
Kiwi Talkz
Sports & Recreation Podcasts
Podcast with various Video Game developers as well as other people involved in entertainment such as TV/Film
Location:
United States
Description:
Podcast with various Video Game developers as well as other people involved in entertainment such as TV/Film
Language:
English
Episodes
Fallout Season 2 Review With Former Fallout Devs (Jonah Lobe, Bruce Nesmith etc.)
3/14/2026
I got some of the old devs who worked on Fallout to help review Season 2 of the Fallout series. Bruce Nesmith got the time wrong so didnt join until the last 20 minutes.
#fallout #falloutnewvegas #bethesda
TIMESTAMPS
00:00 - Fallout Is The Best Video Game Adaptation Of All Time
02:21 - Fallout S2 Thoughts Overrall
05:40 - Macauley Caulkins Acting
06:48 - Walton Goggins/The Ghoul
07:44 - Ella Purnell’s Accent As Lucy
08:40 - The Deathclaws
17:05 - The Prydwens/Factions
18:06 - Brotherhood Of Steel Tone Was Wrong
18:50 - Trust The Audience More/Have More Talking Instead Of Actions Scenes
20:21 - S2 Is A Setup For S3/The Roaches Were Scarier Than The Deathclaws
21:07 - Release Strategy
21:56 - Super Mutants/Ron Perlman
26:15 - Super Mutants In Fallout 4/Todd Howard’s Direction
26:50 - Deprioritize Brotherhood Of Steel In Fallout 5
28:10 - Bethesda’s Views On Fallout New Vegas
31:45 - Where Will S3 Go?/The Toddification Might Cause A Degrade
33:00 - Thaddeus/Keep The Show Low Key & Not Focused On Spectacle
35:55 - Casuals Buying The Games As A Result Of The Show
36:37 - Fallout 3 Remaster Will Release After S3/Remasters
37:50 - Bethesda Games Won’t Be Remade
38:57 - Deathclaw Differences Between Fallout 3 & 4
40:10 - Favourite Scenes
46:18 - Devs Give The Show A Score Out Of 10
47:00 - Making The Show Go On Indefinitely
48:13 - Bruce Nesmith Joins & Gives His Review
50:25 - Bruce’s Hopes For S3
50:45 - Will The Show Influence Fallout 5
51:56 - Bethesda Will Give Fallout 5 To Someone Else/Todd Howard
55:45 - Todd Howard’s Retirement 59:22 - Story Threads In S3 Will Be Less
1:01:20 - Hank’s Story/Will The Ghoul’s Story End In S3
1:03:30 - Practical Effects 1:04:59 - Actors Everyone Would Like In A Cameo
1:10:09 - Final Thoughts
Duration:01:15:10
#202 - Featurecast Interview On Terminator 2D No Fate, Composing, Brad Fiedel, Sound Design....
3/7/2026
Featurecast is a DJ turned video game composer, he is most associated with @BitmapBureau and his most recent work was his stellar work on Terminator 2D No Fate.
#terminator #terminator2 #terminator2dnofate
TIMESTAMPS
00:00 - Intro
00:19 - How The Name Featurecast Came About
04:05 - Working With Bitmap Bureau
08:57 - Learning To Make SFX While Doing It
10:50 - Getting Creative Freedom On Terminator 2D No Fate
14:30 - Scrapping Music And Starting From Scratch/Reviews Praising The Soundtrack
15:45 - Trusting Your Gut
16:00 - How Featurecast Composed For Terminator 2D No Fate
18:10 - Researching The T2 Score/Recreating The Score For T2D No Fate
20:58 - Easter Eggs From T1 & T2 Score/T1000 Death
22:31 - Having The T2 Score On Loop To Prepare/Different Genres In The Music
24:15 - Melody/Terminator Film Scores Don’t Have Melody
26:50 - Blurring The Line Between Music & Sound Design
28:00 - Later Terminator Movies Didnt Capture Brad Fiedels Musical Identity
29:30 - Different Time Signatures/Police Station Time Signature/Future Level 3
31:20 - Writing & Mixing At The Same Time
34:56 - Making The Soundtrack Loud For Bitmap Bureau Games
36:00 - Playing The Game For Inspiration On The Music
38:05 - Music In The Escape From Hospital Level/Bitmap’s Custom Engine
40:10 - Recording The T1000 SFX/Creating SFX/Finding Your Own Way Of Doing Things
43:01 - Not Wanting To Be Influenced By Other Music
44:25 - Going Back And Listening To Your Own Music/LEGO Breakfasts
46:28 - It’s Not What You Know But Who You Know
48:12 - No Longer DJing In Clubs/Patreon/Mashups
51:49 - Q+A - What Drives Composition For Licensed Material
53:22 - Dealing With Imposter Syndrome
54:00 - Playing Music For The Devs The First Time
57:14 - Q+A - What Is Your Favourite Moment From Terminator 2
59:08 - Q+A - What Are Your 3 Favourite VST Instruments
1:00:42 - Changing VSTs For Every Project
1:03:26 - Closing Comments
Duration:01:04:46
#201 - Jay Epperson Interview On Retro Studios, Donkey Kong Country Tropical Freeze, Mario Kart 7, Concept Art.....
2/28/2026
Jay Epperson is a concept artist who is probably most famous for his concept art on Donkey Kong Country Returns and especially on Tropical Freeze.
