Lightmap - Conversations with video game creators
295 episodes - English - Latest episode: 30 days ago - ★★★★★ - 1 ratingLightmap is an Australian Podcast Award winning show that explores the creative process of making videogames and interactive media, and introduces you to the creators of some of the most exciting titles. You'll meet developers, musicians, artists, journalist and more, so come join us here and on SIFTER.com.au
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Episodes
League of Geeks almost shut up shop, their last big play is SOLIUM INFERNUM
March 29, 2024 03:30 - 44 minutes - 41.2 MBIt's been nearly eight years since Trent Kusters one of the co-founders of Melbourne's League of Geeks joined me on the podcast. Back in the Pixel Sift days, Trent was working through the early days of ARMELLO their groundbreaking digital board game, but the last twelve months have been some of the hardest for the company. JUMPLIGHT ODYSSEY was shelved in order to limp along and get SOLIUM INFERNUM across the line. In a very candid interview Trent shares what went wrong and how it felt to ...
BERSERK BOY is a fast paced platformer with the soul of Sonic the Hedgehog
March 06, 2024 15:00 - 24 minutes - 22.4 MBDid you grow up blasting through Green Hill Zone or Casino Night Zone? Maybe you spent hours defeating the nefarious schemes of Dr Wily. These colourful platformers hold a fond place in the hearts of many including Zu Ehtisham solo developer of the new BERSERK BOY where you blast through levels switching elemental powers as you go. Learn how Zu build a modern platformer that is inspired by but isn't beholden to the past. You can support SIFTER's independent gaming journalism by ☕ Tippi...
The enduring appeal of FRUIT NINJA, reinventing the game for Apple Vision Pro
February 27, 2024 00:00 - 30 minutes - 28.1 MBQueensland based Halfbrick have been making games for almost 25 years, and chances are if you’ve picked up a phone in the last decade you’ve played one of their games. Fruit Ninja and Jetpack Joyride, Age of Zombies or maybe you’re a bit more oldschool and played one of their Gameboy Advance games or PlayStation or Wii titles. In an industry that surges and wanes, Halfbrick has been one of the enduring stories of game development in Australia. Shainiel Deo is CEO and one of the founders...
Austin Wintory, Tripod, Montaigne on writing the Grammy Award nominated STRAY GODS: THE ROLEPLAYING MUSICAL
February 04, 2024 13:00 - 41 minutes - 38.2 MBThe groundbreaking STRAY GODS: THE ROLEPLAYING MUSICAL is pretty unique and the very first Australian made game to be nominated for a Grammy Award, which will be awarded today. Composers Austin Wintory (JOURNEY, ASSASSIN'S CREED SYNDICATE) Scott Edgar and Simon Hall from musical comedy group Tripod, singer-songwritter Montaigne aka Jess Cerro join Summerfall Studios Liam Esler to talk about what it was like to make this branching musical adventure. The 66th Annual Grammy Awards will be hel...
The best game soundtracks of 2023: ZELDA: TOTK, BALDUR'S GATE 3 & more
December 14, 2023 21:35 - 54 minutes - 49.7 MBWe listen back through this incredible year of games with our friend Meena Shamaly, musician, composer and host of ABC Classic's The Game Show. It's Shamaly Selects 2023 and boy are there some incredible pieces to listen to. Here is what delighted and made the top eight this year. STRAY GODS: THE ROLEPLAYING MUSICAL - Adrift & Challenging a Queen (Red Edition) TCHIA - Main Theme BALDUR'S GATE 3 - Down by the River MARVEL'S SPIDER-MAN 2 - Greater Together ASSASSIN'S CREED MIRAGE - Mirage...
KNUCKLE SANDWICH is an RPG inspired by best of GBA and Nintendo DS games
November 20, 2023 21:40 - 33 minutes - 30.9 MBIf you grew up playing the Gameboy Advance and the Nintendo DS, you might have missed the aesthetic those games created at the time, but you'd definitely remember the vibes. Those vibes are what Andy Brophy and Olivia Haines are trying to recapture in their weird and wonderful roleplaying game KNUCKLE SANDWICH. With some kicking tunes and fun turn based battles, this is a game that might just inspire the next generation of video game creators. Learn how this project went from flash game to...
