From indie developer and publisher Auroch Digital, each series explores our games that are currently in development, giving you insight into how we make titles like Brewmaster, Mars Horizon, The Colonists, Achtung! Cthulhu Tactics, Megaquarium, and Dark Future. We also discuss current topics within the Games Industry itself, like climate change and adapting to remote-working. We are currently working on titles such as Warhammer 40,000: Boltgun and Mars Horizon 2: The Search for Life
Episodes
Monday Feb 27, 2023
Monday Feb 27, 2023
Today we step into the Psychology of creating a video game, in a whistle stop tour led by our resident neuroscientist, Jess. They describe the psychology behind art, music and colour within videogames, and why gaming can be so important for our mental health.
*content warning* mild discussion of struggling with mental health
Show notes
Thanks for tuning in to an episode that’s close to our hearts (and brains) here at Auroch Digital. If you’d like to read a little more about the content discussed in today’s episode, you can check out our blog post.
At Auroch we take mental health as seriously as physical health, supporting colleagues who need time off for their wellbeing, and accommodating for therapy and counselling sessions.
We're an anti-crunch studio too, and this is built into our production approach for each project to protect the wellbeing of our employees. If you'd like to join the team at Auroch, or the wider Sumo group, you can check out the company jobs page here!
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🕹️ Check out our latest titles: 🍻 Brewmaster and 
Warhammer 40,000: Boltgun
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🎙️ Missed an Episode? Find our previous Seasons here
⭐Please do rate the podcast and spread the word!
Monday Feb 20, 2023
Monday Feb 20, 2023
We’re entering the dawn of a new age in role playing games – or at least, so we at Auroch Digital believe. RPG enthusiasts Peter Willington and Lucy Cook join hosts Matt, Jess and Tom for this episode. They contemplate the idea of an RPG renaissance, that RPGs and TTRPGs are stronger and more varied than ever, and that now is the perfect time to invest in the wealth of joy and fun that RPGs have to offer.
Show Notes
Thanks to the Grognard podcast for giving us a great model to start this show off with 🍻
You can check out the great group of games we curated for Steam Digital Tabletop Festival 2021, and maybe pick up a few titles to try!
If analogue is your preferred style, here’s a link to a great collection of TTRPGs on itch.
📝Sign up to our Newsletter to stay up to date with Auroch Digital
💬 Want to talk to us? Join our Discord
🕹️ Check out our latest titles: 🍻 Brewmaster and Warhammer 40,000: Boltgun
🙋 Follow us on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and LinkedIn
🎙️ Missed an Episode? Find our previous Seasons here
⭐Please do rate the podcast and spread the word!
Monday Feb 13, 2023
Monday Feb 13, 2023
We’re back with fresh insights into the dos and don’ts of interviews within the games industry, led by our Studio Director Tomas Rawlings. Having conducted over 100 interviews, Tom is on hand to answer burning questions such as ‘do I need a portfolio?’ and ‘what should I wear?’, as well as suggest what you in turn can ask your prospective employers.
Show Notes
We’re currently hiring for various roles at Auroch Digital, so head on over to our website and check out what we have available.
If you’d like to find out more about what it’s like to work with us, you can check out our previous podcast episodes.
📝Sign up to our Newsletter to stay up to date with Auroch Digital
💬 Want to talk to us? Join our Discord
🕹️ Check out our latest titles: 🚀 Mars Horizon and 🍻 Brewmaster
🙋 Follow us on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and LinkedIn
🎙️ Missed an Episode? Find our previous Seasons here
⭐Please do rate the podcast and spread the word!
Monday Feb 06, 2023
Monday Feb 06, 2023
How To Make a Video Game with Auroch Digital is back with another season! This teaser episode takes you on a rundown of all that season 8 has to offer - we can't wait to have you back in the studio with us.
Show Notes
📝Sign up to our Newsletter to stay up to date with Auroch Digital
💬 Want to talk to us? Join our Discord
🕹️ Check out our latest titles: 🚀 Mars Horizon and 🍻 Brewmaster
🙋 Follow us on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and LinkedIn
🎙️ Missed an Episode? Find our previous Seasons here
⭐Please do rate the podcast and spread the word!
Tuesday Feb 08, 2022
Tuesday Feb 08, 2022
It's our last episode of season 7, and what an episode to finish on! We welcome guest David Rock, AKA granitepenguin, to a conversation between Matt, Tomas and Jess about his journey with Steve Jackson Games' Ogre. David details how he started as a dear fan of the TTRPG and our digital adaptation for PC, and tells us of his experience as being a Line Editor at Steve Jackson Games. Tomas and David talk deep-strategy, and Jess and Matt remark on how incredible a journey it is to be a community member who ends up working on the very game you love.
Show Notes
Did Ogre pique your interest? You can purchase it on Steam now
Be sure to look through Steve Jackson Games' expansive games catalogue too, for anything else you may be interested in playing!
📝Sign up to our Newsletter to stay up to date with Auroch Digital
💬 Want to talk to us? Join our Discord
🕹️ Check out our latest titles: 🚀 Mars Horizon and 🍻 Brewmaster
🙋 Follow us on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and LinkedIn
🎙️ Missed an Episode? Find our previous Seasons here
⭐Please do rate the podcast and spread the word!
Wednesday Feb 02, 2022
Wednesday Feb 02, 2022
For this episode we bring to you a fascinating 1-1 session between our Studio Director, Tomas Rawlings, and Steve Jackson of Steve Jackson Games. They talk about the origins of Ogre, the wargame centred on immensely powerful giant cybernetic tanks, and Steve Jackson remarks on the journey of bringing Ogre to the LastGameboard, a digital platform that transcends the realm between digital and physical boardgames.
