James, Matt and Rebekah discuss the biggest games industry stories of the week -- much of which centres around confusion. First, there's the contradicting stories as to whether or not Borderlands 3 has microtransactions. While Gearbox boss Randy Pitchford said quite clearly on stage that it doesn't -- our own Rebekah Valentine was in the room when he said this -- his own developers, and 19 hours of Pitchford's own tweets suggest otherwise. Then Epic's announcement that it had acquired Rocket Lea...
May 02, 2019•40 min
Brendan, James and Haydn discuss the biggest topic of the week - and, unfortunately, one of the longest running conversations in the games industry. With reports emerging of intensive working conditions at Fortnite creator Epic Games, across the Chinese games and tech industry, and (in recent days) from Mortal Kombat developer NetherRealm Studios, we are yet again reminded of how hard some managers are working their staff. Attitudes towards crunch -- at least from the perspective of those going ...
Apr 26, 2019•32 min
Matt, Brendan and James discuss the latest industry headlines, this week focusing on major announcements from the console space. After Sony unveiled the first details of PlayStation 5, we debate whether 8K support and PS4 backwards compatibility are enough to excite players and encourage them to upgrade. While Sony will inevitably make a larger, more detailed announcement at (or before) E3, this seems to be a surprisingly low-key way of kicking off the next generation. This is no doubt partly du...
Apr 17, 2019•31 min
Rebekah and Brendan discuss the latest industry headlines from the past week. We kick off by addressing the ease with which mobile developers are able to apply kids age ratings to inappropriate games on Google Play via the International Age Rating Coalition's system. Then we weigh in on the debate surrounding Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice and the question of accessibility. Yes, this is well-trodden ground but Brendan reflects on the accessibility once found in the classic arcades and how this dimini...
Apr 11, 2019•38 min
Matt, Chris, James and Haydn take time out of EGX Rezzed 2019 to discuss the latest gaming headlines. The biggest topic this week is the ongoing decline of pre-owned games, as indicated by both GameStop's latest financials and the UK games market valuation. We talk about why this aspect of games retail is shrinking and how stores are adapting to cope with it. Then, following a recent exposé on BioWare's troubles with Anthem and its development, we discuss the reception to the game among both con...
Apr 05, 2019•37 min
James, Rebekah and Haydn reflect on the biggest news of this year's Game Developers Conference in San Francisco. Inevitably, Google's Stadia streaming service dominates much of the conversation. We recap the most interesting aspects of the announcement, debate the appeal and potential of Stadia, and highlight the many, many unanswered questions. We also discuss the Nindies showcase and its most promising titles, the promise of online technology like Improbable's SpatialOS, and consider Oculus' n...
Mar 22, 2019•52 min
James, Rebekah and Brendan discuss the latest gaming headlines, including whether publishers need to be more careful in screening the influencers they work with. We kick off with an update on the various lawsuits between Epic and the creators of popular dances, as well as news that former EA Motive founder Jade Raymond and battle royale pioneer Brendan Greene have taken on new roles. Then, following EA's apology for its delay in dealing with a Game Changer that was sexually harassing The Sims fa...
Mar 15, 2019•35 min
Rebekah, Brendan and Haydn once again discuss the latest industry headlines, many of which centre around rather toothless apologies. We follow up on last week's main topic as THQ Nordic CEO Lars Wingefors addresses his subsidiary's decisions to run a Q&A on controversial image board 8chan. But, of course, the bulk of the episode is taken up by Valve's handling of Rape Day, a controversial visual novel that gives players control of a serial rapist during a zombie apocalypse. While Valve has c...
Mar 08, 2019•46 min
Rebekah, Brendan and Haydn discuss some of the biggest games industry headlines from the past week. The biggest topic of the week is THQ Nordic's ill-advised decision to conduct an AMA on controversial forum 8chan, known for harbouring hate speech and previously blacklisted for hosting child pornography. We discuss the implications for THQ Nordic, debate how well the company responded to criticism over this session, and take a wider look at the industry's relationship with the darker aspects of ...
Mar 01, 2019•43 min
Matt, Brendan, Chris and James gather to discuss the biggest industry headlines of the past week. Chief among them is the arrival of Crackdown 3 and the difficulty it presents in judging its success. Media reviews are mixed, its retail performance (in the UK, at least) has been poor, yet engagement on Xbox seems to be high, thanks to Game Pass. Is this the first in a new type of release, where the metrics the industry has relied on in the pass are ultimately meaningless? We also discuss Google's...
