This week we talk with the founder of the Indie Megabooth and games VC Kelly Wallick. Through her indie beginnings to her investing portfolio, community has always been the core. We discuss the Indie Game Festival, spotting hits and making a great pitch deck - this week! Episode Highlights [00:00:00] Founding the Indie MEGABOOTH: Building a Platform for Indie Games Kelly shares how she launched the Indie MEGABOOTH, creating a showcase that gave indie developers global visibility at major convent...
Aug 21, 2025•1 hr 19 min•Season 3Ep. 23
Our guest is Feargus Urquhart, founder and CEO of Obsidian, the premier maker of videogame RPGs. Having mastered 27 second pizzas he moved to testing and production of huge titles like KOTOR, Baldur's Gate and Fallout. We discuss snatching victory from the jaws of defeat with Pillars of Eternity, and when a feature is real - this week! Episode Highlights [00:00:00] Founding Obsidian Entertainment: From Black Isle to New Beginnings Feargus shares how he and his former Black Isle colleagues launch...
Aug 14, 2025•1 hr 19 min•Season 3Ep. 22
Our guests are Rand and Robyn Miller, founders of Cyan (World) and creators of the smash game Myst. From humble beginnings in Hypercard kids' games, they made the 3D puzzle experience Myst which changed the world of adventure games. We discuss GRR Martin stories, line art to 3D and more - this week! Episode Highlights [00:00:00] How Myst Was Made: The Birth of a Gaming Landmark Robyn and Rand Miller reflect on the early days of Cyan and how they created Myst —a genre-defining game that shaped th...
Aug 07, 2025•1 hr 26 min•Season 3Ep. 21
Our guest this week is Seth Sivak, VP Development for World of Warcraft at Blizzard. From early years at Zynga he became Founder and CEO of Proletariat, shipping big games like Spellbreak. We discuss being an Imagineer, the three components of creative decisions and "always be pitching" - this week! Episode Highlights [00:00:00] Why Games Fail: No Audience, No Hype Seth explains how several recent games failed not from poor quality, but because they launched without building an audience—resultin...
Jul 31, 2025•1 hr 16 min•Season 3Ep. 20
Our guest this week is Mac Reynolds, CEO and co-founder of Night Street Games, making the PvP shooter Last Flag . As manager of the band, Imagine Dragons, he learned how to find magic from the grind and now applies that to a videogame. We discuss Eagle Scouts, learning to advocate and CTF - this week! Episode Highlights [00:00:00] Realizing How Hard It Is to Make a Game Mac shares how his early assumptions about game development were quickly shattered after launching Night Street Games. [00:08:0...
Jul 03, 2025•1 hr 13 min•Season 3Ep. 19
Our guest this week is the poster boy for educational software going massively mainstream, Phillip Bouchard. Starting in the world of mainframes he created a worldwide hit on Apple II and beyond. We talk Apple getting kickstarted and science for fun and profit this week! Episode Highlights [00:00:00] The Legacy of The Oregon Trail: Still Remembered 40 Years Later Philip reflects on the surprising longevity of The Oregon Trail , a game still remembered decades after its release and played by new ...
Jun 26, 2025•1 hr 2 min•Season 3Ep. 18
Our guest this week is Adam Boyes, longtime co-CEO of Iron Galaxy and now founder of Vivrato. From Killer Instinct to The Last of Us Part I , he’s helped bring major games to life and now supports devs launching their own. We discuss putting in raunchy stuff, nemawashi and his magic deck of challenges - this week! Episode Highlights [00:00:00] "Shipping Will Burn You": Why Making Games Is the Best Teacher Adam kicks off with advice for aspiring devs: build, release, and learn from failure—becaus...
Jun 19, 2025•1 hr 20 min•Season 3Ep. 17
Our guest Rémi Racine is the founder & CEO of Behaviour Interactive—the studio behind Dead by Daylight and dozens of other titles. A veteran of the games industry for over 25 years, Rémi has helped shape not just iconic games but also the entire Canadian game development landscape - this week! 00:02:10 — From Montreal to Mainstream: Remi’s first game at age 24 Discover how Remi’s early passion project turned into a pioneering move in Canadian game development. 00:08:45 — The Birth of Behavio...
