WEBVTT 1 00:00:09.119 --> 00:00:12.320 Hey, everybody, welcome to game Mes Mornings with Me Jeff Grub, 2 00:00:12.359 --> 00:00:14.400 your host from giant bomb dot com. 3 00:00:14.759 --> 00:00:15.679 Thank you for tuning in. 4 00:00:15.679 --> 00:00:18.000 In this episode, we're going to be talking about Microsoft 5 00:00:18.039 --> 00:00:21.800 wanting more of your money again again again, and the 6 00:00:21.839 --> 00:00:25.000 most Xbox three to sixty as series could return soon. 7 00:00:25.039 --> 00:00:25.559 It's gonna be. 8 00:00:25.559 --> 00:00:28.039 A good one because we have lex Luddi on the show. Lexi, 9 00:00:28.120 --> 00:00:28.960 how are you doing? 10 00:00:29.839 --> 00:00:33.520 Glub? I am so fucking tired. I arrived from Japan 11 00:00:33.719 --> 00:00:37.200 after a full day of traveling, more than a day 12 00:00:37.200 --> 00:00:40.359 of traveling, so I've been home for like less than 13 00:00:40.359 --> 00:00:43.799 twelve hours at this point. But I'm doing pretty good. 14 00:00:44.359 --> 00:00:47.520 Japan was busy. It was a lot. I did a 15 00:00:47.560 --> 00:00:49.359 lot of the touristy things. I'm glad I did a 16 00:00:49.399 --> 00:00:52.960 lot of the touristy things. Went to the Nintendo Museum 17 00:00:53.000 --> 00:00:53.960 as you can probably see. 18 00:00:54.039 --> 00:00:57.479 Great sure wow fans of it's this disc system shirt 19 00:00:57.520 --> 00:00:58.640 for people who are ye fans. 20 00:00:58.640 --> 00:01:03.600 I bought this on a virtual discs shirsh and mugs 21 00:01:03.600 --> 00:01:04.280 for both of them. 22 00:01:05.560 --> 00:01:05.760 Cool. 23 00:01:05.920 --> 00:01:07.640 That was the majority of the merch I bart because 24 00:01:07.640 --> 00:01:10.280 it's like it's funnier to own these ones, and they 25 00:01:10.760 --> 00:01:15.480 were out of we and we you stuff weirdly enough. Yeah, 26 00:01:16.920 --> 00:01:20.120 and went to TGS for the first time. That was 27 00:01:20.159 --> 00:01:24.120 a lot of fun. That was extremely overwhelming. And went 28 00:01:24.159 --> 00:01:27.599 to the eight four TGS party, met some fighters, met 29 00:01:27.640 --> 00:01:33.840 them Gabe from eight to four. Yeah, those those people 30 00:01:33.879 --> 00:01:37.400 are awesome. Had a bunch of people recognize me from 31 00:01:37.519 --> 00:01:42.359 Giant Bomb stuff like, which was very weird. So that 32 00:01:42.480 --> 00:01:45.480 was cool. But yeah, it was a really good holiday. 33 00:01:45.519 --> 00:01:49.120 I'm feeling like reinvigorated to like cover video games. And 34 00:01:49.159 --> 00:01:51.599 the good news is, like the Sadian industry, it's it 35 00:01:51.760 --> 00:01:54.719 makes it easy to be enthusiastic about video games. Right now, 36 00:01:55.000 --> 00:01:56.760 let's go all. 37 00:01:57.760 --> 00:02:00.760 You know, blue skies and rainbows over here. It's just 38 00:02:00.760 --> 00:02:04.120 another but good stuff. Yeah you so you had a 39 00:02:04.120 --> 00:02:06.719 good trip. Did you have like and I understand you 40 00:02:06.760 --> 00:02:08.680 were there for Tokyo game shows, so you were doing work. 41 00:02:08.680 --> 00:02:10.960 But do you have any other works that you want 42 00:02:11.000 --> 00:02:11.840 to tell people about? 43 00:02:12.080 --> 00:02:16.159 Yes? I do. While I was gone. Right after I left, 44 00:02:16.319 --> 00:02:18.639 this arrived. If you can't see this, this is a 45 00:02:18.680 --> 00:02:22.360 really fucking big book. This is the latest lock on 46 00:02:22.599 --> 00:02:26.800 from Lost and Cult and I wrote a piece for this, 47 00:02:27.479 --> 00:02:31.479 which god, this book is heavy and yeah, you see there, 48 00:02:32.439 --> 00:02:34.960 I wrote this almost two years ago now, but I'm 49 00:02:35.080 --> 00:02:38.039 very glad that it is finally out there, and this 50 00:02:38.159 --> 00:02:40.680 is a piece on Birth of the Wild and myself 51 00:02:41.879 --> 00:02:45.120 and my own personal history with that game. I'm really 52 00:02:45.120 --> 00:02:46.879 proud of this piece. I'm really glad that it's out 53 00:02:46.919 --> 00:02:48.960 in the world. I will say, if you pick up 54 00:02:48.960 --> 00:02:51.479 this book, which you should, there is some incredible writers 55 00:02:51.479 --> 00:02:57.000 in there. There's some great interviews with different people who 56 00:02:57.000 --> 00:02:59.680 worked on Final Fantasy. There's a bunch of really cool 57 00:02:59.719 --> 00:03:03.159 ride in there. And if you want to read my section, 58 00:03:03.439 --> 00:03:06.719 I will warn you there's no content warning on my 59 00:03:06.800 --> 00:03:09.400 actual steff but the I'm going to issue a big 60 00:03:09.400 --> 00:03:12.240 old content warning on that for like mental health stuff, 61 00:03:12.479 --> 00:03:15.520 for eating disorder stuff, for gender dysphoyer stuff. It is 62 00:03:16.360 --> 00:03:20.400 not an easy read my section, but I've gotten some 63 00:03:20.520 --> 00:03:22.960 nice comments and feedback on it for the people that 64 00:03:23.039 --> 00:03:25.159 have reddish. But if you are going to be to 65 00:03:25.199 --> 00:03:26.800 just be aware of those things. 66 00:03:26.759 --> 00:03:28.919 Well, I think it's very cool, very proud of you. 67 00:03:29.240 --> 00:03:30.759 I'm going to pick this thing up. I just I 68 00:03:30.800 --> 00:03:35.960 love the look of it always. It's so like just design. 69 00:03:36.319 --> 00:03:40.639 All of that, and like over five hundred and fifty 70 00:03:40.680 --> 00:03:43.039 pages of stuff that is. 71 00:03:43.000 --> 00:03:45.719 All that high quality yeah, they always get rid of 72 00:03:45.759 --> 00:03:47.680 like like you just flipping through there and like the 73 00:03:48.159 --> 00:03:50.199 burst the flashes of color as you like go from 74 00:03:50.240 --> 00:03:52.520 one one story to the next, and they all have 75 00:03:52.560 --> 00:03:55.479 their own feel. It's just it's enticing. Makes me want 76 00:03:55.479 --> 00:03:57.319 to hop into the book like that and just start reading. 77 00:03:57.719 --> 00:04:01.400 Yeah, but good enough that while I was gone, it 78 00:04:01.479 --> 00:04:03.360 alive to my parents' house and my dad has just 79 00:04:03.360 --> 00:04:06.560 been like leading random ones. Oh cool, and he's like, 80 00:04:06.599 --> 00:04:08.560 these are really good, like people can write some really 81 00:04:08.599 --> 00:04:11.319 good stuff about video games, And I'm like, yeah, wouldn't 82 00:04:11.319 --> 00:04:13.960 it be nice if everyone else knew that I want 83 00:04:13.960 --> 00:04:15.000 to get out of the way. At the end of 84 00:04:15.000 --> 00:04:17.720 the show instead of promoting my work I have around. 85 00:04:18.399 --> 00:04:21.480 Okay, fantastic, you want to get to that at the end, 86 00:04:21.480 --> 00:04:23.959 you're saying whatever you want to do that, I'll do that, 87 00:04:24.240 --> 00:04:24.959 all right, sounds good. 88 00:04:25.120 --> 00:04:26.360 Look win them over one at a time. 89 00:04:26.439 --> 00:04:28.560 Just send that book to random people and just let 90 00:04:28.639 --> 00:04:30.600 them casually pick it up like your dad did. That's 91 00:04:30.600 --> 00:04:32.720 the way we're going to do it, all right. Let's 92 00:04:32.720 --> 00:04:35.480 explain ourselves. We're Giant Bomb Video Game DUP. This is 93 00:04:35.480 --> 00:04:38.279 we're independent games media out here on our own. That 94 00:04:38.360 --> 00:04:40.959 means we only do this because of your help. You 95 00:04:41.000 --> 00:04:43.040 go to giant bomb dot com slash joy and become 96 00:04:43.040 --> 00:04:45.879 a premium member. That helps us do what we do 97 00:04:45.959 --> 00:04:48.839 over here, and your support goes a long way. The 98 00:04:48.879 --> 00:04:51.920 sport we have received has gone a long way. We 99 00:04:51.959 --> 00:04:54.399 are super thankful for everyone who has shown up for 100 00:04:54.519 --> 00:04:56.920 us so far. And if you want to join that 101 00:04:57.000 --> 00:04:59.120 and and kind of keep us going here in the future, 102 00:04:59.120 --> 00:05:01.199 we would really appreciate that. 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That includes breaking news 114 00:05:26.079 --> 00:05:28.800 and maybe even some of our own original reporting for 115 00:05:28.920 --> 00:05:30.720 all these topics. I'll get the input bay bona fide 116 00:05:30.759 --> 00:05:33.240 expert who will make me look smart. If you were 117 00:05:33.279 --> 00:05:36.439 watching live on Twitch welcome. You can always listen to 118 00:05:36.439 --> 00:05:38.839 the show later on podcast feeds by searching for game 119 00:05:38.879 --> 00:05:42.680 Mes Mornings, or find the RSS feed on giant bomb 120 00:05:42.680 --> 00:05:44.800 dot com. You can also catch the show later with 121 00:05:44.879 --> 00:05:46.839 chapters and timestamps on YouTube. 122 00:05:49.720 --> 00:05:51.279 Hello YouTube. 123 00:05:51.319 --> 00:05:53.079 All right, we have a lot of mining on so much, 124 00:05:53.800 --> 00:05:58.000 so let's start the morning mess with game Pass price 125 00:05:58.079 --> 00:06:02.319 hikes announced again again again will cost thirty dollars a 126 00:06:02.360 --> 00:06:05.439 month for Ultimate. This is from Eddie McCoo at game Spot. 127 00:06:05.800 --> 00:06:09.199 Microsoft has announced another Xbox Game Pass price hike. We 128 00:06:09.199 --> 00:06:11.480 can just call these the annual Call of Duty price 129 00:06:11.560 --> 00:06:14.160 hikes at this point now Lexi with the Ultimate tire 130 00:06:14.199 --> 00:06:17.639 going up to thirty dollars per month. Microsoft is making 131 00:06:17.680 --> 00:06:20.079 this change just ahead of Call of Duty Black Ops 132 00:06:20.120 --> 00:06:23.879 seven's release in November. It follows a price increase on 133 00:06:24.079 --> 00:06:27.040 Xbox consoles that was announced last week. God that was 134 00:06:27.040 --> 00:06:29.519 only a week ago. For now, however, you could still 135 00:06:29.560 --> 00:06:32.199 get a one month game Pass Ultimate subscription for twenty 136 00:06:32.240 --> 00:06:33.160 dollars at Amazon. 137 00:06:33.199 --> 00:06:34.800 That's not going to last soon. I think the price 138 00:06:34.839 --> 00:06:36.120 is going up like right now. 139 00:06:36.519 --> 00:06:38.720 Microsoft is making the price changes as part of a 140 00:06:38.759 --> 00:06:43.199 wider claim excuse me that it's giving people more more 141 00:06:43.240 --> 00:06:44.000 than before to. 142 00:06:43.959 --> 00:06:45.279 Help justify the price hike. 143 00:06:45.680 --> 00:06:47.720 We know not everyone wants the same thing in their 144 00:06:47.839 --> 00:06:51.319 Xbox experience, so we're doing you a favor, and I'm 145 00:06:51.319 --> 00:06:53.759 matting that part. So we're evolving game Passed to offer 146 00:06:53.800 --> 00:06:58.120 more flexibility, choice and value to all players. Microsoft liede 147 00:06:58.639 --> 00:07:02.800 new plan named Seeing Here. Here's the details. Xbox Game 148 00:07:02.839 --> 00:07:05.920 Pass Essentials ten dollars a month. That's the basically Xbox 149 00:07:05.959 --> 00:07:09.240 Live Gold. Right, it does have some games in there. 150 00:07:09.279 --> 00:07:15.600 There's games that are partly like it's around. 151 00:07:13.160 --> 00:07:15.040 It's just north of fifty, I believe, right. 152 00:07:15.079 --> 00:07:18.680 Then Xbox Game Pass Premium also not day one games, 153 00:07:18.680 --> 00:07:19.399 but quite a bit more. 154 00:07:19.439 --> 00:07:21.800 You get like north of two hundred games. 155 00:07:21.839 --> 00:07:24.120 Yeah, I think it's one hundred two hundred games. 156 00:07:24.040 --> 00:07:24.879 Yeah, something like that. 157 00:07:24.920 --> 00:07:28.839 And then Xbox game Pass Ultimate is thirty dollars a month. 158 00:07:29.759 --> 00:07:32.040 That that is day one games. They are adding some 159 00:07:32.120 --> 00:07:33.759 other stuff here, right, you know what we should. 160 00:07:33.560 --> 00:07:37.360 Just gluba, not including college. 161 00:07:38.519 --> 00:07:42.319 Not including Call of Duty, which seems notable. 162 00:07:43.519 --> 00:07:46.000 You'll need you'll but you will need one of these 163 00:07:46.040 --> 00:07:48.040 tiers to play online with Call of Duty. 164 00:07:48.519 --> 00:07:49.720 Okay, let's let's ride through here. 165 00:07:49.720 --> 00:07:52.360 For Game Pass Ultimate subscribers are now getting more Day 166 00:07:52.399 --> 00:07:56.319 one games than ever before. Along with access to Fortnite 167 00:07:56.319 --> 00:08:01.040 Crew and Ubisoft Plus Classics, members also get enhanced lay 168 00:08:01.079 --> 00:08:04.319 Cloud ca mane streaming quality up to fourteen forty p 169 00:08:04.839 --> 00:08:07.360 Fortnite Crew, which costs twelve dollars a month by itself, 170 00:08:07.399 --> 00:08:10.800 comes to game Pass Ultimate on November eighteenth. Fortnite Creue 171 00:08:10.800 --> 00:08:14.000 gives members the latest Fortnite Battle Pass, along with one 172 00:08:14.040 --> 00:08:16.800 thousand v Bucks each month each month in addition to 173 00:08:16.879 --> 00:08:21.680 other benefits. Ubisoft Plus Classics meanwhile cost sixteen dollars a 174 00:08:21.680 --> 00:08:23.920 month on its own. It includes a variety of Ubisoft 175 00:08:24.000 --> 00:08:26.519 games for PC, console and the cloud. 