has contributed design work to AAA games like Crysis 3, Darksiders 3, and Metroid Prime...4! He's also been making his own independent games: the philosophical exploration-focused titles Ultraworld and Carceri. We discuss gameplay flow in Metroidvanias, telling a story within an individual game level, and go to some really deep places by the end. With music from Luke Carlin again!LINKS:☁️ James' Bluesky: http://neonserpent.bsky.social

This week we had a blast chatting with Galen Drew, Art Director at Aggro Crab! Galen's worked on a number of VR and AR projects for major studios, the award-winning soulslike Another Crab's Treasure, and recently released one of the summer's biggest hit games: Peak. Galen tells us about the joy of the process over the product, the challenges of going into a leadership role as a creative, and applying game design to procedural level generation in Peak. Plus a lot more! With music from Pink Orca~LINKS:☁️ Aggro Crab BlueSky: https://aggrocrabgames.bsky.social

This episode originally aired on December 22nd, 2023.Excited to revisit one of our most popular episodes, a talk from nearly 2 years ago with indie developer InsertDisc5 aka Adrienne Bazir! In the time since this episode went up, Adrienne has released a new visual novel called This Game Will End in 205 Clicks. She's also announced her next major project, Truth Scrapper! Learn more about her background and the breakout hit In Stars and Time in this super fun episode. With music from Mabisyo!LINKS:

Rain or shine, we are here with another Pixel Pizza! This week's guest is Doinksoft Creative Director, Britt Brady. Britt and his team have put out some incredible pixelated action games including Gato Roboto, Gunbrella, and Demon Throttle. Britt discusses his process on character controls, team communication, and his side projects for the Game Boy Color. Plus new music from Minus World!LINKS:☁️ Britt's BlueSky: brittbrady.bsky.social

On this week's show it was a blast talking with the Nebula Award-nominated and BAFTA longlisted narrative designer/writer, Karrie Shao! You might know her best from the recent roguelike hit Pacific Drive, but she's also worked on the lore for League of Legends and done marketing for games like BlazBlue Cross Tag Battle. We get into all of the unique opportunities she's had in her career and how to get players invested in game stories without cutscenes. With music from Hypervolt ⚡️LINKS:☁️ Karrie's BlueSky: karriebear.bsky.social

On this week's show we're talking with Systems Designer Jan Stec Russo! His work has spanned across multiple studios, including Toys For Bob, Schell Games, Phoenix Labs, and his current role at Magic Soup. Jan talks about nailing down Crash's signature spin move in Crash 4 & Crash Team Rumble, mentoring young designers, and how he processed getting laid off and was able to move on. With music from Lili Gasanj! LINKS:

This week on the show we've got the designer of two of the most iconic and artistic games to hit mobile: Monument Valley and Florence! Ken Wong tells us about how fan art led us to his work on Alice: Madness Returns, designing games with social media UI in mind, and taking (and giving) inspiration from a variety of sources. Plus, music from Bloomfield Machine!LINKS:

Get some valuable insight on leadership, solo game development, and persistence with this week's guest: Renee Gittins! Renee served as Executive Director of the International Game Developers Association and General Manager at Phoenix Labs (developers of Dauntless) among many other studios before starting her own studio, Stumbling Cat. Alongside game development, she also makes comedic TikTok vids about her experience in the industry! Hear about all of this and more on this week's show, plus chiptunes from Conkos!LINKS:

This pizza IS fit for consumption

Take a seat by the campfire and join us for a deep conversation with Vidu of Team Empreintes, developers of the asymmetrical conversation game Fireside Feelings. Vidu tells us about how he pivoted from working on film to games, making an experience focused on listening, and sending pop-up cards to publishers! With music from Hoznok~LINKS:

Step into the macabre, poetic world of the hand-sculpted adventure game The Midnight Walk with its co-directors, Klaus Lyngeled and Olov Redmalm! Klaus speaks on his decades of experience in the industry with Shiny Entertainment and Zoink, and how he came to meet and bond with Klaus over their shared sensibilities in making games like Lost in Random. The duo share their character-first creation process, maturing the themes of their games over time, and how the recently announced TV adaptation came to be! Featuring music from 29Q

Join us this week for an in-depth chat with Animation Lead at Fair Play Labs, Ariana Bolaños Guevara! She's directed animated projects for a variety of studios, and is now working on the upcoming SpeedRunners 2: King of Speed. Ariana gets vulnerable about her childhood and how it defined her as a creative. She also gets into the process of animating fighting game characters and communicating across disciplines. Plus, music from Dane Certificate!LINKS:

