Dan Pinchbeck is the co-founder of The Chinese Room, the award-winning studio behind many wonderful games including Dear Esther, Amnesia: A Machine for Pigs, Everybody’s Gone to the Rapture, Little Orpheus, Still Wakes The Deep and most recently Vampire: The Masquerade - Bloodlines 2.

In this episode, we talk through Dan’s incredible journey with the studio. From its early days making Half-Life 2 mods to becoming one of the UK’s most distinctive storytelling studios. Dan opens up about the highs and lows of running a team and what really happened behind the scenes. He gives an honest insight into how he navigated creative burnout and what led him to leave the studio before Bloodlines 2 shipped.

We also get into some big industry topics: the AI hype sweeping game dev, what’s broken in the games industry and what gives him hope for the future of smaller studios.

Chapters:

00:00 The Origins of The Chinese Room

03:49 Starting with Mods: Conscientious Objector, Antilion Soccer, Dear Esther & Korsakovia

05:11 Moving to Commercial Games: Dear Esther and Amnesia: A Machine For Pigs

07:02 Shifting from Walking Simulators to Horror Games

12:39 The Formation of The Chinese Room as a Company

16:33 The Impact of Studio Size on Development

20:23 Funding Struggles and the Studio Downsizing in 2017

25:57 Recovery and the Sumo Group Acquisition

29:06 Little Orpheus and Maintaining Creative Control After Acquisition

34:01 The State of the Game Industry

39:26 The Impact of AI on Game Development

45:46 Challenges for Indie Developers

48:27 Vampire: The Masquerade - Bloodlines 2

01:02:43 What's next for Dan

About Dan:

Dan Pinchbeck is a writer, creative director, and co-founder of the acclaimed UK studio The Chinese Room. With a background in academia and digital arts, he’s known for pioneering narrative-driven experiences that blur the line between storytelling, atmosphere, and player agency. Dan’s work has helped shape modern indie game storytelling and inspired a generation of developers to experiment with emotion and meaning in games. You can find him on:

Dan's Website: https://www.danpinchbeck.co.uk/

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/danpinchbeck/

About Me

Hi, I’m Cat Burton! I've built studios, raised funding and shipped games to millions of players. Now I help you do the same with expert games consultancy and advice. The Goth Boss Podcast dives into the real challenges of making games and running game studios by sharing honest stories and inspiring conversations with my industry friends.

You can connect with me on:

GothBoss (Games Consultancy & Coaching): https://www.GothBoss.co.uk

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/catburton

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/gothbosscat

Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/gothbosscat.bsky.social

TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@gothbosscat

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The game industry might be unpredictable, but your career doesn’t have to be.

In this episode, I share ten practical tips to help you stay strong while working through these really tough times.

Chapters:

00:00 10 Practical Tips to Future-Proof Your Career

02:00 Tip 1: Focus on What You Can Control

03:04 Tip 2: Be Ready for Change

05:25 Tip 3: Lift Others Up

07:23 Tip 4: Stay Visible

09:41 Tip 5: Protect Your Energy

12:49 Tip 6: Build Your Confidence

16:10 Tip 7: Lead with Transparency and Trust

19:41 Tip 8: Stay Curious and Keep Learning

22:09 Tip 9: Create Financial and Mental Stability

24:59 Tip 10: Redefine Success

27:15 Recap

Links:

UK game industry Slack: https://www.ukgamesindustry.com/

Imposter syndrome episode: https://youtu.be/hOTjI38cnCg?si=vogYLgBkFVvJ0AP3

Burnout episode: https://youtu.be/1tKNL_iuk1c?si=L_HSNh-5hA1vfWlR

About Me:

Hi, I’m Cat Burton!

I've built studios, raised funding and shipped games to millions of players. Now I help you do the same with expert games consultancy and advice. The Goth Boss Podcast dives into the real challenges of making games and running game studios by sharing honest stories and inspiring conversations with my industry friends

You can find me on:

Goth Boss Studios: https://www.GothBoss.co.uk

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/catburton

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/gothbosscat

Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/gothbosscat.bsky.social

TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@gothbosscat

Take Part:

Send me your questions to answer in future episodes! Or if you would like me to interview someone to hear about their game industry career, game or studio, please recommend them. Send me a message at: https://www.gothboss.co.uk/podcast

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

What if the key to solving the climate crisis, social inequality and even human behavior wasn’t found in policy papers, but in games?

In this episode, I sit down with Trevin York, founder of Dire Lark, to explore how Games for Change are reshaping the way we tackle global challenges. From climate action and healthcare to finance and education, Trevin reveals how playful design can turn complex, serious topics into experiences that inspire real-world impact.

We dive into the power of data to understand players, what it takes to design for transformation and the surprising business realities of running a purpose-driven game studio. You’ll hear how AI is influencing funding and what aspiring designers can do to build games that truly make a difference.

If you’ve ever wondered how games could actually change the world, this conversation will make you rethink what “serious play” really means.

Books:

Design for the real world by victor Papanek: https://amzn.to/43d7nKK

Design when everybody designs by ezio manzini: https://amzn.to/3KKd2lh

Designs for the pluriverse by Arturo escobar: https://amzn.to/4nMxzV3

Ideas Arrangements Effects by the Design Studio for Social Intervention: https://amzn.to/477DpJx

The Transformational Framework by Sabrina Culyba: https://amzn.to/4n446Vt

Trevin's book - The Game Needs to Change: https://www.routledge.com/The-Game-Needs-to-Change-Towards-Sustainable-Game-Design/Prax-Whittle-York/p/book/9781032836195?srsltid=AfmBOoq7wZEBpY_yHJWvlB1iKJPOXi4CLmyWnPxGWdl4q1DXIl7DWJ69

About Trevin

Trevin York has spent over a decade collaborating with talented teams to make games and other interactive experiences focused on effecting lasting change. As the founder of Dire Lark, Trevin works with organizations ranging from tech startups to game studios to international firms, bringing game design techniques and processes to projects aiming for real-world positive impacts across a variety of contexts. You can find Trevin on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/trevin-york/, and Dire Lark at: https://direlark.co.uk/

About Cat

Hi, I’m Cat Burton! I've built studios, raised funding and shipped games to millions of players. Now I help you do the same with expert games consultancy and ecosystem building. The Goth Boss Podcast is where I dive into the real challenges of making games and running studios.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.