Send us Fan Mail

Today I'm talking with Nate Purkeypile, the former Bethesda artist behind some of the studio's most iconic environments.

Nate is a 22 year game industry veteran who worked on Fallout 3, Skyrim, Fallout 4, Fallout 76 and Starfield during his time at Bethesda Game Studios. He was Lead Artist on Fallout 76, as well as Lead Lighting Artist and Senior World Artist during the early development of Starfield.

Across those games, Nate helped create some of Bethesda's most memorable locations, including Little Lamplight in Fallout 3, Blackreach in Skyrim and Diamond City in Fallout 4.

In recent years, he has moved into indie development, releasing his first solo project, The Axis Unseen, and is currently working on the upcoming multiplayer game Gone Feral.

We dive deep into his early days at Bethesda, the lightning in a bottle moment of Fallout 3, his ambition to make Skyrim's caves genuinely interesting, and what it was like stepping into the Lead Artist role on Fallout 76. We also discuss how Bethesda evolved over the years, why recreating the magic of games like Fallout 3 became increasingly difficult, and what those changes mean for the studio today.

#fallout #fallout3 #fallout4 #bethesda #skyrim #starfield #gaming #gamingpodcast

The Examined Game

Each week, host Steven Lake asks the creators behind some of the world’s most influential video games about the meaning of life (in video games), leading to conversations about the personal and creative impact games have had on their lives.

Send us Fan Mail

Today on The Examined Game I am speaking with Stephen Kick, Studio Head at Nightdive Studios.

Stephen is responsible for some of the greatest video game remasters, remakes and re-releases of the last decade, including System Shock, System Shock 2, The Thing: Remastered, Turok, Quake, DOOM + DOOM II, STAR WARS: Dark Forces Remaster, Blade Runner: Enhanced Edition, I Have No Mouth, and I Must Scream, Blood, Outlaws and many more.

This was an extremely personal deep dive into his childhood and the influence his dad had on him, bringing the video game adventures they played together to life through the painstaking journals he created, and his mum's strong desire for him to study video game design.

We also discuss the adventure in South America that led to Stephen striking gold with Nightdive's first official re-release, System Shock 2. Stephen is dedicated to making sure some of the greatest video games of all time are not lost to history, putting them into the hands of both new and returning players alike.

#NightdiveStudios #SystemShock #SystemShock2 #Gaming #GamingPodcast #GamePreservation #retrogaming

The Examined Game

Each week, host Steven Lake asks the creators behind some of the world’s most influential video games about the meaning of life (in video games), leading to conversations about the personal and creative impact games have had on their lives.

Send us Fan Mail

Today I'm speaking with actor Doug Cockle. Doug is best known as the voice of Geralt in The Witcher series, but has also voiced Bhaal in Baldur's Gate 3, Victor Vran in Victor Vran, and the Narrator in Tails of Iron.

This is Part One of a two-part interview.

This is probably the most open and honest conversation i've had to date on the podcast. When I sat down with Doug, I had no idea we'd end up spending so much time talking about one of the biggest decisions of his life: leaving his career as a university lecturer to become a full-time actor. Even after the success of The Witcher, Doug continued teaching because he genuinely loved it. But over time, the growing demands of his acting career, combined with the changing landscape of higher education, began to take a serious toll on his health.

This conversation explores the importance of having people around you who can support you through difficult periods, knowing when it's time to make a life-changing decision, and why looking after both your physical and mental health should never be an afterthought.

The Examined Game

Each week, host Steven Lake asks the creators behind some of the world’s most influential video games about the meaning of life (in video games), leading to conversations about the personal and creative impact games have had on their lives.