PixelSmiths: Stories of the Creative Minds Behind Indie Video Games

PixelSmiths: Stories of the Creative Minds Behind Indie Video Games

Video games are an art form. And on PixelSmiths, we talk to the independent artists whose creative minds power some of the most innovative titles on the market today. Developers, designers, visionaries and storytellers. It's their blood, sweat and tears that go into crafting unique experiences for players around the globe. Finally, they have a platform to celebrate their creativity, their drive and their vision. Hosted by eSports commentator Clinton "Paperthin" Bader and podcast producer Larry Kilgore III, PixelSmiths will explore the tales that unfolded from concept to release with game creators worldwide. We'll explore the obstacles they had to overcome during production, how the games changed their careers, and what new projects they're working on now. Subscribe today on your favorite podcast platform.

Episodes

14. Beacon Pines w/ Creative Director Matthew Meyer

December 16, 2022 • 29 mins
On this episode, Larry & Clinton speak with Matt Meyer, Creative Director and founder for Hiding Spot Games. Their newest game, Beacon Pines, is a point and click adventure that takes place inside a story book, and is available on multiple platforms. In this fun chat, they talk about how Matt's love of music, and desire to work for himself, fueled his desire to make his own games. They'll also talk about the challenges he's faced c...
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13. Genesis Noir w/ Evan Anthony & Jeremy Abel of Feral Cat Den

November 18, 2022 • 31 mins
On this episode, Larry & Clinton speak with Jeremy Abel & Evan Anthony, founders of Feral Cat Den, an artistic collective based in New York. Their first game, Genesis Noir, is a point-and-click adventure that spans time and space, telling a noir tale of The Big Bang. They talk about the growth of Evan and Jeremy's friendship in college, their work together in interactive media and short form content, their inspirations for Genesis ...
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12. Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Shredder's Revenge w/ Game Designer Frederic Gemus

October 28, 2022 • 24 mins
On this episode, Larry & Clinton talk with Frederic Gemus, the Game Designer at Tribute Games who was behind Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Shredder's Revenge. Shredder's Revenge is a retro-inspired beat-em-up, seen to be the spiritual successor to the TMNT games of the 80's and 90's. It is available now on most gaming platforms. Fred talks to the boys about his time developing AAA games at Ubisoft, figuring out how to go out and fo...
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11. SILT w/ Tom Mead and Dom Clarke of Spiral Circus Games

September 23, 2022 • 30 mins
On this episode, Larry & Clinton speak with Tom Mead and Dom Clarke, co-founders of Spiral Circus Games, and creators of SILT. SILT is a surreal underwater puzzle-adventure game, available now on multiple platforms. Tom and Dom talk about how their girlfriends 'matchmade' them to start their company, the difficulties of transitioning from their previous careers into being game developers, the dream-come-true trip to an accelerator ...
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10. Cursed to Golf w/ Chuhai Labs Game Director Liam Edwards

August 26, 2022 • 48 mins
On this episode, Larry & Clinton talk with Liam Edwards, Game Director for Cursed to Golf, out now on multiple platforms. Cursed to Golf is a challenging golf-like adventure with rogue-like elements, where players are tasked with playing a crazy obstacle-filled course to making it out of Golf Purgatory. In this exciting conversation, they talk about Liam's winding road that lead to him being a game creator in Japan, his experience ...
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9. Children of Morta w/ Dead Mage Studio Director Amir Fassihi

July 22, 2022 • 39 mins
On this episode, Larry & Clinton talk with Amir Fassihi, Studio Director at Dead Mage Studios, creators of Children of Morta. Children of Morta is a hack'n'slash action RPG with a rogue-lite approach to character development, where you don’t play as a single character - but a whole, extraordinary family of heroes. In this interesting conversation, they talk about the creation of the studio in 2010 and how it's grown, how Amir's rol...
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8. Chinatown Detective Agency w/ Mark Fillon, Ricardo Juchem, and Rik Godwin of General Interactive Co.

