Join the FULL KO Koala team in their first episode in a LONG TIME as they award THE BEST GAMES OF 2023! Which studio member had the most niche games on their list?Which games made the team the most emotional?Did Anthony even play any new games this year?? Find out all this and more on this episode of Koalatea Time! join the journey at https://KOKoa…

The Mighty Joe Winter returns to discuss: Releasing Song of Iron, and the brutal emotional rollercoaster that followed The key insights for releasing a game on Steam His ambitious goals for Song of Iron 2 and his process for accomplishing them His Studio-Ghibli--inspired Battle Royale side project and more! (00:00:00) Intro(00:03:55) Post Release B…

One fateful Spring San Francisco night, a cold-Naan-breaded Nico ventured out of his hotel room to warm his food. Little did he know that the next few hours would change his life forever.... WELCOME TO OUR NEWEST 3D ARTIST, NICO BOYADJIAN! Join us as we share the story of that fateful GDC evening, Nico's art journey (so far), what he'll be doing at…

Dr. Chase Meusel, Senior Researcher at Netflix Games, joins Anthony & Skylar in this week’s dynamite episode of Koalatea Time! Join us as we discuss: Chase’s journey from Iowa State, to Xbox, to Netflix Getting to work on XCloud & with Double Fine Why Chase left Xbox to join Netflix Games What Netflix Games is up to Chase’s favorite board game And …

Would you enact revenge on a traitor even if it meant innocent bystanders would suffer? Would you steal someone's pizza to give it to starving people?? Join Skylar and Anthony as they continue Trolley Problem Inc, a game where players make a series of impossible choices from two awful answers. Join them as they wrestle with their moral compasses to…

Would you push a guy on a rail road track to save five other people? What if he was your friend? What if he was fat? Join Skylar and Anthony as they play Trolley Problem Inc, a game where players make a series of impossible choices from two awful answers. Join them as they wrestle with their moral compasses to decide the fate of millions, and compa…

Is Elden Ring the best game ever made? What was the key contributor to its success? Why is its UX so ass?? Join the entire K.O. Koala squad as they discuss these topics and more, including: Their builds Their combat and enemy design review The story The open world (did it make things better??) Their overall Elden Ring scores This podcast is powered…

We went to GDC 2022 so that you didn't have to! Want to know how much it costs? How good the talks are? How viable the networking opportunities are? IF IT'S WORTH IT OR NOT? We break down our experience and try to provide as holistic and objective of a perspective as possible for our fellow indie devs. You should definitely listen to this episode i…

Nothing gets a wild Sean Stevens hyped like a new FromSoft game. Which is exactly why he's kind of freaking out about the latest Tarnished adventure releasing this Thursday - ELDEN RINGGGGGGGGGGGGGGG. Skylar asks Sean what he's most excited about, how he thinks Elden Ring will stack up against previous Souls games, and what experiences he hopes Eld…

FPS crouch jumping, Rocket League flip-resetting, hidden bosses in Dark Souls, secret rooms in Super Mario 64. Obscure game mechanics that are not explicitly taught to the player can be contentious. Do they add or detract from the experience? Should studios support them? How should studios handle the finding of new unintentional mechanics? Join Ant…

Skylar and Sean rank their favorite digital TCGs of all time, and realize there's a surprising new #1 at the top of their list! Join them as they discuss what Yu-Gi-Oh! Master Duel does so well, what it doesn't, and where other digital TCGs fall short. Discussed in this episode: Magic The Gathering: Online Artifact Hearthstone Gwent and more! More …

This deal makes sooooo much business sense, but what are the implications for the wider gaming industry, both intentional and unintentional? Will this change be enough to dismantle the systemic issues in Activision's culture? How will Microsoft combat the dangers lurking in the shadows of creative homogenization? Anthony & Skylar discuss all this a…

It's the beginning of a new year, and our brains are REALLY not warmed up yet, so we hot take our way into one of our most contentious episodes ever! Will Anthony or Skylar like your gamertag? Find out in this wild episode of Koalatea Time! This podcast is powered by Pinecast.

