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Kiwi Talkz: Daily Summaries Delivered
by Kiwi
Podcast with various Video Game developers as well as other people involved in entertainment such as TV/Film
Latest Episodes
The most recent episodes — sign up to get AI-powered summaries of each one.
- 6 days ago1h 9m
#217 - Andrew Willis Speaks On ID Software Layoffs, DOOM TDA, Gamepass, Xbox, ID Tech Engine etc..
Andrew Willis was a producer on DOOM TDA & Revelations and planned on staying at ID Software till retirement, till the dreaded Microsoft layoffs. In this episode he covers his time at ID Software and the terrible layoffs. #doom #doomthedarkages #idsoftwareTIMESTAMPS00:00 - Intro00:35 - Going From Manager At A Pizza Place To ID Software Producer 06:38 - Why ID Software Culture Was So Great09:00 - Realising His IT Knowledge Was Useless At ID Software10:45 - Being A Producer At ID Software13:10 - ID Tech Engine13:59 - Smash Bros/Doom Slayer In Smash Bros15:30 - ID Software Layoffs22:30 - Not Being Allowed Back In The Office To Get Belongings24:07 - ID Software PR Statement Is BS/Nightmare Production On DOOM 201625:10 - The Firings Will Be Analysed25:59 - Microsoft’s 14 Layers Of Management Are Lies29:00 - Game Development Has Been Taken Over By Greedy Execs34:30 - Nintendo Protect Their IP & The West Doesnt35:30 - Gamepass Is Mismanaged39:50 - How Gamepass Affected DOOM: TDA41:10 - Happy Xmas Story At ID Software42:50 - Working With Hugo Martin45:00 - Developing The Dragon & Mech In DOOM TDA47:15 - ID Software Started To Become More Hieracachal 49:40 - Q+A - Was The Buzzshield Inspired By Captain America50:25 - Q+A - Will ID Software Switch To Unreal Engine52:29 - Q+A - Were Things Cut From DOOM TDA DLC54:32 - DOOM Revelations Is Bittersweet/Layoffs On The Day Before Release58:34 - Andrew Planned To Retire There/Unionisation 1:01:37 - Q+A - How Much Does Ray Tracing Speed Up The Production1:05:02 - Working With Alex Klingle/Finishing Move On The Soundtrack1:06:00 - Andrew Thanks DOOM Fans/Changing The Industry
- 1 weeks ago1h 6m
#216 - Shawn Layden On Physical Discs, PS6 Handheld, Asha Sharma, Spreadsheets etc.
The legendary Shawn Layden returns to provide wisdom on things surrounding the video game industry. As was the case last time, I tried to ask him a lot of stuff he hasn't been asked before. Enjoy!!TIMESTAMPS00:00 - Intro/Shawn Layden Made Kiwi Smarter01:49 - Differences Between Working At Sony’s Offices In Japan,UK & US05:45 - How The Japanese Felt When Sony HQ Moved From Tokyo To California07:00 - Salaries In The US Are Hurting Game Development There/Outsourcing10:20 - Nothing Will Beat GTA/Strauss Zelnick11:45 - Shawn’s Role As A Chairman 13:30 - Shawn Knowing His Limitations As A Boss15:01 - Games Aren’t Built By Gamers Anymore15:45 - Publishers Are Becoming Risk Averse/Chasing AAA18:00 - Why AAA Games Are Financed Over AA19:15 - Institutional Knowledge/The Power Of Brand23:00 - Sony Getting Rid Of Physical Discs24:05 - Sony Can Take Japan Back From Nintendo25:13 - Sony Can’t Support Two Consoles At Once27:00 - Nintendo & Sony Are Becoming Direct Competitors Again28:30 - Sony Putting Games On PC31:30 - Shawn’s Views On Meetings32:00 - Unproductive Meetings36:00 - Employees Whose Jobs Are To Arrange Meetings37:30 - Shawn Kills Rumor That He Spoke To Asha38:50 - Shawn Speaks On Asha/Microsoft’s Goals40:30 - Live Services Titles Successes Are By Accident43:20 - Data Driving Decisions44:50 - Spreadsheet Decision Shawn Made/Edutainment48:10 - Success Is Seductive/Hire The Right Talent49:30 - Avoiding YES MEN When You Are The Boss52:00 - Shawn Is Happy He Never Has To Do A Budget/Plan & Peformance Appraisal Again53:25 - Q+A - Was A Cell Based GPU Considered For PS354:16 - Q+A - How Do We Correct The Over Reliance On AAA57:15 - Astro Bot/Sony Needs To Do More AA Games1:01:15 - Why GTA 6 Is An Event/Diluting A Brand1:02:20 - Q+A - Will The Japanese End Up Pulling Ahead Of Everyone Else1:04:15 - GTA 6/Games Need To Be Shorter1:05:30 - Girls Make Games Scholarship Fund
- 4 weeks ago1h 5m
#215 - Rico Flores On Uncharted 4, Naughty Dog's Engine, Crunch, Animation, Bruce Straley, DEFECT..
