Rephonic
Artwork for The Retro Hour

The Retro Hour (Retro Gaming Podcast)

The Retro Hour (Retro Gaming Podcast)
Retro Gaming
Amiga
Sega
Commodore 64
Indie Games
Commodore Amiga
Game Development
Nintendo
Nostalgia
Worms
Playstation
Retrogaming
Street Fighter
Amstrad CPC
Video Games
Atari
Bitmap Books
Kickstarter
Demo Scene
Dreamcast

Your weekly dose of retro gaming and technology news and interviews with industry veterans.

New episodes released every Friday!

PublishesWeeklyEpisodes500Founded10 years ago
Number of ListenersCategories
LeisureTechnologyVideo Games

Listen to this Podcast

Artwork for The Retro Hour

Latest Episodes

This week we’re joined by veteran programmer Colin Porch, whose career took him through some of the biggest names in British gaming history, including Imagine, Software Projects and Ocean Software. Colin shares stories of Imagine’s dramatic collapse,... more

This week we’re joined by video game music expert Matt Ombler, head of music and gaming partnerships at Laced, to explore the incredible world of game soundtracks, from Sonic on the Mega Drive and Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater shaping a generation’s music t... more

This week, we’re joined by Wingham Rowan, creator and host of the pioneering ’90s ITV show cyber.cafe. Long before YouTube, Twitch, Tinder and social media, cyber.cafe explored the strange, funny and sometimes shocking human stories emerging from the... more

This week, we’re joined by Elite Systems co-founder Steve Wilcox for a journey through one of the most important names in British gaming history. Steve shares how a family business in the West Midlands evolved from mail-order cassette games into a ma... more

Key Facts

Accepts Guests
Accepts Sponsors
Contact Information
Podcast Host
Number of Listeners
Find out how many people listen to this podcast per episode and each month.

Similar Podcasts

People also subscribe to these shows.

This Week in Retro
This Week in RetroChris from 005 AGIMA, Jason from The Retro Adventurers, Dave and Duncan Styles
Retronauts
RetronautsRetronauts

Recent Guests

Steve Wilcox
Co-founder of Elite Systems
Elite Systems
Episode: 532: Elite Systems: Inside the 80s Arcade Conversion Powerhouse - The Retro Hour EP532
Glen O'Connell
Former PR Director at Psygnosis
Psygnosis, Rage, EA
Episode: 531: Inside Psygnosis: WipEout, PlayStation and the Rave Generation - The Retro Hour EP531
Stuart Cox
Lead artist at Gargoyle Games
Gargoyle Games
Episode: 530: Inside Gargoyle Games: Stuart Cox on Light Force, Scooby-Doo and ThunderCats - The Retro Hour EP530
Larry Kuperman
Nightdive Studios executive, longtime biz-dev professional, IGDA contributor
Nightdive Studios, Stardock, IGDA
Episode: 529: Nightdive, Stardock and the Business of Saving Classic Games: Larry Kuperman - The Retro Hour EP529
John Mathieson
Father of Atari Jaguar hardware, veteran engineer
Independent researcher/engineer (former Sinclair, Konix, Nvidia)
Episode: 528: The Man Behind the Atari Jaguar: John Mathieson- The Retro Hour EP528
Jo Cook
Writer for Amstrad Action; daughter of PD library founder, King Arthur's Domain
Amstrad Action, King Arthur's Domain
Episode: 527: The Untold Story of the Amstrad Scene PD Libraries, Magazines and More - The Retro Hour EP527
Doc Mack
Main person behind Galloping Ghost Arcade and interviewee
Galloping Ghost Arcade
Episode: 526: Galloping Ghost: The Story of America’s Biggest Arcade - The Retro Hour EP526
Craig Bass
Filmmaker working on Ghostlord and the Quest for Dark Presence
Film/Documentary
Episode: 526: Galloping Ghost: The Story of America’s Biggest Arcade - The Retro Hour EP526
Alexander Danielian
Retail manager at Electronics Boutique Sunset Galleria during the Dreamcast launch
Electronics Boutique (Sunset Galleria)
Episode: 525: 9/9/99: What Really Happened on Dreamcast Launch Day - The Retro Hour EP525

Hosts

Dan Wood
Host of The Retro Hour Podcast with a focus on retro gaming history, hardware, and industry stories.
Joe Fox
Co-host with a penchant for guest interviews and industry insights, contributing to news breaks and historical context.
Ravi Abbott
Co-host covering news, nostalgia, and guest integrations with a hands-on understanding of retro ecosystems.

