Pixel Pizza

This week we're talking to the co-founders of the game studio Finji, Rebekah & Adam Saltsman! Finji both develops their own games and publishes other games from indie creators. Even if you haven't heard the name "Finji", you've definitely heard of the games they've put out: Night in the Woods, Tunic, Chicory, and Canabalt to name a few! Naturally there's a lot to discuss on how Adam & Rebekah supp...

Bored? Wondering what's for dinner? It's Pixel Pizza, of course! This week we have two incredible guests working on the cult interactive adventure-inspired game (iykyk), Arzette: The Jewel of Faramore. It's Seth Fulkerson, lead developer at Seedy Eye Software, and Audi Sorlie, producer at Limited Run Games! We go over the amazing story of how Arzette came to be, having a positive experience making...

Are you MAD? Are you ANGRY? Chill out and listen to a new Pixel Pizza! Joining us from Cape Town, South Africa is Luc Wolthers of the studio Free Lives. Some of his notable and outrageous works include BroForce, Gorn, and the upcoming Anger Foot. Luc is an art generalist, so we dive into all aspects of designing character concepts and implementing them in smart and interesting ways. Music from Pow...

We unlock the door to the Pizza Realm on this week’s show, speaking with solo game developer Yahya Danboos. He works in VR for UniVRs as well as on his own original title, the Kingdom Hearts-inspired Luminous Nights! We discuss his highly successful YouTube devlogs, the 1001 Arabian Nights, and the importance of making the games that you want to play! Music by Yellowpop! LINKS: 🐦 Yahya's Twitter:...

Joining us from Melbourne, Australia is Tom Lockwood-- better known as Gumpy Function! Tom specializes in making games for the original Game Boy. If you didn't know Game Boy games are still being made in 2023, there's a lot to it. We dive into the thriving homebrew scene and the business side of it too. And of course we discuss the development of Tom's breakout hit: The official Grimace's Birthday...

Swooping into your subscription feed is a new Pixel Pizza! BAFTA-nominated solo dev Tomas Sala joins us this week to talk about making The Falconeer and the upcoming Bulwark: The Falconeer Chronicles. Topics discussed include designing believable bird flight, incorporating narrative themes into your game mechanics, and video games as a mental health resource. You'll love it! LINKS: 👾 The Falc...

This week's guest has built up an impressive online following through his weekly development updates on Twitter. It's Ryan Mahony, solo dev of the PS1-inspired shooter/RPG called Gunmetal Gothic 💀 Ryan tells us about the technical challenges of networked play, designing for both single player and multiplayer, and perfecting the authentic PS1 look. And we ask @Ynoham himself the important...

Let's give a warm welcome to Japanese indie dev Justin Matsuzawa, developer of the upcoming RPG Starlight Legacy! Justin tells us all about his game and we dive into the everlasting appeal of Pokemon, feedback from both Japanese and Western audiences, and making a game that isn't meant to be revolutionary but just fun. Our music this week comes from Parasitic Humanoid Volleyball Club 🏐 LI...

All the way from Portugal, we've got Vertical Reach Games' Kevin Colegate on the show! His technical prowess has not only brought the iconic visual novel Aviary Attorney to Nintendo Switch, but also created the eerie PS1-inspired horror adventure The Tartarus Key. (He's also listened to 30 episodes of the show?? 😳) We discuss networking with other devs, scanning 19th century artwork, and the horr...

Been very excited to do this one! Joining me this week are the two faces behind Analgesic Productions, Melos Han-Tani and Marina Kittaka. You might know their distinctive work from the Anodyne games, Even the Ocean, Sephonie, or the recently announced Angeline Era. We run through the development of all of those games and look back in honor of the studio's 10th anniversary! Music comes from spoken...

This week on Pixel Pizza we've got a multitalented artist and 3D modeler who's worked in a variety of mediums, Kylee Solari! But make no mistake, she's worked on a bunch of awesome games including the hit dodgeball arena game Knockout City! Topics discussed include influence from collectable creature games of the 90's, making realistic pastries in-game, and Brooklyn pizza + cookies...

Blazing into your eardrums at the speed of sound, it's a brand new Pixel Pizza 💨 This time around we've got game director & designer Noah Copeland on to discuss his recently finished passion project, Sonic Triple Trouble 16-Bit. He talks riffing on your team's work, the importance of a great intro, and a little bit about his next original game. The music comes from Noah too! LINKS...