Rico Flores is an animator who is best known for his tenure on Uncharted 3 & 4, he is currently at emptyvessel working on their game DEFECT#uncharted4 #uncharted #uncharted3 TWITTER - @r1c00 WEBSITE - https://www.emptyvessel.io/TIMESTAMPS00:00 - Intro00:34 - Animating Doors Is Tedious/Naughty Dog Has A Door System03:12 - Being Chucked In The Deep End On Uncharted 3/How Rico Got Hired08:10 - Rico Had No Idea How Prestigious Naughty Dog Was When He Got Hired08:47 - Being Interviewed At Naughty Dog09:58 - Working On Uncharted 412:15 - Assets On Uncharted 4 Werent Carried Over From Uncharted 3/Mocap14:00 - The Benefits Of Mocap17:13 - You Could Shoot Mocap As Much As You Wanted At Naughty Dog20:00 - Naughty Dog’s Flat Structure22:50 - Intergalactic25:10 - Crunch On Uncharted 428:43 - Staying Healthy While Doing Crunch31:11 - Commuting Time In L.A.33:05 - Why Rico Left Naughty Dog/Naughty Dog Pay36:46 - Culture Of Bioware/Incorporating ND Culture Into Bioware38:10 - Emptyvessel/Meeting Emanuel Palilic/AAA Isn’t Safe For Devs Now42:20 - Destructible Terrain In DEFECT/Optimisation44:45 - Single Player Will Be In DEFECT As Well46:43 - Mick Gordon47:43 - Q+A - How Naughty Dog Pull Off Animations Ahead Of It’s Time50:15 - Naughty Dog’s Engine52:10 - Q+A - Biggest Challenge In Animating Nathan Drake54:00 - Working With Programmers57:12 - Q+A - What Challenge Kept You Up At Night59:59 - Institutional Knowledge/Microsoft Layoffs1:01:26 - Working With Bruce Straley1:02:50 - Where To Follow Rico Flores/Follow DEFECT
- Aug 17, 20261h 8m
#214 - Kris Roberts On Midnight Club 5, RDR1, GTA 6, Rockstar, RAGE Engine, Houser Brothers etc.
Kris Roberts was a former designer on Midnight Club 3, Los Angeles and Red Dead Redemption, in this episode he talks about his work at R*. WEBSITE - https://www.robertsmania.com/ TWITCH - https://www.twitch.tv/robertsmania YOUTUBE - @Robertsmania TWITTER - @Robertsmania #rockstargames #midnightclub #reddeadredemption TIMESTAMPS00:00 - Intro00:30 - How Kris Got Into Cars01:58 - Working On Midnight Club Series/Angel Studios Early Days05:57 - Midnight Club 2/Working In Gamesb07:40 - The Key To Good Vehicle Simulations & Tuning10:05 - Kris Takes Shots At Need For Speed11:00 - iRacing Simulation/Realistic Simulations12:30 - VR Driving Simulation14:15 - GTA’s Vehicle Tuning16:06 - Kris Is Not Interested In GTA 616:30 - The ARTS Engine Became The RAGE Engine18:40 - How The RAGE Engine Evolved By RDR120:52 - RAGE Engine Summit22:45 - Why Midnight Club 5 Was Cancelled27:00 - Red Dead Revolver29:00 - Initial Skepticism Over Developing Red Dead Redemption30:15 - Being The Lead For RDR1 Multiplayer33:15 - Kris Was Stressed Being A Leader38:00 - Crunch On RDR142:15 - Dan & Sam Houser45:45 - RDR1 Multiplayer Never Got Relief Unlike The Main Team47:43 - Rockstar Wives Fallout/Jury Duty48:40 - RDR1 Multiplayer Being Broken At Launch52:20 - Why Kris Left Rockstar/Completion Bonus/Layoffs59:10 - Kris Only Does Contracting Now/Working With Sony Online1:03:21 - Q+A - Was RDR1 Multiplayer Always Planned As A Sandbox1:03:50 - Q+A - How Fun Was It To Debug Customisation Options In MC31:05:40 - Q+A - Was Undead Zombies Considered For RDR1 In Free Roam1:06:38 - Where To Follow Kris/Doing A 2nd Podcast About Valve
- Jul 25, 20261h 21m
#213 - Unleash The Avatar - India's First AAA Game | Developer Interview With Varun Mayya
