Games Workshop's Ian Livingstone, Fantasy Knight in Real Life

This week's guest is a founder of Games Workshop, publisher of White Dwarf magazine, creator of the Fighting Fantasy Books and Executive Chair of Eidos Interactive Sir Ian Livingstone. This Knight of the British Empire started a business while living in a van, prevailed through a Satanic panic about his Fighting books, saw the promise of a certain Tomb Raider and birthed a mass media entertainment phenomenon. Now using games for education, we talk getting bonkers exclusives, the 3 G's of gamedev and more - this week!

🎙️ The Fourth Curtain – S3 Ep01: Sir Ian Livingstone 🎲

[00:00:00] – Living in a Van to Build a Games Empire 🚐

• Ian shares how he and his co-founder lived in a van outside a squash club while starting Games Workshop.

[00:08:00] – GenCon, Early Game Distribution & Meeting Gygax 🎲

• Traveling to GenCon, discovering Dungeons & Dragons, and securing the European distribution rights for TSR.

[00:18:00] – Building Games Workshop & Warhammer’s Rise 🏰

• The journey from selling board games to launching Warhammer and revolutionizing tabletop gaming.

[00:26:00] – Fighting Fantasy & Interactive Storytelling 📖

• How Fighting Fantasy books became a global phenomenon and pioneered branching narratives in gaming.

[00:38:00] – Eidos & The Birth of Tomb Raider 🎮

• The story behind discovering Tomb Raider during due diligence and its meteoric rise in gaming and pop culture.

[00:49:00] – The Business of Games & Investing in Innovation 💰

• Ian’s philosophy on game design, the importance of IP ownership, and why gameplay always comes first.

[01:04:00] – Where the Games Industry is Heading 🚀

• Thoughts on the evolution of games, emerging technologies, and the future of innovation in gaming.

[01:11:00] – Closing Thoughts & A Look Ahead 🔮

• Ian shares insights on the importance of creativity, the future of interactive media, and what’s next for him.

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