#nintendo #donkeykong #donkeykongcountry
Thanks to the Patreon Producers for making this happen Stipe, Borkey, Magic8
TIMESTAMPS
00:00 - Intro
00:35 - How Jay Went From Being An Illustrator To Becoming A Concept Artist At Retro
04:50 - Interview Process At Retro/Getting Artists To Draw In Interviews
07:22 - Coming In As A Concept Artist Towards The End Of DKC Returns
10:20 - Retro’s Environmental Artists Were Smart
11:13 - Jay’s Art Is In The DK Theme Park
13:15 - Working With Designers
16:10 - Doing Concept Art On Tropical Freeze
18:42 - Choosing Vikings Over Aliens For The Concept
19:57 - Tikis Vs Snowmads/Reusing Assets
21:20 - Why The Ice World Is The Last Level
22:00 - Sales On Wii U/Coming Up With The Different World Themes
25:06 - CONCEPT ART REEL - Juicy Jungle World
29:27 - CONCEPT ART REEL - Water World
31:11 - CONCEPT ART REEL - Mangroves World/Cut Concepts
32:38 - CONCEPT ART REEL - Savannah World
33:18 - Showing Portfolios To Potential Employers Without Breaking NDAs
33:50 - There Arent Limitations On The DK IP
34:35 - Referencing Rare’s Work
35:33 - Nintendo Japan Were Hands Off On Concept Art
36:22 - Working On Mario Kart 7/Jay Isn’t Included In The Credits
38:30 - Jay’s Outlook “My Next Piece Will Be My Best Piece”
40:25 - Japan & Retro Testing Mario Kart 7
41:06 - Jay Reviews DK Bananza
25:29 - Jay Thinks DK Bananza Is A One Off
47:00 - Jay Doesnt Like K Rool’s Character Design
50:39 - DK’s New Look
52:22 - Why Jay Left Retro Studios
53:20 - Retro Studios Is One Of The Best Studios To Work For
54:00 - Retro Studios Art Team/Metroid Prime 4
55:35 - Nintendo Are Art Forward Not Technology Forward
56:35 - Will Retro Work On Donkey Kong Again?
57:35 - Will Retro Work On Metroid Prime 5/Would Jay Work On DK Again If Retro Asked
59:40 - Closing Comments
Duration:01:01:31
#200 - Denis Dyack Interview On Nintendo, Eternal Darkness, Deadhaus Sonata, AI, Epic Lawsuit......
2/14/2026
Denis Dyack is a legend in the industry and one of the few devs who has been exposed to both the Japanese and Western way of designing games. He is the man behind Legacy Of Kain and Eternal Darkness. I spoke with him in 2023 and he returns to promote his new game Deadhaus Sonata
#nintendo #legacyofkain #epicgames
My first interview with him is here https://youtu.be/Txt85DT68rQ
WEBSITE - https://deadhaussonata.com/
TWITTER - @DDyack
TWITTER - @DeadhausGame
TIMESTAMPS
00:00 - Intro
00:00 - Whats Changed In 3 Years Regarding Deadhaus Sonata
05:02 - Deterministic Systems/Quantum Theory
12:00 - Why Taking A Break Benefited The Project/Celestial Clock
14:50 - Weather Physics/Zelda: BOTW/History
20:20 - The Game Will Live Forever/Stop Killing Games
25:20 - The Different Engines Used For Deadhaus Sonata/Unreal Engine 5
27:40 - Why Unreal 5 Games Are Badly Optimised/The Industry Is In Dire Straits
34:20 - GTA 6’s Impact On The Industry/AAA Games Are Too Big In Size
37:29 - Denis’s Thoughts On Resident Evil/Pitching A Game To Nintendo
42:00 - Western Publishers Only Care About Graphics
44:00 - Embracers Demise/Why Pitching Games Now Is So Hard
47:28 - Game Devs Are Terrified Of Nintendo Treehouse
51:20 - How Marketing Teams Look At Games/Lack Of Innovation
53:50 - Getting Investment For Games/Denis Couldnt Get Funding
58:30 - U.S. Culture/Talent/ Japan’s Advantage Over The Rest Of World In Game Development
1:01:50 - Darwinism/People Misunderstand AI
1:12:20 -Technology Doesnt Save Time
1:19:30 - Why Nintendo Will Easily Survive The Dire Times InThe Industry
1:22:15 - AI In Games Can Beneift Gamers
1:24:20 - Prophecy Of Tothe
1:28:09 - Silicon Knights Demise Deeply Hurt Denis/Society Is Crumbling
1:29:30 - Making Up With Epic & Tim After The Lawsuit
1:32:10 - Working With Tanabe/Friendship With Iwata
1:35:00 - Exploitation In The West/Denis Is A Japanese Developer
1:38:00 - Why Miyamoto/Kojima Are One Of A Kind
1:41:11 - Denis Was Crushed When Miyamoto Wasnt Impressed By Realistic Graphics
1:44:10 - Denis Changed Deadhaus Sonata Art From Realistic To Stylized
1:46:15 - Criticism Of Game Trailers/CGI Trailers
1:48:48 - Q+A - Who Came Up With TV Change Effect In Eternal Darkness
1:50:30 - Q+A - What Would A Hyperthetical Sequel To Legacy Of Kain Be
1:57:53 - Q+A - Nintendo’s Approach To Marketing On Eternal Darkness
2:00:02 - Eternal Darkness On NSO/Possible Remake And Sequel
2:02:10 - Worldbuilding In Legacy Of Kain & Eternal Darkness/Narrative Games
2:07:41 - Q+A - Adding Transitions In Eternal Darkness Because The Gamecube Loaded Too Fast
2:10:00 - Consoles Are All The Same Now/AAA Is Now A Bad Moniker
2:13:45 - Closing Comments
Duration:02:16:14
#199 - Alpha 7 Interview On Witcher IV, Witcher III, Motion Capture, CD Projekt Red, Poland and more....
