Mike Bithell
@mikebithell.bsky.social
Director of video games. Most recently TRON: Catalyst, previously Thomas Was Alone, Subsurface Circular etc etc
Made a visual effect today for the next thing that was so gross I felt the need to apologize to mother in law when she passed by my screen.
So that’s just right then.
So that’s just right then.
December 25, 2025 at 10:12 PM
Made a visual effect today for the next thing that was so gross I felt the need to apologize to mother in law when she passed by my screen.
So that’s just right then.
So that’s just right then.
Hi new folks, my name’s Mike, next year I’ll begin talking about the next thing I’m making, for now I’m taking a short break from being interesting.
December 25, 2025 at 8:13 PM
Hi new folks, my name’s Mike, next year I’ll begin talking about the next thing I’m making, for now I’m taking a short break from being interesting.
Reposted by Mike Bithell
Almost all writing advice is bullshit — if it doesn’t help you, ignore it. If a piece of advice lights your fire, lean in. There are no rules.
Anyone asserting that writing must be a certain way is an amateur.
Anyone asserting that writing must be a certain way is an amateur.
what is your least favorite piece of writing advice and why? 👀
December 25, 2025 at 6:30 PM
Almost all writing advice is bullshit — if it doesn’t help you, ignore it. If a piece of advice lights your fire, lean in. There are no rules.
Anyone asserting that writing must be a certain way is an amateur.
Anyone asserting that writing must be a certain way is an amateur.
Having cooked and eaten the traditional Christmas dinner, we now move onto the traditional Christmas walk, folllowed by the traditional ‘Mike does some coding while half watching Strictly’
December 25, 2025 at 12:58 PM
Having cooked and eaten the traditional Christmas dinner, we now move onto the traditional Christmas walk, folllowed by the traditional ‘Mike does some coding while half watching Strictly’
‘Pre-peeled’ sprouts, my arse
December 25, 2025 at 11:35 AM
‘Pre-peeled’ sprouts, my arse
Big props to whichever licensing company got rights to _specifically_ the Jim Carrey Grinch movie this year. You absolutely licensed the crap out of it in the uk.
December 24, 2025 at 11:38 AM
Big props to whichever licensing company got rights to _specifically_ the Jim Carrey Grinch movie this year. You absolutely licensed the crap out of it in the uk.
The confusion and conflation of ‘generative ai that is built on stolen artwork’ and ‘machine learning, character behaviour modelling and proc gen’ is intentional on the part of the grifters peddling the former. They benefit from murkiness of classification, because the latter predates their bollocks
December 23, 2025 at 6:08 PM
The confusion and conflation of ‘generative ai that is built on stolen artwork’ and ‘machine learning, character behaviour modelling and proc gen’ is intentional on the part of the grifters peddling the former. They benefit from murkiness of classification, because the latter predates their bollocks
Yes
So are all my cool indie dev friends going to be targeting low end devices next year? Perhaps Steam deck as a target?
Seems smart given the cost of living/RAM prices/graphics card prices.
Seems smart given the cost of living/RAM prices/graphics card prices.
December 23, 2025 at 2:39 PM
Yes
Reposted by Mike Bithell
Perform empathy. Please. Perform the fuck out of it. It's so good to act with kindness. I hope it penetrates to a place where you feel it, too, but if you must act some way, act the right way. I'm not here to judge your authenticity, I just want you to be kind, thoughtful, and mortified by meanness.
December 22, 2025 at 8:38 PM
Perform empathy. Please. Perform the fuck out of it. It's so good to act with kindness. I hope it penetrates to a place where you feel it, too, but if you must act some way, act the right way. I'm not here to judge your authenticity, I just want you to be kind, thoughtful, and mortified by meanness.
If Joseph Kosinski wants to direct it, I’ll watch it
I like to imagine that there is a rivalry between two top ham-sniffers: one, a meticulous keeper of precise traditions, the other a brash bad-boy with a colossal nose.
December 23, 2025 at 12:35 PM
If Joseph Kosinski wants to direct it, I’ll watch it
Literally the second day of getting hired as a graphic designer 20 years ago I got the ‘don’t you dare forget to collapse down the layers’ talk.
December 23, 2025 at 9:22 AM
Literally the second day of getting hired as a graphic designer 20 years ago I got the ‘don’t you dare forget to collapse down the layers’ talk.
Reposted by Mike Bithell
‘everyone in gamedev is using AI’ the business dumdums are using it to generate decks and write bad copy. They think it’s good because they think their basic lore ideas make a good game. that’s it that’s who is using AI
December 21, 2025 at 7:30 PM
‘everyone in gamedev is using AI’ the business dumdums are using it to generate decks and write bad copy. They think it’s good because they think their basic lore ideas make a good game. that’s it that’s who is using AI
In-laws asking me for my thoughts on indie scene drama feels like an important signifier of popular cultural acceptance of games as art.
(My answer was a bit… robust, so I’ll not be sharing on here)
(My answer was a bit… robust, so I’ll not be sharing on here)
December 22, 2025 at 5:09 PM
In-laws asking me for my thoughts on indie scene drama feels like an important signifier of popular cultural acceptance of games as art.
