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From indie developer and publisher Auroch Digital, each series explores our games that are currently in development, giving you insight into how we make titles like Brewmaster, Mars Horizon, The Colonists, Achtung! Cthulhu Tactics, Megaquarium, and Dark Future. We also discuss current topics within the Games Industry itself, like climate change and adapting to remote-working. We are currently working on titles such as Warhammer 40,000: Boltgun and Mars Horizon 2: The Search for Life
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For our last episode of the season, we highlight something Auroch has done for a few years now but never really spoken about much on the podcast – Steam Events! Since 2020, we have been running them yearly and it’s a pleasure to share that work with you all. Auroch colleague and esteemed guest, Simon Marshall, joins Matt and Jess in the studio to t…
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TIGA award nominated for Best Audio, Warhammer 40,000 Boltgun’s soundscape hits harder than a bolter, with more fire power than the Blood God himself 🔥 Matt returns with his audio episode for the season, chatting about building the dynamic system for Boltgun. Find out his favourite tracks, and how powerful music and sound can be in conveying that f…
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We take the plunge into a mini-docuseries format for this episode, taking you through the rollercoaster that is launching a game to the whole world! If you’ve ever wondered what launch day is like at a games studio, then grab a cuppa and take a trip back to 23rd May 2023 with us. With guest appearances from the developers themselves, Matt, Jess and…
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Resident Neuroscientist Jess is back at the mic with another psychology themed episode – this time, it’s all about fear in gaming. Why do we like scary games? How do our brains react to fear? What is an amygdala? (spoilers - it’s NOT the eldritch horror that can be found looming over you from the side of a church tower) Matt and Jess go through som…
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October 1958; a month of incredible human accomplishments like the creation of NASA, Viggo Mortensen’s birth, and most importantly, the first videogame ‘Tennis for Two’ launched on an oscilloscope. Fast-forward 65 years later, we reach present day, with mobile games in our pockets, 4k 120fps HDR Baldur’s Gate 3, and a vast array of consoles and con…
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In our first episode of Season 9 we wear our horns proudly, welcoming you to the new year with a dose of studio love and enthusiasm. We invite Operations Director Nina Adams back to the pod and ask her all about Auroch Digital’s first in-person, studio-wide convention – MooCon! Find out about the origins of MooCon, why it was so important to us as …
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How To Make a Video Game with Auroch Digital is back with another season! We've been incredibly busy managing the immense success of Warhammer 40,000: Boltgun, and we have some incredible episodes lined up for you. This trailer will take you through all we have to offer in the upcoming season - keep an eye out for new releases in the following week…
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In our final episode of the season, Matt and Tomas peek back into the past of Warhammer – the origins, the evolution, and its impact on tabletop gaming as we know it. They also talk about our highly anticipated upcoming title, Warhammer 40,000: Boltgun, and how the studio’s love for the franchise fed into an authentic Retro Warhammer game. So pack …
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Resident Audio Designer and impeccable podcast host Matthew Walker leads this episode, revealing the secrets behind the game audio design pipeline and Brewmaster’s perfect pour. We discuss the importance of early audio integration and collaboration with other game development disciplines, the advantages of a rapid feedback loop, and how in-person p…
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Today we gather colleagues Hannah Corcoran, Freddie Jones, Toby Draper and Aaron Parsons together to share their experiences with one of our core pillars of work at Auroch Digital – game porting and publishing. We talk about the process of working with indie devs to bring their game from PC to console platforms like Xbox, Nintendo and PlayStation, …
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Today we step into the Psychology of creating a video game, in a whistle stop tour led by our resident neuroscientist, Jess. They describe the psychology behind art, music and colour within videogames, and why gaming can be so important for our mental health. *content warning* mild discussion of struggling with mental health Show notes Thanks for t…
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We’re entering the dawn of a new age in role playing games – or at least, so we at Auroch Digital believe. RPG enthusiasts Peter Willington and Lucy Cook join hosts Matt, Jess and Tom for this episode. They contemplate the idea of an RPG renaissance, that RPGs and TTRPGs are stronger and more varied than ever, and that now is the perfect time to in…