12/27/2025
Alpha 7 is a professional mocap studio that was spun off from owner Maciej Kwiatkowski from working with CD Projekt RED( He played Geralt in the Witcher from 1 through to III.) Staff as follows Maciej Kwiatkowski, Madeline Page and Michal Derlicki
#cdprojektred #witcher #cyberpunk2077
SOCIAL MEDIA INSTAGRAM
MACIEJ - @maciej_kaskader
MADELINE - @madeline_maddie_page
MICHAL - @derlickimichal
WEBSITE - https://alpha7.pro/
TIMESTAMPS
00:00 - Intro
00:50 - Mocap Performers Training Regime
03:21 - Gameplay Sessions/Behind The Scenes Of Mocap
04:44 - Advantages Of Mocap Over Shooting On Location
05:45 - Differences Between Mocap In Film & Video Games
07:50 - Motion Capture Changes From Witcher I To Witcher IV
11:21 - Becoming Geralt In The Witcher
14:35 - How The Game Industry Changed In Poland After Witcher III/CD Projekt RED
18:00 - Poland Has An Advantage Over America Now In Terms Of Development Costs
21:23 - Working On The Witcher IV Trailer
25:09 - How They All Met/You Need To Be A Good Actor To Do Mocap
31:35 - Males & Females Playing The Opposite Gender In Mocap
36:55 - Explaining Motion Capture Is Hard To Do Through Words/Gollum
37:50 - Most Challenging Characters To Work On
42:28 - Doing Mocap Despite Being In Pain
43:39 - How Alpha 7 Started
49:21 - Q+A - What Equipment You Need To Do Mocap At Home
52:50 - Q+A - What Is Special About Working With CD Projekt Red
58:55 - Q+A - Benefits & Drawbacks Of AI In Motion Capture & Game Development
1:05:45 - Where To Follow Alpha 7/Gaming Industry Advantages Over Hollywood
Duration:01:13:17
DK Bananza Review With Former Donkey Kong Country Devs!!!
12/20/2025
I am joined by Kynan Pearson (Senior Designer on DKC Returns) and Ted Anderson (Environmental Artist on DKC Returns & Tropical Freeze) to review DKC Bananza
#donkeykongbananza #donkeykong #donkeykongcountry
TED ANDERSONS UPCOMING GAMES https://store.steampowered.com/app/3565460/Tahitian_Driftin/ https://store.steampowered.com/app/3968340/Foolish_Earthlings/ TED ANDERSONS GAME STUDIO PROMOTION IN AUSTIN TEXAS INFO IS HERE https://www.oddwoodbrewing.com/
TIMESTAMPS
00:00 - Intro
00:39 - 2D Sections In DK Bananza
02:45 - Voxel Tech Limiting DK Bananza/Destructible Terrain
06:15 - Animal Transformations/Nintendo’s Design Philosophy Evolution
17:29 - DK Bananza Is A Beautiful Mess/Honouring Rare’s Contributions
22:00 - DK Bananza Music/David Wise’s Absence Is Felt
26:15 - Nostalgia In Nintendo Games
27:10 - Favourite Layer Debate spoilers
30:20 - Void Kong
31:53 - The Final Boss/Ending ***SPOILERS***
37:50 - Nintendo Universe Merging
40:51 - Mario & DK Crossover
42:50 - DK Bananza Was Built On The Foundation Of Odyssey
43:49 - DK Bananza Control Scheme
51:20 - Voxel Terrain/Camera Issues
53:33 - Art Direction Of The Final Boss
55:30 - Void Kong Boss Fight/Ending Build Up
58:07 - Pauline Singing Mechanics
01:00:28 - Donkey Kong Film
01:02:03 - Closing Comments/Pixel Arcades
Duration:01:03:37
REVIEW - Hollow Knight: Silksong (With Demon Souls Dev)
11/8/2025
Joe Houston who worked on Demon Souls Remake joins me to review the GTA of indie games Hollow Knight:Silksong!!
I did an interview with him a number of years ago, which you can find here. https://youtu.be/skAWid5zYfg
#silksong #hollowknight #hollowknightsilksong
TIMESTAMPS
00:00 - Intro
00:40 - Silksong Overview
01:30 - Silksong’s Difficulty/The Purpose Of Difficulty In Games
07:10 - Runbacks
10:54 - Bosses Of Silksong
13:40 - Progression Doesnt Help With The Difficulty
16:20 - Top Moments In The Game/Story
19:50 - Best Areas In Silksong
22:45 - Demon Souls & Dishonored Shaping Joe’s Views On Silksong
26:37 - Why Demon Souls Remake Didnt Have An Easy Mode/Silksong Nerfs
29:10 - Team Cherry Sticking To It’s Vision/Serving Core Players
31:30 - Silksong Is Too Long/Length In Games
35:12 - Replayability
37:45 - Bosses That You Die on The Most
39:37 - Will Silksong Win GOTY/GOTY Nominees
44:05 - Specificity Of Silksong
45:09 - Tastes In Games Change As You Get Older
48:18 - Distribution Model Of Games
50:00 - Team Cherry’s Intentions/Devs Get Bored While Developing Games
52:00 - Playtesters On Games
56:00 - Team Cherry Won’t Make An Easy Mode/Achievements Provide Data To Devs
58:30 - WHATS MORE IMPORTANT TO DEVS - PLAY TIME OR SALES?
1:00:20 - Vertical Slices/Why A Games Quality Can Be All Over The Place
1:02:40 - Closing Comments/Silksong DLC
Duration:01:05:23
#196 - Filip Coulianos Interview On It Takes Two, Josef Fares, FPS Cameras, Nintendo & Jump Space
10/25/2025
In this engaging conversation, Filip Coulianos, co-founder of Keepsake Games, discusses his journey in game development, the influence of Half-Life 2 on his career, and the creative processes behind his latest project, Jump Space. He shares insights on addressing motion sickness in games, the importance of marketing for indie developers, and the evolving landscape of the gaming industry. The discussion also touches on the impact of working with Josef Fares and the lessons learned from successful titles like It Takes Two.
