Best Nicholas Branch Podcasts (2025)

WE DID IT GUYS! We're back to talk about our trips to North America, getting old, Scream films and piercings? *This episode contains no Christmas talk

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Dev Dive #034: PWYFF (Head of Community & Comms, Theorycraft Games) 1:49:02

Play Pause

2+ y ago1:49:02

1:49:02

Today on Dev Dive, Chris joins me for a discussion about his path into game dev as a communications/community leader. We discuss some of the pitfalls you may encounter when entering the scene as well as the personal motivations that Chris used to get into the roles he wanted. https://twitter.com/PWYFF https://twitter.com/theorycraft_inc https://www…

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Dev Dive #033: Riot Afic (Game Analysis Manager, League of Legends) 1:49:54

2+ y ago1:49:54

1:49:54

Today on Dev Dive, Adam joins me for a discussion about the Gameplay Analysis Team (GAT) of League of Legends. We discuss the philopshy of GAT, how they approach balancing the game for such a large group of people, common misconceptions, and pre-season League changes. https://www.twitch.tv/ActuallyAfic https://twitter.com/RiotAfic https://www.Youtu…

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Dev Dive #032: Riot Endstep (Game designer on Systems & Balance) 2:30:43

2+ y ago2:30:43

2:30:43

Today on Dev Dive, Nick joins me for a discussion about Wild Rift, his journey from a math major in college to a Game Designer at Riot. We talk a bit about the differences between PC League of Legends and Wild Rift, the philopshy behind those differences, and what analysis and design at Riot look like. https://www.twitch.tv/endstep https://twitter.…

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15. Ripley's Not So Excellent Adventure 1:30:09

3y ago1:30:09

1:30:09

Chris books a hotel which doesn't exist. Some Ripleys go on an American adventure and Nic looks forward to freezing to death in Canada.

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14. Comedians and TV Tours 2:06:00

3y ago2:06:00

2:06:00

Comedians and bad comedy gigs, memories of the UK's version of Universal Studios and much more besides

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13. The 2021 Christmas Special 2:15:45

3y ago2:15:45

2:15:45

Spiderman No Way Home, Jurassic Park toys, comedy, the Oscars and much much more from an idiot and his super talented author friend.

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12. Plenty of Time To Die! 2:23:27

3+ y ago2:23:27

2:23:27

Chris LOVES Bond. Nic likes Bond. So what do they make of the latest Bond, and what impact has Bond had on their lives?

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Looneys' running the Warner Asylum 1:40:10

4y ago1:40:10

1:40:10

Branch and Ripley are back to talk about Looney Toons, Warner Brothers Studio Stores, Space Jam 2 and why the Looney Toons are not the big franchise they once were among other things Listen to more of Mr Ripley here at The Halloween Half Hour and you can find Nic on Disney Parks and Beyond, That Universal Podcast and My Disney Life…

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Dev Dive #031: Nicholas Zaharias (Gameplay Programmer, Baldur's Gate 3) 2:29:45

4+ y ago2:29:45

2:29:45

Join my discord :D www.Discord.gg/Nighthawk Today on Dev Dive, Nicholas joins me for a discussion about his path to being a Gameplay Engineer at Larian studios, the developers of Divinity and Baldur's gate. There are also plenty of tangents about free content, intellectual property laws about code, and our favorite Australian comedy group Aunty Don…

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Dev Dive #030: Riot Aeneia (Strategic Advisor/Researcher, Valorant) 1:54:00

4+ y ago1:54:00

1:54:00

Join my discord :D www.Discord.gg/Nighthawk Today on Dev Dive, Riot Aeneia joins me for a discussion about her fascinating career as a Strategic Advisor and Researcher for the Valorant team! We had a great time talking about what this role does for the game, how her education and previous roles prepared her for this role, and where improvements can…

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Dev Dive #029: Jared Sartin (Front End Engineer, Magic: Legends) 1:51:32

4+ y ago1:51:32

1:51:32

Join my discord :D www.Discord.gg/Nighthawk Today on Dev Dive Jared Sartin joins me to talk about his career as a Front End Engineer for Cryptic studios working on Magic: Legends! We go in-depth on his education history, varied career path, and his creative outlets outside of gaming. Jared is also the Dungeon Master for a DnD show called Here Be Dr…

