Edmund McMillen here! Game designer / artist most known for The Binding of Isaac, Super Meat Boy and being featured in the documentary Indie Game: The Movie, but a few may know me from my older work Gish, Time Fcuk, Aether, Spewer, Triachnid and C...

Hey Edmund. Are you happy?

Yes :) im quite happy today, the release went great and its been fun watching people enjoy the new game so much.

i have a baby now! life has changed drastically and im learning how to function in this new world but im loving it lots.

Hi Ed, I love your games! Two questions. It seems like the majority of your games are platformers, from more traditional ones recently like The End is Nigh and SMB, to more physics-based ones earlier in your career like Aether and Gish.

1. Is there something about platformers that draws you to develop those types of games often? It seems like you don't have any difficulty coming up with ideas to keep platformers fresh despite it being a pretty old genre.

2. Issac is a big step outside this pattern, does it interest you to take this even further and develop more games in other unfamiliar genres, like maybe a Super McMillen RPG?

the short answer is platformers are easy to make, so its more fun and quick for me to write around and design than something more long winded like an RPG or shooter.

yes,after isaac i became pretty obsessed with randomly generated games. mewgenics, 0urobos, and fingered were all randomly generated. RNG based games are diffcult to design around because they require so much content to be good.

i hope to eventually pick up mewgenics againwith tyler and dive into RNG hell once more.

What's your favorite game of all time? And favorite movie of all time?

What job will you follow in case you were not a game developer?

i cant choose a favorite anything but ill list some games/movies i watch.

zelda, spelunky,mario,fallout 1&2

movies: el topo, THE ROOM, toxic avenger,eternal sunshine, evil dead2, dead alive

job: if i didnt get fired from my animal control job, id definitely still be doing it.

hey! i love your games! do you ver feel like you've designed something in any of your games that was unfair/poorly thought out that you regret implementing? anything specific come to mind?

yes, i think tboi was poorly thought out, but you guys like it that way so ill leave it alone.

Any estimate as to when the Switch version will be released?

i dont have much control over console releases, thats all tyrone. but i hear the port is looking great so i dont expect it to take that long.

i wont give a timeline though because that has bit me in the ass a few times in the past.

its also going to release on ps4 as well!

My favourite thing in Isaac is Guppy. Whenever I play I obsessively go for Guppy items and shout "Praise the Gup!" whenever I get one. If I never get one, then the Good Gup has forsaken me. To get all three is the Guppy Dream, it has become a small religion of mine, Guppy is my lord and saviour. Cricket is an apostle, the bums are the holy trinity.

Can you tell us a little about the real Guppy? Love the game dude, it's my all time favourite.

when i was an animal control officer i got a call for 7 abandoned kittens, when i got there there were 8 newborn kittens covered in fleas. i knew that they would have to be put down and since one was unaccounted for i brought them all home to danielle to choose one to keep and that one was guppy.

Hey Ed, I'm a big fan of your work, especially Super Meat Boy :D

What exactly is your relation with Super Meat Boy Forever? I'm starting to see teasers from Tommy Refenes, the SMB Twitter, SGDQ ads, etc... but you don't seem to ever mention it. Are you still working on that game?

tommy and i are working independently

Hey Ed - What are the chances of you making more titles based on your older flash games? I'm very excited for Øuroboros!

aether is probably the #1 game id like to make a sequel for. Tyler and i actually made a prototype for it a few years back so its def on the table as a possibility for the future.

0uroboros will be put on hold for a bit but im sure we'll get back to it

Hey Ed, dumb question time. Favorite flavor of ice cream?

Thanks for the new game, I'm currently tearing my fingers off in the future

it would have to be chocolate peanut butter! im also a big fan of peach and black cherry ice cream as well!

but i cant eat too much or i get the "mad shits"

Hi Edmund, how is "the legend of bumbo" going? A General release window yet? And i love "end is nigh" have played ~6h, very fun.

bum-bo is going great, james is slaving away and once the dust settles with the end ill be back on board full time. our release window is december 2017

Are any of your games set in the same universe as others?

all my games are set in the universethat is my brain.

but im attempting to connect some dots when it comes to isaac, time fcuk, the end, and mewgenics

What is your favorite thing about the Binding of Isaac?

