Quest Markers28 Jul 2025

EP 31 | Creative Direction & Curiosity - A Game Dev Chat with David Kazi (Hollow Knight, Exo One, Ember League)

David Kazi (Hollow Knight, ExoOne, Ember League) joins Marina Ryan to talk about his game development journey.

They delve into what it was like working on Hollow Knight, the challenges that came with working on orbital physics for Exo One, and David’s journey in co-founding his own game studio, including what it means to bear the ever-changing role of Creative Director.

Grab a coffee, and join us for a chat!

* * * * * * *

TIMESTAMPS:

(00:00:00) Preview

(00:00:30) Intro

(00:02:30) How David got into game development

(00:10:37) What it was like working on Hollow Knight

(00:17:53) What it was like working on Exo One (moving from 2D to 3D development)

(00:23:47) David’s journey starting up Ember League

(00:27:28) Ember League’s debut game

(00:29:26) Excitement and hope in working on games

(00:32:10) Overcoming challenges when working on a game

(00:39:49) The role of Creative Director – what does David work on week-to-week?

(00:47:33) The importance of curiosity

(00:52:22) David’s game dev philosophy

(01:01:00) Game engines, indie game development, and player expectations

(01:08:20) What advice would David give his younger self?

(01:11:56) Outro

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FOLLOW US

David: https://x.com/davidkazidev

Ember League: https://x.com/ember_league

Marina Ryan: ⁠https://linktr.ee/marinaryan⁠

Live Show on Twitch: ⁠https://twitch.tv/marinahascoffee

Quest Markers: ⁠https://linktr.ee/questmarkers⁠

Music by Marina Ryan

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