June 17, 2022 • 45 mins
On this episode, Larry & Clinton talk with Mark, Ricardo, and Rik from General Interactive, creators of Chinatown Detective Agency. Chinatown Detective Agency is a cyber noir point-and-click adventure game that blends pixel art style with innovative mechanics. It is also a tribute to some of Mark's favorite games growing up; The Carmen Sandiego games made by Broderbund Software. In this episode, the guys talk about the state of Gen...
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7. CrossCode with Radical Fish Games Co-Founder Felix Klein

May 20, 2022 • 39 mins
On this episode, Larry & Clinton talk with Felix Klein, co-founder of Radical Fish Games, and one of the creators of CrossCode. CrossCode is a retro-inspired 2D Action RPG that combines 16-bit SNES-style graphics with smooth physics, a fast-paced combat system, and engaging puzzle mechanics. In this conversation, they talk with Felix about making hobby projects with RPG Maker as a teen, his path to studying computer science and pro...
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6. My Lovely Daughter w/ Riris Marpaung of GameChanger Studio

April 22, 2022 • 31 mins
On this episode, Larry & Clinton talk with Riris Marpaung, a librarian from Indonesia who left her 20 year career to become a game developer, about her studio's games, My Lovely Daughter, and the upcoming My Lovely Wife. My Lovely Daughter is an alchemist simulator that explores the depth of a father’s grief and how far he will go to resurrect his daughter. In this conversation, they talk about adapting to her new career, the chall...
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UPDATE: The Passing of Mohammad Fahmi of Pikselnesia

March 31, 2022 • 1 min
Clinton & Larry share their condolences over the passing of Mohammad Fahmi, creator of Coffee Talk & What Comes After, who was featured in Ep. 3. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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5. Lacuna w/ Julian Colbus & Jasmin Pfeiffer of DigiTales

March 21, 2022 • 29 mins
On this episode, Larry & Clinton talk with Julian Colbus & Jasmin Pfeiffer, partners for 12 years and co-founders of DigiTales Interactive. Their first game, Lacuna, is a 2D sci-fi noir adventure where your choices matter, and is greatly inspired by The Expanse. In this conversation, the couple talk about working together creatively before the launch of DigiTales, Julian's experience as a composer in the gaming industry, the import...
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4. Trackless w/ Aubrey Serr

February 18, 2022 • 43 mins
On this episode, Larry & Clinton talk with Aubrey Serr, an indie developer with more than a decade of experience, about his time in the industry, and going solo to create his game Trackless, an atmospheric, first-person, text-based exploration and puzzle game set in the distant future. Aubrey also spent the early years of his career at Wolfire Games, where they were one of the first teams to pioneer what is now considered 'Early Ac...
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3. Coffee Talk & What Comes After w/ Mohammad Fahmi

January 21, 2022 • 31 mins
On this episode, Larry & Clinton talk with Mohammad Fahmi, Creative Director at Pikselnesia, and the creator of Coffee Talk and What Comes After. Both games are 'conversation simulators' that tell heart-warming stories. In this fun conversation, they talk about Fahmi’s time at Toge Productions, his career path developing the skills he would need to start his own studio, the struggles of finding funding as a new studio, and the moti...
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2. Klang & Klang 2 w/ Tom-Ivar Arntzen

December 17, 2021 • 35 mins
On this episode, Larry & Clinton talk with Tom-Ivar Arntzen, the one-man virtuoso behind Tinimations, and creator of Klang & Klang 2. The Klang series is an innovative take on the rhythm game genre, combining the timed button combinations of traditional rhythm games with hack & slash combat. In this conversation, they talk about how Norway's culture led to Tom's obsession with video games, his award-winning game development during ...
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1. Firegirl w/ Julien Ribassin & Gabriel Miller

December 17, 2021 • 48 mins
On this episode, Larry & Clinton talk with Julien Ribassin & Gabe Miller, creators of Firegirl: Hack & Splash Rescue, out now on Steam. Firegirl is a 2.5D rogue-like where you take on the role of a new firefighter, fighting fires and monsters as she works to save her city, and grow her fire brigade. In this fun conversation, they talk about Gabe's 'claim to fame' working on Strike Vector, Julien's rogue-like curse, drunken times at...
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Coming in December - PixelSmiths: Stories of the Creative Minds Behind Indie Video Games

November 9, 2021 • 1 min
Video games are an art form. And on PixelSmiths, we talk to the independent artists whose creative minds power some of the most innovative titles on the market today. Developers, designers, visionaries and storytellers. It's their blood, sweat and tears that go into crafting unique experiences for players around the globe. And finally, they have a platform to celebrate their creativity, their drive and their vision. Hosted by espor...
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