#60 - Analyzing the game industry’s woes and AI's potential with former Nexon CEO Owen Mahoney

On this week's episode of the Game Developer Podcast, we're breaking down a number of pernicious myths about video game writing and narrative design that don't just lurk among players, but seep into the creeks and crevices of many game studios. To tackle these untruths, we've invited Bruno Dias, Aysha Farah, and Andrea Saravia Pérez to share their stories and help you build better processes for telling great stories in video games big and small. Learn more about Bruno Dias: https://brunodias.dev/ Learn more about Aysha Farah: https://www.ayshaufarah.com/ Learn more about Andrea Saravia Pérez: https://asaraviapt.wixsite.com/about Learn more about: Focus M: https://youtu.be/iMh_APo2Xss Learn more about Control Resonant's lack of yellow paint: https://www.gamedeveloper.com/design/control-resonant-director-lays-out-case-for-avoiding-excessive-yellow-paint- Learn more about text animation: https://www.gamedeveloper.com/art/latam-indie-devs-lay-out-how-to-improve-your-text-animation Learn more about The Writer Will Do Something: https://matthewseiji.itch.io/twwds Learn more about Kinophobia: https://brunodias.itch.io/kinophobia Learn more about Life Is Strange: Double Exposure: https://lifeisstrange.square-enix-games.com/en-us/games/life-is-strange-double-exposure - - -The Game Developer podcast is a bi-weekly podcast chronicling game development triumphs, catastrophes, and everything in-between, as devs from all sides of the industry share lessons and strategies fellow game makers can use to hone their craft.Learn More at https://www.gamedeveloper.comFollow Game Developer for more game dev Podcasts, News, & InterviewsBluesky: https://www.gamedeveloper.bsky.socialLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/gamedeveloperofficialMusic by Mike MeehanEdited by Pierre Landriau

On this week's episode of the Game Developer podcast, celebrated game designer Harvey Smith and former Arkane Austin executive producer Ben Horne—also the co-founders of the new game studio Black Pony Immersive—join senior editor Bryant Francis for a conversation about the creative principles at the heart of their new venture. When you're talking about founding any new company, you're usually discussing topics like funding and "addressable marketplaces," but Smith and Horne have had far deeper and more intense discussions about the creative craft of game development—and are ready to explain how those philosophies can make for a successful studio. Learn more about Black Pony Immersive: https://www.blackpony.com/ - - -The Game Developer podcast is a bi-weekly podcast chronicling game development triumphs, catastrophes, and everything in-between, as devs from all sides of the industry share lessons and strategies fellow game makers can use to hone their craft.Learn More at https://www.gamedeveloper.comFollow Game Developer for more game dev Podcasts, News, & InterviewsBluesky: https://www.gamedeveloper.bsky.socialLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/gamedeveloperofficialMusic by Mike MeehanEdited by Pierre Landriau

What's changing in the world of co-development (co-dev) and external development (ex-dev) GDC Side Quest returns with another interview recorded on the show floor of the 2026 GDC of Festival of Gaming, this time speaking with Microsoft veteran and XDS Spark co-founder Sam Carlisle. Content marketing manager Beth Elderkin joins Carlisle, who has over fifteen years of experience sourcing high-quality external content for major game development projects, to discuss why this development practice is becoming more and more essential in the changing world of video game production. Learn more about GDC Festival of Gaming: https://gdconf.com/ Learn more about XDS Spark: https://www.xds-spark.com/ Game Developer and GDC Festival of Gaming are sibling organizations under Informa Festivals. - - -The Game Developer podcast is a bi-weekly podcast chronicling game development triumphs, catastrophes, and everything in-between, as devs from all sides of the industry share lessons and strategies fellow game makers can use to hone their craft.Learn More at https://www.gamedeveloper.comFollow Game Developer for more game dev Podcasts, News, & InterviewsBluesky: https://www.gamedeveloper.bsky.socialLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/gamedeveloperofficialMusic by Mike MeehanEdited by Pierre Landriau

On this week's episode of the Game Developer podcast, senior editor Bryant Francis chats with Peter Hodges, director for ecosystem strategy for developer platforms at ARM. Peter is a game development veteran who uses his experience in the game-making profession to help developers integrate ARM technology into their workflows. He's currently focused on helping developers understand ARM's new Neural Technology—a collection of on-chip AI techniques that improve frame rate and expand lighting possibilities on mobile devices. You can't talk about the benefits of new dev tools without discussing why developers use them—that's why today's episode doesn't just talk about the possibilities of on-chip AI, but also the impact of art like Hollis Framptons' 1969 7-minute short film Lemon. Learn more about ARM Neural Technology: https://developer.arm.com/mobile-graphics-and-gaming/neural-technology Learn more about Lemon: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lemon_(1969_film) Learn more about Somerset House's MC Escher exhibition: https://www.somersethouse.org.uk/whats-on/mc-escher-the-exhibition - - -The Game Developer podcast is a bi-weekly podcast chronicling game development triumphs, catastrophes, and everything in-between, as devs from all sides of the industry share lessons and strategies fellow game makers can use to hone their craft.Learn More at https://www.gamedeveloper.comFollow Game Developer for more game dev Podcasts, News, & InterviewsBluesky: https://www.gamedeveloper.bsky.socialLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/gamedeveloperofficialMusic by Mike MeehanEdited by Pierre Landriau

On this week's episode of the Game Developer podcast, senior editor Bryant Francis sits down with Bit Reactor CEO and co-founder Greg Foertsch, who also served as creative director on Star Wars Zero Company, the newest adventure in that galaxy far far away. Foertsch sat down to discuss important perspectives on making good camera perspectives, the value in having every team member think of themselves as a "game developer," regardless of their job title, and why he loves the character Huyang from Star Wars The Clone Wars and Ahsoka: A Star Wars Story. Learn more about Bit Reactor: https://www.bitreactor.com/ Learn more about Star Wars Zero Company: https://www.ea.com/games/starwars/zero-company Learn more about Huyang: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Huyang - - -The Game Developer podcast is a bi-weekly podcast chronicling game development triumphs, catastrophes, and everything in-between, as devs from all sides of the industry share lessons and strategies fellow game makers can use to hone their craft.Learn More at https://www.gamedeveloper.comFollow Game Developer for more game dev Podcasts, News, & InterviewsBluesky: https://www.gamedeveloper.bsky.socialLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/gamedeveloperofficialMusic by Mike MeehanEdited by Pierre Landriau