Daily news for BitPulse

I was hired as a founding reporter for a Kickstarter and Early Access focused site called BitPulse. I emailed, called and scooped for stories every day for this under-reported (we think) side of the industry.

Launched in January 2014, we’ve managed to draw ~6,000 weekly unique visitors.

I’ve since had to take a step back, but will be returning to the site in a video-only role.

You can view all my posts here.

Here are some of my favourite posts:

Interview: Developer Fred Wood on how to fall in Love.

Review: Love tears out your heart, dares you to win it back.

Interview: Dog Sled Saga slides forwards towards PAX, Steam Early Access.

News: Aderyn’s Cradle continues through fundraising failure: “We plan to launch another Kickstarter”

‘A piece of shit on a stick’ – Reel Big Fish interview

“Oh, so this is where we go to get the cocaine,” says Aaron Barrett as he flips through the latest issue of Exeposé.

Lead singer and only founding member remaining in the pop-punk-ska ensemble responsible for the up-tempo condemnations of the record industry Sell Out and Everything Sucks, he’s walked into the room halfway through the interview, followed by a tall, heavily made up, blonde embodiment of the rockstar lifestyle.

Matt Appleton, the group’s newbie sax player, also paws through the scandalous issue. “Does it tell us anything about where the marijuana is on campus? I’m looking for that too.”

Playstation Access TV #52 – Eurogamer Special

After a series of extraordinary events (which I’m sure you’ve heard if you’ve met me), I found myself presenting for the lovely guys at Playstation Access.

One of the most rewarding and enjoyable experiences I’ve ever had. Ridiculous throughout, but good fun.

Molyneux: Microsoft Scared of Innovation

Originally published in Exeposé

Fable creator opens up about ‘Curiosity’, ‘Co-operation’ and ‘Milo’

Curiosity can be dangerous. For Peter Molyneux, his curiosity at Microsoft lead to the rise and fall of one of the most groundbreaking interactive experiences of the current generation.

In a small office in Guildford technology centre, a few hundred yards from his previous studio Lionhead, Molyneux’s startup 22Cans is hard at work testing Curiosity: What’s Inside The Cube. The iOS game features a giant black cube made from millions of ‘cubelets’ which, after 64 billions taps, will reveal a secret so profound it will “make world news” according to Molyneux.

Don’t be surprised if this sounds far-fetched, Molyneux is well known in the industry for making promises about his game that don’t end up being strictly truthful. He’s well aware of this, as the game is currently a month behind the previously announced launch date .“It was my stupid mouth that shot off and gave the date in the first place,” he says. “That was a bit silly.”

Staying Playful with Keita Takahashi

Originally written for Exeposé, didn’t make it into the freshers’ issue.

Katamari Damacy creator talks about his past at art school and why fun is so important, Marcus Beard, Games Editor reports.

Sitting on stage in flip flops and shorts, casually flipping through his iPhone, you wouldn’t get the impression that Keita Takahashi is the creator of a series that has reunited millions with the quirkyness and playfulness of youth. As the mind that sprouted the 2004 sleeper hit and cult classic Katamari Damacy, Takahashi doesn’t possess the fashion sense of Hideo Kojima or the bold rhetoric of Peter Molyneux.

“I don’t like [to] talk much” he admits as one of his greatest weaknesses to a theatre full of amateur game designers at the Babycastles Summit in Manhattan. Keita’s keynote (which took the form of a Q&A session) kicked off the three-day festival of workshops and interactive exhibitions at the Museum of Art and Design. The summit’s goal is to explore new ways to play and develop games, with a focus on experimentation and collaboration.

“I need[ed] to find a road” he says, describing what moved him into game development “..where I can make fun things.”

Polygon’s Chris Plante and Russ Frushtick talk launch, response to ‘Press Reset’

Written for practice/fun/personal enlightenment.

There are links in this article – click them, they’re entertaining.

With the first installment in Polygon’s making-of documentary nearing, Chris Plante, Editor-at-large and Russ Frushtick, Senior Editor give some insight into the future of site, as well as addressing the negative response to the documentary’s trailer.

“Don’t give him a date” Frushtick warns his colleague not to make any promises the site can’t keep. “It’s not that I’m worried about it or anything, but if we miss that date by a week .. it’s not good.” “We’ll have it soon,” Plante, former freelancer, confirms. “Within the year.”