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The games we love reveal something true about who we are, and about the world that made them. They Create Worlds is a podcast about the people, technology, and forces that built the video game industry.
Through video game history, the show looks at how culture, business, and technology shaped what we play, tracing the choices and circumstances that led to the games so many people around the world enjoy.
Each episode digs into where games came from, who made them, and why they were made the way they were. Business decisions, technological shifts, and creative choices all shaped what ended up on screen, and the show covers all of it together, not just one piece in isolation.
Hosted by Alex Smith and Jeffrey Daum, They Create Worlds grew out of long conversations about the strange corners of the industry and the patterns that only show up when you look across companies, platforms, and decades. That conversational feel remains, built on careful research, clear structure and editing that makes even the deepest topics easy to listen to.
History turns out to be less settled than it looks. New documents surface, memories conflict, and the clean stories about why things happened the way they did rarely survive contact with the evidence. The show digs into all of that, following the creative and business forces that pushed and pulled on each other, and uncovering the human stories that lie beneath the games so many people around the world enjoy.
New episodes are released twice a month.
Episodes
Friday Nov 01, 2024
Friday Nov 01, 2024
TCW Podcast Episode 221 - North to Hellgate London
In a pseudo part three of our look at Condor and Blizzard North, we explore the troubles the company faced after a year and a half of crunch. David, Max, and Eric were all burned out along with the rest of the staff. David was going through a divorce and had trouble putting his heart into figuring out what the next game would be. Due to lack of leadership and a proper chain of command, many employees felt frustrated switching games over and over. At the same time, the expansion, Lord of Destruction, was completed after a year of development with no crunch. Through a combination of bad corporate structure, not empowering middle management, factionalism, and troubles with Blizzard's corporate owners being bought and sold amid their own scandals, David, Eric, Max, and Bill Roper from Blizzard South went on to form Flagship Studios and work on Hellgate: London. Unfortunately, the game was not well received due to expectations exceeding the financial and technical hurdles that needed to be overcome. There is a lot more to this story, so prepare yourself as we leave one hell for another!
Thor - Game Studio Gambles: https://www.youtube.com/shorts/NLb9-DPspgA
Thor - Email Mike: https://www.youtube.com/shorts/1ilUpXkGxbo
Karateka: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wKqk9kosCs4
Dale Carnegie - How to Win Friends and Influence People: https://www.amazon.com/How-Win-Friends-Influence-People/dp/0671027034
Flagship Studios: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flagship_Studios
Fate Longplay: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XGH577lznLk&list=PL112CEBA37FF962EE
Mythos Trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2fEsOrRvZ58
Hellgate London E3 2005 Cinematic: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5xG9puQZJ1c
Hellgate London E3 Bill Roper Interview: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gh1EQhHQPbQ
US/China WOW Model Differences: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dtI2GcUPEFQ
Hellgate London Gameplay: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uiKbGoiIHqo
New episodes are on the 1st and 15th of every month!
TCW Email: feedback@theycreateworlds.com
Twitter: @tcwpodcast
Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/theycreateworlds - Sign up through the website not the iOS App!
Alex's Video Game History Blog: http://videogamehistorian.wordpress.com
Alex's book, published Dec 2019, is available at CRC Press and at major on-line retailers: http://bit.ly/TCWBOOK1
Intro Music: Josh Woodward - Airplane Mode - Music - "Airplane Mode" by Josh Woodward. Free download: http://joshwoodward.com/song/AirplaneMode
Outro Music: RoleMusic - Bacterial Love: http://freemusicarchive.org/music/Rolemusic/Pop_Singles_Compilation_2014/01_rolemusic_-_bacterial_love
Copyright: Attribution: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
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