176 00:08:26.759 --> 00:08:29.639 It's going to be, you know, not necessarily. 177 00:08:29.079 --> 00:08:30.839 The oldest games. It'll just be games that are not 178 00:08:30.879 --> 00:08:34.279 like the newest, freshest releases. Another perk added to game 179 00:08:34.320 --> 00:08:37.440 Pass Ultimate is best quality streaming and shortest wait times 180 00:08:37.440 --> 00:08:42.559 for Xbox Cloud gaming. Additionally, you know, honestly like advertising 181 00:08:42.600 --> 00:08:45.879 that is insane because it was so painfully slow before that. 182 00:08:45.960 --> 00:08:47.720 Of course, like you're just kind of getting up to 183 00:08:47.799 --> 00:08:49.919 par at this point, but whatever. 184 00:08:49.600 --> 00:08:52.639 So I need to correck something. It is. Call of 185 00:08:52.720 --> 00:08:56.200 Duty is coming to Xbox Game Pass Ultimate, Xbox Game 186 00:08:56.240 --> 00:09:00.360 Pass Premium where they say game Xcox games will come 187 00:09:00.399 --> 00:09:03.080 within a year that does not include. 188 00:09:03.039 --> 00:09:05.519 Called Okay, so okay, So they're kind of warning people 189 00:09:05.559 --> 00:09:07.360 ahead of time, like don't get that, hopeing you'll get 190 00:09:07.360 --> 00:09:08.320 Call of Duty eventually. 191 00:09:08.320 --> 00:09:10.320 I guess all right. I was confused about that as well. 192 00:09:10.720 --> 00:09:14.039 Uh So the breakdown here is Game Pass Ultimate is 193 00:09:14.080 --> 00:09:16.399 they're trying to like get it up to thirty dollars 194 00:09:16.440 --> 00:09:18.159 a month, and then they're throwing at a bunch of 195 00:09:18.200 --> 00:09:18.639 a bunch. 196 00:09:18.440 --> 00:09:20.120 Of shit at the wall to sort of justify it. 197 00:09:20.759 --> 00:09:22.240 Call of Duty was going to be a big part 198 00:09:22.240 --> 00:09:23.759 of that equation for a lot of people. 199 00:09:24.879 --> 00:09:25.879 You'd be soft classics. 200 00:09:25.960 --> 00:09:29.159 Yeah, okay, I guess some more games in there's good 201 00:09:29.279 --> 00:09:30.159 is better than nothing. 202 00:09:30.240 --> 00:09:31.480 And then Fortnite Crewe. 203 00:09:31.919 --> 00:09:34.399 God, I think if you want Fortnite Crewe, you already 204 00:09:34.440 --> 00:09:38.879 know and you probably already have it. I suppose that 205 00:09:39.120 --> 00:09:42.080 is another value in there. But uh hey, thirty dollars 206 00:09:42.080 --> 00:09:43.519 a month, I'm out. 207 00:09:43.799 --> 00:09:45.200 I'm done. I was. I was. 208 00:09:45.840 --> 00:09:48.039 Momentum kept me with twenty dollars per month on the 209 00:09:48.159 --> 00:09:51.759 Xbox over there. I will just if I will occasionally 210 00:09:51.759 --> 00:09:54.399 get essential to play games online on the Xbox. If 211 00:09:54.399 --> 00:09:56.759 I were ever to need that again, although I can't 212 00:09:56.799 --> 00:09:58.039 imagine that I will. 213 00:09:58.519 --> 00:10:00.000 I'm done, I'm out. How about you? 214 00:10:00.440 --> 00:10:02.840 Let me tell you something anecdotally. I thought I had 215 00:10:02.879 --> 00:10:06.679 already canceled this, and I went to double check, and 216 00:10:07.320 --> 00:10:11.919 turns out the page to cancel your Xbox Game Pass 217 00:10:11.960 --> 00:10:14.679 subscription having a little bit of trouble loading right now 218 00:10:14.720 --> 00:10:19.480 for people, and turns out I hadn't, so I canceled it. 219 00:10:20.840 --> 00:10:23.399 But I said this on Blue Sky the last couple 220 00:10:23.440 --> 00:10:26.679 of weeks. It feels like Microsoft, especially, but a lot 221 00:10:26.679 --> 00:10:29.480 of companies, they have turned off the music at the 222 00:10:29.519 --> 00:10:32.080 party and they are waiting for people to go home, 223 00:10:32.519 --> 00:10:36.279 like it feels like I've had this conversation. I've been 224 00:10:36.320 --> 00:10:39.279 at Gamescom, I've been at TGS, and the conversation that 225 00:10:39.399 --> 00:10:42.440 keeps on coming out is, hey, I think Microsoft are done. 226 00:10:42.840 --> 00:10:46.399 Like they are done being interested in this space. They 227 00:10:46.399 --> 00:10:49.600 are done growing in this space. They have realized that 228 00:10:50.240 --> 00:10:55.080 the death grip that they have on services in this space, 229 00:10:55.120 --> 00:10:58.879 with stuff like Azure and stuff like their platforms, means 230 00:10:58.919 --> 00:11:01.480 that people who would depend on them are already so 231 00:11:01.679 --> 00:11:04.039 dependent on them that they couldn't leave if they wanted to, 232 00:11:04.679 --> 00:11:07.559 And they are now just focused on monetizing who is 233 00:11:07.600 --> 00:11:10.279 there as much as they can, and they're doing all 234 00:11:10.360 --> 00:11:14.480 that so that they can fuel their AI bullshit. There's 235 00:11:14.519 --> 00:11:17.000 all been pent up. So if I like am going along, 236 00:11:17.120 --> 00:11:20.000 let me know. But this is something I've been thinking 237 00:11:20.000 --> 00:11:21.519 a lot and I've been talking a lot about with 238 00:11:21.559 --> 00:11:25.000 folks with This is really fucking dangerous what's going on 239 00:11:25.080 --> 00:11:30.480 right now because Microsoft as a company is like de 240 00:11:30.639 --> 00:11:35.039 emphasizing diversifying and is instead going we are just investing 241 00:11:35.080 --> 00:11:37.840 all of our stuff into AI at a time where 242 00:11:37.879 --> 00:11:40.919 AI seems less stable and like it is a bubble 243 00:11:41.200 --> 00:11:43.320 more and more and more and more, and you are 244 00:11:43.320 --> 00:11:46.720 having a situation where they are investing billions and billions 245 00:11:46.759 --> 00:11:50.639 and billions of dollars into AI, something that people are 246 00:11:50.879 --> 00:11:54.080 very aware is becoming more and more of a speculative bubble. 247 00:11:54.799 --> 00:11:58.000 And if that bubble is to burst, which it most 248 00:11:58.120 --> 00:12:04.120 likely is as the services stop showing the they continue 249 00:12:04.159 --> 00:12:07.000 to not show the rewards that were promised. But if 250 00:12:07.480 --> 00:12:10.240 that bubble does finally burst, I think, like Sam Altman 251 00:12:10.360 --> 00:12:12.360 was out there saying, like we still need this many 252 00:12:12.399 --> 00:12:15.720 billions and trillions invested in it, and it's like to 253 00:12:15.799 --> 00:12:18.000 see what profit, Like when are we going to see 254 00:12:18.000 --> 00:12:20.600 money being made back off of this. You are going 255 00:12:20.639 --> 00:12:24.039 to have a lot of very big companies that are 256 00:12:24.559 --> 00:12:28.879 very ingrained in the games industry and saddled with a 257 00:12:28.919 --> 00:12:32.799 lot of dish. And I think that when this happens, 258 00:12:32.840 --> 00:12:35.720 you are going to see one people on the gaming 259 00:12:35.759 --> 00:12:39.960 side pay for a lot of that that money that 260 00:12:40.000 --> 00:12:42.519 needs to be paid back through layoffs. And two, if 261 00:12:42.519 --> 00:12:46.000 it gets bad enough, like Microsoft have invested more money 262 00:12:46.039 --> 00:12:48.919 in AI than like pretty much any company except for 263 00:12:49.039 --> 00:12:53.279 open AI, and there is a non zero percent chance 264 00:12:53.720 --> 00:12:59.840 that like Microsoft needs a bailout, which is something that 265 00:12:59.879 --> 00:13:04.360 you would think of as impossible years ago. But you 266 00:13:04.720 --> 00:13:08.480 also look at the way that Microsoft positions itself to 267 00:13:08.480 --> 00:13:11.919 the American government right now, which is, hey, were your friends, 268 00:13:12.240 --> 00:13:14.639 and we love working with you, and we're a good 269 00:13:14.679 --> 00:13:17.399 company to work with. And so if you had a 270 00:13:17.440 --> 00:13:21.480 situation where the American government bailed out Microsoft, I think 271 00:13:21.519 --> 00:13:24.519 that would be pretty bad for let's say, things like 272 00:13:24.559 --> 00:13:30.039 free speech and things like independence of thought, independence of 273 00:13:30.399 --> 00:13:35.200 like media. So not to come on here and be 274 00:13:35.279 --> 00:13:39.679 a doomer instantly from my trip back, but boy, things 275 00:13:39.720 --> 00:13:42.879 are in a real precarious situation and it affects more 276 00:13:42.919 --> 00:13:46.240 than just games right now. And I think that we 277 00:13:46.320 --> 00:13:50.600 are seeing the telltale signs in the game sector where 278 00:13:50.679 --> 00:13:54.240 Microsoft has basically decided like they don't want you buying 279 00:13:54.279 --> 00:13:57.080 an Xbox anymore. They don't want you buying that hardware 280 00:13:57.519 --> 00:13:59.600 they want to sell you call a juicy on other 281 00:13:59.600 --> 00:14:02.519 platform because it's easier for them to deal with on 282 00:14:02.600 --> 00:14:09.039 other platforms. And I think that we probably will see 283 00:14:09.039 --> 00:14:13.840 that next Xbox just from inertia built up, but straight up, 284 00:14:13.879 --> 00:14:17.240 I think it is going to be dreamcast levels of 285 00:14:17.519 --> 00:14:19.960 how long that thing is on the markesh. If I 286 00:14:20.000 --> 00:14:24.679 were like making my early prediction calling my shash whatever 287 00:14:24.720 --> 00:14:27.159 the next Xbox is if it comes down twenty twenty seven, 288 00:14:27.200 --> 00:14:30.360 I think that was the rumor. I think within eighteen months, 289 00:14:32.200 --> 00:14:34.120 Xbox will be saying, hey, we're no longer in the 290 00:14:34.159 --> 00:14:38.279 console business. Because every single person you talk to at Microsoft, 291 00:14:38.320 --> 00:14:43.440 outside of Microsoft, within the industry, their vibe is Microsoft 292 00:14:43.440 --> 00:14:47.120 are done with video games. They are ready for it 293 00:14:47.159 --> 00:14:49.919 to instead of be something that they invest in, it 294 00:14:50.000 --> 00:14:52.600 to be something that they make reoccurring money off of 295 00:14:52.960 --> 00:14:56.519 through established things like college usual every year. They do 296 00:14:56.559 --> 00:14:58.600 not want new things out of games, They do not 297 00:14:58.679 --> 00:15:03.960 want new ideas out of game games. And I think 298 00:15:04.000 --> 00:15:06.320 I said this on the show a couple of months back, 299 00:15:06.440 --> 00:15:11.679 but like, I fundamentally believe that at this point, Microsoft 300 00:15:11.720 --> 00:15:14.840 is an unhealthy actor in the games industry because the 301 00:15:14.919 --> 00:15:17.519 money that it provides and the services that it provides 302 00:15:17.679 --> 00:15:21.240 is not good money. It's not stable money. It is 303 00:15:21.360 --> 00:15:25.120 money that is being funneled back into AI things and 304 00:15:25.200 --> 00:15:30.159 projects that are only going to long term destabilize several 305 00:15:30.200 --> 00:15:36.120 other industries. And yeah, this is one of the canaries 306 00:15:36.120 --> 00:15:38.720 and the coal mines of many and I think we've 307 00:15:38.720 --> 00:15:42.320 seen a bunch of them where that be everything from 308 00:15:42.360 --> 00:15:45.879 as small as Rare had their forshieth anniversary and they 309 00:15:45.960 --> 00:15:48.840 got eight bit dough to make the controller, which, like, 310 00:15:49.279 --> 00:15:52.600 you think about Microsoft, think about how many special edition 311 00:15:52.679 --> 00:15:55.559 controllers they have done over the years. Think about Xbox 312 00:15:55.600 --> 00:15:57.919 Design Labs, all of the money that they've spent on 313 00:15:58.000 --> 00:16:01.440 that one of their like in internal companies turns forty 314 00:16:01.519 --> 00:16:04.480 years old, one of the most historic companies in video games, 315 00:16:04.679 --> 00:16:07.279 and they go a third party can make the special 316 00:16:07.399 --> 00:16:10.559 edition controller. We don't really care. What does that tell you? 317 00:16:10.879 --> 00:16:13.120 What does that tell you about the state of Microsoft 318 00:16:13.120 --> 00:16:18.679 and Xbox. They are uninterested in the video game industry anymore. 