Reviews

4.8 out of 5 stars from 1k ratings
  • Great podcast

    Brilliant interviews from the industry and the latest retro news.

    Apple Podcasts
    5
    0044512
    Ireland3 months ago
  • Boring

    Has become very boring. Loads of adverts,self promotion and E-BEGGING.

    It’s the same show every week. Also they are running out of guests, basically they would interview you if you worked in the canteen.

    Apple Podcasts
    1
    =-Noodles=-
    United Kingdom3 months ago
  • Congratulations!

    5 stars for over 500 episodes! Congratulations!

    Apple Podcasts
    5
    suspectmonkey
    United Kingdom5 months ago
  • A must listen for historical computing

    Thank you. Your show is a must listen for me. I grew up really disappointed with computer graphics as a kid. My younger brother bought a C64 that he wouldn’t let me play with and I remember how long it took to load games, so much so, I would go out and play with the dog for an hour. When the finally loaded I turned to him and said, he should sue for false advertising. It looked nothing like the box art. It wasn’t until later when I saved up money over various years, I caught a train down to Croy... more

    Apple Podcasts
    5
    shades_aus
    Australia7 months ago
  • 70% Ads

    Preroll ads, then hosts open show up with ads. The first half are retro news stories, but are mostly nonretro things to buy, so more ads. Then an ad break and the guest. This show has fallen way off in recent years.

    Apple Podcasts
    1
    KeyboardG
    United Statesa year ago

Listeners Say

Key themes from listener reviews, highlighting what works and what could be improved about the show.

Listeners praise the strong interviews and nostalgic storytelling, often highlighting deep industry insights.
sources_summary_explanation_for_pitches_and_sponsorships
Fans appreciate the breadth of guests, from developers to archivists, and the sense of community.
Critics note occasional format fatigue but many still value the historical depth and host chemistry.
Some listeners feel the show has too many ads and filler content in recent episodes.

Chart Rankings

How this podcast ranks in the Apple Podcasts, Spotify and YouTube charts.

Talking Points

Recent interactions between the hosts and their guests.

530: Inside Gargoyle Games: Stuart Cox on Light Force, Scooby-Doo and ThunderCats - The Retro Hour EP530
Q: Why did the ThunderCats NES port not come to fruition, and what was distinctive about that version?
The NES version required a different graphics system entirely; it was redone for 6502, with smaller sprites and a Mario-esque, more child-friendly aesthetic, but ultimately the project was not completed, possibly due to licensing or business reasons.
530: Inside Gargoyle Games: Stuart Cox on Light Force, Scooby-Doo and ThunderCats - The Retro Hour EP530
Q: What was the development philosophy behind Light Force and its 'lasermation' approach?
We aimed for a bold, color-rich shooter on limited hardware; we used clever programming to avoid color clash, avoided continuous scrolling, and focused on a dramatic, fast-paced experience inspired by Star Force and arcade shooters.
530: Inside Gargoyle Games: Stuart Cox on Light Force, Scooby-Doo and ThunderCats - The Retro Hour EP530
Q: How did Gargoyle approach licensing and creating Scooby-Doo under Elite's license?
Elite had the license and asked Gargoyle to deliver a game quickly; we rebuilt Scooby-Doo from the ground up in about six weeks, creating an original game rather than a direct clone, and we did it with our own internal tools and workflows.
531: Inside Psygnosis: WipEout, PlayStation and the Rave Generation - The Retro Hour EP531
Q: What was it like writing for the Liverpool Echo while you were also working at Psygnosis, and how did that influence your later PR work?
He describes running a weekly column on games reviews and news, obtaining free rentals from shops, and how that journalism experience helped him translate technical game features for a broad audience, shaping his future PR approach.
531: Inside Psygnosis: WipEout, PlayStation and the Rave Generation - The Retro Hour EP531
Q: How did you get started in the industry and eventually end up at Psygnosis?
Glen explains his early exposure to games and music, his transition from writing for local newspapers to Psygnosis, and how testing and QA served as a gateway into more senior marketing and publishing roles within the company.

