Episodes

Back in 1997, Monolith released the classic FPS, Blood, on PC, introducing brutally violent content to critical acclaim and immediate cult status. 22 years later, Nightdive Studios worked their magic to bring a remaster of the game, Fresh Supply, to PC, reintroducing the title to a new generation. Fast forward to now, and they have announced one more go at the title: Blood: Refreshed Supply. What's new this time around? I brought on some key members of the team to answer that very question and w...

We have a crazy slate of games coming out. Some announced, some to be announced, but there are plenty of games to talk about that haven't been covered in the podcast yet. Those will be coming soon, so please allow us to slow things down a bit and catch up with Atari VP of Games, Ethan Stearns. It's been a while since he's been on the podcast, and he was fortunately able to join me to look back on this crazy year so far and look a bit ahead, covering all the events we've been to this year, some f...

Back in April, Apogee and Emberheart Games released the killer boomer shooter, Wizordum, out of early access. Shortly thereafter, a partnership was formed with Atari and Infogrames to bring the title to consoles, which made its debut this week! Joining me this week are Primoz Vovk (Lead at Emberheart Games) and Jeron Moore (Executive Producer at Apogee) to discuss the title from its origin to release and everything in between. This one covers a unique look at a game outside of the traditional or...

Mascot platformers can be defined by their voice performers. Charles Martinet as Mario and Roger Craig Smith as Sonic, to name the two most prolific examples. From the first sound bites of Sean Chiplock as our wise-cracking feline hero, it was immediately clear that he was our Bubsy; The near-universally positive response since the announcement further punctuated that feeling. So to round out our streak of Bubsy podcasts, Sean was gracious enough to join me and Sam Brown (Atari Release Manager a...

As we covered in the last episode, Bubsy has had an interesting past, to say the least. Now, however, we're looking forward with the announcement of Bubsy 4D. Yes, we had the audacity to make a sequel to Bubsy 3D, and by "we," I mean everyone gathered on this podcast: Fabian Rastorfer (Co-founder and co-lead at Fabraz), Ben Miller (Co-founder and co-lead at Fabraz), and Sam Brown (Atari Release Manager and Producer on Bubsy 4D). We talk about how this all came to be and walk through some of the ...

Depending on your point of reference, Bubsy is either a figure to be revered or reprimanded for his stamp on platforming history. Fortunately, thanks to our friends at Limited Run Games, you can experience the history of this legendary bobcat through his classic adventures in the upcoming Bubsy In: The Purrfect Collection. LRG has leveraged their Carbon Engine to ensure each game gets it’s proper shake with some additional quality-of-life features, but you’ll have to watch/listen to learn the de...

The party hasn't stopped since Atari 50: The Anniversary Celebration was first released in 2022, as there are always more stories to tell. Enter the upcoming DLC, Namco Legendary Pack, where, true to its name, some of gaming's most legendary titles make their way to the collection. Xevious, Galaxian, and, of course, Pac-Man finally make their Atari 50 debut with a whole new timeline to tell the tale. For this episode, we discuss the story behind the story by going into the development of the DLC...

About 25 years ago, Kev Levine and Looking Glass Studios released one of the greatest games of all time, System Shock 2. Now, thanks to the efforts of Nightdive Studios, the game has returned better than ever on more platforms than ever before. To dive into what and how things have improved, I've recruited a few folks from the team to peek behind the curtain. Joining me to discuss are Nightdive's Daniel Grayshon (Project Manager/Director), Josh Dowell (Programmer), and Jonatan Pöljö (Creative Di...

Back in 2020, We're Five Games' Totally Reliable Delivery Service made a name for itself thanks to its wacky physics-based antics. Streamers gravitated towards its chaos, which only broadened its appeal that endures to this day. Following the acquisition of the title by Infogrames, we recruited SneakyBox to get to work on an update and some new DLC to give more content to those fans who stuck with the game all this time and entice new players to check it out. Joining me to dive into these update...

The fabled episode 53 is finally releaseable, and it's all about Turok, which has just been announced for physical formats and will be released later this year! I jumped at the opportunity to chat about Turok with the team at Nightdive because it's a truly seminal FPS that has endured for generations. Joining me to discuss are Nightdive's Eric Serio ( Senior Developer) and Grover Wimberly IV (Producer) to dive deep into all the bells and whistles that are included in the remaster, along with ple...

Golden Tee has been a staple of bars and arcades for decades, thanks to its inviting and intuitive trackball controls and pitch-perfect golf game feel. But how, you may ask, would you translate that to consoles that aren't equipped with a trackball? A great question that can only be answered by a couple of returning guests from Digital Eclipse who tackled this very question. Calvin Vu (producer) and Jason Cirillo (engineer and artist) walk me through the ins and outs of the title and the process...

Atari's legendary title, Adventure, was the first of its kind and laid the groundwork for the future of game design. When Ilex, a small team in Brazil, showed Tower of Samsara to us for the first time, we were immediately captivated by its beautiful pixel art and animation and inspired by its mix of old and new gameplay hooks to create a unique metroidvania. Even more surprising was the opportunity to weave the classic Adventure into this sprawling epic, now titled Adventure of Samsara. We walk ...