A voice says SLAY THE PRINCESS. What you do next is up to you
October 31, 2023 04:00 - 39 minutes - 36 MBSLAY THE PRINCESS is a horror narrative visual novel where you've got one task. You're here to slay a princess, but if you do is actually up to you. This game brings branching narratives and a style of roguelite gameplay to the visual novel genre where all your choices can lead to an ending. Developers Abby Howard and Tony Howard-Arias join Lightmap to share how their small side project SLAY THE PRINCESS was made while developing episodic game SCARLET HOLLOW and how it's found them a brand ...
THE PLUCKY SQUIRE jumps between 2D and 3D worlds and is a gorgeous homage to gaming's past
October 18, 2023 20:30 - 25 minutes - 23.1 MBTHE PLUCKY SQUIRE feels like a world of pure imagination. Jonathan Biddle and James Turner head up All Possible Futures a completely remote studio working on the gorgeous game that acts as a love letter to some of your favourite genres and games of the last 30 years. Gianni sat down with Jonathon Biddle at PAX Australia to explore how this collaboration came together, inspirations from Nintendo games past, and what to expect when the game hits your consoles next year. You can support SIFTE...
Are video games causing climate change?
October 02, 2023 19:05 - 16 minutes - 15.1 MBIf you want to play a video game you have to plug something in, that power comes from somewhere and Dr Ben Abraham, has completed the second annual Net Zero Snapshot for the games industry. Ubisoft is leading the charge dropping their emissions, despite being one of the world's biggest studios, but for many other Triple A game developers they just aren't making enough of a change according to Abraham. You can read the full report over on the After Climate website. You can support SIFTER...
Orchestrating the CULT OF THE LAMB ritual, River Boy on making this catchy soundtrack
September 25, 2023 18:00 - 24 minutes - 22.8 MBWhen you first hear the soundtrack for CULT OF THE LAMB it's immediately clear how much of a part it is to the experience of the game. Narayana Johnson who performs under River Boy made his first soundtrack when working on Massive Monster's smash hit, and it will be rearranged and performed this Melbourne International Games Week with Orchestra Victoria. Narayana shares the origins of this work, some of the techniques used to make the music, and what it's like to be making all the sounds fo...
Drop Rate - STARFIELD boldly goes, a compelling science fiction adventure among the cosmos
September 13, 2023 10:19 - 35 minutes - 32.9 MBWe've got some brand new episodes of Lightmap on the way, featuring some very cool guests but to get you there here is the latest episode of Drop Rate featuring Chris Button, SIFTER EP Gianni Di Giovanni and Player2.net.au writer Jess Zammit talking all about STARFIELD Bethesda's huge spacefaring roleplaying game. Follow Drop Rate on your favourite podcast player here New episodes of Lightmap next week. --- It's a massive universe to explore in STARFIELD a game that builds on many of th...
IMMORTALITY's Sam Barlow on why AI art could never really replace people
August 10, 2023 15:55 - 36 minutes - 33 MBThe first thing you notice when you see a game made by Half Mermaid the studio lead by Sam Barlow is that it doesn't really look like a game, the full motion video looks more like a TV show or movie. For Barlow what initially started as a creative and budgetary constraint of being a small indie team has become a defining feature of his work, with his most recent title IMMORTALITY which explores three decades of filmmaking. Barlow will be making his way to Australia for SXSW Sydney in Octob...
Motorbike stunts and metrovania combine in stylish LAIKA: AGED THROUGH BLOOD
July 25, 2023 16:05 - 27 minutes - 25.4 MBYou know when you just look at a game and think, everyone is going to be talking about this? LAIKA: AGED THROUGH BLOOD combines some of the best motorbike tricks of TRIALS with a stylish story featuring some of the coolest anthropomorphic animals in game since CULT OF THE LAMB. Ivan Papiol one of the artists from Spanish studio Brainwash Gang joins us to share the origins of their pirate collective studio, how Newgrounds flash games inspired the distinctive look & studio ethos and what it's...
The history of video games, one year and one game at a time
July 10, 2023 15:10 - 35 minutes - 32.2 MBHow do you condense more around forty years of interactive history into one book? Games journalist Jordan Minor (PC Mag, The Escapist) has taken on this task, with a new beautifully illustrated book "Video Game of the Year" which charts the biggest moments in games. Jordan shares his history as a games writer, the limit of a single game per year and why certain games were chosen over others. It's also an interesting insight into the politics of games over the last four decades. You can s...
