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.

For me? Nothing, honestly. Well, okay... A launch line up of epic proportions would be hard to deny, but I can't honestly tell you what that would be at this point. Sony specifically? Is there any one franchise that makes it a lock? Any three? Hard to say. Given that this generation has been underwhelming (in terms of hardware performance), would we feel the upgrade to a new console anyway? Why would Nintendo be the safest bet in that world? Will Xbox continue to exist as we know it by then?

This episode is mostly about EVO, and what we expect coming for fighting games. There is a furry/waifu subplot though and you should be prepared for it. So, we didn't hit EVO this year and it sounds like we weren't alone. Do we think this is linked to there being multiple EVOs on multiple continents now? And... Wait... Are they already walking back how many countries that will have tournaments? And wait, did they already drop Invincible VS from future events? We got questions!

This episode is a discussion inspired by Mystic on Youtube. He recently made a video about why Sony can't/won't delay the release of the PS6. You can watch that video, here. What's it boil down to? Sunk cost. They already spent all the time and money to bring it to market, stopping now won't actually save them anything and can only cost them more. Personally, I think that's a fallacy, but Matt sees the logic of the argument. Additionally, we talk the steam machine, Xbox next gen, and more!

More layoffs. The pendulum always swings. We just had maybe the best not-E3 in close to a decade. Excitement is in the air for anyone that is a fan of games. So, naturally, Microsoft would go ahead and try to scuttle any good will by closing multiple studios. Including one that had a game announced at their event. So, who's getting the axe? Why? And what does it mean for the industry at large? Because while we had an incredible summer announcement season, the industry itself is still contracting. Not because it isn't profitable. It very much still is.

Ok. Maybe that's hyperbolic, but this really was a solid gaming Christmas. Is anyone mad? Of course, there are people who didn't get the exact thing they wanted, and so they are mad as hell. But this might be the first year in a decade or close to where there's not only something for everyone, but there's MULTIPLE big somethings for most people. I am already thinking about what I will pick up in September, and what I'll budget for over the following months. And really, that might be the only mark against this... So many things are coming out in September that I have to wonder how the rest of the next year will feel. What about you guys? How do you grade summer announcement season?

Sony kicked off gaming summer with an hour long State of Play. Naturally, expectations were high. Did they deliver? I'd argue, yes. They bookended the SoP by opening with extended Wolverine gameplay and then ended with 20 minutes of God of War: Laufey cinematic gameplay. In between was a mix of promising titles, and a couple small surprises, like Kemuri. It felt very safe. Even the release dates: all of them pointedly avoiding GTA6 release. That's not really a mark against Sony in my opinion, but it does mean nothing will absolutely melt your face or blow your mind. Still, this was a solid State of Play!