319 00:16:19.200 --> 00:16:23.000 Sagionnedela has his new toy and the sixty nine billion 320 00:16:23.120 --> 00:16:27.440 that they spent. At the time, it seemed like, Oh, 321 00:16:27.480 --> 00:16:30.279 that's because they really care about the games industry. What 322 00:16:30.320 --> 00:16:34.480 it actually was was, Hey, Microsoft really wants to make 323 00:16:34.519 --> 00:16:38.919 sure that they have passive income in the game sector, 324 00:16:39.559 --> 00:16:42.360 and now that they have that passive income, they're done 325 00:16:42.399 --> 00:16:46.519 trying to get any other type of active income. And 326 00:16:46.559 --> 00:16:47.759 that's how it feels right now. 327 00:16:48.519 --> 00:16:52.639 Yeah, I think that when we are looking at Microsoft, 328 00:16:52.679 --> 00:16:55.759 it's a company that is just terrified as sticking its 329 00:16:55.759 --> 00:16:58.240 head out into the game space anymore. It's done it 330 00:16:58.320 --> 00:17:01.639 a bunch of times, and it's gotten whacked on the 331 00:17:01.639 --> 00:17:03.799 head a bunch of times when it's done that, and 332 00:17:03.840 --> 00:17:06.200 it's and I think, you know, I get the sense 333 00:17:06.279 --> 00:17:11.640 that the acquisition of Activision was Phil Spencer striking while 334 00:17:11.680 --> 00:17:13.319 the iron was hot and being like, I can get 335 00:17:13.400 --> 00:17:15.920 Satia's attention with this, and this can feel like a 336 00:17:15.960 --> 00:17:17.880 big play where like, we do have money sitting in 337 00:17:17.880 --> 00:17:20.119 the bank, we can move here. And while he was 338 00:17:20.160 --> 00:17:22.720 doing that, Ai popped off and it was like, Oh, 339 00:17:22.799 --> 00:17:24.559 this is the kind of thing that Satia really gets 340 00:17:24.559 --> 00:17:27.400 horny for. And so we kind of have to just 341 00:17:27.839 --> 00:17:30.279 step back and do what we can with what we have. 342 00:17:30.720 --> 00:17:33.400 And and then I think they are as they step back, 343 00:17:33.480 --> 00:17:35.960 it's like, oh no, you are seeding more and more 344 00:17:36.039 --> 00:17:39.920 of of Microsoft's interest here and they and you're not. 345 00:17:39.960 --> 00:17:41.480 You're never You're never going to get it back, like 346 00:17:42.119 --> 00:17:44.880 they're never going to return back to the Xbox of old. 347 00:17:45.000 --> 00:17:48.160 It's just going to be Okay, what survives this call 348 00:17:48.480 --> 00:17:50.640 and and you know that's going to be obvious. It's 349 00:17:50.640 --> 00:17:53.720 going to be called Duty Minecraft. It's not going to 350 00:17:53.799 --> 00:17:56.519 be the Xbox hardware division that that. I mean clearly 351 00:17:56.680 --> 00:17:58.920 they are screaming at us not to buy one of 352 00:17:58.920 --> 00:17:59.440 those things. 353 00:17:59.799 --> 00:18:00.200 So so. 354 00:18:01.920 --> 00:18:04.160 Yeah, and you're gonna say I gotta say because I've 355 00:18:04.160 --> 00:18:06.799 seen it in the comments a little bit when I like, 356 00:18:08.039 --> 00:18:11.200 you mentioned the BDS boycott every time we bring up Xbox, 357 00:18:11.200 --> 00:18:15.359 which is still ongoing, and people have been pretty negative 358 00:18:15.400 --> 00:18:18.319 around the Xbox brand, and there is still YouTube comments 359 00:18:18.319 --> 00:18:21.319 being like, I can't believe they're so biased against Xbox 360 00:18:21.680 --> 00:18:25.880 and this isn't biased against Xbox, this is Hey, I 361 00:18:26.039 --> 00:18:29.400 genuinely think Microsoft is doing some real permanent damage to 362 00:18:29.440 --> 00:18:33.079 an industry that I love, and I think you need 363 00:18:33.119 --> 00:18:34.759 to be aware of it. Ish, I think you need 364 00:18:34.799 --> 00:18:37.839 to be aware that what is happening at Microsoft right 365 00:18:37.880 --> 00:18:42.680 now is like tantamount to destruction of culture and destruction 366 00:18:42.799 --> 00:18:45.559 of the art form. And it's not good for any 367 00:18:45.599 --> 00:18:47.960 of us that they are carrying on like this and 368 00:18:48.000 --> 00:18:50.680 giving them a free pass in the name of like 369 00:18:51.200 --> 00:18:54.440 not playing into fanboy Wars or some shit like thath. 370 00:18:54.599 --> 00:18:57.480 That's not our job. We're reporters. Our job is to 371 00:18:57.599 --> 00:19:00.400 call out these companies when they do bullshit, and this 372 00:19:00.519 --> 00:19:03.799 is bullshit that harms everyone that likes video games, everyone 373 00:19:03.839 --> 00:19:06.079 that plays video games, everyone that wants video games to 374 00:19:06.160 --> 00:19:07.880 exist in ten years fucking time. 375 00:19:08.799 --> 00:19:10.720 Yeah, and you know there there there are a lot 376 00:19:10.759 --> 00:19:12.640 of other companies, even like companies that are involved in 377 00:19:12.680 --> 00:19:16.680 gaming that have some form of BDS call against them, 378 00:19:16.920 --> 00:19:18.759 you know, Disney to a certain extent. We don't bring 379 00:19:18.799 --> 00:19:21.079 that up every time, and I would. I would explain 380 00:19:21.200 --> 00:19:25.359 that there's a difference here in that Microsoft spent seventy 381 00:19:25.359 --> 00:19:28.119 billion dollars to buy one of the biggest companies of 382 00:19:28.279 --> 00:19:30.519 on top of doing that multiple times for several other 383 00:19:30.559 --> 00:19:35.440 big publishers. They own a significant market share, a significant 384 00:19:35.480 --> 00:19:39.319 piece of the pie of video games is all them, So. 385 00:19:39.480 --> 00:19:41.039 We have to be more scrutiny. 386 00:19:41.039 --> 00:19:43.200 We have to scrutinize them more than anyone else at 387 00:19:43.200 --> 00:19:46.079 a certain point, and they are laying out a case 388 00:19:46.119 --> 00:19:47.640 in front of us. 389 00:19:47.160 --> 00:19:49.920 For reasons why that scrutiny is necessary. 390 00:19:49.759 --> 00:19:53.599 They they do feel like they I mean, they're turning 391 00:19:53.599 --> 00:19:54.880 off the light, they're turning off the music at the 392 00:19:54.960 --> 00:19:56.240 end of the party and it's over right. 393 00:19:56.240 --> 00:19:57.759 That feels like we're at the end of something. 394 00:19:59.119 --> 00:20:02.720 And you know, so that goes of course eas Selling 395 00:20:02.759 --> 00:20:05.359 to Saudi Arabia is a huge part of the Boy I. 396 00:20:05.319 --> 00:20:08.359 Feel great about. I feel so good about. That was 397 00:20:08.400 --> 00:20:11.559 a great fucking news story to wake up to in Japan. Boy, 398 00:20:11.680 --> 00:20:14.359 waking up in the morning and seeing that felt awesome. 399 00:20:14.839 --> 00:20:15.039 Yeah. 400 00:20:16.079 --> 00:20:20.519 But like the other conversation that I've had being at 401 00:20:20.559 --> 00:20:24.359 these events, being at games, being at TGS, I gotta 402 00:20:24.400 --> 00:20:26.680 be And maybe this is because I'm one of the 403 00:20:26.680 --> 00:20:29.480 most fucking stubborn people in the world. Like the heat, 404 00:20:29.519 --> 00:20:32.400 death of the world, will of the universe will come 405 00:20:32.480 --> 00:20:34.640 and I will still be being like this space for 406 00:20:34.680 --> 00:20:40.960 an independent games media. But like I am certain that 407 00:20:41.039 --> 00:20:44.240 no matter how much these companies, these billion dollar companies 408 00:20:44.279 --> 00:20:46.920 try to fuck up the games industry. We are still 409 00:20:46.960 --> 00:20:49.480 going to get awesome video games because you talk to 410 00:20:49.519 --> 00:20:52.920 developers at these events, and these people are fucking stick 411 00:20:52.920 --> 00:20:57.160 those they need to create. They are artists, They need 412 00:20:57.240 --> 00:20:59.480 to create. They need to keep on making games like this. 413 00:20:59.559 --> 00:21:01.359 They need to within the art form that they love. 414 00:21:01.759 --> 00:21:04.240 Video games will continue to exist. The types of video 415 00:21:04.319 --> 00:21:07.079 games that you like will continue to exist, maybe in 416 00:21:07.119 --> 00:21:10.480 different forms with much smaller budgets, but those sickos will 417 00:21:10.519 --> 00:21:14.079 still keep making their video games. And I gotta be 418 00:21:14.160 --> 00:21:18.680 hopeful that there are people in this industry. I think 419 00:21:18.720 --> 00:21:22.000 there are because I've taken meetings with smaller publishers who 420 00:21:22.000 --> 00:21:24.920 are like we have realized that we need to make 421 00:21:25.359 --> 00:21:28.559 the publishing outlets that we want, publishing outlets that aren't 422 00:21:28.599 --> 00:21:32.000 billion dollar outlets. They are outlets that are making art 423 00:21:32.039 --> 00:21:35.640 that we like because we Likeish. I talked to eleven 424 00:21:35.640 --> 00:21:39.160 Bit Studios at Games Calm and they were very much 425 00:21:39.200 --> 00:21:41.839 so from the point of view, like, hey, we're Polish 426 00:21:41.880 --> 00:21:44.319 and we want the Polish industry to be alive and healthy. 427 00:21:44.640 --> 00:21:48.880 So we started a publishing label specifically to start in 428 00:21:48.960 --> 00:21:51.440 Poland and to slowly grow out from there, but to 429 00:21:51.559 --> 00:21:54.960 focus on making shorter games that are cool and are 430 00:21:55.039 --> 00:21:57.920 interesting and don't need to make a billion dollars each 431 00:21:58.000 --> 00:22:01.079 time because we like cool shit. And those are the 432 00:22:01.119 --> 00:22:04.319 meetings that give me hope for the industry continuing to 433 00:22:04.359 --> 00:22:08.039 go on. And I got to hope that there is 434 00:22:08.119 --> 00:22:09.640 a lot more companies like that. 435 00:22:11.079 --> 00:22:14.359 So yeah, and you know, and in a lot of ways, 436 00:22:14.400 --> 00:22:14.960 nothing new. 437 00:22:16.000 --> 00:22:18.559 You know, Microsoft has been. 438 00:22:18.400 --> 00:22:22.319 Afraid of making video games for more than a decade now, 439 00:22:23.039 --> 00:22:25.839 like quite a bit more than a decade. All throughout 440 00:22:26.039 --> 00:22:29.519 Xbox One. They they just didn't seem to care. They 441 00:22:29.559 --> 00:22:31.640 didn't think making video games was the answer. Something I 442 00:22:31.680 --> 00:22:34.039 would say back then. And then you know, it's like, oh, 443 00:22:34.039 --> 00:22:36.519 game pass, maybe that changes that. And if it did, 444 00:22:36.559 --> 00:22:40.279 it changed it briefly for half of development, development cycling 445 00:22:40.319 --> 00:22:41.720 by the end. By the time they got to the 446 00:22:41.839 --> 00:22:44.279 end of making some of these games, like a Perfect Dark, 447 00:22:44.640 --> 00:22:46.960 it was like, no, this is in it either. We 448 00:22:46.960 --> 00:22:49.359 don't like making games that we just this feels bad 449 00:22:49.599 --> 00:22:51.319 to like take a creative risk like this. 450 00:22:51.599 --> 00:22:54.039 And what good are you. 451 00:22:53.960 --> 00:22:56.319 To me as someone who's into video games if that 452 00:22:56.440 --> 00:22:58.680 is your position that making video games is not a 453 00:22:58.720 --> 00:23:02.039 worthwhile investment and instead it's a bunch of other bullshit 454 00:23:02.079 --> 00:23:04.079 and nickel and diming people who you've already got in 455 00:23:04.119 --> 00:23:05.000 your pockets. 456 00:23:05.400 --> 00:23:08.440 It sucks, all right, We should keep moving here. 457 00:23:08.680 --> 00:23:11.559 It looks like Prototype could be coming back after a 458 00:23:11.640 --> 00:23:14.839 Steam update added new credits. This is from Jordan Midler 459 00:23:14.880 --> 00:23:18.160 at VGC. An update to the Steam version of Prototype 460 00:23:18.160 --> 00:23:21.720 has added new credits and references to Ubisoft Connect, which 461 00:23:21.759 --> 00:23:23.400 could point to a re release. 462 00:23:23.119 --> 00:23:23.519 Of the game. 463 00:23:23.559 --> 00:23:27.519 The surprise update has added references to ubisft Connect version 464 00:23:27.519 --> 00:23:31.319 of the game, something that doesn't currently publicly exist, suggesting 465 00:23:31.319 --> 00:23:34.079 the game could be re released on modern platforms. The 466 00:23:34.160 --> 00:23:38.079 update also adds credits for Iron Galaxy, the prolific studio 467 00:23:38.119 --> 00:23:41.240 behind several notable ports, including the switch versions of The 468 00:23:41.559 --> 00:23:46.000 Elder Scrolls five, Skyrim, Diablo three, and Overwatch. As pointed 469 00:23:46.000 --> 00:23:48.480 out by users on the game subreddit, the update was 470 00:23:48.640 --> 00:23:52.079 noticed after it broke the popular Prototype mod Prototype fix, 471 00:23:52.440 --> 00:23:54.799 which is designed to fix some of the issues encountered 472 00:23:54.839 --> 00:23:57.880 when running the game on modern PCs. A new test 473 00:23:57.880 --> 00:24:00.200 map has also been discovered within the PC version of 474 00:24:00.240 --> 00:24:03.079 the game. Well More new credits have since been discovered, 475 00:24:03.640 --> 00:24:06.680 largely attributed to other activision studios. So like that test 476 00:24:06.720 --> 00:24:10.160 map is like the Prototype character running up a wall 477 00:24:10.200 --> 00:24:12.240 and it's made of different materials, and it sounds like 478 00:24:12.359 --> 00:24:14.759 that they fix some of the sound effects or improve 479 00:24:14.839 --> 00:24:16.440 them and stuff like that. So when you're running up 480 00:24:16.440 --> 00:24:18.880 a glass building or whatever, it sounds different than a 481 00:24:18.920 --> 00:24:21.839 brick building. And that feels like the kind of work 482 00:24:21.880 --> 00:24:23.480 that Iron Galaxy might be doing. 483 00:24:23.559 --> 00:24:27.559 Now it was just one of the lumble verse expertise. 484 00:24:28.000 --> 00:24:30.279 I mean, that's say, that's some real shit right there. 485 00:24:30.680 --> 00:24:33.319 I think that this sounds like the kind of thing 486 00:24:33.319 --> 00:24:37.000 that would happen. We are like overdue for Prototype to 487 00:24:37.119 --> 00:24:38.799 kind of come back in one way or another. 