Best Alexander Seropian Podcasts (2025)

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The Origin Stories of Elder Scrolls' Paul Sage 1:13:54

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5d ago1:13:54

1:13:54

We get an inside look this week from Paul Sage, founder and CEO of Ruckus Games. Inspired by Ultima 3, he worked his way up to lead designer of Ultima Online, to Borderlands 3 and more. Now working on a new project at Ruckus, we talk LEDs to 2600, Multima and when players outsmart you - this week! This week's episode contains mentions of suicide. V…

1
How to Make an Atari Sandwich, with David Gardner 1:17:24

12d ago1:17:24

1:17:24

David Gardner joins us this week with tales of the early days of videogames. A teenage tech prodigy, he was employee #11 at EA, ran Atari and is now a games VC. We talk Hawkins distortion fields, Atari sandwiches and when EA was hip - this week! Episode Highlights [00:00:00] Intro: Meet David Gardner An introduction to David Gardner’s journey in ga…

1
Indie Megabooth's Digital Nomad Kelly Wallick 1:18:37

20d ago1:18:37

1:18:37

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 Platfor…

1
Fallout's Feargus Urquhart Stares into the Abyss 1:19:22

1M ago1:19:22

1:19:22

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 High…

1
Making Myst a World with Rand and Robyn Miller 1:26:23

1M ago1:26:23

1:26:23

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: …

1
World of Warcraft's Seth Sivak Tips the Dealer 1:15:36

1M ago1:15:36

1:15:36

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 …

1
Night Street's Mac Reynolds Captures the Last Flag 1:12:57

2M ago1:12:57

1:12:57

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…

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Oregon Trail's Phillip Bouchard Blazes Deadly Paths 1:01:46

3M ago1:01:46

1:01:46

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…

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Killer Instinct's Adam Boyes Tears Down the Walls 1:20:11

3M ago1:20:11

1:20:11

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] "Ship…

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Dead by Daylight’s Rémi Racine Bets on Himself 1:07:43

3M ago1:07:43

1:07:43

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 ga…

1
Uncharted's Nolan North's Weird Ability to Yell 1:16:07

4M ago1:16:07

1:16:07

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…

1
Hogwarts Legacy's John Blackburn is Cool in the Arcade 1:09:19

4M ago1:09:19

1:09:19

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 K…

1
What Have You Got to Lose with Blizzard's Michael Morhaime 1:13:02

4M ago1:13:02

1:13:02

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] Blizz…

1
The Sims' Bing Gordon is Specifically Right 1:15:48

4M ago1:15:48

1:15:48

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 sh…

1
Portal's Kim Swift's Cake is Not a Lie 1:15:49

4M ago1:15:49

1:15:49

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 …

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The Blinding Flame of Red Dead's Christian Cantamessa 1:21:15

5M ago1:21:15

1:21:15

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…

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Command and Conquer's Louis Castle's Triple Threat 1:08:39

5M ago1:08:39

1:08:39

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 em…

1
Tencent's Amir Satvat Flexes the Data Muscle for Good 1:14:20

5M ago1:14:20

1:14:20

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 …

1
Outer Wilds' Alex Beachum's Cool Weird Emotional Prototypes 1:12:11

5M ago1:12:11

1:12:11

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: Desi…

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The Maestro of Modding Sandi Montaño 57:53

6M ago57:53

57:53

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—o…

1
Exploding Kittens' Elan Lee Stacks the Deck 1:12:28

6M ago1:12:28

1:12:28

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…

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Journey's Jenova Chen and the Art of the Positive Game 1:16:39

6M ago1:16:39

1:16:39

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 Je…

1
Alex Irvine's Storytelling Secrets from Marvel Rivals and Beyond! 1:10:52

6M ago1:10:52

1:10:52

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 intr…

1
Hope for the Future with Halo's Joe Staten 1:22:53

7M ago1:22:53

1:22:53

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 creativit…

1
Games Workshop's Ian Livingstone, Fantasy Knight in Real Life 1:26:44

7M ago1:26:44

1:26:44

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 …

1
Best of 2024 1:44:49

7M ago1:44:49

1:44:49

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 Aa…

1
Ed Boon Gets into the Nitty-Gritty Metal 1:11:16

11M ago1:11:16

1:11:16

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 pinbal…

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From Pong to Deconstructor: Mishka Katkoff’s Global Gaming Journey 1:11:59