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Dev Dive #028: Riste (Livestreaming) 2:33:33

4+ y ago2:33:33

2:33:33

Today on Dev Dive @Risteband joins me for a talk about live streaming, the pervasiveness of negativity and toxicity in Twitch and League culture, what people can do to get inspired and motivated to be better, and how to focus on positivity and personal growth when working on yourself. Discord.gg/Nighthawk Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/1pFg…

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Dev Dive #027: Liquid RedNekra (Esports Community Manager, Team Liquid) 2:38:40

4+ y ago2:38:40

2:38:40

Today on Dev Dive @RedNekra from Team Liquid joins me to talk about community management in esports, how being apart of Team Liquid has changed his life, and how the esports industry will handle the transition back into "normalcy" once the pandemic recedes. Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/1pFgNnwI5nLzuL0ddZAbgS Apple Podcasts: https://itunes…

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Dev Dive #026: Riot Ranger (QA manager, Teamfight Tactics) 3:27:19

4+ y ago3:27:19

3:27:19

Today on Dev Dive we had Riot Ranger on to talk about... everything. Philosophy, space, TFT, League, Esports, etc. Join us for an unscripted conversation about life. Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/1pFgNnwI5nLzuL0ddZAbgS Apple Podcasts: https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/dev-dive/id1451324371?mt=2&ign-mpt=uo%3D4 https://www.Youtube.com/Nigh…

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#10 - Collecting (Back with a bang) 2:15:51

4+ y ago2:15:51

2:15:51

Branch and Ripley return in 2021 with a look at things they / did collect. Also contains tiki drinks and Playmobile

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Dev Dive #025: Riot Afic (Game Analysis Team, League of Legends) 1:41:11

4+ y ago1:41:11

1:41:11

My streaming setup: https://amzn.to/2AzS3Om This week on Dev Dive, Riot Afic joins us for a talk about his job on the Game Analysis Team, how he got into game dev in the first place, and more about the League of Legends pre-season https://twitter.com/RiotAfic Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/1pFgNnwI5nLzuL0ddZAbgS Apple Podcasts: https://itun…

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Dev Dive #024: Dr. Amine Issa (Founder of Mobalytics) 1:10:57

4+ y ago1:10:57

1:10:57

My streaming setup: https://amzn.to/2AzS3Om This week on Dev Dive, I got the chance to talk to Dr. Amine Issa, Founder and "Warchief of Science" of Mobalytics! We had a great conversation about Amine's background in biomedical engineering and how he used his drive to measure and improve human performance to start Mobalytics. There are also some gre…

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Dev Dive #023: Luke Zelon (Founder, Nxt Up Esports) 1:53:50

4+ y ago1:53:50

1:53:50

My streaming setup: https://amzn.to/2AzS3Om This week on Dev Dive, we talk to Luke Zelon, the founder of Nxt Up Esports. Nxt Up Esports is a organization dedicated to becoming the little league of esports, a safe, accessible entry point to young gamers into the esports world. We talk about Luke's company as well as the Twitch saving supposedly dele…

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Dev Dive #022: Riot Gene (Developer Relations) 2:16:35

4+ y ago2:16:35

2:16:35

My streaming setup: https://amzn.to/2AzS3Om This week on Dev Dive, Riot Gene joins us to discuss his career as Senior Developer Relations at Riot Games! We talk about the 3rd party dev ecosystem at Riot, copyright and fair use surrounding Twitch and Youtube DMCA, and more! Gene's twitter: https://twitter.com/gchorba Twitch: https://www.twitch.tv/Ni…

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Dev Dive #021: Riot Xenogenic (Game Designer, League of Legends) 1:23:20

5y ago1:23:20

1:23:20

My streaming setup: https://amzn.to/2AzS3Om This week on Dev Dive, Riot Xenogenic joins us to discuss his career in game design, closing thoughts to the Spirit Blossom even in League, a deep dive into the reasoning behind the infamous "Eternals" system, and more! https://twitter.com/Xenogenic Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/1pFgNnwI5nLzuL0dd…

