Playdate Podcast

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Playdate is the new handheld that comes with a unique 1-bit screen and 24 free games! The Playdate Podcast takes you behind the scenes for stories from game designers and developers, and the people who made the little yellow game console with a crank. Hear about the ups and downs of development, and get inspired to make your own Playdate games, using the free software development kit or Playdate’s no-code, browser-based game maker, Pulp!

Panic


    • May 29, 2025 LATEST EPISODE
    • monthly NEW EPISODES
    • 35m AVG DURATION
    • 35 EPISODES


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    Latest episodes from Playdate Podcast

    Fulcrum Defender

    Play Episode Listen Later May 29, 2025 27:19


    How long will you last in Fulcrum Defender? Find your optimal build and perfect your aiming skills to survive in this crank-powered, arcade action game! Jay Ma of Subset Games talks about what makes a great action game, getting back into game development after years of struggling with Long Covid, and how her game became part of Playdate Season Two!

    Dig! Dig! Dino!

    Play Episode Listen Later May 29, 2025 42:32


    Join a crew of paleontologists and dig up some mysteries in action-puzzle game Dig! Dig! Dino!, part of Playdate Season Two! Creators Antonio Uribe (aka Fáyer) and Dominique Ferland (aka Dom2D) talk about creating a gameplay loop that feels good, weighting and balancing to make sessions feel light and finish-able, and adding poop to the game!

    Oom and Pullfrog

    Play Episode Listen Later Feb 21, 2025 49:47


    'Oom' and 'Pullfrog' launched simultaneously on Playdate's Catalog last year,offering different—yet surprisingly complementary—gaming experiences. This special-format episode of the Playdate Podcast features a fun conversation between the creators of these two standout games, Gregory Kogos (creator of Oom), and JP Riebling and Mario Carballo (creators of Pullfrog), where they discuss their games' journeys, and the development magic that happens once a game's systems are in place.

    True Crime Edition

    Play Episode Listen Later Nov 19, 2024 54:28


    Earlier this year, our Financial Controller, Jen, realized our Playdate inventory was 2,000 units short. How did that eventually lead us to a Circle K in North Las Vegas, and just how much should you tip for a roofing consultation, anyway? Buckle up, because we are going for a ride—in Magnum P.I.'s cool car.

    Faraway Fairway

    Play Episode Listen Later May 29, 2024 21:37


    Faraway Fairway is a procedurally-generated mental health golf game--but what does that mean? Hedgehog Dreams Studio Head Rokashi talks about their journey to create a relaxing golf adventure that's all about persistence and taking care of yourself.

    Mars After Midnight

    Play Episode Listen Later Mar 14, 2024 29:43


    Lucas Pope on how he builds games, what inspired him to create one for a younger audience, and what drew him to design that game especially for Playdate!

    A Love Letter to Video Games

    Play Episode Listen Later Apr 18, 2023 46:06


    For this final episode of the first season of the Playdate Podcast, Christa wanted to do something a little different. So she asked the Playdate team and the Season One developers one question: "What do you love about video games?"

    Reel Steal and Recommendation Dog!!

    Play Episode Listen Later Apr 11, 2023 33:40


    Panic wants everyone to make games for Playdate, and creating better, more empathic stories—while diversifying the games industry—is key to the mission of narrative development company Sweet Baby Inc. So Panic and Sweet Baby, along with Strange Scaffold, teamed up to pair industry veterans with first-time developers from diverse backgrounds to create and ship two Playdate games in just six months. Hear how the mentors and mentees approached these projects, and then download and play Reel Steal and Recommendation Dog!! for free, via Catalog for Playdate!

    Ratcheteer

    Play Episode Listen Later Mar 28, 2023 28:01


    Everything is a remix, but how do you ensure you're paying homage to the things you love, rather than just rehashing them? Designer/Developer Shaun Inman and Composer/Sound Designer Matthew Grimm talk about drawing inspiration while creating something new and original, with their Link's Awakening-inspired game, Ratcheteer——which won "Game of the Year" in the 2022 Playdate Community Awards!

    Catalog

    Play Episode Listen Later Mar 14, 2023 36:40


    How would Panic approach making a game store? Designer Neven Mrgan, Playdate Developer Relations Head Arisa Sudangnoi, and Panic Co-Founder Steven Frank talk about creating a curated selection of games where it's fun to browse and to buy! Plus: hear from some of the developers whose games are part of Catalog's debut!

    b360

    Play Episode Listen Later Mar 1, 2023 34:08


    Not a lot of people know that Panic made video games in the late '70s! Cabel Sasser fills us in on b360's decades-long history, designer Neven Mrgan remains committed to the bit as he talks about his contributions to the Playdate version of the game, and Dan Messing reveals what he learned from developing b360 simultaneously with the Playdate SDK. Plus: Panic's own Jesus Diaz and Aaron Bell talk about their musical and sound design collaboration.