(My answer was a bit… robust, so I’ll not be sharing on here)
(My answer was a bit… robust, so I’ll not be sharing on here)
Reposted by Mike Bithell
One of the most infuriating things about this gen AI nonsense is innocent people having to declare that they don't use it. And the accusation has become a cudgel: produce something that someone on the Internet doesn't like, be it a piece of art or a written work? The accusations come flying in
There is no AI used in Blue Prince. The game was built and crafted with full human instinct by Tonda Ros and his team at
@dogubomb.bsky.social.
It is the result of eight years of development, fuelled by imagination and creativity, and we are extremely proud of what Tonda has achieved.
@dogubomb.bsky.social.
It is the result of eight years of development, fuelled by imagination and creativity, and we are extremely proud of what Tonda has achieved.
December 22, 2025 at 9:09 AM
One of the most infuriating things about this gen AI nonsense is innocent people having to declare that they don't use it. And the accusation has become a cudgel: produce something that someone on the Internet doesn't like, be it a piece of art or a written work? The accusations come flying in
A beautiful time of year, as we gather around the fire, exchange gifts, and fix loved ones computers. No, windows, I don’t want any AI help with that.
December 22, 2025 at 9:07 AM
A beautiful time of year, as we gather around the fire, exchange gifts, and fix loved ones computers. No, windows, I don’t want any AI help with that.
It would seem that the internet has misunderstood my previous statements on the matter, so please allow me to be crystal clear: there are no ancient curses present in our games. [thread]
December 21, 2025 at 8:04 PM
It would seem that the internet has misunderstood my previous statements on the matter, so please allow me to be crystal clear: there are no ancient curses present in our games. [thread]
Fuuuuck that was a banger year (with one notable exception ;D)
Quote this with what you would have said your game of the year was at the end of 2012, if you had one, and what you would say your favourite game of 2012 is now, if it differs
Localisations and early access count, remasters don't. Remakes depend
Refresher list: backloggd.com/games/lib/po...
Localisations and early access count, remasters don't. Remakes depend
Refresher list: backloggd.com/games/lib/po...
December 21, 2025 at 12:45 AM
Fuuuuck that was a banger year (with one notable exception ;D)
The fuck is going on in east London today with the hundreds of cyclists? That’s more near collisions and kids getting hurt than I was expecting to see on today’s coffee run
December 20, 2025 at 2:44 PM
The fuck is going on in east London today with the hundreds of cyclists? That’s more near collisions and kids getting hurt than I was expecting to see on today’s coffee run
The heroes who keep the lights on
Turns out it's really easy to get me to buy indie games on my wishlist by putting them on sale.
I might have only put it on the list because I like the dev, or to help out their steam numbers, but come sale time I'll be like "I don't remember this at all but it's cheap so you know, sure why not"
I might have only put it on the list because I like the dev, or to help out their steam numbers, but come sale time I'll be like "I don't remember this at all but it's cheap so you know, sure why not"
December 20, 2025 at 1:35 PM
The heroes who keep the lights on
This is an important video on a lot of levels, but specifically it’s fascinating how the level of global complicity and support required to prop up apartheid has increased in the digital age. And how distributed and diffuse the infrastructure is. youtu.be/Ybj10537yi4?...
Why We're Boycotting Xbox (and Maybe You Should Too)
YouTube video by People Make Games
youtu.be
December 19, 2025 at 10:12 AM
This is an important video on a lot of levels, but specifically it’s fascinating how the level of global complicity and support required to prop up apartheid has increased in the digital age. And how distributed and diffuse the infrastructure is. youtu.be/Ybj10537yi4?...
Oh hey. The games we made. They’re like cheap and stuff. You know what and where Steam is, yeah? You’re familiar that there’s a sale on this time of year yeah?
December 19, 2025 at 9:07 AM
Oh hey. The games we made. They’re like cheap and stuff. You know what and where Steam is, yeah? You’re familiar that there’s a sale on this time of year yeah?
“We don’t have to be kind, anymore” is a sentiment that seems to be manifesting explicitly and implicitly all over the place. An alarming number of people seem to be relishing the opportunity.
December 18, 2025 at 11:49 PM
“We don’t have to be kind, anymore” is a sentiment that seems to be manifesting explicitly and implicitly all over the place. An alarming number of people seem to be relishing the opportunity.
Got so invested in today’s creative job that I missed like 5 indie game discourses.
I am indie gaming’s ill informed second cousin, invited to the wedding out of politeness
I am indie gaming’s ill informed second cousin, invited to the wedding out of politeness
December 18, 2025 at 5:11 PM
Got so invested in today’s creative job that I missed like 5 indie game discourses.
I am indie gaming’s ill informed second cousin, invited to the wedding out of politeness
I am indie gaming’s ill informed second cousin, invited to the wedding out of politeness
Having a good time working on the next game today. It’s kinda turning into one massive learning project and that’s always where I wanna be. Maybe a product comes out the other side?
December 17, 2025 at 3:57 PM
Having a good time working on the next game today. It’s kinda turning into one massive learning project and that’s always where I wanna be. Maybe a product comes out the other side?