But Why Tho? The Podcast

After his panel at SXSW, I spoke to the actor-turned-studio head Abubakar Salim. Surgent Studios' debut game, Tales of Kenzera: ZAU, which is published under the EA Originals banner, is a story about grief. But unlike other forms of media tackling the subject, Tales of Kenzera: ZAU is a vibrant blend of Bantu mythology, each level taking the player through different emotions and quests to process their loss. We spoke with Abubakar Salim about creating Tales of Kenzera: ZAU, the importance of teaching young men that they can cry and feel pain, too, and ultimately, how grief can't be explained as just one emotion.

We interview director Goran Stolevski about his new movie Housekeeping for Beginners. He shares what it's like growing up in a crowded house, working with young and untrained actors, and the importance of throwing away the rules.

CW: This episode discusses child abuse and sexual abuse at great length. This week, Alex, Neysha, and Swara talk about the ongoing Cinema for Gaza fundraiser and the documentary "Quiet on Set."    

Developed by the Open Roads Team and published by Annapurna Interactive, Open Roads doesn't rest on its laurels, which are its lead actresses, Kaitlyn Dever and Kerri Russell. Instead the game's dialogue, choices, and immersive art style is core to this mother-daughter story. We spoke with the Open Roads Team developers which included Amy Fincher (Executive Producer), Noël Clark (Art Director), Aaron Freedman (Engineering Lead), Sarah Robertson (Operations Manager & Associate Producer), and Harrison Gerard (Graphic Artist). In our time together we discussed the story, what they hope audiences will take away from Open Roads as the developer, and the choice behind the game's use of 2D and 3D art styles.

Earlier this month we lost the iconic storyteller, Akira Toriyama. This week, we remember him. 

Jason and Prab review Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire, but is the second lega-sequel in the franchise Firemaster hot or Death Chill cold?

This week, we're talking about the Oscar's. Alex, Kate, and Jason talk about everything they watched (which is more than the voters), what they avoided, and the real snubbs that weren't Margot Robbie.

What do you do when companies are erasing art from existence? What do you do if you never really own media if its digital? Alex, Kate, and Adrian talk about the erasing of Funimation as a platform, the taking down of games, and other general dystopian "you don't own it" corporate attitudes and where piracy fits into it all.

This week, Alex, Kate, and Neysha talk about body diversity in media and how casting thin actresses for buff characters perpetuates outdated and colonial ideas of beauty. 

This week, Alex, Kate, and Jason talk public domain and why everyone collectively went "But Like, What If Steamboat Willy F***ed?" They discuss the immediate reaction to make anything public domain sexy or a horror story from Pooh Blood & Honey to all of the muder-varients of Steamboat Willy.

This week, Alex, Kate, and Matt ask the question: Do people really like sci-fi? Or do they just like space fantasy and think that everything else is boring? 

This week Alex, Kate, and Matt get together to say goodbye to 2023 and talk about all the things they loved in pop culture throughout the year. From video games to movies and why Godzilla Minus One needs an oscar, listen to our last episode of 2023. 

This week Alex is joined by Jason and Adrian to talk about the validity of disliking things, and how sometimes it’s alright to hate stuff, no matter what the internet says. From Star Wars to Fast X and beyond, there’s something for everyone (to dislike).

[From Patreon] Welcome to a new bi-weekly Patreon exclusive show, I Bet You Haven't Seen This. Every other week, Patrons at any tier will get to hear about at least three things we bet you haven't seen and why you totally should. This week, But Why Tho's Senior Editor Jason takes the reigns to walk you through what's on VOD, what's seating in theaters, and what's fleeting from streamers at the end of November. #1: Seating/Streaming — Maestro  #2: Streaming(ish) — The Shadow of the Sun (La Sombra del Sol) (not currently available on VOD) #3: Fleeting — Seahorse: The Dad Who Gave Birth (Leaving Criterion Channel Nov 30 but still available elsewhere) #4: Streaming — Foe (available to buy on VOD) #5: Streaming — Forgotten Love (Znachor)  Check out all of our written reviews on Butwhytho.net

This week, Alex, Adrian, and Kate talk about the appeal of competition as entertainment. From Survivor to The Challenge and Physical 100, the trio talk about why they like watching this specific genre of entertainment and why we're all just a little bloodthirsty in the end.

Wizards of the Coast and Magic: the Gathering have been embracing diversity in fantasy storytelling. With a beautifully adapted Lord of the Rings set that was released earlier in 2023 and The Lost Caverns of Ixalan set, it's a beautiful time to see yourself represented in fantasy in ways that haven't been present before. This month, Magic the Gathering released a stellar Mesoamerican-inspired The Lost Caverns of Ixalan that brought to life gods, places, and the dinosaurs of the Yucatan and reimagined conquistadores as vampires. The set was immediately recognizable as one of the sharpest and most informed explorations of Mesoamerican myth and beauty in fantasy. To talk about this, we spoke with Art Director Ovidio Cartagena about The Lost Caverns of Ixalan, the cards' art inspiration, working with historians, and what it means to represent Latin America in one of the most notable Fantasy franchises in pop culture.

If this week’s episode was a cereal it would be Oops All Recommendations. Listen along as Alex, Swara, and Adrian share the things that have them excited. From manga to TV to games and beyond, if you’re looking for something to love we’ve got you covered. 

Alan Wake II is already set to be one of the top games of the year. With layered horror storytelling and a mixed-medium approach to game design, this sequel to 2010's Alan Wake carries on the legacy of one of gaming's biggest horror-mystery icons. Developed by Remedy Entertainment and published by Epic Games, we got the chance to talk with Creative Director Sam Lake and Game Director Kyle Rowley about Remedy's first survival horror game and revisiting an IP 13 years later. Additionally, we discuss Saga's importance and the uniqueness of bringing in another protagonist hero alongside your titular character and making her just as important. 

This week, Alex, Kate, and Swara skip the news, skip the jokes, and get serious. Whether it's saying, "it's a great year for gaming," when every studio is laying off developers, talking about movies during a strike, or having podcasts while a genocide is being allowed to happen, how do we keep talking about pop culture when the world is so...bad? It's a tough question and one we've been grappling with and today, we talk about it.  How do you keep talking about pop culture when the world is on fire? When everything so terrible that it's hard to keep going? We try to give you our answers.

This week, Alex, Kate, and Matt talk about games as service. Which genres benefit from it? Which ones struggle with the pivot? And, we debate, the question: Sequel versus constant expansions? While live service may bring an eye roll from some gamers, we think they may just be an answer to some of gaming's problems.