Drop Rate SIFTER's new review podcast - STORY OF SEASONS A WONDERFUL LIFE
July 01, 2023 09:07 - 37 minutes - 34.1 MBSubscribe to Drop Rate our new review podcast for free. Apple Podcasts Spotify Google Podcasts Amazon Music Pocket Casts -- STORY OF SEASONS: A WONDERFUL LIFE revisits the 2003 farming simulator GameCube classic. In the years since its original release, farming games have risen in popularity: Stardew Valley, Wylde Flowers, and Disney Dreamlight Valley, just to name a few. Ruby Innes (Back Pocket) and Courtney Borrett (Power Up, Kotaku Australia) join us this episode to explain why ...
PLANET OF LANA has its own secret language and galaxy spanning story
May 23, 2023 16:28 - 38 minutes - 35.3 MBIt might not look like it, but PLANET OF LANA is actually Wishfully's very first game after a long career in TV and animation. Lead game designer Adam Stjärnljus and script writer Klas Eriksson who both co-directed the game have been working together creatively since they were thirteen years old and have always wanted to make a game. We dive into the process of telling a story in an invented language, how composer Takeshi Furukawa (THE LAST GUARDIAN, STAR WARS CLONE WARS) fell in love with ...
The video game industry does not exist
May 09, 2023 16:55 - 45 minutes - 41.5 MBYou might be thinking looking at the name of this episode, hang on, haven't you been making a games podcast for nearly a decade now? Well that's the title of a new book from games researcher Brendan Keogh, who has been speaking to developers all around the world about their practice and it turns out we should be thinking about games in a totally different way. You can support SIFTER's independent gaming journalism by ☕ Tipping us on KoFi https://www.ko-fi.com/sifterHQ 👕 Wearing our merch ...
DROS is an alchemical platformer inspired by dark 80s fantasy like The Dark Crystal
April 20, 2023 15:47 - 17 minutes - 16.1 MBCreative Director Ben Ward describes the world of DROS as kimo-kawaii or creepy cute taking direct inspiration from 1980s dark fantasy films, this platformer has you switching characters on the fly to complete each level. Producer Tim Molony and Ben join Gianni for a preview of the game ahead of the launch onto Kickstarter . Learn more about how this small team went from creating VR titles to DROS, their design inspirations and what they are looking forward to adding into the game. You ca...
Why DREDGE a cosmic horror fishing game is reeling people in
April 06, 2023 15:45 - 28 minutes - 26 MBThere is something not quite right below the waves and in DREDGE you're pulling it all back up to the surface. This lovecraftian fishing game is simple and addictive, with plenty of creeping terror bubbling below the surface. Programmer, designer and narrative lead Joel Mason , 3D Artist Mikey Bastiaens and 2D Artist Alex Ridge from New Zealand's Black Salt Games join us to share how they designed the different systems within the game that will see you lose yourself to the sea. You can sup...
Why real rental horror stories are part of this spooky comedic game
March 13, 2023 15:24 - 23 minutes - 21.7 MBEveryone has a horror story to tell when it comes to renting, there are some downright scary experiences out there, and Sydney's Fuzzy Ghost are trying to collect the best of the worst for their next game JANET DEMORNAY IS A SLUMLORD (AND A WITCH), or JDM for short. Award winning Australian developers Scott Ford and Pete Foley join us to share the found family of renting, why CONTROL and THE THING are strong influences and the paternalistic feeling of jumping to a landlord's demands. You...
What is Lightmap? Meet video game creators and hear their story.
February 28, 2023 23:02 - 2 minutes - 1.83 MBLightmap is SIFTER's interview podcast, it's won an Australian Podcast Award and features frank and honest conversations with video game creators. We talk to developers, musicians, artists and more about why they create for interactive media. There are more than 200 stories to experience in our back catalogue so why not learn a bit more about the creative process. You can support SIFTER's independent gaming journalism by ☕ Tipping us on KoFi https://www.ko-fi.com/sifterHQ 👕 Wearing our me...