11M ago1:11:59

1:11:59

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 …

1
Things Blow Up with Mike Pondsmith 1:27:41

11M ago1:27:41

1:27:41

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 chal…

1
The Business Romance of Mihai Pohontu 1:25:08

12M ago1:25:08

1:25:08

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-describe…

1
Warren Spector Gets the Keys to the Kingdom 1:29:23

12M ago1:29:23

1:29:23

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,…

1
Ed Fries Races The Beam 1:33:43

1y ago1:33:43

1:33:43

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 creat…

1
Frank Gibeau's Silver Bullets for Game Development 1:13:38

1y ago1:13:38

1:13:38

Join Alex Seropian (founder of Bungie) and Aaron Marroquin as they dive into the incredible minds behind the video game industry in The Fourth Curtain. In this episode, they chat with Frank Gibeau, the CEO of Zynga, who takes listeners on a journey through one of the most legendary corporate turnarounds in gaming history. From his early days at EA …

1
Jordan Weisman Makes Stuff Up 1:18:02

1y ago1:18:02

1:18:02

Our guest this week is the legend Jordan Weisman. Creator of BattleTech, Crimson Skies and the world's first alternate reality game, he's now working on Adventure Forge, a platform to help non-engineers make videogames. We talk buying D&D from Gary Gygax, at Gary's house!, the secret to entrepreneurship and creating the "Bungie bubble" this week! […

1
Harvey Smith Knows the Secret to Magical Games 1:28:27

1y ago1:28:27

1:28:27

Our guest this week is the co-creative director of Arkane Studios, Harvey Smith. Starting out in QA for System Shock and other games, he went on to be lead designer for Deus Ex and ultimately made Dishonored at Arkane. We talk meeting your heroes, recombining systems and the secret to making a magical game this week! [00:00:00] - Harvey Smith discu…

1
Behind the Headlines: Dean Takahashi’s Journey Through Gaming’s Biggest Stories 1:02:10

1y ago1:02:10

1:02:10

In this exciting episode of The Fourth Curtain, hosts Alexander Seropian and Aaron Marroquin dive deep into the world of gaming journalism with none other than Dean Takahashi, the lead writer of GamesBeat at VentureBeat. With over three decades of experience covering tech and gaming, Dean shares his unique insights on the evolving landscape of the …

1
Rod Fergusson Shakes The Jello 1:20:26

1y ago1:20:26

1:20:26

This week's guest is a well-known "closer" who has steered the ship for some of the biggest games ever. Beginning with Train Simulator, he went on to serve as Producer for Counter-Strike Xbox, Gears of War, Infinity Blade, BioShock Infinite. Now helming Diablo at Blizzard, he talks triage, teamwork and not shaking the jello - this week! Support the…

1
Inside CD Projekt RED: Michal Nowakowski on The Witcher, Cyberpunk, and Gaming's Future 1:17:04

1y ago1:17:04

1:17:04

Our guest this week is Michal Nowakowski the co-CEO of CD Projekt Red, the renowned studio behind iconic games like The Witcher and Cyberpunk 2077. With nearly two decades at CD Projekt, Michal shares his journey from the early days of video game distribution in Poland to leading one of the world's most celebrated game development companies. Beginn…

1
Brian Reynolds Surrounds the Fun Part 2 1:21:31

1y ago1:21:31

1:21:31

Our conversation with the gamedev legend Brian Reynolds continues as we dive into the true meaning of 4X, the Train Reynolds business model, NPC insults and the research secrets of this podcast - this week! Support the show Thank you for listening to our podcast all about videogames and the amazing people who bring them to life! Hosted by Alexander…

1
Brian Reynolds Surrounds the Fun Part 1 1:24:28

1y ago1:24:28

1:24:28

Our guest Brian Reynolds has a story so nice we had to hear it twice! In Part 1 we hear about coding at Radioshack, mentorship with Sid Meier and making Civilization 2 basically by himself. A great conversation with a legend to resume Season 2 of The Fourth Curtain! Support the show Thank you for listening to our podcast all about videogames and th…