Jun 12, 2025•1 hr 8 min•Season 3Ep. 16
Our guest Nolan North has brought to life your favorite videogame characters with his voice! From Uncharted's Nathan Drake and Assassin's Creed's Desmond Miles, to scores of others, he is a top talent in the industry. We discuss the freedom of preparation and being broke but happy - this week! Episode Highlights [00:00:00] From Soap Operas to Sound Booths: Nolan North’s Unexpected VO Journey Nolan shares how a friend encouraged him to pivot from acting on Port Charles to voice acting—kicking off...
Jun 05, 2025•1 hr 16 min•Season 3Ep. 15
Our guest John Blackburn is a founder and CEO of Avalanche Software, makers of hundreds of games for dozens of platforms, such as Hogwarts Legacy and Disney Infinity . He has tales of when games paid royalties and having to take a chance. We discuss how to talk to execs and being true but not canon - this week! Episode Highlights [00:00:00] Mortal Kombat Funded Avalanche’s Origins John Blackburn reveals how Avalanche Studios was launched thanks to Mortal Kombat Trilogy royalties—literally bankro...
May 29, 2025•1 hr 9 min•Season 3Ep. 14
Our guest Michael Morhaime was President and CEO of Blizzard during its glory years, shipping Warcraft , Starcraft , World of Warcraft , Diablo and more! Now Founder and CEO Dreamhaven he's won an Emmy and is in the AIAS Hall of Fame. We discuss red tape, how many billion dollar franchises you need on your resume and more - this week! [00:01:00] Blizzard’s High Standards: Canceling Half Their Games Mike reveals that Blizzard canceled nearly half of its projects to maintain quality, highlighting ...
May 22, 2025•1 hr 13 min•Season 3Ep. 13
Our guest Bing Gordon has had a long successful run in videogames and tech. From marketing lead to Chief Creative Officer at EA, he helped shaped NASCAR, The Sims and other huge titles. We discuss pitching, two beer strategies and Speilberg's smoke test - this week! Episode Highlights [00:04:00] How Bing Gordon Helped Launch Electronic Arts Bing shares the story of co-founding EA when it was a scrappy startup in 1983, including raising $2 million in funding and being the company’s one-person mar...
May 15, 2025•1 hr 16 min•Season 3Ep. 12
Our guest Kim Swift turned a student demo into the mega-hit Portal . Previously the Head of Creative for Xbox Games Publishing, she also did level design on Left 4 Dead and was Design Director for Star Wars: Battlefront II . We discuss how to pitch, owning IP on Mars and whether or not the cake is a lie - this week! Episode Highlights [00:00:21] Kim Swift’s Game Design Origin Story Kim talks about how she got into game development by modding games like Doom and Quake , which eventually led to he...
May 08, 2025•1 hr 16 min•Season 3Ep. 11
Our guest Christian Cantamessa began in point and click adventures before becoming lead designer and writer for Red Dead Redemption . Now CEO of Day 4 Night Studios Inc., he is also the writer and director of the film, Air . We discuss concern about GTA III , embracing the game and telling stories in games - this week! [00:00:00] – From Donald Duck to GTA III: Career Whiplash Christian recalls the surreal leap from working on a Donald Duck GBA game to contributing to Grand Theft Auto III at Rock...
May 01, 2025•1 hr 21 min•Season 3Ep. 10
Our guest Louis Castle helped invent real-time strategy games with Command and Conquer and has a BAFTA for Boom Blox . Now leading Childlike Wonder Games, we discuss casino ethics, switching to real-time and building toys - this week! Top 8 Highlights [00:00:00] – Lifelong Learning: The Key to Game Design Success Louis Castle opens the episode by emphasizing the importance of constant learning as a game designer, citing curiosity and adaptability as essential traits. [00:06:00] – Founding Westwo...