Explore the heavens in JUMPLIGHT ODYSSEY and delve through hell in SOLIUM INFERNUM
February 27, 2023 16:11 - 33 minutes - 30.8 MBThe digital boardgame ARMELLO was how Melbourne's League of Geeks made their name but seven years since that ground breaking indie game was released the studio this year will be sharing not one but two new games. Kelsey Gamble is the Publishing Producer and has a hand in both the scifi anime colony sim JUMPLIGHT ODYSSEY and the hellish political game SOLIUM INFERNUM. Listen to find out how the team is able to produce both games, how the games are progressing and what you can look forward t...
Why aren't there more video game musicals like the upcoming STRAY GODS?
February 02, 2023 08:04 - 24 minutes - 22.6 MBSTRAY GODS: THE ROLEPLAYING MUSICAL combines narrative adventure games with realtime dynamic songs that change as you make choices. Liam Esler, Managing Director of Melbourne's Summerfall Studios shares how musicians Montaigne and Tripod helped create the soundtrack to this game inspired by the musical episode of Buffy. Written by David Gaider (DRAGON AGE) and composed by Austin Wintory, it's an all star team. Catch up with our very first interview with the Summerfall team back in 2019 as...
What if HADES was a musical? STRAY GODS is a new game from the writer of Dragon Age
February 02, 2023 08:04 - 24 minutes - 22.6 MBSTRAY GODS: THE ROLEPLAYING MUSICAL combines narrative adventure games with realtime dynamic songs that change as you make choices. Liam Esler, Managing Director of Melbourne's Summerfall Studios shares how musicians Montaigne and Tripod helped create the soundtrack to this game inspired by the musical episode of Buffy. Written by David Gaider (DRAGON AGE) and composed by Austin Wintory, it's an all star team. Catch up with our very first interview with the Summerfall team back in 2019 a...
Has this developer nailed the modern 8bit JRPG? 8 BIT ADVENTURES 2, a love letter to classic Final Fantasy games
January 25, 2023 15:38 - 27 minutes - 25.3 MBRetro inspired videogames are a dime a dozen but what happens if you lean in all the way, play with the nostalgic experiences of those people who grew up with the NES and the Gameboy to make something truly modern. Joshua Hallaran from Critical Games has been working on 8-BIT ADVENTURES 2 for seven years, studying the classics and creating a true love letter to the pixel graphics and chiptune of the early nineties. Support SIFTER's independent gaming journalism by buying us a coffee on KoF...
The best video game soundtracks of 2022 with Meena Shamaly
January 01, 2023 17:49 - 51 minutes - 46.9 MBWhat is a game without it's soundtrack? Meena Shamaly, composer and host of ABC Classic's The Game Show joins Gianni for a musical journey through some of the best sounds in video games. Check out the full list on our website: The Best Video Game Soundtracks of 2022 with Meena Shamaly Support SIFTER's independent gaming journalism by buying us a coffee on KoFi or some merch on the SIFTER STORE Join the SIFTER Discord to be part of the conversation SIFTER is produced by Kyle Pauletto, Fio...
Games of the Year 2022 - ELDEN RING, CULT OF THE LAMB & more
December 22, 2022 03:20 - 52 minutes - 47.7 MBIt's our bumper Game of The Year special, we've got six different games for you as well as a bunch of honourable mentions from the SIFTER team. It was a very hard choice this year with lots of incredible games. You can read a full write up of our favourites on the SIFTER website. SIFTER's 2022 Games of the Year Support SIFTER's independent gaming journalism by buying us a coffee on KoFi or some merch on the SIFTER STORE Join the SIFTER Discord to be part of the conversation SIFTER is pr...
How does morse code work? Learn in MORSE a tactical puzzle game set in World War 1
November 10, 2022 03:57 - 15 minutes - 14.1 MBAlex Johannsson has been working on MORSE, inspired by a love of alt controllers and limited button inputs, in this game that combines real morse code and grid based combat. Alex joins Gianni to talk about the development of the game over many years and why cool weird controllers are really a big source of inspiration. Support SIFTER's independent gaming journalism by buying us a coffee on KoFi or some merch on the SIFTER STORE Join the SIFTER Discord to be part of the conversation SIFTE...
Meet vtuber Miltia, one of Australia's favourite catgirls
October 19, 2022 07:37 - 7 minutes - 6.43 MBMiltia is one of the biggest Vtubers in Australia, a partnered streamer on Twitch and she's made a career connecting with fans all over the world. You'll find her playing Apex Legends most days and she said vtubing as really allowed her to connect better with her audience. Mitch finds out what it's like vtubing, how the community responded to her new look and what she thinks of the current Apex Legends metagame. WATCH THE VIDEO INTERVIEW on our website - What is it like being a vtuber? ...
