
The Fourth Curtain
A GUIDED TOUR OF VIDEOGAME MAKERY! Hosts Alex Seropian (founder Bungie, Wideload, Industrial Toys) and Aaron Marroquin (Art Director, Game Designer, part time magician) take you on a tour of the minds that create our favorite video games. We may also wander around in our own heads too. We aim to inspire, educate and entertain you about the games you love, the people that make them and hey, if you're not a gamer we know you know one. This will help you connect with them too.
Latest episodes

Mar 14, 2024 • 1h 23min
Mike Wilson's Holy War
Mike Wilson’s commitment to game artists getting their due is impossible to overstate. From his beginnings at DWANGO and iD, to Gathering of Developers, to Devolver, he has pursued a lifelong mission of getting #gamedevs their rightful piece of the pie. A fascinating trip through the last 30 years of game business this week on The Fourth Curtain!Thank you for listening to our podcast all about videogames and the amazing people who bring them to life!Hosted by Alexander Seropian and Aaron MarroquinFind us at www.thefourthcurtain.com Join our Patreon for early, ad-free episodes plus bonus content at https://patreon.com/FourthCurtain Come join the conversation at https://discord.gg/KWeGE4xHfeVideos available at https://www.youtube.com/@thefourthcurtainFollow us on twitter: @fourthcurtainEdited and mastered at https://noise-floor.com Audio Editor: Bryen HensleyVideo Editor: Sarkis GrigorianProducer: Shanglan (May) LiArt: Paul RusselCommunity Manager: Doug ZartmanFeaturing Liberation by 505

Mar 7, 2024 • 1h 11min
Dennis Fong Improves the Internet
Like many of our guests, Dennis "Thresh" Fong has many “firsts” to his name. Not just first pro gamer, but first influencer, builder of many first gamer communities. Now his company Good Games Well Played is successfully combating toxicity in games. A great conversation with Fatal1ty mentor and Elon Musk competitor this week!Thank you for listening to our podcast all about videogames and the amazing people who bring them to life!Hosted by Alexander Seropian and Aaron MarroquinFind us at www.thefourthcurtain.com Join our Patreon for early, ad-free episodes plus bonus content at https://patreon.com/FourthCurtain Come join the conversation at https://discord.gg/KWeGE4xHfeVideos available at https://www.youtube.com/@thefourthcurtainFollow us on twitter: @fourthcurtainEdited and mastered at https://noise-floor.com Audio Editor: Bryen HensleyVideo Editor: Sarkis GrigorianProducer: Shanglan (May) LiArt: Paul RusselCommunity Manager: Doug ZartmanFeaturing Liberation by 505

Feb 29, 2024 • 1h 10min
Mastermind of God Games Peter Molyneux
With a list of awards and firsts as long as your arm, this week’s guest made the “god game” into an artform, and then went on to multiple other genres – Syndicate, Dungeon Keeper, Black and White, Fable. Hear how he works like a Victorian, can’t afford a pavement artist and avoids inspiration from other games this week!Peter's Blog: https://developmolyneux.blog/Thank you for listening to our podcast all about videogames and the amazing people who bring them to life!Hosted by Alexander Seropian and Aaron MarroquinFind us at www.thefourthcurtain.com Join our Patreon for early, ad-free episodes plus bonus content at https://patreon.com/FourthCurtain Come join the conversation at https://discord.gg/KWeGE4xHfeVideos available at https://www.youtube.com/@thefourthcurtainFollow us on twitter: @fourthcurtainEdited and mastered at https://noise-floor.com Audio Editor: Bryen HensleyVideo Editor: Sarkis GrigorianProducer: Shanglan (May) LiArt: Paul RusselCommunity Manager: Doug ZartmanFeaturing Liberation by 505

Feb 22, 2024 • 1h 14min
Scott Miller's All Out of Bubble Gum
This week our guest has several high profile innovations to his name – shareware in games, bullet time before The Matrix. He helped launch id Software and then Duke Nukem, Max Payne and so much more. He's back with a new iteration of Apogee delivering pure fun in a retro aesthetic. Come hear how Scott discovered the Build engine and hired, then fired his own parents! Character names and indie risk, this week on The Fourth Curtain!Thank you for listening to our podcast all about videogames and the amazing people who bring them to life!Hosted by Alexander Seropian and Aaron MarroquinFind us at www.thefourthcurtain.com Join our Patreon for early, ad-free episodes plus bonus content at https://patreon.com/FourthCurtain Come join the conversation at https://discord.gg/KWeGE4xHfeVideos available at https://www.youtube.com/@thefourthcurtainFollow us on twitter: @fourthcurtainEdited and mastered at https://noise-floor.com Audio Editor: Bryen HensleyVideo Editor: Sarkis GrigorianProducer: Shanglan (May) LiArt: Paul RusselCommunity Manager: Doug ZartmanFeaturing Liberation by 505

