WEBVTT 1 00:00:00.600 --> 00:00:14.359 He'll be back. Don't be bad. It's the Internet. You're busy. 2 00:00:14.439 --> 00:00:18.039 Let's do this for May twenty fourth, twenty four. For the next hour 3 00:00:18.239 --> 00:00:21.480 or so, let me help you sort through the world of gaming on Game 4 00:00:21.480 --> 00:00:25.719 Mess Mornings Live with Me. Jeff grub today from Soft is planning to return 5 00:00:25.760 --> 00:00:29.640 to a beloved franchise, and we get a better understanding of what is wrong 6 00:00:29.640 --> 00:00:33.719 with Square Enix. But first, please join me and welcoming today's co host 7 00:00:33.719 --> 00:00:37.320 of Game Mess Mornings. It's Jesse Batelli. Everybody, Jesse, how are 8 00:00:37.359 --> 00:00:40.960 you doing. I'm doing great. It's Friday. I'm here. I'm ready 9 00:00:41.000 --> 00:00:43.719 to go. We're wearing our fun shirts. We're wearing our fun shirts. 10 00:00:44.920 --> 00:00:47.840 Can't be better than that. We're looking good. Yeah, I'm feeling good. 11 00:00:48.520 --> 00:00:52.320 I like the fun shirt time of year. It's definitely around Memorial Day, 12 00:00:52.359 --> 00:00:55.359 I think is when you start wearing the fun shirts. That's I was 13 00:00:55.359 --> 00:01:00.240 like, we're close enough, we can definitely pull them off. Yeah. 14 00:00:59.799 --> 00:01:03.600 I am also happy for it to be a Friday. Ready to like to 15 00:01:03.640 --> 00:01:07.159 have the long weekend. That's pretty exciting. Gonna go into a cocoon and 16 00:01:07.280 --> 00:01:11.239 hibernate for three days. I believe that's my plan. How about you got 17 00:01:11.239 --> 00:01:19.599 any planes work? Unfortunately I got all this weekend's otherwise. I would love 18 00:01:19.599 --> 00:01:22.319 to hibernate, hibernate, and then you wake up and it's summer. That's 19 00:01:22.400 --> 00:01:26.159 right. Yeah, well yeah, that's exactly how it's gonna happen. I 20 00:01:26.200 --> 00:01:30.040 wish I could hibernate through summer too, now that I'm thinking about it. 21 00:01:30.040 --> 00:01:34.879 That'd be good. Uh yeah, you excited for Summer game Fest. I'm 22 00:01:34.359 --> 00:01:38.840 it's rapidly approaching, and I have a list of things I need to get 23 00:01:38.840 --> 00:01:41.840 done before then, and I'm like, I'm so excited to go out to 24 00:01:42.000 --> 00:01:45.599 La see everybody you know, to do the thing. But I'm like, 25 00:01:45.719 --> 00:01:49.120 I have so much I need to do before we get there, And it 26 00:01:49.200 --> 00:01:53.319 is every moment is just like, oh, it's two weeks, We're almost 27 00:01:53.359 --> 00:01:57.079 there. Do you think the Nasty Boys will be prepared for their couch segment 28 00:01:57.200 --> 00:02:00.760 on Giant Bomb at Night? I think the real Question and his Giant bumb 29 00:02:00.799 --> 00:02:02.480 prepared for the Nasty Boys side. I can guarantee that we are not. 30 00:02:02.879 --> 00:02:07.080 I can I can firmly state that unequivocally, in this moment, there's no 31 00:02:07.159 --> 00:02:10.759 way we will be able to brace ourselves for what that's gonna happen there, 32 00:02:13.039 --> 00:02:16.520 Deandregue says, do you all have Faction shirts? Uh? Yeah, that's 33 00:02:16.599 --> 00:02:21.520 a good idea. We we've been we've been playing some bits, we've been 34 00:02:21.520 --> 00:02:23.319 working on. We've been workshopping. Okay, listen, that's all I need 35 00:02:23.360 --> 00:02:27.360 to know. You guys bring whatever energy you need to bring you to bring. 36 00:02:27.719 --> 00:02:30.719 There was there was a talk of having to move you guys around because 37 00:02:30.719 --> 00:02:36.000 of a movie star coming in, and I said, no, no way, 38 00:02:36.280 --> 00:02:39.439 I'm not doing it. So Nasty voice remain in the segment they've already 39 00:02:39.479 --> 00:02:43.719 had. I'm very excited, appreciate it. All right, you know what, 40 00:02:43.800 --> 00:02:46.319 let's explain what we do here most weekdays, I, Jeff Grubb, 41 00:02:46.319 --> 00:02:50.199 will help piece your gaming life back together. That includes breaking news and maybe 42 00:02:50.199 --> 00:02:53.919 even some of our own original reporting. For all these topics, I'll get 43 00:02:53.919 --> 00:02:55.960 the input of a bona fide expert who will make me look smart. If 44 00:02:55.960 --> 00:03:00.240 you are watching live on twitch Welcome, You can always listen to the show 45 00:03:00.280 --> 00:03:04.319 later on podcast feeds by searching for game Mes Mornings, or find the RSS 46 00:03:04.319 --> 00:03:07.000 on giant bomb dot com. You could also catch the show later with chapters 47 00:03:07.039 --> 00:03:13.000 and timestamps on YouTube. Hello YouTube. All right, we have a lot 48 00:03:13.000 --> 00:03:15.840 to get into, so let's start the morning mess with Armored corese six, 49 00:03:16.000 --> 00:03:22.240 isn't the end of the beloved mech series is from Ethan Gotchikoktaku. Armored Course 50 00:03:22.280 --> 00:03:25.439 six Fires of Rubacon is incredible, But despite some glowing reviews in high praise 51 00:03:25.479 --> 00:03:29.840 from the very dedicated and very particular fan base, it feels like the Mex 52 00:03:29.919 --> 00:03:34.400 shooter's revival didn't quite make the large splash some had hoped for. Not to 53 00:03:34.479 --> 00:03:38.319 worry, though, Elderrin creator and From Soft president Hitatakai Miyazaki seems to believe 54 00:03:38.319 --> 00:03:43.199 that there are still more Armored Core stories to tell. While the latest fast 55 00:03:43.240 --> 00:03:46.800 paced sci fi shooter in the long running series helped bring some of the world 56 00:03:46.840 --> 00:03:50.680 building and boss designed from Dark Souls and Secro into the mix, Armored Core 57 00:03:50.759 --> 00:03:54.240 six didn't quite break out into the mainstream the way other previously more niche series 58 00:03:54.280 --> 00:03:59.439 like Persona have. Even so, Miyazaki indicated in a recent interview he's still 59 00:03:59.439 --> 00:04:02.159 proud of the game. The Armored Cores series is very important From Software, 60 00:04:02.240 --> 00:04:06.879 Miyazaki told ig in Japan. According to a translation from fandom Wire, Games 61 00:04:06.960 --> 00:04:11.840 radar. That's the way the industry works right there. We have a strong 62 00:04:11.879 --> 00:04:15.080 will to continue it in the future. I believe Armored Core six was a 63 00:04:15.080 --> 00:04:18.319 success. The creator who assisted with the direction and early planning of the games 64 00:04:18.360 --> 00:04:23.199 said not everything was perfect, suggesting the team wants to continue building on its 65 00:04:23.319 --> 00:04:28.839 new direction. This. I find this encouraging. Jesse. I'm someone who 66 00:04:28.879 --> 00:04:34.120 now considers themselves among from software fans. I have still never played not really 67 00:04:34.160 --> 00:04:38.160 the Dark Souls games, but I played Zecoro, elden Ring, Armored Core 68 00:04:38.319 --> 00:04:41.560 six, and I love all three of those games quite a lot. Armored 69 00:04:41.560 --> 00:04:46.439 Core six is one where it's like, oh many you could still since there's 70 00:04:46.639 --> 00:04:49.439 sensibilities when you're playing that game, there's a lot of stuff that I'm like, 71 00:04:49.480 --> 00:04:53.639 this feels like it's from the people that make all those other from soft 72 00:04:53.639 --> 00:04:57.360 games, and yet it's quite different in a lot of important ways. It's 73 00:04:57.800 --> 00:05:00.800 very Armored Core. That's what people tell me. I played the previous Armored 74 00:05:00.800 --> 00:05:01.800 Corpse, so like, yeah, this is what Armored Corps has always been. 75 00:05:02.000 --> 00:05:06.160 Michael, that's great, because Armored corese six rules. I am. 76 00:05:06.279 --> 00:05:10.720 I think. I'm happy to hear that this is a studio that is seeing 77 00:05:10.720 --> 00:05:13.839 how Armored corese six did, which I think it probably did okay all things 78 00:05:13.879 --> 00:05:16.920 considered, and saying we have no we want to do more of that because 79 00:05:16.959 --> 00:05:21.000 we really liked making that game. And they probably do have that freedom with 80 00:05:21.079 --> 00:05:24.439 how well elden Ring did, right, they could do the one for me, 81 00:05:24.519 --> 00:05:26.839 one for you sort of thing, although it seems like every game they 82 00:05:26.879 --> 00:05:30.720 do is for them. What do you think? Yeah, I think one 83 00:05:30.800 --> 00:05:32.279 Armored Corps six is a fantastic game. If you haven't payed Armor Course six. 84 00:05:33.079 --> 00:05:38.000 It has the flexibility of something like an elden Ring where it's like you 85 00:05:38.319 --> 00:05:41.639 you don't have to play like Securo forces you to play a very specific way. 86 00:05:41.680 --> 00:05:45.199 Armored Corod's like some matter parts figure out like what your build is, 87 00:05:45.279 --> 00:05:47.360 you know, sort of like Dark Souls in that regard. But I think 88 00:05:47.439 --> 00:05:50.399 the thing is like Frumsoft can kind of do whatever they want at this point, 89 00:05:50.399 --> 00:05:55.240 like they've earned it. Their name recognition is alone. Is just like 90 00:05:55.240 --> 00:05:59.000 like secu Ro is published by Activision, like big companies want to work with 91 00:05:59.040 --> 00:06:02.240 from Software and Namco, you know whatever. And so I think with Armored 92 00:06:02.279 --> 00:06:04.439 Corps it's like, okay, cool, we got to do the elder Ring 93 00:06:04.480 --> 00:06:08.879 DLC that's going to make a bajillion dollars. And then if we want to 94 00:06:08.920 --> 00:06:11.240 if we want to look at Armored Corps again, armor Core seven or some 95 00:06:11.360 --> 00:06:15.759 other spin off of Armored Corps, like mech people are going to show up. 96 00:06:15.800 --> 00:06:17.879 The Mexicos are out there and they will always come back. And then 97 00:06:17.879 --> 00:06:20.480 you have also have the frum software fans that are going to show up for 98 00:06:20.480 --> 00:06:27.879 this thing, like you can't really lose that that battle. So I feel 99 00:06:27.920 --> 00:06:30.920 like Frumsoft is poised to do whatever they want next post Elder Ring, post 100 00:06:31.000 --> 00:06:34.759 Armored Core six, like they're they're golden Yeah, And I think it's the 101 00:06:34.839 --> 00:06:39.600 kind of thing where the team seems to have a firm grasp on what they're 102 00:06:39.600 --> 00:06:43.839 tackling, and if they do decide to make another Armored Corps, they know 103 00:06:44.000 --> 00:06:46.399 how to like fit that into their schedule going for it. I don't think 104 00:06:46.439 --> 00:06:47.360 that means like it's like, oh, well, you won't have to wait 105 00:06:47.360 --> 00:06:50.000 a little bit extra time to get the next game in the series that maybe 106 00:06:50.000 --> 00:06:55.519 you prefer if you're a fan of Frumsoft. But I think they still it's 107 00:06:55.560 --> 00:06:59.839 not gonna like derail them completely or anything like that. And then I just 108 00:07:00.000 --> 00:07:01.040 like, I'm glad that they're like, hey, yeah, we want to 109 00:07:01.040 --> 00:07:04.079 make a game like Armored Corps again, which is like, like, like 110 00:07:04.120 --> 00:07:09.079 you said, there is great things about the way Seco and Elder Ring and 111 00:07:09.160 --> 00:07:11.519 I'm sure Dark Souls all work that people are like, this is why we 112 00:07:11.560 --> 00:07:14.759 come here. We want this game to sort of put us in a position 113 00:07:14.759 --> 00:07:17.199 where we have to play in a certain way, but being able to express 114 00:07:17.240 --> 00:07:23.399 yourself and then have that ultimate action feeling that Armored Cores six really captures where 115 00:07:23.439 --> 00:07:26.319 I've just, like I've said before about that game, I've rarely felt cooler. 