Step back into the underground world of 90s dial-up piracy as we’re joined by Beast of Quartex, SysOp of Arcadia, once the largest pirate bulletin board system in the UK. From trading disks in the post to running a five-line elite BBS packed with the latest cracked Amiga games, Beast shares how the scene really worked: the hierarchy, the rivalries, and the race to release first. Plus, the secret world of crackers and couriers, and the moment it all came crashing down when FAST raided his operation.

Contents:

00:00 – The Week’s Retro News Stories
50:08 – Beast of Quartex Interview

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Show notes

Sega 32X Elite-Style Game: https://youtu.be/rR-arrDKu3s
Double Baboon Ninja: https://tinyurl.com/3fb748tm
Xbox 360 PS3 Wii U Retro: https://tinyurl.com/yeyn8w6p
Final Fantasy IX Animated Series: https://tinyurl.com/4fsm7b22
PS2 Emulator iOS: https://tinyurl.com/4kefxjpp
New Steve Jobs Video: https://youtu.be/EoM2Y2KO6kU

Alex Sulman joins us to share his journey from typing in code on the ZX Spectrum to designing major titles at Sony, Blizzard, DICE and beyond. We hear about his early days in QA at Sony Cambridge, working on classics like Medievil, Frogger and Primal, and hear behind-the-scenes stories from PlayStation’s golden era, the launch of the PS2 and PS3. Alex also discusses developing 24: The Game, contributing to God of War 3, and bringing his experience to Diablo 3, along with insights into how games were really made during the 90s and early 2000s—and how a simple fanzine helped launch his career. 

Dev to Dev podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/ro/podcast/dev-to-dev/id1836754572

Contents:

00:00 – The Week’s Retro News Stories
57:56 – Alex Sulman Interview

Please visit our amazing sponsors and help to support the show:

Bitmap Books – https://www.bitmapbooks.com

Go to https://surfshark.com/retrohour or use code RETROHOUR at checkout to get 4 extra months of Surfshark VPN!

Play Expo Blackpool: https://www.playexpoblackpool.com/

Check out PCBWay at https://pcbway.com for all your PCB needs

We need your help to ensure the future of the podcast, if you’d like to help us with running costs, equipment and hosting, please consider supporting us on Patreon:

https://theretrohour.com/support/

https://www.patreon.com/retrohour

Join our Discord channel: https://discord.gg/GQw8qp8

Website: http://theretrohour.com
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/theretrohour/
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Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/theretrohour.com
Twitch: https://www.twitch.tv/theretrohour

Show notes

Ex-Xbox Icon Joins Commodore: https://tinyurl.com/3mn8m48b
Lost Star Wars Xbox Game: https://tinyurl.com/2s3sz3w6
New Atari Jaguar Racer: https://tinyurl.com/bdfhdpke
Nightdive Sin Remaster Update: https://youtu.be/Tw5DMMTfk5o
Monkey Island C64 Port: https://tinyurl.com/msct5wnn
Mega CD Dev Kit Milestone: https://tinyurl.com/mry7m64s
Defender Of The Crown Remake: https://tinyurl.com/2rzj577c

This week we’re joined by Vincent Bitetti, former CEO of TDK Mediactive, for a fascinating look at one of gaming’s most unusual industry journeys. Starting in the early days of BBS networks and sound-effect licensing, including iconic properties like Star Wars, Star Trek, and Babylon 5, Vincent helped pioneer digital media distribution before leading TDK’s push into video games during the CD-ROM boom. We discuss how TDK evolved from an audio hardware giant into a multimedia powerhouse, their links to Nintendo and the GameCube era, and the art of spotting market opportunities before they explode.

Contents:

00:00 – The Week’s Retro News Stories
49:14 – TDK Mediactive Interview

The Retro Hour VIDEO Version: https://www.youtube.com/@TheRetroHourPodcast

Please visit our amazing sponsors and help to support the show:

Bitmap Books – https://www.bitmapbooks.com

Go to https://surfshark.com/retrohour or use code RETROHOUR at checkout to get 4 extra months of Surfshark VPN!

Play Expo Blackpool: https://www.playexpoblackpool.com/

Check out PCBWay at https://pcbway.com for all your PCB needs

We need your help to ensure the future of the podcast, if you’d like to help us with running costs, equipment and hosting, please consider supporting us on Patreon:

https://theretrohour.com/support/

https://www.patreon.com/retrohour

Join our Discord channel: https://discord.gg/GQw8qp8

Website: http://theretrohour.com
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/theretrohour/
X: https://twitter.com/retrohouruk
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/retrohouruk/
Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/theretrohour.com
Twitch: https://www.twitch.tv/theretrohour

Show notes

Nintendo PlayStation Prototype Found: https://tinyurl.com/yz2u7yh5
Street Fighter 2 Amazing New Spectrum Version: https://tinyurl.com/ra7f3m4
Mad Dog McCree In ScummVM: https://tinyurl.com/3zsx2xhs
Game Boy Camera Phone Transfer: https://tinyurl.com/uktvuhtn
Saturn’s Last Mystery Revealed: https://tinyurl.com/2u9wde5b