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They Create Worlds

@theycreateworlds.bsky.social

431 followers 7 following 51 posts

A podcast unraveling video gaming's historical tapestry through an audio odyssey exploring creativity, business, and the fascinating people behind it all!

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Aftermath @aftermath.site · 15/09/2026

Contrary to popular belief, the video game industry didn’t crash in 1983 because of E.T. and a glut of bad games. The real reason is both simpler and more complicated. @theycreateworlds.bsky.social explains:

They Create Worlds @theycreateworlds.bsky.social · 15/09/2026

Atari’s best-selling VCS games hold a few surprises. Sales records glimpsed in Once Upon Atari show what really sold and how the crash hit Atari. We dig into the stories behind these games and the people who made them. youtu.be/7Zj61ykgVk8 #Atari #AtariVCS #Atari2600 #VideoGameHistory #RetroGaming

TCW 266 - The 10 Best Selling Atari Games

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They Create Worlds @theycreateworlds.bsky.social · 01/09/2026

Hasbro went from toys to a major force in video games. Tom Dusenberry made Win95 Monopoly the foundation of #HasbroInteractive, leading to Frogger #Atari #MicroProse Avalon Hill and #WotC before Hasbro sold the division to Infogrames. www.youtube.com/watch?v=whwe... #VideoGameHistory #RetroGaming

TCW 265 - Hasbro Interactive

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They Create Worlds @theycreateworlds.bsky.social · 17/08/2026

One of gaming’s greatest twists changed Star Wars forever. Explore how BioWare built Knights of the Old Republic, and how Obsidian’s rushed sequel reshaped its future. #KOTOR #StarWarsGames #VideoGameHistory www.youtube.com/watch?v=Og9W...

TCW 264 - Knights of the Old Republic

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They Create Worlds @theycreateworlds.bsky.social · 04/08/2026

Howell Ivy turned familiar arcade ideas into something fresh, from his early work at Ramtek and Exidy to his later impact at SEGA. #ArcadeHistory #Ramtek #SEGA #Exidy #RetroGaming youtu.be/fHoRfn1uh3o

TCW 263 - Howell Ivy

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They Create Worlds @theycreateworlds.bsky.social · 15/07/2026

A one-inch CRT designed for aircraft instruments sparked the idea for a home console that had to bring its own screen. The Vectrex launched into the Video Game Crash and cost Milton Bradley $31.6 million before Hasbro bought what was left. youtu.be/VHSUP6FhJAU #Vectrex #VideoGameHistory

TCW 262 - Vectrex

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They Create Worlds @theycreateworlds.bsky.social · 01/07/2026

A British dev built a Game Boy prototype that could do something it was never supposed to do, caught Nintendo's attention at CES, and helped build a 3D chip for the SNES. The Super FX chip made Star Fox possible, but Argonaut walked away with little to show. y2u.be/0vwa2366H4w #StarFox #SNES

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They Create Worlds @theycreateworlds.bsky.social · 15/06/2026

How does a Canadian liquor company end up owning Universal Studios and help create Activision Blizzard? Seagram, Vivendi, bad timing, and deceptive accounting. The full story is Messier than you think. 🎙️ youtu.be/PzHARV7hO7w #VideoGameHistory #Vivendi #ActivisionBlizzard

TCW 260 - Vivendi Electric Boogaloo

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They Create Worlds @theycreateworlds.bsky.social · 01/06/2026

CUC International kept just beating estimates until Henry Silverman saw the books and uncovered fraud built on phantom subscriptions and merger money games. That scandal helped push its software division into Vivendi's orbit. TCW259: www.youtube.com/watch?v=T1k5... #AccountingFraud #Vivendi

theycreateworlds.com

They Create Worlds

They Create Worlds is a video game history podcast exploring the people, technology, and forces that shaped the games we love and the industry behind them.