(P.s. I love playing Isaac!)

the replayability and themes

What's your worst story from your years as animal control?

almost got mauled by a 120lb german shepherd named brutis that was let loose purposefully by a neighbor in an attempt to frame the owners knowing he would attack people

Ed what keeps you grounded and humble with the multiple successes of your games?

my huge dick. but honestly life keeps me humble. i dont actually think im all that great and im trying to get better and learn from my mistakes.

How would you rate your experience working with Tyler?

between 1 -10 id have to rate it fidget spinner

Why have you decided to compete against yourself in the next great indie platformer(I know they are different partners)?

i cant stop making platformers. ive made 9 of them over the past 14 years, im slowing down but i dont see myself stopping. id like to think im getting better(go check out my first platformer Clubby The Seal)

What has been your biggest inasparation for making games ? and how do you manage discipline?

life has always been my biggest inspiration when making games, all of the themes and stories in my work come from something personal ive experienced, especially the bad stuff.

i dont have much discipline... i have a hard time not working and i work pretty obsessively. its been an issue for ages and its hard to hold together a functional family when im constantly working/thinking about what im working on and what im working on next.

im currently trying to learn how to be ok with not constantly being creative

Hey Ed! I got The Binding of Isaac for free one month long ago on PSN, and since then I've been a huge fan of the games you've made a lot. It's clear The Legend of Zelda has been a huge inspiration for your work, but are there any other titles or creators of games that influenced your creations?

obviously most of myamotos games and his approach to design was super inspirational, esp when pulling from his personal experiences. id say currently jon blow and derek yu are pretty big influence on my work. i like the way think.

Favourite game OST?

for games my favorite soundtracks are katamari damacy, hotline miami, and mewgenics.

Mewgenics?

mewgenics will eventually come out, who knows when, but tyler and i may mess around with its design after bum-bo comes out and see what happens!

Hey Ed,what will you do when someone speedruns The End Is Nigh?

watch it

Hi Ed!

Do you have any opinions/thoughts about the Isaac speedrunning community?

yes, i love them. i love everyone, esp speed runners. start speed running the end is nigh now!

I know you've got a lot on your plate, but are you considering a sequel to Rebirth?

no doubt someday ill do a sequel to isaac, i have a lot of ideas that would require a whole new game but not now!

I noticed you tagged the Indie Game the Movie crew on Twitter earlier this week, could we expect an Indie Game the Movie sequel?

i have no idea what they have planned, but theyre filming me right now. so far 20 hours of footage of tyler eating

Hi Edmund. How did you get the idea for the setting of TEIN? It's really unique. Loving the game so far, but damn you it's difficult!

the setting is based around my interpretation of an emotional apocalypse or even some kind of purgatory/hell setting

How did you managed to make a game as big as the end is nigh in only a year?

a lot less than a year! roughly 7 months. the short answer is we cut a lot of corners. aesthetically the style of the game made it easy for me to make a variety of visuals for the game with little effort and technically the engine we were using for 0uroboros was already in place and being used.

also this is the first time where i didnt design all the levels, tyler designed roughly a quarter of the levels (the harder ones)

After the huge success you've had with Meat Boy and Isaac it would be easy to rest on your laurels. What keeps you going? How difficult is it to generate new ideas and stick to deadlines when you are beholden to no one?

i have a very difficult time mentally not being creative/working on projects so id say delaying my eventual suicide is my biggest motivator :)

Would you ever make a real time strategy game? If so, how would you make it stand out?

i have a design for an rts that i think is super interesting, i cant say why for obvious reasons but id make it stand out with poop and dead things

Hey Edmund i love you, what genres of music you like?

i like all good music, but have a hard time getting into rap, country,and general r&b

Hey Ed, I've enjoyed literally all your games tremendously! TEIN is a masterpiece so far!

Do you enjoy speed-running your own games? Do you have a current PB for how fast you can beat TEIN?

no, im not that good at video games but i like watching

is switch version of afterbirth+ going to get a update anytime soon?

i believe the switch version will get an update once we have a specific booster pack released. but im not completely in control of this stuff.