Draw your sword and prepare for an exhilarating repartee with Concept Artist & Art Director Julien Fenoglio! We discuss the many hats he wore on the production of the indie hit swashbuckler En Garde! Julien also shares stories from his experience translating, researching world mythologies, and other wisdom from ten years in the industry. With music from (T-T)b!LINKS:

Swipe right on this week's episode to hear from writer on the hotly anticipated dating sim Date Everything, Jay Choi! Jay tells us about his background in writing for animation and film, finding his way into the industry by being a "LEGO drug dealer", and making wholesome romantic storylines. Music from Epshirey!LINKS:

It's been a while since the last compilation episode, but here we are again with a little taste of the past year of Pixel Pizza. Hear some stories you might have missed about making connections, making mistakes, and making concepts into reality! If you like what you hear, please go back and listen to the full episodes these are taken from! With new chiptune music from Panther Cat Animal

Hey hey! We're back with a talk with composer & community manager Kimi Arquines. Kimi talks about how her work as a social worker informed both her music making process and how she brings people together as part of the AAPI in Gaming group, Amir Satvat's Games Community, and her job at Intel Gaming. She's also composing for an upcoming indie game by Guava Pixel Studios (guavapixelstudios.com). Plus the story of how I won $10,000 on a game show! Music from Azakaela

Pizza à la mode? More likely than you think

For our 157th show (yes, really

Have you heard? Game Informer is BACK! Here to explain it all is Executive Editor Brian Shea. Brian and I discuss his start in music journalism and the risks he took to put himself out there in writing about games. Lots of talk about cooking and Pittsburgh too! Plus, some chiptune rock from Kade Kalka

Enter the Spooky Doorway (Studio) and meet its co-owner & narrative designer, Dave McCabe! Dave tells us about his background in filmmaking and tabletop games, and how he and his writing team flesh out characters for their mystery games: The Darkside Detective franchise and the upcoming Séance of Blake Manor. Chiptune music from Flleeppyy!LINKS:☁️ Spooky Doorway BlueSky: https://bsky.app/profile/spookydoorway.bsky.social

We're going beyond the average podcast experience with this week's guests, Beyond the Board devs Guilherme Gama and Bruno Mascarenhas ♟️ Their game is. The three of us discuss roombas, design sketches, and nonlinear puzzle design. Music from MoGesus!LINKS:

Get ready to get cryptic with a look into the works of narrative designer Jonas Tarestad! He's collaborated with award-winning Swedish game studio Simogo on games including Year Walk, Device 6, and last year's Lorelei and the Laser Eyes. We discuss engaging players outside of the game, the thin line between the player and the character, and pizza on a farm. Music from Luke Carlin!LINKS:☁️ Jonas's Bluesky: http://jonastarestad.bsky.social

This week we sit down with Brazilian 2D animator & 3D artist Juli Ivy! In her 10+ year career in the industry, Juli has worked on lavishly animated games including Skullgirls, Indivisible, and Dawn of the Monsters. We get into graphic design, accessibility in games, and giant robots

Wake up and listen up

This episode originally aired on February 10, 2023.I can't believe it's been two years since this great chat with Fallen Aces co-creator Trey Powell! In the time since then the game has been released into Early Access on Steam and garnered over 5,000 positive reviews! If you've been enjoying the game and want to know more about Trey, now's the perfect time. Music from Computrhead!*The game I mentioned at the end was The Forgotten City, available on all platforms*LINKS:

This week we welcome Canadian power couple Annie Macmillan and Lukas Steinman to the show! They run the studio Max Inferno, best known for their cozy puzzle game A Little to the Left. We discuss the process of translating everyday puzzles into game levels, expanding a game jam project into a full release, and using your website to tell a story. Music from John "Joy" Tay!LINKS:

Whether you're sober or...not so much, treat yourself to a pizza and a chat with COO/Executive Producer at Squanch Games, Matty Studivan! Matty has produced for projects like Dance Central and God of War: Ragnarok, but most recently has been part of the team at Squanch Games developing sci-fi/comedy games like Trover Saves the Universe and High On Life. We talk about the importance of understanding the entire game development process, building connections for collaborations, and being in a band. Music from 0x1444 (courtesy of Moth to a Flame Records)!Pizzeria of the Week: New York Pizza (in Boston)

Change of plans this week! Doing something I've wanted to try for some time, ranking my top 50 favorite games of all time. Strap in because this is a long one. (My voice can hardly handle it by the end