They Create Worlds @theycreateworlds.bsky.social · 15/05/2026

Walter Forbes turned a phone-in shopping club into CUC International, spent $1.7B on software companies, then merged with HFS to form Cendant. How was this company always just barely beating estimates? 🎙️ TCW258: www.theycreateworlds.com/episodes/TCW... #VideoGameHistory #CorporateScandal #Cendant

theycreateworlds.com

They Create Worlds

They Create Worlds is a video game history podcast exploring the people, technology, and forces that shaped the games we love and the industry behind them.

They Create Worlds @theycreateworlds.bsky.social · 01/05/2026

Nine cartridges, a Sears rebrand, and clever sprite tricks that pushed a new console to its limits. The Atari VCS launch titles were modest, but their fingerprints are everywhere. www.youtube.com/watch?v=lcws... #AtariVCS #Atari2600 #RetroGaming #VideoGameHistory

TCW 257 - Nine Atari Games

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They Create Worlds @theycreateworlds.bsky.social · 19/04/2026

Jeffrey has to rush to get an episode done today! Learn about the nine launch titles of Atari! Also learn about how the podcast is made! #Atari #VideoGameHistory www.twitch.tv/tcwpodcast

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Editing - 257 - Nine Atari Games

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Video Game History Foundation @gamehistoryorg.bsky.social · 18/04/2026

Historian Alex Smith (author and host of They Create Worlds) joins us for the latest Video Game History Hour podcast to challenge the prevailing “Genesis does what Nintendon’t” narrative in the early '90s: gamehistory.org/episode-154-sega-in…

They Create Worlds @theycreateworlds.bsky.social · 15/04/2026

Bob Jacob wanted to put Hollywood into a game box and nearly pulled it off. Defender of the Crown, Wings, Rocket Ranger, and a football game that quietly inspired EA Sports, all from a studio that lasted five years. youtu.be/EN43CmoJpyc #Cinemaware #DefenderOfTheCrown #RetroGaming #GamingHistory

TCW 256 - Cinemaware

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They Create Worlds @theycreateworlds.bsky.social · 01/04/2026

With the original creators gone and development stalled, a new Bethesda team inherited the Elder Scrolls. Todd Howard's Morrowind ditched procedural generation for a handcrafted world so rich it saved the studio from collapse. youtu.be/_9L1FIa4MoU #Morrowind #ElderScrolls #Bethesda

TCW 255 - The Elder Scrolls: Morrowind

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They Create Worlds @theycreateworlds.bsky.social · 15/03/2026

From sports sims to Elder Scrolls Arena: how Bethesda's Julian LeFay and Vijay Lakshman built the gladiator-to-RPG pivot, then LeFay's massive Daggerfall vision met Ted Peterson's intricate design and gray moral plots. youtu.be/vK5oo4mU-Xc #ElderScrolls #Daggerfall #Bethesda #Arena

TCW 254 - The Elder Scrolls: Arena & Daggerfall

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They Create Worlds @theycreateworlds.bsky.social · 08/03/2026

Jeffrey is editing the podcast! Come check out how it is all made! www.twitch.tv/tcwpodcast

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Editing - 252 - A Guitar Hero

They Create Worlds @theycreateworlds.bsky.social · 01/03/2026

From “Dig Dug” tactics to “Xevious” secrets and “The Tower of Druaga” that helped shape Zelda, Masanobu Endō pioneered concepts that still resonate in games today, from hidden secrets to layering story into gameplay. www.youtube.com/watch?v=TmKv... #MasanobuEndo #Xevious #TowerOfDruaga

TCW 253 - Masanobu Endō

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They Create Worlds @theycreateworlds.bsky.social · 15/02/2026

Plastic guitars and living‑room stages: how a DDR third‑party peripheral maker teamed with Harmonix, won over Best Buy, and turned Guitar Hero into a fad that collapsed under its own weight. Watch the full story: www.youtube.com/watch?v=eU-5... #GuitarHero #VideoGameHistory #RhythmGames

TCW 252 - A Guitar Hero

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They Create Worlds @theycreateworlds.bsky.social · 15/02/2026

