Soundbite: Mark Ferrari on gatekeepers and a cancelled X-Men game
Become a Patron!
The story of a cancelled X-Men TV controller game, as told by former LucasArts illustrator Mark Ferrari, who is a world-renowned and innovative pixel artist responsible for popularising multiple graphical techniques — including dithering, colour cycling, and palette shifting. And an inside look at the downside of having marketing-focused gatekeepers in charge of what products hit store shelves.
Music by Kai Engel, Lee Rosevere, and Evan Schaeffer.
You can listen to the episode I made on Mark's graphical innovations, which doesn't include this story, at lifeandtimes.games. And you can see a few screenshots of the cancelled X-Men game at his website, markferrari.com. It's under 8-bit Game Art Volume 2.
Mark worked recently on a spiritual successor to Maniac Mansion called Thimbleweed Park, along with other LucasArts alums Ron Gilbert, Gary Winnick, and David Fox. If you buy the iOS version via the link lifeandtimes.games/thimbleweedpark, I get a small cut of the sale price. It's also available on PC, Mac, Linux, Android, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and Nintendo Switch.
The Life & Times of Video Games on the Web and social media
- Website: lifeandtimes.games
- Twitter: @LifeandTimesVG
- Instagram: @lifeandtimesvg
- YouTube: lifeandtimes.games/youtube
You can make a donation to help cover running costs and allow me to rely less on freelance income via
- Patreon: lifeandtimes.games/patreon
- or PayPal: paypal.me/mossrc
Please remember to subscribe and to leave a review on iTunes or whatever podcast platform you use. A small donation of a few bucks a month on Patreon would go a long way, too.