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Dev Dive #020: Riot Phoenix (VFX Lead, RnD Incubation) 1:23:52

5y ago1:23:52

1:23:52

My streaming setup: https://amzn.to/2AzS3Om On this episode of Dev Dive, we talk to Shannon Mcsheehan aka Riot Phoenix about her career in VFX and how VFX integrates into League of Legends. https://twitter.com/ShannonBerke Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/1pFgNnwI5nLzuL0ddZAbgS Apple Podcasts: https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/dev-dive/id14…

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Dev Dive #019: SpookedJK and RiotLegendLarry (Mental health) 1:48:52

5y ago1:48:52

1:48:52

My streaming setup: https://amzn.to/2AzS3Om Spooked and Larry join us today for a serious discussion on mental health for self employed content creators, the streamer/viewer relationship, and the unhealthy results of donating to smaller streamers Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/1pFgNnwI5nLzuL0ddZAbgS Apple Podcasts: https://itunes.apple.com/…

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Superhuman Street Sharks sponsored by the Deep Pan Pizza Co 2:01:30

5y ago2:01:30

2:01:30

Branch and Ripley are back. Street Sharks, Superhuman Samurai Cyber Squad, Playmates Star Trek, Crappy kids books, Woolworths, Pizza Hut trips and what crap did Nic get from KFC in 1989? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N34MmqmxqD0 Superhero Samurai Cyber Squad https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P4HLBfTcAUg and 5 years later this was The Iron Giant…

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Dev Dive #018: Vivianette and Chris (UX Design) 1:58:35

5y ago1:58:35

1:58:35

My streaming setup: https://amzn.to/2AzS3Om This week on Dev Dive, Vivi and Chris join the show to discuss what User Experience actually is, how it hides in our every day lives, how to properly eat a taco, and why Disney experiences are so heavily curated. twitter.com/vocasiod Phx_Nebuluna Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/1pFgNnwI5nLzuL0ddZAb…

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Dev Dive #017: Travis Gafford (Esports interviewer) 1:11:03

5y ago1:11:03

1:11:03

My streaming setup: https://amzn.to/2AzS3Om This week on Dev Dive, Travis joins us for an awesome talk about his career in esports content creation, a small dip into where COVID is taking gaming events, and how Reddit isn't the end all be all of driving content anymore. Twitter.com/TravisGafford Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/1pFgNnwI5nLzuL…

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Dev Dive #016: SpookedJK (Esports video editor) 2:23:28

5y ago2:23:28

2:23:28

My streaming setup: https://amzn.to/2AzS3Om This week on Dev Dive, Spooks and Nighthawk talk about the struggles new editors face these days, what tools and tricks you should know when starting out, how to get your worth when negotiating with a client, and how to improve your mental health. Twitter.com/SpookedJK Youtube.com/Nighthawk20000 Discord.g…

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Dev Dive #015: Riot LegendLarry and Nighthawk 1:21:44

5y ago1:21:44

1:21:44

This week on Dev Dive, Larry and Nighthawk discuss Mixer shutting down, Twitch's contreversial moderation, why Youtube and Facebook can't compete with Twitch as a live-streaming service. We also get deep on internal biases and psychological reasons why we do things. Youtube.com/Nighthawk20000 Discord.gg/Nighthawk Twitter.com/BenDiPiero Twitter.com/…

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Dev Dive #014: Riot Blaustoise (R&D Researcher) 1:08:20

5y ago1:08:20

1:08:20

This week on Dev Dive we talk with Riot Blaustoise about his tik toks, content creation career, and what the different departments at Riot do. https://twitter.com/Blaustoise https://www.twitch.tv/blaustoise https://www.tiktok.com/@blaustoise Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/1pFgNnwI5nLzuL0ddZAbgS Apple Podcasts: https://itunes.apple.com/us/po…

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Dev Dive #013: Riot Mortdog (Lead game designer, Teamfight Tactics) 1:35:35