Plastic guitars and living‑room stages: how a DDR third‑party peripheral maker teamed with Harmonix, won over Best Buy, and turned Guitar Hero into a fad that collapsed under its own weight. Watch the full story: www.youtube.com/watch?v=eU-5... #GuitarHero #VideoGameHistory #RhythmGames

TCW 252 - A Guitar Hero

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They Create Worlds @theycreateworlds.bsky.social · 02/02/2026

How did Virgin go from music to games like Command and Conquer, The 7th Guest, Aladdin, and The Lion King? We explore the rise and fall of Virgin Games, from early development and European distribution to major licenses and corporate collapse. www.youtube.com/watch?v=WEM3...

TCW 251 - Virgin Games

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They Create Worlds @theycreateworlds.bsky.social · 15/01/2026

How did a budget software publisher become the foundation of SEGA Europe? We look at the rise and fall of Mastertronic and how a failed console push changed its fate. www.youtube.com/watch?v=DXG_... #theycreateworlds #videogamehistory #segahistory #retrogaming #mastertronic

TCW 250 - Mastertronic

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They Create Worlds @theycreateworlds.bsky.social · 01/01/2026

Quest logs, auto-mapping, and early RPG innovation helped define New World Computing. We trace the studio’s growth from Might and Magic through Heroes, the push for faster releases under 3DO, and how pressure and overextension led to its collapse. www.youtube.com/watch?v=MS77...

TCW249 - New World Computing

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They Create Worlds @theycreateworlds.bsky.social · 17/11/2025

From the SX 64 and Plus/4 to the C128 and the rise of the Amiga, Commodore entered a new era after Jack Tramiel’s departure. The Amiga 1000 and its bouncing ball demo marked a major shift as Commodore moved into the sixteen bit age. ▶ youtu.be/8agWMGOHObA

TCW 246 - The History of Commodore Pt 3

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They Create Worlds @theycreateworlds.bsky.social · 01/11/2025

From the PET to the VIC-20 and C64, Commodore evolved from business machines to home computing powerhouses. Smart marketing, the SID chip, and low prices made the C64 a billion-dollar success of the 8-bit era. ▶ www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZNzn... #Commodore #PET #VIC20 #C64 #RetroComputing

TCW 245 - The History of Commodore Pt 2

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They Create Worlds @theycreateworlds.bsky.social · 15/10/2025

From lamps and typewriters to computers, Jack Tramiel’s drive shaped Commodore’s rise. A Holocaust survivor turned entrepreneur, he led Commodore through scandal and calculators to computing with MOS Technology. www.youtube.com/watch?v=zJl4... #Commodore #JackTramiel #VideoGameHistory

TCW 244 - The History of Commodore Pt 1

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They Create Worlds @theycreateworlds.bsky.social · 04/10/2025

Join us for a day of recording the history of Commodore! LIVE! www.twitch.tv/tcwpodcast

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RECORDING - HISTORY OF COMMODORE

They Create Worlds @theycreateworlds.bsky.social · 15/09/2025

Fumito Ueda entered games through art, not play. Influenced by Flashback and Another World, he created ICO’s hand-holding bonds and Shadow of the Colossus’s haunting battles. His style reshaped design and inspired creators worldwide. ▶ www.youtube.com/watch?v=BgD-...

TCW 242 - Fumito Ueda

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They Create Worlds @theycreateworlds.bsky.social · 31/08/2025

If you are at DragonCon our presentation is at 4:00 Eastern! The History of the NES l.core-apps.com/dragoncon25/... See you there!

