You know her from her work at IGN, GameSpot, and Paste, plus her fan club over at Kinda Funny - and now she's a big fancy grad student at Berkeley, California! Aiden Strawhun joins me to talk about going to her very first GDC (Game Developers Conference) after sleeping until 2pm the weekend after. Aiden was lucky enough to go via the Xbox Game Changers Scholarship, which gives promising (and often marginalized) voices a chance to network and establish relationships with fellow creators and big i...
Apr 01, 2019•53 min
Anthem voice actress and GameDev.world co-founder Sarah Elmaleh joins Joe this week to talk about how she's working to make game developer events more inclusive by hosting a "global game developers conference" called GameDev.world, which will be translated into dozens of different languages all over the world. Sarah also opens up about her experiences voicing the freelancer in Anthem, Katie Greenbriar in Gone Home, and her significant history of being an industry worker advocate! Follow Sarah on...
Mar 25, 2019•43 min
Harmonix producer Matt Kelly joins Joe to talk about Audica, the company's new VR music action game! The guys chat about what goes into making a kickass music game in VR, Harmonix's journey into different genres and formats. Follow @The1099Podcast
Mar 22, 2019•14 min
On this week's episode, IGN social editor and dear friend of the pod CASSIDEE MOSER joins Joe to gush about Captain Marvel and what it means for the Marvel Cinematic Universe and fans. PLUS, being huge nerds who have a questionable affinity for Disney products, we list out the five best Star Wars video games ever! Cassidee: https://twitter.com/CassideeMoser Joseph: https://twitter.com/JosephKnoop 1099: https://twitter.com/The1099Podcast
Mar 18, 2019•1 hr 9 min
On this week's episode, the one and only Tina Amini -- Editor-in-Chief of Games at IGN -- joins Joe to talk about how she runs one of the biggest names in games journalism. We dive into Tina's one year anniversary with IGN, what she's learned about leading such a huge team, the evolution of games media over the past decade, and the perspective of the industry she's been afforded as IGN's Big Boss. Support the show by following us @The1099Podcast and @JosephKnoop on Twitter, and support our resid...
Mar 11, 2019•50 min
On this week's episode of The 1099, Game Workers Unite co-founder Emma Kinema joins Joseph to talk all about the struggle to unionize the video game industry. Why are so many studios laying off hundreds of workers without any severance packages? Why are so many studios overworking their employees? How could collective bargaining (AKA a union) help those employees stave off the financial, physical, or mental toll of working for exploitative studios? Games media is rife with accounts of the blood,...
Mar 04, 2019•1 hr 13 min
Metro series creator and author Dmitry Glukhovsky joins me to talk about the tense political and personal history behind his version of the Russian post-apocalypse, how he helped 4A Games bring it to video game life, and a hell of a lot more. You don't want to miss this one. As always, support our resident musician at zwbuckley.com and let us know your thoughts on Twitter @The1099Podcast
Feb 25, 2019•56 min
This week, Joe is joined by Netflix's The Dragon Prince creators Aaron Ehasz and Justin Richmond to discuss how they've built their new fantasy world, how they strive to make its characters meaningful and diverse, how they work with fans to find ways they can do better, and what went into making them the writers they are today. Joe also happened to write the first article on Wonderstorm, Aaron and Justin's company. https://www.polygon.com/features/2017/11/30/16716400/last-airbender-uncharted-won...
Feb 18, 2019•53 min
On this week’s episode of The 1099, GameDaily.biz managing editor Amanda Farough joins Joe to talk about the art of business reporting in an industry that’s dominated by enthusiast press. Joe and Amanda discuss the kinds of standards business reporters hold themselves to, how to make boring old financial reports interesting to someone who doesn’t know what a euro is, and how to build up a new brand like GameDaily! We also dive into the ongoing war between the Epic Games Store and Valve’s Steam a...