#jumpspace #ittakestwo #fpsgames
TIMESTAMPS
00:00 - Intro
00:42 - Half-Life 2 Is The Citizen Kane Of Video Games
01:52 - Becoming A Video Game Designer
03:34 - How Half-Life 2 Influenced Jump Space
06:00 - FPS Evolution/Animation Is Key To A Good FPS Camera
09:10 - Motion Sickness In FPS Games
14:30 - Moving Between First Person & Third Person In Jump Space
17:30 - Camera Techniques/It Takes Two Camera
19:19 - It Takes Two Devs Studied Super Mario 64 & Odyssey To Make The Game
23:20 - The Making Of It Takes Two
28:22 - Working With Josef Fares
36:30 - Why Filip Left Hazelight/Having The Idea Of Jump Space Since 2012
41:43 - Jump Space’s Popularity/Daniel Kaplan’s Importance/Marketing
48:00 - Jump Space’s Early Access Release Was Threatened By Silksong And GTA 6
51:09 - Jump Space’s Release Date
52:00 - The Cost Of Game Development/Why So Many Game Studios Close
57:38 - Where The Term AAA Came From/Some Games Will Survive The Game Studio Apocalypse
59:37 - Studios Need To Sell 10 Million Units To Break Even On $100 Million Budget
1:02:10 - Sweden Game Industry/Filip Was Determined To Succeed In The Game Industry
1:05:15 - Will Jump Space Be Relased On Switch 2/PS5?
1:08:17 - Where To Follow Keepsake Games & Jump Space
Duration:01:09:29
#195 - Joshua Jay Interview On Fallout 4, 76, Starfield, Gears Of War, Todd Howard & Creation Engine
10/4/2025
Joshua Jay was a former world artist at Bethesda who worked on Fallout 4, 76 & Starfield, prior to that he was a world artist on the Gears Of War trilogy.
Josh built a living saloon set in the style of Fallout 76 here! Check it out https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C7gBi3_lyag&t=167s
#fallout #starfield #gearsofwar
JOSHUAS ARTWORK CAN BE FOUND HERE
https://www.joshuajayart.com/
https://www.artstation.com/joshua_jay_art
TIMESTAMPS
00:00 - Intro
00:38 - Lord Of The Rings/Kurt Kuhlmann
04:18 - Building A Fallout 76 Saloon
13:43 - Todd Howard/Early Work On Fallout 4
17:51 - Fallout 4’s Colour Palette
19:00 - Josh’s Work On Fallout 4’s World Art
21:38 - Josh’s Gears Of War 3 Art Was Inspired By Fallout 3
22:30 - Epic Games Base Their Games On Licensing/Bethesda Vs Epic Culture
25:10 - Unreal Engine Vs Creation Engine
28:20 - Problems Developing Fallout 76
33:25 - Why Fallout 76 Wasnt Delayed/Starfield Was Delayed Due To F076
35:18 - Josh & Kiwi Butcher Shigeru Miyamoto’s Quote
37:00 - Game Development Costs/Fallout 5
38:45 - What Josh Wants To See In Fallout 5
40:15 - Fallout TV Show Being 5 Seasons/TV Shows With Filler
42:50 - Video Games With Filler/Alien Isolation
45:15 - Video Games Should Be Shorter/Elder Scrolls VI/Rockstar Games
48:30 - Josh Got Burned Out On Gears Of War/Josh Avoided Starfield For As Long As Possible
52:40 - Working On Starfield
53:30 - Q+A - How Bethesda Seamlessly Transition From Different Biomes In Their Games
58:09 - Q+A - Were There Talks For Smaller Galaxies In Starfield In Pre-Production
59:25 - Game Devs Not Having Time To Play Games/Josh Doesnt Play Many Games These Days
1:01:42 - Josh Loves Shadow Of Mordor & War
1:02:10 - Q+A - How Was Josh’s Day Organised In A Pie Chart At Epic & Bethesda
1:04:45 - Pros & Cons Of Big & Small Studios/Star Wars Games
1:07:32 - Josh Loves & Hates The Industry/Story Of Soldiers In Afghanistan
1:11:24 - Josh Tells A Touching Story Of A Fallout Fan Who Died
1:16:41 - Outro
Duration:01:18:32
#194 - GOG Interview On Game Preservation, DRM, Japanese Laws, Stop Killing Games.......
8/17/2025
GOG is a digital distribution platform with a mission to preserve video games. I spoke with 3 employees Piotr(Senior PR), Marcin (Senior Business Developer) and Adam(Technical Producer). #gog #gamepreservation #pcgaming
SOCIAL MEDIA WEBSITE - https://www.gog.com/en/ X - @GOGcom
NOTE: Unfortunately the guys had some technical and internet issues, so we needed to use Google Meet to record this so the audio quality and even the video feed arent up to my usual standard, this is also why the layout is different to my usual format. Apologies for this, the guys are keen to do another one at some point, so if you would like that then like this post.
timestamps
00:00 - Intro
00:50 - FFVII Is The Best Game Ever/Why Final Fantasy Isnt On GOG Yet
03:29 - Japanese Publishers Are Coming Around To No DRM In Games
08:50 - Why No DRM Is Important/Games Are Aging Slowly
11:10 - Making GOG Viable For Publishers From A Cost Perspective
16:34 - Working Around The Rights/Japanese Rights Are Very Complicated
21:05 - GOG Preservation Program
27:05 - GOG Has A Small Amount Of QA People/GOG’s Internal Tools
31:48 - Simplying The Tools To Preserve Games
32:58 - GOG’s Thoughts On AI
36:01 - Working With Sony Was A Milestone/Japanese Publisher GOG Wants To Get
38:20 - Offline Launchers
40:20 - People Approaching GOG With Rights To Games/System Shock 2
43:29 - Gamers Care More About Gameplay Than Graphics Now
49:57 - Q+A - What Has Enabled GOG To Give Away Free Games On Twitch/Amazon Prime
52:34 - Q+A - Recreating Box Art & Manuals For Old Games
55:55 - Q+A - Will GOG Collaborate With Stop Killing Games Initiative
58:30 - Working With Politicians In The EU
59:10 - Most Important Lesson Piotr Learned From His Late Uncle(THIS IS FUNNY ASF LOL)
1:00:46 - Closing Comments
Duration:01:01:48
#193 - David O'Reilly Interview On GTA 6, GTA V, RDR2, Rockstar Games, Gameworld Art and AI.....
