Send us Fan Mail Today I am talking with Bruce Nesmith a Bethesda verteran who was a part of pretty much every major release from the studio right up until his retirement in 2022. I was so excited to speak with Bruce and hear how the company delivers a classic Bethesda game, what it's like to work alongside Todd Howard and I couldn't help but ask him what would be on his wish list for Elder Scrolls 6: Sentinel. I love Bethesda's RPGs and I can't help but be excited for Elder Scrolls 6:...

Send us Fan Mail Today I'm reflecting on my love of Bethesda RPGs and why, no matter what, I'll probably never stop buying them! I also talk about some games I've been playing lately, including Final Fantasy VII Rebirth and Sam & Max: Freelance Police. Plus, I share some genuinely wholesome stories from my recent interviews with Raphaël Colantonio (Dishonored, Prey) and Alex and Kelsey Beachum (Outer Wilds). The Examined Game Each week, host Steven Lake asks the creators behind some of th...

Send us Fan Mail Today I'm talking with Sara Hebert, Marketing Lead at Human Computer, the creators of the upcoming game Ballgame. She is the former Studio Manager at Night School Studio, the team behind Oxenfree, Oxenfree II and Afterparty. Sara and I talk about one of the biggest challenges facing video game developers today: continuing to bring new players into the space and getting them to buy games. Sara discusses the challenge that developers, big and small, face in getting their games ...

Send us Fan Mail Support me on Patreon for free: https://www.patreon.com/TheExaminedGame?utm_campaign=creatorshare_creator Today I'm talking with Raphaël Colantonio, former president of Arkane Studios, responsible for bringing Dishonored, Prey, Arx Fatalis and Dark Messiah of Might and Magic into existence. This is a conversation about the dark art of making the perfect immersive sim, and the influences that led him to build on games like Ultima VII and Thief to create some of the most evoc...

Send us Fan Mail Today I am talking with Alex and Kelsey Beachum, the creative director and writer behind Outer Wilds. I previously interviewed Alex and Kelsey separately, but I took a punt on asking if they'd have a chat with me about their childhood and the creative inspiration that eventually led to Outer Wilds. This is a much more personal deep dive than usual, digging into the joy of play that led them down the path of wanting to make video games. Alex and Kelsey are such generous and l...

Send us Fan Mail Today I'm talking with Bennett Foddy, creator of QWOP, GIRP, Getting Over It with Bennett Foddy, and co-creator of Baby Steps. Bennett's games are known for torturing players, but today I get to deep dive into the philosophy behind his design choices, and they run a lot deeper than you might think. Bennett is incredibly thoughtful and considered when it comes to players, which might surprise you considering the challenges he puts in their way. In this interview, we talk a lot...

Send us Fan Mail Hi all, Steven Lake here from The Examined Game. So i've had a couple weeks where i've been short of a guest but I didn't want to leave you totally hanging so I thought i'd have a chat with you all about the new Resident Evil movie, how Star Wars Zero Company has saved me from a bad save scumming habit and to get really honest with you about my addiction to buying and not playing Assassin's Creed games. I'm trying to get a good work flow in place so i'm not missing wee...

Send us Fan Mail Technoblade Never Dies Documentary Announcement: https://youtu.be/Lj0mDrEKSmA?si=N0pV54fYQg5HlnxF Variety Piece: https://variety.com/2026/film/news/technoblade-never-dies-documentary-minecraft-riot-games-1236850438/ Today my guest on The Examined Game Podcast is me... Steven Lake. Look life has been busy with a few projects and for the first time in 7 months I didn't line up a guest for the podcast. So I thought i'd spend a bit of time telling you what i'm up to outside of t...

Send us Fan Mail Today I am talking with Jon Ingold, co-founder of Inkle Studios. Inkle have brought us some incredible adventure games over the years, including 80 Days, TR-49, Heaven’s Vault, Expelled and Overboard. This discussion was part of Telltale Games’ Choices Matter Festival, which premiered on Steam back in August. They gave myself and Jon the opportunity to dive into all the potential that comes from great choice making in video games. We cover everything from The Walking Dead thr...

Send us Fan Mail Today I am talking with Carrie Patel, director of Avowed, who worked on the Pillars of Eternity series as well as The Outer Worlds while working at Obsidian. I've long wanted to have a discussion around the direction that Obsidian decided to take with its RPGs by making games that actually get released! So we talk about the scope and ambition that went into making a game like Avowed, how Obsidian made an RPG that could stand on its own two legs and separate itself from the Sk...