Hogwarts Legacy's John Blackburn is Cool in the Arcade

Our guest John Blackburn is a founder and CEO of Avalanche Software, makers of hundreds of games for dozens of platforms, such as Hogwarts Legacy and Disney Infinity. He has tales of when games paid royalties and having to take a chance. We discuss how to talk to execs and being true but not canon - this week!

Episode Highlights

[00:00:00] Mortal Kombat Funded Avalanche’s Origins
John Blackburn reveals how Avalanche Studios was launched thanks to Mortal Kombat Trilogy royalties—literally bankrolling the studio's earliest days.

[00:13:00] Salt Lake City: An Underrated Game Dev Hotspot
John shares the rich game development legacy of Salt Lake City, from the roots of Sculptured Software and Access Software to Avalanche and beyond.

[00:21:00] Working on Mortal Kombat at Sculptured Software
John discusses his first big project as a junior programmer, working on Mortal Kombat for Super Nintendo—with access to an arcade machine right outside his office.

[00:25:00] The Crazy Coincidences Behind Avalanche’s Founding
Learn how a failed job offer, a chance bar conversation, and a loophole in rights ownership led to Avalanche’s first contract with Midway.

[00:31:00] Mortal Kombat Trilogy: The Royalty Deal That Changed Everything
Blackburn explains how the CD-based release of Mortal Kombat Trilogy and a classics reprint led to a royalty windfall that solidified the studio’s future.

[00:40:00] Disney Acquires Avalanche for Platforming Expertise
John recounts how Avalanche’s work on licensed platformers like Tack and the Power of Juju led to Disney acquiring the studio after seeing early progress on Chicken Little.

[00:54:00] How Disney Infinity Was Born from Toy Story 3’s Toy Box Mode
Infinity started as a toy-themed platform game before pivoting into the toys-to-life genre after the success of Skylanders—with the blessing of Bob Iger.

[01:00:00] The Secret Behind Hogwarts Legacy: Portkey Games & Creative Freedom
Blackburn shares how Portkey Games enabled Avalanche to develop an original story set in the Wizarding World—without needing to retell the Harry Potter books.

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