What mistake stands out to you the most from your latest project that you will try to avoid as best as possible in any future projects?

i cant say yet what mistakes ive made with the end

but i can say the biggest mistake in the past, that ive made repeatedly would be announcing a new project im excited about much too early

I've been a fan of yours since Carrious Welting (sic) on Newgrounds. Where did you get the inspiration for that iconic style?

i was an animal control officer and had to deal with dead and decaying animals a lot, it was very inspirational

Hey Edmund! Wanted to say that you've been a huge inspiration to me and that it's been a pleasure playing your fantastic games through my teen years and into adulthood. I think I've come a long way since reading the design breakdown included in the SMB Ultra Rare edition when I was 13-or-so, but I'm sure I'd be a drastically different person if not for reading that all those years ago. Media analysis and design are my greatest passions, and I think I might owe at least part of that to you. Thanks for directing me to what I love most. I hope one day I can inspire people half as much as you've inspired me.

Anyway here's my question: Who were/are your inspirations as an artist?

And a question from my friend who doesn't have internet right now: Now that there's nothing quite like Newgrounds in its prime and the competition to get your ideas noticed on the internet has gotten so much tougher, do you have any advice for a creative person trying to make connections with other creative people of different skillsets? She asked me to add that you're a role model to her and that you make her want to pursue her artistic dreams, "or whatever."

growing up the things that inspired me most were stuff like garbage pail kids, horror movies, DnD, mtg,zines,weirdo underground comics , community television and just general artistic weirdos.

i wish i knew but id like to believe there are communities out there if you just put in the work finding them, befriending people and getting your work out there.

how did you decide on the name Peach for your daughter?

my wife liked the name peach and i liked the name pj, so we met in the middle and named her Peach Jubilee. technically on paper her name is PJ so if she ends up hating the name she has a lot of options

Hey Ed, I'm loving The End is Nigh so far and I really like the decision for the soundtrack to cover pieces of classical music. Why did you guys decide to do that as opposed composing entirely original music like Rebirth?

the short answer is we wanted it to be done fast. also it just felt correct

Hey Edmund. Do you love us as much as we love you?

water drips on no

Hi Ed! First of All, I've been playing The End if Nigh a few hours now and I'm really enjoying it. So here's my question: Of all the game you created, which one is your favorite and why? (I know it's difficult to pick just one)

isaac, honestly its my favorite because my wife and friends like it so much. so that feels like a success to me and makes me happy.

Hey Edmund, just wanted to say thanks for everything, your appearance on indie game the movie inspired me to start my own project. The passion you have for gamedev and art is inspirational. Thanks so much.
I would like to ask how do you come up with your ideas?
Do you like how the game industry is at the moment or is there anything you would like to see happening?

i base my ideas on real life experiences.

i would like to see the industry or people in the industry express themselves more with their chosen artistic medium instead of constantly talking about it. i feel like it would be more impactful, passionate and moving if people used their work to express their feelings

Do you think of yourself as a game developer or do you feel like you're an artist and designer that sometimes makes video games?

i definitely think of myself as an artist that sometimes makes video games, i think this is the one thing that sets me apart from a majority of other people in the industry

If you could, would you change anything major in The End is Nigh now? Or are you completely happy with the game and are happy with the reaction and feedback from your fans all over?

if i could change one thing id probably add more warp points and show chapter status on pause

I really love the tight controls in The End is Nigh! Feels really great so far :)

Do you feel like tight, precise controls are very high up on your priority list? Also, if you had to choose one, what is the most important aspect for you to focus on, when designing a game?

tight controls are very important in platformers, because the player needs to feel like theyre in control of their mistakes in order to manage their frustration.

the key to a good platformer is making the player feel like theyre in control of a super hero. no one wants to play as a character hindered by reality.

to me the most important aspect to focus on when designing a game is making sure the games themes and design speak to each other in as many ways as possible.

Hey Edmund been a fan since 2001 when I found dead baby dress up on newgrounds. And just wanted to say thanks for the years of enjoyment. And fuck you for pre-buff Lost.