    Battleship Godios

    Play Episode Listen Later Feb 14, 2023 30:58


    Creator TPMCO shares his game development philosophy and insights gleaned over decades of working on MSX systems. Inspired by side- and vertical-scrolling shooters, plus the rebounding block destruction of "Breakout," Battleship Godios is an action game requiring skill and precision, with all-new twists on some arcade classics.

    Forrest Byrnes — Up In Smoke

    Play Episode Listen Later Jan 31, 2023 32:09


    What if the in-world fire prevention mascot from Firewatch had his own licensed platformer back in the late '80s or early '90s? And what if in making that concept game, developer Nels Anderson and artist Christina-Antoinette Neofotistou actually re-skinned an older Japanese game—that had _already_ been half re-skinned as a game about fire prevention!—that Nels had found on some random internet ROM forum? It's the story of Forrest Byrnes: Up In Smoke!

    Playdate x Panic Podcast — Untitled Goose Game

    Play Episode Listen Later Jan 17, 2023 45:13


    Since there's no new episode of the Playdate Podcast this week, we thought you'd enjoy this episode of the Panic Podcast, which is all about Australian indie game developers House House, Untitled Goose Game, and what any of this had to do with a little company known for making Mac and iOS software in Portland, OR.

    Playdate x Panic Podcast — Untitled Goose Game

    Play Episode Listen Later Jan 17, 2023 45:42


    Since there's no new episode of the Playdate Podcast this week, we thought you'd enjoy this episode of the Panic Podcast, which is all about Australian indie game developers House House, Untitled Goose Game, and what any of this had to do with a little company known for making Mac and iOS software in Portland, OR.

    Sasquatchers

    Play Episode Listen Later Dec 20, 2022 23:37


    Chuck Jordan felt his "Advance Wars"-inspired tactics game was missing something—then he remembered the joy of "Pokémon Snap." Find out how the adventure game veteran ended up mixing turn-based tactics with cryptid group photography in “Sasquatchers” for Playdate.

    Snak

    Play Episode Listen Later Dec 6, 2022 35:51


    Game Designer Zach Gage on his love of editing existing games——where he plays with expectations within a well-established rule set——and how making a few small tweaks to the cellphone classic "Snake" led to surprising gameplay in his game "Snak" for Playdate. Plus: Panic Designer Neven Mrgan talks about the inspirations behind the art he created for both the in-game graphics and the launcher card, an homage to over-the-top game box art of the '80s and '90s.

    Saturday Edition and Star Sled

    Play Episode Listen Later Nov 22, 2022 55:11


    Whether it's composing music for your game or designing your own sound effects, challenging yourself to expand your game dev toolset can lead to unexpectedly satisfying results! This week, Chris Makris, creator of Saturday Edition, and Greg Maletic, Playdate Project Manager and developer of Star Sled, interview each other about their Season 1, Week 8 games in this special format episode of the Playdate Podcast!

    Executive Golf DX

    Play Episode Listen Later Nov 8, 2022 26:13


    Designer, developer, composer, and newly-minted foley expert Dave Hoffman on how they made a tongue-in-cheek game about golfing and corporate culture—two topics they confess to know nothing about! Putt your way to the top of the tower and become Chief Executive Golfer, in Executive Golf DX!

    Questy Chess

    Play Episode Listen Later Oct 25, 2022 22:50


    How Dadako founder Hawken King fused his interests in role-playing games and chess into a minimalist, atmospheric puzzle game, with help from artist Dan Clarke and musician-turned-sound designer Justin DiCenzo. As the sole surviving pawn from an outmoded chess program, trapped in an ominous machine, can you use an old rule set in new ways to stave off the oblivion of being overwritten?

    Playdate Mailbag #1

    Play Episode Listen Later Oct 11, 2022 14:19


    Host Christa Mrgan answers listener questions from Twitter, Reddit, and the Playdate Squad Discord. Did Panic ever consider a left-handed model for Playdate? What games or apps surprised us by doing something we didn't think was possible? And what's up with Bluetooth? Listen now to find out!

    Hyper Meteor

    Play Episode Listen Later Sep 27, 2022 27:34


    Mo Fikree—designer, developer, and CEO of Vertex Pop—talks about why he loves arcade-style games, and the ups and downs of creating the "Asteroids" homage "Hyper Meteor", including one of the hardest parts of programming: naming things!

    Zipper

    Play Episode Listen Later Sep 13, 2022 22:11


    With Zipper for Playdate, game designer, developer, and philosopher Bennett Foddy wanted to share his love of the particular style of isometric tactics games he grew up playing on the ZX Spectrum--games that may be unfamiliar to people from the United States. Drawing on the influences of Akira Kurosawa, the anime and manga series "Bleach", and the British game "Last Ninja 2," Zipper is a beautifully-crafted homage to classic samurai films and 8-bit black and white games.

