Jackbox Party Pack 11, Sitcoms & Pizza Wars: Unfiltered Interview at PAX Australia 2025

At this year’s PAX Australia, I sat down with Jackbox Games CEO Mick Bilder and Chief Creative Officer Allard “Young Allard” Laban as they showcased their latest release, The Jackbox Party Pack 11. The booth was buzzing with fans, streamers, and curious passersby, all eager to try out the newest batch of party games. Between tech hiccups, mic tests, and a few rounds of Cookie House, Mick and Allard carved out time to chat about what makes this pack different, how they design for global audiences, and why Hearsay might be their most chaotic game yet.

This wasn’t a polished press junket, it was a real conversation, held just off the show floor while power cables were being rerouted and someone was probably asking where the HDMI adapter went. We talked about everything from the evolution of the Party Pack formula to the unexpected joys of watching a stream lose it over the mention of a marsupials. And yes, we revisited the deep-dish pizza debate that sparked dozens of comments last year (sorry, New York).

What follows is a candid, funny, and surprisingly technical look at how Jackbox continues to innovate while keeping things simple, accessible, and genuinely fun. Whether you’re a longtime fan or just curious how five games get built, tested, and shipped across 13 platforms in under a year, this one’s for you.

Dez: What’s it like working the show floor as an exhibitor? As I can see, you are actually working, not just sitting around.

Allard Laban: I’ll be out here most of the days. It’s always a bit chaotic, but fun, and I love events like these as they allow me to get up close and personal.

Mick Bilder: Never a dull moment. Something always breaks, tech issues, missing gear, but you roll with it.

AL: You just think, “Well, can fix it or can’t I?” No point stressing.

MB: Thankfully, everything you need is nearby. New laptop, USB adapter, whatever. It’s all across the street at JB Hi-Fi. I was trying to explain it to Netta earlier, it’s like this cool Australian scaled-down version of Micro Centre or Best Buy smashed down next to a convention centre for all our needs.

Dez: Tell us a little about yourselves, Mick?

M.B.: I’m Mick Bilder, CEO of Jackbox. I joined in 2008, after the Jellyvision era. Before that, I was at Midway Games, worked on NFL Blitz and NBA Ballers. We started rebuilding the games business. Young Allard (giggles to himself using it) and others were working double duty between Jellyvision and Jackbox before coming over full-time. It took us a while to figure out the Party Pack formula. Once we landed on phones as controllers, we never looked back.

A.L.: I love this “Young Allard,” especially as I’m turning 60 next month.

Dez: Alright, I’m starting with the most controversial question from last time. I asked Young Allard this, and that part of the interview got all the hate. I think I had 60 comments on the initial interview before I turned comments off. *I think I scared Mike at this point*  New York-style or deep-dish pizza. Where do you stand?

M.B.: Oh, I’m deep dish all the way. My top pick is Pequod’s.

A.L.: Agreed. Pequod’s is the only deep dish that really hits the mark. More than decent, it’s the gold standard.

M.B.: Then Giordano’s, and third would be Lou Malnati’s. Gino’s East is fun too, but if I’m craving deep dish, that’s my order of places. My wife loves Lou Malnati’s, and we’ve got one near us, so that’s our go-to. But if I’m downtown or near work, it’s Pequod’s every time.

A.L.: I live close to a Pequod’s, so yeah, no-brainer.

Dez: No love for New York-style?

M.B.: Chicago’s got all kinds, tavern-style, New York-style, you name it. But I’m deep dish all the way

A.L.: New York pizza is weirdly standardised, and you know what you are getting. The same goes for breakfast sandwiches; walk into any deli and it’s the same setup.

Dez: I noticed that! I had a breakfast sandwich in New York and didn’t even need to ask what was in it. It’s just…the default. But I don’t hate that. Let’s talk about your board game. I review tabletop games too, so I was curious how that’s going?

M.B.: It’s going really well! We made an analog version of Fakin’ It, and it’s available in the States at Barnes & Noble, Target, and a few other retailers coming online.

