It's memoirs of a g...ame counselor? On Episode 160
From the Nintendo tip line to indie publishing, Jake Kazdal talks about the road to 17-Bit Studios.
It's another interview from Japan this week, but this time entirely in English! 17-Bit Studios boss Jake Kazdal got his start in Seattle working as a Nintendo Game Counselor, dispensing clues to confused kids. Now he runs his own company, and their latest release — Galak-Z — just hit Nintendo Switch (and mobile platforms) a few days ago, bringing his journey full circle in a way.
Jake was kind enough to take a little time out of his busy schedule the day after BitSummit to retrace his journey through the games industry, and how he ended up in Kyoto, Japan, a bit of a burgeoning indie games scene for western ex-pats. It's a fascinating story full of wild coincidences and rare opportunities, and it also offers an interesting insider perspective on working within the games industry across three decades! Please do listen.
And be sure to check out Galax-Z. The Macross anime franchise figures heavily into this story, which does a lot to explain the prominent Macross love on display in that game!
Retronauts Episode 160
Memoirs of a Game Counselor
MP3, 44.6 MB | 1:32:25
Direct download | Retronauts on iTunes | Retronauts at PodcastOne
Episode description: Jeremy chats with 17-Bit boss Jake Kazdal about the road he traveled from being an NES-era Nintendo game counselor to working on SEGA classics like Rez to running his own game development studio in Japan.