1
From Gamer to Creator with Uri Marchand 1:14:01

1y ago1:14:01

1:14:01

Co-founder and CEO of Overwolf, Uri Marchand has been building _THE_ UGC platform for over fourteen years and Overwolf has paid more than $200 million to mod-makers going deep on games from Minecraft to Stardew Valley! A hardcore Real Time Strategy player, Uri's company now supports all types of games including Ark and The Sims. We talk the funnel …

1
Mark DeLoura Leverages Games for More 1:21:09

1y ago1:21:09

1:21:09

Our guest Mark DeLoura has had a stunningly wide-ranging career: game developer and executive for Nintendo, Sony and THQ, Editor in Chief of Game Developer magazine, Senior Advisor for Digital Media in the White House, author of Programming Gems book series, built hardware and software for NASA and served on the Board at Games for Change. This week…

1
The Action Arcade Strategy of Shannon Loftis 1:16:07

1y ago1:16:07

1:16:07

For a second time we are graced with the presence of videogame legend Shannon Loftis! Veteran of running Flight Simulator and Age of Empires at Microsoft, she was instrumental in the acquisition of Rare for Xbox game Studios. Now an advisor to Duke University's videogame program she joins us to talk franchises, Animal Well and the great Profanisaur…

1
The Definition of Indie with Schmid and Kho 39:50

1+ y ago39:50

39:50

Our guests this week are creators of the visually-striking games Cocoon, Limbo and Inside. Jakob Scmid is co-founder of Geometric Interactive and Erwin Kho is the artist guiding a couple of those projects. We talk about readable environments, demo scenes and more this week! Support the show Thank you for listening to our podcast all about videogame…

1
The Conference 56:50

1+ y ago56:50

56:50

This past March, 30,000 people went to San Francisco for the annual Game Developers Conference. Going since 1988, GDC, brings together people from all corners of the game development community. The Fourth Curtain followed four different journeys intersecting this conference. The First Timer: Aaron has never gone to GDC and it terrified him. The Sea…

1
How To Start A Game Studio 57:38

1+ y ago57:38

57:38

In this inaugural Lunch Club episode of The Fourth Curtain we discuss starting a Game Studio, something Alex has done a few times. We fail to actually eat lunch, but we do talk about the following topics: 1) Why? Why do you want to start one? What are good reason to do so and what’s a game studio really? 2) Strategies. If you are starting a studio,…

1
Tim Morten's Giant Strategy 1:09:58

1+ y ago1:09:58

1:09:58

This week’s guest Tim Morten has been putting the “real” in real time strategy for years. Formerly lead on Starcraft II, he’s now CEO of Frost Giant Studios, where they’re making Stormgate, a game intended to broaden the RTS audience. We talk compromises, learning how to make games and Korea’s love of Starcraft this week! Support the show Thank you…

1
Kristian Segestrale’s Midas Touch 1:23:14

1+ y ago1:23:14

1:23:14

Our guest this week was a founder of Glu and Playfish and an early investor in Supercell. Now he’s CEO of Super Evil Megacorp working on TMNT for Switch. We talk the early days of mobile, the great Vainglory and roguelites in a very educational episode this week! Support the show Thank you for listening to our podcast all about videogames and the a…

1
Up All Night with Ted Price 1:20:04

1+ y ago1:20:04

1:20:04

Beginning with a 3DO dev kit he was developing on alone (!), Ted Price went on to make Spyro the Dragon, Ratchet and Clank and Spiderman. His company Insomniac has been making games for a boggling 30 years! We talk odd jobs, Hail Marys and hands for mechanics this week. Support the show Thank you for listening to our podcast all about videogames an…

1
Sharing a Vision with Paul and Katy Bettner 1:25:49

1+ y ago1:25:49

1:25:49

Our guests Paul and Katy Bettner are the Co-CEOs of Playful Games. Paul got his start making Age of Empires and Halo Wars. Together Paul and Katy made the leap into mobile founding NewToy, where Words with Friends became one of the most-played games of all time. They’re now working on Wildcard, a game aiming to fulfill the promise of web3. We talk …