A little behind-the-scenes: Up til this point I have always been the one to reach out to the guests we have on the show. But recently I actually got my first email from a game developer who wanted to come talk on Pixel Pizza! So I'm honored to have Prateek Jadhwani, developer of the very promising farming/life sim Brocula, as this week's guest. We go over learning game development from scr...

Our guest today has probably been on more podcasts than I have, and that's saying something! Video game composer Chase Bethea has over a decade's worth of industry experience working on all kinds of games in all kinds of genres. Jazz, Calypso, chiptune...you name it, he's done it! So as you can imagine there's a lot to dive into. We discuss what it's like hopping from genre to...

Let’s get technical this week as we talk with up-and-coming solo indie developer Aurora! They discuss combining their skillset in music, pixel art, and programming to make games. Aurora also talks us through the Godot engine and how they are using it for their procedurally generated exploration game, Silt Spawn! If you’re just getting started on your development journey and want to hear from someb...

We've got a double order of pizza for you this week! Thanks to the power of #brandsynergy, I connected with the director of the post-apocalyptic beat-em-up Pizza Kidd! His name is Collin Venuto, and his unique background as a Philadelphia-based record producer and product designer has informed the way he makes games in a really fascinating way. Tunes this week come from the Icelandic chiptune...

Unfortunately we don't have a proper interview this week for you, but rest assured there are plenty more to come. So, this week's guest is...me?! Yep, Pixel Pizza host Jared Ettinger is on the scene with a solo act to keep the show going. If you've wanted to learn a bit more about the interviewer you've been listening to, now's your chance. I discuss my own background in the in...

Get snackin' on some Pixel Pizza as you hear from Chris Stallman, the Art Lead at Young Horses. His strikingly funny and weird style has brought the hit games Octodad: Dadliest Catch and Bugsnax to life! Chris tells us how he makes his characters so distinctive, working game design into character design, and what food he ate in the Bugsnax research process 😋 Music from Temmy! LINKS: 🐦 Chris&...

All systems go for another Pixel Pizza! Coming to us from Zanrai Interactive is Jason Koohi, developer of the narrative-driven space shooter Visegunne. As part of a two-man team, Jason does art, music, game design, and voice over for the studio's games. We chat about capturing the feel of mid-90's shoot-em-ups, incorporating narrative in a genre that usually doesn't have it, and gush o...

Somebody order a pizza? Well this one's topped with roguelikes, deckbuilders, and...Space Invaders?! Eddie Cai, designer of the upcoming Star✩Vaders, walks us through what it's like bringing this methodical yet exciting concept to life. With chiptune jams from Paula Haunt! LINKS: 👾 Star✩Vaders Steam: https://store.steampowered.com/app/2097570/StarVaders/ 🐦 Eddie's Twitter: @AxolotlSt...

A new episode means a new run here on Pixel Pizza, where we'll be chatting with Pedro Guerra- creative director on the exciting indie roguelike Elsie! Pedro tells us all about accessibility features, working with publishers Playtonic and Jirard the Completionist, and delicious Cuban pizza 🇨🇺🍕 Chiptune artist of the week is Drama Trial! LINKS: 🐦 Knight Shift Games Twitter: @KnightShiftTeam 🧪...

Ready to get animated? Good, cause we're back with a guy who's specialized in bringing the magic of cartoons into the video game space. As an artist on the 2020 Battletoads reboot and a senior concept artist on the upcoming Disney Illusion Island, Rory Jobson tells us all about what it's like to create authentic games with beloved IPs while also giving people something they've neve...

No guests this week, so it's time for another clipshow! Catch up on Pixel Pizza with words of wisdom from some of our most popular guests over the past year. This handcrafted 8-slice pie of an episode contains flavors from around the world. And while the interviews may be old, we've got new chiptune music from P-Chip! So get ready to kick back and listen to the following folks: -Bannon Rud...

 With all the work she's done, our guest this week probably needs no introduction! But just in case... You've read her work on websites like Rock Paper Shotgun, Vice, and Nintendo Life, or in games with her narrative writing like Winding Worlds and the upcoming Moonstone Island. That's right, coming to us from Canada is Kate Gray! Kate tells us about her approach to writing in a gaming news s...

It's tail time™️ as we talk with Izzy Kestrel, a talented game designer, engineer, and musician working at game studio No Goblin! Izzy discusses how her background in tech support helped her learn game design, approaching challenges with unfamiliar software at Funomena, and her upcoming panel at GDC 2023. Of course, we couldn't go without talking about Izzy's PhD in Gexology 🦎 Musical breaks from...