Notas del episodio
Justin Woodward has spent 14 years helping independent game developers find the audiences, press, platform partners, and publishing relationships that can change a project’s trajectory.
In this episode of re:Play, Greg Off sits down with the founder of The MIX, co-founder of Interabang Entertainment, and founder of XPerience Studios to trace the journey from an art-school kid in San Diego making his own comic-book characters and action figures, to a $30-an-hour contractor at THQ’s Incinerator studio, to one of the people who has helped create real visibility for independent games.
From Super Comboman and an early video game Kickstarter to the GDC 2012 dinner in IGN’s cafeteria that became The Media Indie Exchange, Justin shares the lessons, mistakes, mentors, and persistence behind a career built around giving great games a chance to be seen.
Greg and Justin discuss the origins of The MIX, the line around the building that proved the event had found an audience, the evolution from physical showcases to live broadcasts, and the 2020 pivot that brought the Guerrilla Collective together when the industry needed a new way to reach players.
In this episode:
- How Justin’s art-school beginnings and homemade action figures led him toward games
- The $30-an-hour contractor lesson at THQ’s Incinerator studio
- Super Comboman, early Kickstarter, and building Interabang Entertainment
- The IGN cafeteria dinner that became The MIX
- Why relationships with press, platforms, publishers, and peers matter
- The Guerrilla Collective and the shift to online showcases
- Why community remains essential when hundreds of games launch every day
- What Justin looks for when curating games for The MIX
- The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past and Final Fantasy VI as Justin’s re:Play answers
Links & References
The MIX — https://mediaindieexchange.com
Justin Woodward — https://www.linkedin.com/in/justinwoodward/
re:Play Podcast — https://replaypodcast.com
Greg Off’s Substack — https://gregoff1.substack.com