{"podcast":{"title":"They Create Worlds","slug":"they-create-worlds-47435","podcast_index_feed_id":47435,"rss_url":"https://feed.theycreateworlds.com/feed.xml","website_url":"https://www.theycreateworlds.com/","image_url":"https://pbcdn1.podbean.com/imglogo/image-logo/798099/tcw-2400-red.jpg","author":"Alex Smith, and Jeffrey Daum","episode_count":258,"summary":"The games we love reveal something true about who we are, and about the world that made them. They Create Worlds is a podcast about the people, technology, and forces that built the video game industry. Through video game history, the show looks at how culture, business, and technology shaped what we play, tracing the choices and circumstances that led to the games so many people around the world enjoy. Each episode digs into where games came from, who made them, and why they were made the way they were. Business decisions, technological shifts, and creative choices all shaped what ended up on screen, and the show covers all of it together, not just one piece in isolation. Hosted by Alex Smith and Jeffrey Daum, They Create Worlds grew out of long conversations about the strange corners of the industry and the patterns that only show up when you look across companies, platforms, and decades. That conversational feel remains, built on careful research, clear structure and editing that makes even the deepest topics easy to listen to. History turns out to be less settled than it looks. New documents surface, memories conflict, and the clean stories about why things happened the way th…","last_synced_at":null,"page_url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/they-create-worlds-47435"},"episode":{"title":"New World Computing","slug":"new-world-computing","published_at":"2026-01-01T00:00:00+00:00","page_url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/they-create-worlds-47435/new-world-computing","show_page_url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/they-create-worlds-47435","url":"https://www.theycreateworlds.com/episodes/TCW249","audio_url":"https://mcdn.podbean.com/mf/web/ph8jt2t7yemz6e7z/TCW249.mp3","summary":"TCW Podcast Episode 249 - New World Computing We look at the rise and fall of New World Computing through the career of Jon Van Caneghem. Coming from the era of the lone programmer as the industry shifted toward larger development houses, Jon built Might and Magic into one of the most influential RPG franchises of its time. We trace the evolution of the series from its early focus on quest driven gameplay, early auto mapping, and the introduction of features like quest logs and reactive character portraits. Along the way, New World Computing briefly experimented with board games, returning to video games with King’s Bounty, a title that would later be reimagined as Heroes of Might and Magic after a marketing push to leverage the stronger Might and Magic name. We examine the company’s shifting publishing relationships, struggles with distribution, and eventual acquisition by the 3DO Company. While Heroes of Might and Magic III brought major success, pressure from 3DO led to rushed releases, excessive expansions, and declining quality across both franchises. As Might and Magic moved into 3D and real time combat, development resources became increasingly strained. The episode closes with the collapse of 3DO, failed efforts to spin off New World Computing, and the quiet end of a studio that helped define computer role playing games. Dedicated to Ember - Beloved cat, and producer of the show. Oct 2008 - Dec 2025. Darkside of Xeen Intro: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_cPFL0NfsRg Ultima I (Apple II): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zI5ypVUk_wk Wizardry (Apple II): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dJhMpPnnXMo New World Computing Logos: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g647Hk4UHkc Star Trek - Terren Empire Logo: https://memory-alpha.fandom.com/wiki/Terran_Empire Simpsons - The…","meta_description":"TCW Podcast Episode 249 - New World Computing We look at the rise and fall of New World Computing through the career of Jon Van Caneghem. Coming from the…","key_points":[],"chapters":[],"topics":[],"duration_seconds":6232,"processing_state":"not_requested","actions":[{"name":"request_transcript","method":"POST","url":"https://stenobird.com/v1/public/podcasts/they-create-worlds-47435/episodes/new-world-computing/transcription-requests","description":"Idempotently request low-priority transcript generation for this episode."},{"name":"read_markdown","method":"GET","url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/they-create-worlds-47435/new-world-computing.md","description":"Read the agent-friendly Markdown representation of this episode resource."}]}}