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Dragon Con 2025

They Create Worlds @theycreateworlds.bsky.social · 16/08/2025

Nintendogs and Brain Age proved Nintendo could reach new audiences. That idea carried into the Wii, with family-friendly controls and games anyone could play. It became Nintendo's best-selling console, leaving its rivals behind. ▶ www.youtube.com/watch?v=98XE... #Nintendo #Wii #TheyCreateWorlds

TCW 240 - Nintendo: Playing with Mii & Wii

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They Create Worlds @theycreateworlds.bsky.social · 01/08/2025

Two failed consoles. A power struggle. The rise of Satoru Iwata. This episode traces Nintendo’s path through internal upheaval and fading relevance on the way to the Wii. 🎧 www.youtube.com/watch?v=-K2U... #Nintendo #Iwata #Yamauchi #Wii #History #VideoGameHistory #TheyCreateWorlds

TCW2 39 - Nintendo: Wii Were Struggling

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They Create Worlds @theycreateworlds.bsky.social · 16/07/2025

John Carmack set out to build full 3D, dynamic lighting, and client-server multiplayer in Quake. Michael Abrash left Microsoft to help. As development spanned a year, problems at ID became more apparent. 🎧 www.youtube.com/watch?v=AG3h... #Quake #IDSoftware #JohnCarmack #MichaelAbrash

TCW 238 - Quake

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They Create Worlds @theycreateworlds.bsky.social · 01/07/2025

Jordan Mechner drew on Castles of Dr. Creep, Robin Hood (1938), Raiders, and Thief of Bagdad (1924) to shape Prince of Persia. He rotoscoped his brother for animation. A re-release after Disney's Aladdin made it a hit. 🎧 www.youtube.com/watch?v=2G45... #JordanMechner #PrinceOfPersia

TCW 237 - Jordan Mechner and Prince of Persia

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They Create Worlds @theycreateworlds.bsky.social · 16/06/2025

Before Karateka, Jordan Mechner’s journey began with his family fleeing Nazi Europe. At Yale, he blended arcade insight with film ambition—helped by his father, who unexpectedly shaped the game with ideas, movement, and music. 📺 www.youtube.com/watch?v=zblm...

TCW 236 - Jordan Mechner and Karateka

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They Create Worlds @theycreateworlds.bsky.social · 01/06/2025

🎙️ New episode! We spotlight the lesser-known pioneers of Japan’s coin-op scene — the entrepreneurs behind Tecmo, IREM, Sammy & more. Discover how they got their start and shaped early arcade history. 🎧 podcast.theycreateworlds.com/e/coin-op-le... #videogamehistory #arcadehistory #bizhistory #Japan

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Coin-op Legends of Japan | They Create Worlds

TCW Podcast Episode 235- Coin-op Legends of Japan Long before they entered the world of video games, a generation of Japanese entrepreneurs built their fortunes in the coin-operated amusement busine...

They Create Worlds @theycreateworlds.bsky.social · 26/05/2025

🎙️ Going live now! Editing episode 235 of They Create Worlds — The Coin-op Legends of Japan! Come hang out and chat while we work: www.twitch.tv/tcwpodcast

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They Create Worlds @theycreateworlds.bsky.social · 15/05/2025

Yu Suzuki redefined arcades with rideable cabinets, sprite-scaling “3D” & the gyroscopic R360. With Shenmue, he coined “Quick Time Events” & delivered NPCs, detail & interactivity unheard of in 1999. 🎮 #YuSuzuki #SEGA #TheyCreateWorlds #VideoGameHistory youtu.be/4fXkwuMaOVU

TCW 234 - Yu Suzuki

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They Create Worlds @theycreateworlds.bsky.social · 01/05/2025

What do 3 doctors, a dungeon master, a database programmer, and a writer have in common? They made Baldur’s Gate—an RPG often credited with reviving Western RPGs. Built on DirectX & the Infinity Engine, it launched #BioWare into legend. 🎲🎮 🔗 podcast.theycreateworlds.com/e/baldurs-ga...

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Baldur's Gate | They Create Worlds

TCW Podcast Episode 233 - Baldur's Gate When three doctors, a prolific dungeon master, a database programmer, and a writer come together to make video games, you get Baldur’s Gate! Often credited wi...

They Create Worlds @theycreateworlds.bsky.social · 01/04/2025

Street Fighter 2 brought smoother combos, an expanded roster, and arcade hype. Inspired by Bruce Lee, anime, and Final Fight, it became a classic. Which version was your favorite? 🕹️🔥 #StreetFighter2 #RetroGaming www.youtube.com/watch?v=CvuK...

