Tomorrow with Rovio

Digital fashion has become one of the fastest growing industries in the crypto and NFT space. At the heart of the movement is The Fabricant, a decentralized digital fashion house focused on building the wardrobe of the metaverse. Join CEO Kerry Murphy for an introspective on all things digital fashion, from building a personal identity to democratizing a traditionally exclusive industry. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Gaming has always been a social medium, and its value as a way to connect with friends has become more evident than ever over the past two years. Pim de Witte is CEO and co-founder of Medal.tv, a platform that allows gamers to seamlessly record, clip, edit and share short gameplay videos with friends. Listen in as Pim dives into social trends in gaming, what makes Medal.tv unique, and how they recognized influencers as a key to their success. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Gaming and social platforms have intersected in ways that can make it hard to distinguish the two. Jay Lee is CEO of Naver Z USA, the creators of Zepeto, a metaverse platform where users create their own avatar, experience a virtual world, and share content while connecting with other users around the globe. Join Jay for a discussion on Zepeto, the future of digital worlds with gaming elements as social platforms, de-centralization, and more. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

It's impossible to talk about the future of tech without mentioning a buzzword like web3, the metaverse, or crypto. These topics can be extremely polarizing - for every staunch proponent there are an equal number of skeptics, not to mention the masses who are confused about it all. Rex Woodbury is an expert in all things digital, from online communication to web3 and digital economies. Rex joins the podcast to break down what web3 really means, its opportunities and challenges, and what the future of the internet might look like. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

We wrap up season 1 of the podcast looking back at the lessons learned from all of our excellent guests. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

After over 26 years at Remedy designing narratives for games like Max Payne, Alan Wake, and Control, Sam Lake has been influential in the evolution of storytelling in games. Sam and Ben dig into how he got his start in games, how narrative design has evolved, building story worlds, fan fiction, and the future of interconnectivity across franchises. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

The growth of modding has had a profound impact on the way today's games are created - developers can provide platforms for their players to experiment with, and players can have a taste of development tools. Scott Reismanis has been fascinated with the modding community since its early days, and founded ModDB in 2002 as a way for modders to connect and share their creations. Join us as Scott reflects on the impressive work of modders, their role as creators and the effect modding has had on the games industry. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Cory Strassburger drew from an impressive background in film, vfx and motion graphics to become a pioneer in the AR and VR field. Cory created a motion capture technology that allows him to bring a metahuman avatar to life in a YouTube series called Xanadu. Join Cory - and his metahuman alter-ego character Blu - as he shares his thoughts on the metaverse, the next steps in AR/VR tech, and the future of immersive experiences in entertainment. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

At the dawn of the video game industry, there wasn't a strong relationship between higher education and gaming. One of the first people to start forging a connection between the two was Tracy Fullerton, an experimental game designer, professor and director emeritus of the USC Games program. Tracy joins the podcast to discuss the process of building USC's program and research center, how the teaching of game design has evolved over the years, and how the intersection of academics and game development has changed the industry. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

The growth of social media and online communities has undoubtedly changed the way companies can interact with their customers. The ability to generate ongoing feedback has given rise to community-based product development, the idea that customers can directly influence the direction of the products they support. Peter Yang has been involved in product development for Twitch and Facebook, and currently heads live audio efforts at Reddit. Join us as Peter touches on the value of building a community, the trends he's seeing amongst creators and fans, and the future of social audio. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Crypto has everyone's attention, but its opportunities across the gaming industry in particular are substantial. Piers Kicks is an expert in the ever-evolving crypto landscape, with a focus on opportunities across gaming, NFTs, and interactive media. Piers joins the podcast and shares his perception of the crypto space, thoughts on centralized versus decentralized markets, and the opportunities in the industry for players, creators and developers. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Mobile games have undoubtedly changed over the past decade, with social gaming at the heart of the evolution. Stella Wang is CEO and co-founder of Dazzle Rocks, a mobile game studio focused on making social gaming experiences, including a sandbox MMO experience about exploration, adventure, and collaborating with other players. Join Stella for a deep dive into how mobile games have changed, where they're headed, and how to define and understand the social generation. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Creating a successful original IP is a delicate process. A veteran of the triple-A industry, Raphael van Lierop founded the game studio Hinterland in 2012, creating one of the most successful self-published indie games in recent memory, THE LONG DARK. Raphael discusses everything that goes into cultivating a strong IP while breaking down transmedia trends, identifying the role of content creators in a franchise's development, and considering a new ecosystem for game developers that offers more publishing opportunities than ever before. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

