XDS Podcast
Interested in gaining knowledge and expertise in the games industry? This podcast explores the latest insights into external development in the areas of Art, Co-development, Audio, QA, and Localization across all platforms. Each episode features conversations with industry leaders who are shaping the future of video game development. Published monthly.
External Development Summit (XDS) is the only annual, international games industry event with a primary focus on external development for art, animation, audio, software engineering, QA, and localization.
Episodes
21 episodes
XDS24 | Best Practices in Co-Development: Lessons Learned the Hard Way
In this live recording from their XDS24 presentation, Jay Arrera, Production Director at Pipeworks (Developer), and Jay Minn, Senior Technical Producer at Wizards of the Coast (Publisher), share what worked—and what didn’t—in their recent colla...
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Season 3
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Episode 21
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1:11:33
XDS24 | People Power: How an Emphasis on Individuals Builds Stronger Collaborations
In this session recorded live at XDS 2024, Nicole West, Co-Founder and Head of Operations at West Studio, shares her insights on the transformative impact of recognizing and nurturing individual talent within creative teams. Drawing from her ri...
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Season 3
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Episode 20
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49:26
XDS 24 | Seizing Opportunities for Growth and Change in External Development
Recorded live at XDS 2024, this episode brings together a powerhouse panel to explore the future of external development in gaming. The panel shares powerful insights into fostering stability and highlights the transformative potential of exter...
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Season 3
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Episode 19
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36:54
XDS24 | Bridging Cultures: Learning from Cross-Cultural Partnerships in External Development
In this episode, Juney Dijkstra, Operations Director at XDI, Electronic Arts, moderates a thought-provoking panel discussion recorded at XDS 2024. The panel dives into the nuances of cross-cultural partnerships, exploring key topics such as int...
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Season 3
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Episode 18
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57:04
Paige Bailey | XDS24 Fireside Keynote
Tune in to an insightful fireside chat featuring Paige Bailey, Engineering Lead for GenAI Developer Experience at Google, and host Joe Nickolls, CEO of Timbre Games Studio. Paige has a deep understanding of the generative AI landscape, having p...
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Season 3
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Episode 17
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1:03:36
Marc-Alexis Côté | XDS24 Fireside Keynote
Tune in to this engaging executive fireside chat featuring Marc-Alexis Côté, VP & Executive Producer at Ubisoft, as he shares valuable insights on the games industry with Joe Nickolls, CEO of Timbre Games Studio. Marc-Alexis discusses his c...
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Season 3
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Episode 16
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59:56
SPECIAL | Women@XDS - Amplifying women’s voices in the External Development Community
Welcome to this special inaugural episode of the Women@XDS, where we unite and amplify women's voices in the external development community.Join Carla Rylance, Caroline Calaway, Nikki Roth, and Tara Phillips as they share their inspirin...
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Season 2
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Episode 15
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45:35
XDS Ignite 2024 | Strategic Outreach: Navigating from Communication to Production in External Dev
During XDS Ignite 2024, Harish Rao, Manager of Outsource Art & Concept at Sony PlayStation, led a panel discussion on the effective transition from initial communication to production in external development. During the session, industry le...
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Season 2
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Episode 14
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45:28
XDS Ignite 2024 | Creating an Environment for Effective Communication
At XDS Ignite 2024, Shiew Yeu Loh, Senior Outsourcing Manager at Riot Games, delivered an insightful presentation on cultivating effective communication environments, particularly between Western and non-Western teams. Shiew Yeu discusses signi...
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Season 2
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Episode 13
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34:28
Lost In Transition: How Outsource Manager Turnover Impacts Devs & Vendors Alike
What makes a great external development manager and why is it so important? Tune in to this podcast episode featuring Tara Phillips, Art Service Line Director at Keywords Studios, as she moderates the September XDS 2023 panel presentati...
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Season 2
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Episode 12
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33:16
2024 XDS Insights Report | Guest Author Abigail Canavese discusses key observations
Many call it the game industry's latest big disruptor, but where does Artificial Intelligence fit within the landscape of external development? Get ready to dive deeper into this year’s XDS Insights Report with guest author Abigail Canavese, As...
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Season 2
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Episode 11
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27:49
Resilience in Action: How External Development Companies Navigate Crisis
Join us for the insightful XDS 2023 panel presentation, "Resilience in Action: How External Development Companies Navigate Crisis," moderated by Claas Grimm, CFO of Sharkmob. The pa...
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Season 2
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Episode 10
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36:06
Unlocking the Power of External Partnerships Collaboration
How do you strike a balance between keeping the artist happy and motivated while keeping the studio happy and cost efficient?This episode introduces the September XDS 2023 presentation “Unlocking the Power of External Partnership...
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Season 2
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Episode 9
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40:24
Dave Sanderson | What The Airline Industry Can Teach Us About Ext Dev Strategy
Efficiency Is Everything: What The Airline Industry Can Teach Us About External Development StrategyThis episode includes the XDS 2023 presentation delivered by Dave Sanderson, Director of External Development, Phoenix Labs. Dave...
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Season 2
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Episode 8
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40:45
Marija Radulovic-Nastic | XDS Executive Fireside Chat
In this episode of our podcast, we provide a positive outlook and insightful commentary on the present state of the gaming industry. We then introduce our XDS 2023 Fireside chat, which took place in Vancouver, featuring special guest - Marija R...
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Season 2
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Episode 7
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32:53
Molly Mason-Boule | XDS Executive Fireside Chat
Join Chris Wren as he reflects on the successful XDS 2023 event and offers a glimpse into what's new for XDS in 2024, including XDS Spark. Exciting developments are on the way!Then listen on for the XDS 2023 Fireside Chat with Molly Maso...
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Season 2
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Episode 6
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34:39
Nigel Franks | Why Growing a Studio and Innovation Are Harder Than They Should Be
Innovation is a lot harder than one may think. Nigel Franks, Studio Director of Production at Snowed In Studios, shares his reflections on this topic and how the struggles of expanding a business are not unique. Nigel’s award-winning presentati...
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Season 1
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Episode 5
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46:26
Sam Carlisle | Is your team brave enough to try the Movie Method?
Game Development and the Movie Method: What we'd like it to be, versus what it is and it'd take to be successful. Guest Sam Carlisle, Sr. Director, External Partner Relations, Xbox Games Studios, contemplates the benefits and chall...
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Season 1
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Episode 4
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51:58
Dave Sanderson | Hard Pivot: Changing ExDev Strategies Post-Acquisition
Dave Sanderson, Director of External Development at Phoenix Labs, talks with Chris Wren about why he loves his role and expands on the concept of whether External Development and outsourcing are viable options to grow a company.Dave’s a...
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Season 1
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Episode 3
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45:31
Carla Rylance | External Development Essentials: Diversifying with Confidence
Chris Wren chats with Carla Rylance, Head of External Production, Behaviour Interactive, on why her presentation, Diversifying with Confidence, should be a go-to reference for Service Providers courting new clients.Carla’s audio present...
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Season 1
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Episode 2
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52:43
XDS23 Insights Report | Guest Author Caroline Calaway discusses key observations
Welcome to our first XDS Podcast! In our introductory episode, host Chris Wren chats with this year’s Insights Report guest author Caroline Calaway, Senior Producer, Riot Games. This year’s survey explored the impact g...
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Season 1
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Episode 1
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42:01