UNPACKING's music is a storytelling tool of colour and emotion
September 27, 2022 22:30 - 36 minutes - 33 MBJeff Van Dyck is a BAFTA award winning composer and sound designer, who has worked on FIFA, the TOTAL WAR series, and most recently UNPACKING as one third of Queensland based studio Witch Beam Games. Jeff shares the story of how he came to work with a small indie studio after working Triple A titles for years, the story telling in each of the pieces of music and how the next project TEMPOPO mixes rhythm and puzzle solving. You can catch Jeff Van Dyck at Melbourne International Games Week a...
WE ARE OFK is a band, a TV show, a visual novel and some of the best dialogue writing in games
September 21, 2022 16:51 - 34 minutes - 31.4 MBWE ARE OFK is an episodic visual novel by Team OFK that pulls together a lot of really interesting elements. It's not only got it's own virtual band with an EP of great electronic pop, but contains some of the most genuinely written conversations you'd expect to overhear from that cool group of twenty somethings in the bar. Director/Writer, actor and OFK Vocalist Teddy Dief (HYPER LIGHT DRIFTER) and Co-Writer Claire Jia (Nora from Queens, Fresh Off The Boat) share the creative story of maki...
Chill narrative game WAYWARD STRAND has 20,000 lines of spoken dialogue
September 13, 2022 06:22 - 28 minutes - 25.8 MBStarring legendary Australian actors Michael Caton, Anne Charleston and newcomer Nancy Curtis as lead character Casey, WAYWARD STRAND is a very Australian narrative indie game with as much voice acting as 18 feature films. Nancy Curtis who plays Casey and Maize Wallin sound designer, audio programmer and composer from developer Ghost Pattern share the process of recording these performances all across the world to put together this unique story of a young journalist. Support SIFTER's inde...
What happened to post-apocalyptic deer game WAY TO THE WOODS?
September 08, 2022 14:00 - 14 minutes - 13.6 MBDo you remember WAY TO THE WOODS? The post apocalyptic game where you play as a magical deer moving through the ruins of humanity was revealed in 2019 as an Xbox exclusive but for mostly solo developer Ant Tan, it's been a long process of getting everything right. We sit down with Ant to find out some of the design inspirations, learn more about the game play, how Steven Universe and IKENFELL composers Aivi & Surrashu are making the soundtrack and when it's coming out. Support SIFTER's ind...
CURSED TO GOLF is a roguelite golf platfomer that works way better than you'd think
August 25, 2022 09:39 - 27 minutes - 24.8 MBCURSED TO GOLF is a rogue-like or as developer Liam Edwards likes to call it a "golf-like" platformer with some excellent tunes and beautiful pixel art graphics. We speak to Liam about the origins of the game as a small personal project, building up the team to polish it, design decisions and gameplay design as well has find out what tips he'd give to new players. There are also a few secrets and easter eggs hidden in the game as well, so learn where you should keep an eye out! Support SI...
CULT OF THE LAMB developers Julian & Will share the secrets of building their roguelite cult simulator
August 09, 2022 04:33 - 31 minutes - 29.2 MBCULT OF THE LAMB is really two different games in one, a town builder and a dungeon crawler, but they've been welded together using arcane magics by the creative team at Massive Monster (THE ADVENTURE PALS, NEVER GIVE UP) into an experience that keeps you busy. Julian Wilton, Creative Director and Will Mesilane, UI Developer share the secrets hidden in this world, what it took to build this cult management game and what they are most proud of in this exclusive interview. SIFTER is produced...
Every piece of art in CARD SHARK was hand printed, here's how it was made
July 29, 2022 01:02 - 39 minutes - 36.4 MBCARD SHARK is a beautiful picture book styled video game where you cheat your way through 18th century France and every single graphic you see was hand printed and then scanned into the game. Lead artist and animator Nicolai Troshinsky was inspired by a love of card magic and sleight of hand, as well as a 1975 Stanley Kubrick film to build this amazing and unique game and joins SIFTER for an in depth conversation about the process of design. SIFTER is produced by Nicholas Kennedy, Kyle Pau...