Feb 15, 2024 • 1h 22min
Dylan Cuthbert, Clever as a Star Fox
This week we meet up with Q-Games founder, Star Fox maker and all around technical wizard Dylan Cuthbert! Dylan is one of the few game developers to have made it big on three different continents! His story of how he got his first job at 17 in the UK will blow your mind. We talk hacking, legendary Japanese devs and much more this week!Thank you for listening to our podcast all about videogames and the amazing people who bring them to life!Hosted by Alexander Seropian and Aaron MarroquinFind us at www.thefourthcurtain.com Join our Patreon for early, ad-free episodes plus bonus content at https://patreon.com/FourthCurtain Come join the conversation at https://discord.gg/KWeGE4xHfeVideos available at https://www.youtube.com/@thefourthcurtainFollow us on twitter: @fourthcurtainEdited and mastered at https://noise-floor.com Audio Editor: Bryen HensleyVideo Editor: Sarkis GrigorianProducer: Shanglan (May) LiArt: Paul RusselCommunity Manager: Doug ZartmanFeaturing Liberation by 505

Feb 8, 2024 • 1h 16min
Stephen Lim and Trevor Romleski's Forward Operations
This week our guests are lifelong gamers Slim and Trevor. Together they put Valorant on the map and have now formed a new studio, RaidBase, to build a PvP sandbox game where players can build reputations. With experience in pro gaming and the psychology of games, we talk MMOs, hierarchies of needs and complex testing techniques, this week on The Fourth Curtain!Thank you for listening to our podcast all about videogames and the amazing people who bring them to life!Hosted by Alexander Seropian and Aaron MarroquinFind us at www.thefourthcurtain.com Join our Patreon for early, ad-free episodes plus bonus content at https://patreon.com/FourthCurtain Come join the conversation at https://discord.gg/KWeGE4xHfeVideos available at https://www.youtube.com/@thefourthcurtainFollow us on twitter: @fourthcurtainEdited and mastered at https://noise-floor.com Audio Editor: Bryen HensleyVideo Editor: Sarkis GrigorianProducer: Shanglan (May) LiArt: Paul RusselCommunity Manager: Doug ZartmanFeaturing Liberation by 505

Feb 1, 2024 • 1h 10min
Making it Real with John Romero
The massively prolific John Romero made 86 games before the hit Castle Wolfenstein and follow-ups DOOM and Quake. Now working on a new shooter in Unreal, he speaks to us about work ethics, culture shocks and starting over, this week on The Fourth Curtain!Thank you for listening to our podcast all about videogames and the amazing people who bring them to life!Hosted by Alexander Seropian and Aaron MarroquinFind us at www.thefourthcurtain.com Join our Patreon for early, ad-free episodes plus bonus content at https://patreon.com/FourthCurtain Come join the conversation at https://discord.gg/KWeGE4xHfeVideos available at https://www.youtube.com/@thefourthcurtainFollow us on twitter: @fourthcurtainEdited and mastered at https://noise-floor.com Audio Editor: Bryen HensleyVideo Editor: Sarkis GrigorianProducer: Shanglan (May) LiArt: Paul RusselCommunity Manager: Doug ZartmanFeaturing Liberation by 505

Jan 11, 2024 • 46min
Season 2 - Episode 0
The hosts introduce their podcast as a platform for conversations with visionaries of the video game industry. They kick off Season 2 with John Romero as a guest, announce a Steam Deck giveaway, and discuss their Kickstarter campaign. They predict a potential acquisition in the gaming industry and discuss the possibilities of a Civil War game. They emphasize the importance of persistence and share their strategies for memory. They touch on the political climate's impact on UFO news coverage and share their personal beliefs about aliens.

Dec 14, 2023 • 1h 20min
Bonus Level - Top Ten Tips From Ten Top Bosses
Alex and Aaron wrap up the year highlighting the ten things they learned doing a podcast that features the most interesting minds in videogames! Plus, a bag of chips! Make that five bags of chips - which we rate along the way. Do we uncover the true meaning of 'Honey Butter'? Listen to find out - and to find out how to win a brand new OLED Steam Deck!Thank you for listening to our podcast all about videogames and the amazing people who bring them to life!Hosted by Alexander Seropian and Aaron MarroquinFind us at www.thefourthcurtain.com Join our Patreon for early, ad-free episodes plus bonus content at https://patreon.com/FourthCurtain Come join the conversation at https://discord.gg/KWeGE4xHfeVideos available at https://www.youtube.com/@thefourthcurtainFollow us on twitter: @fourthcurtainEdited and mastered at https://noise-floor.com Audio Editor: Bryen HensleyVideo Editor: Sarkis GrigorianProducer: Shanglan (May) LiArt: Paul RusselCommunity Manager: Doug ZartmanFeaturing Liberation by 505

Nov 30, 2023 • 1h 12min
Nolan Bushnell's Happy Accidents
Nolan Bushnell, creator of Pong, Atari, and Chuck E. Cheese, discusses the happy accidents that set the video game industry in motion. They delve into the origins of Chuck E. Cheese and its mascot, the birth of Atari, licensing challenges, and the involvement of Steve Jobs. They also touch on their focus on education and game-based learning.
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