TCW 231 - Street Fighter 2

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They Create Worlds @theycreateworlds.bsky.social · 01/02/2025

🕹️ Explore Donkey Kong's origins! Thanks to @katewillaert.bsky.social & @gaminghistorian.bsky.social, we better understand the influences of this foundational game! 🎮 🎧 Listen: podcast.theycreateworlds.com/e/donkey-kong/ #DonkeyKong #VideoGameHistory #Nintendo

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Donkey Kong | They Create Worlds

TCW Podcast Episode 227 - Donkey Kong Donkey Kong, a game and character that stands as one of the foundational elements of video game history, has a popular narrative with some inaccuracies that nee...

They Create Worlds @theycreateworlds.bsky.social · 01/01/2025

Happy New Years! Start 2025 right with a look at Games by Apollo! A company with some flaws but put out some interesting third-party titles on the VCS! podcast.theycreateworlds.com/e/games-by-a... #GamesByApollo #VideoGameHistory #Atari #VCS

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Games by Apollo | They Create Worlds

TCW Podcast Episode 225 - Games by Apollo The great video game crash of the mid-1980s had many factors contributing to it. One such factor was the rise of companies like Games by Apollo, which is so...

They Create Worlds @theycreateworlds.bsky.social · 26/12/2024

Games by Apollo? Why yes, I need to edit that! www.twitch.tv/tcwpodcast

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Editing with Jeffrey - Games By Apollo

They Create Worlds @theycreateworlds.bsky.social · 15/12/2024

The third part of our live stream is ready for your listening pleasure! D&D & Video Games 3E! See how D&D influenced many early mainframe, and PC games! podcast.theycreateworlds.com/e/dd-video-g...

They Create Worlds @theycreateworlds.bsky.social · 04/12/2024

If you were waiting for the transcription of They Create Worlds 223 - D&D & Video Games 2E it is up on the website!

They Create Worlds @theycreateworlds.bsky.social · 03/12/2024

In case you missed it, D&D & Video Games 2E is out for your listening pleasure! I hope to have the transcription done later today or tomorrow. podcast.theycreateworlds.com/e/dd-video-g... www.youtube.com/watch?v=njau...

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D&D & Video Games 2E | They Create Worlds

TCW Podcast Episode 223 - D&D & Video Games 2E In the second part of our exploration of Dungeons & Dragons and its connection to video games, we examine the game’s refinement and rise in...

They Create Worlds @theycreateworlds.bsky.social · 08/11/2024

Friday Editing with Jeffrey! www.twitch.tv/tcwpodcast

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Editing with Jeffrey D&D & Video Games 2E

They Create Worlds @theycreateworlds.bsky.social · 02/11/2024

I am doing some editing for a few hours! www.twitch.tv/tcwpodcast

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Early Morning Editing with Jeffrey D&D & Video Games 1E

They Create Worlds @theycreateworlds.bsky.social · 01/11/2024

This is the third part of our series looking at Blizzard Noth and the aftermath of Diablo 2. What became of them and this new Flagship Studios & Hellgate London? podcast.theycreateworlds.com/e/north-to-h... #BlizzardNorth #HellgateLondon #VideoGameHistory

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North to Hellgate London | They Create Worlds

TCW Podcast Episode 221 - North to Hellgate London In a pseudo part three of our look at Condor and Blizzard North, we explore the troubles the company faced after a year and a half of crunch. David...

They Create Worlds @theycreateworlds.bsky.social · 22/10/2024

Our October 15 release examines the history of Diablo 2. This is the second part of a three-part series that examines the history of the people behind Condor, Blizzard North, and the massive hit Diablo 2! podcast.theycreateworlds.com/e/diablo-2/

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Diablo 2 | They Create Worlds

TCW Podcast Episode 220 - Diablo 2 We continue exploring the Diablo franchise with Diablo 2 and the journey of the team at Blizzard North. This episode covers the history of the Hellfire expansion f...