116 00:07:26.439 --> 00:07:30.319 It just makes me feel so dope playing that game, and yeah, 117 00:07:30.399 --> 00:07:32.839 makes my brain feel on fire in all the good ways, kind of similar 118 00:07:32.839 --> 00:07:35.600 to what I was feeling, like Mullet Madjack when I was playing that yesterday. 119 00:07:36.439 --> 00:07:40.199 So yeah, it's like keep you know, I want them to be 120 00:07:40.240 --> 00:07:43.360 able to play around in that space as much as they play around in any 121 00:07:43.360 --> 00:07:46.519 of these other spaces. So I find it very encouraging. Do you think 122 00:07:46.519 --> 00:07:53.480 there's the world in which you know this from software Studio tries to expand, 123 00:07:53.600 --> 00:07:56.480 It's like footprints so it can take on more projects at once, or do 124 00:07:56.480 --> 00:08:00.600 you think they would be afraid to do that. Well know, correct me 125 00:08:00.639 --> 00:08:03.720 if I'm wrong. But I do think that they are somewhat of a multi 126 00:08:03.879 --> 00:08:07.879 I believe. I believe they are a two team studio. I'm at least 127 00:08:07.879 --> 00:08:11.199 a two team studio. I don't know if they're bigger than that. I 128 00:08:11.199 --> 00:08:13.399 mean absolutely, I guess it's just a question if they want to like how 129 00:08:13.480 --> 00:08:16.959 much like once you have too many things going on at one time, right, 130 00:08:18.000 --> 00:08:20.279 it becomes a lot a lot of plays to spin. And it seems 131 00:08:20.319 --> 00:08:24.360 like they're really they're in their stride right now of like we can you know, 132 00:08:24.600 --> 00:08:26.560 ship one game and be pretty close to shipping a second game a year 133 00:08:26.639 --> 00:08:31.319 or two later and kind of just keep leap frogging one another to the point 134 00:08:31.360 --> 00:08:33.919 where it's like they've put out like you know, they put out Bloodborne, 135 00:08:33.240 --> 00:08:35.440 and then they put out Dark Souls three, and then they like did a 136 00:08:35.440 --> 00:08:39.080 PSVR game. They were like, oh, here's Deresine, and then they 137 00:08:39.120 --> 00:08:43.559 turn around and then they're like, oh, here's sec Row, here's the 138 00:08:43.799 --> 00:08:46.840 DLC for Dark Souls three here or whatever. Like they're always cooking something so 139 00:08:48.200 --> 00:08:50.559 they could expand. But I think they're in a really good spot right now, 140 00:08:50.879 --> 00:08:54.360 And I don't know if they want to shake anything up like that. 141 00:08:52.840 --> 00:08:56.360 That would be my feeling on it, where it's like, I think they're 142 00:08:56.360 --> 00:08:58.519 happy with where they're at right now. Obviously they could always hire on more 143 00:08:58.519 --> 00:09:01.759 people to help with the current teams, but I feel like trying to take 144 00:09:01.799 --> 00:09:05.320 on like one more team, making one more game feels like it could be 145 00:09:05.679 --> 00:09:11.360 quite a lot and could risk upsetting the balance that has led them led them 146 00:09:11.399 --> 00:09:15.399 to this point so far. Yeah, like I said, encouraged by this, 147 00:09:16.399 --> 00:09:20.200 Hey, armor Core seven does not need to come out two years from 148 00:09:20.200 --> 00:09:22.320 now. It could take some time. It could take its time. Obviously 149 00:09:22.399 --> 00:09:24.480 Armored Corps had a long break there. But I do hope this is like 150 00:09:24.559 --> 00:09:28.799 part of the ongoing rotation from soft going forward. Uh oh yeah. Sure 151 00:09:28.840 --> 00:09:31.320 of cookie and cream though, That's what I'm winning for. I want that. 152 00:09:31.799 --> 00:09:35.960 That's what they the children are yearning for. It is what we're hearing 153 00:09:35.080 --> 00:09:39.279 out there for. Shoot, what do you think their next game is that 154 00:09:39.320 --> 00:09:43.480 they put out after a Shadow of the ur Tree. It's like there's a 155 00:09:43.480 --> 00:09:48.159 strong chance it really is just elden Ring two right, that seems I feel 156 00:09:48.159 --> 00:09:52.519 like I feel like elden Ring two is like too big of an opportunity for 157 00:09:52.559 --> 00:09:56.759 them to just not capitalize on, right, But I also feel like they're 158 00:09:56.759 --> 00:10:00.919 a studio that genuinely just does whatever they want, so would not be surprised 159 00:10:00.960 --> 00:10:05.480 if it's just something entirely new, sure, because they can. They can 160 00:10:05.519 --> 00:10:07.200 make a game and they could say, like people could look at it and 161 00:10:07.200 --> 00:10:09.639 be like, oh, it's open world, it's like elden Ring and it's 162 00:10:09.679 --> 00:10:13.200 from the creators of Elderring. It doesn't have to be elden Ring in name, 163 00:10:13.240 --> 00:10:16.159 but it could be very elden Ring inspired and still sell a bajillion copies. 164 00:10:16.399 --> 00:10:20.759 But I think elden Ring two is like too big to pass up. 165 00:10:20.919 --> 00:10:24.159 Yeah, I think elder Ring two will be happening, whether or not they 166 00:10:24.159 --> 00:10:26.879 get something out before that or not. You're right, they absolutely could. 167 00:10:26.240 --> 00:10:30.840 That would be very from soft of them. All Right, let's move along 168 00:10:30.919 --> 00:10:33.759 here. What is wrong with square Enix is the headline I put down here 169 00:10:35.000 --> 00:10:39.679 based on a thread on Twitter from Jenvid CEO Jacob Nevaq, who previously worked 170 00:10:39.720 --> 00:10:43.159 at Square Innox. I'm go I'm gonna read the thread here a little bit 171 00:10:43.639 --> 00:10:46.840 because there's some interesting explanations here and that we can discuss kind of what it 172 00:10:46.879 --> 00:10:50.759 means and how kind of what a bummer it is in some ways, but 173 00:10:50.840 --> 00:10:52.919 what it says about the video game industry overall. Again, this is from 174 00:10:54.399 --> 00:10:58.240 Jacob Nevak on Twitter. As a reminder, I reported to two CEOs on 175 00:10:58.320 --> 00:11:01.759 Square Enix for the better part of a decade and ran a subsidiary. I 176 00:11:01.840 --> 00:11:07.039 also correctly predicted last year that SQUERREENNX was going to break exclusivity going forward, 177 00:11:07.320 --> 00:11:09.799 I'll note I have no confidential information that I'm basing my arguments on in this 178 00:11:09.919 --> 00:11:13.320 thread. To start, we need to look at decisions made on the titles 179 00:11:13.399 --> 00:11:18.279 under development within the lens of twenty fifteen through twenty twenty two, not the 180 00:11:18.360 --> 00:11:22.279 lens of twenty twenty three. For example, Final Fantasy sixteen would have started 181 00:11:22.320 --> 00:11:26.360 pre production prior to the release of Final Fantasy fifteen, which was released in 182 00:11:26.440 --> 00:11:31.080 twenty sixteen. This is a pre Fortnight era. Budgets are for Final Fantasy 183 00:11:31.080 --> 00:11:35.679 seven remake, and to Rebirth would have been around this period as well. 184 00:11:35.879 --> 00:11:37.360 This is important to note, and we will get back to it. There's 185 00:11:37.399 --> 00:11:41.080 a misunderstanding that has been repeated for nearly a decade and a half that squaring 186 00:11:41.159 --> 00:11:46.960 ax sets arbitrarily high sales requirements, then gets upset when it's arbitrarily high sales 187 00:11:46.000 --> 00:11:48.919 requirements fail to be met. This was not true when I was there, 188 00:11:48.960 --> 00:11:54.559 and it's unlikely to be true today. Sales expectations generally come from a need 189 00:11:54.559 --> 00:11:58.399 to cover the cost of development plus return on investment. If a game costs 190 00:11:58.399 --> 00:12:01.720 one hundred million dollars to make it takes five years, then you have to 191 00:12:01.720 --> 00:12:05.639 beat as an example, what the business could have been returning. We could 192 00:12:05.679 --> 00:12:09.679 have returned by say, investing one hundred million dollars into the stock market over 193 00:12:09.720 --> 00:12:13.039 that period. For the five years prior to February twenty twenty four, the 194 00:12:13.039 --> 00:12:18.159 stock market averaged a rate return of fourteen point five percent annually. Investing that 195 00:12:18.200 --> 00:12:20.440 one hundred million in the stock market would net you a return of two hundred 196 00:12:20.440 --> 00:12:24.320 and one million dollars. So this is our return on the investment baseline. 197 00:12:24.559 --> 00:12:28.039 Jacob goes on to say things like, Okay, now, it's not just 198 00:12:28.720 --> 00:12:31.159 what you could do with that money. You have to also factor in marketing 199 00:12:31.200 --> 00:12:35.120 costs and not getting the full seventy dollars from a game, You're probably get 200 00:12:35.159 --> 00:12:39.759 an average around forty forty five dollars, and so you get things like where 201 00:12:39.799 --> 00:12:43.360 the game could sell several million copies out of the gate and still be far 202 00:12:43.399 --> 00:12:48.360 away from breaking even, let alone making a significant profit. And this is 203 00:12:48.759 --> 00:12:52.240 the problem that Squarenix keeps like saying that it's happened to them, where they 204 00:12:52.720 --> 00:12:56.919 these games cost a lot and we are putting them out there and they are 205 00:12:56.960 --> 00:13:00.440 not doing what we need them to do to make this whole thing make sense. 206 00:13:01.080 --> 00:13:03.759 Now, I think it's fair Jesse at this point to be like, 207 00:13:05.480 --> 00:13:09.279 you know, why are you looking at making games through this lens? And 208 00:13:09.279 --> 00:13:11.960 and that is the kind of one Yeah, yeah, of course, but 209 00:13:13.039 --> 00:13:15.879 these are the giant corporations. This is the only lens they have. It 210 00:13:15.919 --> 00:13:18.600 feels like what do you think, Yeah, I mean, I think I 211 00:13:18.600 --> 00:13:22.320 at a certain point where like what is difference Like fiduciary duty, It's like 212 00:13:22.360 --> 00:13:26.600 you have to make sure that you are you are being the most efficient you 213 00:13:26.639 --> 00:13:30.320 are being, you are making the company the most possible money. You have 214 00:13:30.360 --> 00:13:33.000 to explore those avenues. But like we talk about this all the time that 215 00:13:33.080 --> 00:13:37.279 like triple A budgets are ballooning, like like who expensive in half? Now? 216 00:13:37.360 --> 00:13:41.159 Yeah, and the Fortnite thing is incredibly important because it's like just this 217 00:13:41.200 --> 00:13:43.600 morning, right, I didn't know what to play. I was like, 218 00:13:45.000 --> 00:13:46.720 you know, I could, I could buy something new. It's like, 219 00:13:46.879 --> 00:13:48.759 oh, but a new Fortnite season just dropped. It's free, Like it 220 00:13:48.799 --> 00:13:52.279 doesn't cost me anything to hop into it. I'm just gonna go play that. 221 00:13:52.559 --> 00:13:54.960 And so now you're competing with a lot of things, and these companies 222 00:13:54.000 --> 00:14:00.360 are it's more and more money to make these games, especially especially with Remake, 223 00:14:00.360 --> 00:14:03.159 where it was like that development got redone like two or three years in 224 00:14:03.159 --> 00:14:07.320 because it was like cyber Connect two was involved and they brought it internally. 