In our 100th episode of Koalatea Time, Josh and Sean join Anthony and Skylar to discuss our respective top 5 games of 2021 - with a surprise new podcast intro from Evan Coulter! https://KOKoalaEntertainment.comMore of Evan's music: https://linktr.ee/evcomusic This podcast is powered by Pinecast.

Which is more important: that a game is a reliable measure of who has the most skill, or that it provides an interesting challenge to all players? Is it possible for a game to do both? Jessie Schell present these thoughts in his in his book, The Art of Game Design: A Book of Lenses when discussing the lens of "Fairness". Anthony & Skylar discuss th…

After 6 LONG YEARS the first new Halo FPS campaign arrives and the ravenous Anthony has consumed it happily! In this slightly spoilercast (spoilers territory starts at 20:54 and is called out in the podcast) review, Skylar interviews Anthony to get his feelings surrounding Halo Infinite's Campaign gameplay, story, and overall impressions - includin…

In a surprise episode topic, Skylar prepares a challenging Halo trivia in which Anthony, and surprise guest Marcus (our editor and fellow Halo fan), must solve difficult visual and auditory Halo Infinite questions, all while building up their point total for a final trivia wager showdown! Anthony has been playing Halo since CE, and even he failed o…

Halo Infinite is AMAZING IN SO MANY WAYS, but it's not devoid of some serious short comings! bramoala and ChipSkylark discuss what they think about Halo Infinite's maps, game modes, UI, and yes, EVEN THE TERRIBLE BATTLE PASS in part 2 of their Halo Infinite 1st Impressions! Support Koalatea Time: The K.O. Koala Entertainment Podcast by contributing…

This Halo is robbing us of sleep, hampering productivity, and making us cry...WITH JOY! We're absolutely LOVING the Halo Infinite MP experience, but there are some things we don't love all that much... Join bramoala and the new-Halo-player ChipSkylark in part 1 of their first impressions of the Halo Infinite MP experience! Support Koalatea Time: Th…

Bats & brains & biases, oh my! The brilliant Xbox UR Chieftess Dr. Jessie Thomas joins us In this cognitively enhancing episode of Koalatea Time! Join us as we discuss: How Jessie used puppets to make Halo MCC better The Ms. Frizzle of Xbox The science behind your brain's bad habits and much much more! Support Koalatea Time: The K.O. Koala Entertai…

Second order motion, haptic feedback, impeccable Nintendo polish, and more! Join Anthony & Skylar as they discuss what makes games "juicy", inspired by insights from Jesse Schell in his book, "The Art of Game Design: A Book of Lenses". Support Koalatea Time: The K.O. Koala Entertainment Podcast by contributing to their Tip Jar: https://tips.pinecas…

Nothing beats crashing at a friend's house and staying up all night hitting headshots on Colossus in Halo 2, or Uther-ing your night away in Warcraft 3 custom games! Join bramoala & ChipSkylark as they take a stroll down memory lane and discuss: The awesome fun of custom games Optimal energy drink strategies Tricking friends into getting drunk so y…

The Senior Director of Research for Xbox & Xbox Game Studios, Dr. Randy Pagulayan joins Anthony & Skylar to discuss his epic career and fascinating insights in this legendary episode of Koalatea Time! Join us as we discuss: Randy's journey at Xbox (including how he turned down the initial job offer!) The accountability game devs have to the equity …

Acclaimed game audio designer, and head of indie studio Groove Box Games, Eduardo Ortiz Frau joins Anthony & Skylar in this banger of a Koalatea Time episode! Join us as we discuss: Eduardo's epic indie game career, including his work on Afterparty, The Stanley Parable, Everything, and more! How to network in the games industry as an indie dev Maki…

Including punishment into game loops can help spice up gameplay, but when is it taken too far? Join bramoala and ChipSkylark in this episode of Koalatea Time as they discuss punishment in games, including:• The challenges of balancing punishment along a compelling mastery path• Why many F2P progression systems feel punishing• Dark Souls 😅• And more…