How Xalavier Nelson Jr realised WITCH STRANDINGS was the next "strand-type" game
July 14, 2022 09:11 - 32 minutes - 30 MBWITCH STRANDINGS is a mouse controlled "strand-type" game, where you make connections and paths across a cursed world. Even though Hideo Kojima wanted to turn DEATH STRANDING into a genre, it was Xalavier Nelson Jr and the team at Strange Scaffold who did it first Learn more about this open world adventure through a forest, how the game runs WOLFENSTEIN 3D every single frame, and the hope that can be found in connections SIFTER is produced by Nicholas Kennedy, Kyle Pauletto, Fiona Bar...
NEON WHITE's Ben Esposito on expanding the game, dealing with cheaters and aesthetic inspirations
June 30, 2022 01:53 - 27 minutes - 25.6 MBDLC and expansions could be a possibility for NEON WHITE, the anime inspired speedrunning shooter , but you'll need to let Game Director Ben Esposito know what you'd like to see. Ben shares the Y2K Dreamcast aesthetics of import CDs from Japan and how Machine Girl's music shaped this world, what they are doing about leaderboard cheaters, as well as how he feels about your thirstiness for all the characters in the game. SIFTER is produced by Nicholas Kennedy, Kyle Pauletto, Fiona Bartholom...
V RISING is a breakthrough indie hit, why this vampire survival RPG is selling like hotcakes
June 09, 2022 04:18 - 29 minutes - 26.6 MBEveryone is talking about V RISING, Stunlock Studios' survival game which has just entered early access and then rocketed up the Steam charts to be one of the most popular new titles around. For Community Manager Jeremy Fielding, it's a dream come true, this is the first game Fielding has worked on and there's also the challenge of managing more than 1 million players in the first couple of weeks. Learn more about the roadmap forward, how the team is tailoring the experience and what to e...
TUNIC is a "Zelda-like" adventure that's packed with secrets
May 26, 2022 07:00 - 31 minutes - 29.2 MBWhat if Link was a cute fox? At first glance TUNIC looks like a beautiful spiritual successor to THE LEGEND OF ZELDA franchise, but as lead developer Andrew Shouldice shares with us in this interview, it also embraces modern "souls-like" gameplay. TUNIC is filled with lots and lots of secrets, the game was at one time called Secret Legend, and Shouldice said it's all about capturing that feeling of playing a game in the pre-internet Nintendo era where a game feels like limitless exploratio...
CITIZEN SLEEPER is pure dystopian science fiction with a hopeful heart
May 12, 2022 00:11 - 30 minutes - 27.5 MBCITIZEN SLEEPER is a tabletop inspired roleplaying game from Gareth Damian Martin (IN OTHER WATERS) that puts you in the shoes of person trying to escape their digital enslavement in the far future. If it sounds grim, in parts it is, but quickly you discover your place in the world where you can make a life. Each day you've got just the dice you've been dealt, as you choose how to fulfill your goals or avoid negative countdowns, in a stylish visual novel with stunning artwork by Guillaume S...
CHINATOWN DETECTIVE AGENCY makes searching online for answers essential to complete the game
April 30, 2022 05:55 - 28 minutes - 26.1 MBInspired heavily by the CARMEN SANDIEGO series, CHINATOWN DETECTIVE AGENCY is a contemporary take on the format set in a cyberpunk Singapore in 2037 where social and government support has languished. Creative Director Mark Fillon from Singapore's General Interactive Co shares the authentic design and characters you'll meet as you jet off around the world in search of answers as ex-cop Amira Darma in this glorious pixel art game. SIFTER is produced by Nicholas Kennedy, Kyle Pauletto, Fiona...
Credit where credit is due: Game developers call for simpler, consistent creative credits
April 24, 2022 16:07 - 8 minutes - 7.95 MBIf you work in the games industry it can be surprisingly complex to get your name into the end credits, that ending sequence often doesn't include everyone who helped to ship that video game. Project based work and short contracts, and inconsistent recognition makes it more complex than you'd think for developers to get the acknowledgement of the work put in. It's something that Alexander Swords, one of the members of the Games Credit Special Interest Group (SIG), part of the International...