488 00:24:39.720 --> 00:24:42.359 But yeah, at this point, would the surprise. 489 00:24:42.079 --> 00:24:48.359 You No, Jamie Hahen Twitch chat mentions that Prototype greater 490 00:24:48.599 --> 00:24:53.240 than Infamous. I super agree. Haven't played Infamous like the 491 00:24:53.279 --> 00:24:57.400 first Infamous I played last year on twitch stream. That 492 00:24:57.440 --> 00:25:01.039 game has not. That game sucks now, it's really rough. 493 00:25:01.440 --> 00:25:03.720 Every character in that seems like they were there on 494 00:25:03.799 --> 00:25:10.440 January sixth. Yeah, like Colma, Yeah, Colemagra's whole character arc 495 00:25:10.640 --> 00:25:12.680 is I want to get my dick wesh, that's it. 496 00:25:12.839 --> 00:25:19.359 That's his only characteristic. Yeah. But yeah, like I'm I'm 497 00:25:19.640 --> 00:25:21.640 I'm curious to see what a next gen version of 498 00:25:21.680 --> 00:25:25.720 Prototype would play like Hulk Ultimate Destruction is still fucking awesome. 499 00:25:26.519 --> 00:25:29.400 I don't think we will see a new Prototype because 500 00:25:29.440 --> 00:25:32.440 that is an Activision property, and I don't think that 501 00:25:32.519 --> 00:25:35.880 they are in the habish of making new video games 502 00:25:35.880 --> 00:25:39.960 that aren't called Call of Duty or World of Warcraft anymore. 503 00:25:41.119 --> 00:25:43.079 But yeah, I think we will continue to see a 504 00:25:43.119 --> 00:25:46.319 bunch of remakes like this, and sure, sure why not? 505 00:25:46.920 --> 00:25:48.519 Yeah? Did it? 506 00:25:48.839 --> 00:25:51.880 Did a new Killer Instinct ever get announced? Because like, 507 00:25:51.920 --> 00:25:54.519 Iron Galaxy feels like the studio that would take that 508 00:25:54.640 --> 00:25:56.480 on for Microsoft. And I know there was a rumor 509 00:25:56.480 --> 00:25:59.240 a long time ago. I heard it the some evidence 510 00:25:59.240 --> 00:26:01.160 that Microsoft was curious about it, but they couldn't find 511 00:26:01.160 --> 00:26:03.319 a studio. That's back when Iron Galaxy was busy with 512 00:26:03.400 --> 00:26:06.359 Rumble Verse. I feel like that time in his past. 513 00:26:06.480 --> 00:26:10.079 Microsoft wouldn't be interested in that anymore and insteads like, well, hey, 514 00:26:10.119 --> 00:26:12.319 Iron Galaxy, come pitch us on stuff. Well you want 515 00:26:12.359 --> 00:26:15.039 to do something new, fuck you go remake some video 516 00:26:15.119 --> 00:26:18.000 games for us that we know has a have a 517 00:26:18.039 --> 00:26:19.079 certain audience to them. 518 00:26:19.519 --> 00:26:22.720 That was gonna be My counterpoint was like, do you 519 00:26:22.799 --> 00:26:26.000 think Microsoft is like, hey, we want a new fighting 520 00:26:26.039 --> 00:26:29.519 game right now? Like, do you think any anyone do 521 00:26:29.559 --> 00:26:33.559 you think feel like Sadi and Nadella is approvingsh of 522 00:26:33.720 --> 00:26:38.119 like oh yeah, a new FGC fighting game only on Xbox. 523 00:26:39.880 --> 00:26:41.640 No, No, unlikely. 524 00:26:42.039 --> 00:26:45.480 I yes, I really like the prototype games, at least 525 00:26:45.519 --> 00:26:46.160 that you know. 526 00:26:46.200 --> 00:26:47.920 I played most most of the first one. It's kind 527 00:26:47.920 --> 00:26:49.759 of the one I played a lot of and I. 528 00:26:49.960 --> 00:26:52.680 Thought it was It just feels like the most three 529 00:26:52.759 --> 00:26:56.359 sixty ash shit ever where it's It is stupid in 530 00:26:56.400 --> 00:26:59.599 a good way, and I would welcome it back a 531 00:26:59.599 --> 00:27:04.079 little prize to the activision would go and do this 532 00:27:04.240 --> 00:27:06.000 effort to get this stuff back. But I guess you 533 00:27:06.000 --> 00:27:10.440 know they've had success repeatedly now bringing back franchises. Maybe 534 00:27:10.440 --> 00:27:12.160 they're gonna try to shift it up from some of 535 00:27:12.200 --> 00:27:16.079 their old platforming stuff things like this instead, and again 536 00:27:16.119 --> 00:27:19.599 I welcome it. All right, let's take a break. We 537 00:27:19.640 --> 00:27:22.039 are going to come right back, get to more headlines. 538 00:27:22.079 --> 00:27:23.599 If you want to skip out on this, you can 539 00:27:23.640 --> 00:27:26.279 do so on the premium audio version of the show, 540 00:27:26.319 --> 00:27:28.519 the premium video version of the show by going to 541 00:27:28.519 --> 00:27:31.160 giant bomb dot com slash join become a premium member. 542 00:27:31.799 --> 00:27:33.400 But you didn't do that, so we'll be right back, 543 00:27:35.039 --> 00:27:35.519 all right. 544 00:27:35.599 --> 00:27:38.359 We are back. We've got plenty more to talk about. 545 00:27:38.400 --> 00:27:41.000 EA says there will be no immediate changes to its 546 00:27:41.039 --> 00:27:45.200 workforce following leveraged buyout. This is from Sophie McAvoy at 547 00:27:45.240 --> 00:27:45.960 Games Industry. 548 00:27:46.000 --> 00:27:46.880 Dop is just what. 549 00:27:46.839 --> 00:27:50.640 Every girl wants to hear, right there's no immediate changes 550 00:27:50.720 --> 00:27:54.720 come into your workforce and the headlines mostly the story here. 551 00:27:55.200 --> 00:27:58.119 People have been wondering, Hey, what's the future for the 552 00:27:58.240 --> 00:28:01.200 jobs and our jobs at EA now that we are 553 00:28:01.240 --> 00:28:06.039 being acquired and taken private by a Saudi Arabian investment 554 00:28:06.119 --> 00:28:09.119 firm as well as other like Silver Lake and Jared Kushner. 555 00:28:10.200 --> 00:28:12.880 And the reason that they could say there's no immediate 556 00:28:12.920 --> 00:28:15.359 changes right now is because there is no real plan 557 00:28:15.559 --> 00:28:19.000 other than we have to service twenty billion dollars in 558 00:28:19.039 --> 00:28:21.519 debt that has now been saddled on ya, you know, 559 00:28:21.559 --> 00:28:22.240 through g JP. 560 00:28:22.359 --> 00:28:23.839 I'm not sure if you yeah, I'm not sure if 561 00:28:23.839 --> 00:28:28.799 you saw has been labeled like what was it BUSS 562 00:28:28.880 --> 00:28:29.599 or B minus? 563 00:28:29.960 --> 00:28:32.680 Yes, I mean it's it's a junk bond. So yes, 564 00:28:32.720 --> 00:28:37.079 it's it's a b I think it's so. Debt for 565 00:28:37.160 --> 00:28:40.319 a company can be serviced in a bunch of different ways. 566 00:28:41.240 --> 00:28:46.039 In this case, JP Morgan is putting up that twenty 567 00:28:46.039 --> 00:28:50.160 billion dollars, but they intend to then sell that debt 568 00:28:50.160 --> 00:28:55.039 to a bunch of others through high interest rate loans 569 00:28:55.160 --> 00:28:57.400 or high interest rate Yeah, high interest rate payments. 570 00:28:57.839 --> 00:29:01.279 Because this is a it's rated, which is. 571 00:29:01.480 --> 00:29:05.160 Essentially saying to everyone who would invest in this, there 572 00:29:05.240 --> 00:29:07.000 is a strong chance that you won't get all of 573 00:29:07.000 --> 00:29:07.799 your money back here. 574 00:29:07.880 --> 00:29:08.720 So there's high risk. 575 00:29:08.799 --> 00:29:11.160 And why wouldn't they get all that money back Glove. 576 00:29:11.200 --> 00:29:14.279 Yeah, because the twenty billion dollars. I mean, just think 577 00:29:14.319 --> 00:29:16.480 about what happened Toys r Us. This is what's now 578 00:29:16.480 --> 00:29:18.799 happening to EA. Now, the good news again, I've said 579 00:29:18.839 --> 00:29:22.000 this before, EA is much more profitable than Toys r 580 00:29:22.079 --> 00:29:24.960 Us was. Toys r Us was struggling against Amazon. Now 581 00:29:25.039 --> 00:29:27.400 that does not mean Toys r Us was a failing company. 582 00:29:27.519 --> 00:29:30.720 It failed because of the debt, and that could happen here. 583 00:29:31.000 --> 00:29:33.240 The point is the reason it's. 584 00:29:33.359 --> 00:29:37.039 More likely today that for that failure to happen than 585 00:29:37.079 --> 00:29:38.480 it was when we were talking about this on the 586 00:29:38.480 --> 00:29:42.519 BombCast yesterday is because of that B rating. That means 587 00:29:42.640 --> 00:29:45.880 that the interest rates will be much higher. So EA 588 00:29:46.000 --> 00:29:47.680 is gonna have to pay even more than we are 589 00:29:47.720 --> 00:29:52.519 originally thinking it's gonna be bad, and how do you how. 590 00:29:52.359 --> 00:29:53.440 Do you pay for this? SLEXI? 591 00:29:53.720 --> 00:29:56.039 You cut jobs, You cut jobs and let AAI do 592 00:29:56.119 --> 00:29:57.759 the work, or at least that's what you tell yourselves 593 00:29:58.359 --> 00:29:59.920 so that you can justify that. 594 00:30:00.519 --> 00:30:02.960 And who's going to get bonus payments? 595 00:30:03.079 --> 00:30:05.559 All the people that put this deal together, fucking Jed 596 00:30:05.799 --> 00:30:07.880 Jared Kushner. I guarantee it's going to get a huge 597 00:30:07.920 --> 00:30:11.440 bonus pay multiple times out of this deal. They will 598 00:30:11.480 --> 00:30:13.920 extract the value out of the company and then and 599 00:30:13.960 --> 00:30:15.400 then watch it triple and die. 600 00:30:16.079 --> 00:30:18.559 I think he has gone a little bit under the 601 00:30:18.640 --> 00:30:21.480 radar with the other big names attached to this, because 602 00:30:21.519 --> 00:30:24.720 there's some real fucking assholes attached to this. But special 603 00:30:24.799 --> 00:30:30.039 shout out to Human Android Andrew Wilson, who like got 604 00:30:30.079 --> 00:30:32.480 a lot of shit over the years as like a 605 00:30:32.519 --> 00:30:35.960 pretty bad CEO and a pretty robotic presence in the 606 00:30:35.960 --> 00:30:39.519 games media. The idea of putting this deal together and 607 00:30:39.559 --> 00:30:41.680 then getting out in front of your staff and saying 608 00:30:41.680 --> 00:30:44.920 that there'll be no immediate changes, The idea of saying 609 00:30:44.920 --> 00:30:48.960 that you're still dedicated to making these video games, The 610 00:30:49.079 --> 00:30:53.160 idea that you wouldn't fucking resign in shame the second 611 00:30:53.200 --> 00:30:55.319 this happened, and that you're going to stay there a 612 00:30:55.359 --> 00:30:57.680 little bit longer to make sure that your golden parachutes 613 00:30:57.759 --> 00:31:01.480 is even more golden. Fucked you go to hell? You 614 00:31:01.559 --> 00:31:02.839 mean absolute asshole? 615 00:31:03.480 --> 00:31:06.119 Did his job though, right Like like his job he works, 616 00:31:06.440 --> 00:31:08.240 who does he work for? He works for the investors, 617 00:31:08.359 --> 00:31:10.119 and who's he making money for? 618 00:31:10.160 --> 00:31:10.319 Here? 619 00:31:10.359 --> 00:31:13.119 He is making money for the investors. The system is 620 00:31:13.160 --> 00:31:16.759 working as intended. The twenty five percent return on that 621 00:31:16.880 --> 00:31:21.519 stock price, that's huge. That's big stuff. Making video games. 622 00:31:21.559 --> 00:31:24.079 Taking care of your employees, that's a sucker's job. He's 623 00:31:24.119 --> 00:31:25.720 not interested in any of that. That's not what he's 624 00:31:25.720 --> 00:31:28.920 there there to do. That's the system. That's what That's 625 00:31:28.920 --> 00:31:32.160 how it would work at every single company. Something has 626 00:31:32.200 --> 00:31:35.680 to be done about the system. We have to change this. Uh, 627 00:31:36.000 --> 00:31:39.759 the incentives he pushed this in this direction. They're winning 628 00:31:40.480 --> 00:31:44.000 the game that they set up. It's what do we 629 00:31:44.000 --> 00:31:46.200 do about it. We don't go and try to beat 630 00:31:46.240 --> 00:31:48.720 this game. There is no winning this game. It will 631 00:31:48.720 --> 00:31:51.200 always end up here every single time. 632 00:31:52.319 --> 00:31:57.680 So before I left for Japan, I we watched The 633 00:31:57.680 --> 00:31:59.599 Big Short for the first time since it came out 634 00:32:00.359 --> 00:32:04.359 and since I rewatched that I have felt like fucking 635 00:32:06.039 --> 00:32:09.559 the main guy in that just like watching the entire 636 00:32:09.680 --> 00:32:13.920 system and hearing these testimonials and hearing these people brag 637 00:32:14.240 --> 00:32:17.640 about how they are like conning the like fucking lay 638 00:32:17.720 --> 00:32:20.400 person and making so much money off of them and 639 00:32:20.480 --> 00:32:23.839 deconstructing the fucking industry that they are meant to be 640 00:32:23.920 --> 00:32:28.079 the leadership of and stripping it for parts, and holy shit, 641 00:32:28.160 --> 00:32:31.279 I feel like Anthony Bourdain after he went to like 642 00:32:31.440 --> 00:32:35.799 Gaza where he's like, I want to beat fucking what's 643 00:32:35.799 --> 00:32:41.160 his name to death with my bare hands. Yeah, I like, 644 00:32:42.039 --> 00:32:45.279 I don't know, this might sound bad, but boy, I'm 645 00:32:45.279 --> 00:32:48.440 fucking angry right now. I am, like, legit so angry 646 00:32:48.480 --> 00:32:50.200 at the state of the world, at the people