Given how long you've made games and the variety of them, What is a genre of game you would like to make but haven't yet?

RTS, i have a few loose designs for some. its all about having the time to do it

Do you think your creativity has gone down lately? I've seen you talk in your interviews about how pressure and pain was your go-to motivation fuel to make art stuff, and now that you're happy and making money, do you feel like that has affected you?

my creativity has definitely not gone down

the past 3 years for me have been the hardest years of my life and choosing to start a family has made things that much more complicated. money doesnt make people happy and it doesnt fix much

Hey! BoI is one of my favorite games of all time and since it's partially influenced by the Zelda series, I was wondering what other (if any) game series that you grew up playing could be "punched up" with some of that McMillen Special Sauce™?

Thank you so much for everything that you've contributed to the world, my brother and I have bonded time and again over BoI and it's all thanks to you.

ive thought about attempting a mega man, maybe one day

How do you manage to balance your work as a game developer and your personal life? Also, I really love your games!

i dont. this is an issue, i hope i get better.

Hey Ed, which of your games do you personally find the most fun to play?

isaac

Favourite FARGO season?

season 2 easily, probably one of the best seasons of any show ive seen on tv

Hey Edmund, is The end is Nigh a true story in some way?

the end is nigh is based on my experience making video games so its true in a very abstract way

I missed out on the Meat Boy stress balls last time... Any chance we could see some for TEiN?

https://www.reddit.com/r/TheEndIsNigh/comments/6hauz1/ash_is_a_ball_now_bounce_him_as_much_as_you_like/

/u/endcmj made it look pretty appealing!

its possible, tyrone has actually proposed this idea.

fun fact: i did the math wrong on those stress balls and we lost money on top of having to ship out 500 balls :(

Is Afterbirth coming to Vita for real?

i dont know :(

I first learned of you from the documentary Indie Games when it debuted on Netflix some years ago. I strongly admire your passion for your art and the human experience.

My question: Do you feel like you were accurately and fairly portrayed in the film?

yes, but they made me sound more sane than i am, also probably helped that other people said crazier things :)

Hi, Ed! Huge fan of your work!

It always seems like you have a ton of separate projects at once. I mean, even right now there's End of Nigh which you've only just finished, Legend of Bumbo, Ouroboros, and probably more I'm forgetting. What's it like balancing so many projects at once and how do you handle it?

Also if you had the opportunity to eat the pillsbury doughboy, would you?

i tend to have a lot of projects going at once because theres something inspiring about the chaos, its sometimes helpful for me to be thnking about a range of things at once to stay focused and motivated.

Danielle(wife) here, its terrible. send help.

Are we going to see new achievements added in an Isaac booster?

yes. i have something planned in a few months

As someone not entirely in the loop it seemed like The End Is Nigh came out of nowhere. When did work start on the game and how much of your time have you been spending on it recently? Thanks for all your work btw, you've made so many of my favourite games!

so we started work in december 2016, but it was mostly using the foundation of 0uroboros. i worked part time to full time since then and tyler has been working on it full time.

it seemingly came out of nowhere because i wasnt positive that we were going to finish it and didnt want to announce another game that could be stuck in limbo so we played it safe and waited until the last minute to announce and attempt to hype this game.

Good day, Edmund.

I'm curious to know how it is that you use the "language" of video games to create a narrative that complements gameplay. How do you go about designing gameplay mechanics that can also work as story elements?

this is a difficult one to explain. i attempt to take mechanics that abstractly mirror or complement elements of the games story or theme and run them parallel.

for example, the ends theme is stress and pressure, the feeling that something is going to end soon but never does and questioning if all the effort is worth it. i feel that comes through in the games design, story, and theme

Hey Ed, what did you use to make the art and animations in The End Is Nigh and how long did it take you?

i used flash, i still use flash. it took me about 6 months to do all the art for the game, part timeish.

this game was a lot less graphics intensive for me than my other games, due to the flat shaded style. the great majority of time was spent making levels.