Designing an indie real time strategy game TFC: THE FERTILE CRESCENT
April 15, 2022 03:18 - 32 minutes - 29.4 MBAndré Read always wanted to make a real time strategy game. A huge fan of the genre, it was many years working in the industry before he got his chance with TFC: THE FERTILE CRESCENT set in the plains of Mesopotamia. Teaming up with Anders Grønningsæter the two person team at Wield Interactive have crafted a multiplayer RTS game built with their Discord community that reimagines the classic format. They dive into the world of historical RTS games, the influence of Age of Empires on the gen...
MINI MATCHES is a greatest hits of multiplayer couch games by a Lara Croft and Hitman developer
April 02, 2022 04:19 - 29 minutes - 26.6 MBPhilip Buchanan from It's Anecdotal was part of the teams that made the awarding winning LARA CROFT GO, HITMAN GO and DEUS EX GO mobile games, and had has just released the charming multiplayer party game MINI MATCHES. It's a collection of Philip's favourite genres with excellent visual design and something for everyone. Learn more about how making 39 DAYS TO MARS and other games have shaped the development of MINI MATCHES. SIFTER is produced by Nicholas Kennedy, Kyle Pauletto, Fiona Bar...
Screen Australia announces $6M fund for game development, here is how it all works
March 18, 2022 00:15 - 19 minutes - 18.3 MBAfter seven years without any federal government support for the games industry, a new grant program called the $6 million Games Expansion Pack from Screen Australia was announced on Friday last week. This program replaces a successful but prematurely cancelled fund called the Australian Interactive Games Fund which was axed when this government came to power in 2014. Our guests on this episode are Paul Turbett of Black Lab Games, one the original recipients of the AIGF, speaks of the hu...
Set forth for multiplayer adventure in CONAN CHOP CHOP a chibi cartoony roguelite
March 05, 2022 03:12 - 31 minutes - 29.1 MBCONAN CHOP CHOP is a reimagining of the world of Conan The Barbarian that sees the rippling oiled muscles replaced with cartoony top town aesthetic reminiscent of Flash games or kids cartoons. It's the first console title for Mighty Kingdom, a studio that is more well known for their mobile titles, but it was an excellent creative challenge for Kim Forrest, Creative Director and Jeff Wong, Producer to reimagine this world for a new audience. Learn more about the inspirations behind this f...
The beauty and tragedy of post-apocalyptic adventure SUBMERGED: HIDDEN DEPTHS
February 17, 2022 14:24 - 29 minutes - 27.3 MBExplore a drowned society, a city that has sunk beneath the waves and discover how life has continued after people in non-combat adventure game SUBMERGED: HIDDEN DEPTHS. The sequel to 2015's SUBMERGED might not exist if not for Google Stadia, it was an exclusive title for the streaming service, which meant it couldn't be played in the Uppercut Games' home country. Ed Orman (FALLOUT TACTICS, BIOSHOCK, CITY OF BRASS) is a cofounder of Uppercut Games and said that the upcoming Playstation PC,...
Nintendo Direct recap, HALO composers sue Microsoft, SIMS 4 expansion pulled from sale in Russia
February 13, 2022 00:19 - 10 minutes - 9.16 MBWelcome to Walkthrough SIFTER's brand new weekly news recap show. Each Sunday we'll highlight some of the biggest stories in video games to keep you up to date. Your host on each episode of Walkthrough is Kyle Pauletto, an accomplished journalist with a keen interest in bringing you the best gaming stories each week THIS WEEK: Nintendo outlines 2022 and beyond in it's first Direct - Fire Emblem Warriors: Three Hopes, Mario Kart 8 DLC, Kirby and the Forgotten Land, Earthbound GTA V sells...
Nintendo Direct recap, Halo composers sue Microsoft, Sims 4 expansion pulled from sale in Russia
February 13, 2022 00:19 - 10 minutes - 9.19 MBWelcome to Walkthrough SIFTER's brand new weekly news recap show. Each Sunday we'll highlight some of the biggest stories in video games to keep you up to date. Your host on each episode of Walkthrough is Kyle Pauletto, an accomplished journalist with a keen interest in bringing you the best gaming stories each week THIS WEEK: Nintendo outlines 2022 and beyond in it's first Direct - Fire Emblem Warriors, Mario Kart 8 DLC, Kirby and the Forgotten Land, Earthbound GTA V sells 160 million cop...