Pixel Sift

Everyone is talking about V RISING, Stunlock Studios' survival game which has just entered early access and then rocketed up the Steam charts to be one of the most popular new titles around. For Community Manager Jeremy Fielding, it's a dream come true, this is the first game Fielding has worked on and there's also the challenge of managing more than 1 million players in the first couple of weeks. Learn more about the roadmap forward, how the team is tailoring the experience and what to expect as this game which is still in active development keeps evolving. SIFTER is produced by Nicholas Kennedy, Kyle Pauletto, Fiona Bartholomaeus, Daniel Ang & Adam Christou. Mitch Loh is Senior Producer and Gianni Di Giovanni is our Executive Producer. Thanks to Omny Studio for their support of SIFTER. Join the SIFTER Discord to be part of the conversation Support SIFTER's independent gaming journalism by heading to the SIFTER STORESupport the show: https://sifter.store

What if Link was a cute fox? At first glance TUNIC looks like a beautiful spiritual successor to THE LEGEND OF ZELDA franchise, but as lead developer Andrew Shouldice shares with us in this interview, it also embraces modern "souls-like" gameplay.  TUNIC is filled with lots and lots of secrets, the game was at one time called Secret Legend, and Shouldice said it's all about capturing that feeling of playing a game in the pre-internet Nintendo era where a game feels like limitless exploration.  SIFTER is produced by Nicholas Kennedy, Kyle Pauletto, Fiona Bartholomaeus, Daniel Ang & Adam Christou. Mitch Loh is Senior Producer and Gianni Di Giovanni is our Executive Producer. Thanks to Omny Studio for their support of SIFTER. Join the SIFTER Discord to be part of the conversationSupport the show: https://sifter.store

CITIZEN SLEEPER is a tabletop inspired roleplaying game from Gareth Damian Martin (IN OTHER WATERS) that puts you in the shoes of person trying to escape their digital enslavement in the far future. If it sounds grim, in parts it is, but quickly you discover your place in the world where you can make a life. Each day you've got just the dice you've been dealt, as you choose how to fulfill your goals or avoid negative countdowns, in a stylish visual novel with stunning artwork by Guillaume Singelin and a kicking scifi soundtrack by Amos Roddy. SIFTER is produced by Nicholas Kennedy, Kyle Pauletto, Fiona Bartholomaeus, Daniel Ang & Adam Christou. Mitch Loh is Senior Producer and Gianni Di Giovanni is our Executive Producer. Thanks to Omny Studio for their support of SIFTER. Join the SIFTER Discord to be part of the conversationSupport the show: https://sifter.store

Inspired heavily by the CARMEN SANDIEGO series, CHINATOWN DETECTIVE AGENCY is a contemporary take on the format set in a cyberpunk Singapore in 2037 where social and government support has languished. Creative Director Mark Fillon from Singapore's General Interactive Co shares the authentic design and characters you'll meet as you jet off around the world in search of answers as ex-cop Amira Darma in this glorious pixel art game. SIFTER is produced by Nicholas Kennedy, Kyle Pauletto, Fiona Bartholomaeus, Daniel Ang & Adam Christou. Mitch Loh is Senior Producer and Gianni Di Giovanni is our Executive Producer. Thanks to Omny Studio for their support of SIFTER. Join the SIFTER Discord to be part of the conversationSupport the show: https://sifter.store

If you work in the games industry it can be surprisingly complex to get your name into the end credits, that ending sequence often doesn't include everyone who helped to ship that video game. Project based work and short contracts, and inconsistent recognition makes it more complex than you'd think for developers to get the acknowledgement of the work put in. It's something that Alexander Swords, one of the members of the Games Credit Special Interest Group (SIG), part of the International Game Developers Association wants to change with a standarised system of creative credits. Read a written version of this story on our website: Credit where credit is due: Game developers call for simpler, consistent creative credits SIFTER is produced by Nicholas Kennedy, Kyle Pauletto, Fiona Bartholomaeus, Daniel Ang & Adam Christou. Mitch Loh is Senior Producer and Gianni Di Giovanni is our Executive Producer. Thanks to Omny Studio for their support of SIFTER. Join the SIFTER Discord to be part of the con