Apr 24, 2025•1 hr 9 min•Season 3Ep. 9
Our guest Amir Satvat wants to get you a job in games. A business development executive at Tencent, he won the Game Changer award for the incredible community he built which has helped over 3k gamedevs find their next role with mentorship, mock interviews and more. We discuss "the troubles" and hopes for the future - this week! You can find Amir's website and community here: https://amirsatvat.com/ [00:00:00] The 17-Year Grind: Amir shares how it took nearly two decades—and hundreds of rejection...
Apr 17, 2025•1 hr 14 min•Season 3Ep. 8
Our guest Alex Beachum turned his thesis project into the mind-bending smash Outer Wilds . Inspired by greats such as Zelda and Antichamber , it blazed new ground by having a nonviolent (though definitely mortal) player. We discuss emotional prototypes, four distinct mysteries and the IGF - this week! Highlights [00:00:30] Emotional Prototyping: Designing with Feeling Alex Beachum discusses the idea of building an emotional prototype for a game, capturing the vibe before mechanics—like roasting ...
Apr 10, 2025•1 hr 12 min•Season 3Ep. 7
In this inspiring episode of The Fourth Curtain , we sit down with Sandi Montaño , a self-taught modding phenom who went from stay-at-home dad to one of the most downloaded indie creators in the gaming world. With over 31 million downloads of his content for games like ARK: Survival Ascended and Hogwarts Legacy , Sandi proves you don’t need a degree—or even a formal background in game development—to make a major impact. If you’re a game developer, modder, or creative looking to break into the in...
Apr 03, 2025•58 min•Season 3Ep. 6
Our guest is Exploding Kitten's Elan Lee. Starting with animating breath for the film Titanic, he went on to create the world's first alternate reality game, The Beast, at Microsoft. Later he gamified Nine Inch Nails and voter registration and went on to launch the most successful Kickstarter ever for Exploding Kittens, redefining family game night. This episode features great stories and a world exclusive product announcement - this week! [00:06:30] From ILM to Xbox Elan shares his early work o...
Mar 27, 2025•1 hr 12 min•Season 3Ep. 5
This week's guest is Jenova Chen, creator of Journey , Sky: Children of the Light and other games. A BAFTA winner, he has strong opinions about morality in games and the value of positivity. We discuss the unique way he starts games, GDC's value and being the opposite of GTA - this week! [00:00:00] Music as the Highest Resolution Emotional Medium Jenova Chen explains why he believes music is the most powerful emotional communication tool, comparing it to pixel art and poetry. [00:08:00] The Jour...
Mar 20, 2025•1 hr 17 min•Season 3Ep. 4
Dive into the compelling world of storytelling with acclaimed author Alex Irvine, known for his immersive contributions to Marvel games, graphic novels, and groundbreaking Alternate Reality Games (ARGs) like I Love Bees . In this episode, Alex shares his insights on creativity, the delicate balance between talent, persistence, and luck, and the intricate art of narrative design across various media formats. From discussing the unique challenges of writing for expansive universes like Marvel's mu...
Mar 13, 2025•1 hr 11 min•Season 3Ep. 3
This week's guest is Halo and Destiny's Joe Staten. Beginning as a farmhand, he went on to lead teams in the Halo franchise, be on the core team for Destiny, write a NYT bestselling novel and work with the great Peter Jackson. Now looking for his next role, we discuss how Bungie was like a family business, the most important mysteries and creativity and risk - this week! Episode Highlights – Joseph Staten on The Fourth Curtain Podcast 🎙️ Guest: Joseph Staten – Writer, Cinematics Director, Creat...
Mar 06, 2025•1 hr 23 min•Season 3Ep. 2
This week's guest is a founder of Games Workshop, publisher of White Dwarf magazine, creator of the Fighting Fantasy Books and Executive Chair of Eidos Interactive Sir Ian Livingstone. This Knight of the British Empire started a business while living in a van, prevailed through a Satanic panic about his Fighting books, saw the promise of a certain Tomb Raider and birthed a mass media entertainment phenomenon. Now using games for education, we talk getting bonkers exclusives, the 3 G's of gamedev...
