
Game Dev Unchained
Our podcast breaks the mold of don't ask don't tell about the video game industry. We give everyone the real inside look at what its like to be a professional game developer, Every week we'll interview pro and indie developers, we'll talk jobs, studios, salaries and of course crunch horror stories. Tune in!
Hosted by Brandon Pham
Latest episodes

Feb 8, 2022 • 1h 3min
0291: Personal Projects from Art Boost | Best of 2021 Part 4
This episode is brought to you by AppFigures!
Head to https://appfigures.com/on/gamedevunchained.com to try App figures for free. If you like it, use our special code GDU3030 to get 30% off for the next 3 months.
About this episode:
Read the full article here (https://wp.me/pcB0ew-SC)
The Art Boost segment was introduced last year to the podcast where we bring on artists breaking down their personal projects, techniques, and workflows.
Topics discussed in this episode:
0265: Art Boost | Sculpting AAA Realistic Characters with Lisa Loseva
0250: Art Boost | Architectural Concept with Gabriel Yeganyan
0257: Art Boost | VR Sculpting with Joel Durnham
0280: GduX.me | The Making of MonStars Remastered with Damon Woods
Connect with us:
https://twitter.com/gamedevunchaind
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Feb 4, 2022 • 1h 3min
0290: Biggest Headlines of Last Year | Best of 2021 Part 3
This episode is brought to you by AppFigures!
Head to https://appfigures.com/on/gamedevunchained.com to try App figures for free. If you like it, use our special code GDU3030 to get 30% off for the next 3 months.
About this episode:
Read the full article here (https://wp.me/pcB0ew-Ss)
Last year was nothing short of amazement. Small voices were being magnified as Activision/Blizzard was at its heel defending from harassment allegations. Epic versus Apple finally concluded a year long battle that ended with Apple pressured into lowering its percentage take from vendors. Stadia breaking open the streaming games industry and then bowing out as quickly as it came in. And lastly, how last years predictions for the next decade is already coming true in some aspects.
Topics discussed in this episode:
0282: Roundtable News | Blizzard Under Fire
0273: Roundtable News | Final Showdown Epic VS Apple
0258: Roundtable News | Stadia Shutting Down
0286: Roundtable News | The Rise of Big Tech Game Companies
Connect with us:
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https://www.instagram.com/gamedevunchaind/

Feb 2, 2022 • 1h 1min
0289: The Convergence of all Entertainment | Best of 2021 Part 2
This episode is brought to you by AppFigures!
Head to https://appfigures.com/on/gamedevunchained.com to try App figures for free. If you like it, use our special code GDU3030 to get 30% off for the next 3 months.
About this episode:
Read the full article here (https://wp.me/pcB0ew-Sj)
A game developer in the last 5 years can be best described as a unrestricted nomad. If you are an artist in the game industry then you are faced with more opportunities than ever before. You are now a valuable asset that can utilize the same toolset that you have obtained throughout your career and am able to jump to other mediums like movies, architecture, and advertisement seamlessly. That is because, real-time technology are openly being used in all industries and the demand is only growing.
Topics discussed in this episode:
The Convergence of Games and Movies with Mauro Frau | Episode 259
Proceduralism in Games with Luiz Kruel | Episode 263
Simplifying Efficient Workflows with Daniel Bystedt | Episode 271
GduX.me | Flowing Between Worlds: Lighting in Games and Films with Scott Knapp | Episode 269
Connect with us:
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https://www.instagram.com/gamedevunchaind/

Feb 1, 2022 • 1h 10min
0288: How has the Pandemic Impacted the Game Industry in 2021 | Best of 2021 Part 1
This episode is brought to you by AppFigures!
Head to https://appfigures.com/on/gamedevunchained.com to try App figures for free. If you like it, use our special code GDU3030 to get 30% off for the next 3 months.
About this episode:
Read the full article here (https://wp.me/pcB0ew-S0)
Brandon is back at it again. After a brief pause and finding himself, he is fully charged and ready to take on the industry again with so many new things to discover. But to fight off the rust, we are introducing a 5 part series of the best of 2021.
This episode is mainly looking at how the pandemic impacted the industry in different ways in 2021. It serves as a great overview on how last year was so pivotal in changing the landscape for all game developers forever.
Topics discussed in this episode:
What’s Next for VR with Scott Rogers | Episode 260 (https://bit.ly/3IWwpl6)
Getting Creative after a World-Changing Event with Dave Mervik | Episode 255 (https://bit.ly/34l4qwh)
How has the industry changed with Jay Wilson? | Episode 254 (https://bit.ly/3IXYcRQ)
Sozap and the Mobile Market after the Pandemic with Rade Prokopovich | Episode 278 (https://bit.ly/3ghpcQ4)
Connect with us:
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https://www.facebook.com/gamedevunchained
https://www.instagram.com/gamedevunchaind/

