Welcome back to 🍻The Tavern🍺

In Part 1 of our chat with Guillaume Boucher-Vidal — founder and CEO of @ninedotsstudio (Outward, Outward 2) — we pull back the curtain on the real, behind-the-scenes story of how an indie RPG studio went from nothing to selling over 3 million copies of their game.

💬 We talk about:

• The early days of Nine Dots Studio
• How to survive (and thrive) in game development without AAA backing
• Publisher relationships and the reality of working with funding partners
• What it really means when your game earns over $60 million USD
• How the success of Outward shaped the studio’s future

If you’ve ever wondered how indie games actually get made, and how the business side plays out when you’re not a giant corporation - this one’s for you.

🍻 From The Tavern:
Side Quests & Save Points is your weekly RPG & MMO podcast, where the main quest is optional and the side quests are essential.

New episodes every Monday. Shorts and longform clips throughout the week.

▶️ Youtube:

https://www.youtube.com/@chefmonkeygaming

💬 Join The Tavern (Discord):
https://discord.gg/73KfecTgEW

🎶 Music Credit:
Huge shoutout to Fraser Edwards for the incredible track featured in this episode.
🎵 Listen to “The Adventure”: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bBOw_KnHDEU

📜 Algorithm Gods Offering:
#RPG #IndieGames #GamingPodcast #GameDevelopment #Outward #NineDotsStudio #MMORPG #SideQuestsAndSavePoints

🎙️ Side Quests & Save Points – Episode 1 (Full Episode)

Featuring special guest: @RinKarigani

Welcome to The Tavern, adventurer — you’ve found your save point.

In our very first episode, we’re joined by Rin Karigani, Twitch Partner and Capcom Creator, for a genre-spanning deep dive into the worlds of RPGs and MMOs. From iconic boss fights and evolving combat systems to the chaos of content creation, we proudly ignore the main quest in favor of the real adventures.

This episode is packed with:

• The evolution of Monster Hunter and FFXIV combat

• Rin’s first RPG love (yes, it involves Disney and keyblades)

• MMO burnout, social systems, and how player housing became high-stakes real estate

• The beautiful mess that is Yakuza

• The current state of in-game monetisation (EXP boosts, cosmetics, shop systems)

• The real talk on content creation highs and lows

• And the upcoming RPGs we can’t wait to lose sleep over

Grab your favourite drink, pull up a chair, and get comfortable — it’s time for your next side quest.

🍻 Join The Tavern:
Discord → https://discord.gg/73KfecTgEW

📺 Watch the Episode on YouTube:
https://youtu.be/-RO7144TpaY (Part 1)
https://youtu.be/3X4CQtB_wWg (Part 2)
https://youtu.be/tDqJcm8em3M (Part 3)

🔗 Follow Us Online:
Twitter (X): https://x.com/sqsppodcast
BlueSky: https://bsky.app/profile/sqsppodcast.bsky.social
YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/@chefmonkeygaming

🔥 Guest: Rin Karigani
Twitch: https://twitch.tv/RinKarigani
Twitter (X): https://x.com/RinKarigani
YouTube: https://youtube.com/RinKarigani

🎶 Music Credit:
Huge shoutout to Fraser Edwards for the incredible track featured in this episode.
🎵 Listen to “The Adventure”: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bBOw_KnHDEU

Welcome back to The Tavern.In Part 3 of our chat with Rin Karigani, we’re talking about the price of adventure - and no, not just in gil or gold.From EXP boosts and in-game shops to cosmetic content and DLC's, we explore how monetisation systems are changing the world of RPGs and MMOs. Some of it works. Some of it doesn’t. Some of it makes us want to roll a D20 for sanity.We also dive into the real side of content creation - the highs, the burnout, the community wins, and why we keep hitting record anyway.And of course, we wrap things up by talking about the upcoming games we’re excited for this year.Grab your favourite drink and pull up a chair - it’s time for another deep dive.🎧 Catch up on the rest of the episode:▶️ Part 1: https://youtu.be/-RO7144TpaY▶️ Part 2: https://youtu.be/3X4CQtB_wWg🎙️ Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/episode/0Gd7pcAL5PYzySXoODSGNi?si=3a8M-SXgTU-leBH8U67AeQ🍻 Join The Tavern Discord for extra discussion, behind-the-scenes chats and RPG/MMO chaos:https://discord.gg/73KfecTgEW🔗 Follow the podcast:Twitter (X): https://x.com/sqsppodcastBlueSky: https://bsky.app/profile/sqsppodcast.bsky.socialYouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/@chefmonkeygaming🔥 Guest: Rin KariganiTwitch: https://twitch.tv/RinKariganiTwitter (X): https://x.com/RinKariganiYouTube: https://youtube.com/RinKarigani🎶 Music Credit:Huge shoutout to https://youtube.com/@FraserEdwards for the incredible track featured in this episode. Check it out here:👉 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bBOw_KnHDEU🙏 Algorithm Gods Offering:#MMORPG #RPGGames #InGameShop #EXPBoost #ContentCreation #GamingPodcast #VideoGames #SideQuestsAndSavePoints #UpcomingGames