Feb 11, 2019•59 min
Matt Silverman, creator of the Free Dad Videos YouTube channel, went and made a No Man's Sky short film starring his 5-year-old daughter Amelia, Greg Miller, and WWE star Austin Creed. Joe and Matt talk about how the channel has become a living picture album of Amelia's life, how he used No Man's Sky to create the short film, and how fatherhood has changed him as a creator. Music provided by ZW Buckley, which you can find at zwbuckley.com
Feb 04, 2019•56 min
The guys behind JT Music are celebrating 10 years of making video game rap music, and they join Joe to talk all about it. The crew touches on how YouTube has changed the video game fan culture landscape, how they run a businesses like JT Music day-to-day, and what games have influenced them in their endeavors. You can find JT Music on Twitter @JTMusicTeam and Joe @JosephKnoop. Music provided by ZW Buckley, who you can find at zwbuckley.com
Jan 28, 2019•52 min
On this week's episode, Joseph Knoop officially takes over the reins of the 1099. Joe is joined by AbleGamers COO and Game Awards' Global Gaming Citizen Steven Spohn, who works to improve accessibility for gamers with disabilities. The two chat about Steven's work leading such an important cause, the issues that gamers with disabilities and AbleGamers face, and how he cultivates hope and strength in a world that hasn't always shown him either. 1099 music (episode 184 onward) provided by Zach Buc...
Jan 21, 2019•55 min
On this week's episode, a video producer for PeanutButterGamer, producer for Hardcore, and video wizard, Todd Schlickbernd; the leader of the Gameranx video team, internet celebrity, and first-ever The 1099 guest, Jake Baldino; and podcast founder Josiah Renaudin come together to discuss 10 different series that should change their genres. Jake and Todd join Josiah for his final show to pitch new ideas for franchises like Assassin's Creed, Dead Rising, Dark Souls, and much more.
Jan 16, 2019•1 hr 13 min
On this week's episode, host Josiah Renaudin breaks down his crazy last few months with the help of freelancer and The 1099 MVP, Joseph Knoop. Josiah explains his new job at Electronic Arts, all the different meetings he's been taking, and the future of the podcast.
Jan 07, 2019•41 min
On this week's episode, a co-founder at popagenda, former brand manager at Square Enix, and noted Canadian, Geneviève St-Onge, joins host Josiah Renaudin to discuss how indie games are promoted. Gen details her new company's mission, why teams need people to think about the marketing/PR side of the business, the competitive nature of the industry, starting your own business, knowing how many hours you should be working per week, and what to expect from popagenda in 2019.
Dec 31, 2018•57 min
On this week's episode, a developer, designer, writer, and creative director at Supergiant Games and one of the main minds behind hits like Bastion, Transistor, Pyre, and now Hades, Greg Kasavin, joins host Josiah Renaudin to discuss Early Access games. Greg details the origins of Hades, the importance of getting excited about a project, listening to audience feedback, The Game Awards, future Hades update plans, and his team's biggest inspirations.
Dec 24, 2018•1 hr 3 min
On this week's episode, host Josiah Renaudin is joined by a familiar cast to determine the top 10 games of 2018. The crew includes podcaster, past GameSpotter, and current writer, Tom Mc Shea; the managing editor at Feminist Frequency, podcaster, streamer, and writer, Carolyn Petit; and game designer and writer for Divinity Original Sin 2 and former GameSpot reviews editor, Kevin VanOrd. The crew argues for the best games of the year, including names like Spider-Man, Florence, Moonlighter, Frost...
Dec 17, 2018•1 hr 52 min
On this week's episode, a writer at the Atlantic, Variety, Outline, and Rolling Stone and a foremost expert on esports, Will Partin, joins host Josiah Renaudin to discuss all things competitive gaming. Will explains the current dynamics of the industry, comparisons to other sports, the health of Overwatch league, broadcast deals, inclusion, sponsorships, and major trends moving forward.
Dec 14, 2018•56 min
On the latest edition of the "Josiah Reviews" series, prolific freelancer and The 1099 champion Joseph Knoop joins host Josiah Renaudin to review four major releases. The duo explains why Dragon Quest XI might be the best JRPG (and game) of the year, how Life is Strange Season 2 slips in some of its biggest moments, why Strange Brigade is the Left 4 Dead game some people didn't know they wanted, and how NBA 2K19's MyCareer mode makes the whole package one of the best sports games of all time.
Dec 03, 2018•1 hr 1 min
On this week's episode, a research analyst at Wedbush Securities, the host of the Pachter Factor, and one of the biggest names in the business of games, Michael Pachter, joins host Josiah Renaudin for a deep dive into the current state of the industry. The two tackle the release date of next-gen consoles, the problems with the concept of "Netflix for games," the success of Fortnite and what it means for the rest of the industry, the state of Nintendo, and Sony pulling out of E3.