André Read always wanted to make a real time strategy game. A huge fan of the genre, it was many years working in the industry before he got his chance with TFC: THE FERTILE CRESCENT set in the plains of Mesopotamia. Teaming up with Anders Grønningsæter the two person team at Wield Interactive have crafted a multiplayer RTS game built with their Discord community that reimagines the classic format.They dive into the world of historical RTS games, the influence of Age of Empires on the genre, and the ways in which The Fertile Crescent works to streamline elements of the genre to create new systems and frameworks. SIFTER is produced by Nicholas Kennedy, Kyle Pauletto, Fiona Bartholomaeus, Daniel Ang & Adam Christou. Mitch Loh is Senior Producer and Gianni Di Giovanni is our Executive Producer. Thanks to Omny Studio for their support of SIFTER. Join the SIFTER Discord to be part of the conversationSupport the show: https://sifter.store

Philip Buchanan from It's Anecdotal was part of the teams that made the awarding winning LARA CROFT GO, HITMAN GO and DEUS EX GO mobile games, and had has just released the charming multiplayer party game MINI MATCHES. It's a collection of Philip's favourite genres with excellent visual design and something for everyone. Learn more about how making 39 DAYS TO MARS and other games have shaped the development of MINI MATCHES. SIFTER is produced by Nicholas Kennedy, Kyle Pauletto, Fiona Bartholomaeus, Daniel Ang & Adam Christou. Mitch Loh is Senior Producer and Gianni Di Giovanni is our Executive Producer. Thanks to Omny Studio for their support of SIFTER. Join the SIFTER Discord to be part of the conversationSupport the show: https://sifter.store

After seven years without any federal government support for the games industry, a new grant program called the $6 million Games Expansion Pack from Screen Australia was announced on Friday last week. This program replaces a successful but prematurely cancelled fund called the Australian Interactive Games Fund which was axed when this government came to power in 2014. Our guests on this episode are Paul Turbett of Black Lab Games, one the original recipients of the AIGF, speaks of the huge impact this small funding had on his business Ron Curry of IGEA, Australia's peak game development body, shares the campaigning and lobbying it took to bring this fund to life Lee Naimo, Head of Online at Screen Australia, runs through why it happened now and how it all works and John Daskalopoulos, CEO of Not Doppler, who was part of the funding announcement with Minister Paul Fletcher shares how much of a difference this funding could have made, and what opportunities it'll allow now SIFTER is produced by Nicho

CONAN CHOP CHOP is a reimagining of the world of Conan The Barbarian that sees the rippling oiled muscles replaced with cartoony top town aesthetic reminiscent of Flash games or kids cartoons.  It's the first console title for Mighty Kingdom, a studio that is more well known for their mobile titles, but it was an excellent creative challenge for Kim Forrest, Creative Director and Jeff Wong, Producer to reimagine this world for a new audience. Learn more about the inspirations behind this fun multiplayer top down rogue-lite and why announcing it in on April Fools day meant lots of people thought it might be all a joke. SIFTER is produced by Nicholas Kennedy, Kyle Pauletto, Fiona Bartholomaeus, Daniel Ang & Adam Christou. Mitch Loh is Senior Producer and Gianni Di Giovanni is our Executive Producer. Thanks to Omny Studio for their support of SIFTER. Join the SIFTER Discord Support SIFTER by buying our Australian made T-Shirts Support the show: https://sifter.store