7/27/2025
David O'Reilly is a former game developer who is best known for his work at Rockstar on GTA, RDR2 and GTA VI, yes you read that right he worked on GTA VI up until 2023 when he left the video game industry.
He now has a Youtube channel where he reviews environmental art in games.
David's Youtube Channel - https://www.youtube.com/@Game-World-Art
#rockstargames #gta6 #rdr2
TIMESTAMPS
00:00 - Intro
01:30 - Having Imposter Syndrome Working At Rockstar
04:30 - Having A Good Manager
06:05 - Doing Caves For GTA V
08:29 - Doing Environmental Easter Eggs In Rockstar Games
10:11 - Rockstar Devs Dont Even Know Whats In Their Games At Release
12:53 - David’s Art On GTA VI/The Tech Process At Rockstar
15:01 - David Will Be Going Into GTA VI As A Fan
16:13 - David Hopes His Name Is In The Credits Of GTA VI
17:34 - Character & Environmental Artists Dont Work Together/Trevor Motion Capture Sequence
18:42 - Problems With Art In Ubisoft Games
20:59 - The Houser Brothers
23:11 - Why David Left Rockstar/Burnout
27:00 - Telling People You Worked On GTA
29:00 - David’s Youtube Channel
33:00 - How David Decides What Games To Play On Youtube
35:15 - Sending Devs To U.S. To Use For Reference Footage
39:15 - Different Leads For Each Rockstar Game/Changes In Development Processes
40:40 - Art Is Becoming More Specialized
42:30 - Benefits And Drawbacks Of AI On Art/Chat GPT
47:12 - GTA 7/GTA VI Trailer
49:00 - Difference Between Movie Trailers And Game Trailers
51:00 - How Rockstar Make Game Trailers/Reaction Internally To Trailers
53:15 - Assassins Creed/There Is More Potential For Games
57:30 - Q+A - How Great Does Your Portfolio Have To Be To Get Hired At Rockstar
1:00:31 - Why David Doesnt Have His Rockstar Art On Artstation
1:03:20 - David Wont Return To The Games Industry
1:04:46 - Q+A - What Is The Most Challenging Part Of Making Environments
1:06:53 - Q+A - How Much Freedom Are You Allowed On The Games
1:10:07 - Closing Comments/David’s Youtube Channel
Duration:01:12:15
#192 - Kurt Kuhlmann Interview On Elder Scrolls Lore, TES:VI, Starfield's Design And Fallout......
7/12/2025
Kurt Kuhlmann was a jack of all trades at Bethesda, he was one of the studios most proficient designers and writers, he's best known as the lore master of the Elder Scrolls
#elderscrolls #starfield #fallout
TIMESTAMPS
00:00 - Intro
01:06 - How Kurt Became The Lore Master Of The Elder Scrolls
06:26 - Maintaining The Lore
07:57 - Studying History At University/Why Kurt Went To Bethesda
09:40 - Evolution Of Quest/Narrative Design At Bethesda
10:50 - Using History To Influence Lore/Tolkien’s Influence
14:50 - Changing Writing Styles For Fallout
18:34 - Using Different Words And Thesaurus For Writing Elder Scrolls/Fallout
20:24 - The Evolution Of Voice Acting At Bethesda
24:39 - Limitations On Writing At Bethesda
26:30 - How Bethesda Changed As The Team Size Grew
29:35 - Kurt’s System Designer Role On Starfield
32:25 - Why Starfield Took So Long To Make
34:30 - The Creation Kit/Things Carried Over From Elder Scrolls/Fallout To Starfield
36:15 - Problems With Fallout 76
37:00 - Elder Scrolls VI Will Be Bittersweet For Kurt
39:17 - Fallout TV Show
40:36 - Lord Of The Rings Movies
42:38 - Todd Howard/Remote Work Benefited Starfield
49:30 - Q+A - What Is Kurts Ideal Sequel To Redguard?
51:14 - Q+A - What Makes The Elder Scrolls Feel Grounded
54:53 - Q+A - Does Kurt Prefer The Psychelic Lore Of Morrowind Over The European Style Of Oblivion
57:58 - Closing Comments/TES:VII/Morrowwind Remake
Follow me on
Social Media
TWITTER -https://twitter.com/kiwitalkz
Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/kiwi_talkz/?hl=en
Discord - discord.gg/yWRCM2aDRT
FACEBOOK - https://www.facebook.com/KiwiTalkz
TikTok - https://www.tiktok.com/@kiwitalkz
BlueSky - @kiwitalkz.bsky.social
Duration:01:00:31
#191 - Obbe Vermeij Interview On The GTA Trilogy, GTA VI, Rockstar And His Indie Game Plentiful.....
7/3/2025
Obbe Vermeij, a former technical director at Rockstar Games during GTA III to GTA IV, is now working on his indie game Plentiful, and the demo is out now here.