out 647 00:32:50.240 --> 00:32:52.599 of running this shit, at the people that are deconstructing 648 00:32:52.640 --> 00:32:56.359 the hobby that I love, the hobby that I've found 649 00:32:56.400 --> 00:32:58.720 so much joy in that I know is so capable 650 00:32:58.759 --> 00:33:01.039 of so many great fucking things. You look at the 651 00:33:01.119 --> 00:33:03.440 video games that are coming out right now. There are 652 00:33:03.519 --> 00:33:07.119 so many fucking incredible video games. There are art forms 653 00:33:07.160 --> 00:33:10.279 that would die to have this level of creativity and 654 00:33:10.319 --> 00:33:14.240 this level of high production values, and like genuinely like 655 00:33:14.519 --> 00:33:21.480 emotional and affecting and like distructive and different ash inish, 656 00:33:21.519 --> 00:33:24.640 and we are pissing that all away because at some 657 00:33:24.759 --> 00:33:27.599 point we let the fucking people with the money books 658 00:33:27.640 --> 00:33:30.599 in and they took control of the industry. They can 659 00:33:30.680 --> 00:33:35.200 took control of the whole fucking thing. And I genuinely 660 00:33:35.240 --> 00:33:38.000 think that, like, if I log on to blue Sky 661 00:33:38.039 --> 00:33:40.640 on Twitter and I see one more fucking person give 662 00:33:40.680 --> 00:33:43.599 out about how woke is ruining video games, I'm gonna 663 00:33:43.599 --> 00:33:49.680 lose my fucking shit. Holy shit, holy shit, motherfuckers. They 664 00:33:49.680 --> 00:33:53.319 are fucking robbing you blind, right underneath you. They are 665 00:33:53.400 --> 00:33:56.559 stripping your the industry that you claim you love, that 666 00:33:56.640 --> 00:34:00.880 you're obsessed over, attacking people over and defec ending with 667 00:34:00.960 --> 00:34:04.000 your light wing bullshit, because they realize that if they 668 00:34:04.000 --> 00:34:07.119 make you angry enough, they can get you to like 669 00:34:07.240 --> 00:34:09.880 look at the jangling keys that they are shaking, and 670 00:34:09.920 --> 00:34:14.840 they can just love you blind. And Yeah, this sucks, 671 00:34:14.920 --> 00:34:18.599 This fucking sucks. I think everyone involved in this deal 672 00:34:19.480 --> 00:34:22.599 genuinely deserves to be like regarded as a fucking monster. 673 00:34:22.920 --> 00:34:25.920 Not from the point of view of like, oh, we're 674 00:34:25.960 --> 00:34:28.559 gonna get less video games. That sucks. That sucks for 675 00:34:28.599 --> 00:34:31.719 the industry, but they are going to fucking ruin so 676 00:34:31.840 --> 00:34:32.599 many lives with this. 677 00:34:33.320 --> 00:34:34.760 Yep. It is. 678 00:34:35.800 --> 00:34:38.559 I can imagine people tuning into this show and hearing 679 00:34:38.639 --> 00:34:41.519 us do our thing here, Lexi, and it sounds familiar, 680 00:34:41.559 --> 00:34:45.440 and it sounds like despair, and it is. And I 681 00:34:45.599 --> 00:34:49.119 have made a decision recently, like we got to offer 682 00:34:49.199 --> 00:34:51.159 up something alternative. We have to like kind of point 683 00:34:51.159 --> 00:34:53.440 people in the direction of, like, what do we think 684 00:34:53.519 --> 00:34:54.159 can be done? 685 00:34:54.239 --> 00:34:54.440 Now? 686 00:34:54.840 --> 00:34:56.639 The sad thing is a lot of a lot of 687 00:34:56.639 --> 00:34:58.480 these a lot of these things, not a lot we 688 00:34:58.519 --> 00:35:02.320 can do. But there is one specific thing that would 689 00:35:02.360 --> 00:35:04.960 be put a dent in all of this and could 690 00:35:05.719 --> 00:35:07.880 kind of bring things back into a balance a little bit, 691 00:35:07.920 --> 00:35:10.599 and that is taxing billionaires. This will be the thing 692 00:35:10.639 --> 00:35:12.840 I will just be bringing up forever now, over and 693 00:35:12.840 --> 00:35:15.079 over again. This is the if you want something to 694 00:35:15.199 --> 00:35:17.880 be done, if you want if you're sick of complaining 695 00:35:17.960 --> 00:35:20.719 and you want to do something going forward, we have 696 00:35:20.800 --> 00:35:23.679 to support people who are willing to tax wealth. Taxing 697 00:35:23.679 --> 00:35:26.880 billionaires can just they can then they can play their games, 698 00:35:27.079 --> 00:35:29.079 and then they still have to play our game, which 699 00:35:29.119 --> 00:35:32.679 is taxing billionaires and doing something about wealth inequality. 700 00:35:33.159 --> 00:35:36.679 And if that is it's the one thing. It's the 701 00:35:36.719 --> 00:35:37.320 only thing. 702 00:35:37.800 --> 00:35:40.159 And if if in that case, if they want to 703 00:35:40.400 --> 00:35:43.199 go ahead and steal the wealth from these companies and 704 00:35:44.039 --> 00:35:47.360 destroy something that has existed for a long time and 705 00:35:47.400 --> 00:35:50.320 produced works of art that are worthy of conversation and 706 00:35:50.320 --> 00:35:53.840 worthy of our time, fine, but we're going to get 707 00:35:53.840 --> 00:35:56.800 that money back on the in the end. And people 708 00:35:56.840 --> 00:35:59.519 will point out all the reasons why taxing wealth is challenging, 709 00:35:59.639 --> 00:36:01.559 and I don't like that's the reason to do it. 710 00:36:01.559 --> 00:36:03.559 We do tough things all the time. Let's do it toughly. 711 00:36:03.599 --> 00:36:07.039 That's why we fucking elected you. If it's if we 712 00:36:07.039 --> 00:36:09.840 were electing you to do easy shit, we wouldn't need 713 00:36:09.880 --> 00:36:13.320 to elect you. Motherfucker. Do your job. Instead of getting 714 00:36:13.360 --> 00:36:15.760 out there on blue sky and being like, well, they're 715 00:36:15.800 --> 00:36:20.920 sending the troops into fucking, uh fucking wherever. What if 716 00:36:20.960 --> 00:36:25.360 we just like got good healthcare, motherfucker. You have something 717 00:36:25.400 --> 00:36:27.880 to do right now, Just do it. You have your 718 00:36:27.960 --> 00:36:30.239 job to do, you have your mandas. 719 00:36:31.320 --> 00:36:31.880 Keep going here. 720 00:36:31.960 --> 00:36:34.559 EA was reportedly looking to sell off Mass Effect developer 721 00:36:34.599 --> 00:36:35.840 before Saudi acquisition. 722 00:36:35.880 --> 00:36:37.679 This from Jake Valentine at Dual Shockers. 723 00:36:38.199 --> 00:36:41.719 Yesterday came news of EA's deal with it came countless questions. 724 00:36:43.039 --> 00:36:45.199 Yeah, came with it came countless. 725 00:36:44.760 --> 00:36:46.800 Questions, one of which it was about the future of 726 00:36:46.800 --> 00:36:49.719 not just electronic arts, but the developers and properties under 727 00:36:49.800 --> 00:36:53.280 that umbrella. Fans were already worried about what this means 728 00:36:53.280 --> 00:36:55.639 for the future of Mass Effect and in that series 729 00:36:55.719 --> 00:36:59.119 and the developer. After twenty seventeens, Mass Effect and Dramata flopped, 730 00:36:59.239 --> 00:37:01.519 Developer by Away made the decision to let the franchise 731 00:37:01.519 --> 00:37:04.719 take a break for a few years. Several years later, however, 732 00:37:04.760 --> 00:37:06.760 came the news that a new entry in the series 733 00:37:07.000 --> 00:37:10.320 was in development, presumably taking place directly after the events 734 00:37:10.320 --> 00:37:13.679 of the original Mass Effect trilogy. Trilogy itself was remastered. 735 00:37:13.679 --> 00:37:16.440 Blah blah blah. A new report from Insider Gaming details 736 00:37:16.480 --> 00:37:19.840 that Ia reportedly looked to sell the studio, presumably following 737 00:37:19.880 --> 00:37:23.639 the release of Dragon Age the Veilguard. Obviously that didn't 738 00:37:23.679 --> 00:37:26.199 come to fruition, but it paints an ugly picture about 739 00:37:26.199 --> 00:37:30.800 the future of the iconic developer. Yeah, that feels like 740 00:37:30.800 --> 00:37:33.559 one where like they were trying to avoid the really 741 00:37:33.599 --> 00:37:36.119 bad pr that probably would have done a small dent 742 00:37:36.199 --> 00:37:37.079 in their stock price. 743 00:37:37.159 --> 00:37:37.320 Right. 744 00:37:37.360 --> 00:37:40.159 Oh, you can't even figure out how to handle BioWare 745 00:37:41.320 --> 00:37:44.920 that this is a high profile failure, so hey, can 746 00:37:44.920 --> 00:37:46.960 we just sell them to somebody and make some money 747 00:37:47.000 --> 00:37:49.440 and then investors will be happy about that. And here 748 00:37:49.480 --> 00:37:52.239 we are like this kind of solves that problem for them, 749 00:37:53.159 --> 00:37:55.440 although I don't I just don't think any of this 750 00:37:55.519 --> 00:37:58.679 is good news for the future of Buyoware. That feels 751 00:37:58.719 --> 00:38:03.559 like a game the rife for a idiot who doesn't 752 00:38:03.559 --> 00:38:05.239 know what he's talking about to walk in the room, like, 753 00:38:05.280 --> 00:38:07.440 can't we save money by giving a lot of this 754 00:38:07.519 --> 00:38:09.440 development over to AI? 755 00:38:09.840 --> 00:38:12.519 More than that, this is something I talked a little 756 00:38:12.519 --> 00:38:15.840 bit about on Blue Sky and just looking at the 757 00:38:15.880 --> 00:38:20.880 cultural IP that Saudi Arabia and the Kushners now own, 758 00:38:22.320 --> 00:38:27.119 you know, a like Kushner's that the what's his company 759 00:38:27.119 --> 00:38:28.639 called again, It's slipped my mind. 760 00:38:28.760 --> 00:38:30.480 His is Affinity Partners. 761 00:38:30.280 --> 00:38:36.880 Affinity Partners and is essentially like a financial branch of 762 00:38:37.679 --> 00:38:42.559 Donald Trump's personal wealth, like it is part of his 763 00:38:42.760 --> 00:38:46.599 ecosystem and it is designed to help make him deals 764 00:38:46.639 --> 00:38:51.800 that will financially benefit him. And it is also yea 765 00:38:52.039 --> 00:38:55.039 is now owned by PIFF, which is the Saudi government. 766 00:38:55.400 --> 00:38:57.440 And you look at the IP that they now own, 767 00:38:58.679 --> 00:39:04.639 and you consider the things that those two extremely conservative 768 00:39:04.719 --> 00:39:08.760 groups want out of its creative arsh what it wants 769 00:39:08.840 --> 00:39:12.840 out of its media. We are going to see levels 770 00:39:12.880 --> 00:39:18.480 of sport washing and military bravado and bullshit that we 771 00:39:18.639 --> 00:39:23.199 have as a industry truly unprepared for. I do not 772 00:39:23.239 --> 00:39:27.800 people think that people are prepared for like the level 773 00:39:28.000 --> 00:39:31.920 of you know, I bet Medal of Honor gets bought 774 00:39:31.960 --> 00:39:34.800 back in some form if this all goes through as 775 00:39:34.800 --> 00:39:37.760 some AI bullshit, and I bet new Medal of Honor 776 00:39:37.960 --> 00:39:40.719 has a very different tone than old Medal of Honor 777 00:39:41.199 --> 00:39:44.440 and has some very different things to say about war. 778 00:39:45.559 --> 00:39:49.320 I think that like new mass Effect, if it ever 779 00:39:49.440 --> 00:39:53.360 does show up, is not what Mass Effect once was. 780 00:39:53.920 --> 00:39:57.079 It is not telling the stories that it once was. 781 00:39:57.679 --> 00:40:03.079 And moreover, I think that if like the people who 782 00:40:03.119 --> 00:40:05.920 now own EA look at what Mass Effect is look 783 00:40:05.960 --> 00:40:08.239 at like, hey, this is our storyboards, this is where 784 00:40:08.239 --> 00:40:11.079 we're going with the game, They're gonna look at that 785 00:40:11.159 --> 00:40:14.840 and go, yeah, we're we don't want this company anymore 786 00:40:15.760 --> 00:40:18.800 because we don't fancy telling stories that even go near 787 00:40:18.840 --> 00:40:23.480 any of this stuff. And right, so, yeah, I think 788 00:40:23.559 --> 00:40:26.599 there's like the chances of a new Mass Effect actually 789 00:40:26.599 --> 00:40:29.480 getting out were pretty low as it was like they 790 00:40:29.519 --> 00:40:34.719 had an uphill climb as it was. And I don't 791 00:40:35.559 --> 00:40:37.880 I don't think they last more than six months. I 792 00:40:37.880 --> 00:40:41.320 don't think they get past the keys being handed over, 793 00:40:41.639 --> 00:40:44.480 like I think BioWare has gone before the keys get 794 00:40:44.519 --> 00:40:46.559 handed over and the company goes fully private. 