Nov 2, 2021 • 1h 6min
0287: Where is Mobile Gaming leading us with Michael Hudson
Get 20% OFF @manscaped + Free Shipping with promo code GDU at MANSCAPED.com
About this episode:
Mobile have continuously been growing at a faster rate than the rest of the industry. It has provided microtransactions and blueprints on how to set up a business model early in the game dev cycle to great success. To look forward, we often need to keep pace on the development of mobile to better inform us of what could be. Michael Hudson, is the CEO of GameBake, is here to do exactly that.
Connect with Michael
https://www.linkedin.com/in/michaelahudson/?originalSubdomain=uk
https://gamebake.io/
Connect with us:
https://twitter.com/BLUchamps

Oct 26, 2021 • 1h 14min
0286: Roundtable News | The Rise of Big Tech Game Companies
This episode is brought to you by Mudstack & Manscaped
Get started for free in just a few minutes at mudstack.com
Mudstack is the only asset management and collaboration platform custom built for game studios and digital artists. Level up your game art and your art game with mudstack.
Get 20% OFF @manscaped + Free Shipping with promo code GDU at MANSCAPED.com
About this episode:
Big tech is advancing the game industry like never before. For this decade, we are seeing Facebook, Google, Amazon, and Apple coming in swinging hard and are seemingly leading the way for innovation for games. Are traditional game companies playing it too safe? If so, are we okay letting big tech be in the driving seat for now? Find out in this episode!
Connect with us:
https://twitter.com/BLUchamps
https://twitter.com/Wadarass

Oct 5, 2021 • 1h 3min
0285: Environment Art for Moss Book II with Coolie Calihan
This episode is brought to you by AppFigures!
Head to https://appfigures.com/on/gamedevunchained.com to try App figures for free. If you like it, use our special code GDU3030 to get 30% off for the next 3 months.
Get started for free in just a few minutes at mudstack.com
Mudstack is the only asset management and collaboration platform custom built for game studios and digital artists. Level up your game art and your art game with mudstack.
Get 20% OFF @manscaped + Free Shipping with promo code GDU at MANSCAPED.com
About this episode:
Coolie Calihan is currently an environment artist at Polyarc working on Moss: Book II. He spent over a decade at Bungie shipping AAA games and was interested in discovering new ways to develop smaller games. We go through the breakdowns of key differences and his overall though about VR development.
Connect with us:
https://twitter.com/BLUchamps
Get Moss: Book II
Buy Now: https://www.polyarcgames.com/store
Trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zyeo_w-sP4M&ab_channel=PolyarcGames
About the Game: https://www.polyarcgames.com/bookii

Sep 28, 2021 • 1h 6min
0284: 14 Years of Development on Hanoka with Matt Canei
This episode is brought to you by AppFigures!
Head to https://appfigures.com/on/gamedevunchained.com to try App figures for free. If you like it, use our special code GDU3030 to get 30% off for the next 3 months.
Get started for free in just a few minutes at mudstack.com
Mudstack is the only asset management and collaboration platform custom built for game studios and digital artists. Level up your game art and your art game with mudstack.
Get 20% OFF @manscaped + Free Shipping with promo code GDU at MANSCAPED.com
About this episode:
Hanako is an indie game that has been in development for 14 years. We go through the history of how this game finally came to light and the inspiration and motivation that propelled it to shipment.
Connect with us:
https://twitter.com/BLUchamps
Get Hanako!
Steam Page: https://store.steampowered.com/app/349510/Hanako_Honor__Blade/
Press Kit: https://app.box.com/s/bupmiikvt0cyps4fsjchmjlcwkxp9d21/folder/143681703234
Trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9odvnwNQKp4
Discord: http://discord.gg/playhanako
Gamastura Blog: https://www.gamedeveloper.com/design/what-i-learned-from-a-14-year-passion-project?fbclid=IwAR2OwXZ-P3M4LtC0N82mUGPi7esfl1M4rxKkJ-eO_8sJyPph4r9F4aAmKbk

Sep 21, 2021 • 52min
0283: GduX.me | Anew: The Distant Light Demo
This episode is brought to you by AppFigures!
Head to https://appfigures.com/on/gamedevunchained.com to try App figures for free. If you like it, use our special code GDU3030 to get 30% off for the next 3 months.
Get started for free in just a few minutes at mudstack.com
Mudstack is the only asset management and collaboration platform custom built for game studios and digital artists. Level up your game art and your art game with mudstack.
Anew: The Distant Light is an exciting new Indie title that is 6 years in the making. The game is being completed by a professor and game industry veteran and is mainly composed of a three-man team.
Connect with us:
https://twitter.com/BLUchamps

Sep 14, 2021 • 1h 12min
0282: Roundtable News | Blizzard Under Fire
This episode is brought to you by AppFigures!
Head to https://appfigures.com/on/gamedevunchained.com to try App figures for free. If you like it, use our special code GDU3030 to get 30% off for the next 3 months.
Get started for free in just a few minutes at mudstack.com
Mudstack is the only asset management and collaboration platform custom built for game studios and digital artists. Level up your game art and your art game with mudstack.
Blizzard is in several lawsuits with its past of harassments is catching up to the company. Join us as game developers to see the effect of the latest news.
Connect with us:
https://twitter.com/BLUchamps
https://twitter.com/Wadarass
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