A.L.: It’s been on Amazon since day one, so it’s easy to grab. Reception’s been great, and sales are solid for a board game from us.

M.B.: It hasn’t hit international volumes yet, but we’re working on it.

Dez: I’ve been trying to get a copy in Australia, but every time I get a notification, it’s sold out before I can click. I remember asking last year if you’d ever go into analog games, and then boom, young Allard pulled one out of your bag like magic.

A.L.: Well, speaking of pulling something out of my bag. We’ve got another one in the works, and I have it in the hotel room. Hang around, and I’ll show you, it’s the new orange prototype. But our partner Wilder’s been amazing with manufacturing and distribution.  Fakin’ It is actually their top-selling game right now.

Dez: Alright, let’s get to the reason we’re here; tell us about Party Pack 11.

A.L.: The pack is back; five original games, no sequels. We took a year off to experiment with standalone packs like The Naughty Pack and Survey Says, but we were eager to return to full packs. We wanted this one to mean something, so we put extra focus into it. We started with mini pitches and developed five full games.

Dez: No sequels is impressive. You’ve got a huge back catalogue, and it must be tempting to play it safe and just pull from that back catalogue?

M.B.: We’re not saying we won’t do sequels. Fans love Quiplash, and we’ll revisit it. But this time, we had so many fresh ideas, we went all-in. We wanted a well-rounded pack: quick-to-laugh games, cozy drawing games, and deeper ones like trivia or social deduction. Legends of Trivia is tougher—more like pub trivia. We tested the content heavily to make sure it’s diverse and challenging, with a lean toward U.S.-based questions.

A.L.: We didn’t want one player dominating. So we built in variety, pop culture, geography, sports, art.

M.B.: You need a mix: sports, geography, and pop culture. It helps if your group has range. You always need a sports person. That’s the missing piece.

Dez: My trivia crew has that mix. I’m good at geography and old-school art. Others crush pop culture and movies. Oh, we’ve got a great sports guy! Total AFL and sporting nut.

One thing I love about your games, I tell people this all the time, you may not love every game, but you’ll find two or three from each pack you absolutely do.

A.L.: That’s the goal. We want people to feel welcome, no matter their vibe.

M.B.: We always try to predict the hit. Sometimes we’re right, but usually we’re surprised. Some games are polarising. One person hates it, another says it’s their favourite. That’s the fun, people find what resonates.

A.L.: It’s true of all video games. People have specific tastes. Mike’s famously not an RPG fan. We try to make every genre accessible. We don’t want anyone to feel left out.

Dez: Your games are like LEGO, from age 5 to 99, and there’s something for everyone. But how hard is that to develop?

M.B.: It’s tricky. We know what works and what doesn’t, but we’re always experimenting. We don’t want every game to be Quiplash with a new coat of paint.

A.L.: We take risks, which forces us to do something different.

Dez: Some of the games this year feel different from what people expected. Was that intentional?

A.L.: Hearsay is very different….and hilarious.

M.B.: But we did have some tech challenges with this new set, too. Like Dodo Re Mi in Pack 10, we had to build backend tech to sync everything. Same with Hearsay. We wanted a voice recording, but it had to be elegant. Our engineers nailed it. Once the tech worked, the game flourished. Now it’s another tool in our kit.

Dez: What about compatibility, as this game seems to be able to be played on anything now? What was your biggest hurdle?

M.B.: We test a lot. iOS didn’t allow browser mic access until recently. Now it works across devices. We build for the masses, not just the bleeding edge of technology.

A.L.: We also consider streamers using laptops or PC and external mics. It has to work seamlessly across setups. Which was also a big challenge

Dez: We set it up for a friend’s stream; it was easier than I expected. I was surprised it worked on laptops/PC so easily. Are there any disadvantages to playing on computers?

M.B.: Drawing games are trickier with a mouse, but they still work. Playing on a tablet works great for that. My daughter plays on a 15-inch iPad with a stylus. Her drawings are beautiful.