795 00:40:47.239 --> 00:40:51.280 Yeah, you know, I think that there is excuse me, 796 00:40:51.400 --> 00:40:54.440 there's a chance that you know, when they when they 797 00:40:54.440 --> 00:40:57.199 gather up all these ips, they just look grounded, like, hey, 798 00:40:57.199 --> 00:40:59.639 we could make a movie based on mass Effect and 799 00:40:59.679 --> 00:41:01.760 some of the other stuff, and so maybe we do 800 00:41:01.840 --> 00:41:03.679 want a game like someone could sort of like fool 801 00:41:03.679 --> 00:41:06.719 them once and get that stuff done and kind of 802 00:41:06.800 --> 00:41:08.679 keep things going under those guys. 803 00:41:08.719 --> 00:41:11.480 Is that there is every chance that they does. 804 00:41:11.519 --> 00:41:13.559 Jeff as well, they don't do that with Mass Effect 805 00:41:13.760 --> 00:41:15.960 because you think of who the owners are now. The 806 00:41:16.039 --> 00:41:17.800 thing that they're going to want to turn into a 807 00:41:17.840 --> 00:41:21.039 movie is Battlefield, because you look at the story set 808 00:41:21.119 --> 00:41:24.800 up for the new Battlefield, which is, hey, America versus 809 00:41:24.840 --> 00:41:30.119 mysterious forces across the world who are somehow threatening American independence, 810 00:41:31.039 --> 00:41:33.199 and they go, that's the story we want to tell 811 00:41:33.199 --> 00:41:36.039 in our current political climate, because that's the story that 812 00:41:36.159 --> 00:41:39.199 rallies people to our side. It's the fucking James Bond 813 00:41:39.239 --> 00:41:42.960 thing that you talked about of James Bond was developed, 814 00:41:43.199 --> 00:41:47.400 was created when the British Empire was shrinking and English 815 00:41:47.480 --> 00:41:51.599 people needed to project that the British Empire was still important. 816 00:41:52.039 --> 00:41:54.639 The American empire is fucking shrinking at the moment, and 817 00:41:54.679 --> 00:41:59.079 the American corporations that need to project that America is 818 00:41:59.079 --> 00:42:02.800 still important. And now you have business yeah, yeah, Now 819 00:42:02.840 --> 00:42:06.719 you have the leaders or the brother of the leader 820 00:42:06.800 --> 00:42:11.440 of the American regime or not, but the law son 821 00:42:11.440 --> 00:42:15.239 in law and owning one of those companies. And there 822 00:42:15.320 --> 00:42:17.159 is no way in hell that they don't see that 823 00:42:17.239 --> 00:42:22.239 as a way to like create media that boosts American 824 00:42:22.360 --> 00:42:27.280 morale in the way that they want to boost ish 825 00:42:27.320 --> 00:42:30.400 And so yeah, I think you're gonna like, if we're lucky, 826 00:42:31.159 --> 00:42:34.920 EYA doesn't make any more fucking video games. If we're unlucky, 827 00:42:35.159 --> 00:42:37.119 they become a fucking arm of propaganda. 828 00:42:37.599 --> 00:42:38.360 Mm hmm yep. 829 00:42:38.400 --> 00:42:42.440 And we've already seen Saudi Arabia be willing to help 830 00:42:42.480 --> 00:42:44.840 with stuff like that, and we're like owning S and 831 00:42:44.920 --> 00:42:46.760 K and kind of just throwing some stuff into that 832 00:42:46.800 --> 00:42:50.679 game they've interfered. I don't think that that is a road. 833 00:42:50.719 --> 00:42:52.480 They stop walking down there. It just gets word. 834 00:42:52.519 --> 00:42:56.639 They're not a light touch owner. They are not especially. 835 00:42:56.199 --> 00:42:57.559 Yes, especially in this case. 836 00:42:57.559 --> 00:43:01.559 I don't think, all right, let's keep going here. The 837 00:43:01.679 --> 00:43:05.760 Silent Hill remake materializes out of the fog enters full production. 838 00:43:05.840 --> 00:43:08.880 This is from Claire Jackson at Kotaku. Silent Hill is 839 00:43:08.880 --> 00:43:12.360 a sind it once more. Following Bluebird Team's well received 840 00:43:12.400 --> 00:43:15.760 remake of Silent Hill to last year, the studios confirmed 841 00:43:15.760 --> 00:43:18.400 that a remake of the series's nineteen ninety nine debut, 842 00:43:18.559 --> 00:43:20.840 Silent Hill, has entered full production. 843 00:43:21.000 --> 00:43:22.480 So we kind of knew this was coming. 844 00:43:23.199 --> 00:43:26.320 They have finished Kronos and now they are moving on 845 00:43:26.400 --> 00:43:28.639 to this, and I think most people are happy to 846 00:43:28.639 --> 00:43:31.639 hear it at this point, even Kronos not being like 847 00:43:31.719 --> 00:43:34.559 a slam like a slam dunk or anything like that. 848 00:43:34.559 --> 00:43:36.960 It's a game that people generally are like, yeah, this 849 00:43:37.079 --> 00:43:39.920 is still an upper trajector if you take yeah, if 850 00:43:39.960 --> 00:43:41.599 you take Silent Hill two out of it, it still 851 00:43:41.599 --> 00:43:43.960 feels better than what they were doing before, and that's 852 00:43:44.000 --> 00:43:45.480 kind of what people want to see from this team. 853 00:43:46.360 --> 00:43:48.960 I beat that game. I actually super like that game. 854 00:43:49.039 --> 00:43:50.000 Yeah, a lot of people do. 855 00:43:50.360 --> 00:43:53.719 It's really solid. It is kind of what I want 856 00:43:53.760 --> 00:44:00.239 out of horror stuff, which is one like different and 857 00:44:00.320 --> 00:44:05.719 two also it feels workmenlike and craftsmanlike. It's like, we 858 00:44:05.800 --> 00:44:07.719 know what we're doing. We are going to make one 859 00:44:07.719 --> 00:44:09.519 of these. It is going to have this tone. The 860 00:44:09.559 --> 00:44:12.039 other thing that I really appreciate it is that it 861 00:44:12.159 --> 00:44:16.480 is inherently Polish. It is very very steeped in the 862 00:44:16.519 --> 00:44:19.639 country and the politics of post World War two Poland, 863 00:44:19.719 --> 00:44:21.800 and it is all about that, and it's something that 864 00:44:21.840 --> 00:44:24.199 you wouldn't see. It is in a way that like 865 00:44:24.719 --> 00:44:28.760 Silent Hill, feels like something that is inherently made by 866 00:44:28.840 --> 00:44:32.840 Japanese people and their sensibilities. This is something that feels 867 00:44:32.840 --> 00:44:38.000 like it is stem steeped in Polish sensibilities and Polish politics, 868 00:44:38.360 --> 00:44:40.400 and I think that's really cool. I would love to 869 00:44:40.440 --> 00:44:44.000 see more lighting from Polish people aren't like what they 870 00:44:44.000 --> 00:44:45.559 think of that game. I would love to see some 871 00:44:45.639 --> 00:44:48.960 perspectives on that. But yeah, I think that they're the 872 00:44:49.199 --> 00:44:51.960 people to do these remakes. I think that these remakes 873 00:44:51.960 --> 00:44:54.960 have been This remake has benefited them as a studio 874 00:44:55.000 --> 00:44:58.960 as much as it's benefiting Gnami, and I think that 875 00:44:59.079 --> 00:45:03.000 like they they are definitely becoming more equipped to tell 876 00:45:03.039 --> 00:45:05.320 the stories that they wanted to tell from the beginning. 877 00:45:06.400 --> 00:45:10.440 So yeah, all right, up next, the foremost requested Xbox 878 00:45:10.480 --> 00:45:11.719 franchise revivals. 879 00:45:12.079 --> 00:45:14.559 This is from Eric Frederickson at Game Spot. 880 00:45:15.159 --> 00:45:17.559 I'm just this is such a silly thing because this 881 00:45:17.599 --> 00:45:19.519 is a Phil Spencer out there kind of talking about this. 882 00:45:19.920 --> 00:45:20.920 Let's let's go through it. 883 00:45:21.519 --> 00:45:23.920 With so many studios under one umbrella, Microsoft has one 884 00:45:23.920 --> 00:45:26.639 of the biggest back catalogs and game franchises in the industry, 885 00:45:26.679 --> 00:45:29.440 if not the biggest, and yet certain titles stand out 886 00:45:29.480 --> 00:45:32.000 among the countless many. In an interview with Igen Japan, 887 00:45:32.159 --> 00:45:35.440 Xbox Boss Phil Spencer talked about some of the most 888 00:45:35.440 --> 00:45:38.800 requested revivals among a variety of other topics. Spencer noted 889 00:45:38.800 --> 00:45:41.119 in an interview that the most highly requested titles from 890 00:45:41.199 --> 00:45:45.119 Microsoft back Microsoft's back catalog are Japanese RPG's Blue Dragon 891 00:45:45.159 --> 00:45:49.239 and Lost Odyssey. In Western titles Crimson Skies and Megassault. 892 00:45:49.880 --> 00:45:52.280 Why good news, We're never going to see any of 893 00:45:52.320 --> 00:45:54.679 them again. You are never going to hear from them again. 894 00:45:55.039 --> 00:45:56.199 Why is he still do this? 895 00:45:56.480 --> 00:45:58.719 I like, well, why go out there and still be 896 00:45:58.760 --> 00:46:01.400 the clown putting on the show being like, Hey, it's 897 00:46:02.079 --> 00:46:05.119 we're good. Just everyone sit tight, everything's about to begin. 898 00:46:05.159 --> 00:46:08.800 You're gonna get all your dreams and the gamers. Yeah, 899 00:46:08.960 --> 00:46:12.360 it's baffling to me that that just at a certain 900 00:46:12.360 --> 00:46:15.920 point stop talking, go make the games. If you're making 901 00:46:15.920 --> 00:46:18.360 the games, and then put the stuff out and then 902 00:46:18.400 --> 00:46:19.199 then we'll believe you. 903 00:46:19.280 --> 00:46:21.719 This just feels sick at this point. 904 00:46:21.320 --> 00:46:24.519 Going to TGS. That TGS fucking live stream was one 905 00:46:24.559 --> 00:46:26.840 of the worst live streams I've ever seen from the 906 00:46:26.880 --> 00:46:30.079 point of view of like, you clearly are doing this 907 00:46:30.119 --> 00:46:32.760 out of obligation and you have no interest. There was 908 00:46:33.000 --> 00:46:36.199 one game there that the Japanese market would actually give 909 00:46:36.239 --> 00:46:37.960 a shit about, and I was a Ninja Guiden four 910 00:46:38.480 --> 00:46:42.599 and every other game that you saw at that show 911 00:46:43.320 --> 00:46:47.039 was like nobody in Japan gives a flying fuck about 912 00:46:47.039 --> 00:46:49.920 this shit. They do not care about Call of Duty. 913 00:46:50.199 --> 00:46:53.519 They maybe you have some PC Japanese gamers who like 914 00:46:53.559 --> 00:46:56.199 Flight Simulator, but it is not like a big part 915 00:46:56.239 --> 00:46:58.519 of the market. I think Microsoft getting out there is 916 00:46:58.559 --> 00:47:01.400 still being like, oh big in Japan, We're making a 917 00:47:01.400 --> 00:47:04.280 play for Japan. Is like almost at this point, it 918 00:47:04.320 --> 00:47:08.400 seems like a self flagellation ritual. Like Phil Spencer must 919 00:47:08.760 --> 00:47:12.360 just enjoy the embarrassment because they had big fucking posters 920 00:47:12.679 --> 00:47:15.360 up at TGS with that this is an Xbox campaign, 921 00:47:15.760 --> 00:47:19.000 and holy shit, man, that country does not give a 922 00:47:19.000 --> 00:47:22.719 crap about Xbox games. The idea of getting out there 923 00:47:22.760 --> 00:47:24.360 and being like, yeah, I would love to bring back 924 00:47:24.440 --> 00:47:27.800 Blue Dragon and Lost Odyssey. No, you fucking wouldn't. You 925 00:47:28.159 --> 00:47:31.599 have no interest in doing business with Saka Gucci again, 926 00:47:31.679 --> 00:47:36.360 You have no interest in like spending money on getting 927 00:47:36.400 --> 00:47:38.400 one of those games off the ground and making a big, 928 00:47:38.480 --> 00:47:42.280 expensive RPG. Again, you don't stop lying to us. 929 00:47:42.960 --> 00:47:50.280 Yeah, I've heard rumors about Crimson Sky specifically, that seems 930 00:47:50.719 --> 00:47:52.400 you know, that was a long time ago, and I 931 00:47:52.440 --> 00:47:55.519 always chalked that up to sure, maybe people bring that up. 932 00:47:55.800 --> 00:47:59.239 But at this point, like after the latest round of 933 00:47:59.400 --> 00:48:03.280 layoffs and canceling projects, there's no way they're still making that. 934 00:48:03.280 --> 00:48:04.920 There's no wayment they're doing any of these things. 935 00:48:05.039 --> 00:48:09.280 I mean, I just if I were him, I would 936 00:48:09.320 --> 00:48:12.159 just be like, look, we'll let our games speak for themselves. 937 00:48:12.280 --> 00:48:13.840 Like I guest, he's got to still be rah rah 938 00:48:13.960 --> 00:48:16.320 rah and go to town do that stuff, but be 939 00:48:16.440 --> 00:48:19.360 rah rah rah about things that people can actually believe 940 00:48:19.400 --> 00:48:21.679 in at this point because I just don't believe anything 941 00:48:21.800 --> 00:48:24.960 is saying about this sort of thing anymore. It feels 942 00:48:25.360 --> 00:48:28.199 and it feels especially weird to still be doing this 943 00:48:28.320 --> 00:48:31.119 same sort of trick that he's done a million times before, 944 00:48:31.400 --> 00:48:34.480 as if nothing's changed. And I get he's not talking 945 00:48:34.840 --> 00:48:37.320 to us, He's talking to people that are going to 946 00:48:37.320 --> 00:48:40.360 spend one thousand dollars on the Xbox Roger l I X, 947 00:48:41.719 --> 00:48:42.519 But I don't know. 948 00:48:42.599 --> 00:48:44.320 We still hear it, and I'm sick of it. 949 00:48:45.239 --> 00:48:49.239 Amazon's relaunch reimagined Luna game platforms, starting with an AI 950 00:48:49.360 --> 00:48:53.639 powered Snoop Dogg party game, just what everyone wants to hear. 951 00:48:53.960 --> 00:48:54.559 Let's go. 952 00:48:54.840 --> 00:48:58.480 This is from Michael McWherter at Polygon. Amazon's cloud gaming 953 00:48:58.519 --> 00:49:01.639 platform is getting a big rethink. That's in quotes in 954 00:49:01.639 --> 00:49:05.119 twenty twenty five the game. The company announced Wednesday, promising 955 00:49:05.119 --> 00:49:09.320 a completely redesigned and reimagined Amazon Luna that combines innovative 956 00:49:09.400 --> 00:49:11.840 social party games with amazing blockbusters. 957 00:49:11.920 --> 00:49:12.880 That's a quote. 