225 00:14:07.360 --> 00:14:11.639 Like the roadmap for game development is so tricky and so difficult, and there 226 00:14:11.639 --> 00:14:15.519 are all these challenges you don't expect that the costs are just too high. 227 00:14:15.840 --> 00:14:18.879 You have to make that money back, and when it doesn't meet sales expectations, 228 00:14:18.879 --> 00:14:22.480 it's like, yeah, those expectations may or may not be in check, 229 00:14:24.240 --> 00:14:26.480 but it's it's more money than I will ever see in my entire life. 230 00:14:26.519 --> 00:14:30.840 Like it it's insane, and it's it's not impossible to make your money 231 00:14:30.840 --> 00:14:33.799 back sometimes on some of these games. Yeah, it's uh. And it's 232 00:14:33.840 --> 00:14:37.600 the kind of thing where I think yeah, we could stand here and go 233 00:14:37.919 --> 00:14:41.799 these companies need to really change some things. If this is the situation that 234 00:14:41.799 --> 00:14:46.519 they're in where they got to make, you know, sell three million copies 235 00:14:46.559 --> 00:14:50.000 in a month immediately to have any chance of making any money, that like, 236 00:14:50.159 --> 00:14:52.120 how did you make the decisions to lead yourself to this point? But 237 00:14:52.200 --> 00:14:56.039 it's like we know the factors. It is. They are competing in a 238 00:14:56.039 --> 00:15:01.120 marketplace that has way more games because the development it has really blasted off, 239 00:15:01.159 --> 00:15:05.840 and now there are you know, ten thousand games a year or whatever launching 240 00:15:05.919 --> 00:15:07.879 on Steam and you have to compete with all that. And then on the 241 00:15:07.919 --> 00:15:13.960 other side, you have to compete with other major corporations who are putting out 242 00:15:13.960 --> 00:15:16.360 games that either look as good as yours or have all the same magic that 243 00:15:16.399 --> 00:15:20.720 yours has. And so it's like we got to like spend even more money 244 00:15:20.759 --> 00:15:22.639 to keep ahead of the Jones's excuse me, and that is putting them in 245 00:15:22.639 --> 00:15:28.200 situations where they kind of like a final fantasy has to be this much money 246 00:15:28.000 --> 00:15:31.600 in some ways. Now that seems like it's about to change. Seems like 247 00:15:31.639 --> 00:15:35.279 it has to change because they aren't seeing the growth that they were expecting. 248 00:15:35.679 --> 00:15:39.120 And Navaka points out that. It's like, yeah, like in twenty fifteen, 249 00:15:39.279 --> 00:15:43.799 when they green lighted these projects and when they green lighted these budgets, 250 00:15:43.000 --> 00:15:48.440 there was an expectation that the audience would grow alongside the time spent making these 251 00:15:48.480 --> 00:15:52.559 games, and instead many of the audience went into these live service games. 252 00:15:52.559 --> 00:15:56.519 It's that same old story. That's like the gamers are there, they're just 253 00:15:56.519 --> 00:15:58.759 playing something else and it's very hard to get their attention away from that. 254 00:16:00.399 --> 00:16:03.919 So it's like, okay, so then what is happening here, Like what 255 00:16:04.039 --> 00:16:07.039 happens next? And it's like, yeah, for a big company like like 256 00:16:07.080 --> 00:16:10.919 scureing INIX, the threat here is they take their ball and go home. 257 00:16:11.320 --> 00:16:14.360 Like they just say, we are afraid to make games like that anymore, 258 00:16:14.399 --> 00:16:17.720 so we won't make games like that anymore. We're talking about them not really 259 00:16:17.720 --> 00:16:21.159 making final fantasy games the way they made them before, and it's like that 260 00:16:21.279 --> 00:16:23.120 is that's scary in a problem. It's like, as much as like they're 261 00:16:23.159 --> 00:16:26.159 not necessarily always my kind of game, I feel like they should be there. 262 00:16:26.200 --> 00:16:30.039 It's like it feels like a staple of the industry and the amount of 263 00:16:30.080 --> 00:16:33.799 love and time and passion spent on that franchise from the audience feels like it 264 00:16:33.840 --> 00:16:37.120 should be enough to make something make sense for this company, and yet there's 265 00:16:37.159 --> 00:16:42.240 this huge disconnect and the companies can't navigate that space. Now. I think 266 00:16:42.360 --> 00:16:45.759 part of that, obviously still is a failure of leadership over at Squerre Innix. 267 00:16:45.840 --> 00:16:51.039 Right, get more creative? Is that not the answer? I mean 268 00:16:52.759 --> 00:16:56.320 the last couple of Final Fantasy games. I'm talking specifically fifteen sixteen than the 269 00:16:56.720 --> 00:17:02.039 trilogy. Fourteen's exception to all this, Oh well, don't wor I got 270 00:17:02.039 --> 00:17:07.759 my fourteen Okay, those games are the Okay, how do we make the 271 00:17:07.799 --> 00:17:11.440 biggest budget like like sixteen example? Right, It's like that game looks expensive. 272 00:17:11.480 --> 00:17:14.680 That's the whole idea behind the game. Yes, that is the most 273 00:17:14.759 --> 00:17:18.480 expensive thing you've ever seen. You can get more creative with it. I 274 00:17:18.480 --> 00:17:22.079 mean, like, this is the same company that published developed Octopath Traveler, 275 00:17:22.160 --> 00:17:26.039 right, like a gorgeous looking HG two D game, like you can harken 276 00:17:26.079 --> 00:17:30.400 back to like retro for Final Fantasy. You can go so many different directions. 277 00:17:30.599 --> 00:17:33.799 Final Fantasy fourteen an mmo that makes a They just announced they made like 278 00:17:33.839 --> 00:17:37.440 they have thirty million players, which, like you know, obviously those aren't 279 00:17:37.480 --> 00:17:41.240 all active subscribers, but like that makes a lot of money. Final Fantasy 280 00:17:41.279 --> 00:17:42.960 fourteen is incredibly popular. They make their money back on that game. They're 281 00:17:42.960 --> 00:17:47.880 still releasing expansions for that game a decade later. Like, there are ways 282 00:17:47.920 --> 00:17:52.200 to do Final Fantasy without it just being this has to be the most expensive, 283 00:17:52.279 --> 00:17:56.119 biggest budget. Final Fantasy seven Rebirth is like the everything game. It's 284 00:17:56.160 --> 00:17:59.559 like, we have anything you would ever want from a modern video game in 285 00:17:59.599 --> 00:18:02.039 it, and that CAUs a lot of money to make. And there's got 286 00:18:02.079 --> 00:18:06.400 to be more focused, tight knit, smaller experiences that people want to experience 287 00:18:06.440 --> 00:18:10.240 within the world of that. And you can do spinoff games like Crystal Chronicles 288 00:18:10.400 --> 00:18:15.960 or Tactics or any of these games that like will sell copies because Final Fantasy 289 00:18:15.000 --> 00:18:18.400 fans will show up for it and will not cost you hundreds of millions of 290 00:18:18.400 --> 00:18:25.200 dollars to make, yep, exactly. And it's like I think right now, 291 00:18:25.240 --> 00:18:30.759 these companies look at a situation where they have so much money to spend 292 00:18:30.000 --> 00:18:33.079 and they are like, oh, hey, we are afraid because we've been 293 00:18:33.119 --> 00:18:37.680 burned a couple of times on our biggest games, so maybe we won't do 294 00:18:37.720 --> 00:18:40.759 that anymore. And I think, what will happen is they will probably have 295 00:18:40.880 --> 00:18:42.880 a few years where it's like, let's go in the direction of what's been 296 00:18:42.920 --> 00:18:48.160 working, so it's reinvest in Final Fantasy fourteen, and in the meantime, 297 00:18:48.359 --> 00:18:52.119 the industry actually probably will bounce back in a lot of ways. Spending will 298 00:18:52.119 --> 00:18:56.359 bounce back, players will like their interests will bloom again, and then they'll 299 00:18:56.400 --> 00:18:59.559 be like, Okay, we're ready for something different. We have been spending 300 00:18:59.599 --> 00:19:02.880 the last but you know, by this point it'll be like ten years in 301 00:19:03.000 --> 00:19:07.920 Fortnite and we're actually kind of done. Now we're looking for something different in 302 00:19:07.960 --> 00:19:10.799 the video game space. What do you have for me? And the companies 303 00:19:10.799 --> 00:19:15.680 that are able to get creative and provide something in that moment will probably see 304 00:19:15.720 --> 00:19:18.279 a huge windfall because if there's one thing that's true about gamers, so we 305 00:19:18.319 --> 00:19:22.559 get a little bit fickle over time, and we are always looking for the 306 00:19:22.599 --> 00:19:25.559 next thing. Now that feels like that, it's like we're in the moment 307 00:19:26.160 --> 00:19:29.799 strangely where that's not happening, but I don't think that will last forever. 308 00:19:30.119 --> 00:19:33.960 So Square Knicks can get creative and have something ready to go that isn't necessarily 309 00:19:34.000 --> 00:19:37.920 going to rely on being like the biggest blockbuster in the world, but can 310 00:19:38.759 --> 00:19:42.440 kind of have a persona like a arc where it's like, hey, yeah, 311 00:19:42.599 --> 00:19:45.079 like this one we're going with. This is a Final Fantasy game, 312 00:19:45.200 --> 00:19:48.480 and it's going to be bigger than the last Final Fantasy Game, and it's 313 00:19:48.480 --> 00:19:51.480 going to build on the good momentum that the last one had. And if 314 00:19:51.519 --> 00:19:53.079 you can be in that situation, it's like, well, every new game 315 00:19:53.440 --> 00:19:56.559 can be bigger than the last one, and now you're back onto a chart 316 00:19:56.559 --> 00:20:00.880 of growth. At the same time, you're also delivering I think what most 317 00:20:00.960 --> 00:20:06.079 fans of the series want. So I'm not like, this isn't Doom and 318 00:20:06.079 --> 00:20:08.920 Gloom entirely, it's just in this moment, this is what is scaring Square 319 00:20:10.000 --> 00:20:12.759 Nicks away from doing what it's been doing. Now they're going to go multiplatform. 