Feb 22, 2019•52 min
James, Rebekah and Haydn discuss the latest industry headlines, starting with the biggest story of the week: Activision's plans to cut 800 jobs despite record revenues. We debate whether such drastic cuts are necessary, and how Activision could have better handled the revelation. Plus, where does Blizzard fit in the publisher's future plans? We also touch on the latest Nintendo direct, the ongoing battle for cross-play between developers and PlayStation, and Epic Games' efforts to dismiss rapper...
Feb 15, 2019•37 min
Chris, Charlotte, James and Haydn gather to discuss the biggest news of the past few days. We kick off the episode with the surprising (or is it?) success of Kingdom Hearts 3, having shipped five million copies worldwide and broken series records in various territories. Following Chris' article, we also debate Electronic Arts' strategy in releasing Apex Legends, the new free-to-play battle royale game in the Titanfall universe, with little to no pre-launch fanfare, and the various factors that m...
Feb 06, 2019•39 min
Following the news that Bungie and Activision are parting ways, the GamesIndustry.biz team discuss where the AAA publisher goes from here. Whether part of the ten-year agreement between the two firms or due to a change in strategy, there's no denying that the break-up leaves a Destiny-shaped hole in Activision's limited portfolio (NB: We mean Activision specifically, which is left with Call of Duty and the Crash/Spyro remakes -- the wider company of Activision Blizzard is doing just fine). Matt,...
Jan 14, 2019•29 min
Brendan, Chris, James and Rebekah kick off the year with their predictions for the year ahead. We've already covered analysts' predictions and industry leaders' most anticipated games on the site, but now it's time for us to offer our own take on what 2019 has in store for the games market. Topics we explore include: the increased competition among PC stores, thanks to the rise of Epic and Discord's offerings; the growing speculation as to whether we'll see next generation consoles unveiled; and...
Jan 04, 2019•47 min
We round out the year with a thorough discussion of our favourite titles from the past twelve months. The entire GamesIndustry.biz team is on hand for this episode, each with their pick (or, in a few cases, picks) for best game of the year. While we somehow managed to reach a consensus last year -- jointly recognising Zelda: Breath of the Wild as the greatest 2017 offering -- there's a much broader range of titles to discuss this year. In case you haven't already read our Games of the Year artic...
Dec 21, 2018•1 hr 12 min
In light of increased scrutiny around loot boxes in full-price games, Brendan and James discuss how in industry is (and should be) handling this divisive monetisation mechanic. During the episode, we touch on the dangers that legislation like that imposed in Belgium and the Netherlands pose to publishers, the IGDA's recommendations on how games firms can show it is implementing loot boxes responsibly, and the different mindsets the prevalance of this monetisation is creating among players. As al...
Dec 05, 2018•32 min
This week, we're joined by Resolution Games CEO and virtual reality proponent Tommy Palm to discuss the ongoing hurdles the immersive technology must overcome. At a time when skepticism around the future of VR is on the rise, with with past champions declaring it's nigh on impossible to build a business around it, Resolution Games continues to invest in both virtual and augmented reality projects. The firm recently secured $7.5 million in a seed round, bringing the firm's valuation up to $87.5 m...
Nov 21, 2018•30 min
This week we're joined by Reality Gaming Group co-founder Tony Pearce to discuss the changing landscape of cryptocurrency and blockchain-based games and services. Following a surge of interest in the technology at the tail end of 2017 and the headline-grabbing devaluing of prominent cryptocurrency Bitcoin - plus tales of scams and failed projects funded by Initial Coin Offerings - we look at how the opportunities for games firms have changed. Pearce also reflects on what his company has learned ...
Nov 12, 2018•41 min
Chris and James reflect on the recent Rockstar controversy surrounding the working conditions behind Red Dead Redemption 2 - and, more importantly, ask where the industry goes from here. We discuss the growing scope of open-world games and the pressure this puts on developers and their resources, plus the decisions behind release dates and how this can drastically impact what a team is able to accomplish. Finally, we wrap up by talking about how well we expect Red Dead Redemption 2 to perform wh...
Oct 23, 2018•32 min
In the wake of Microsoft's Project xCloud announcement, James, Matt and Brendan ponder the possibilities for game streaming. While undoubtedly a disruptive force in the games industry, what role will the technology play in Xbox's future - or that of video games in general? We discuss the hurdles that Microsoft - or any would-be streaming service provider - need to overcome to appease consumers and deliver the convenience the public has come to expect from Spotify and Netflix. Plus, we consider t...