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We’re back with fresh insights into the dos and don’ts of interviews within the games industry, led by our Studio Director Tomas Rawlings. Having conducted over 100 interviews, Tom is on hand to answer burning questions such as ‘do I need a portfolio?’ and ‘what should I wear?’, as well as suggest what you in turn can ask your prospective employers…
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How To Make a Video Game with Auroch Digital is back with another season! This teaser episode takes you on a rundown of all that season 8 has to offer - we can't wait to have you back in the studio with us. Show Notes 📝Sign up to our Newsletter to stay up to date with Auroch Digital 💬 Want to talk to us? Join our Discord 🕹️ Check out our latest tit…
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It's our last episode of season 7, and what an episode to finish on! We welcome guest David Rock, AKA granitepenguin, to a conversation between Matt, Tomas and Jess about his journey with Steve Jackson Games' Ogre. David details how he started as a dear fan of the TTRPG and our digital adaptation for PC, and tells us of his experience as being a Li…
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For this episode we bring to you a fascinating 1-1 session between our Studio Director, Tomas Rawlings, and Steve Jackson of Steve Jackson Games. They talk about the origins of Ogre, the wargame centred on immensely powerful giant cybernetic tanks, and Steve Jackson remarks on the journey of bringing Ogre to the LastGameboard, a digital platform th…
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Join hosts Tomas, Matt and Jess in this episode that focuses on Climate Change in Games Development. With guests Dr Benjamin Abraham and Steven Webb, we explore why it is the Games Industry is a key component in the movement against climate change. We ask what a sustainable future for the industry looks like with Ben, discuss games like our own Dar…
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Let us take you back to the dawn of Games Workshop's infamous Warhammer 40,000. In this episode we are joined by Studio Director Dr Tomas Rawlings, who takes us through in immeasurable detail the 1st edition of 40K and his continuing journey as a passionate player of a franchise that has spanned over 30 years going from strength to strength. We ask…
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Grab your best headphones and settle in, because we'd like you to join us in taking a look back at Auroch Digital's musical catalogue. We break down three of the tracks from the Mars Horizon soundtrack, really unpacking what music can make us think and feel, and how that plays such a vital part in video game design. We also discuss what the audio d…
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Today we’re (virtually) opening the doors of the studio and inviting you in to see what working at Auroch is like now we've adapted to COVID-19. Ever wondered what a Studio Director’s Day looks like? Or how to manage your own community as a Games Studio? We discuss this and more with our colleagues at Auroch Digital, and explain why we are now a la…
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Season 7 of How To Make A Video Game with Auroch Digital is back! This teaser trailer runs through the epic line-up we have in store for you this season, so tune in and get ready for all that 2022 has to offer. Show Notes 📝Sign up to our Newsletter to stay up to date with Auroch Digital 💬 Want to talk to us? Join our Discord 🕹️ Check out our latest…
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Happiness comes in many forms, especially when it comes to video games. So what is it that video games do that can help you feel happy, and is there anything that connects the games that make us feel this way? We also take a look at non-violent video games, the rise of these through indie games and the sheer variety of gameplay mechanics you can ha…
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Hosts Jemima and Matt are joined by another incredible guest in this weeks episode. Sword fighting expert Fran talks to us about weapons in video games. Which games do it well? Which games do it badly? What is most important to get right when showing the complexities and brutality of using weapons? We look at The Witcher, Mount & Blade, Nidhogg, Sk…
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It's the final episode of our 3 part Mars Horizon special with amazing guests from the UK Space Agency! Jem, Matt, and Tom are joined by Paul Smith, Robotic Exploration Programme Manager🤖 at the UK Space Agency. Hear about the Rosalind Franklin Mars Rover, featured in Mars Horizon, from someone who works on the mission and has even seen the rover u…