Feb 27, 2025•1 hr 27 min•Season 3Ep. 1
In this week's episode we recap some of the best moments from Season 2, with John Romero on hits and misses, how Peter Molyneux makes a game, Ed Fries on Xbox's Valentines Day massacre, Warren Spector on how playstyle is everything and much more! 🎮 The Fourth Curtain – S2 Best Of Highlights [00:00:00] – Season 2 Recap & Patreon Launch 🎉 Alex and Aaron reflect on Season 2, announce the new Patreon, and tease upcoming guests. [00:08:00] – John Romero’s First Game 👾 John shares how he progra...
Feb 20, 2025•1 hr 45 min•Season 2Ep. 38
Welcome to the Season Two finale episode! And it's a Monster!!!! (Never fear, we will be back in a couple of weeks with some special episodes to bridge the gap to Season Three!) This week's guest is Ed Boon, co-creator of Mortal Kombat and Injustice and Chief Creative Officer of Mortal Kombat and NetherRealm Studios! Starting in the world of pinball, he moved onto arcade games at the legendary Midway Games and is still making blockbusters. We discuss his World Record entry in the book of Guinnes...
Oct 24, 2024•1 hr 11 min•Season 2Ep. 37
Ok, we know this episode should be called Something Fun on the Toilet with MK, but we're chose to keep it classy. Our guest this week is Michail Katkoff, a veteran of Zynga, Supercell, and Rovio, partner in Play Ventures, and founder of Deconstructor of Fun. In all of these different roles he's developed a unique understanding of our industry from different perspectives. We discuss product management, insane mobile profits and the ecosystem necessary to support game studios. 00:00 – Introduction...
Oct 17, 2024•1 hr 12 min•Season 2Ep. 36
In this episode of The Fourth Curtain , legendary game designer Mike Pondsmith joins hosts Alex and Aaron for an in-depth conversation about his expansive career, from creating the tabletop RPG Cyberpunk to collaborating with CD Projekt Red on Cyberpunk 2077 . Mike discusses his early days in game development, the creation of Night City , and the challenges of translating tabletop concepts into video games. The episode is full of humor, industry insights, and engaging anecdotes, offering listene...
Oct 10, 2024•1 hr 28 min•Season 2Ep. 35
This week on The Fourth Curtain , we’re joined by Mihai Pohontu, CEO and Chairman of Amber Studio, a distinguished figure in the gaming industry. Mihai, who was recently named Romanian Entrepreneur of the Year, shares his fascinating journey from the upheaval of post-revolution Romania to becoming a leader in global game development. A self-described business romantic , Mihai offers insightful perspectives on the role of capitalism and entrepreneurship in shaping a better society. Amber Studio, ...
Oct 03, 2024•1 hr 25 min•Season 2Ep. 34
Our guest Warren Spector is the creative producer behind vastly influential games like Ultima Underworld, System Shock, Deus Ex and many others. Now working on (working title) Argos, he joins us to talk about the birth of the immersive sim, having amazing mentors and ways to start a game, this week! The conversation dives deep into Warren's career, discussing his design philosophy around player agency and choice, the history behind some of the most influential immersive sim games, and his experi...
Sep 26, 2024•1 hr 29 min•Season 2Ep. 33
In this episode of The Fourth Curtain , Alex and Aaron sit down with Ed Fries, a pivotal figure in the gaming industry and former VP at Microsoft, where he helped launch the Xbox. Ed shares stories from his early days at Microsoft, including how he made the leap from working on Office products to heading up the game division. He dives into the creation of the original Xbox, the challenges the team faced, and the infamous "Valentine’s Day Massacre" meeting where Xbox's future hung in the balance....
Sep 19, 2024•1 hr 34 min•Season 2Ep. 32