320 00:20:14.119 --> 00:20:15.480 That probably solves some of the problem, right, I don't know, 321 00:20:15.480 --> 00:20:21.799 what do you think. I think they are quickly learning that PS five or 322 00:20:21.839 --> 00:20:26.160 PlayStation exclusivity is actually actively hurting them in terms of copies sold. Yeah, 323 00:20:26.200 --> 00:20:27.920 because I'm sure Sony shows up with like a big bucket of cash and it's 324 00:20:27.960 --> 00:20:32.200 like, we want this exclusivity and they're like, great, we got in 325 00:20:32.279 --> 00:20:34.720 advance on development, we could do whatever we want, and then it comes 326 00:20:34.720 --> 00:20:37.400 around to like actually sell the game. And it's like, obviously PS five 327 00:20:37.519 --> 00:20:41.440 when remake came out, PS four install base was like the highest it ever 328 00:20:41.640 --> 00:20:45.240 was. PS five not there, not small, but not nearly as big 329 00:20:45.279 --> 00:20:48.240 as the PS four, And so with rebirth, it was like there are 330 00:20:48.279 --> 00:20:55.039 just less people to that own this console to buy you. And sixteen is 331 00:20:55.200 --> 00:20:56.720 coming to PC. They have, I don't think they've given a date on 332 00:20:56.759 --> 00:21:00.079 it yet. I think that Final Fantasy sixty will sell a good amount of 333 00:21:00.079 --> 00:21:03.559 copies on PC and then that will help, you know, give it the 334 00:21:03.640 --> 00:21:06.920 legs it needs to hit whatever its goal was. I think they said like 335 00:21:06.960 --> 00:21:12.240 eighteen months roughly to hit that goal. And so I think they just need 336 00:21:12.240 --> 00:21:17.519 to put their stuff on as many platforms as possible because I think the PS 337 00:21:17.559 --> 00:21:22.200 five exclusivity or the PlayStation exclusivity is actively hurting them at this point. Yeah, 338 00:21:22.559 --> 00:21:25.480 last thing on this is like, this is how every single one of 339 00:21:25.480 --> 00:21:27.920 these companies thinks though. They're like, if we have a certain amount of 340 00:21:27.920 --> 00:21:33.200 money to put into a game, that game needs to do better than if 341 00:21:33.200 --> 00:21:37.200 we were to put that money into a savings account or into the stock market. 342 00:21:37.960 --> 00:21:41.519 Like that isn't some weird scenario. This isn't like square habit, Like 343 00:21:41.559 --> 00:21:44.920 this is how they all basically do that math. It's like, we have 344 00:21:45.000 --> 00:21:48.519 money, we want this money to grow into more money, and the reliable 345 00:21:48.559 --> 00:21:49.680 way to do that is the stock market. So we're going to get that 346 00:21:49.720 --> 00:21:55.279 fifteen percent annual return, or we can make a game that and we're going 347 00:21:55.319 --> 00:21:57.599 to need that to do a certain profit margin to make the whole thing makes 348 00:21:57.640 --> 00:22:02.880 sense. And this is true across the board. So when you go forward 349 00:22:02.920 --> 00:22:04.880 and you try to understand how why these companies make the decisions that they're making, 350 00:22:06.519 --> 00:22:08.839 that should inform it. And like when they have that like huge money, 351 00:22:08.880 --> 00:22:15.079 like sixty nine billion dollars and they spend it on Activision King and all 352 00:22:15.119 --> 00:22:19.240 that stuff and Blizzard, it's like, okay, well that is that company 353 00:22:19.480 --> 00:22:23.039 going to make us more money in return than that money would have made if 354 00:22:23.039 --> 00:22:26.519 we just put it in the stock market. And it's like yes, so 355 00:22:26.599 --> 00:22:30.160 obviously to them it's worth it. That's why in a second they signed that 356 00:22:30.200 --> 00:22:32.960 deal. And it doesn't matter how much money it is. It's like that 357 00:22:33.000 --> 00:22:37.279 money is now working for them in a much more efficient way. All right, 358 00:22:37.240 --> 00:22:41.359 Let's get to the next story. Keep the show going. Alone in 359 00:22:41.400 --> 00:22:47.200 the Dark sold below expectations. Embracer Group says this is from Chriscian at VGC. 360 00:22:48.000 --> 00:22:51.240 The reboot of Alone in the Dark sold worse than expecting, Embracer Group 361 00:22:51.279 --> 00:22:55.519 said as part of its earnings report for its financial year ending in March twenty 362 00:22:55.559 --> 00:22:57.799 twenty four. Embracer noted that while some of its release is sold in line 363 00:22:57.839 --> 00:23:03.920 with expectations, Piece's interactive survival horror reboot didn't. It also noted that Outcasts 364 00:23:03.960 --> 00:23:07.200 a New Beginning, a sequel to the nineteen ninety nine action game Outcast, 365 00:23:07.240 --> 00:23:10.839 performed similarly poorly. That's a shame. That was a weird thing that they 366 00:23:10.839 --> 00:23:14.799 did. I'm glad they did that. This Okay, Alone in the Dark 367 00:23:14.880 --> 00:23:18.279 did seem like it came and went right. Yes, I actually did not 368 00:23:18.359 --> 00:23:21.680 know that game came out. I think that's gonna be true with a lot 369 00:23:21.720 --> 00:23:26.079 of people. Yeah, it's I think this speaks also to like how gaming 370 00:23:26.160 --> 00:23:30.160 is a little bit different than some other mediums. I think if you put 371 00:23:30.200 --> 00:23:40.480 out a schlocky, mediocre horror project as a movie and that audience goes okay, 372 00:23:40.680 --> 00:23:44.519 Yeah, ticket prices aren't cheap, but it's a couple hours with my 373 00:23:44.599 --> 00:23:48.559 friends. It's something to do, and I like horror games, so I'm 374 00:23:48.559 --> 00:23:51.319 going to go check this out, and even if it's not great, we'll 375 00:23:51.359 --> 00:23:53.519 probably still have a good time. I bet a lot of that stuff all 376 00:23:53.559 --> 00:23:56.559 applies to something like Alone in the Dark. We probably would have a good 377 00:23:56.599 --> 00:23:59.799 time playing this game, or I would, or maybe I'd have fun, 378 00:24:00.160 --> 00:24:03.000 you know, playing it with my friends on Discord while they watch or something. 379 00:24:03.119 --> 00:24:07.279 But it's like a sixty dollars thing. It's this whole other proposition of 380 00:24:07.319 --> 00:24:11.119 like, this game is much more expensive than you think of when you go 381 00:24:11.160 --> 00:24:14.680 to the movies, even though you can easily end up spending that much money 382 00:24:14.720 --> 00:24:15.799 going to the movies. But I think people in their in their mind are 383 00:24:15.799 --> 00:24:18.279 like, I'm not going to take a risk on that. Instead, I'm 384 00:24:18.279 --> 00:24:22.480 going to go back and replay Resident Evil, something that I know I love, 385 00:24:22.640 --> 00:24:27.119 and keep reinvesting my time into that. These kinds of games maybe don't 386 00:24:27.160 --> 00:24:30.680 make as much sense anymore in this world unless they're going to be very good. 387 00:24:30.759 --> 00:24:33.960 Right. You can't just kind of pop out a mediocre a survival horror 388 00:24:33.960 --> 00:24:37.279 game and hope you're going to survive, right, it either has to be 389 00:24:38.000 --> 00:24:41.240 some of the best in the genre or it has to be some of the 390 00:24:41.279 --> 00:24:45.880 worst in the genre, to the point where it is exciting to watch people 391 00:24:45.920 --> 00:24:49.240 play how bad this thing is, and no one is actively like making I 392 00:24:49.279 --> 00:24:53.039 shouldn't say no one, most people are not actively making games that are that 393 00:24:53.200 --> 00:24:56.039 bad, and Alone of the Dark kind of fits in this middle. It 394 00:24:56.079 --> 00:25:00.839 sounds like where it's like, you know, sometimes there's nothing worse than a 395 00:25:00.880 --> 00:25:03.319 game that's just okay. It's like, ah, there's things to like, 396 00:25:03.440 --> 00:25:07.839 not to like, it's not exciting one way or the other, and so 397 00:25:07.920 --> 00:25:11.160 unfortunately it kind of just falls to the wayside really easily, especially like when 398 00:25:11.200 --> 00:25:15.559 there are so many good games coming out all the time, it's like you 399 00:25:15.720 --> 00:25:19.240 have to be yeah, like the crop, and it's it sucks because it's 400 00:25:19.240 --> 00:25:22.519 like you want to see these initiatives from these companies and developers, like you 401 00:25:22.519 --> 00:25:26.119 want to see these cool games coming out that are like, oh, Alone 402 00:25:26.160 --> 00:25:27.799 in the Dark, like oh my childhood blah blah blah. Then it comes 403 00:25:27.839 --> 00:25:33.359 out it's kind of just like yeah, okay, all right, yep, 404 00:25:33.559 --> 00:25:36.559 it just sucks to see It's easy. It's like the thing is it's so 405 00:25:36.680 --> 00:25:40.559 easy to ignore these things because you're right, there's so many options. People's 406 00:25:40.599 --> 00:25:45.880 time and money is limited, so everyone's just going to naturally veer towards the 407 00:25:45.920 --> 00:25:49.640 safe bets, and that is recognizable franchises that have that deliver a certain level 408 00:25:49.640 --> 00:25:53.799 of quality. That is games you already own, especially live service games and 409 00:25:53.920 --> 00:25:56.400 kind of whatever your friends are into. These are like, you know, 410 00:25:56.519 --> 00:26:00.240 those safe bets that you know you're probably gonna get some value out of alone 411 00:26:00.279 --> 00:26:04.160 in the dark kind of coming along and not having a ton of marketing behind 412 00:26:04.160 --> 00:26:07.960 it, having mediocre reviews, it's very easy to just put that out of 413 00:26:07.960 --> 00:26:11.960 mind and move back to all those things that you know are reliable, that 414 00:26:12.039 --> 00:26:17.759 you know. This is also the like Embracer's strategy, or it was at 415 00:26:17.759 --> 00:26:18.960 one point, was to make a lot of games like this, and I 416 00:26:19.000 --> 00:26:22.119 think it also speaks to why Embracer was falling apart. Clearly it fell apart 417 00:26:22.119 --> 00:26:26.039 because just terrible management. That's number one. Really no idea what they were 418 00:26:26.039 --> 00:26:29.759 doing over there. But the plan all along was we're going to make a 419 00:26:29.759 --> 00:26:32.319 ton of games like this, and you know, they're all going to add 420 00:26:32.400 --> 00:26:34.319 up to make make stuff makes sense. And there was a couple of games 421 00:26:34.359 --> 00:26:41.119 from them recently Dead Island too, a handful of other games that did pretty 422 00:26:41.119 --> 00:26:42.680 well in the last year, and it's like, but then you're going to 423 00:26:42.759 --> 00:26:47.519 have games like this as well that's sort of offset that and kind of undo 424 00:26:47.680 --> 00:26:52.440 everything that those games did well in terms of like building up Embracer's portfolio. 425 00:26:52.960 --> 00:26:57.799 So maybe the Embraser project never made sense either, right, Yeah, you 426 00:26:57.839 --> 00:27:04.880 know, teach all of these things remnant to great game. Yes, they 427 00:27:04.960 --> 00:27:08.319 kind of exist to like let's look at all these like b licenses, right, 428 00:27:08.359 --> 00:27:11.880 and like let's let's produce them and and you know, make them and 429 00:27:11.920 --> 00:27:15.119 people people will show up. People always have a nostalgia for like this era 430 00:27:15.319 --> 00:27:19.799 of three sixty sort of games that like either never really hit the highs that 431 00:27:19.839 --> 00:27:23.680 they could have or whatever. And it's just like in today, I don't 432 00:27:23.680 --> 00:27:26.680 think those projects make a lot of sense. I think we you know, 433 00:27:26.720 --> 00:27:30.079 with Squarrey next, we're talking about how they are actively looking at like, 434 00:27:30.160 --> 00:27:33.640 oh, we spend too much money making these games. We're not seeing our 435 00:27:33.680 --> 00:27:36.839 return. And then when it's like, oh, you got to get creative. 