Game Maker's Notebook
Game Maker's Notebook
Academy of Interactive Arts & Sciences
Jake Birkett on Forbidden Solitaire, Casual Games, and Surviving Gamedev for 11 Years Without a Hit
1 hour 41 minutes Posted Jun 22, 2026 at 12:00 pm.
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Show notes

Trent Kusters chats with Jake Birkett of Grey Alien Games. Together they discuss how he worked together with Night Signal Entertainment on their card-slashing "horror" collaboration, Forbidden Solitaire; the importance of managing scope with small teams; how to properly understand Steam user engagement; and his GDC talk How to Survive in Gamedev for Eleven Years Without a Hit through the scope of the current development landscape. 

This episode is supported by

Xsolla

Episode Host: Trent Kusters

Producers: Claudio Tapia and Josh Chu, The Academy of Interactive Arts & Sciences

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