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It's the second episode of our 3 part Mars Horizon special with amazing guests from the UK Space Agency! This week Jem, Matt, and Tom are joined by Dr Alice Bunn, International Director at at UK Space Agency. Dr. Bunn explains how space agencies co-operate and collaborate, why this is so important, and how space exploration affects our daily lives.…
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It's the first episode of our 3 part Mars Horizon special with 3 amazing guests from the UK Space Agency! Jem, Matt, and Tom are joined this week by Libby Jackson, Human Exploration Programme Manager at UK Space Agency. We delve into the real jobs at space agencies that informed the making of Mars Horizon. Libby shares her experiences with us inclu…
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Have you ever wanted to be a streamer? Or wondered what it is like doing it as your job? Want some great tips to get started? We're here to help! In this episode of the Auroch Digital podcast Jem and Matt are joined by streamers Grimsevers and Sizzsarz to talk about all things streaming! They share their expertise and experiences, as well as loads …
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Season 6 gets off to a great start with our preview of the first ever Steam Digital Tabletop Fest! Auroch Digital will celebrate games that cross between physical and digital, will make its debut October 21st thru 26th. Hosts Matt and Jem are joined by CEO Tomas Rawlings and the newest member of the marketing team Allie to talk about their work in …
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Marketing and community manager Jemima Crow is joined by Peter and Matt to talk about animal simulation in games. They start by looking at how breeding and caring for animals translates to game design. They then focus on how animal behaviour affects player interaction and the future of animal simulation. Please rate the podcast and spread the word!…
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We had some extra special guests in this bonus podcast episode - The Oliver twins! Mike, Jem, and Matt chat to the creators of Dizzy and games industry legends who are the most Prolific 8-bit videogame developers ever! Tune in to hear behind the scenes development stories and to get advice about starting your own career in gaming. Please note, this…
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In the beginning there was a monitor. A monitor with a black screen. Then, someone made some specs of light and behold - a starfield. From there Space games have gone from strength to strength. In this episode Producer and QA manager Mike Daw takes Matt and Jem on a tour of some of the most important Space games that have been made - including sugg…
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Producer and QA manager Mike Daw joins Jem and Matt with an update for Auroch Digital's current game in development Mars Horizon! Find out how the game has changed following the alpha and get some teasers about all the awesome stuff that's coming up. This was recorded before we announced our publisher and the beta. The beta is live right now and yo…
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Using the live-action Ghostbusters movies as leverage, Jem and Matt are joined by Creative Producer Peter Willington to chat and tour through the many Ghostbusters video games that have graced gaming systems since 1984 - from first game, to VR, to 2019’s ‘remaster’ of the 2009 AAA release. All in the runup to 2020’s ‘Ghostbusters: Afterlife’. Show …
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What is a typical day at a game development studio like? It's busy, hectic, but lots of fun. In this weeks episode you can find out what a day in the life of Auroch Digital is like as we work together to make games. Please note, this episode was recorded before the COVID-19 pandemic. Our daily lives are currently very different from this, but we ar…
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Auroch Digital CEO Tomas Rawlings joins Jem and Matt to talk about some of the games that Games Workshop made that were not Warhammer titles and how we came to turn some of those into video games. Show notes Get Chainsaw Warrrior t-shirt Grab our non-Warhammer titles in The Totally Radical Auroch Digital 80s Gaming Bundle Tomas's letter from Games …
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In this magical episode Marketing and community manager Jemima Crow leads the way, joined by Pete and Matt, to chat about video game adaptations featuring the world of Harry Potter. They look at how the many Harry Potter games both do justice to and fail their source material. Show notes Minecraft School of Witchcraft and Wizardry - Gameplay Traile…
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Auroch Digital CEO Tomas Rawlings and Creative producer Peter Willington join Jem and Matt to chat about democracy in gaming - both as a topic games are made about and as a thing within a game system itself. Vote with your ears and have a listen! Show notes Get our card game, Elections, on sale! & Vote Cthulhu! Democracy 3 Greek Debt Crisis Brenda …
