We had the pleasure of chatting with Jack Guinchard, the Co-Founder and Global Brand Manager of CRKD on our latest episode of the Retrospect Podcast and quizzed him on the creation of the brand, the future of the Nitro Deck, and all things Retro, as well as a snippet about new products heading our way from CRKD HQ.
One of the things I love most about my job is chatting with the people behind the products and games we use every day, the talented individuals who make the peripherals we game with, and the genius minds who work tirelessly to give us new ways to game. CRKD is one of these companies, with Jack explaining to us how he and his small team created the idea of the Nitro Deck through a family gaming session, a peripheral that has since received so much global attention and shot to the top of everyone’s Nintendo Switch accessories wish-list.
CRKD has had lots of nods to the consoles and controllers of Retro Gaming past that have had a profound effect on gaming over the years and still dominate the retro space. You only need to take a look at the PAL Grey and GameCube-inspired Nitro Decks or their Retro Gold NEO S controller to see that, and Retro Gaming has clearly had a direct effect on the team with Jack describing his favourite console and game to us in the Podcast, a console that made Brandon feel like he’d had all of his birthdays at once.
While speaking about CRKDs recent pre-order announcements for the NEO S Hellboy and Tomb Raider editions and their future plans for licensing and inclusion of other retro brands/series, Jack told us that three new products are heading our way.
‘One of the two products is very retro-friendly with the designs,’ says Jack, ‘the other two are more modern-retro. They’re both still in the CRKD ethos of walking the line between retro and modern.’ All three products will still fit into CRKD’s peripherals line, products that we can use to enhance our gaming experiences. While Jack can’t be more specific than the fact that we’re going to receive them before Christmas and that, as we all know from previous experience that plans can change due to factors out of a company’s control, he has assured us that you’ll be hearing all about them via Retro Dodo first once they drop.
So there you have it guys; Christmas 2024 is set to be even more exciting now. Check out our latest Podcast episode to hear the full interview with Jack to learn about where the name CRKD came from, Jack’s go-to games to play using the Nitro Deck, and much more (as well as 1,000 Retro Dodo Nitro Decks that I’m still keeping my fingers crossed become a reality!).
