Send us a text The FTC has moved to appeal the recent court order ruling not to grant the temporary injunction to block Microsoft's Activision Blizzard merger from moving forward. This news comes a mere day after Microsoft won its court battle against the FTC, with the court ultimately ruling that Microsoft's acquisition would not "substantially lessen competition" in the games industry. We discuss the current state of the merger, as well as speculate about life after Microsoft's Activision Bliz...
Jul 14, 2023•1 hr 12 min
Send us a text One of the more jaw-dropping leaks to come from the Microsoft FTC trial is the confirmation that both Horizon: Forbidden West and The Last of Us Part 2 cost Sony more than $200 million to develop. With AAA games getting bigger and bigger (and taking longer and longer to make), will there come a time when that bubble bursts? We discuss the possible future of gaming in such a landscape and how platform exclusives may or may not fit into such a world. We'll also be talking about how ...
Jul 07, 2023•1 hr 15 min
Send us a text Microsoft went to court on June 22nd to face the Federal Trade Commission in a five-day case that will determine the future of its $69 billion proposed acquisition of Activision Blizzard. Over the course of the trial, gamers have been treated to an array of insider info that would have normally remained under lock and key. So for our main topic this week, we’re looking at a roundup of headlines from the Microsoft FTC trial. This includes how Activision Blizzard CEO Bobby Kotick sa...
Jun 30, 2023•1 hr 14 min
Send us a text A brand-new Nintendo Direct was shadow-dropped this week, and it just may be the best showcase of the summer. The show lasted a bit over 40 minutes and was filled with tons of exciting announcements, including a remake of SNES' Super Mario RPG, a remaster of 3DS' Luigi's Mansion: Dark Moon, a brand-new game starring Princess Peach, and the coup de grâce... Super Mario Bros. Wonder, a brand-new 2D Mario title. We're joined by Bill Tucker of A Gamer Looks At 40 podcast to discuss ou...
Jun 23, 2023•1 hr 18 min
Send us a text The Xbox Games Showcase 2023 brought a ton of content, giving us a good idea of what to expect on Xbox Series X|S, Xbox Game Pass, and PC for the foreseeable future. The Starfield Direct aired immediately after and gave us our first in-depth look at the game's exploration, combat, customization, and even a strange new power for the player character. We discuss the highlights of the two showcases, including some titles we didn't expect to grab our interest. We'll also be talking ab...
Jun 16, 2023•1 hr 17 min
Send us a text Summer Game Fest, the summer's premier gaming showcase, has officially wrapped up after dropping announcements for several new titles as well as in-depth looks at previously announced games. We discuss the show's biggest names, including Prince of Persia: The Lost Crown, Sonic Superstars, Marvel's Spider-Man 2, Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth, and more. We'll also be talking about how Microsoft is being fined $20 million by the Federal Trade Commission for collecting personal information ...
Jun 09, 2023•1 hr 15 min
Send us a text The recent release date announcement for Alan Wake 2 came alongside news that developer Remedy Entertainment and publisher Epic Games currently have "no plans to release Alan Wake 2 on disc." In many ways, it's not that surprising. The number of players buying games on discs has been shrinking in the past decade, and physical releases have only become more and more expensive to produce. But while this digital-only future may be inevitable, it raises enormous concerns over accessib...
Jun 02, 2023•1 hr 15 min
Send us a text After a nearly two-year wait, PlayStation Showcase is finally back to share what’s next for first-party, third-party, and indie games on the PlayStation 5 and PlayStation VR2. We discuss the highlights and lowlights of the presentation, including Metal Gear Solid Delta: Snake Eater, Marvel’s Spider-Man 2, and Sony's strange Project Q. We'll also be talking about how Mortal Kombat 12 is really Mortal Kombat 1, the surprise Nintendo 3DS update that breaks several hacking tools, and ...
May 26, 2023•1 hr 20 min
Send us a text The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom has only been officially available for a few days, but Nintendo has already confirmed that it's the fastest-selling Zelda game ever. In an industry enamored with trendy titles that are online, multiplayer, free-to-play, battle royale, and riddled with season passes and microtransactions, should the massive sales of a traditional single-player game be a wake-up call? We discuss what the early success of TOTK might mean for the gaming world....
May 19, 2023•1 hr 16 min
Send us a text Best-of video game lists usually offer predictable rankings of the greatest games of all time. GQ Magazine set out to do things differently by inviting industry "experts" to rank their top games based on their own individual criteria. We discuss the resulting list, including what titles we feel don't belong and which ones we think were left out. We'll also be talking about Xbox's response to Redfall's poor reception at launch, the newly announced dates for Nintendo Live 2023 (plus...