Audience Metrics

Listeners, social reach, demographics and more for this podcast.

Listeners per Episode
Gender Skew
Location
Interests
Professions
Age Range
Household Income
Social Media Reach

Frequently Asked Questions About The Retro Hour

What is The Retro Hour about and what kind of topics does it cover?

This show blends weekly retro gaming news with long-form interviews from industry veterans, creators, and archivists. Episodes frequently center on historic publishers, hardware, licensing, and the culture surrounding classic consoles, with deep dives into specific groups, eras, or iconic titles. A standout trait is the consistent mix of nostalgia with technical storytelling, often pairing anecdotes from developers and publishers with context about how the industry evolved. It's especially valuable for listeners who want behind-the-scenes history, preservation perspectives, and intimate looks at the people who built retro gaming's legacy, though some episodes lean heavily toward Amiga/UK-centric history and licensing stories.

Where can I find podcast stats for The Retro Hour?

Rephonic provides a wide range of podcast stats for The Retro Hour. We scanned the web and collated all of the information that we could find in our comprehensive podcast database. See how many people listen to The Retro Hour and access YouTube viewership numbers, download stats, audience demographics, chart rankings, ratings, reviews and more.

How many listeners does The Retro Hour get?

Rephonic provides a full set of podcast information for three million podcasts, including the number of listeners. View further listenership figures for The Retro Hour, including podcast download numbers and subscriber numbers, so you can make better decisions about which podcasts to sponsor or be a guest on. You will need to upgrade your account to access this premium data.

What are the audience demographics for The Retro Hour?

Rephonic provides comprehensive predictive audience data for The Retro Hour, including gender skew, age, country, political leaning, income, professions, education level, and interests. You can access these listener demographics by upgrading your account.

How many subscribers and views does The Retro Hour have?

To see how many followers or subscribers The Retro Hour has on Spotify and other platforms such as Castbox and Podcast Addict, simply upgrade your account. You'll also find viewership figures for their YouTube channel if they have one.

Which podcasts are similar to The Retro Hour?

These podcasts share a similar audience with The Retro Hour:

1. This Week in Retro
2. Retro Asylum - The UK's No.1 Retro Gaming Podcast
3. Retro Gaming Discussion Show
4. Retronauts
5. The Cane and Rinse videogame podcast

How many episodes of The Retro Hour are there?

The Retro Hour launched 10 years ago and published 500 episodes to date. You can find more information about this podcast including rankings, audience demographics and engagement in our podcast database.

How do I contact The Retro Hour?

Our systems regularly scour the web to find email addresses and social media links for this podcast. We scanned the web and collated all of the contact information that we could find in our podcast database. But in the unlikely event that you can't find what you're looking for, our concierge service lets you request our research team to source better contacts for you.

Where can I see ratings and reviews for The Retro Hour?

Rephonic pulls ratings and reviews for The Retro Hour from multiple sources, including Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Castbox, and Podcast Addict.

View all the reviews in one place instead of visiting each platform individually and use this information to decide if a show is worth pitching or not.

How do I access podcast episode transcripts for The Retro Hour?

Rephonic provides full transcripts for episodes of The Retro Hour. Search within each transcript for your keywords, whether they be topics, brands or people, and figure out if it's worth pitching as a guest or sponsor. You can even set-up alerts to get notified when your keywords are mentioned.

What guests have appeared on The Retro Hour?

Recent guests on The Retro Hour include:

1. Steve Wilcox
2. Glen O'Connell
3. Stuart Cox
4. Larry Kuperman
5. John Mathieson
6. Jo Cook
7. Doc Mack
8. Craig Bass

To view more recent guests and their details, simply upgrade your Rephonic account. You'll also get access to a typical guest profile to help you decide if the show is worth pitching.

Find and pitch the right podcasts

We help savvy brands, marketers and PR professionals to find the right podcasts for any topic or niche. Get the data and contacts you need to pitch podcasts at scale and turn listeners into customers.
Try it free for 7 days