958 00:49:12.960 --> 00:49:16.639 In addition to streaming hits like Hogwarts, Legacy, Indiana Jones 959 00:49:16.639 --> 00:49:19.599 and The Great Circle and Kingdom Come Deliverance too, the 960 00:49:19.679 --> 00:49:22.559 new Luna will include Game Night, a collection of family 961 00:49:22.639 --> 00:49:27.159 friendly social party games. Game Night will offer familiar favorites 962 00:49:27.239 --> 00:49:29.400 like Angry Bar, It's Exploiting. 963 00:49:29.039 --> 00:49:31.800 Kittens, Ticket to Ride, and Clue. It will also in. 964 00:49:33.599 --> 00:49:38.440 Developed by Amazon, including launch title Courtroom Chaos starring snoop Dog, 965 00:49:38.840 --> 00:49:43.679 which Amazon describes as a human built AI powered improv 966 00:49:44.320 --> 00:49:48.199 courtroom game where players invent outrageous characters, excuse me, spin 967 00:49:48.280 --> 00:49:50.320 wild stories, and do whatever it takes to defend their 968 00:49:50.360 --> 00:49:51.920 testimonies before judge. 969 00:49:51.960 --> 00:49:55.920 Snoop Dog, I have to play this. I gotta see this. 970 00:49:56.800 --> 00:50:00.639 Maybe you know we were talking about like video game 971 00:50:00.639 --> 00:50:03.320 industry will continue because it's passion that maybe we should 972 00:50:03.360 --> 00:50:04.000 all just go home. 973 00:50:04.800 --> 00:50:08.800 Yeah, this is Look, I guess does everyone know what 974 00:50:08.840 --> 00:50:12.440 Amazon Luna even was. It was Amazon's Google Google Stadia 975 00:50:12.840 --> 00:50:16.039 with a slightly more sane business model where it wasn't 976 00:50:16.039 --> 00:50:21.079 necessarily about subscribe and then also buy the games stadium 977 00:50:21.159 --> 00:50:23.119 just made no sense. Amazon lun is a little bit 978 00:50:23.159 --> 00:50:24.920 more just like just buy the game and then you 979 00:50:24.920 --> 00:50:26.719 can stream it on Amazon Lune, I think, And it's 980 00:50:26.760 --> 00:50:31.119 like you don't have to buy a console. Look, if 981 00:50:31.199 --> 00:50:34.079 I'm running this cloud platform, I get that, like the 982 00:50:34.119 --> 00:50:36.199 only ground you can go to is like the most 983 00:50:36.239 --> 00:50:39.960 casual audience, the one that it would not buy a console. 984 00:50:40.000 --> 00:50:42.639 But if they're not buying a console, how moved are 985 00:50:42.639 --> 00:50:44.559 they going to be by any of this stuff? I 986 00:50:44.639 --> 00:50:48.159 suppose if you get a streaming hit or something like that, 987 00:50:48.199 --> 00:50:50.800 like a hit that's like very popular on Twitch, maybe 988 00:50:50.800 --> 00:50:52.679 that catches on people go, Okay, where do I play this? 989 00:50:52.800 --> 00:50:52.960 Oh? 990 00:50:52.960 --> 00:50:54.639 I can click this one button here on Twitch that's 991 00:50:54.639 --> 00:50:56.079 going to connect me to Amazon Luna. 992 00:50:57.039 --> 00:51:01.440 But this game sounds terrible, and there are like there's 993 00:51:01.480 --> 00:51:02.239 like an indie. 994 00:51:02.079 --> 00:51:04.960 Version of this, like a court Like I think there's 995 00:51:05.000 --> 00:51:07.320 a game where you play as socks, like sock puppets, 996 00:51:07.400 --> 00:51:09.519 and you have to like go into courtroom and kind 997 00:51:09.519 --> 00:51:11.679 of put on your case and stuff like that. And 998 00:51:11.719 --> 00:51:14.159 there is no AI Snoop Dogg, which to me sounds 999 00:51:14.159 --> 00:51:14.960 like a step up. 1000 00:51:16.039 --> 00:51:18.239 I don't know, sounds like a nightmare over there. 1001 00:51:18.280 --> 00:51:22.599 What do you think I'd rather not think about it? Yeah, 1002 00:51:22.840 --> 00:51:26.880 I'd rather just they stop, I I do. I kind 1003 00:51:26.880 --> 00:51:29.119 of just need to see this for myself. I'm morbidly curious. 1004 00:51:29.159 --> 00:51:30.880 I'm gonna have to play the Snoop Dogg as. 1005 00:51:30.800 --> 00:51:32.800 I'm gonna wind up on your fucking top ten list. 1006 00:51:32.840 --> 00:51:33.360 Don't lie. 1007 00:51:33.719 --> 00:51:36.840 I know you probably probably yes. Is there a are 1008 00:51:36.880 --> 00:51:38.280 there physics based objects in there? 1009 00:51:38.320 --> 00:51:38.960 Then I'll be into it. 1010 00:51:39.039 --> 00:51:39.239 Yeah. 1011 00:51:39.840 --> 00:51:40.119 Uh. 1012 00:51:40.280 --> 00:51:43.639 Fall Out seventy six ads Walton Goggins the Ghoul, or 1013 00:51:44.000 --> 00:51:46.840 I guess Walton Goggins is the Ghoul in big New 1014 00:51:46.960 --> 00:51:53.079 Vegas inspired update. This is from bro Biovanni col Antonio 1015 00:51:53.320 --> 00:51:57.239 should be Giovanni col Antonio at Polygon. Fallout seventy six 1016 00:51:57.320 --> 00:51:59.960 is getting its largest update since twenty twenty this December 1017 00:52:00.159 --> 00:52:04.679 with Burning Springs. The new expansion to Bethesda's MMO takes 1018 00:52:04.719 --> 00:52:05.800 players to Ohio. 1019 00:52:05.920 --> 00:52:07.239 Is that like Yellow Springs? 1020 00:52:07.239 --> 00:52:10.239 Reference Ohio for a new suite of content inspired by 1021 00:52:10.239 --> 00:52:12.880 Fallout three in New Vegas. It will also tie into 1022 00:52:12.880 --> 00:52:15.719 Amazon's Fallout series just in time for season two by 1023 00:52:15.760 --> 00:52:18.960 adding the Goul to the game, fully voiced by Walton 1024 00:52:19.440 --> 00:52:25.079 Goggins Fallout Vegas. Fallout seventy six does feel like one 1025 00:52:25.159 --> 00:52:28.679 that is has made it work. I don't know if 1026 00:52:28.679 --> 00:52:30.960 we ever get another one of these like this again 1027 00:52:31.000 --> 00:52:34.440 from a company like Bethesda under Microsoft, where they like 1028 00:52:34.519 --> 00:52:36.519 sort of brute force their way to a success with 1029 00:52:36.599 --> 00:52:39.679 the game after having a rough launch. But they've come 1030 00:52:39.760 --> 00:52:42.960 full circle here and they're delivering probably exactly what that 1031 00:52:43.119 --> 00:52:45.920 audience wants, fun stuff related to the TV show that 1032 00:52:46.000 --> 00:52:46.320 they like. 1033 00:52:46.480 --> 00:52:50.079 Right, Yeah, I have a friend who recently got back 1034 00:52:50.199 --> 00:52:54.280 into Fallout seventy six and was like, this is after 1035 00:52:54.440 --> 00:52:57.039 all of that updates, they really have, Like this is 1036 00:52:57.199 --> 00:53:00.440 just a solid Fallout game. It is probably like more 1037 00:53:00.480 --> 00:53:02.400 of what you want from a Fallout game than even 1038 00:53:02.440 --> 00:53:05.400 Fallout four. Was Like, they have added more role playing 1039 00:53:05.480 --> 00:53:08.280 in Tuish than Fallout four had in a lot of ways, 1040 00:53:09.599 --> 00:53:11.719 because at what at some point when you have a 1041 00:53:11.760 --> 00:53:14.599 live service game, adding role role playing elements is the 1042 00:53:14.679 --> 00:53:19.079 thing that you do. You've added everything else, And like, 1043 00:53:19.960 --> 00:53:22.519 I don't know, I'm glad Fallout seventy six exists. I 1044 00:53:23.280 --> 00:53:25.679 think it now has the opposite problem of there's maybe 1045 00:53:25.760 --> 00:53:30.000 too much content for me to get into wish, But boy, 1046 00:53:30.119 --> 00:53:33.239 I wish there was a new Fallout New Vegas to 1047 00:53:33.519 --> 00:53:36.920 play going along with that new season, or maybe a remaster, 1048 00:53:37.519 --> 00:53:43.159 And that doesn't seem like that's near anytime soon. Yeah. 1049 00:53:44.000 --> 00:53:47.119 Yes, it feels like we are going to have to 1050 00:53:47.199 --> 00:53:49.000 kind of continue to be in a holding pattern on 1051 00:53:49.079 --> 00:53:56.960 anything else Fallout. Who was it Virtuos who did the Oblivion? Okay, 1052 00:53:57.159 --> 00:53:59.440 so you know that's I think they had layoffs after 1053 00:53:59.519 --> 00:54:03.840 they did Oblivion and micro metal Gear Solid Delta, which 1054 00:54:03.880 --> 00:54:04.360 is virtual. 1055 00:54:04.480 --> 00:54:08.039 See, yeah, I wrote about this. I wrote about this 1056 00:54:08.119 --> 00:54:09.920 before it became a news story, and then it became 1057 00:54:09.920 --> 00:54:11.239 a news story, and I was like, I wrote about 1058 00:54:11.239 --> 00:54:14.519 there's a no noticed now that Virtuos was. Yeah, it 1059 00:54:14.719 --> 00:54:17.920 was one of the companies that was like heavily affected 1060 00:54:17.960 --> 00:54:23.519 by Microsoft stopping a bunch of contract projects. And the 1061 00:54:23.599 --> 00:54:25.639 way that that was explained to me was, even though 1062 00:54:25.719 --> 00:54:29.679 virtuals is very big and it has there's a lot 1063 00:54:29.760 --> 00:54:32.360 of demand for its work, if a project that it 1064 00:54:32.480 --> 00:54:35.880 is working on at this very moment gets canceled, you 1065 00:54:36.039 --> 00:54:38.760 can't just fill that in. You can fill in things 1066 00:54:38.840 --> 00:54:42.119 that are six, ten, twelve months away, because there's lots 1067 00:54:42.119 --> 00:54:43.840 of people that will want you to work on stuff 1068 00:54:43.840 --> 00:54:47.039 in twelve months. Most people don't have stuff that they 1069 00:54:47.119 --> 00:54:49.760 want you to work on right now because they have 1070 00:54:49.880 --> 00:54:53.079 already made their partnerships. So they wound up with a 1071 00:54:53.119 --> 00:54:55.599 lot of employees with nothing that they could work on, 1072 00:54:55.800 --> 00:54:59.360 nothing that they could be assigned to, and their only 1073 00:54:59.440 --> 00:55:04.239 realistic option was to lay them off quietly. And so yes, Virtuos, 1074 00:55:05.039 --> 00:55:09.159 it wasn't like oh, Oblivion underperformed and they had to 1075 00:55:09.199 --> 00:55:11.239 do layoffs. Like No, that did fine for them. They 1076 00:55:11.280 --> 00:55:14.159 got paid for that, that was a good contract. They 1077 00:55:14.239 --> 00:55:17.199 had other contracts that they were working on and those 1078 00:55:17.280 --> 00:55:21.920 got canceled along with get games and or work that 1079 00:55:22.039 --> 00:55:25.039 they were supporting on other games that were canceled as 1080 00:55:25.079 --> 00:55:27.159 part of thatsh like. I would not be surprised if 1081 00:55:27.199 --> 00:55:29.760 Virtuos was one of the support studios on Perfect Dark 1082 00:55:29.880 --> 00:55:34.599 or something. But when that stuff fell through, they suddenly 1083 00:55:34.679 --> 00:55:37.280 had just a big hole in the spreadsheet and they 1084 00:55:37.320 --> 00:55:38.400 had to lay people off. 1085 00:55:39.079 --> 00:55:42.000 Yep, all right, that's going to do it. For the headlines, 1086 00:55:42.119 --> 00:55:44.960 we have a poll question from earlier this week that. 1087 00:55:45.000 --> 00:55:47.119 We should catch up on. Let's go ahead and get 1088 00:55:47.119 --> 00:55:49.159 the results right now. I'm going to refresh the page 1089 00:55:49.239 --> 00:55:49.719 make sure. 1090 00:55:49.559 --> 00:55:52.760 We have the most up to date results for have 1091 00:55:52.920 --> 00:55:54.519 you ever played Parasite eve? 1092 00:55:54.639 --> 00:55:55.320 That was the question. 1093 00:55:55.679 --> 00:55:58.800 Your options were yes or no, and thirty six percent 1094 00:55:58.840 --> 00:56:01.079 said yes, sixty four percent said no. 1095 00:56:01.280 --> 00:56:04.719 Yeah, that's that's highly high. That's with four thousand votes. Now. 1096 00:56:04.760 --> 00:56:06.679 Of course, a pull like this is always going to 1097 00:56:06.679 --> 00:56:09.320 be self selecting. People who don't care about about Parasite 1098 00:56:09.559 --> 00:56:14.000 will just skip the question entirely, but still thirty six 1099 00:56:14.119 --> 00:56:17.760 percent is higher than I would have expected. I think 1100 00:56:17.840 --> 00:56:19.840 that does say that, like, hey, the people that are 1101 00:56:19.880 --> 00:56:22.440 doing that spiritual success or you're probably walking into a 1102 00:56:22.639 --> 00:56:24.760 welcoming space of people who are looking to get more 1103 00:56:24.800 --> 00:56:27.360 of that, because you know, you don't get the thirty 1104 00:56:27.360 --> 00:56:29.639 six percent of four thousand people voting at a poll 1105 00:56:29.760 --> 00:56:32.639 like this without having people going back to Parasite even 1106 00:56:32.679 --> 00:56:35.400 be like I'm gonna go try that game relatively recently, 1107 00:56:35.880 --> 00:56:39.239 And I think that just speaks to interest in different 1108 00:56:39.360 --> 00:56:42.400 kinds of JRPGs and different kinds of RPGs in general. 1109 00:56:43.079 --> 00:56:45.960 So yeah, I'm curious to see you like count how 1110 00:56:46.000 --> 00:56:48.400 that shows up for that game. All Right, we have 1111 00:56:48.440 --> 00:56:49.920 a new poll question. We'll get to that here in 1112 00:56:50.000 --> 00:56:52.320 a second. Before we do that, LEXI, why don't you 1113 00:56:52.320 --> 00:56:54.280 remind people about where they can find you on the internet. 