We cover a few things this episode. Asha soft confirming Xbox Portable. Gamestop price gouging their customers on PS5pro. The main topic, though, is the Paramount WB merger into SKYDANCE. Will anything good come of this? It's possible, but as we saw with Activision being acquired by Microsoft - it doesn't mean beloved IP making a return, and almost definitely means a lot of devs losing their jobs. It's hard not to be cynical and downer about it, but we do try to name possible good things.

Microsoft filed a patent for in-game advertising. Examples include: before or after a multiplayer match, after a major boss fight or story beat, or as a way to earn game time on cloud services. Suffice to say Xbox will not be recovering its reputation any time soon. And if this idea makes them money? Sony will follow soon after. In this one instance though, we may have a hero... Nintendo. Let's talk about why.

Technically the term is "sunsetting" but sundowning seems more appropriate given the confusion, anxiety, and madness of Xbox's behavior. In this week's episode we talk Capcom, PS5 cultural relevance and the biggest topic is Xbox's recent layoffs and consolidations. Consolidations that seem to point at Microsoft gearing up to sell or close Xbox game studios. As an aside, in the episode we are talking about Onimusha and I mention that I am doing the issikai maneuver (spelling?). I played some more after recording - and that is definitely not what I am doing the most of. Mostly I dodge - but for whatever reason: I pull off that move more reliably than the parry. My confusing adventures into being sh*t at action games continues lmao

For the third week in a row, I have been caught unawares. As with every Blizzcon - I have to acknowledge most of this is not for me. WoW, Overwatch, even Diablo are all games I enjoy here and there, but I am by no means a major fan. So, maybe it's not a surprise that I didn't see a StarCraft FPS coming. The trailer was HYPE. And then it shows the release... 2030? And probably late 2030... So, 4 years from now? Why do companies do this? Announcing something so early is a surefire way to wear out the audience's enthusiasm by release time. Is it job security? A way to keep the execs off their back and the finger off the layoff button?

We got a two-parter Nintendo Direct for the first time ever. One part dedicated entirely to Zelda 40 year anniversary and a second more traditional direct the very next day. Put together, we feel it's a solid direct. A couple surprises in Metroid Revenant and Kirby Forgotten World and a whole load of anticipated ports.

Playstation's State of Play Fall 2026 is in the books. Sony has been a bit mired in consumer hate lately and really needed a big win here. Did they get it? Matt says no. For him this is a D minus show that it's hard to even care about. Personally, I thought there were a couple fun, dare I say, even exciting updates. But I'd still probably give this show a C, C-. One thing that the show did solidify for me is that Japanese developers have something their western kindred sorely lack right now: whimsy. How do we get more whimsy in western games? I think gritty, realistic, apocalyptic and piss filter are all cool too, but we have too much of that right now. What did you doods think? Anything in this show make you overlook Sony's recent screw ups?

We are rolling toward the holiday shopping season and that means Gamescom is here with one last pop of surprises (hopefully). Every year, Gamescom takes me by surprise. I have no idea why, but for some reason the end of summer sneaks up on me and the show catches me off guard. This year is no different. We had updates on exciting games I had forgotten about, and surprises for a beloved game of the past. In this episode we talk about our personal highlights, confusions and disappointments. Also, I learn maybe the most shocking, downright disgusting, out right insane detail about Matt. He pronounces a legendary French actor's name in such a way that I almost had to disown him. Then... To make it worse... It turns out that's how most people in the US pronounce the name. Also, there's plenty of tangents in this one. I left them in, but if you'd like me to cut more out - let me know.

Rockstar got hacked again, and GTA6 gameplay got leaked. But this time? The hacker has an activist agenda. They want to punish Rockstar for not having a physical release. Will it work? Will this change the way the industry is moving? No. Probably not. Will we see more hactivism like this? Is there any type of activism that will change industry behavior? Maybe.

Have you thought about Halo lately? About where it started and where it's at now? Is it indicative of a brand that has been left to rot, or worse, beaten to death and then propped up to rot while shambling onward? How do we avoid brand rot? Is it expanding the media, like with a TV show, or books, or theme parks? Maybe. But then, those things have to be GOOD to avoid the rot. Is there a secret? Or do we just need people with savoir faire? Maybe this is a "you can't necessarily learn it, but you gotta know it" kinda thing. What's a brand you wish hadn't been left to rot, but clearly IS rotting? (And why is it Final Fantasy?)

Did I make the title a joke about a game from 2005? Yes. Will anyone get it/see it/care? No. But you gotta do what brings you joy. Sometimes that's about making a little joke for you. Sometimes it's about rippin' lines in a grungy club bathroom while kids in bad fashion call you chopped. You do you. I'm not here to judge. I am here to tell you that the industry continues its march through rough times. In this week's episode we talk about EA going private. We wonder if that will lead to a bigger trend of publishers taking themselves private, or perhaps new publishers staying private. Matt seems to think so. I'm not so sure. The temptations and benefits of going public are too great for the corporate stooge. What does it mean for gamers if there are more private publishers? Smaller games. Less triple A hyper realism. Maybe cheaper games. Definitely more digital releases and less physical releases moving forward (and that is a good thing for smaller companies). A future populated with private companies also means more competition, and thus more effort to grab our attention and dollars. Hell, we could even see a return of E3 or similar events. Though likely smaller in scale.