WELCOME TO OUR NEWEST DEVELOPER: SEAN 'RAHLEKK' STEVENS !!! Want to know what Rahlekk's favorite games are? Want to know what Rahlekk's favorite controllers are? How about how epic his PC build is (and why it literally smells)? Get all these deets and more in our first ever new-dev-goobcast with Rahlekk! Get more info about our studio and links to …

With decades of extremely impressive experience leading and working with UX teams across the game dev industry, Dr. Celia Hodent is nothing short of amazing! She's not only an expert on all things cognitive science, but she's extremely personable and funny! In this episode of Koalatea Time bramoala and ChipSkylark discuss a variety of UX and gaming…

Studios who are responsible for nurturing and evolving beloved IPs have to constantly balance listening to the desires of their dedicated fanbase and the wider general gaming audience. After Halo Infinite's recent flight, 343 Industries posted a blog breaking down how they were processing and handling feedback from the community, and some findings …

Some games like Dear Esther and other walking sims don't seem like they're technically games at all... so what are they? The man himself, Will Waltz, challenges us to identify these interactive experiences in the latest episode of Koalatea Time! We're working on Agora, a single player physics FPS for Steam & Xbox! Help us quit our full time jobs by…

What's more legendary than directly contributing to Halo and having several of the assassinations you animated end up in the final game? Risking it all to quit that job and develop an indie game... SOLO. Joe Winter, solo creator of Song of Iron (releasing August 31st on PC & Xbox) and former AAA animator at 343 Industries, joins bramoala and ChipSk…

bramoala & ChipSkylark wrap up Limelight Network's 2021 report on "The State of Online Gaming" in this episode of Koalatea Time! Join us as we discuss how many people play games at work, how many people miss work to play games, how many people ditch friends to play games, and more! Support Koalatea Time: The K.O. Koala Entertainment Podcast by cont…

Want to know what country in the world spends the most average hours a week gaming? Want to know what country in the world binge-games more than anyone else? How about what the primary device used for gaming in the world is? WELL LOOK NO FURTHER, bramoala and ChipSkylark breakdown Limelight Network's 2021 datasheet, "The State of Online Gaming" in …

Every game communicates some sort of atmosphere that is comprised more than just it's setting. In his book, The Art of Game Design: A Book of Lenses, Jesse Schell explains how visuals, sounds, music, and game mechanics all work together to create an immersive experience. bramoala and ChipSkylark discuss these topics and more in this episode of Koal…

Popular FPS games continue to be hammered by a seemingly unending wave of hackers. In this episode of Koalatea Time, ChipSkylark and bramoala shed light on the financial incentives of hacking, how hacks are developed, why they're so hard to stop, and what they think are the best ways to stop them. Join us as we discuss COD Warzone, Apex Legends, Ra…

The Steam Deck hype is REAL but is it warranted? bramoala and ChipSkylark break down their thoughts regarding Valve's latest creation in this episode of Koalatea Time! Join us as we discuss whether the Steam Deck is worth getting excited for, what the reality of playing AAA MP games on this will cost (literally), how indie studios could be immense …

Does randomness make games better or worse? What are the different kinds of randomness in games and how do they affect gameplay? Can randomness make things more addicting? Join bramoala and ChipSkylark in this episode of Koalatea Time as they discuss these and other related topics surrounding randomness! Join us as we discuss Pokémon, TemTem, board…

What does over a decade of game production experience get you? A freaking wizard-tier beard and serious gaming industry insight, THAT'S WHAT. Join bramoala and ChipSkylark this week as they welcome (newly announced) Lead Producer of Hearthstone features at Blizzard, Joe Belousek! Join us as we discuss why hackers are so hard to stop, why game delay…

E3 is that awesome time every year in which THE WHOLE GAMING INDUSTRY VIES FOR THE VALUABLE MENTAL SPACE DEDICATED TO GAMING IN YOUR BRAIN BY THORINWG OUT THEIR HOTTEST & JUICIEST ANNOUNCEMENTS IN COLLECTIVE UNISON!!!! And we (yes, with a wild Josh included) are here to give OUR EXTREMELY IMPORTANT AND RELEVANT opinions about it. You better believe…