Show Notes
Did Ogre pique your interest? You can purchase it on Steam now
Check out the Last Gameboard too, where we have brought Ogre and our other title, Mars Horizon: Blast Off! to a hybrid digital space.
Be sure to look through Steve Jackson Games' expansive games catalogue too, for anything else you may be interested in playing!
📝Sign up to our Newsletter to stay up to date with Auroch Digital
💬 Want to talk to us? Join our Discord
🕹️ Check out our latest titles: 🚀 Mars Horizon and 🍻 Brewmaster
🙋 Follow us on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and LinkedIn
🎙️ Missed an Episode? Find our previous Seasons here
⭐Please do rate the podcast and spread the word!
Thursday Jan 27, 2022
Thursday Jan 27, 2022
Join hosts Tomas, Matt and Jess in this episode that focuses on Climate Change in Games Development. With guests Dr Benjamin Abraham and Steven Webb, we explore why it is the Games Industry is a key component in the movement against climate change. We ask what a sustainable future for the industry looks like with Ben, discuss games like our own Dark Future: Blood Red States and how they’re used as a storytelling tool to host the conversation around climate change, and talk to Steven about Sumo Group’s Carbon Neutral by 2025 pledge.
Our colours may be orange, but our heart is very much green here at Auroch Digital.
Show Notes
Find out more about each of the people, programmes, and resources mentioned in the show:
- The British Peatland Restoration Programme
- Playing for the Planet
- Ark2030
- Dr Benjamin Abraham and a link to his upcoming book 'Digital Games After Climate Change'
- Sumo group Environmental, Social and Governance ESG | Sumo (sumogroupplc.com)
- UKIE Green Games Guide
- Joshua Aslan (2020) Climate change implications of gaming products and services, DOI: 10.15126/thesis.00853729
For the games discussed in the episode, why not check out Coconut Sunshine and Dark Future: Blood Red States?
📝Sign up to our Newsletter to stay up to date with Auroch Digital
💬 Want to talk to us? Join our Discord
🕹️ Check out our latest titles: 🚀 Mars Horizon and 🍻 Brewmaster
🙋 Follow us on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and LinkedIn
🎙️ Missed an Episode? Find our previous Seasons here
⭐Please do rate the podcast and spread the word!
Tuesday Jan 18, 2022
Tuesday Jan 18, 2022
Let us take you back to the dawn of Games Workshop's infamous Warhammer 40,000. In this episode we are joined by Studio Director Dr Tomas Rawlings, who takes us through in immeasurable detail the 1st edition of 40K and his continuing journey as a passionate player of a franchise that has spanned over 30 years going from strength to strength. We ask what is it about 40K's design that makes it both so effective as a product, and enjoyable as player. Recommended (but not essential): your own miniatures to paint as you listen in.
Show Notes
Please do check out Games Workshop's official site to check out the latest products, including starter kits if you're looking to get into 40K!
📝Sign up to our Newsletter to stay up to date with Auroch Digital
💬 Want to talk to us? Join our Discord
🕹️ Check out our latest titles: 🚀 Mars Horizon and 🍻 Brewmaster
🙋 Follow us on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and LinkedIn
🎙️ Missed an Episode? Find our previous Seasons here
⭐Please do rate the podcast and spread the word!
Tuesday Jan 11, 2022
Tuesday Jan 11, 2022
Grab your best headphones and settle in, because we'd like you to join us in taking a look back at Auroch Digital's musical catalogue. We break down three of the tracks from the Mars Horizon soundtrack, really unpacking what music can make us think and feel, and how that plays such a vital part in video game design. We also discuss what the audio development pipeline is like in the studio, and Matt offers some excellent tips on how to get into video game audio and sound design - this episode really is music to our ears!
Show Notes
For the soundtracks discussed in today's episode:
- Mars Horizon Soundtrack
- Dark Future: Blood Red States Soundtrack
- Achtung! Cthulhu Tactics Soundtrack
For the other excellent videos and features to check out on today's content:
- When Matt met Tom, Red Wasp appear on VGM Awesome
- Dark Future Audio Design Explainer
- Dark Future OST featured in ‘Warhammer for Your Ears’
🎼 If you'd like, you can follow more of Matt's compositional work on Spotify
Wednesday Jan 05, 2022
Wednesday Jan 05, 2022
Today we’re (virtually) opening the doors of the studio and inviting you in to see what working at Auroch is like now we've adapted to COVID-19. Ever wondered what a Studio Director’s Day looks like? Or how to manage your own community as a Games Studio? We discuss this and more with our colleagues at Auroch Digital, and explain why we are now a largely remote-working studio.
Show Notes
Did Brewmaster pique your interest? You can Wishlist it on Steam now
Check out our porting work on Megaquarium and The Colonists too, and the mentorship scheme Hannah and Ladell both took part in prior to joining Auroch: Limit Break
Curious to see more of our guests? You can check out their personal socials here:
Peter Willington
Oliwia Janczewska
Hannah Corcoran
Ladell Smith
📝Sign up to our Newsletter to stay up to date with Auroch Digital
💬 Want to talk to us? Join our Discord
🕹️ Check out our latest titles: 🚀 Mars Horizon and 🍻 Brewmaster
🙋 Follow us on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and LinkedIn
🎙️ Missed an Episode? Find our previous Seasons here
⭐Please do rate the podcast and spread the word!