529: Nightdive, Stardock and the Business of Saving Classic Games: Larry Kuperman - The Retro Hour EP529
MAY 1, 2026110 MIN
529: Nightdive, Stardock and the Business of Saving Classic Games: Larry Kuperman - The Retro Hour EP529
MAY 1, 2026110 MIN
Description
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<p>This week, we’re joined by Larry Kuperman, former VP of Business Development at Nightdive Studios, former Business Development Manager at GameStop, Stardock veteran, and co-founder of the IGDA Ann Arbor Chapter. Larry shares incredible stories from the business side of games, from discovering Wolfenstein 3D on a mighty 486, selling custom PCs in the ’90s, and Stardock’s early digital distribution gamble, to GameStop’s attempt to compete with Steam and Nightdive’s mission to bring classics like Turok, System Shock, Star Wars: Dark Forces and more back to life. We also dig into DRM, lost source code, game preservation, and why classic games are art worth saving.</p><p>Contents:</p><p>00:00 – The Week’s Retro News Stories<br>49:20 – Larry Kuperman Interview</p><p>Please visit our amazing sponsors and help to support the show:</p><p>Bitmap Books – <a href="https://www.bitmapbooks.com">https://www.bitmapbooks.com</a></p><p>Go to <a href="https://surfshark.com/retrohour">https://surfshark.com/retrohour</a> or use code RETROHOUR at checkout to get 4 extra months of Surfshark VPN!</p><p>Nottingham Gaming Market: <a href="https://www.nottinghamgamingmarket.com/">https://www.nottinghamgamingmarket.com/</a></p><p>Check out PCBWay at <a href="https://pcbway.com">https://pcbway.com</a> for all your PCB needs</p><p>We need your help to ensure the future of the podcast, if you’d like to help us with running costs, equipment and hosting, please consider supporting us on Patreon:</p><p><a href="https://theretrohour.com/support/">https://theretrohour.com/support/</a></p><p><a href="https://www.patreon.com/retrohour">https://www.patreon.com/retrohour</a></p><p>Join our Discord channel: <a href="https://discord.gg/GQw8qp8">https://discord.gg/GQw8qp8</a></p><p>Website: <a href="http://theretrohour.com">http://theretrohour.com</a><br>Facebook: <a href="https://www.facebook.com/theretrohour/">https://www.facebook.com/theretrohour/</a><br>X: <a href="https://twitter.com/retrohouruk">https://twitter.com/retrohouruk</a><br>Instagram: <a href="https://www.instagram.com/retrohouruk/">https://www.instagram.com/retrohouruk/</a><br>Bluesky: <a href="https://bsky.app/profile/theretrohour.com">https://bsky.app/profile/theretrohour.com</a><br>Twitch: <a href="https://www.twitch.tv/theretrohour">https://www.twitch.tv/theretrohour</a></p><p>Show notes</p><p>VCF Bomb Scare: <a href="https://tinyurl.com/c4k2kb27">https://tinyurl.com/c4k2kb27</a><br>Resi 4 On Dreamcast: <a href="https://tinyurl.com/ud4v8t69">https://tinyurl.com/ud4v8t69</a><br>Commodore 64C Returns: <a href="https://commodore.net/">https://commodore.net/</a><br>GoatBeat Hits C64: <a href="https://tinyurl.com/4cebch5b">https://tinyurl.com/4cebch5b</a><br>Majora’s Mask On Vita: <a href="https://tinyurl.com/8dzxj937">https://tinyurl.com/8dzxj937</a><br>Warhammer Classics Return: <a href="https://youtu.be/crVfMM3by_k">https://youtu.be/crVfMM3by_k</a></p></div>