Varun Mayya is an entrepreneur, content creator, author and now he is venturing into game development and working on India's most ambitious game ever. Unleash The Avatar #unleashtheavatar #indiangaming See the latest trailer gameplay footage here. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y_zBp21BWI0 WEBSITE - https://www.unleashtheavatargame.com/TIMESTAMPS00:00 - Intro01:28 - Varun Loves The Mechanics Of Dota & Rocket League03:56 - How Varun Started Making Video Games05:15 - Journey To Making Unleash The Avatar/Multiplayer Games06:00 - Soulslikes/Black Myth Wukong/Sekiro07:39 - Games Are Sustainable/Gamers Demands11:19 - Unreal Engine/Photogrammetry Of India For Unleash The Avatar12:48 - Scanning An Entire Indian Town For Assets In Unreal Engine15:00 - 1st Trailer For Unleash The Avatar Was To Hire Talent16:15 - Varun’s Smart Plan To Hire The Best Engineers19:12 - Aftermath Of 2nd Trailer21:30 - Developing The Game Start Up Style/Revelation From The 2nd Trailer23:02 - Bollywood Influence On The Game/Anatomy Of The Story28:10 - Varun Is Closely Involved With The Entire Project29:43 - Target Audience For Unleash The Avatar32:10 - Using A Metronome For The Bosses33:20 - Aura Farming/Taunts In The Game/Difficulty Settings36:22 - Black Myth Wukong Inspirations & Differences41:39 - Black Myth Wukong’s Marketing43:16 - Bold Marketing Strategy For Unleash The Avatar50:14 - Why India Hasn’t Produced AAA Games/Entrepreneurs54:55 - Risk & Reward/Varun’s Views On Business57:00 - Stigma From Parents Regarding Gaming & Content Creation In India59:00 - Success & Failures Drives Everything Forward1:00:10 - Economics Of AAA Games In India Vs U.S.1:06:40 - Unleash The Avatar Was Largely Made Inhouse/Rockstar India1:08:31 - Why India Will Become A Haven For Game Development1:13:30 - Assassin’s Creed Setting In India1:15:30 - Indian Lore & Culture In Unleash The Avatar1:18:39 - Where To Keep Up To Date With Unleash The Avatar
- Jul 11, 20261h 15m
#212 - John Ricchio On GTA 5, GTA 6, Rockstar, RDR1, Leadership, AI, Crunch, Cut Content etc.
John Ricchio was a former producer at Rockstar on games such as GTA 5, RDR1 & Max Payne 3. In this interview he covers his time training people on QA, being a producer and a leader to teams at Rockstar, working on GTA, RDR, MP and more.. #gta #gta5 #rockstargamesTIMESTAMPS00:00 - Intro01:27 - The Importance Of QA/Training QA People04:30 - QA People At Rockstar/Advancing Your Career From QA08:19 - Will AI Be Used To Save Time For QA12:21 - Unicorn Dev Specialists/T Shaped Game Developers14:30 - Managing Over 200 People On RDR & GTA 5/Producing Challenges21:45 - Relinquishing Control/R* San Diego Changed Processes For GTA 524:40 - Cut Content From GTA 5 Due To Resources26:10 - Working Through Constraints/Picking Your Battles27:10 - Having Your Work Cut From R* Games28:37 - Will GTA 5 Cut Content Be In GTA 629:21 - Cancelled Game Content Ended Up In GTA IV/Tech Changes30:02 - New Ideas Usually Transcend Cut Content30:57 - RDR Undead Nightmare/Hot Coffee Mini Game32:05 - Rockstar’s Approach To DLC33:17 - Managing R* Devs During High Times Of Stress/Crunch41:20 - R*Can Get Away With Anything/Unionisation42:15 - R” Are Good Because Of Iteration But It’s At The Cost Of Crunch43:26 - Why John Left Rockstar/Crunch46:45 - Leaders Initiate Crunch Either For Results Or Out Of Fear52:40 - John Speaks About GTA 6 57:40 - The Future Of The Industry1:00:11 - Q+A - Will R* Devs Lose More Creative Freedom As The Studio Gets Bigger1:03:43 - Hanging Out With Dan & Sam Houser1:05:10 - Following GTA 5’s Model For GTA 61:06:03 - GTA 5’s Launch1:07:02 - Q+A - How Much Did The 360/PS3 Limit The Scope Of GTA 51:09:30 - Why R* Release On Console First Before PC1:12:30 - John Is Currently Unemployed/Where To Follow John
- Jun 20, 20261h 3m
#211 - Andrew Kim On Naughty Dog, Uncharted, Marvel, Film, Concept Art, Sony Santa Monica