5y ago1:35:35

1:35:35

On this episode of Dev Dive we talk to Mortdog, principle game designer at Riot Games and Lead designer of TFT. We discuss his career in game design, his years at Nintendo, some outstanding moments of his life, and what goes into balancing TFT. Thanks again to Mort for taking the time to come on the show, he was a fantastic guest :) https://twitter…

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Dev Dive #012: Riot Cactopus (Communications Lead, Riot Games) 1:28:34

5y ago1:28:34

1:28:34

On this episode of Dev Dive we talk to Riot Cactopus AKA Ryan Rigney about what it takes to be a communications lead at Riot Games. We also get into the difficulties of communicating over text, why people react to things that people say, and what people should learn from their jobs. Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/5sj4mAyqxKZw2LqxOygSAj Appl…

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Dev Dive #011: Riot Ranger (QA Lead) 1:55:16

5y ago1:55:16

1:55:16

On this episode of Dev Dive we talk to Riot Ranger about champion reworks in League, Teamfight Tactics, the struggles of being a F2P game vs P2W, traumatizing halo experiences, and the philosophy of life. Discord.gg/Nighthawk Twitter.com/DevDivePodcast Twitter.com/BenDiPiero Twitter.com/RiotLegendLarry Twitch.tv/Nighthawk20000…

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#8 - Staying at the Winchester with Frankie Howard 2:17:47

5y ago2:17:47

2:17:47

This month, Sequels, Air Travel, The Mandalorian, Hey Dugee, Lego Mario and so much more

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Dev Dive #010: Travystyy, ESL_CJ, (Esports Shoutcasting) 1:57:21

5y ago1:57:21

1:57:21

This week on Dev Dive; we talk to ESL_CJ and Travystyy about amateur shout-casting, how to turn your hobby into a job, toxicity in League (again), and nostalgia for old games. Twitter.com/ESL_CJ Twitter.com/Travystyy Discord.gg/Nighthawk Twitter.com/DevDivePodcast Twitter.com/BenDiPiero Twitter.com/RiotLegendLarry Twitch.tv/Nighthawk20000…

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Dev Dive #009: ESL_CJ (Esports Shoutcasting) 1:16:30

5y ago1:16:30

1:16:30

This week on Dev Dive; we talk to ESL_CJ about amateur league tournaments, coaching LoL teams, the importance of having qualified people working in your small company, and more! Twitter.com/ESL_CJ Twitter.com/DCCSesports Twitch.tv/dccsofficial DCCS Discord: https://discord.gg/29H4H4B Discord.gg/Nighthawk Twitter.com/DevDivePodcast Twitter.com/BenDi…

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Dev Dive #008: Riot LegendLarry and Nighthawk 1:18:46

5y ago1:18:46

1:18:46

This week on dev dive, we're back! We talk to Larry and Nighthawk about their thoughts on working from home, quarantine, toxicity in gaming, and how reddit drives content creation. Discord.gg/Nighthawk Twitter.com/DevDivePodcast Twitter.com/BenDiPiero Twitter.com/RiotLegendLarry Twitch.tv/Nighthawk20000…

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#7 - Phineas and Refurb 2:25:54

5y ago2:25:54

2:25:54

What is going on in this new pandemic world we live in? Theme Parks, Cruise Lines, Home Movies from 1992, Picard, Curb Your Enthusiasm, Construction sites, budget cuts.... No, not a reworking of Billy Joel's 1989 banger "We Didn't Start The Fire", but another episode of Alas Branch and Ripley

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#6 - The Curious Case of Crinkley Bottom 2:16:52

5+ y ago2:16:52

2:16:52

Noel Edmunds’ crappy theme parks, Worthless toy collections, becoming more like Larry David and why kids today don’t even know they’re born. And that’s not even half of it

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#5 - Christmas Memories and Baby Steps 1:26:52

5+ y ago1:26:52

1:26:52

Wait, we STILL DO this podcast? Thanks to Kat, we are back. Christmas Catastrophes, Christmas Memories, and Nic reveal's more stuff about himself then he probably shouldn't. So back to normal then Join Nic and Chris as they take a dive into the swimming pools of their minds and recall memories of weird toy lines, late night TV in the 80's and 90's,…