    Demon Quest '85

    Play Episode Listen Later Aug 30, 2022 28:22


    Writer and game designer Duncan Fyfe tells the story of Demon Quest '85—from the small but mighty team, to an ill-advised management system for branching narrative paths, and how they ended up eschewing Playdate's crank in favor of a visual novel that pits the likes of the Marquis Shax of Hell against Beth from your high school Physics class.

    Omaze

    Play Episode Listen Later Aug 16, 2022 23:14


    When custom-hardware game maker Gregory Kogos tried to copy his award-winning circular puzzle platformer RotoRing directly to the Playdate, it didn't quite pan out. Find out how he persevered to turn the game's core concepts into the delightfully addictive spin-off, Omaze!

    Echoic Memory

    Play Episode Listen Later Aug 2, 2022 30:52


    What does it mean to remember? As Samantha Kalman, Carol Mertz, Rachelle Viola, and Everest Pipkin created their innovative Playdate game blending procedural narrative and a musical memory puzzle, their ideas of memories evolved, along with their understanding of how most people hear, recognize, and recall music. What memories might be restored to the ECM1010 smart speaker devices when you play as a technician tasked with repairing them? And how does Playdate remember where you left off when you leave a game?

    Flipper Lifter

    Play Episode Listen Later Jul 19, 2022 16:59


    A small team from game development and publishing company Serenity Forge started out with a great idea for a Playdate-specific game, but soon realized its characters were kind of… boring. One arctic facelift and a lot of QA and play-testing later, and Flipper Lifter was a fun and fast-paced penguin-moving game (with a few key voiceover cameos and a great soundtrack)!

    Lost Your Marbles

    Play Episode Listen Later Jul 5, 2022 34:54


    How narrative development company Sweet Baby branched out from client work to create their first in-house game: the quirky marble labyrinth/narrative adventure, Lost Your Marbles! Kim Belair and David Bedard discuss Sweet Baby's mission to help marginalized people bring their talents to the games industry, and the team's next projects for Playdate! Plus: Will Herring's approach to creating characters, one-bit art, and sprites, and Neha Patel talks sound design and composing a hum-able soundtrack.

    Pick Pack Pup

    Play Episode Listen Later Jun 21, 2022 23:13


    Game-jamming friends Nic Magnier and Arthur Hamer were so captivated by the announcement of Playdate that Nic built his own device (using parts found online and an old NES controller) and Arthur scrapped his fish processing plant designs for an adorable dog and an e-commerce warehouse. Here's how the duo created their narrative match three puzzle game, Pick Pack Pup, featuring music by Logan Gabriel!

    Boogie Loops

    Play Episode Listen Later Jun 7, 2022 22:06


    Interdisciplinary artist, designer, technologist, and DJ May-Li Khoe teamed up with friend and independent researcher Andy Matuschak to make what they thought would be a fun project on a short timeline. While Playdate's schedule extended a bit, and then a bit more, the pair had a great time creating a whimsical music and dance maker that is a joy to use. Lay down your drum and bass tracks, add a melody, and tell your pizza to twerk with this sparkly composer that's full of fun details!

    Crankin's Time Travel Adventure

    Play Episode Listen Later May 24, 2022 17:58


    How Katamari Damacy designer Keita Takahashi teamed up with animator Ryan Mohler, sound designer Matthew Grimm, and developer Shaun Inman to create "Crankin's Time Travel Adventure," the very first game ever developed for Playdate by someone outside of Panic, the company that makes the device. Keita's seemingly simple idea led to deep gameplay, but was, at times, a challenge for the team to crank out!

    Casual Birder

    Play Episode Listen Later May 10, 2022 28:07


    When designer-turned-developer Diego Garcia first came up with the idea for Casual Birder, he never expected to fall in love with birdwatching himself. Here's how he overcame some technical challenges (plus a bit of imposter syndrome!) and joined forces with composer and sound designer Max Coburn to create a Playdate game that's funny, relaxing, and a good reminder that it's ok to be into things without learning absolutely everything about them first.

    Whitewater Wipeout

    Play Episode Listen Later Apr 26, 2022 23:33


    How Chuhai Labs got their hands on a Playdate, their epic Pitch Jam, and how the team came together to create a zen-like homage to a classic. This episode contains spiders, and mild spoilers for Whitewater Wipeout.

    The Story of Playdate

    Play Episode Listen Later Apr 12, 2022 96:17


    How an offhand idea to mark the 15th anniversary of a software company launched a decade-long saga of twists, turns, and mini-boss battles that led to a handheld gaming console as surprising and unique as its creators. It's dangerous to go alone. Take this adorable yellow box, and let's get crankin'… on the story of Playdate.

    The Story of Playdate

    Play Episode Listen Later Apr 12, 2022 96:17


    How an offhand idea to mark the 15th anniversary of a software company launched a decade-long saga of twists, turns, and mini-boss battles that led to a handheld gaming console as surprising and unique as its creators. It's dangerous to go alone. Take this adorable yellow box, and let's get crankin'… on the story of Playdate.

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