#grandtheftauto #gta #rockstargames
Plentiful Demo is here - https://store.steampowered.com/app/3044790/Plentiful/
SOCIAL MEDIA
TWITTER - @ObbeVermeij
BLUESKY - @obbevermeij.bsky.social
TIMESTAMPS
00:00 - Intro
00:46 - GTA IV Design Document
01:20 - Working With The Designers On GTA On What’s Possible & Not Possible
02:15 - Gang Wars In San Andreas Was Very Difficult
04:05 - GTA Series Moved Away From Gameplay First To Story First
06:30 - Obbe’s Thoughts On GTA VI 2nd Trailer
07:23 - GTA VI Will Be 30FPS
08:39 - GTA III’s Success Caught Obbe By Surprise
09:50 - The Vibe At Rockstar When GTA III Kept Selling & Selling
11:34 - How 9/11 Affected GTA III
13:03 - The Houser Brothers
15:20 - How GTA An American Parody Game Was Made In Edinburgh
16:40 - What Obbe Worked On In The GTA Trilogy
18:10 - Obbe’s Role Decreased As Rockstar Got Bigger And Bigger
21:04 - GTA VI Is The Most Expensive Game Ever
22:03 - GTA VII Will Be Cheaper To Make Than GTA VI Due To AI
22:50 - AI’s Effects On Programmers/How AI Will Help Game Development
27:17 - Leslie Benzies/Mindseye
30:40 - Rockstar Were Great With Hiring Staff/Indie Games
32:00 - Obbe’s Indie Game Plentiful
37:02 - Prototyping To Show A Publisher/Obbe Loves Making Games
38:00 - Obbe Is Making Plentiful As A Solo Dev/Music
39:15 - Obbe Made A Museum App Called Guide App
40:28 - Obbe Misses The Rockstar Games Days/Rockstar North Has A Great Work Culture
43:28 - Q+A - What Were The Main Differences Developing GTA IV For PS3 & XBOX360
44:53 - Q+A - How Much Is The Product Different From The Start Till Release
46:37 - Q+A - Favourite Project & Career Highlight
47:39 - The Original Intention With Vice City
49:21 - Q+A - The Most Impressive Thing The Devs Pulled Off That They Thought Was Impossible
53:30 - Where To Follow Obbie & Get His Game Plentiful/GTA IV Delay Story.
Duration:00:56:48
The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion Remastered Review With Ex Bethesda Devs (Kurt Kuhlmann, Bruce Nesmith, Nate Purkeypile & Jeremy Bryant)
6/15/2025
I got some of the old Bethesda crew back together (Jeremy Bryant, Nate Purkeypile, Bruce Nesmith & Kurt Kuhlmann) to review the remaster and talk about the old game and Bethesda as a whole. Enjoy!
#bethesda #elderscrolls #oblivionremastered
Nate Purkeypiles Games! Check them out!
The Axis Unseen - https://store.steampowered.com/app/1807810/The_Axis_Unseen/
Deedlee Doo Carkour! - https://store.steampowered.com/app/3582590/Deedlee_Doo_Carkour/
Bruce Nesmiths Books https://www.amazon.com/Books-Bruce-Nesmith/s?rh=n%3A283155%2Cp_27%3ABruce%2BNesmith
TIMESTAMPS
00:00 - Intro
00:50 - The Artstyle Of TESIV:Oblivion Remastered
06:34 - Unreal Engine Replacing Game Bryo Engine In Oblivion Remastered
09:14 - TES VI/Fallout 3 Remaster
10:35 - History Of The Levelling System In TES:IV Oblivion
16:31 - Devs Tricking Todd Howard To Get Stuff In Oblivion
19:11 - Oblivion’s Influence From The LOTR Films
22:40 - Copyright Lawsuits
24:10 - Why You Couldn’t Sprint In The Original Game
25:10 - Getting Oblivion To Run On Xbox 360 Was A Huge Endeavor
26:37 - TESVI Launch Title For The Next Xbox/Cross-Gen Games
28:21 - The Overworld Map Design
30:00 - The Dungeon Design/Level Designers Started With Oblivion
32:15 - Radiant AI Evolution/Emerging Gameplay
36:50 - Why Bethesda Games Have So Many Bugs
39:00 - Why Bethesda Games Will Never Be Bug Free
46:50 - Challenges Of Making An Elder Scrolls Film/TV Show
52:40 - Shivering Isles/DLC
58:37 - Nate Speaks About His Indie Games/Bruce Speaks About His Novels
Duration:01:00:27
#189 - Jeremy Huxley Interview (Senior Environmental Artist At Naughty Dog)
5/11/2025
Jeremy Huxley is a former environmental artist at Naughty Dog who worked there for 11 years on the Uncharted & Last Of Us franchises. #uncharted #lastofus #lastofuspart2
TIMESTAMPS
00:00 - Intro
00:31 - Coming To Naughty Dog Partway Through Uncharted 3
02:30 - Art Test/Learning From The Veterans
05:20 - Team Being Split Off After Uncharted 3/Working On Uncharted 4/PBR
09:00 - The Jump For Art From PS3 To PS4
10:20 - Naughty Dog’s Reference Material For Uncharted 4
12:40 - Uncharted 4’s Jungle Environments
13:50 - Ray Tracing Vs Baked Lighting
17:40 - Jeremy’s Thoughts On AI For Artists
22:10 - Reusing Art Assets From Uncharted For Last Of Us
23:20 - Transitioning From Uncharted To Last Of Us Seamlessly (Snow Sections)
25:30 - Pressure Of Working On Naughty Dog
27:30 - Friendly Rivalry Between Devs At Naughty Dog
29:30 - What References Were Used For Snow In Last Of Us Part II
30:30 - Working On Last Of Us Remaster/Respecting The Original Artists
34:00 - Importance Of Remasters & Remakes/Neil Druckmann
36:40 - Jeremy Would Love To Work On Zelda/The Game Industry Is In Trouble Due To Realistic Graphics
40:10 - Jeremy Praises From Software/Jeremy Is Playing Older Games
42:30 - As A Dev Jeremy Analyses Games/Final Fantasy VII Remake
45:30 - Q+A - How Artists Work With Designers
51:00 - Q+A - Favourite Environment To Work On
52:39 - Q+A - Would You Like To Work On A Stylized Game Over Realistic
54:32 - Jeremy Critiques Zelda: TOTK’s Art
56:25 - Where To Follow Jeremy
SOCIAL MEDIA
ARTSTATION - https://www.artstation.com/jeremyh
BLUESKY - @jeremyhuxley.bsky.social
Duration:00:59:48
Nintendo Switch 2 Direct Review With Ex Retro Studios Dev Eric Kozlowsky
4/8/2025