When can we expect afterbirth+ for Xbox one and will boosters be available? I'd pay for a quarterly booster pack on Xbox. Love playing Isaac and always want more

i have no clue https://pbs.twimg.com/media/DElSEzpVYAAIUoe.jpg

Yo Ed, any advice for someone new to the indie dev scene who would want to do a one person or small team project? Also how high should a newcomer set their expectations for their first major release? P.S. I've watched Indie Game the Movie countless times as inspiration for trying to get into indie games and have become addicted to watching other indie game documentaries.

i wrote an manifesto about just this , please read http://www.gamasutra.com/view/news/117521/Opinion_Indie_Game_Design_Dos_and_Donts_A_Manifesto.php

what is ash? and are you goinng to challange the completionist again?

youll find out if you play the game a lot and yes i already did

Do you like (single- or multiplayer) FPS games?

multiplayer

What are some games you like to play/ have been playing in your spare time? I know that you're probably busy alot between the baby and making games, but I'm sure you find some time here and there to play some stuff that isn't yours.

yes! i draft MTG every week with my friends, we play cube. my wife and i also play pokemon go a ton with our friends

we also play a lot of party games on the weekends like times up, telestrations, and a heavily modded version of cards against humanity

Any chance you make a new Spewer game or something similiar?

stranger things have happened, but currently no plans.

Hey ed :) Are there any games planned after your bumbo game? (Ps i just wanted to thank you for the binding of isaac you made thousands of hours more enjoyable for me)

i have no games set in stone after bum-bo. BUT id love to take a stab at mewgenics again, maybe aether, or something totally new

hey Ed, im a really big fan of your work. The stuff you've released has definitely gotten me through some incredibly tough times. Isaac and SMB are some of my favorite games of all time and they kept me distracted when i needed to be. Thank you so much for that.

You've inspired me to attempt making a game. And im trying really hard with it. Its incredibly difficult to stay motivated and sometimes i just cant focus on anything.

So my question, how have you persevered through those moments when you had no motivation?? What do you do when those "juices stop flowing"?

thank you.

my upbringing has forced me to be self motivated so it may come easier to me than most. motivation much like everything else is a muscle that can be made stronger by using it

if youre having trouble finding motivation just sit down and start working and do something, once the gears start turning it usually shows up versus just waiting for it strike.

What animal would you choose to be when you get reincarnated?

something that dies fast so i could possibly come back as a human

Hey Edmund, what is the best "so bad its good" movie to watch that I probably haven't heard of?

double down by Neil Breen, i highly recommend all of his movies. also ben and arthur is another lesser known gem

Hey! Love your games, I've spent weeks mastering meatboy and isaac. Can't wait for ab+ to arrive on the Switch (EU).

Can you explain why the eu version takes so long, when the US store has the game since months?

Cheers!

i have no fucking clue https://pbs.twimg.com/media/DElSEzpVYAAIUoe.jpg

Hi Ed! I'm a fan and a game developer. A lot of devs, and I got that impression from you too after watching some interviews and Indie Game (sorry if I'm wrong), tend to be more introverted and/or shy.

How hard was it for you to get used to all of that attention coming from players, media and others contacting you all of a sudden? I'm nowhere close to your numbers obviously, and it's incredible how exhausting and time-consuming (and rewarding as well) it is to reply to all these messages, even if we just reply "thanks". How do you deal with this?

Thanks in advance!

i enjoy talking about my projects because im genuinely excited about them. im definitely an introvert but the past 10 years ive been pushing myself really hard to interact with people more both professionally and personally. its been extremely helpful for my mental health.

when i feel overwhelmed i just turn it off and go back to reality

Hey Edmund, really liking TEIN so far. The game really reminds me of an older game 'An Untitled Story', with it's level design and screen-to-screen movement. Did you draw any inspiration from it for TEIN if you've played it?

i didnt play that one but i love matt thorsons work, he makes amazing platformers and im looking forward to celeste

Heya Edmund! Huge fan.

My question for you is what do you most want to evoke from people playing your games? Frustration and following perseverance seems to be a heavy thing in both TBoI and Super Meat Boy, but what else do you like your players to feel?

i want you to feel how i feel. every game is different but for the most part i just want you to see things from my perspective for a few minutes