Best Academy of Interactive Arts Podcasts (2025)

1
Come Home, 12KM, Writer Director Mike Pecci 1:20:48

7h ago1:20:48

1:20:48

Mike Pecci is an award-winning director, editor, and cinematographer based in Los Angeles, California. He's known for his gritty, raunchy, and edgy style. Pecci's work includes directing over 30 music videos for artists like Killswitch Engage, Lucius, and the Wu Tang Clan. He also co-directs with Ian McFarland as part of the directing duo McFarland…

1
Navigating the Shifting Corridors of BLUE PRINCE with Creator Tonda Ros 1:59:59

9h ago1:59:59

1:59:59

Trent Kusters chats with Tonda Ros, the creator of the mind bending puzzle roguelike, Blue Prince. Together they discuss his prior career navigating the film industry and how he found himself creating his first game; the early tools and resources that helped him get started; brining in additional team members and what that meant for the project tim…

1
How 3 Brothers Started a Game Studio - Butterscotch Shenanigans 1:07:53

7d ago1:07:53

1:07:53

Trent Kusters chats with brothers Adam and Seth Coster of indie studio, Butterscotch Shenanigans, who recently released Crashlands 2, the sequel to their hit debut release. Together they discuss their story of 3 brothers working in different fields who came together to make games; the mistakes and lessons they learned while building the studio; how…

1
Avowed Game Director Carrie Patel talks World Building and Narrative Design 1:02:07

14d ago1:02:07

1:02:07

Alexa Ray Corriea chats with Carrie Patel, the Game Director on Obsidian Entertainment's Avowed. Together they discuss how the team worked within the Pillars of Eternity universe while expanding the world and characters; transitioning the gameplay from an isometric RPG to a focus on first person action; writing memorable companions; and the complex…

1
From Dragon Age to Eternal Strands with Mike Laidlaw 1:13:13

21d ago1:13:13

1:13:13

Alexa Ray Corriea chats with Mike Laidlaw, Chief Creative Officer at Yellow Brick Games. Together they discuss his career developing role-playing games including his role as Creative Director on the Dragon Age franchise; the development of his new studio's first release, Eternal Strands; creating the physics based combat system; the key pillars for…

1
Sinners, Academy Award Winning Costume Designer Ruth E. Carter 41:36

26d ago41:36

41:36

New Episode Now Live and it’s a must-watch! @Designing Hollywood Show is thrilled to welcome back Oscar-winning costume designer Ruth E. Carter for an exclusive interview diving deep into her powerful work on the new film Sinners, hitting theaters this weekend. In Sinners, Ruth steps into a gritty, raw world of survival and redemption — crafting co…

1
Creating the Super Earth of Helldivers 2 with Arrowhead's Johan Pilestedt 3:17:22

28d ago3:17:22

3:17:22

Trent Kusters chats with Johan Pilestedt, the Game Director on Arrowhead Game Studios' smash-hit, HELLDIVERS™ 2. Together they discuss his path in games that led to the founding of Arrowhead alongside his classmates in Sweden; the development and release of their first title, Magicka; the original ideas around that laid the foundation for the Helld…

1
Becoming Indiana Jones with Troy Baker 1:19:49

1M ago1:19:49

1:19:49

Alexa Ray Corriea chats with actor Troy Baker. Together they discuss his award winning performance as Indiana Jones in MachineGames's Indiana Jones and the Great Circle; his biggest challenges in playing an iconic character; lessons he learned from his past projects that informed his preparation and performance; and the difference between a perform…

1
The rise and fall of Matthew Hopkins, Witchfinder General 13:07

1M ago13:07

13:07

What really happened when a breakdown of the legal system in the English Civil War fuelled a series of witch-hunts? In this 10-Minute Talk, Professor Ronald Hutton FBA delves into England's witch trials and Matthew Hopkins, the self-proclaimed Witchfinder General. For more from The British Academy’s Folklore Reimagined season, visit our website: ht…

1
In the Heights, George and Tammy, Costume Designer Mitchell Travers 1:06:19

1M ago1:06:19

1:06:19

Mitchell Travers is an American Costume Designer who has cultivated a character-heavy portfolio of work for multiple titles. His breakout work on Bo Burnham’s A24 indie hit Eighth Grade, which earned him a spot on Variety’s Artisan’s Impact Report.He was tasked to transform Emma Thompson into a chic pantsuit-sporting Late Night TV host in Mindy Kal…