Explore a drowned society, a city that has sunk beneath the waves and discover how life has continued after people in non-combat adventure game SUBMERGED: HIDDEN DEPTHS. The sequel to 2015's SUBMERGED might not exist if not for Google Stadia, it was an exclusive title for the streaming service, which meant it couldn't be played in the Uppercut Games' home country. Ed Orman (FALLOUT TACTICS, BIOSHOCK, CITY OF BRASS) is a cofounder of Uppercut Games and said that the upcoming Playstation PC, and Xbox releases wouldn't even be possible without the Stadia team's help. Learn more about why this beauty of exploration in this game offsets the tragedy of a world struck by cataclysm. SIFTER is produced by Nicholas Kennedy, Kyle Pauletto, Fiona Bartholomaeus, Daniel Ang & Adam Christou. Mitch Loh is Senior Producer and Gianni Di Giovanni is our Executive Producer. Join the SIFTER Discord Support SIFTER by buying our Australian made video game inspired shirts Support the show: https://sifter.sto

Welcome to Walkthrough SIFTER's brand new weekly news recap show. Each Sunday we'll highlight some of the biggest stories in video games to keep you up to date. Your host on each episode of Walkthrough is Kyle Pauletto, an accomplished journalist with a keen interest in bringing you the best gaming stories each week  THIS WEEK: Nintendo outlines 2022 and beyond in it's first Direct - Fire Emblem Warriors: Three Hopes, Mario Kart 8 DLC, Kirby and the Forgotten Land, Earthbound GTA V sells 160 million copies ahead of PS5 Xbox Series X re-release Activision Blizzard games will remain on Playstation after Microsoft acquisition EA won't release Sims 4 My Wedding Stories in Russia due to restrictions on LGBT+ content Halo composers try to requst injuction on release of Halo TV series due to remuneration dispute Inside the Team17 after announced then cancelled Worms NFT project Indie video game marketplace calls NFTs "a scam" SIFTER is produced by Nicholas Kennedy, Kyle Pauletto, Fiona

KARDBOARD KINGS is a store management game about a collectible card game, where you do everything but actually play the card game, managing a small town store inspired by working in retail. Oscar Brittain (DESERT CHILD, WORLD'S FASTEST PIZZA) and Rob Gross are Henry's House, they share the challenges of writing believable characters, why speeding up the game made it so much better and how delaying the game to add more features worked for them. SIFTER is produced by Nicholas Kennedy, Viv Thum, Fiona Bartholomaeus, Daniel Ang & Adam Christou. Mitch Loh is Senior Producer and Gianni Di Giovanni is our Executive Producer. Join the SIFTER Discord Support SIFTER by buying our merch Support the show: https://sifter.store

How bad for the environment is game development? Terry Burdak from Paper House and Ben Abraham a researcher on the Environmental impact of video games join us to talk about their project to find out. They'll be tracking the exact energy usage while developing their next game WOOD & WEATHER and aim to make the process easy for other studios to do the same. SIFTER is produced by Nicholas Kennedy, Viv Thum, Fiona Bartholomaeus, Daniel Ang & Adam Christou. Mitch Loh is Senior Producer and Gianni Di Giovanni is our Executive Producer. Join the SIFTER Discord Support SIFTER by buying our merch Support the show: https://sifter.store

It's that time of the year, where we sit down and consider all the amazing games we've played in 2021. This is part two of two episodes featuring the SIFTER team. Gianni Di Giovanni has been loving the historical touches and puzzle solving narrative of THE FORGOTTEN CITY by Modern Storyteller Adam Christou has become lost in the beautiful desert world of science fiction adventure SABLE by Shedworks Daniel Ang has strapped on the armor and jumped head first onto Delta Halo in HALO INFINITE by 343 Industries. SIFTER is produced by Nicholas Kennedy, Viv Thum, Fiona Bartholomaeus, Daniel Ang & Adam Christou. Mitch Loh is Senior Producer and Gianni Di Giovanni is our Executive Producer. Join the SIFTER Discord Support SIFTER by buying our merch Support the show: https://sifter.store

