#209 -Jake Kazdal Interview On Nintendo, Eiji Aonuma, Zelda, SEGA, Hirokazu Tanaka, Awaysis

#209 -Jake Kazdal Interview On Nintendo, Eiji Aonuma, Zelda, SEGA, Hirokazu Tanaka, Awaysis

May 23, 2026 · 1h 7m · Episode 209

About this episode

Jake Kazdal discusses his experiences in game development and insights into Japanese design.

Jake Kazdal is a japanese game developer who has worked on games such as Galak-Z and Skulls Of The Shogun, he has worked for Nintendo, SEGA and Square Enix and is releasing his new game Awaysis very soon. This is a rare pullback of the curtain on Japanese design. #nintendo #zelda #botw WEBSITE - http://awaysis.jp/ https://store.steampowered.com/app/3334760/Awaysis/ TIMESTAMPS 00:00 - Intro 00:45 - Differences Between Japanese & Western Development 02:30 - Differences Between SEGA & Square Enix/Japanese Work Culture 07:00 - Nintendo Devs Are Retiring/Japanese Devs Are Nimble 09:15 - Kyoto’s Indie Scene/Hiring People At 17-Bit 10:39 - Japanese Labour Laws 11:40 - What Nintendo Devs Do Once They Retire/Retirement Age At Nintendo 11:46 - Nintendo Dev Legends Have Playtested Awaysis 14:11 - Playtesting With Awaysis 16:25 - Importance Of Iterating On Tutorials/What Is Awaysis 20:20 - Local Multiplayer Can’t Be Matched/Online Multiplayer/Covid 23:30 - Getting Hirokazu Tanaka To Compose Awaysis/Jake Is A Huge Nintendo Fan 25:40 - Pitch To Hirokazu Tanaka 26:50 - Physics System Of Awaysis 29:54 - Super Mario 64/Game Controls Are Too Tight Nowadays 33:28 - Graphics Take Precedent…

People in this episode

Host: Kiwi

Guest: Jake Kazdal

Topics covered

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: Nintendo, SEGA, Square Enix

Products: Galak-Z, Skulls Of The Shogun, Awaysis

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