Gareth Damian Martin on making indie hit Citizen Sleeper and what's next Eurogamer.net If you click on a link and make a purchase we may receive a small commission. Read our editorial policy. Gareth Damian Martin on making indie hit Citizen Sleeper and what's next Episode now available to all. Podcast by Robert Purchese Senior Staff Writer Updated on 30 May 2022 1 comment We keep coming back to puppetry as a running theme, and that's because, much to my surprise, Citizen Sleeper creator Gareth Damian Martin is a trained puppeteer. When they ran out of time to apply to art college, they chose puppetry instead, which would eventually take them into a career in theatre design, where they learned lots of valuable lessons - one of them being dealing with un-moveable deadlines by planning only what can be done in time. That's how they made Citizen Sleeper in two years, and how they were able to plan a break before launch so they could return refreshed for it. So that's how I find Damian Martin today: refreshed, calm and smiling. They've got good reason to smile of course: Citizen Sleeper appears to have been a big success. Because of Game Pass, it's being played by many, many more people than Damian Martin's previous game, In Other Waters. But it's been bought by more people too, both on console and on PC, which is obviously gratifying - and it means Damian Martin can comfortably make games for the foreseeable future. And there are more Citizen Sleeper plans they're already working on. But what really fulfils Damian Martin is the feedback they're getting about the game: the heartfelt messages from people who feel seen by the new sci-fi role-playing game. It's a game that thinks a lot on othering and the idea of belonging, all against the backdrop of a fairly brutal capitalist reality, and clearly it's striking a chord with people. It's also interesting seeing the same themes pop up in Damian Martin's life, as they walk me through the many twists and turns it has taken so far. Growing up in the Orkney islands and playing among ancient burial sites sounds awesome. To see this content please enable targeting cookies. Manage cookie settings To see this content please enable targeting cookies. Manage cookie settings This, then, is Gareth Damian Martin, creator of Citizen Sleeper and In Other Waters, as well as the Heterotopias games zine. And they're someone who has a lot of interesting things to say. Episode 15 is now available to all. Incidentally, the show has been renamed One-to-one in order to differentiate it from the other shows we now publish to the podcast feed: Newscast and Weekly. The name "One-to-one" actually better represents what this in-depth interview series is all about, anyway. The umbrella title for the podcast feed has also changed, moving from The New Eurogamer Podcast to, simply, Eurogamer Podcasts. It makes more sense. Here are some handy links: iTunes Google Podcasts Spotify Audible RSS I hope you like the new episode - I do - and if you have any questions, please hit me up below. Become a Eurogamer subscriber and get your first month for £1 Get your first month for £1 (normally £3.99) when you buy a Standard Eurogamer subscription. Enjoy ad-free browsing, merch discounts, our monthly letter from the editor, and show your support with a supporter-exclusive comment flair! Support us View supporter archive More Podcasts Weekly What's week one been like in Overwatch 2? Mei, Mei. 9 Podcast Exactly how realistic are horses in games? What they get right, and what they get wrong. Weekly All the goss from EGX London Street Fighter 6! Wo Long! More. Podcast Nearly a decade of video with Eurogamer's Ian Higton And his world famous jorts. 11 Latest Articles Atari will hold RollerCoaster Tycoon rights for another decade Ups and downs. 7 Jelly Deals Logitech's G Pro X gaming headset is its lowest-ever price during Amazon's Early Access sale Prime Members can get it for just £52. Jelly Deals Save over £500 off the retail price on this beefy ASUS TUF Dash gaming laptop from Amazon Under £1080 for an RTX 3070 laptop. Lady Dimitrescu will be a tad smaller in Resident Evil Village's Mercenaries DLC Level the playing field. 1 Supporters Only Premium only Off Topic: Take a minute to appreciate Cookin' with Coolio's incredible scallops recipe. What a great book. Premium only Off Topic: Reading City of Glass in comic form "Where exactly am I going?" Premium only Off Topic: Il Buco is a transporting film about a really big hole Underlands. Off-Topic Netflix handled Sandman brilliantly It was Dreamy. 9 Buy things with globes on them And other lovely Eurogamer merch in our official store! Explore our store