Designer Notes 94: Charles Cecil - Part 2

Designer Notes 94: Charles Cecil - Part 2

From Idle Thumbs by Idle Thumbs

May 4, 2026 · 3h 34m

About this episode

Soren interviews veteran game developer Charles Cecil about his career and insights into game design.

In this episode, Soren interviews veteran game developer Charles Cecil, co-founder of Revolution Software and best known for his work on Beneath a Steel Sky and the Broken Sword series. They discuss why he made a game about the Knights Templar, how digital distribution changed the publisher-developer relationship forever, and what made the goat puzzle unfair. This interview was started on April 14, 2025. Games discussed: King’s Quest series, Broken Sword series, Beneath a Steel Sky, Black Mirror: Bandersnatch, Lure of the Temptress, In Cold Blood, Gabriel Knight series, The Da Vinci Code, Darwinia, CLANG, Broken Age, Heavy Rain, Monkey Island series

People in this episode

Host: Soren

Guest: Charles Cecil

Topics covered

  • game development
  • interview
  • digital distribution
  • puzzle design
  • Knights Templar

Keywords

  • Charles Cecil
  • game development
  • Broken Sword
  • digital distribution
  • puzzle design

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: Revolution Software

Books & works: Beneath a Steel Sky, Broken Sword series, King’s Quest series, Black Mirror: Bandersnatch, Lure of the Temptress, In Cold Blood, Gabriel Knight series, The Da Vinci Code, Darwinia, CLANG

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