Your first indie game is probably still too big.

In this episode of The Summoning Hour, host Joe Belousek sits down with Noatak Post and Riley Sikes of Gllama Games, the two-person team behind Upstream. What began with a reused salmon sprite from a fishing-themed game jam became a commercial two-button physics platformer on Steam.

Noatak and Riley explain how they found the game's core, divided responsibilities, handled Steamworks, and used player feedback to rebuild a controller they once thought was finished. They also discuss why completing a game can be harder than endlessly improving it, and how a community poll helped resolve one of their design disagreements.

The conversation also introduces Gllama Games' next project, Minds of Mana. The team explains why playtesters felt a Minesweeper game and a roguelike fighting for the same identity, why they removed systems rather than adding more, and how the lessons from shipping Upstream are shaping the second game.

IN THIS EPISODE

- Turning a fishing-game-jam sprite into a commercial Steam game

- Building satisfying movement around only two buttons

- The playtest that led to a complete controller rewrite

- Steamworks, Godot, localization, and two-person role division

- Using community feedback without surrendering creative ownership

- Why finishing something small can teach more than planning something enormous

- The advantages of finding a collaborator

ABOUT GLLAMA GAMES

Noatak Post and Riley Sikes are longtime friends and the two-person team behind Gllama Games. They developed and published Upstream and are currently working on Minds of Mana.

PLAY UPSTREAM

https://store.steampowered.com/app/3245890/Upstream/

ON SALE FOR A LIMITED TIME!

FOLLOW GLLAMA GAMES

Website: https://gllamagames.com/

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@GllamaGames

Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/gllama.games

TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@gllamagames

Discord: https://discord.com/invite/U9TVUuEWQA

CONTINUE THE CONVERSATION

The Summoning Hour Discord: https://discord.gg/EAFcfV6YYU

Joe: https://linktr.ee/warlockrakaul

GAME REFERENCED

Dragonsweeper by Daniel Benmergui: https://danielben.itch.io/dragonsweeper

CHAPTERS

00:00 Calling a Game Done Is the Hardest Part

00:16 Meet Noatak, Riley, and Gllama Games

02:43 The Game-Jam Salmon That Became Upstream

06:07 The Playtest That Rewrote the Controller

09:15 Becoming a Real Shipping Team

11:31 Designing a Game Around Two Buttons

15:12 Letting Players Settle a Design Disagreement

18:46 Revealing Minds of Mana

20:38 When Two Game Ideas Fight Each Other

32:02 Leaderboards and Accidental Speedrunning

35:25 What Kind of Studio Gllama Wants to Be

41:21 Make Something - Then Finish It

42:49 Why Finding a Collaborator Changes Everything

Why are fighting games easier to pick up than ever, yet still so difficult to truly enter?

Modern controls, detailed training tools, rollback netcode, and free-to-play releases have lowered many of the genre's traditional barriers. None of them can completely remove the moment when a new player meets decades of accumulated skill, loses repeatedly online, or is told that improvement requires a specialized controller. Accessibility can help someone start. It takes stronger onboarding, worthwhile solo content, and a healthy community to give that person a reason to stay.

In this more casual episode of The Summoning Hour, Joe sits down with his friend Cameron for a wide-ranging conversation about the games, people, and competitive traditions that shaped the fighting-game genre. They trace its history from Street Fighter II and the golden age of arcades through the rise of 3D fighters, Street Fighter IV's revival of classic series, rollback netcode, licensed-IP fighters, free-to-play games, and the growing space for independent developers.

Joe and Cameron examine why the genre's competitive identity is both its greatest strength and one of its hardest barriers. They discuss the cost of buying a full-price game only to lose immediately online, why an arcade stick should never be treated as an entry fee, and how modern control schemes can make execution easier without removing the decisions that create a high skill ceiling.

They also make the case for single-player modes as genuine onboarding. A story, arcade ladder, tutorial path, or experimental solo mode can teach the roster and its world before asking someone to compete. From there, the conversation turns to local scenes, casual nights, tournament culture, publisher support, outside investment, and the players and organizers who keep communities alive when corporate attention moves elsewhere.

The episode closes by looking beyond conventional matches. Joe and Cameron explore fighting games mixed with RPGs and other genres, the challenge of translating character kits into games such as 2XKO, memorable and disappointing character designs, the need for another wave of 3D fighters, and why longevity matters more than a launch-week peak. A successful fighting game is one people still bring to tournaments, argue about, rediscover, and teach to someone new years later.

In this episode:

- The four major waves of fighting-game history

- Street Fighter II, the arcade era, and the rise of 3D fighters

- Rollback netcode, free-to-play releases, and modern controls

- Why a $120 controller is not the price of improvement

- Single-player modes as onboarding rather than an optional extra

- Streaming, indie fighters, and easier access to high-level play

- Local scenes, competitive integrity, and welcoming newcomers

- Esports investment, publisher support, and community resilience

- Character design, cross-genre experiments, and the future of 3D fighters

- Why long-term community matters more than launch-week player counts

Reach out to Cameron at cyber.fraser@gmail.com

Follow Joe and The Summoning Hour: https://linktr.ee/warlockrakaul

Continue the conversation: What fighting game first made you feel welcome, and what should the genre do to help the next new player stay?

Join The Summoning Hour Discord: https://discord.gg/EAFcfV6YYU

What actually happens when thousands of people apply for one game-development job, and the recruiter on the other side is balancing far more than a stack of résumés?

Game-industry talent acquisition leader Christeen Mackey joins Joe Belousek to explain what recruiters generally control, what sits with hiring managers and studios, and what candidates may not see when a process slows down or goes quiet.

Drawing on nearly fifteen years in game recruiting and talent leadership, Christeen breaks down applicant tracking systems, the scale of today's applicant market, and why a strong résumé must show impact rather than simply repeat a job description. She also shares a useful way to read both résumés and job descriptions: as risk-mitigation documents that reveal what a team needs to protect, fix, or strengthen.

Joe and Christeen discuss STAR interview preparation, asking for accommodations, practicing difficult stories, the time and cost behind hiring, and why recruiters cannot simply give every qualified person a chance. They also explore how candidates can use AI without sounding copied, what responsible assessments should require, and how to work with a recruiter through delays, follow-up, and rejection.

The conversation does not ignore how painful the current game industry has become. Christeen also explains why she still believes smaller teams, accessible tools, and determined creators can build the next generation of great games.

In this episode:

· What recruiters control and what they do not

· Why applicant volume has changed the hiring process

· What applicant tracking systems actually do

· Résumés and job descriptions as risk mitigation

· STAR stories, interview practice, and accommodations

· The real investment behind hiring decisions

· Using AI without copying the job description

· Why smaller teams may shape the future of games

About Christeen: Christeen Mackey is a game-industry talent acquisition leader with nearly fifteen years of experience recruiting, leading talent teams, and helping studios and candidates navigate difficult hiring decisions. This conversation reflects her professional experience and personal perspective, not the hiring process of any one employer.

Continue the conversation: What hiring question do you wish you could ask without worrying that it might hurt your candidacy? Join The Summoning Hour Discord and share it: https://discord.gg/EAFcfV6YYU

Follow Christeen: https://www.linkedin.com/in/christeen-mackey/

Follow Joe and The Summoning Hour: https://linktr.ee/warlockrakaul