The party's far from over at The Tavern.In Part 2 of our chat with Rin Karigani, we dive deep into the weird and wonderful world of MMORPGs. From high-end raids to genre trends, what’s working and what’s not, and whether we’re all just chasing the next dopamine drop in digital dungeons. Oh, and we also wander into the chaotic streets of Yakuza, because of course we do. That’s how side quests work.We even chat about player housing in World of Warcraft, because nothing says community like arguing over where to put your bookshelf.📰 Mentioned in this episode:👉 Blizzard’s Player Housing Announcement – "Building in Azeroth"🎧 Watch Part 1 here:▶️ YouTube: https://youtu.be/-RO7144TpaY🎙️ Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/episode/0Gd7pcAL5PYzySXoODSGNi?si=3a8M-SXgTU-leBH8U67AeQ🍻 Join The Tavern Discord for more MMO ramblings, RPG nonsense and community chaos:https://discord.gg/73KfecTgEW🔗 Follow the podcast for more tales from the Tavern:Twitter (X): https://x.com/sqsppodcastBlueSky: https://bsky.app/profile/sqsppodcast.bsky.socialYouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/@chefmonkeygaming🔥 Guest: Rin KariganiTwitch: https://twitch.tv/RinKariganiTwitter (X): https://x.com/RinKariganiYouTube: https://youtube.com/RinKarigani🎶 Music Credit:Huge shoutout to https://youtube.com/@FraserEdwards for the incredible track featured in this episode. Check it out here:👉 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bBOw_KnHDEU

🙏 Algorithm Gods Offering:#MMORPG #FinalFantasyXIV #WorldOfWarcraft #wowclassic #Yakuza #LikeaDragon #GamingPodcast #VideoGames #SideQuestsAndSavePoints #sega

Welcome to the first ever episode of 🎙️Side Quests & Save Points💾, the podcast where we proudly ignore the main quest in favour of all the distractions that make the adventure worth it.

In Part 1 of this debut episode, I’m joined by Rin Karigani - Twitch Partner, Capcom Creator, Monster Hunter veteran, and high-end raider in Final Fantasy XIV - to chat about his gaming journey, his love for RPGs and MMOs, and how these genres shaped his experience as both a player and creator.

This episode touches on:

• RPG and MMO genre passion
• Monster Hunter
• The world of FFXIV raiding
• Early gaming influences

Whether you’re a seasoned adventurer or a side quest addict, you’re in good company here.

🗓️ New episodes drop every Monday – so grab a drink, get comfortable, and let’s dive in.

💬 Join the CommunityCome hang out in The Tavern Discord – our community hub for RPG talk, MMO chaos, memes, and more:👉 https://discord.gg/TCnSdcq3w4

📢 Guest Links – Rin Karigani:Twitch: https://twitch.tv/RinKarigani
X (Twitter): https://x.com/RinKarigani
YouTube: https://youtube.com/RinKarigani

📱 Follow Chef MonkeyTwitch: https://twitch.tv/chefmonkeygaming
X (Twitter): https://twitter.com/ChefMonkeyGames
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/chefmonkeygaming
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@chefmonkeygaming
TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@chefmonkeygaming
BlueSky: https://bsky.app/profile/chefmonkeygaming.bsky.social

🎙️ Follow the Podcast:X (Twitter): https://x.com/sqsppodcast
BlueSky: https://bsky.app/profile/sqsppodcast.bsky.social

🎶 Music Credits:Big shoutout to @FraserEdwards for the incredible track featured in this episode - check it out here:
👉 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bBOw_KnHDEU

🎵 "The Adventure" – Spotify Album Link

If you enjoyed the episode, tag us on X or BlueSky, tell a friend, or come yell about your favourite side quest in the Discord. See you next Monday!