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Episode 5 and the last episode in Season 4! Hosts Matt Davies (Marketing and Community Manager) and Matthew Walker (Sound Designer) talk with Design Director Tomas Rawlings on the brief history of Cthulhu games. Where they came from and how they've developed over the years. This will also be host Matt Davies last episode #sadface However, fear not …
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Episode 4 continues our adventure across the galaxy! Hosts Matt Davies (Marketing and Community Manager) and Matthew Walker (Sound Designer) talk about the visit Auroch Digital made to ESA as well as talking. To the Designer on Mars Horizon - Matt Bone. Find out about the challenges involved in getting the gameplay just right and how to balance the…
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Episode 3 and this one is out of this world! In the fourth season of How to Make a Video Game with Auroch Digital hosts Matt Davies (Marketing and Community Manager) and Matthew Walker (Sound Designer) talk about the visit Auroch Digital made to ESA to show off Mars Horizon to ACTUAL rocket engineers and scientists with Design Director Tomas Rawlin…
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It's Episode 2 and this time we are getting aquatic! In the fourth season of How to Make a Video Game with Auroch Digital hosts Matt Davies (Marketing and Community Manager) and Matthew Walker (Sound Designer) chat with Megaquariums developer Tim Wicksteed about the motivations for making the game and how you make marine management fun. Show notes …
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We're back! Its the fourth season of How to Make a Video Game with Auroch Digital is here and we have Tomas Rawlings and Peter Willington joining hosts Matt Davies (Marketing and Community Manager) and Matthew Walker (Sound Designer) as we talk about games that haven't been made. Good ideas we've had, why they never saw the light of day and everyth…
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To celebrate the launch of Dark Future: Blood Red States (out now on Steam!) we were delighted to welcome onto the podcast James Swallow to talk to us. James Swallow is a BAFTA-nominated scriptwriter and the award-winning New York Times, Sunday Times and Amazon #1 bestselling author. He's worked on such IPs as Star Trek, Warhammer 40k, Dr Who as we…
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It's finally here Dark Future: Blood Red States is now live and available to buy! So what better way to celebrate than to talk to the people who have been working on the game! You can find the previous episodes in the show notes, but in this episode, we speak with Ellie and Jack, Programmers on the game and Sam Chester, Lead Programmer and Aaron As…
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We are agonisingly close to the release of Dark Future: Blood Red States and so what better time to talk about the actual game? We welcome Tomas Rawlings (Design Director) and Peter Willington (Producer) to the episode to talk about the development of the game from its humble origins to what it is today. A must listen for all aspiring Game Devs Sho…
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In Episode 2 of Season 3 of the series, we are looking at our upcoming game Dark Future: Blood Red States, and in this episode, we look at the board game our game is based on. Show Notes 📝 We are asking for YOUR opinions on the podcast - how do you think it sounds? What would you like to change? Let us know! 💬 Want to talk to us about the podcast O…
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We are back for Season 3 and in this series, we are looking at our upcoming game Dark Future: Blood Red States. Show Notes 📝 We are asking for YOUR opinions on the podcast - how do you think it sounds? What would you like to change? Let us know! There are a whole raft of show notes for this one, so we created a compendium article on Medium 💬 Want t…
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In time-honoured podcast tradition, it's time for a clip show to look back on Season 1 and 2 of How to Make a Video Game with Auroch Digital. We'll be back with Season 3 and a closer look at Dark Future: Blood Red States, which you can grab here. Show notes 📝 We are asking for YOUR opinions on the podcast - how do you think it sounds? What would yo…
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In the fourth episode of this season we take a deep dive into one of our earlier games, Chainsaw Warrior, and its follow up Chainsaw Warrior: Lords of the Night. We speak with Tomas Rawlings and Steve Martin about the original game, its creation and a connection between Freudian theories of the mind... genuinely! Like the podcast? We'd love you to …
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In the third episode of this season we go back to the Global Games Jam hosted at the Bristol VR Lab. Like the podcast? We'd love you to subscribe to the show! Show notes: 📝 We are asking for YOUR opinions on the podcast - how do you think it sounds? What would you like to change? Let us know! Got an idea for an episode? Did we get something wrong? …
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