The Fourth Curtain

George Fan, creator of Octogeddon, Hardhat Wombat, and Plants Vs Zombies, discusses his design process, the perils of AI, and surprising details about Crazy Dave. They also explore the significance of unions in the tech industry, the capabilities of chat GPT, the importance of prototyping in game design, and the design ethos of Plants vs. Zombies.

This week's guest is the Duke of the Borderlands himself, Randy Pitchford. Founder of Gearbox, savior of Duke Nukem, owner of the Magic Castle and storyteller extraordinaire. We talk hackers and spooks, gamedev in the 90's and a whole lotta magic. Surprises await!Support the showThank 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: Kimya TaheriArt: Paul RusselCommunity Manager: Doug ZartmanFeaturing Liberation by 505

We sit down for a chat with Max Hoberman founder of Certain Affinity and early Bungie employee. Max has been involved with Halo since the beginning and has had a hand in many of the industry's biggest FPS games. His company Certain Affinity is one of the largest independent developers and has been around for over 15 years without ever experiencing a layoff! That certainly got our attention ;) Hear Max's story, his ambitions with original IP, best negotiating tactics ;) and his secrets to building an enduring team on this episode.Support the showThank 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: Kimya TaheriArt: Paul RusselCommunity Manager: Doug ZartmanFeaturing Liberation by 505

Hamilton and Ben, founders of Second Dinner and makers of Marvel Snap, join The Fourth Curtain podcast. They talk about their first jobs, the history of Hearthstone, and how Second Dinner came to be. They discuss naming, game design, and test Ben on his deep Marvel knowledge. They also mention their favorite registered URLs and the inspirations and design choices behind Marvel Snap.

On this episode of The Fourth Curtain, Alex and Aaron have long time pal and game maker Bill Roper on the program talking about the early days of Blizzard, his love of music, building HellGate London and the joyride that was Disney Interactive. We get a peek at some of the special items in Bill's collection and he may even do a voice or two!Bill Roper arrives at: 10:00Alex mentions a "A Theory of Fun" by old pal Raph Koster.Support the showThank 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: Kimya TaheriArt: Paul RusselCommunity Manager: Doug ZartmanFeaturing Liberation by 505

In this week's episode Alex & Aaron get a chance to catch up with long time friend and composer Marty O'Donnell. We talk about video game music and how production value in games has gotten so, so good. Marty explains how the unique Halo theme came to be and we hear how Marty used the classic Bagels and Cream Cheese maneuver to convince Sir Paul McCartney to make a move into video games.Support the showThank 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: Kimya TaheriArt: Paul RusselCommunity Manager: Doug ZartmanFeaturing Liberation by 505

Join Alex and Aaron for a conversation with Patrick Curry, designer on Stubbs The Zombie, John Woo’s Stranglehold and game director of Disney’s Guilty Party and founder of four studios! We find out how Patrick worked on both (and only) licensed Halo engine games, naming a game studio, finding a moral compass when it comes to handling violence in games and the future of VR.Support the showThank 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: Kimya TaheriArt: Paul RusselCommunity Manager: Doug ZartmanFeaturing Liberation by 505

Alex and Aaron hang with Dungeon Siege and Total Annihilation creator Chris Taylor. We talk games as film, the challenges and benefits of work from home, Chris’s never ending energy and positive attitude and how he escaped a near death experience alongside Tetris legend Henk Rogers! Plus many insider stories!Support the showThank 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: Kimya TaheriArt: Paul RusselCommunity Manager: Doug ZartmanFeaturing Liberation by 505

In this brief first episode, hosts Alex Seropian and Aaron Marroquin introduce you to The Fourth Curtain: a new podcast featuring conversations with the developers of amazing video games. Support the showThank 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: Kimya TaheriArt: Paul RusselCommunity Manager: Doug ZartmanFeaturing Liberation by 505