436 00:27:36.839 --> 00:27:38.839 And then there are companies like this that are like doing something different, 437 00:27:40.000 --> 00:27:41.319 but it's also not working, and I feel like they fall into the same 438 00:27:41.319 --> 00:27:45.119 pitfalls of like, why are we doing it this way? Why are we 439 00:27:45.160 --> 00:27:48.559 looking at it through this lens. We also need to kind of adjust how 440 00:27:48.599 --> 00:27:52.599 we operate, and so it's kind of like two sides of the same coin. 441 00:27:52.640 --> 00:27:55.920 It's yeah, it is companies need to reevaluate like what they're doing and 442 00:27:55.960 --> 00:27:59.960 what is not working about these projects. Yeah, it's like I don't necessarily 443 00:28:00.079 --> 00:28:02.839 know what I do if I'm in charge of any one of these gaming publishers 444 00:28:02.920 --> 00:28:06.359 right now, I think I think I don't give up on investing across the 445 00:28:06.400 --> 00:28:08.119 board. I think some of these companies are doing that. But I think 446 00:28:08.400 --> 00:28:11.880 in this moment, it's like, let's let's go back to the drawing board 447 00:28:11.920 --> 00:28:15.640 on a lot of things. Let's take some chances here and there, but 448 00:28:15.720 --> 00:28:21.200 let's do some stuff that is extremely creative that can maybe have a chance of 449 00:28:21.279 --> 00:28:25.960 hitting in a couple of years. But let's not necessarily make the two hundred 450 00:28:25.960 --> 00:28:30.400 million dollar bets. And then if it's embracer, let's not make two hundred 451 00:28:30.119 --> 00:28:36.799 million dollar bets. Yeah, oh boy, okay, that one. Uh 452 00:28:36.920 --> 00:28:40.279 huh. All right, let's let's take a quick break when we get back. 453 00:28:40.279 --> 00:28:45.720 There's plenty more to talk about X Defiance doing pretty well multi versus director 454 00:28:45.759 --> 00:28:55.440 criticized data minders. We'll talk about all of that right after this. All 455 00:28:55.519 --> 00:28:59.880 right, right back into it. Let's start here with X Defiant. X 456 00:29:00.079 --> 00:29:03.559 Vine's launch reportedly hit one million players in under three hours. This is from 457 00:29:03.599 --> 00:29:07.480 Cameron Coke at game Spot. X Defiant is off to the races, having 458 00:29:07.519 --> 00:29:11.240 reportedly already reached over three million unique players within the first but with the first 459 00:29:11.279 --> 00:29:15.559 billion coming two and a half hours after launch. The above statistics are according 460 00:29:15.599 --> 00:29:19.160 to Insider Gaming, which reports some of the launch numbers surrounding Ubisoft's free to 461 00:29:19.160 --> 00:29:22.559 play answer to Call of Duty. According to Insider Gaming, the game is 462 00:29:22.599 --> 00:29:26.640 well on its way when it comes to surpassing Ubisoft's internal goals in terms of 463 00:29:26.720 --> 00:29:33.880 numbers of players. This is one where it's like I really struggle to understand 464 00:29:33.880 --> 00:29:37.039 what it's going to do, like who the audience is, but it feels 465 00:29:37.039 --> 00:29:40.920 like there's one out there, and it's just like this is me not having 466 00:29:40.920 --> 00:29:44.839 blinders on to a certain extent. It feels like it could do pretty well, 467 00:29:44.880 --> 00:29:45.880 and that's maybe it already is. What do you think? Have you 468 00:29:45.960 --> 00:29:51.160 like looked into X Defiant at all. I played two matches last night because 469 00:29:51.200 --> 00:29:53.440 I learned that it had come out, and I was like, okay this 470 00:29:53.480 --> 00:29:56.400 week. Yeah, it's like I've been hearing about it. It's like, 471 00:29:56.400 --> 00:29:59.519 Oh, it's going to be the Call of Duty killer blah blah blah. 472 00:29:59.799 --> 00:30:03.720 We've heard this before, flashing Pang games come and go. And I was 473 00:30:03.759 --> 00:30:06.319 like, Oh, there's like enough here, there's like enough meat on the 474 00:30:06.319 --> 00:30:10.519 bone for this to be something. And of course they're pulling like all of 475 00:30:10.559 --> 00:30:15.720 the UBI Soft like the Top Universe, Yes, Ghost Recon Squad and Dead 476 00:30:15.720 --> 00:30:18.680 Sec from Watchdogs too, and the Cleaners from the Division, which I don't 477 00:30:18.680 --> 00:30:22.319 hate. No, I think it's like a fun way to bring in factions 478 00:30:22.359 --> 00:30:25.200 from other games. You'd be Soft loves to do this. They had that 479 00:30:25.240 --> 00:30:27.240 mobile game a while ago. I don't remember what it was called All Stars 480 00:30:27.319 --> 00:30:33.720 or something thing. Uh, And so I think that like it doing as 481 00:30:33.720 --> 00:30:37.720 well it is as it is right now is very beneficial for the game. 482 00:30:37.759 --> 00:30:40.759 Get that in front of as many people as possible, have as many streamers 483 00:30:40.799 --> 00:30:44.799 streaming it as possible. The question is like does it have legs? Like 484 00:30:45.200 --> 00:30:48.079 are they going to like it has a battle pass in there. I didn't 485 00:30:48.079 --> 00:30:53.000 see much else in terms of like, okay, is it just call quote 486 00:30:53.039 --> 00:30:56.359 unquote Call Duty multiplayers. It's just like, okay, we're gonna be run 487 00:30:56.359 --> 00:31:00.880 like team deathmatch and escort and stuff. I think they right, let they 488 00:31:00.960 --> 00:31:03.200 like, hey, here's a couple of things. Just get used to this 489 00:31:03.279 --> 00:31:07.720 game, and we got a long road map ahead of ways to drop new 490 00:31:07.720 --> 00:31:12.160 content in different ways to play. You know, three million is especially impressive. 491 00:31:12.200 --> 00:31:17.079 I think when you remember that this isn't on Steam, this is only 492 00:31:17.119 --> 00:31:21.279 through Ubisoft connect on PC. Now obviously it's also on the consoles, so 493 00:31:21.319 --> 00:31:25.279 that's gonna make I think it likely makes up the biggest chunk for this game. 494 00:31:26.000 --> 00:31:29.440 But it seems like it's doing well enough on PC and you can't get 495 00:31:29.480 --> 00:31:32.680 it through Steam, so it's like, you know, getting some giving some 496 00:31:32.759 --> 00:31:36.200 juice to Ubisoft Connects, so people actually boot that thing up. And I 497 00:31:36.240 --> 00:31:37.400 say that because it's exactly what I did. I'm like, all right, 498 00:31:37.440 --> 00:31:41.200 I'll update this thing and sign in again, Jesus. But so yeah, 499 00:31:41.279 --> 00:31:45.039 I was. I went through the effort to play this game, and it's 500 00:31:45.039 --> 00:31:48.160 like, you know, free, free to play Call of Duty that is 501 00:31:48.359 --> 00:31:49.559 you know, kind of like maybe a little bit more like the older Call 502 00:31:49.599 --> 00:31:52.200 of Duty. Is there's something about that. It's like, I'll check it 503 00:31:52.240 --> 00:31:56.359 out. I guess I'm at least curious to see why people seem to like 504 00:31:56.400 --> 00:31:57.880 it so much. And it's like, well, not everyone does, but 505 00:31:57.880 --> 00:32:04.079 there's an audience out there that's certainly it does seem to like it. The 506 00:32:04.200 --> 00:32:07.440 legs question, I think you're right, that is the biggest question that I 507 00:32:07.440 --> 00:32:09.839 think we've seen a couple come along, a couple of these kinds of games 508 00:32:09.839 --> 00:32:14.960 come along, pop off, and then fall. I think the Apex Ledgends 509 00:32:14.960 --> 00:32:16.160 that was the one where it's like that one blew up and was able to 510 00:32:16.200 --> 00:32:21.240 maintain something a business for a very long time. We're like, in your 511 00:32:21.240 --> 00:32:23.480 opinion, based on two matches, based on the vibes out there, we're 512 00:32:23.480 --> 00:32:28.519 on that spectrum. Do you really think it's landing right now? I think 513 00:32:28.559 --> 00:32:31.279 it's biggest problem right now is going to be it is. I don't mean 514 00:32:31.319 --> 00:32:34.920 this is a negative way. It is simple. It is you shoot, 515 00:32:35.000 --> 00:32:37.559 you crouch, you move. You have two You have an ability and a 516 00:32:37.599 --> 00:32:40.119 grenade, and that's kind of all you got. I wonder if that's enough 517 00:32:40.160 --> 00:32:44.680 for like higher skill players because they have ranked modes and stuff. But like, 518 00:32:44.720 --> 00:32:47.240 I wonder if people will get bored of this game because there might not 519 00:32:47.279 --> 00:32:51.799 be as much versatility as something like an Apex Legends or something else. So 520 00:32:51.880 --> 00:32:57.519 I think they will have to really be on the ball with updates and with 521 00:32:57.680 --> 00:33:00.160 adding new stuff and new factions and everything. I think if this game goes 522 00:33:00.200 --> 00:33:06.440 three months and there's no significant updates to the game, it might fall off. 523 00:33:06.559 --> 00:33:10.200 And that's just a harsh reality of free to play multiplayer games coming into 524 00:33:10.200 --> 00:33:14.079 the space when there's a bajillion of them to look at right now, I 525 00:33:14.119 --> 00:33:16.319 would expect, like my assumption here is that they're ready to go with a 526 00:33:16.400 --> 00:33:22.480 really quick roadmap to update the game and keep it fresh. Yeah, and 527 00:33:22.519 --> 00:33:23.759 hey, who knows. I think this is the kind of thing where you 528 00:33:23.799 --> 00:33:27.480 and I this is the last time we think about this game. There's a 529 00:33:27.559 --> 00:33:30.759 chance that that's the case, and then we find out two years from now 530 00:33:30.160 --> 00:33:35.359 it's like Massive in China, or it's making a ton of money in South 531 00:33:35.359 --> 00:33:37.880 America, things like that. That can happen with games like this now. 532 00:33:37.920 --> 00:33:42.000 So but in Ubisoft, a global company knows how to take advantage of that. 533 00:33:42.160 --> 00:33:45.680 So that could happen with this game as well. For my part, 534 00:33:45.880 --> 00:33:50.359 it's fine. I think it's fine. It doesn't it didn't blow me away, 535 00:33:50.480 --> 00:33:52.880 And I guess I did see the appeal of people who are like, 536 00:33:52.960 --> 00:33:54.920 hey, this does remind me of Xbox three sixty Call of Duty games. 537 00:33:55.119 --> 00:33:58.599 It's like, yeah, I see what you mean. And if that is 538 00:33:58.640 --> 00:34:00.599 something you're craving, here is a free to play version of that, and 539 00:34:00.599 --> 00:34:04.400 that a lot of people are going to find that appealing. Yeah. And 540 00:34:04.559 --> 00:34:07.519 I think you can criticize Ubisoftfrock a lot of things across the bold clearly. 