With over 15 years of game development experience from companies both large (Ubisoft) and small (the self-founded Epsilon Games), Anne Gibleault is well versed in the games industry behind-the-scenes. Anne draws from her role as a female leader in game development and considers whether workplaces are changing, ways to empower the next generation, and some of the trends being seen across the industry. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

The explosion of NFT's and crypto have leaders across every industry thinking about how to explore their applications. The potential within the gaming industry is undeniable, with the explosion of microtransactions, character customisation options and brand collaborations. Ryan Gill is founder of Crucible, a company working on creating tools and communities to prepare for an open metaverse. Ryan joins us to breakdown all things blockchain, their applications in games, and how we can build the bridge between the spaces. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Any business stands to benefit from having leaders from diverse backgrounds. A perfect example in the games industry is Ubisoft's Yves Jacquier, who has experience in areas ranging from signal processing to physics to playing in a disco band. For the past 17 years, Yves has led Ubisoft's academic R&D strategy, including the creation of La Forge – the first lab in the gaming industry dedicated to bridging the gap between academic research and game development. Join us as we discuss Yves' groundbreaking work and visit the potential of artificial intelligence, machine learning, virtual beings and more. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

The convergence of entertainment is becoming increasingly popular, as evidenced by the numerous crossover between video games, television, and movies over the past few years. Simon Pulman is an expert in this area, as an attorney who advises clients throughout the entertainment industry and helps negotiate deals between entertainment properties. Simon shares his thoughts on the difference between the video game and film industries, the future of licensed collaborations in games, and legal rights as we move towards the metaverse. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Simply put, Ted Price is a games industry legend. Insomniac Games, which Ted founded in 1994, is known as the creator of some of PlayStation's most popular IP's, such as Spyro the Dragon, Ratchet and Clank, and Resistance, as well as 2018's award-winning Marvel's Spider-Man. Ted joins the podcast to discuss a range of topics including Insomniac's growth, the evolving game development workflow, his own podcast, and more! See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Online voice chat has revolutionized gaming and the way players communicate with one another. While the advancement allows players to interact easier than ever, it's an ongoing challenge to maintain a safe and respectful community for all users. As CEO/co-founder of Modulate, Mike Pappas is a pioneer in using machine learning to make communication safer and more inclusive. Join us as we identify the biggest hurdles in ensuring respectful online interactions, eliminating toxicity, and the value of AI and voice skins in promoting a positive environment for gamers from all walks of life. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Transmedia franchises have grown to dominate the global entertainment industry, but they’re a relatively new phenomenon in the United States and other parts of the world. As founder of Starlight Runner, a leader in transmedia storytelling, Jeff Gomez has played a huge role in this shift. Jeff draws on his experience to discuss the keys to achieving success across different mediums, including comic books, video games, animated series and more. Listen in for a discussion around the importance of designing narratives, building story worlds, and cultivating a fan base as we explore the future of franchise development. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Avatars have existed in video games for over 40 years. What started as the most basic form of player representation has evolved in unimaginable ways - from hyper-stylized Bitmoji and Mii characters to Fortnite’s incredibly deep library of skins. Timmu Tõke is the CEO of Wolf3D, the creator of the Ready Player Me cross-game avatar platform. An expert in all things virtual beings, Timmu joins the podcast to discuss the evolution of character customization, future use cases of avatars, and their increasing impact outside the gaming community.What are players looking for in their skins and avatars? How do you appeal to demands from different audiences? What are the potential applications of avatars across fashion and business? Join us for insights on these topics and much more. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