Former Retro Studios Dev Eric Kozlowsky (Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze) and I review the direct and go way off on another tangent lol. You can watch my life reaction to the Switch 2 direct(with former retro studios devs in the chat) here https://www.youtube.com/live/ocm4oRD-aik
Get all the info on Eric and Fuzzybot's game Lynked
here http://playlynked.com/
www.landofkoz.com
www.fuzzybot.com
Bluesky Eric - @vonkoz.bsky.social
#nintendoswitch2 #switch2 #nintendo
TIMESTAMPS
00:00 - Intro
00:55 - Eric’s & Kiwi’s Overall Thoughts On The Switch 2 Direct
04:30 - Discussion On Mario Kart World, Price & Bundle
08:50 - Trumps Tariffs
10:51 - Price Of Video Games
12:05 - Switch 2 Edition Prices/GTA VI
16:29 - Metroid Prime 4
18:54 - Nintendo Makes Bad Trailers
20:48 - Nintendo Does Weird Stuff
21:32 - DS Online/Remastering 3DS Games
22:28 - Twilight Princess With Wii U Tech Demo Graphics
23:05 - Difference Between Remasters & Remakes/Wind Waker & Twilight Princess
24:40 - What Will Happen With Metroid Prime 2 & 3 Now
27:35 - Metroid Prime Hunters/Multiplayer
28:30 - Smash Bros Is Years Away
29:45 - Star Fox 99/Animal Crossing Sales/Nintendo Budgets
32:10 - Tears Of The Kingdom/The Future Of Zelda/Zelda II Remake
34:15 - Donkey Kong Bonanza/David Wise
40:30 - Koji Kondo/Shigeru Miyamoto/The Old Guard Retiring
42:28 - Third Party Games On Switch 2/Handheld Market
46:04 - Hollow Knight:Sliksong/Drag X Drive
48:10 - Eric Home’s In On Art Straight Away
49:45 - Linked: Banner Of The Spark’s Development
54:26 - Steven Spielberg/Mouse & Keyboard
56:00 - Accessibility Options In Game Development
57:00 - Kiwi & Eric Won’t Buy A Switch 2 At Launch
58:12 - Cost Of Switch 2 In NZ/Zelda Film Trilogy Being Shot In NZ
1:01:00 - Chris Mason Working On The Last Of Us/Mario Movie
1:02:29 - Will The Zelda Movie Be Original?/Shooting The Trilogy All At The Same Time
1:04:00 - Pop Songs In The Mario Movie/Bluelight Samurai/Zelda Trailer
1:06:40 - Closing Comments
Duration:01:08:27
#187 - Chris Detyna Interview (Composer On Terminator Resistance)
3/26/2025
Chris Detyna is a video game composer who is best known for his brilliant score for Terminator Resistance.
#terminator #terminatorresistance #theterminator
TIMESTAMPS
00:00 - Intro
01:00 - Meeting Teyon/How Chris Got The Job Composing Terminator Resistance
04:19 - Including Electric Guitar In The Main Theme/Being Scared Of Making The Music
05:52 - Adapting The Terminator 1 Theme/T1 Theme Weird Time Signature
09:05 - Directions From Teyon’s Director On The Music
11:25 - The Gear Chris Used To Make The Soundtrack
13:52 - Kiwi Praises The OST/Teyon Were Nervous Of The Reception/Ear Fatigue
17:06 - Music & SFX Balancing
18:27 - Why The Terminator Resistance OST Isnt On Spotify
20:04 - Scoring The Kyle Reese Cutscene From T1/Transcriptions
23:00 - The Approach To Scoring The Game
25:00 - Composing The HK Combat Theme
25:49 - Only One Of Chris’ Tracks Were Cut From The Game
27:50 - Communication At Teyon Is Great/No Crunch At Teyon
29:00 - Working On Robocop: Rogue City/Autotune
32:15 - Writing Melody & Lyrics/Ideas Don’t Get Lost
36:15 - Doing The T-800 Heartbeat Theme(Infiltrator Mode)
41:00 - Chris & Kiwi Discuss Mixing Tips
45:25 - Q+A - What IP Would You Like To Compose For
48:50 - Q+A - What Does Chris Feel About The Forgettable Scores Post T2
51:31 - Q+A - What Was Chris’ Influences Growing Up
54:35 - Closing Comments
Duration:00:57:27
DOOM Eternal - 5th Anniversary Interview With Animator Chris Cantero
3/1/2025
HAPPY ANNIVERSARY TO DOOM ETERNAL!! To celebrate I spoke to former DOOM Eternal animator Chris Cantero, he left a few years to make his own indie game High Fructose, you can find here https://store.steampowered.com/app/2506550/High_Fructose/
#doom #doometernal #idsoftware
SOCIAL MEDIA
TWITTER - @canterochris
BLUESKY - @canterochris.bsky.social
TIMESTAMPS
00:00 - Intro
00:28 - Glory Kills
03:48 - Mocap/Principals Of Animation
05:55 - The Hardest Part Of Animating Glory Kills
07:30 - Making The Marauder Hard/QAing At The End Of The Project
08:52 - Working With Hugo Martin/Jiu-Jitsu
12:04 - Working On The ID Tech Engine
14:48 - Animating Maligog/Chris Loves The Lord Of The Rings Films
17:30 - Chris’ Thoughts On DOOM The Dark Ages Trailers
19:15 - Doing Pre Production On DOOM The Dark Ages
21:10 - Animal Crossing/DOOM Eternal Meme
22:00 - Favourite Areas
22:56 - Favourite Bosses
24:11 - Speedrunning
25:55 - Favourite Music Track/Mick Gordon/Using The OST For The Gym
27:15 - Self-Imposed Crunch
27:45 - Banana Story/Getting In Trouble From HR
29:15 - Marty Stratton Story/Commander Keen Story/Meeting The OG ID Software Crew
31:40 - Q+A - What Is Some Cut Content From The Game
33:47 - Q+A - Was Slower Gameplay Than DOOM 2016 Ever Considered
34:20 - Motion Sickness/Camera Work
36:00 - Chris’ New Game High Fructose
40:57 - Marketing High Fructose
42:15 - Hugo Martin Is Amazing At Marketing
43:00 - ID Software Teams Are Siloed/Marty & Hugo Are Very Approachable
45:20 - Multiplayer Being Cut From DOOM The Dark Ages
46:15 - DOOM Benefits From Not Being Grounded In Realism
47:20 - Where To Follow Chris Cantero
Duration:00:48:26
#185 - Jeremy Bryant Interview (Animator On Skyrim, Fallout 4, 76 & Starfield)
2/11/2025
Jeremy Bryant was an animator at Bethesda for over 15 years from Skyrim to Starfield. This is his first interview!