Oct 12, 2018•39 min
This week, we're joined by Simon Smith, managing director of family games publisher Thumbfood. Smith joins us to discuss why the family and kids games market needs "a kick up the arse" on consoles, and why a wider audience is the key to driving PlayStation 4 past 100 million sales. We also touch on how to avoid the mistakes made by previous publishers with an interest in family games, how to compete with the flood of free-to-play kids titles on mobile, why educational titles might stand a better...
Aug 07, 2018•32 min
Recorded during Develop:Brighton 2018, we're joined by former Valve writer Chet Faliszek to discuss the realities and possibilities of AI in video games. Faliszek shares how he believes AI can be used to build more systemic gameplay, and how this can create more unique experiences for the players. He also touches on why mid-sized studios are best placed to take advantage of this rapidly developing technology, and drops a few hints about his first project with UK developer Bossa Studios. The disc...
Jul 26, 2018•37 min
We're joined this episode by indie figurehead Mike Bithell, developer of Thomas Was Alone, Volume and bitesize text adventure Subsurface Circular. Recorded just a few days after the surprise launch of the latter's spiritual successor, Quarantine Circular, we speak to Bithell about the advantages and potential of releasing games without any marketing build-up. We also discuss the benefits of developing shorter games, the limitations this creates, and why embracing these limitations is the key to ...
Jul 17, 2018•31 min
This week, we're joined by Geogrify founder and ex-IGDA director Kate Edwards to discuss one of the less-highlighted challenges of working in the video games industry: Ageism. Recorded at E3 2018, the discussion explores who is being affected by ageism in the industry, and the impact on both victims but also the companies neglecting them. Edwards also shares the process behind her recent 50 Over 50 list, which highlights both notable figureheads within the industry and those who have perhaps bee...
Jul 02, 2018•32 min
The entire GamesIndustry.biz team convene to reflect on this year's major games showcase in Los Angeles. Instead of talking through every announcement (which listeners are no doubt familiar with), we each choose a topic or trend that emerged from the show and discuss how it impacts the industry in general. Throughout the episode we discuss the growing presence of consumers at E3, the continuing saturation of shooters and violent action adventures as the tentpole titles of the show, and the (glac...
Jun 21, 2018•59 min
The full GamesIndustry.biz editorial team unites to discuss the upcoming video games extravaganza that is E3. Working through the major press conferences that always serve as the tentpole for this annual event, we discuss what we hope to see from each platform holder and publisher in terms of both line-up and strategy, as well as speculate on some of the games that might get announced. The discussion ranges from Microsoft's lack of first-party titles and over-reliance on external publishers to S...
Jun 04, 2018•53 min
Hot off the announcement of the Xbox Adaptive Controller, we're joined by SpecialEffect's Dr Mick Donegan, Joe Morgan and Bill Donegan - a trio of experts in the field of helping disabled gamers play the latest video games. This episode begins with an insight into the making of the Adaptive Controller - for which SpecialEffect was one of the consulting charities - and how it marries different forms of input to open up gaming to as wide a range of people as possible, no matter what disability may...
May 18, 2018•29 min
This week we're joined by Mark Estdale, founder of leading voice production firm OMUK. Drawing on his experience directing actors for games ranging from best-selling PlayStation blockbuster Horizon: Zero dawn to Telltale's Game of Thrones series and indie hit hue, he discusses the elements that add up to a great performance in video games. We discuss a brief history of voice acting in games, the reasons why A-list screen actors aren't necessarily best suited to the medium, and the importance of ...
Apr 21, 2018•43 min
We're joined by Kish Hirani, industry veteran and chief technology officer at new virtual reality start-up Terra Virtua. Recorded during the official unveiling of the subscription-based VR platform, this episode discusses the remaining barriers between virtual reality and mainstream adoption. Not only does this involve the ongoing search for that elusive 'killer app', but also a firmer understanding of what works in VR, the connection between the tech and rollercoasters, and the need for standar...
Apr 04, 2018•23 min
James, Brendan and Haydn discuss the impact and implications of Mountains' debut title, Florence: a short but definitely sweet love story built around gameplay vignettes. We ponder the lessons to be learned from this acclaimed titles, both in appealing to a broader audience and exploring the wider remit of what video games can be. We also discuss other titles and developers attempting to break away from the typical gaming fare of bigger, better killfests. We also compare Florence to Final Fight ...
Mar 07, 2018•38 min