When will VR break into the mainstream? What is the killer app? What’s the difference between Mixed Reality and Augmented Reality? Is the industry really just “waiting to see what Apple does” or is the AR leader already right in front of our faces?While Extended Reality (“XR”) hasn’t yet taken over the world, completely displacing traditional screens, there are many who feel the transition is inevitable and that the winds of change are already blowing. Aleissia Laidacker has spent the last 5 years in leadership positions in this cutting edge space and this experience, combined with 2 decades in tech and game development, give her some fascinating insight into the future of this exciting trend in entertainment. Does this experience lead Aleissia to think an explosion of XR projects is right around the corner? Tune in to find out. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Few people have dug as deeply into the art and craft of making games as Victor Lucas. As the creator and host of Electric Playground, Victor has been covering Games and, more specifically, Game Makers, for almost 25 years. By focusing on the game creators, Victor has developed a unique perspective on the driving forces in the industry over the last 30 years and the trends that are most forcefully shaping it today. From Content Creators to syndicated TV to cloud streaming services, we cover a lot of ground in this discussion that should prove insightful to anyone with an interest in the industry, it’s history and it’s future. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

When you think ‘Intel’ you probably think microprocessors. The little pieces of silicon that makes your computer Go. Our guest for this episode, Kim Pallister, is working to change that and help champion all the various ways that Intel participates or shepherds diverse initiatives in gaming across Desktop, Cloud, Mixed Reality and more.Kim has a unique perspective on and passion for how technologies of today are converging to create the playgrounds of tomorrow and in this chat we touch upon subjects ranging from AI, Cloud, MR, Social Media, Super Powers and beyond. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

"Kids making videos while playing videogames” have become some of the most influential voices in modern entertainment and the source of admiration and idolization for millions. Join us as we deep dive into the Creator Culture with Blake Robbins, partner at Ludlow Ventures. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

What do social media startups, an AI replika of Albert Einstein and being a world famous rock star have in common? We’ll give you a hint - it isn’t cigarettes and booze. Today’s guest is David Usher and we dive deep into the Creative Process, what it shares across all forms of media and entertainment and how it is evolving with the ascension of AI. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

It’s hard to talk about gaming in 2021 and not come across references to the Metaverse. Fortnite, Roblox and Minecraft can all lay claim to be building it (in their own way) with many others trying to get in on the action. Who will be the first to successfully build The Metaverse is a question ripe for discussion and few have spent more time thinking about it than Matthew Ball. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Nobody knows more about developing global IPs than Reggie Fils-Aimé, the retired President of Nintendo of America. Having worked on some of gaming’s biggest franchises, Reggie is poised to share his thoughts on how to make an IP appeal to global markets. What is the key to achieving success across a broad audience? How do you avoid fatigue to keep a license fresh and interesting? What are the opportunities and challenges of doing this in the modern day with gaming IPs moving into new mediums? See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Game development has obviously evolved over the past 30 years with the advancement of tech and an abundance of innovative tools and platforms. Despite these clear changes - the core fundamentals of play as a human need/pastime have remained largely constant. As a highly successful and respected leader in game development, Brenda Romero offers a unique perspective on how game development has evolved, but also how many core pillars have stayed the same. How do you see game design evolving going forward? Will the way people interact with their games drastically change, and do you always see games existing in the same way we play now? See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

There’s a lot that goes into developing narrative in AAA games, from creating characters, personifying them, and cohesively tying them all together. Few understand this process better than Lazlow Jones, the former Rockstar Games director, producer and writer known for his extensive work on the Grand Theft Auto franchise. Lazlow joins the podcast to discuss his creative process, the impact of new gaming trends, and the future of storytelling in the medium. What’s the most important component of dialogue in games? How has the writer been affected by evolution in game design, and where is narrative headed? See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Mastering an artistic vision across diverse audiences is a tough balance, and Neill Blomkamp has successfully navigated this minefield throughout cinema. His storytelling expertise is apparent in movies like District 9, Elysium and Chappie, but Blomkamp has also made many short films, including a trilogy based in the Halo universe in 2007. So our question to Neill is, given his storytelling expertise, has he ever felt the pull to make a video game? And having used game engines a lot for some of his short films, where does he think ‘convergence’ is going? Will we see Hollywood tentpoles made with Unreal/Unity any time soon? See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Mastering an artistic vision across diverse audiences is a tough balance, and Neill Blomkamp has successfully navigated this minefield throughout cinema. His storytelling expertise is apparent in movies like District 9, Elysium and Chappie, but Blomkamp has also made many short films, including a trilogy based in the Halo universe in 2007. So our question to Neill is, given his storytelling expertise, has he ever felt the pull to make a video game? And having used game engines a lot for some of his short films, where does he think ‘convergence’ is going? Will we see Hollywood tentpoles made with Unreal/Unity any time soon? Episode out on December 3rd. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.