Nov 26, 2018•58 min
On this week's episode, Game Informer features editor and JRPG guru, Kim Wallace, joins host Josiah Renaudin to discuss the JRPGs you need to play—whether you're a hardcore fan or entirely new to the genre. From Dragon Quest XI to Chrono Trigger, the duo details why turn-based games still have a place in modern video games.
Nov 19, 2018•1 hr 12 min
On this week's episode, a game writer at Wooga, former scriptwriter at Guerrilla Games, former writer for Ubisoft on Assassin’s Creed, former narrative designer at Ludia, and an advocate for aspiring professionals in the industry, Jana Sloan van Geest, joins host Josiah Renaudin to discuss writing stories for games. Jana explains what it's like crafting narratives for AAA titles, how to get into games writing, why each team is an entirely different experience, the differences between main and si...
Nov 12, 2018•51 min
On this week's episode, former game director at Disruptor Beam, former lead producer at 38 Studios, former host at GameSpot, and now the executive producer at OtherSide Entertainment, Rich Gallup, joins host Josiah Renaudin to dig into game production. Rich details his time at GameSpot, how games media has changed, his fondest memories from 38 Studios, what good game production can do for a development team, the state of mobile games, and what he's working on now at OtherSide.
Nov 05, 2018•1 hr 2 min
On this week's episode, Josiah goes solo to explain what's been going on with his life and why his mindset has changed. He details his departure from Tangent Games, all the crazy things that have happened since, the importance of mental health, and the future of the podcast.
Oct 29, 2018•47 min
On this week's episode, the lead game designer on the recently released Shadow of the Tomb Raider, a former senior game designer at Beenox, and a man with a dozen years in the games industry, Heath Smith, joins host Josiah Renaudin to discuss how Eidos Montréal built the new Tomb Raider. Heath details how the series has changed over time, key design decisions, his philosophy on gameplay design, the subtle touches that make Shadow of the Tomb Raider work so well, and what to expect from the DLC.
Oct 22, 2018•1 hr 10 min
On this week's episode, a game developer who’s worked on projects like What Remains of Edith Finch, The Unfinished Swan, Room of 1000 Snakes, Sonic Dreams Collection, and the recently released Donut County, Ben Esposito, joins host Josiah Renaudin for a deep dive into indie development. Ben explains why Donut County took five years to make, the lessons he's learned, idea theft, how to manage your time in the games industry, how to write humor into games, and what comes next.
Oct 15, 2018•58 min
On this week's episode, a producer on projects like Tunic, Neo Cab, and SUPERHYPERCUBE, as well as someone with marketing, PR, and production experience within a wide variety of teams and games, Felix Kramer, joins host Josiah Renaudin to discuss game production. The duo tackles why indie teams can benefit from being forward-thinking, how good production can prevent crunch, whether or not word-of-mouth is enough when launching a game in 2018, and why it's OK to eat chicken nuggets in the bathtub...
Oct 08, 2018•59 min
On this week's episode, a big-time editor and host at CNET, as well as the king of the rotating chair on the Giant Beastcast, Jeff Bakalar, joins host Josiah Renaudin to list off the top 10 side characters who need their own games/series. Characters from franchises like Alan Wake, Banjo-Kazooie, BioShock, and Viewtiful Joe are all mentioned and discussed in detail.
Oct 01, 2018•1 hr 10 min
On this week's episode, the editor-in-chief and voice of Easy Allies, co-founder of GameTrailers.com, and voice of video game reviews, Brandon Jones, joins host Josiah Renaudin to discuss building communities and the state of games media. Brandon details how GameTrailers features came together, experimenting with the Easy Allies formula, YouTube burnout, how to balance what's popular with what interests the overall group, and how we talk about games differently today.
Sep 24, 2018•1 hr 2 min
On this week's episode, the host of NBA Desktop, half of the Binge Mode Podcast, a writer at The Ringer, and a former writer at Grantland, Jason Concepcion, joins host Josiah Renaudin to discuss the biggest and best games yet to come out in 2018. The two share what they're most excited about (and their concerns) for games like Call of Duty: Black Ops 4, Battlefield V, Red Dead Redemption 2, Super Smash Bro. Ultimate, Hitman 2, and much more.
Sep 17, 2018•1 hr 6 min
