This week on the podcast, we chat with John Szczepaniak, author of ‘The Untold History of Japanese Game Developers.’ John shares his journey documenting previously untold these stories, interviewing legends like Ryuichi Nishizawa and Kouichi Yotsui. And some insights from developers behind classics like Streets of Rage 2, Illusion of Gaia, and Metal Gear Solid.

Contents:

00:00 - The Week's Retro News Stories
32:47 - John Szczepaniak Interview

The Untold History of Japanese Game Developers: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Untold-History-Japanese-Game-Developers/dp/0992926025

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Show notes:

Bitmap Brothers Collection 2 for Evercade: https://tinyurl.com/558tr4wv
Nintendo’s Gashapon toys can be used as controller replacement parts: https://tinyurl.com/3ptxra8t
Access the bad ending on Streets of Rage on one player: https://tinyurl.com/4d3ujn48
Lemmings arcade recreated: https://tinyurl.com/4frcvx5p
Hoonigans for Game Boy: https://tinyurl.com/bdfbhawr

441: The Untold History of Japanese Game Developers - The Retro Hour EP441