May 12, 2023•1 hr 13 min
Send us a text Redfall has finally launched, but Microsoft may be wishing they'd left this one on the shelf. What was once anticipated as one of the biggest releases of the year (and certainly a crucial release for the Xbox platform) is instead being called the worst AAA release in recent memory. We"re joined by Rob from the Retro Game Club Podcast to discuss the fallout of the title's disastrous launch and what it may mean for Microsoft and the future of the Xbox brand. We'll also be talking ab...
May 05, 2023•1 hr 10 min
Send us a text If Nintendo continues its current pattern, the Gamecube will be the next console added to the Nintendo Switch Online service. As one of Nintendo's more underloved consoles, there's a wealth of excellent games waiting to be discovered by a whole new audience. We discuss the titles likely to make the service's launch lineup (if and when it arrives), plus some sleepers that we'd like to see. We'll also be talking about how Metacritic has once again promised better moderation after "a...
Apr 28, 2023•1 hr 24 min
Send us a text Sega has officially confirmed that it is planning to acquire Rovio Entertainment, a deal that will see the video game company pay $776 million for the Angry Birds developer. Sega says that acquiring Rovio will allow it to strengthen its own mobile game portfolio, and at the same time, it'll be able to use its video game console expertise to help Rovio expand beyond mobile devices. We discuss this new acquisition and try to decide whether this counts for Donnie's prediction that Se...
Apr 21, 2023•1 hr 20 min
Send us a text In the past week or so, a few reports have emerged about Sony having a new handheld device in the pipeline. The commercial case for Sony re-entering that market is tough to make, however, Sony will never fully accept ceding the handheld space to Nintendo, especially in the company's native Japan. We debate the pros and cons of Sony's possible return to the handheld landscape, as well as discuss what we'd like to see from the rumored device. We'll also be talking about Microsoft's ...
Apr 14, 2023•1 hr 14 min
Send us a text Since the first trailer for The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom, we've known that the game is basically going to be more Breath of the Wild. In fact, when it comes to selling audiences "more of the same," nobody does it better than Nintendo. But is that really a bad thing? We're joined by Kenny Thomas of the Leetist Podcast to debate the merits of iterative sequels, as well as discuss what we hope to see from the next big entry in the Zelda series. We'll also be talking abou...
Apr 07, 2023•1 hr 9 min
Send us a text You know her for her roles in NBA JAM, the Aerosmith game Revolution X, and of course, the sacred role of the toughest woman in video games, Mortal Kombat's Sonya Blade. Yes, this week, we're joined by Kerri Ann Hoskins to talk about her history with video games, her behind-the-scenes stories of Mortal Kombat, and what she REALLY thinks about those crazy obsessive fans. We'll also be talking about the bleak rumors surrounding E3’s future as more and more publishers back out of the...
Mar 31, 2023•1 hr 20 min
Send us a text At GDC this week, Ubisoft sparked debate by showing off its new Ghostwriter tool, an AI designed to aid its writers in creating dialogue for in-game NPCs. The company says the tool was designed to mitigate "pain points" for its writing staff, but some industry writers fear it's just the first small step to having AI programs take over more and more of game development. We discuss the pros and cons of AI as it relates to video games and wonder what else could be made easier with th...
Mar 24, 2023•1 hr 17 min
Send us a text It’s one thing to require multiplayer games to be online at all times so that people can play with each other, but it’s another thing entirely to lock single-player console games behind that same obligation. It’s a practice that creates hurdles for game preservation, as well as unnecessarily gatekeeping those with slower internet speeds. We look at this increasingly common trend among game devs and discuss whether anything can be done to combat it. We'll also be talking about the ...
Mar 17, 2023•1 hr 11 min
Send us a text It’s recently been discovered that leaving the Wii U unattended for too long can brick the console. Apparently, none of Nintendo’s suggestions for fixing the issue have worked, nor does the company seem to care that much about finding a solution. It's a huge blow for video game preservation and collecting, as well as an ominous sign for the future. Will Nintendo soon be a company whose games are pointless to collect? We'll also be discussing how the United Nations is about to host...
Mar 10, 2023•1 hr 13 min
Send us a text While the world's financial heavyweights rush to invest in the burgeoning video game industry, gaming journalism may be on its last legs. Many high-profile outlets have either downsized significantly or closed up shop for good. Those that remain have largely replaced gaming news coverage with listicles and playthrough guides. In an online world funded by SEO optimization and clickbait, is there any hope for a future for true gaming journalism? We'll also be discussing the new repo...