Joining us this week on the show is filmmaker and game director Adam Butcher! You might know him best from his viral YouTube horror videos like Crow 64 and Internet Story, but Adam has been making a strong foray into game development with his team at Triangle Wave. Their first major project, Stretchmancer, is a zany and inventive puzzle game inspired by 90's Saturday morning cartoons. Tune in to hear all about it! Music from Iceferno ❄️

This week on Pixel Pizza, we step into the mind of Creative Director at Sunset Visitor, Remy Siu! Remy and his team recently released the acclaimed sci-fi narrative adventure game 1000xResist. We dive deep into Remy's background in live performance production, what the average day of a creative director looks like, and the voice direction process. Music from 380bitworks~ Pizzeria of the Week: Maple Leaf Pizza in Vancouver

After a tumultuous start to the new year, we are BACK cooking more Pixel Pizza!

For our final show of 2024, we've got a super prolific guest in the sound design world! Akash Thakkar has brought his talents to hit games like Hyper Light Drifter, Destiny, and The Outer Wilds: Echoes of the Eye. On top of that, he hosts the Sound Business podcast, gives industry talks at conferences around the world, and creates YouTube tutorials on sound design skills. We cover his work across all of these different areas and how he manages it all. Enjoy and have a happy and safe holiday season

Joining us this week is our first-ever guest in the localization field, Mai Namba! Mai's got decades of experience in translating and localizing some of the most renowned Japanese RPGs including Persona 2-5, Yakuza: Like a Dragon, and Metaphor: ReFantazio. Most recently they've brought their talents to NIS America. Our wide-ranging conversation covers the evolution of game localization with new technology, the multicultural effort that brought Metaphor to life, and what can be done to improve the emotional and professional wellbeing of linguists in the industry. Music from Kaiden! LINKS:

This week we welcome animation director Chris Burns of Exit 73 Studios to the show! Chris's career started with animated TV shows at networks like Adult Swim and Comedy Central, and his own game-inspired pilots eventually led him to pursuing game dev proper. His studio's first project, the dungeon crawler #BLUD, is a love letter to 90's animation and top-down action games like The Legend of Zelda. If you're in the northeast US, check his team out at MAGFest next month! Music from TLC. LINKS:

On tap for this week's show is a talk with Washington-based developer Alice Bottino! Alice's gamedev career has taken her to studios like Xbox and Harebrained Schemes, and to the indie space with her current project, the ethereal rhythm game Hyperbeat. We chat about making games out of spite, the similarities between game development and skateboarding, and the importance of a strong aesthetic vibe. Music from bit.umen! LINKS:

Joining us this week is talented game composer Star Victoria Power, aka Slide20XX ⭐️ They've recently done work on games like Calico and Bloodstained: Dominique's Curse, and were even featured as part of Bandcamp's best soundtrack releases of 2022. Having worked towards making music for games since the age of 13, Star offers a lot of meaningful insight into how to balance pursuing your passions while still being practical. With music from Mistil! LINKS: ⭐️ Star's socials: @Slide20XX

This week on the show we've got the two Brazilian devs that make up Helena Creative Studio-- Gabriel Felipe (Gabs) and Gabriel Vinicius de Souza (GV). Together they've been hard at work on their first game, the upcoming experimental RPG Moth Kubit. It's already made a big impression at the Tokyo Game Show and Latin American Games Showcase, and even been featured in a Nintendo Direct presentation! Listen to their story, plus music from Floor Baba, now

Game director Stoyan Stoyanov unmasks his journey and process on this week's Pixel Pizza! We get deep into his problem-solving strategies, talk about his quest design on Cyberpunk 2077, and reflect on the rapidly changing state of the games industry. Music from Siberia Zero! LINKS:

This week we welcome indie developer David Peters to the show! David recently started his career in games with the shoot-em-up Cycle Chaser H-5 and the surreal platformer Somnabuster. Both games are defined by their striking hand drawn art style and arcade like gameplay, both of which we dive deep into on today's show! Featuring music from chiptune artist Mala Society

Honored this week to speak with 7x academy award nominated sound designer/composer Kenneth C.M. Young! Kenny's recent work on Astro Bot got rave reviews this year, and his previous time at MediaMolecule included LittleBigPlanet and Tearaway. Kenny dives into his upbringing with Scottish & Applachian music, his unique path into becoming a game composer, and making audio feel like its own character. Chiptune music this week from Vyryr! LINKS:

Today on the program we're chatting with South African sound designer Ulysses at Sea! You might've heard his work in games like Desktop Dungeons: Rewind and Tales of Kenzera: Zau. Ulysses and I talk about creating an ecosystem of sounds, building creature voices, and the unexpected ways sounds can resonate with players. Music from Bartizan Chill~ LINKS: