Two Blue Prince interviews, seven months apart (Tonda Ros) (Patreon)

Today’s episode is a year in the making.

During last Christmas break, having read my 500th best-of list, my tummy stuffed full of a turkey sandwich, and my brain a little buzzed on mulled wine, I had an idea for my own end-of-year feature.

What if I spoke with the creator of the game of the year both before their game came out and then again, months later, as the awards began to trickle in? Imagine how different they might be, swimming in their vault of gold coins! Or perhaps I’d discover how little had changed!

This episode may be the closest I ever get. It's a huge project spanning seven months and two jobs. I first spoke with Tonda Ros, the creator of Blue Prince, days before that game's release. And just this week, ahead of The Game Awards, we chatted again. How does a critically adored game with a player count over 2 million change its creator's life?

This week on Post Games, "Life Before and After Releasing Blue Prince":

Act 1: The Days Before Blue Prince

Patreon bonus: The Magic site that made Blue Prince possible

Act 2: The Days Before The Game Awards

Patreon bonus: Blue Prince: The Movie? Blue Prince 2?

Act 3: News of the Week

Act 1: The Days Before Blue Prince

Blue Prince (Steam)

Blue Prince review – exploring this game may become your new obsession (The Guardian)

Dogubomb's official site (dogubomb.com)

The Eight-Year Journey Behind ‘Blue Prince,’ the Year’s Best-Reviewed Video Game (Bloomberg)

Patreon bonus: The Website That Made Blue Prince Possible

Mystic Spoiler (mythicspoiler.com)

Magic: The Gathering official news (MTG)

Zelda 2 (Wiki)

Nightmare Alley (1947) (JustWatch)

Act 2: The Days Before The Game Awards

Blue Prince Developer Reacts to 11 Minute Speedrun (IGN)

Blue Prince's final puzzle is impossible to solve (Polygon)

My Favorite Game of 2025 Didn't Even Get Nominated for GOTY, But You Should Definitely Play It  (Game Rant)

Tetris wouldn't win at The Game Awards — a new category could fix that (Polygon)

Patreon bonus: A Blue Prince movie? A sequel?

Maze: Solve the World's Most Challenging Puzzle (Wiki)

Myst (Steam)

Dominion (Wiki)

Ascension (Steam)

Films directed by Krzysztof Kieślowski (Letterboxd)

Films directed by Terrence Malick (Letterboxd)

Films directed by David Lynch (Letterboxd)

Films directed by the Coen Brothers (Letterboxd)

Films directed by Alfred Hitchcock (Letterboxd)

Films directed by David Fincher (Letterboxd)

Act 3: News of the Week

Fallout Season Two Official Trailer | Prime Video (YouTube)

Horses: Official Page (horses.wtf)

Why is horses banned from Steam? (horses.wtf)

The ESRB just leaked a Death Stranding 2 PC port, and I think we can say bye-bye to Jim Ryan's '2 or 3 year' wait for PlayStation games on PC (PC Gamer)

This week in video game links

Studying Toad From Mario To Become One of Them (Juniper Dev)

The Best (And Worst) Xbox 360 Moments (Kotaku)

Activists Are Using Fortnite to Fight Back Against ICE (Wired)

Microsoft's head of AI doesn't understand why people don't like AI, and I don't understand why he doesn't understand because it's pretty obvious (PCGamer)

I Built A Retro Switch 2 Dock! (Joel Creates)

Outlaws Remaster Review: LucasArts' "Forgotten" FPS Gets The Nightdive Treatment (Digital Foundry)

The Most Disturbing Fake Video Game (Super Eyepatch Wolf)

The Need To Be Uncomfortably Flexible (Unwinnable)

Free game of the week: Z.A.T.O. // I Love the World and Everything In It 

Steam summary: “USSR, 1986. A girl goes missing in the closed city of Vorkuta-5, yet not a soul seems to be concerned. Uncover the mystery behind her disappearance and transmit your signal to the universe.” (Steam)

What else I’m enjoying

Kyle M - Mrs. Claus is Getting Down (Official Music Video) (Kyle Mooney)

The Wizard of Oz at Sphere Is Nightmare Fuel (Be Kind Rewind)

The Good and Bad of Godzilla Minus One | Video Essay (Accented Cinema)

Teenage Wasteland trailer (Film Forum)

Vine walked so TikTok could run | Version History (The Verge)

I Live 500 Feet From A Bitcoin Mine. My Life Is Hell. (More Perfect Union)