541 00:34:07.599 --> 00:34:10.960 Yeah, but one thing they are very good at is supporting games long term. 542 00:34:12.320 --> 00:34:15.519 Like you look at something like Rainbow six Siege and that game's you know, 543 00:34:16.000 --> 00:34:21.639 launch was not good and now it's huge, and like they've really changed 544 00:34:21.679 --> 00:34:24.400 that game around, and so they team they tend to stick around with games 545 00:34:24.519 --> 00:34:28.480 kind of long, So like they could give x Defiant the room to like 546 00:34:28.599 --> 00:34:31.480 really flourish, especially if it's going to maintain a pretty healthy player base. 547 00:34:31.679 --> 00:34:36.000 Yeah, and they had to figure out Siege, right. Siege didn't have 548 00:34:36.039 --> 00:34:39.760 the best launch, so they've been through that process. It seems like that 549 00:34:39.880 --> 00:34:44.079 enabled them to create something that was going to have a stronger start than Siege 550 00:34:44.119 --> 00:34:45.480 Day with X Defiant, and it's like, okay, well we're starting from 551 00:34:45.480 --> 00:34:49.119 a higher point. Can you take it to where Siege is? And if 552 00:34:49.159 --> 00:34:52.119 they can, that is another massive, consistent revenue stream that they can rely 553 00:34:52.159 --> 00:34:54.920 on, which is what they're going for here. That's that's what they want. 554 00:34:55.159 --> 00:34:59.400 I am being reminded that Hyperscape was a thing though, and so it 555 00:34:59.440 --> 00:35:02.719 could go the There is the Hyperscape example. Yes, Hyperscape for people don't 556 00:35:02.719 --> 00:35:08.440 remember, was there Battle Royale shooter like Battle Royale hyper Space like like a 557 00:35:08.519 --> 00:35:14.280 virtual world shooter. It didn't last very long at all, but they, 558 00:35:14.400 --> 00:35:17.599 for Honor did last pretty long another game where they supported for quite some time. 559 00:35:17.760 --> 00:35:21.239 I think it's like, I think it gets maintenance updates. I don't 560 00:35:21.239 --> 00:35:22.679 know if it gets new content now, but it lasted for a long time. 561 00:35:23.639 --> 00:35:28.559 All right, Moving along here. Multi Versus director criticizes data miners for 562 00:35:28.599 --> 00:35:31.800 being spoil sports. This is from Darren BoNT Use at GameSpot. Multiverse director 563 00:35:31.800 --> 00:35:37.000 to Tony Hunk. John Hun I'm going to say, has criticized data miners 564 00:35:37.000 --> 00:35:40.239 for spoiling upcoming content in the game, including the reveal of future fighters and 565 00:35:40.280 --> 00:35:45.480 stages. Data miners have regularly trawled through lines of game code to uncover information 566 00:35:45.599 --> 00:35:52.559 on unreleased content, and Hoyn says that these leaks have the developer and fans 567 00:35:52.599 --> 00:35:57.079 of Multiverse feeling deflated when they're robbed of a surprise reveal. I agree. 568 00:35:57.119 --> 00:36:00.000 I don't think people should ever talk about something before the developers talk about it. 569 00:36:00.119 --> 00:36:07.159 My opinion, that's just of course this is it's unavoidable, and I 570 00:36:07.159 --> 00:36:09.000 don't think it actually ruins all that much. I think it just kind of 571 00:36:09.039 --> 00:36:13.559 shifts around where the excitement comes from. And if your audience is big enough, 572 00:36:13.920 --> 00:36:17.239 most of them actually probably aren't paying attention to this stuff some of obviously 573 00:36:17.280 --> 00:36:22.480 some of them are, and that stuff seeps into the community in a bunch 574 00:36:22.519 --> 00:36:24.639 of ways. But then it's like, me, is that thing real? 575 00:36:24.639 --> 00:36:28.280 Are they really gonna announce that? And when they announce that, sure, 576 00:36:28.360 --> 00:36:30.880 maybe it's not the massive pop up like that came out of nowhere, But 577 00:36:31.000 --> 00:36:36.480 I think people getting their their like hopes confirmed is a different kind of pop 578 00:36:36.519 --> 00:36:38.440 that work that is just as valuable. I don't think this really ruins much. 579 00:36:38.440 --> 00:36:42.800 What do you think. No, I've never been in the camp of 580 00:36:42.880 --> 00:36:46.280 like, oh, I learned about something before the official reveal, like oh 581 00:36:46.320 --> 00:36:51.119 no I didn't get you know, marketed to the right way or whatever however 582 00:36:51.159 --> 00:36:53.239 you want to view it. But I think there's also like you can have 583 00:36:53.360 --> 00:36:58.719 phone with data miners, like you can put stuff in there time and like 584 00:36:58.760 --> 00:37:00.480 make an arg or like do a whole thing where it's like, oh we 585 00:37:00.519 --> 00:37:05.599 found a what does this mean? And like because data mining is inevitable, 586 00:37:05.599 --> 00:37:07.800 if you put your game on PC, it is going to be data mined. 587 00:37:07.840 --> 00:37:12.199 Like that is just how this works. You can try every which way 588 00:37:12.280 --> 00:37:15.400 to try and stop it, but it will happen. So use that to 589 00:37:15.480 --> 00:37:17.199 your advantage. Don't just like be mad about it and be like, oh 590 00:37:17.280 --> 00:37:22.159 no, they found the thing we put in the file and then they dug 591 00:37:22.199 --> 00:37:23.679 it up. It's like this has been happening for years. This is like 592 00:37:23.760 --> 00:37:28.840 not a new problem. Yeah, and so have fun with it. New 593 00:37:28.880 --> 00:37:31.559 medic sys Mnet too did that. They made stuff impossible to find without data 594 00:37:31.599 --> 00:37:37.280 mining, and here was like a whole arg that lead led to a new 595 00:37:37.360 --> 00:37:39.880 archetype for the game. Like it was super cool, Like they had fun 596 00:37:39.920 --> 00:37:43.920 with it and it paid off and the community had got really involved in it 597 00:37:43.960 --> 00:37:46.360 and everyone just was like, oh man, that was a really awesome thing 598 00:37:46.440 --> 00:37:49.679 for that game to do, right. I think what we're talking about here 599 00:37:49.719 --> 00:37:55.079 is understand the ways that your community wants to acquire information about your game and 600 00:37:55.320 --> 00:38:00.480 use it, like build it into the ways that you that your company operates 601 00:38:00.719 --> 00:38:04.920 and announces things. Don't assume that you have full control of the message. 602 00:38:05.000 --> 00:38:07.639 If this is if data minding is going to happen with your game, make 603 00:38:07.679 --> 00:38:10.719 it a part of the process. Make sure that everyone involved in the market 604 00:38:12.000 --> 00:38:15.639 marketing team understands it and let them come up with new ideas about how to 605 00:38:15.719 --> 00:38:17.360 use it, because they probably will if that they if they are aware of 606 00:38:17.400 --> 00:38:22.840 this just being like scolding people for doing something that they're doing out of passion 607 00:38:23.079 --> 00:38:27.840 because they really like something. It's that's a losing game. That's not worth 608 00:38:27.880 --> 00:38:30.639 it. You're it's just not worth the squeeze there. You should be thrilled 609 00:38:30.679 --> 00:38:36.440 that you have fans that want to know more about what will take you. 610 00:38:36.760 --> 00:38:40.679 Yeah, yes, absolutely, all right, let's keep this going. New 611 00:38:40.719 --> 00:38:45.039 Fortnite season adds Fallouts, T sixty, Power Armor and Wit and Wasteland or 612 00:38:45.039 --> 00:38:50.000 Magneto. This is from Tom Ivan at VGC. Epic Games has revealed that 613 00:38:50.079 --> 00:38:54.519 Fortnite Battle Reale Chapter five Season three Wrecked is coming. Players can now start 614 00:38:54.559 --> 00:39:00.360 downloading the latest Fortnite patch on all platforms ahead of the post apocalyptic Themes season's 615 00:39:00.400 --> 00:39:05.159 launched later today. The Mad Max inspired season includes a greater focus on vehicular 616 00:39:05.199 --> 00:39:09.719 combat as players explore a new Wasteland biome in nitro fueled maudible cars. Players 617 00:39:09.760 --> 00:39:14.519 will will be able to unlock Fallout's T sixty power armor by leveling up to 618 00:39:14.559 --> 00:39:19.239 Rex battle Pass, while bottles of Nucacola will restore some health of course over 619 00:39:19.280 --> 00:39:23.039 time, and some shield as well. A Wastelander Magneto skin will be unlockable 620 00:39:23.079 --> 00:39:27.920 through battle Pass quests in July two. And that's like the the OC the 621 00:39:28.000 --> 00:39:32.239 new like one of their new characters there. I don't know something about this, 622 00:39:32.039 --> 00:39:37.760 this combination of ips and how they're remixing all this stuff looking very nice 623 00:39:37.760 --> 00:39:38.679 to me. I'm like, oh, I might go. It's time to 624 00:39:38.679 --> 00:39:42.800 go check in on Fortnite again, Like every couple of months I'm there, 625 00:39:42.920 --> 00:39:44.920 and this is one of those times we might check in on it. How 626 00:39:44.920 --> 00:39:46.840 about you? I played a match of it this morning. Oh really? 627 00:39:47.480 --> 00:39:52.679 Yeah? Hell yeah? Is this stuff in there or is it like yeah, 628 00:39:52.800 --> 00:39:57.239 yeah, so Magneto is So for those who play for NIT, you 629 00:39:57.239 --> 00:40:00.000 have like the battle Pass and then you have like the additional character like last 630 00:40:00.159 --> 00:40:05.400 last season it was a Cora from you know, from Avatar, and so 631 00:40:05.519 --> 00:40:07.239 those unlock like later in the season, they have their own separate quest line. 632 00:40:07.239 --> 00:40:12.320 You can unlock Magneto in the Wastelander Magneto, but like the X Men 633 00:40:12.320 --> 00:40:16.159 Magneto because it's like Wastelander Magneto makes it sound like some different thing. So 634 00:40:16.440 --> 00:40:21.599 my understanding is that it is Magneto like you know X Men Magneto, and 635 00:40:21.599 --> 00:40:24.039 then like the alternate skin will be the Wastelander magnetic They do two skins for 636 00:40:24.119 --> 00:40:27.800 it. I could be wrong on that though, I'm not up to date 637 00:40:27.840 --> 00:40:31.599 on my X Men sure that being said, Fallout like that the armor I 638 00:40:31.599 --> 00:40:35.800 thought would be like on the map or it would be in the store. 639 00:40:35.920 --> 00:40:37.840 It's just part of the battle pass. You just play the battle pass, 640 00:40:37.840 --> 00:40:42.920 you get like multiple versions of the T sixty power armor and Fallout And I 641 00:40:42.960 --> 00:40:45.599 was like, oh, okay, that's something they could have easily sold for 642 00:40:45.639 --> 00:40:47.679 twenty thirty dollars in the store and plenty of people would buy. I'm sure 643 00:40:47.719 --> 00:40:51.599 there'll be a variant on the store, but all the Mad Max stuff, 644 00:40:51.679 --> 00:40:55.760 like it's very Mad Max inspired in the battle pass, Like you have an 645 00:40:55.800 --> 00:40:59.880 emote where you're you know, you're breathing fire. You have one where you're 646 00:40:59.880 --> 00:41:02.960 like riffing a guitar and like like on a car. Like it it's some 647 00:41:04.000 --> 00:41:07.039 cool stuff. It's it's fun. And the map itself changed so you have 648 00:41:07.079 --> 00:41:13.440 a whole desert biome now and it's very very very car focused. Like you 649 00:41:13.480 --> 00:41:15.719 get a car, you drive over these boxes that it hurts to your car 650 00:41:15.920 --> 00:41:20.880 and boosts and all this other stuff. There's big rings of fire. There's 651 00:41:20.920 --> 00:41:23.559 just a big battle dome in the map that you just drive around in and 652 00:41:23.599 --> 00:41:29.199 like there's people cheering and it's pretty cool. Okay, I'm really get on 653 00:41:29.239 --> 00:41:34.800 it. That sounds very cool. I yeah, I think that there's a 654 00:41:35.000 --> 00:41:37.960 I get why people are like, we're very excited to go back to the 655 00:41:37.039 --> 00:41:42.800 default original season one map for Fortnite. But for me at this point, 656 00:41:42.960 --> 00:41:45.360 Mike, yeah, no, Like I get the Fortnite heads love that stuff. 657 00:41:45.719 --> 00:41:50.480 I think I like the wild stuff, the very different stuff, even 658 00:41:50.519 --> 00:41:53.039 more personally as someone who is much more casual with Fortnite, and so this 659 00:41:53.079 --> 00:41:55.760 stuff isn't like okay, yeah, the water bending stuff seemed to neat. 660 00:41:57.239 --> 00:42:00.679 I will go I'll check out this now because I shift things up and making 661 00:42:00.679 --> 00:42:02.880 it more about vehicular combat. All right, cool, that sounds fresh and 662 00:42:02.920 --> 00:42:07.039 interesting. I'm gonna check that out. Yeah. Also, I think I'm 663 00:42:07.079 --> 00:42:09.760 just in I still am in a fallout mood. I know people are like, 664 00:42:09.800 --> 00:42:12.880 oh, you know, they stop talk Everyone stopped talk about it because 665 00:42:12.920 --> 00:42:15.159 they binged it. I'm like, I'm still thinking about it. And I'll 666 00:42:15.360 --> 00:42:17.960 that T sixty armor looks cool in a Fortnite actually, so they've got some 667 00:42:17.960 --> 00:42:22.280 cool variants of it. There's some cool different versions of it. Yep. 668 00:42:22.400 --> 00:42:27.480 Absolutely, uh okay, let's keep going here. Switch surpasses DS to become 669 00:42:27.519 --> 00:42:31.000 the best selling system ever in Japan. This is from Nintendo Everything. Switch 670 00:42:31.039 --> 00:42:36.519 has overtaken DS to become the best selling game system ever in Japan. That's 671 00:42:36.519 --> 00:42:39.320 according to the latest data from Famitsu. Earlier today, the outlet reported that 672 00:42:39.360 --> 00:42:45.159 Switch sold another forty thousand units. The console's overall total now sets at thirty 673 00:42:45.280 --> 00:42:49.199 thirty two million, nine hundred and three thousand, seven hundred one units. 674 00:42:49.480 --> 00:42:52.400 To compare the DS sold thirty million, eight hundred and sixty four million one 675 00:42:52.440 --> 00:42:55.679 hundred or eight hundred and sixty four thousand excuse me, one hundred and twenty 676 00:42:55.760 --> 00:43:00.559 nine units total in Japan. Switch secure the record during its three hundred and 677 00:43:00.599 --> 00:43:05.119 seventy seventh week on the market, so which is also close to taking the 678 00:43:05.159 --> 00:43:07.719 world wide wide record. As of March thirty first, the device's overall sales 679 00:43:07.760 --> 00:43:12.320 stand at one hundred and forty one point three to two million, The DS 680 00:43:12.440 --> 00:43:15.559 worldwide is at one hundred and fifty four point zero two million, and the 681 00:43:15.599 --> 00:43:19.480 PS two is around one hundred and sixty ish. They won't tell us exactly 682 00:43:19.480 --> 00:43:23.960 what it's at, although previously they said one fifty five. Yeah. Hey, 683 00:43:24.000 --> 00:43:28.760 the Switch is recent resurgence. It's weird to say it that way, 684 00:43:28.760 --> 00:43:30.840 but it's resurgence in Japan, where it's like it was selling well, selling 685 00:43:30.880 --> 00:43:35.920 well, and then in the last year or so it has sold like better 686 00:43:35.960 --> 00:43:38.199 than it has in quite some time. I think this is part of the 687 00:43:38.239 --> 00:43:42.880 reason why we continue to wait for a Switch follow up, because Nintendo's like, 688 00:43:42.960 --> 00:43:45.159 man, our home territory is crushing this and we're making a lot of 689 00:43:45.159 --> 00:43:50.880 money still and yeah, and so it crossed the finish line to become the 690 00:43:50.920 --> 00:43:53.039 best selling hardware in Japan. Do you think it gets to that global number 691 00:43:53.039 --> 00:43:59.280 one hundred and sixty million? Ish? I mean, at the rate it's 692 00:43:59.320 --> 00:44:01.960 going could I couldn't tell you how long it would take at this point because 693 00:44:01.960 --> 00:44:05.719 I feel like every single human being I know at this point owns a Switch, 694 00:44:05.840 --> 00:44:07.599 and I know these these numbers don't reflect that, Like obviously there's way 695 00:44:07.599 --> 00:44:13.960 more people than Switch owners, but it just keeps selling, and honestly, 696 00:44:14.000 --> 00:44:16.320 like they haven't put any I don't want to say they haven't put anything out, 697 00:44:16.320 --> 00:44:21.480 but like there hasn't been a huge Switch game in a little bit, 698 00:44:21.840 --> 00:44:24.519 in a little bit, and so to see this like just skyrocket and skyrocketing 699 00:44:24.519 --> 00:44:29.000 and keep going, it's like people are still hungry for that entire catalog because 700 00:44:29.000 --> 00:44:30.719 the Switch at this point has a fantastic catalog of games, right, Like, 701 00:44:30.760 --> 00:44:34.199 you can't you can't go wrong with getting a Switch because you can pretty 702 00:44:34.239 --> 00:44:37.440 much play most things you want to play. And so I think, you 703 00:44:37.440 --> 00:44:39.719 know, you give this thing another year or two, Yeah, why not? 704 00:44:40.079 --> 00:44:43.719 It could get it could If it doesn't make it, it'll get pretty 705 00:44:43.760 --> 00:44:46.199 damn close. Yep. Yeah, And it's uh, I think the thing 706 00:44:46.199 --> 00:44:50.159 that really matters. I mean, I care about this because I'm a nerd 707 00:44:50.199 --> 00:44:52.840 and it's it's a stupid thing, but it's like, oh yeah, it'd 708 00:44:52.840 --> 00:44:54.719 be neat if the Switch was was able to get up there with those consoles. 709 00:44:54.800 --> 00:44:59.119 That's awesome. The thing that really matters to these companies that's the software 710 00:44:59.159 --> 00:45:04.559 sales number. And for that it has been an unqualified masterful success for Nintendo, 711 00:45:04.880 --> 00:45:07.400 their first system that has had more than a billion pieces of software sold. 712 00:45:07.639 --> 00:45:12.119 They're at that mark already and they are expecting to sell another one hundred 713 00:45:12.159 --> 00:45:15.159 and sixty million pieces of software for the Switch in this next fiscal year, 714 00:45:15.719 --> 00:45:19.840 and so yeah, that's where the real money is made, and that is 715 00:45:20.119 --> 00:45:22.719 okay, regardless of whether it gets to one sixty million unit sold or not. 716 00:45:23.280 --> 00:45:28.039 Having one hundred and sixty million pieces of software sold this year is the 717 00:45:28.079 --> 00:45:30.840 thing that they were going for, and they've done that. Selling a piece 718 00:45:30.840 --> 00:45:34.079 of hardware where people want to buy a lot of games. That's the way 719 00:45:34.079 --> 00:45:37.599 they make this whole business go around, and they've succeeded at that, all 720 00:45:37.719 --> 00:45:43.639 right. Director George Miller's Perfect Mad Max game would be made by Kojuma This 721 00:45:43.719 --> 00:45:47.559 is from Willow Row at Kotaku. Mad Max franchise creator George Miller already knows 722 00:45:47.599 --> 00:45:51.880 what he wants from another video game set in his iconic universe. Ahead of 723 00:45:51.920 --> 00:45:55.280 furiosa of Mad Max Saga's release on May twenty fourth, the director revealed that 724 00:45:55.320 --> 00:45:59.679 his dream would be to have none other than Middle Gear Solid and Death Stranding 725 00:45:59.719 --> 00:46:04.639 master mind Hideo Kojima make take the metaphorical wheel. During the red carpet for 726 00:46:04.679 --> 00:46:07.679 Free for Yosa, Miller spoke to Gaming Bible and real that he would support 727 00:46:07.719 --> 00:46:13.679 another game in the series if Kojima would take it on the choice of Kochoma 728 00:46:13.760 --> 00:46:15.880 makes a lot of sense, giving the mutual respect the two creators have. 729 00:46:15.960 --> 00:46:22.159 You you see like the Instagram post of George Miller seeing Kochuma at the premiere 730 00:46:22.159 --> 00:46:23.880 for the movie and being like, oh, my best friend in the world. 731 00:46:24.840 --> 00:46:29.719 Yeah, it's okay. That's why he's saying this. I think this 732 00:46:29.920 --> 00:46:32.719 is throwing that twenty fifteen game under the bus a little bit. He basically 733 00:46:32.760 --> 00:46:35.760 does say, ye, that game wasn't what we wanted to be. It 734 00:46:35.760 --> 00:46:37.400 wasn't as good as I wanted it to be. Is his exact quote. 735 00:46:37.679 --> 00:46:42.119 It's like, ah, you know what, that's what a lot of the 736 00:46:42.119 --> 00:46:45.320 reviews said. It's kind of that. There were some mediocre reviews. But 737 00:46:45.360 --> 00:46:47.079 I played that game a little bit yesterday and I see some promise, and 738 00:46:47.119 --> 00:46:51.360 I know a lot of people really love it. But I also get being 739 00:46:51.400 --> 00:46:52.880 like, I have a homeboy and he makes games, so he would make 740 00:46:52.920 --> 00:46:57.239 it even better. Of course, that's what you say, right, Yeah, 741 00:46:57.320 --> 00:47:00.719 that's that's just you guessing up your friend. Yeah exactly. Yeah, 742 00:47:00.119 --> 00:47:05.280 this this Hideo guy, he could do it easy, Like, yeah, 743 00:47:05.320 --> 00:47:07.760 of course, I mean look at the look at the catalog of Soul and 744 00:47:07.800 --> 00:47:10.360 he's got it captured in his offices. If you could do that, you 745 00:47:10.360 --> 00:47:15.920 could do anything. You see Death stranded to that game had a car, 746 00:47:15.039 --> 00:47:20.519 Yeah, you could do Mad Mags. Yeah, sure, Mad Max where 747 00:47:20.519 --> 00:47:24.280 you have to deliver packages that are precariously stacked up in your trunk. I 748 00:47:24.400 --> 00:47:28.199 like that. That sounds like a good game to me. You just put 749 00:47:28.239 --> 00:47:30.760 Death strending in the desert. It's basically Mad Max at that point, Like, 750 00:47:30.840 --> 00:47:32.639 if you've already done it, yes, exactly, yeah, hey it 751 00:47:32.719 --> 00:47:37.719 sounds good to me. Probably wouldn't. Nothing like this is actually gonna come 752 00:47:37.719 --> 00:47:42.400 of anything, right, This is just talk no, this, this, 753 00:47:42.400 --> 00:47:45.000 this is. This has one of two routes, right, It's it's just 754 00:47:45.079 --> 00:47:50.599 talk nothing matters, or it gets so like like memed into existence that like 755 00:47:50.960 --> 00:47:52.440 they tease it and then it's like, oh is it happening? Isn't not? 756 00:47:52.519 --> 00:47:55.760 And they just like keep this fun bit going forever, but think ever 757 00:47:55.880 --> 00:48:00.639 happens. Yeah, it's again. I think this is the kind of unteasing 758 00:48:00.719 --> 00:48:07.320 that is probably meaningless that the Kojima universe is good at. Like I think 759 00:48:07.360 --> 00:48:08.840 they then always being like, eh, maybe we'll do something like that. 760 00:48:08.960 --> 00:48:13.079 Yeah, that's great. I'm totally down with that. It's also great marketing 761 00:48:13.119 --> 00:48:15.159 for the new movie that is coming out right now, right, Like they 762 00:48:15.199 --> 00:48:19.199 got everyone talk about mad Max. Maybe they sell a couple extra copies of 763 00:48:19.199 --> 00:48:21.719 the old Mad Max game. They get people to go see Furios. So 764 00:48:21.840 --> 00:48:28.119 like it all, it all, it all makes real quick news. Story 765 00:48:28.239 --> 00:48:30.119 just broke a little bit. It's a confirmation of something we talked about on 766 00:48:30.159 --> 00:48:34.760 this show. Bill bil Kuhn, who is a known leaker over there at 767 00:48:34.800 --> 00:48:38.119 deal Labs, has a story out about confirming that they've heard about that Astrobat 768 00:48:38.159 --> 00:48:42.440 game that I've mentioned. You know, let's read the story here. This 769 00:48:42.519 --> 00:48:45.960 from Bill bill kuon over at deal Labs. It seems that chances of a 770 00:48:45.000 --> 00:48:51.239 PlayStation event happening in May twenty twenty four are only increasing after our exclusive information 771 00:48:51.280 --> 00:48:54.880 shared yesterday about the imminent announcement of the long awaited game Concord. Another PlayStation 772 00:48:55.000 --> 00:49:00.400 exclusive is a likely It's likely to appear during the same period. The first 773 00:49:00.440 --> 00:49:04.039 rumors were made by Blah blah blah, Jeff Blah blah blah blah. Nick 774 00:49:04.079 --> 00:49:07.480 Baker confirmed the twenty eighth, which, hey, that's the date I'm also 775 00:49:07.519 --> 00:49:10.800 hearing repeatedly now is the twenty eighth, which is still in May you down, 776 00:49:12.000 --> 00:49:16.360 bad dirty bastards out there get a life? Twenty eighth still may, 777 00:49:16.840 --> 00:49:22.039 but yes, several rumors have pointed to that event happening, and now deal 778 00:49:22.119 --> 00:49:25.599 Labs are saying that they think a game called Astrobot, just straight up called 779 00:49:25.679 --> 00:49:30.679 Astrobot may get announced at the show. That is one of the games I'm 780 00:49:30.880 --> 00:49:34.559 expecting PlayStation to launch this year, So if that's the case, it probably 781 00:49:34.559 --> 00:49:37.800 does have to show up here. That sound good to you. I'm an 782 00:49:37.840 --> 00:49:42.519 astro fan, so I'm ready for Astrobot, like I'm gonna be realized. 