1
Magic, Kevlar, and Conspiracies with Tactical Breach Wizards Dev Tom Francis 2:37:25

1M ago2:37:25

2:37:25

Trent Kusters chats with game designer Tom Francis of Suspicious Developments, developers of hit indie tactical strategy games like Gunpoint, Heat Signature, and Tactical Breach Wizards. Together they discuss how Tom went from games journalism to game development; his ideas around challenge and difficulty; weaving gameplay with narrative; and his t…

51
From Theater to Video Games with 1000xRESIST Actor, Nhi Do 1:01:00

2M ago1:01:00

1:01:00

Alexa Ray Correia chats with actor Nhi Do, who starred in Sunset Visitor's debut narrative adventure, 1000xRESIST. Together they discuss her background in theater and how she landed her first part in video games; finding the entry point when playing a new character; the catharsis of finishing a project; and the importance of compartmentalization wh…

1
Mysteries of Indiana Jones and the Great Circle with MachineGames 1:12:18

2M ago1:12:18

1:12:18

Adam Orth chats with MachineGames' Jens Andersson and Axel Torvenius about their critically acclaimed title, Indiana Jones and the Great Circle. Together they discuss why they decided to make an Indiana Jones game in first person; the importance of introducing players to the Indiana Jones world by recreating the iconic opening scene from Raiders of…

1
Companion, The Toxic Avenger, Costume Designer Vanessa Porter 46:27

2M ago46:27

46:27

Her designs have premiered at acclaimed film festivals- Sundance, TIFF, VFF, and SXSW. She has designed films for Warner Brothers Pictures/New Line Cinema, Legendary Pictures, and Amazon Studios. Vanessa has designed original series for Sony, Disney+, NETFLIX, and UCP/Peacock. Several of Vanessa’s projects have 2025 releases. GOOSEBUMPS: THE VANISH…

1
Becoming Yuffie in FINAL FANTASY VII REBIRTH with Actor Suzie Yeung 45:12

2M ago45:12

45:12

Alexa Ray Correia chats with actor Suzie Yeung. Together they discuss how she got her start acting in games; her performance as Yuffie Kisaragi in the recent reboot of FINAL FANTASY VII; her extensive work in the anime industry; the process and differences in recording for animation versus games; how she prepared for her performance as Yuffie; and …

1
Book Of Clarence Costume Designer Antoinette Messam 1:15:59

2M ago1:15:59

1:15:59

Costume designer Antoinette Messam discusses her work on The Book of Clarence, her career, and her love of fashion with Producer/Host Phillip Boutté Jr Antoinette is an immensely talented costume designer; able to take the script and interpret the characters collaboratively with the director. Antoinette's experience as a fashion designer and stylis…

1
Founder Ted Price Reflects on 30 Years of Insomniac Games and Retirement 1:23:20

2M ago1:23:20

1:23:20

Trent Kusters chats with Insomniac Games' Ted Price. Ted recently announced his retirement from the games industry and received the 2025 AIAS Hall of Fame award at the 28th Annual D.I.C.E. Awards. In this conversation, Ted recalls his life in game development as the founder and president of Insomniac Games from key projects and career milestones to…

1
[Sponsored] Chat with Xsolla's Berkley Egenes 36:17

3M ago36:17

36:17

Xsolla is a leading global video game commerce company with a robust and powerful set of tools and services designed specifically for the industry. Since its founding in 2005, Xsolla has helped thousands of game developers and publishers of all sizes fund, market, launch, and monetize their games globally and across multiple platforms. To learn mor…

1
Navigating Parent-Teacher Relationships 1:14:19

3M ago1:14:19

1:14:19

In this eye-opening episode of Beyond the Bell, hosts Matt Walsh and Jim Connor dive into the evolving parent-teacher relationship with renowned clinical psychologists Dr. Bob Evans and Dr. Michael Thompson. They unpack the lasting effects of COVID-19, social upheaval, and political tensions on schools, revealing why educators faced unprecedented a…

1
Astro Bot Director Nicolas Doucet 1:00:57

3M ago1:00:57

1:00:57

Shuhei Yoshida chats with Team ASOBI Studio Director Nicolas Doucet. Together they discuss his journey in game development from his early days in QA to his move to work at Japan Studio; building Team ASOBI to work on the emerging technology within SIE; the origins and development of Astro Bot; and how they worked with publishers around the world to…