Kyra has played a pivotal role in helping EGD navigate the variety of significant hardships they've encountered along the way of moving from an underground game design club spurned by their own college, to building an organization that has, and continues to, successfully guide their members to professional opportunities across a variety of industri…

The gaming world's MP scene is dominated by F2P titles, which makes Battlefield's choice to release full price without a campaign borderline out-of-touch. bramoala and ChipSkylark discuss why they think EA would make this decision as well as whether MP-only games deserve the full price purchase price in the week's episode of Koalatea Time! Support …

Regardless of the societal context of your upbringing, you probably would agree that the sound of a huge monster chasing you into a small room with no escape sounds terrifying. In this episode of Koalatea Time, bramoala & ChipSkylark discuss Jesse Schell's game design lens of Primality and how it impacts the games we love to play. Join us as we dis…

What's better than getting your ass kicked? Getting your ass kicked over and over again! ChipSkylark and bramoala discuss why fans of the genre find roguelikes so compelling, what makes them difficult, and which roguelikes are ChipSkyark's favorite! Join us as we discuss Hades, Binding of Isaac, and more! Support Koalatea Time: The K.O. Koala Enter…

Animations are SO crucial in delivering a satisfying and immersive experience to players. Whether it's making a quadrupedal fantasy monster seem real, or making the 10,000th reload of a gun satisfying, animations play a huge role in taking gaming experiences to the next level! In this animation-goodness-packed episode of Koalatea Time, ChipSkylark …

Power-ups can create some of the most memorable and exhilarating moments in games! bramoala and ChipSkylark discuss why that is in this episode of Koalatea Time! Join us as we discuss our favorite power-ups from games (Mario, DOOM, Halo, Crash Bandicoot, and more), why we think they're great, and what makes a great power-up! Support Koalatea Time: …

John Garvin (Day's Gone Creative Director) recently said: "if you love a game and want a sequel, you should "buy it at f** full price" - but is he right? If so, does this mean game sales are bad? How do subscription services like Game Pass play into all this? bramoala and ChipSkylark discuss these and related topics in this episode of Koalatea Time…

Aesthetics, Technology, Story, and Mechanics. Jesse Schell's 4 elements of game design! Are they all truly necessary to make a great game? If so, does one reign supreme or are they all equal? Join ChipSkylark and bramoala as they discuss these topics in relation to games like Cyberpunk, Halo, Rocket League, Minecraft, What Remains of Edith Finch, a…

Underground game design and esports club? Embodiment of the gaming industry's future? CHICKEN NUGGET DATING SIMS?? That's EGD! EGD has succeeded in large part because of those who run it; people like CFO/CMO Ben Reuben. In this episode of Koalatea Time, the ENTIRE K.O. Koala team (yes even Josh!) sits down with Ben to talk EGD, covert game jams, ch…

Giant bananas, unique games that you can't play anywhere else, good drinks, stadium-like atmosphere for competitive matches - YOU CAN FIND IT ALL AT THE ARCADE! In this episode of Koalatea Time, ChipSkylark and bramoala talk about arcades, including ChipSkylark's thorough rundown of the best arcade offerings in the Denver metro area! ChipSkylark br…

Amazing athlete, even better person. This week bramoala and ChipSkylark have the pleasure of welcoming NFL linebacker Josh Martin to Koalatea Time to discuss the rise of esports, how games can help make the world a better place, amazing foods around the world, and how hard it is to tackle extremely fast and strong human beings. Josh shares some of …

NFTs are here, but will they stay? Why do people care so much about them? AND WHAT DO THEY HAVE TO DO WITH LUNCHABLES? Join bramoala and ChipSkylark for the most candid and off the cuff episode of Koalatea Time yet! Support Koalatea Time: The K.O. Koala Entertainment Podcast by contributing to their Tip Jar: https://tips.pinecast.com/jar/koalatea-t…