1114 00:56:54.320 --> 00:56:56.760 Tell them once more about that book? So did you 1115 00:56:57.119 --> 00:56:58.519 do you still have your rant? Feel free to do 1116 00:56:58.639 --> 00:56:59.760 that now go to town. 1117 00:57:00.239 --> 00:57:02.840 Last and culled lock on check it out volume six. 1118 00:57:03.360 --> 00:57:06.360 You can find me on Blue Sky at Lexloody do xyz. 1119 00:57:07.239 --> 00:57:09.559 I wanted to quickly talk about something that I've had 1120 00:57:09.559 --> 00:57:13.679 a lot of conversations with at Games Common TGS, and 1121 00:57:13.840 --> 00:57:18.400 that is review coverage and codes. I've talked to so 1122 00:57:18.519 --> 00:57:22.079 many pure and developers who are like, hey, we are 1123 00:57:22.199 --> 00:57:25.599 really struggling to get coverage of our games right now. 1124 00:57:25.840 --> 00:57:28.760 We are really struggling to get people games media to 1125 00:57:28.920 --> 00:57:31.880 cover all games in a real fashion and it is 1126 00:57:31.960 --> 00:57:37.079 affecting things. And let me tell you that almost made 1127 00:57:37.119 --> 00:57:41.159 my mind explode because in the last month, I have 1128 00:57:41.400 --> 00:57:44.440 had so many times where I have tried and tried 1129 00:57:44.559 --> 00:57:47.960 and tried to get codes for coverage on either start 1130 00:57:48.079 --> 00:57:52.760 Menu or Rewinder or pitching to other outlets as a freelancer, 1131 00:57:53.119 --> 00:57:56.039 and I have been stonewalled. I've been told we don't 1132 00:57:56.079 --> 00:57:57.880 have codes to send out right now, we don't have 1133 00:57:58.000 --> 00:58:01.559 the ability to send out right now. And the reason 1134 00:58:01.639 --> 00:58:03.880 that this has happened, and I've talked to our people 1135 00:58:03.880 --> 00:58:07.880 about it, is publishers only want big hits right now 1136 00:58:07.960 --> 00:58:11.159 when it comes to news beats, they only want stuff 1137 00:58:11.280 --> 00:58:16.199 like Game and Former cover pages or IGN main spreads. 1138 00:58:16.760 --> 00:58:19.000 They are not interested in the smaller hits. 1139 00:58:20.039 --> 00:58:21.599 By the way, that's the list, by the way of 1140 00:58:21.840 --> 00:58:23.679 the big things that they care about. It's like IG 1141 00:58:23.880 --> 00:58:24.599 and Game Informer. 1142 00:58:24.719 --> 00:58:28.679 Yeah, yeah, and so boy I when Game and Former 1143 00:58:28.719 --> 00:58:30.639 went away, it would have been real interesting to see 1144 00:58:30.639 --> 00:58:32.280 what they would have done if it hadn't come back. 1145 00:58:32.760 --> 00:58:37.400 But right now, games media can't stand out or doesn't 1146 00:58:37.440 --> 00:58:42.400 stand out because it is essentially just issuing press releases. 1147 00:58:42.679 --> 00:58:45.880 And like, that's what video game news is right now, 1148 00:58:46.000 --> 00:58:48.800 is issuing press releases. And when it comes to sponsored 1149 00:58:48.880 --> 00:58:52.800 content and streaming content, influencers have them beat. And what 1150 00:58:53.079 --> 00:58:55.400 games media needs is to be able to stand out 1151 00:58:55.480 --> 00:58:58.159 in some way for it to continue to grow. And 1152 00:58:58.559 --> 00:59:01.519 I genuinely think that the way forward for games media 1153 00:59:02.119 --> 00:59:05.960 is curation as a hey, this is what we think 1154 00:59:06.079 --> 00:59:08.639 is good. This is stuff that we can recommend you. 1155 00:59:08.760 --> 00:59:10.960 We can cut through the noise, we can tell you 1156 00:59:11.000 --> 00:59:13.559 if that you were interested in this game. And games 1157 00:59:13.599 --> 00:59:17.280 media acts as a curator by getting access to things 1158 00:59:17.360 --> 00:59:22.960 for review, and right now a lot of games media 1159 00:59:23.119 --> 00:59:25.639 isn't getting access to things for review. You saw this 1160 00:59:25.920 --> 00:59:31.119 Borderlands for it had like Foshey reviews at release, and 1161 00:59:31.280 --> 00:59:33.559 most of those were very selective codes that were sent 1162 00:59:33.639 --> 00:59:37.280 out to outlets that Gearbox you would probably would probably 1163 00:59:37.320 --> 00:59:40.360 give a good review. And I think that this is 1164 00:59:40.559 --> 00:59:44.639 unbelievably short sighted by publishers. And it's something that PRE 1165 00:59:44.840 --> 00:59:50.280 also knows because PRE understand that if games media doesn't exist, yeah, 1166 00:59:50.599 --> 00:59:53.280 they don't exist. If there is no games media, there 1167 00:59:53.360 --> 00:59:58.079 is no need for public relations or press relations. And 1168 00:59:58.400 --> 01:00:02.840 so you have a situation where I am fucking begging, 1169 01:00:03.000 --> 01:00:07.320 I am begging publishers to make codes available to smaller outlets, 1170 01:00:07.599 --> 01:00:10.920 because right now you have Game Informer, and you have IGN, 1171 01:00:11.280 --> 01:00:13.039 and you have a lot of other websites that are 1172 01:00:13.079 --> 01:00:17.400 struggling and slowly shrinking or being bash or changing in 1173 01:00:17.519 --> 01:00:19.880 some ways, and you have no one who is being 1174 01:00:20.079 --> 01:00:23.039 grown from the ground up to fill in their spash 1175 01:00:23.159 --> 01:00:25.760 in thirty years time. There is no outlet that is 1176 01:00:25.840 --> 01:00:28.360 being given the support that Game Informer was given thirty 1177 01:00:28.480 --> 01:00:33.239 years ago to build that baseline of content, to build 1178 01:00:33.280 --> 01:00:37.559 that baseline of writers and in built knowledge and expertise. 1179 01:00:38.079 --> 01:00:43.039 And unless game publishers and pure and developers make it 1180 01:00:43.320 --> 01:00:47.440 codes and review codes accessible to smaller outlets to grow 1181 01:00:47.599 --> 01:00:51.039 the next Game Informer, you will not have any curators. 1182 01:00:51.320 --> 01:00:53.840 You will not have anyone who are able to direct 1183 01:00:53.920 --> 01:00:56.599 people towards your content. And the only way that a 1184 01:00:56.639 --> 01:00:58.760 game will ever get big again is if it has 1185 01:00:58.840 --> 01:01:02.519 a big fucking Markus campaign, you will not have people 1186 01:01:02.599 --> 01:01:06.920 being able to find games organically. And I genuinely believe this. 1187 01:01:07.119 --> 01:01:09.639 I genuinely think that like games Media can Act and 1188 01:01:09.920 --> 01:01:12.079 Daniel Dwyers out doing this with no clip to and 1189 01:01:12.199 --> 01:01:14.760 indie games, they're doing a great job at highlighting some 1190 01:01:14.880 --> 01:01:17.159 really cool stuff. I think that other outlets could be 1191 01:01:17.199 --> 01:01:19.639 doing a way better job at it. But I think 1192 01:01:19.719 --> 01:01:22.400 that if you want to start somewhere, you sat by 1193 01:01:22.480 --> 01:01:26.719 sending smaller outlets review codes. You sat by understanding that 1194 01:01:27.000 --> 01:01:29.360 not every review is going to be a positive review, 1195 01:01:29.639 --> 01:01:32.000 and that is a good thing because that means that 1196 01:01:32.079 --> 01:01:34.960 developers can look at those reviews and they can get feedback. 1197 01:01:35.239 --> 01:01:37.119 The other big conversation that I had at all of 1198 01:01:37.199 --> 01:01:41.360 these events with developers will start for feedback. Developers go 1199 01:01:41.480 --> 01:01:45.119 to Japan because they specifically want to get Japanese feedback. 1200 01:01:45.280 --> 01:01:47.239 They want to get feedback from a different segment of 1201 01:01:47.360 --> 01:01:49.360 the market to where they are based. You of European 1202 01:01:49.400 --> 01:01:51.760 developers going over there because they're like, we can't get 1203 01:01:51.840 --> 01:01:57.000 opinions from Japanese people easily in Europe, and they every 1204 01:01:57.079 --> 01:01:59.199 time I played a game at game at games Carmo 1205 01:01:59.239 --> 01:02:02.360 TGS I had someone asking me, so, what did you think? 1206 01:02:02.800 --> 01:02:05.920 And that's because they wanted feedback. They wanted to know 1207 01:02:06.360 --> 01:02:08.960 how to make their games better because they love making 1208 01:02:09.079 --> 01:02:11.920 video games. And if you have reviews, and if you 1209 01:02:12.000 --> 01:02:16.079 have really good and critical and thoughtful reviews, you will 1210 01:02:16.079 --> 01:02:18.519 be able to make better video games based on that feedback. 1211 01:02:18.760 --> 01:02:20.719 And if you don't have that kind of stuff, if 1212 01:02:20.760 --> 01:02:24.119 you don't have an healthy games press, then you have 1213 01:02:24.239 --> 01:02:28.000 shit like the Silent Hill review that ran early because 1214 01:02:28.039 --> 01:02:33.000 someone wasn't explained what an embargo was. And yeah, that's 1215 01:02:33.079 --> 01:02:37.960 my rant. Make review codes accessible to smaller outlets, cheap 1216 01:02:37.960 --> 01:02:42.199 games media live because it makes games better. And yeah, 1217 01:02:42.440 --> 01:02:44.280 fucking support independent media. 1218 01:02:45.079 --> 01:02:47.519 Yep, publishers, listen to your PR people. They know what 1219 01:02:47.559 --> 01:02:50.159 they're talking about, and they usually have our back in 1220 01:02:50.239 --> 01:02:51.960 the city. You're right, it is coming from the publisher 1221 01:02:52.039 --> 01:02:52.840 side of things. 1222 01:02:53.800 --> 01:02:56.480 All right, New pole question, have you ever played Prototype? 1223 01:02:56.559 --> 01:02:58.840 Yes or no? Interested about this one? 1224 01:02:58.880 --> 01:03:01.679 I bet this one is all so a fairly high 1225 01:03:01.719 --> 01:03:03.519 split of people who have at least played a little 1226 01:03:03.519 --> 01:03:06.719 bit of Prototype one or two. We'll get the results 1227 01:03:06.760 --> 01:03:09.280 of this talk about on Games Morning's here on Giant 1228 01:03:09.320 --> 01:03:14.199 Bomb tomorrow. Speaking of Giant bomb. Let's see today it's Wednesday. 1229 01:03:14.239 --> 01:03:18.320 That means we return with Blake Club. It's back a 1230 01:03:18.440 --> 01:03:21.800 new season. Dan Reiker will be hopping into his game. 1231 01:03:22.159 --> 01:03:24.679 He doesn't know what it is, but you're gonna get 1232 01:03:24.679 --> 01:03:27.440 to see the debut of his new outfit and his game. 1233 01:03:27.480 --> 01:03:28.280 It's gonna be a good one. 1234 01:03:28.320 --> 01:03:29.960 Everybody question, is he gonna look cool? 1235 01:03:30.639 --> 01:03:32.960 He's gonna he's gonna look He's gonna look cool. He's 1236 01:03:32.960 --> 01:03:36.079 gonna look cool. Yeah, that's the word. 1237 01:03:36.159 --> 01:03:37.000 Okay, I am. 1238 01:03:37.360 --> 01:03:39.559 I'm looking forward to if that's at two pm Easter 1239 01:03:39.639 --> 01:03:41.880 and everybody so about two hours from now. 1240 01:03:42.719 --> 01:03:44.159 You know, we also have You want. 1241 01:03:44.039 --> 01:03:46.800 To know what I watched on my flight for thirteen hours. 1242 01:03:46.880 --> 01:03:50.599 At a thirteen hour flight, I watched the three episodes 1243 01:03:50.679 --> 01:03:52.840 of Mike's BA Light Club back to back to back 1244 01:03:52.840 --> 01:03:55.119 to back. And I'm sure I look like a fucking 1245 01:03:55.239 --> 01:03:57.599 crazy person to the person sitting next to me, but 1246 01:03:57.760 --> 01:04:00.280 stuck that person they were watching Howie Potter, don't give 1247 01:04:00.320 --> 01:04:00.599 a show? 1248 01:04:00.800 --> 01:04:05.840 Yeah, go to hell. Yeah gross quick looks, go to 1249 01:04:05.960 --> 01:04:06.679 you take quick look. 1250 01:04:06.719 --> 01:04:08.519 Will be happening. If it's not up now, it'll be 1251 01:04:08.599 --> 01:04:12.159 up soon. Final Fantasy Tactics. I think we're gonna make 1252 01:04:12.199 --> 01:04:14.800 some stuff happen there. Yeah, a lot more happening on 1253 01:04:14.840 --> 01:04:17.679 the website. We'll be back with dumb Truck tomorrow. Mike's 1254 01:04:17.719 --> 01:04:20.239 gonna play some Super Mario Galaxy two on the website 1255 01:04:20.280 --> 01:04:23.960 tomorrow evening. So yeah, lots happening here on Giant Bomb. 1256 01:04:24.360 --> 01:04:27.280 I will try to conquer the man breaker on the site. 1257 01:04:27.320 --> 01:04:30.079 At some point, we'll see it's getting close to breaking me. 1258 01:04:30.199 --> 01:04:33.000 But I got really, I got right there at the end. 1259 01:04:33.079 --> 01:04:34.400 I just got to do it again and make that 1260 01:04:34.559 --> 01:04:38.079 last couple of steps. We'll see, all right, I think 1261 01:04:38.199 --> 01:04:39.960 all that out of the way, we can wrap up 1262 01:04:40.000 --> 01:04:41.760 the show. LEXI, thank you so much for hanging out 1263 01:04:41.800 --> 01:04:43.960 with me today and talking about video games as always. 1264 01:04:44.000 --> 01:04:44.880 I really appreciate it. 1265 01:04:45.440 --> 01:04:46.880 Yeah, and I'm so glad that we could do this 1266 01:04:47.000 --> 01:04:48.559 in coordinating shirts as well. 1267 01:04:48.960 --> 01:04:51.519 Yeah, good thinking. Thanks for letting me know. I'm glad 1268 01:04:51.519 --> 01:04:52.920 we were able to make that happen. 1269 01:04:53.639 --> 01:04:55.920 Thank you all for watching and listening. You're the best 1270 01:04:55.960 --> 01:04:58.079 audience in gaming. Until next time, have a good one, 1271 01:04:58.400 --> 01:04:59.960 take care of yourself, and goodbye. 1272 01:05:02.280 --> 01:05:05.960 Oops bim bom bim bim 1273 01:05:11.639 --> 01:05:12.119 Alrights