Explore every episode of the podcast Mike & Rami Are Still Here

Why bother? Between the layoffs, the poor sales, the threat of AI, it feels like making video games in 2026 has become a bit of a pointless endeavour.

Mike Rose (No More Robots founder) and Rami Ismail (Vlambeer founder) decide to answer this question once and for all. Should you bother making video games?

Mike Rose and Rami Ismail have been around in video games for nearly 40 years combined, and have worked on a bunch of different games -- but what games inspired, directed and influenced their career trajectories?

Together they discuss 20 games that got them to where they are. Picks include Minecraft, Age of Empires, Papers Please, Golden Sun, Cave Story, and Spelunky.

Mike and Rami have been playing loads of video games, and they decide to actually talk about video games for a change.

They talk Blood of the Dawnwalker, Assassin's Creed, The Incident at Galley House, Big Walk, Blood Dungeon, and more

Bit of a misleading name.

Simon Carless of GameDiscoverCo is on the poddy with us today, talking about analytics and video game history and dealing with Mike's usual bs. Rami still can't believe this is a real podcast. Mike Rose and Rami Ismail host.

It's the first ever Mike & Rami LIVE, recorded at Develop Conference in Brighton!

Huge thanks to Develop Conference for letting us do this ridiculous thing on their stage. Mike & Rami play a 40 minute DnD session, and it goes exactly how you'd  expect. We've got dice rolls, we've got guests, we've got game pitches, we've got the lot.

Time to touch sand.

Mike Rose & Rami Ismail are at Develop Conference in Brighton this week, where they talk about the conference and their memories of it over the years; How they will definitely not be going in the sea; And discuss why the seagulls in Brighton are essentially "sky tanks".

Mike Rose of No More Robots has launched a bunch of video games this year. In this episode of Mike & Rami Are Still Here, Mike goes into details about these game launches with Rami Ismail, including what worked, and what didn't.

Is everyone in video games bad? Are we doomed? Let's find out.

K.I.S.S.I.N.G.

Victoria Tran (Innersloth, Wholesome Games) joins Mike & Rami this week, and tries to understand what the point of this podcast is. In between, she shills her book "Mastering Community Management", answers rapid fire questions, and doesn't have a bucket list.

Six months ago, two old men from the video game industry started a podcast.

Now Mike Rose and Rami Ismail talk through how it's all gone, giving numbers and statistics, and how close we are to our goals. Has it gone well? What could we do better? What's next for the podcast?

Mike and Rami judge what the Game of the Year (so far) is

Pragamata? Mewgenics? Titanium Court? Mixtape? Marathon? Slay the Spire II? Pokopia? Something else? Let's find out!

The Saga Continues.

Mike and Rami have collected 15 questions from our listeners, and now proceed to answer them as quickly as possible. They talk Golden Sun, text adventures, Twitter, distracting Elon's parents, life after love, the ideal sandwich, therapy, and going to heaven in 2027.

15 questions. Three lifelines. $1,000. Part 2.

Rami Ismail is back in the Thousandaire hotseat. Let's see if he can answer all of Mike Rose's 15 questions correctly, and become the first ever Thousandaire.

15 questions. Three lifelines. $1,000.

It's Rami Ismail in the Thousandaire hotseat this week, working his way through host Mike Rose's questions. Can he answer all 15 questions correctly, and become the first ever Thousandaire?

Not bad for a first guest.

Very weird way to do filler episodes, excuse the pun.

Talk about a turn of events!

I thought British people were supposed to be funny.

The gong has returned.

Party tricks. Saudi Princes. Steam pricing.

Somehow, Mike & Rami talk about all three of these topics on the same episode.

So many stories, so little time.

Listen to Mike and Rami waffle their way through a variety of video game industry stories, including tales that reduce them both to tears.

"Survive until 2025", they said. Things will get better, they said.

2025 was bad, and there's not a lot to say 2026 will be better. Mike & Rami discuss what's coming up for the games industry.

Apparently "success" in video games, is when you have loads of concurrent players on Steam -- at least that's what players think. 

Of course, they're very wrong. So then, what is it? Sounds like a good topic for Mike & Rami to natter about.

Mike Rose & Rami Ismail are still, inexplicably, working in the video game industry after too many years of soaring highs, and soul-crushing lows.

In this intro episode, the two industry veterans begin their "Still Here" voyage, and hope you'll be excited to come along for the ride.