783 00:49:42.559 --> 00:49:45.800 The first I'm hearing about this. I'm so on board. Yes, I 784 00:49:45.440 --> 00:49:50.400 oh man, a new Astrobot game. Oh, give it to me right 785 00:49:50.440 --> 00:49:53.559 now. I'm ready for it. If it is what I wanted to be, 786 00:49:53.639 --> 00:49:58.119 which is like, we had astro b like the tech demo thing for 787 00:49:58.159 --> 00:50:00.840 a while, and it's been the best tech demo thing you've ever played in 788 00:50:00.880 --> 00:50:05.280 your life. What if we just took that. Obviously, the Astros Rescue 789 00:50:05.320 --> 00:50:07.360 Mission full VR game, obviously that's what it is, but still it was 790 00:50:07.400 --> 00:50:09.920 to show off very good, yes, and it was to show off what 791 00:50:09.960 --> 00:50:13.119 that hardware could do. It was like it was an extension of what they 792 00:50:13.119 --> 00:50:17.840 did with the games that would come with the PSVR. Make a full Astrobot 793 00:50:17.880 --> 00:50:23.199 game for the PlayStation five. Yeah, that that sounds fantastic. I really 794 00:50:23.239 --> 00:50:25.920 really want that. I Again, of course, there's always a chance that 795 00:50:27.000 --> 00:50:30.599 this is something that comes with the PS five Pro. I think the chances 796 00:50:30.639 --> 00:50:32.960 of that are minimal, but it's there's still a chance. Why wouldn't they 797 00:50:34.000 --> 00:50:37.199 just make a full on astro game, especially after it was so beloved when 798 00:50:37.199 --> 00:50:42.920 they did that Astros Playroom game with the PS five launch, so had easily 799 00:50:43.119 --> 00:50:46.519 Yes, I am very excited about this. And maybe you know, and 800 00:50:47.039 --> 00:50:50.920 it's coming to a point where it's like across the board, I think I'm 801 00:50:50.920 --> 00:50:54.079 excited about all the showcases, gamings in a bad place, a lot of 802 00:50:54.079 --> 00:50:59.480 people losing their jobs because studios are closing, Like it's it's rough out there, 803 00:50:59.519 --> 00:51:01.159 and we're not going to forget about that. But that doesn't mean I 804 00:51:01.199 --> 00:51:04.000 don't I want, like, okay, well, the games that are still 805 00:51:04.000 --> 00:51:06.920 coming, I've completely written them off. I'm not at that point. I 806 00:51:07.000 --> 00:51:09.320 want these things to be good and exciting so that we can sort of bounce 807 00:51:09.360 --> 00:51:13.480 back in a strong way next year. And it's got it kind of has 808 00:51:13.480 --> 00:51:16.440 to start here. You know. We keep talking about the industry needs switch 809 00:51:16.519 --> 00:51:20.760 to the industry needs Grand Theft Auto six. What if we got to the 810 00:51:20.760 --> 00:51:22.960 point where it didn't need those massive tent poles to hold up everything else. 811 00:51:23.239 --> 00:51:27.199 What if there were some games announced in the next month that could do it 812 00:51:27.239 --> 00:51:29.880 all themselves. That would be really cool. And I'm hopeful that we can 813 00:51:29.880 --> 00:51:31.639 get to that point. Not that I think Astrobot's going to be something that 814 00:51:31.719 --> 00:51:35.960 sells twenty five million copies, but I don't give a shit. I just 815 00:51:36.000 --> 00:51:37.440 want to play it. That's that's all. My feeling is about that game. 816 00:51:38.400 --> 00:51:43.679 Yeah, I'm ready for it, me too. Yeah, So twenty 817 00:51:43.719 --> 00:51:46.559 eight for that likely not guaranteed, everybody, I'll just keep saying I've only 818 00:51:46.559 --> 00:51:50.920 heard may for sure. And then this twenty eight day is being repeated in 819 00:51:50.960 --> 00:51:54.000 a lot of places. And then you know very quickly after that it is 820 00:51:54.079 --> 00:51:58.800 June and we are doing Summer game Fest stuff and everyone's got announcements then as 821 00:51:58.840 --> 00:52:01.800 well, including Nintendo in Xbox. So it's very close. I should start 822 00:52:01.840 --> 00:52:06.599 packing. It's that close. I'll pack five minutes before my foe. I'm 823 00:52:06.599 --> 00:52:07.639 the same. That's what I'll That's when I'll actually do it. But I 824 00:52:07.639 --> 00:52:12.320 should start now. All right. That does it for the news. Got 825 00:52:12.320 --> 00:52:14.360 a pull question. We're gonna get to here in a second. Well, 826 00:52:14.400 --> 00:52:15.320 I get that set up, Jesse. Why don't you tell people where they 827 00:52:15.360 --> 00:52:20.079 can find you what you have going on? All that good stuff? Cool? 828 00:52:20.119 --> 00:52:22.920 All right? So you can find me on Twitter at Jesse Vittelli. 829 00:52:23.000 --> 00:52:25.679 You can find me on TikTok. Now that's a thing that I do occasionally. 830 00:52:27.400 --> 00:52:30.360 I like your tiktoks. Thank you. Just my name on TikTok. 831 00:52:30.400 --> 00:52:34.880 You'll just find me, Jesse. I tell you'll find me there. As 832 00:52:34.920 --> 00:52:38.000 for things I've got coming up, some stuff I can't talk about yet. 833 00:52:38.280 --> 00:52:43.599 Sorry to be that person, but just can't. And then I'll be at 834 00:52:43.599 --> 00:52:46.840 Summer Game Fest, uh, doing some previews. The Nasty Boys are going 835 00:52:46.880 --> 00:52:52.320 to roll through for the the other stuff, and so keep keep your eyes 836 00:52:52.320 --> 00:52:53.360 peeled. Summer Game Fest kind of be all over the place. It'll be 837 00:52:53.400 --> 00:52:57.519 a good time. And that's honestly all I really got going on right now. 838 00:52:57.519 --> 00:52:59.840 I'm just trying to get through like the first two weeks of June, 839 00:52:59.880 --> 00:53:04.800 and then like then I can take a breath and figure out what's next. 840 00:53:05.079 --> 00:53:07.239 Yep. But until then, I'm just kind of bouncing around looking forward to 841 00:53:07.320 --> 00:53:09.480 it. And then I think what what we should do is we'll come back 842 00:53:09.480 --> 00:53:14.119 from Summer Game Fest and you get back on the show. We'll do like 843 00:53:14.119 --> 00:53:15.920 a wrap up on that show kind of things that you saw, talk about 844 00:53:15.920 --> 00:53:20.079 some games, stuff like that. Does that sound good? Sounds great? 845 00:53:20.159 --> 00:53:22.599 Hell? Yeah? I cannot wait? All right, pull question, let's 846 00:53:22.599 --> 00:53:28.039 bring that up right here. Would you want to use Steam on an Xbox? 847 00:53:28.360 --> 00:53:31.039 Let me refreshed x This is not the full results here. There we 848 00:53:31.079 --> 00:53:34.639 go, there we are all right? Would you want to use Steam on 849 00:53:34.719 --> 00:53:37.199 an Xbox. Sixty six percent said yes, thirty four percent said no. 850 00:53:38.840 --> 00:53:42.800 Yeah, I kind of I struggle to understand why you wouldn't at least want 851 00:53:42.800 --> 00:53:45.119 it as an option, like you like, oh, don't don't allow it 852 00:53:45.159 --> 00:53:46.199 to happen. But that's These are people just saying, well, if it's 853 00:53:46.199 --> 00:53:49.920 there, I'm not going to use it. No, how about you, 854 00:53:50.000 --> 00:53:52.960 Jesse? Would you if Steam was an option on an Xbox and you had 855 00:53:52.960 --> 00:53:54.280 an Xbox in front of you and you could get a game on there, 856 00:53:54.320 --> 00:53:59.400 would you use it? So are we sorry not to like get you into 857 00:53:59.400 --> 00:54:02.280 this, like the Steam client like Steam client, Yeah, like to be 858 00:54:02.280 --> 00:54:06.159 able to buy a game through Steam and play it on your next Xbox. 859 00:54:06.239 --> 00:54:08.239 Yes, that is Yeah, why not? That's something that they're apparently thinking 860 00:54:08.280 --> 00:54:13.360 about. Yes, that sounds great honestly, like, especially if it connects 861 00:54:13.360 --> 00:54:15.079 to my already existing Steam library, Like I don't want to do any weird 862 00:54:15.119 --> 00:54:19.239 things, Like yeah, absolutely, that sounds fantastic, right, and like 863 00:54:19.559 --> 00:54:22.880 obviously there's a chance to like maybe not every single game works, but likely 864 00:54:22.000 --> 00:54:25.920 they all would for the most part. So yes, I'm right there with 865 00:54:25.960 --> 00:54:31.519 you, all right. New poll question, do you think going back to 866 00:54:31.599 --> 00:54:37.679 multi platform will be enough for Final Fantasy. We can get the results of 867 00:54:37.679 --> 00:54:42.960 that and discuss it on Wednesday of next week. We're not it's not next 868 00:54:42.960 --> 00:54:45.000 week. We're leieving, right, it's the week after That's right, Okay, 869 00:54:45.119 --> 00:54:47.239 So Wednesday of next week will be back. Monday is Memorial Day. 870 00:54:47.239 --> 00:54:51.679 We are off. We will be back for the BombCast on Tuesday, though, 871 00:54:51.800 --> 00:54:53.679 look out for that. And between now and then here on Giant Bomb, 872 00:54:54.159 --> 00:54:58.559 we will have BombCast Revengeance. Today, we're gonna do a upf today. 873 00:54:58.599 --> 00:55:01.599 We're going to get back into Elder Ring multiplayer. Of course, you 874 00:55:01.639 --> 00:55:06.519 should go to ticketmaster dot com search Giant Bomb and get your tickets for the 875 00:55:06.519 --> 00:55:10.239 Bellweather Our Live show in Los Angeles. It's gonna be a really good time. 876 00:55:12.039 --> 00:55:14.039 You're not gonna want to miss it. Jason try will be there, 877 00:55:14.360 --> 00:55:16.639 line of Pierce. It's gonna be a good time. We're just gonna hang 878 00:55:16.639 --> 00:55:20.960 out and talk about dumb stuff and then have some friends up on the stage. 879 00:55:20.960 --> 00:55:23.519 It's gonna be a good time, all right. Jesse, thank you 880 00:55:23.559 --> 00:55:25.960 so much for spending today talking with me about video games. Man, I 881 00:55:27.000 --> 00:55:29.679 really appreciate it. Thank you for having me. It's always a blast. 882 00:55:29.679 --> 00:55:31.639 To be on the show absolutely and thank you all for listening. You're the 883 00:55:31.679 --> 00:55:36.440 best audience in gaming. Until next time, have a good one, take 884 00:55:36.480 --> 00:55:37.360 care of yourself and goodbye.