Mar 03, 2023•1 hr 12 min
Send us a text This week, Microsoft met with European Union regulators in a closed-door hearing in Brussels to defend its $69 billion acquisition of Activision Blizzard Inc. The UK’s CMA previously suggested that the deal may be approved if Microsoft were to divest the Call of Duty division of ABK, but on Tuesday, Microsoft Corp. made it clear that there will be no deal unless it comes with the blockbuster IP. We’re joined by streamer Sensitive Joy to discuss the implications of this hearing and...
Feb 24, 2023•1 hr 21 min
Send us a text Microsoft has admitted that putting games on its Xbox Game Pass subscription service leads to a marked decline in base sales. This may seem like a headline written by Captain Obvious, but it's a 180 for Microsoft, which previously maintained that being included in Game Pass resulted in higher sales for games. So does Game Pass actually hurt AAA games? We discuss the pros and cons of going the Game Pass route from a publisher standpoint. We'll also be talking about the $70 price po...
Feb 17, 2023•1 hr 12 min
Send us a text A brand-new Nintendo Direct has arrived, giving us a look at The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom, Metroid Prime Remastered, Pikmin 4, and so much more. We're joined by SanityCrypto of It's Virtually A Podcast to talk about all the highlights from the show. We'll also be discussing how the UK's CMA is suggesting that Microsoft sell off Call of Duty in order to get its Activision Blizzard acquisition approved, how we wish SNL's apocalyptic Mario Kart skit with Pedro Pascal was...
Feb 10, 2023•1 hr 16 min
Send us a text Even though the developers have made sincere attempts to distance Hogwarts Legacy from J.K. Rowling (the controversial Harry Potter creator who is now infamous for loudly espousing transphobic views), the author still stands to profit from the title's sale. So should gamers boycott? We attempt to consider all sides of the issue as we delve into this messy topic that has much bigger implications than just one video game. We'll also be discussing Sony's announcement that the company...
Feb 03, 2023•1 hr 13 min
Send us a text Microsoft has ambitions to transform the Xbox into the world’s first “carbon-aware console,” and the announcement of an update that will include an optional energy-saving mode seemed to be a step toward that end. However, the internet gotta internet, and a vocal minority is now claiming it’s all part of a ploy to make Microsoft go “woke.” We debate whether there's any merit to this claim (spoilers: there isn't) while still maintaining our usual politics-free standard. We'll also b...
Jan 27, 2023•1 hr 15 min
Send us a text Google Stadia, the tech giant's ill-fated venture into the video game industry, is taking its final breaths after little more than three years. But will the passing of Stadia signal the end of cloud gaming? We discuss what the future of game streaming might look like and whether or not there may yet be a place in this world for Stadia. We'll also be talking about the Microsoft layoffs that are confirmed to affect Bethesda and Xbox, how Ubisoft CEO Yves Guillemot is apologizing ove...
Jan 20, 2023•1 hr 20 min
Send us a text With dozens of games delayed to 2023, a greater emphasis on new-gen hardware, and at least one major exclusive from each platform holder, 2023 easily boasts the most exciting release lineup that gamers have seen in years. We're looking over the biggest titles set to launch this year and discussing which games we are (and are not) looking forward to the most. We'll also be talking about the Cyberpunk 2077 class-action lawsuit that settled for $1.85 million, Todd Howard's claim that...
Jan 13, 2023•1 hr 11 min
Send us a text Gamers Week Podcast is officially one year old!! This means it's time once again to gaze into our proverbial crystal balls to see what the world of video games might bring in 2023. We'll hear what a few analysts have to say about the coming year and then make some predictions of our own. We'll also be discussing how video game QA testers have formed Microsoft's first union, Sony's claim that the PS5 has cleared 30 million sales after its "biggest month yet," Sony's newly announced...
Jan 06, 2023•1 hr 20 min
Send us a text While some might say that 2022 was a slow year as far as new releases were concerned, that doesn't mean there weren't still some absolutely stellar titles making their debut. With Sony's God of War Ragnarok and Horizon Forbidden West, Nintendo's Splatoon 3 and Pokemon Arceus, and killer third-party releases like Elden Ring and Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2, there was no shortage of amazing games to play. We're counting down the best games of 2022 and picking our own personal GOTY...
Dec 30, 2022•1 hr 11 min
Send us a text According to the FTC, Epic will pay $275 million for violating the Children's Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA) and another $245 million for design relying on dark patterns "to dupe millions of players into making unintentional purchases." Is this just a case of parents not paying enough attention to what their children are doing online? Or does Epic bear some responsibility to help keep kids safe? We discuss this landmark case and what it might mean for the future of online g...
Dec 23, 2022•1 hr 21 min