Andrew Kim is a freelance concept artist who has worked on video games, tv and film. Hes done numerous concepts for games in the MCU and he did concept art for Uncharted 2-4 #uncharted #uncharted4 #uncharted3 ANDREWS WEBSITE IS HERE https://www.andrewkimart.com/TIMESTAMPS00:00 - Intro00:34 - Differences Between Working In Video Games & Film/TV04:41 - Getting A Job at Naughty Dog07:20 - Working With The Designers On Concept Art For Uncharted09:03 - The Process Was Similar Between Uncharted 2,3 & 410:46 - Leaving Marvel/Being A Freelancer On Uncharted 412:30 - Why Andrew Left Naughty Dog15:30 - How Film Union Works18:23 - The Challenges Of Being A Freelancer In The Film Industry20:55 - It’s Not What You Know, It’s Who You Know21:30 - How You Network In The Film Industry23:10 - ART CONCEPT REEL - Uncharted 2 33:40 - Sony Santa Monica Has 6 Hour Interviews35:30 - Naughty Dog Interview Was 20 Minutes36:19 - Interviewing Process In The Game Industry Now37:49 - Andrew Would Work On Uncharted 5 If Asked39:20 - Andrew Had Limited Interactions With Amy & Bruce40:17 - ART CONCEPT REEL - Uncharted 342:39 - Uncharted 3 Piece Got Andrew His Job At Marvel44:00 - ART CONCEPT REEL - Uncharted 359:36 - Where To Follow Andrew
- Jun 6, 20261h 4m
#210 - Quentin Cobb Interview On Uncharted 4, The Last Of Us, Naughty Dog, Ironroot Games
Quentin Cobb is the CEO and Co-Founder of Ironroot Games, he was previously a designer at Naughty Dog on Uncharted 4 & The Last Of Us and did a 5 year stint at Zenimax before on a cancelled project he was laid off. #uncharted4 #uncharted #thelastofus SOCIALS TWITTER - @QTrainCobb INSTAGRAM @qtrain.cobb/ @IIronrootGames https://ironrootgames.com/TIMESTAMPS00:00 - Intro00:30 - Why Quentin Cobb Loves Wutang Clan01:37 - Crunch On Uncharted 404:02 - Working On Lost Legacy04:40 - Why Quentin Left Naughty Dog06:07 - Was It Harder To Salvage Uncharted 4 Rather Than Creating A New Game07:36 - Quentin Worked On Chapter 8 In Uncharted 409:00 - Puzzle Sequences Were Difficult In Uncharted 4/Bruce Straley10:35 - Difficulty Of Making Puzzles11:50 - Shifting Mindset From Single Player To Multiplayer13:39 - Why The Last Of Us Was A Life Changing Experience/Working With Bruce Straley19:30 - Sony Executives Didn’t Believe The Last Of Us Would Succeed20:30 - Naughty Dog Was Shocked How Well The Last Of Us Was Received22:30 - Overcoming The Trauma Of Project Blackbird Being Cancelled27:00 - Indie Dev Community Are Kind & Supportive28:01 - Ironroot Games New Action-Adventure Project29:40 - Naughty Dog Teams Were Well Connected/Small Team Sizes32:00 - AAA Is All About Trends As Opposed To Making Games With A Heart34:00 - Creating A Unique Game Can Be Tricky36:30 - Advice From Bruce Straley/Pacing In Games40:17 - Microsoft Pulled Funding For Bruce Straley’s Indie Game41:40 - How Devs Try To Get In Front Of Layoffs/AAA Industry Isn’t Stable43:04 - Naughty Dog Layoffs/No One Is Safe44:00 - Last Of Us Part II/Quentin Is Glad He Didnt Work On It45:39 - Working On Last Of Us Part 1 Was Nostalgic46:30 - Intergalactic/Meeting His Old Naughty Dog Colleagues48:05 - Quentin Didnt Work Much With Amy & Neil48:58 - Q+A - Why Was India Chosen For Lost Legacy50:17 - Is It Easier To Make A Story First Or Design Mechanics First51:30 - Q+A - How To Get A Design Job At Naughty Dog54:30 - A Portfolio Is More Important Than A Degree57:19 - Q+A - What New Things Were Possible Going From PS3 To PS4 For Uncharted58:55 - Diminishing Returns With The Next Hardware1:00:30 - Padding In Open World Games1:03:05 - Where To Follow Ironroot Games & Quentin
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About Kiwi Talkz
Podcast with various Video Game developers as well as other people involved in entertainment such as TV/Film
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