A.L.: We actually had to hold back Cookie House a bit; it was getting too complex. But the toolset is fun. And actually feels closer to frosting a cookie, it’s very satisfying.

Dez: I’ve been a chef—I’d probably be alright at that in real life versus in-game. I’ve got fat fingers. I know it’s probably like picking your favorite kid—but what’s your favourite game from Party Pack 11?

A.L.: Mine’s Legends of Trivia. I was the product owner on that one, so I’m a little biased. Actually, it’s very biased, yeah. But I’m also a huge fan of Hearsay. I spent hours watching people play it on a German stream recently. They were dying laughing. It was just so satisfying to watch people have fun.

M.B.: Hearsay is my personal favourite too. I think I have the most fun with it. I love watching people play; it brings me joy. Even if I’m not playing. I play it with coworkers, family, my kids.

My kids and their friends love Cookie House and play it nonstop. My adult friends love Dominate—they just want to ruin each other’s lives. It really depends on who you’re playing with. But personally, I love the goofiness and wackiness of Hearsay.

A.L.: During play testing, this was probably our most attended playtest pack ever. Every Thursday and Friday from April through August, we ran playtests. We never got sick of it. It was always fun and full of laughs for hundreds of hours.

M.B.: Those are good signs. We haven’t launched yet, but early feedback has been very positive. We’ve done internal and external testing, and it feels like a solid pack. If you’re a fan of the franchise and our innovations, you’ll enjoy it.

Dez: That’s one thing I’ve always been impressed by, you push boundaries with every pack. You’re not just coasting. People don’t realise how much tech is behind these games. It’s not just about visuals; it’s the engine, the integration, the device access. That’s what makes it all work so well & probably the thing that goes unnoticed the most.

M.B.: I appreciate that. I’ll do a little bragging: our team is incredibly talented. The games look simple, but the quality and effort behind them are massive. We build five games in about 8–9 months, ship them on 13 platforms, sometimes in multiple languages. For an indie developer, that’s a huge lift. It’s a testament to the crew. Most people don’t notice it; they just play and enjoy. You don’t need to download an app or be on Wi-Fi; just a basic data connection and jackbox.tv is enough. It’s designed to run smoothly on 4G, 5G, and even limited mobile data, so anyone can jump in and play without hassle. But making it “just work” takes serious effort.

Dez: That’s the magic. People think it’s not polished, but it’s more polished than they realise. It’s impressive how easy it is to connect and play. Last time I was here, I got to interview “Young Allard.” I asked him last year about how the games translate across regions. I’ve watched streams from Australia, the U.S., and Europe—and it’s amazing how well the games carry across cultures.

M.B.: I love the Young Allard thing; we’ll need to do a sitcom. Like Young Sheldon, but Young Allard.

We all chuckle.

We’ve learned a lot. Some games now have filters for U.S.-centric prompts. In an early pack, we had three American sports questions in a row, and the crowd was lost.

Then a marsupial question came up, and everyone went nuts. You couldn’t have scripted it better. That moment taught us a lot. Our games have global reach, so we need to tailor content accordingly.

Dez: It’s impressive how well it works globally. You’ve clearly made an effort to branch out.

M.B.: It’s a conscious and smart business choice.

A.L: For Pack 11, we’re not doing simultaneous localisation on day one. Tight deadlines were hurting our ability to polish content.

M.B.: If we lock content early for localisation, we lose valuable polish time. Since we stick to an annual cycle, delaying isn’t an option. So we’re giving game teams more time to refine, and we’ll localise post-launch where it makes sense.

A.L.: It’s planned; We’ll ship the best version first, then roll out localisation where it makes sense. We’ve got a day-one patch coming too.

Dez: Thanks again to Mick and Allard for taking the time to chat amid the chaos of PAX Australia. Whether you’re a trivia buff, a cookie decorator, or just someone with strong pizza opinions, Jackbox Party Pack 11 has something for you.

And if Young Allard ever makes it to cable in Fall 2027, you can bet we’ll be watching the pilot together, deep dish in hand.