two & a half gamers – The Real OG Jane Whittaker Unfiltered: 44 years in gaming, Alien vs Predator & Why fun still wins

Summary

Legend alert. In this episode, we sit down with Jane Whittaker, a developer, executive, and innovator whose career spans from coding 8-bit chart toppers and Atari’s biggest hits to shaping the DNA of open-world, survival, and RPGs. Jane shares candid stories from the 1980s video game crash, building Alien vs. Predator with just two programmers, working with Sid Meier and Mike Singleton, and steering giants like EA and MGM.

What’s inside:

Real Video Game History: Jane was there for the 1983-85 crash, recalls million-unit cassette launches, and explains how only 50-60 developers worldwide were “on the bus” for top games.

Indie Roots and All-In Dev: From writing sound drivers without knowing music to doing design, code, and art in a single project, Jane did it all before “indie” was a thing.

Survival Games Before They Were Cool: Building Alien vs. Predator on Atari Jaguar, with just two core programmers, and laying the foundations for survival gameplay, years before the genre blew up.

Open World Royalty: From Mike Singleton’s Midwinter to World of Warcraft landscape architecture and Microsoft Flight Simulator expansions, Jane’s fingerprints are all over gaming’s biggest virtual worlds.

Modding and Crafting Philosophy: The new project, Xenomorph, takes inspiration from Ultima Online and Morrowind, no forced leveling, skills grow as you play, and survival is about tension, stealth, and real decisions.

No AI Shortcuts, Pure Craft: Jane’s team handcrafts worlds, codes original AI, and refuses to cut corners with procedural or generative tools; craft comes first, even if it takes years.

Why Fun Beats Tech: The best games come from small teams, passion, and gameplay-first focus, not big budgets or fancy engines.

Key Takeaway:
Game design that stands the test of time is about creative risk, pure craft, and relentless focus on fun, not just graphics or tech. Jane’s story is a masterclass for anyone building or dreaming of building games.