MobyGames has been THE gaming repository well before Atari's acquisition of it in 2022, and one that gaming professionals and consumers alike are constantly hitting up. As a big fan myself, it was a pleasure to bring on Jim Leanard, co-founder of MobyGames, and Tracy Poff, current developer and long-time contributor. We talk through the website's founding, its decades-long journey to now, and what's currently happening behind the scenes under Atari's stewardship. YouTube: https://youtu.be/h8796M...

Leading up to the release of Llamasoft's I, Robot, Atari put on the I, Rebel game jam, challenging independent creators to "create a game Jeff Minter will love." Everyone had one week to create the game and a secret theme to abide by. Then, it was up to Llamasoft to judge the winners. Following the process, I invited Jeff (the Ox) and Ivan Zorzin (the Goat) back on the podcast to play the winning games and some select favorites that just missed the cut. YouTube: I, Robot AVAILABLE NOW! Steam: ht...

Things have been busy here at Atari. Real busy! Following a string of game previews, announcements, and releases - not to mention the things you DON'T know about - there was a gap in the schedule, and I needed to get creative. Thankfully, I rounded up a trio of guests to talk about some games and do some silly trivia. Joining me for this short and sweet episode are Sam Brown (Release Manager), Shah-Rukh Faridi (Marketing Coordinator), and returning champion Mark Perloff (Senior Producer). YouTub...

About two weeks ago, we unveiled a new take on the classic series, Missile Command. The teaser is just that, but there's so much more to say about the game! Fortunately, the team that worked on the title was kind enough to join me and talk through a deeper look at the game. My guests are Dave Proctor (Executive Producer on MCD), Tom McCall (Creative Director on MCD), and Mark Perloff (Senior Producer at Atari). YouTube: https://youtu.be/2f9pECQfzY4 Wishlist Missile Command Delta: Steam: https://...

About two years ago, a small indie team released Bread & Fred on the unassuming masses. Starring two adorable penguins, the game became a viral sensation with its hilariously challenging gameplay that's been streamed to millions of viewers. On the heels of its success, Sand Castles Studio got to work on a free add-on for those looking for an even greater challenge. Dubbed The Lab, that update was released on March 7th. Just before that, I was able to wrangle the team together to talk with me abo...

Following the release on Switch in 2020, which followed the original release back in 2004, RollerCoaster Tycoon 3 is now coming to PlayStation and Xbox for the first time via our friends at Muteki. Due to some untimely illnesses, only one of the three planned guests, Andrew Hynek (Lead Programmer on the RCT3 port), was able to join me for this one, but that didn't stop us from having a spirited talk as we toured through the title running on current-gen hardware. YouTube: https://youtu.be/aU5RPS7...

Please accept this disclaimer for flashing lights and errant farm animals because we have a new Llamasoft joint on the horizon! The legendary Jeff Minter (the Ox) and Ivan Zorzin (the Goat) join me to discuss their latest Atari title revamp: I, Robot. We talk about the new game, some classic I, Robot history, and a story involving a South American ox festival and the pope. Enjoy! YouTube: https://youtu.be/vxGh348EGEY Wishlist I, Robot: Xbox: https://www.xbox.com/en-US/games/store/i-robot/9phf27s...

After much teasing, we're back with some game announcements and, in turn, some previews with the devs! Breakout Beyond has taken a fascinating journey leading up to its release - starting as an ill-fated Amico title before finding a second life under Atari publishing. We get into all of that and more in this episode thanks to my guests: Garrett Varrin (Programmer / Systems Designer at Choice Provisions), Mike Roush (Cofounder of Choice Provisions), and Jason Cirillo (Engineer/Designer at Digital...

One more talkie before the gameplay podcasts resume, I promise! Dan Amrich, Content Editor at Digital Eclipse, was kind enough to come back on the podcast to discuss his journey to where he is today. Dan has covered a lot of ground in his writing career, spanning many entertainment genres and a lot of ground geographically. I hope you enjoy this conversation as much as I did. YouTube: https://youtu.be/cLYwRr-WlgA Check out the latest Digital Eclipse releases: Mighty Morphin Power Rangers: Rita's...

Due to holidays taking a chunk out of our schedule, we're interrupting the regularly scheduled podcast with Atari Feud! Ethan Stearns (VP of games) cooked up a competition for Tim Lapetino (Creative Director) and Digital Eclipse's Mike Mika to test their games knowledge. YouTube: https://youtu.be/BkPStNEOVas Join the Atari Club on Discord: https://discord.gg/atariclub Follow us: X: https://x.com/atari BlueSky: https://bsky.app/profile/atari.com Jason Polansky: https://bsky.app/profile/jaysofdoom...

Earlier in December, Nightdive Studios shadow-dropped The Thing Remastered to much fanfare. Both the game and the movie that it serves as a direct sequel to have strong cult-followings and the folks at Nightdive did what they do best to make sure their remaster of the 2002 title exceeded those fans' expectations. Joining me to talk more about it all are Mark Atkinson (Original Technical Director of the 2002 Thing video game, Programming Team of Remaster), Albert Marin Garau (Technical Artist), K...

Following a long run of game preview episodes, things slow down a bit for this one. I invited some members of the Atari games team to join me to just talk games and play some silly trivia games. Among them: Ethan Stearns (VP of Games), Sam Brown (Publishing Coordinator), and Shah-Rukh Faridi (Marketing Coordinator). Hope you enjoy this one and we'll get back to game previews and dev chats in the next one! YouTube: https://youtu.be/3SS2nbAxc5E RollerCoaster Tycoon Classic for Switch is OUT NOW! h...