#starfield #fallout #skyrim
TIMESTAMPS
00:00 - Intro
00:26 - Jeremy Commuted To Work By Plane
04:07 - Working With Dennis On The Werewolf
06:26 - How The Animation Tools Evolved From Skyrim To Starfield
08:43 - Mocap Use On Skyrim/Jeremy Used His Own Mocap On Skyrim DLC
10:35 - Animating Hands/Hardest Things Animating
11:54 - Jeremy Was Known As The Gun Reloader Animator Guy
14:06 - Non-Combat Animations 15:20 - Non Humans Were Key Framed Not Mocapped/Only 7 Animators On Skyrim
16:55 - Bethesda’s Management System In The Old Days Doesn’t Scale Well
18:50 - Bethesda Expanded Too Fast For The Culture To Remain The Same/Team Sizes
20:15 - Starfields Roadmap Required A Massive Team
21:45 - Rockstar’s Level Of Polish/Downsides Of Large Teams
24:00 - Animating Procedural Generated Content
25:00 - Jeremy’s Thoughts On Todd Howard
28:50 - Jeremy Changed From A Full Time Employee To A Contractor Part Way Through Starfield
30:00 - Pros & Cons Of Remote Work/How Covid Impacted Starfields Development
32:15 - Microsoft Acquisition
33:15 - Modding Community 35:20 - Bethesdas Feature Creep Culture
36:30 - Why Jeremy Left Bethesda
39:10 - Games Are Costing Too Much To Make/Layoffs/Dev Salaries
43:15 - Larian Studios/Growing Studios Gradually
44:45 - Q+A - Why Slo Mo Kills Were Removed From Starfield
45:45 - Q+A - How Does An Animator Go About Animating A Mythical Creature
47:00 - Game Jams At Bethesda/Originally There Was A Mad Max Motorcycle In Fallout 4
50:00 - Many Vehicles Made For Starfield That May Still Be Added/Vampire Lord In Skyrim
51:30 - Pros & Cons Of Bethesda Migrating To Unreal Engine 5/Creation Engine
57:52 - It’s Easier To Make Realistic Graphics Than Stylized Graphics
1:00:25 - Elder Scrolls VI/Gameplay Is More Important Than Anything Else
1:02:10 - Bethesda’s Culture Is Great/Game Devs Who Have Never Shipped A Game Due To Layoffs
1:04:30 - Jeremy Asks Kiwi For His Thoughts On Xbox Multiplatform Strategy/Gamepass & Game He Played Most In 2024
1:08:30 - Closing Comments/LinkedIn Is Facebook 2.0
Duration:01:09:46
#184 - Shawn Layden Interview (Former CEO & Chairman of Playstation & SIEA)
2/1/2025
Shawn Layden was former CEO of Playstation worldwide studios and former chairman of Sony Interactive Entertainment America. His career in Sony is legendary as a Japanese localizer that had a meteoric rise to be one of the head honchos of the whole company.
#playstation #sony #ps5
SOCIAL MEDIA
TWITTER -@SHAWNLAYDEN
BLUESKY - @shawnlayden.bsky.social
TIMESTAMPS
00:00 - Intro
01:02 - Why Playstation Used Numbers For Each Console Iteration
03:26 - Being The Fix It Guy At Sony/What Motivates Shawn
05:45 - Building A Reputation
07:00 - Doing 18 Hour Days During The PSN Hack
09:00 - Why Sony Is So Good At Marketing
13:01 - How FOMO Is Used In Marketing
14:00 - Why Sony Now Releases 1st Party Games On PC/Initial Pushback
15:50 - Why Astro Bot Was Shawn’s 2024 GOTY
18:30 - Why The Japanese Are So Good At Game Design
21:57 - Western Games Are Too Big In Scope/Dev Costs Come From Salaries
23:05 - Why So Many Game Studios Are On The West Coast Of America/Environmental Costs
24:57 - Game Devs Commute Times Create Major Sunk Costs/Working From Home
28:30 - Shawn Pushed Realistic Graphics Well Acknowledging It’s Not Sustainable
30:52 - How Sony Prices Games & When To Drop The Price
33:40 - Concords Failure/Why Games As A Service Was Popular And No Longer Isnt
37:31 - Why The PS6 Won’t Be Discless
40:00 - Launching Handhelds Are Hard/Why The PS Vita Failed
43:00 - Sony Characters Won’t Appear In Super Smash Bros
44:20 - Why Playstation All-Stars Didn’t Sell Well
46:48 - Q+A - How Will The Market Of Fortnite/Roblox Players Change As They Get Older
49:28 - Q+A - Shawn’s Opinion On Microsoft’s Multiplatform Approach
51:22 - Nintendo Are Best Positioned To Navigate The “Diminishing Returns” Problem
54:18 - Q+A - What Games Did You Think Would Be Big Hits But Weren’t.
58:21 - You Learn More From Failures Than Successes
59:43 - Closing Comments
Duration:01:01:26