‍Nick Lowe, Lead Developer at Hungry Sky, first had the idea for NEKOGRAMS a cute sokoban style puzzle game where you move cats onto pillows until they are comfy in the late 2000s, but it took many projects and years until it was ready for players to enjoy. Lauren Fletcher lead artist on the game didn't know she'd be making games when she first started illustrating, and has contributed the adorable kitty aesthetic. SIFTER is produced by Nicholas Kennedy, Viv Thum, Fiona Bartholomaeus, Daniel Ang & Adam Christou. Mitch Loh is Senior Producer and Gianni Di Giovanni is our Executive Producer. Join the SIFTER Discord Support SIFTER by buying our merch Support the show: https://sifter.store

It's that time of the year, where we sit down and consider all the amazing games we've played in 2021. This is part one of two episodes featuring the SIFTER team. Nicholas Kennedy shares the genre-subverting MUNDAUN by Hidden Fields, a horror game that brought a lot of joy Fiona Bartholomaeus teams up with a rag tag crew in Marvel's GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY by Eidos-Montreal Mitchel Loh takes time to put everything in it's right place in UNPACKING by Witch Beam Games SIFTER is produced by Nicholas Kennedy, Viv Thum, Fiona Bartholomaeus, Daniel Ang & Adam Christou. Mitch Loh is Senior Producer and Gianni Di Giovanni is our Executive Producer. Join the SIFTER Discord Support SIFTER by buying our merch Support the show: https://sifter.store

UNPACKING is a pixel art puzzle game tasks you with simply sorting items from boxes into rooms all the while telling a story of a woman's life. ‍Wren Brier & Tim Dawson from Witch Beam join us to share about how they have injected emotion and spirit into their little organisational puzzle game which is entirely environmental storytelling. Lightmap is produced by Nicholas Kennedy, Viv Thum, Fiona Bartholomaeus, Daniel Ang & Adam Christou. Mitch Loh is Senior Producer and Gianni Di Giovanni is our Executive Producer. Join the SIFTER Discord Support SIFTER by buying our merch Support the show: https://sifter.store

BOOK OF TRAVELS is a different type of MMO experience focusing more on the story and playing the game at your own pace. Dennis Gustafsson from Might and Delight joins us to talk about the philosophy of BOOK OF TRAVELS and the world they are building. SIFTER is produced by Nicholas Kennedy, Viv Thum, Fiona Bartholomaeus, Daniel Ang & Adam Christou. Mitch Loh is Senior Producer and Gianni Di Giovanni is our Executive Producer. Join the SIFTER Discord Support SIFTER by buying our merch Support the show: https://sifter.store

Daniel Visser started learning to make games like a lot of people who grew up in the 1970s and 1980s, by tinkering away on their computer when they ran out of things to play. That fascination and support from family lead to further studies and making games with studios like Torus Games and Melbourne House. Over twelve weeks Daniel rebuilt ALIENS: THANATOS ENCOUNTER for Gameboy Color from scratch contracting with a company in the UK, which started the company Wicked Witch in earnest in 2001. Learn a bit more about the history of this long running studio which has made AFL, NRL titles and remastered AGE OF EMPIRES II: DEFINITIVE EDITION. SIFTER is produced by Nicholas Kennedy, Scott Quigg, Sarah Ireland, Fiona Bartholomaeus, Daniel Ang&Adam Christou. Mitch Loh is our Senior Producer, Gianni Di Giovanni is our Executive Producer. Join the SIFTER DiscordSupport SIFTER by buying our merchSupport the show: https://sifter.store

Queensland based studio Prideful Sloth returns to the podcast with their brand new low pressure town building adventure game GROW: SONG OF THE EVERTREE, which doesn't have the time pressures of other games in the genre. Developers Cheryl Vance and Adam Markham share their design philosophy for the game which was influenced not only by games like ANIMAL CROSSING and STORY OF SEASONS but also PERSONA 5. SIFTER is produced by Nicholas Kennedy, Viv Thum, Fiona Bartholomaeus, Daniel Ang & Adam Christou. Mitch Loh is Senior Producer and Gianni Di Giovanni is our Executive Producer. Join the SIFTER Discord Support SIFTER by buying our merch Support the show: https://sifter.store