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Alas Branch and Ripley #4- The Travelling Ripbury 1:46:48

5+ y ago1:46:48

1:46:48

Chris has been to Orlando and we talk about what he's been up to since the last episode. I mean, in theory that's what hat happens, but in traditional AB&R fashion the conversation soon takes some tangents.... Join Nic and Chris as they take a dive into the swimming pools of their minds and recall memories of weird toy lines, late night TV in the 8…

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Alias Branch & Ripley #3 - Superzeros, Michael Keaton, Trains, the 80's and more 2:17:48

6y ago2:17:48

2:17:48

Join Nic and Chris as they take a dive into the swimming pools of their minds and recall memories of weird toy lines, late night TV in the 80's and 90's, meeting celebrities and so much more. It's a random podcast of nothing and everything from the creative minds of The After Dark Network This episode we talk Jaws, Michael Keaton, crap Superhero fi…

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Alas Branch and Ripley #2, Part 2 - Sarah Ferengison 44:09

6y ago44:09

44:09

Join Nic and Chris as they take a dive into the swimming pools of their minds and recall memories of weird toy lines, late night TV in the 80's and 90's, meeting celebrities and so much more. It's a random podcast of nothing and everything from the creative minds of The After Dark Network This episode, Dom Jolly, Eurotrash, SDCC, Star Trek, how Chr…

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Alas Branch and Ripley #2, Part 1 - The Farage in the room 1:41:20

6y ago1:41:20

1:41:20

Join Nic and Chris as they take a dive into the swimming pools of their minds and recall memories of weird toy lines, late night TV in the 80's and 90's, meeting celebrities and so much more. It's a random podcast of nothing and everything from the creative minds of The After Dark Network This episode, Dom Jolly, Eurotrash, SDCC, Star Trek, how Chr…

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Alas Branch and Ripley #1 - Swamp Thing Action Figures, American Gladiators, Bob Mortimer and more 1:59:06

6y ago1:59:06

1:59:06

Join Nic and Chris as they take a dive into the swimming pools of their minds and recall memories of weird toy lines, late night TV in the 80's and 90's, meeting celebrities and so much more. It's a random podcast of nothing and everything from the creative minds of The After Dark Network

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Dev Dive #007 Apple: Marin Rutz 51:41

6y ago51:41

51:41

This week on Dev Dive we talk to our new producer Marin! She has joined our team to help us transform Dev Dive into a more cohesive and enjoyable project. -- Watch live at https://www.twitch.tv/nighthawk20000

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Dev Dive #006 League of Legends: Riot LegendLarry 1:03:27

6y ago1:03:27

1:03:27

This week we talk to Larry about his new job at Riot, and talk more about how to get into the games industry as a newbie. -- Watch live at https://www.twitch.tv/nighthawk20000

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Dev Dive #005 League of Legends: Riot KateyKhaos (QA Lead) 1:00:07

6+ y ago1:00:07

1:00:07

This week on Dev Dive Katey Anthony (AKA KateyKhaos) from Riot Games. We talk about how Katey got her start in the video game industry and at Riot as well as how the skins team works with the rest of the company. We also talk about Riot communication with the community and the positives and negatives of that -- Watch live at https://www.twitch.tv/n…

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Dev Dive #004: Andrew Bangel (environmental artist) 1:13:58

6+ y ago1:13:58

1:13:58

This week we talk to Andrew Bangel, a Environmental artist at Treyarch. This episode covers some of the ins and outs of what an environmental artist actually does, and also goes into detail about why game studios might not always be 100% open with their communities. Watch live at: https://www.twitch.tv/nighthawk20000…

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Dev Dive #003 League of Legends: Riot Kindlejack (Concept Artist) 1:07:37

6+ y ago1:07:37

1:07:37

This week on Dev Dive we're joined by Sunny Koda, AKA Kindlejack who is a concept artist at Riot Games. One of Sunny's latest projects was creating the concept art for Sylas, League's newest champion. We're going to spend this episode talking about what that was like and also spend some time talking about what role concept art plays in champion des…