1
Writing the Haunting Narrative of INDIKA with Dmitry Svetlow 49:53

3M ago49:53

49:53

Alexa Ray Corriea chats with Odd Meter Studio Director, Dmitry Svetlow. Together they discuss the development of INDIKA including the origins and inspirations behind the haunting narrative; how they built the team and what it takes to be part of a small indie studio; their use of juxtaposition between dark and playful imagery; and balancing how muc…

1
Elvis, Snow White Cinematographer Mandy Walker 1:02:24

3M ago1:02:24

1:02:24

Today we sit down with Mandy Walker, the seasoned cinematographer behind Elvis, Snow White, Mulan and more. #elvis#snowwhite#cinematographer#mandywalker

1
Tetris Creator, Alexey Pajitnov 1:12:35

3M ago1:12:35

1:12:35

Adam Orth chats with Tetris creator Alexey Pajitnov. Together they discuss his early life with computing and how he first created Tetris; his ideas behind real-time versus turn-based puzzle design; ideas he scrapped from early development; distributing Tetris outside of the Soviet Union; his work on titles outside of Tetris and the pressure his fir…

1
17 Year Development Journey with Caves of Qud 2:23:09

3M ago2:23:09

2:23:09

Trent Kusters chats with Freehold Games' Brian Bucklew and Jason Grinbalt about their a science fantasy roguelike, Caves of Qud. Together they discuss the 17 year development journey to 1.0; developing the engine and systems that drive their game; their thoughts around modular design; balancing bespoke and procedural content; and the personal and p…

1
Creating the Sound and Music for Eternal Strands with Audio Director, Aldo Sampaio 1:48:31

4M ago1:48:31

1:48:31

Austin Wintory chats with Audio Director Aldo Sampaio, with whom he recently collaborated together with on the newly released Eternal Strands. They discuss Aldo's journey in game development including his work on the Assassin's Creed franchise; what he learned from working in AAA game development; how they came together at Yellow Brick Games to cre…

1
Writing Comedy in Games with Thank Goodness You're Here 29:37

4M ago29:37

29:37

Greg Rice chats with James Carbutt and Will Todd from Coal Supper. Together they discuss growing up in Yorkshire in Northern England, how they first got together and began developing games; what they learned from their early projects; the British influences behind Thank Goodness You're Here; and the intricacies of writing humor for video games. Thi…

1
Wicked Costume Designer Paul Tazewell 1:11:37

4M ago1:11:37

1:11:37

Wicked Costume Designer Paul Tazewell & Producer Host Phillip Boutté Jr. In ‘Wicked,’ the Fashion Is a Big Piece of the Magic Costume designer Paul Tazewell spared no detail in bringing Elphaba and Glinda to life through their clothing. Although Tazewell has more than three decades of experience designing costumes for Broadway (he earned his first …

1
Balancing Procedural and Intimate Storytelling in Wildermyth 1:07:14

4M ago1:07:14

1:07:14

Alexa Ray Corriea chats with Anne, Douglas, and Nate Austin from Worldwalker Games, developers of Wildermyth. Together they discuss how they started creating games together; the inspirations behind the story and gameplay of Wildermyth; how to create iconic and memorable characters in procedural experiences; the differences between writing for proce…

1
The Real Life and Theater Inspirations of 1000xRESIST 1:09:50

4M ago1:09:50

1:09:50

Alexa Ray Corriea chats with Remy Siu and Pinki Li from Sunset Visitor to talk about their D.I.C.E. Award nominated game, 1000xRESIST. Together they discuss how they met and transitioned from live performance to creating video games; the real life inspirations behind the narrative design; how desperation can lead to great choices; and how theater i…

1
Writing for Call of Duty with Ashley Poprik and Chris Holzworth 1:17:01

5M ago1:17:01

1:17:01

Alexa Ray Corriea chats with writers Ashley Poprik and Chris Holzworth. Together they discuss how they each started their careers and the titles they've worked on; the pressure of writing on a massively popular and long running franchise like Call of Duty; giving every developer the chance to be a storyteller; the differences between writing for si…

Podcasts Worth a Listen

Academy Of Interactive Arts Podcasts

Podcasts Worth a Listen