Embracer Group's downfall will be long-studied as an example of capitalistic hubris you rarely see, even in our ruthlessly capitalist society. Following mass layoffs, spin-offs, and studio closures, Embracer will ultimately split into three smaller, more manageable entities, instead of acting as a lone unit with more employees than the entire PlayStation brand, including all of its studios combined (seriously). It's just another example of people in positions of power somehow knowing less about their industry, the economy, and business than completely random people that do a video game podcast. Other news: Stellar Blade's "Hard R" controversy, the permanent closure of LittleBigPlanet's UGC servers, the cultural revival of the Fallout franchise on the back of a successful Amazon show, and more. Then: Listener inquiries! How do we feel about Ubisoft's apparent abandonment of the Watch Dogs franchise? Are gaming cookbooks the new rage? Can you be a fan of video games without actually playing them? Will British people ever acknowledge Americans' acumen with a map?

Please keep in mind that our timestamps are approximate, and will often be slightly off due to dynamic ad placement.

Timestamps:

0:00:00 - Intro

0:21:44 - Where is Sacred 300?

0:25:25 - Sacred through college

0:32:10 - Quintin's surgery

0:39:52 - British people

0:46:20 - PS Stars points correction

0:52:35 - LBP goes offline

1:09:36 - Hard R Shop

1:32:07 - Fallout show is getting another season

1:44:57 - Metaphor ReFantazio releases October11

1:48:53 - What we’re playing

2:36:34 - Embracer's downfall

2:53:42 - Watch Dogs is dead

3:01:11 - Dustin raising a gamer

3:09:56 - Is capitalism the problem?

3:13:29 - Gaming cookbooks

3:21:51 - Colin’s trophy inconsistencies

3:25:03 - Am I broken?

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For better or for worse, modern console manufacturers like Sony and Microsoft -- and even Nintendo -- are slowly learning that sustained success in the mid-to-long-term will require a wider view. Whether via mobile, or PC, or even your competitors' own machines, a certain message is getting through to the powers-that-be, and when it comes to Sony, the Japanese giant seems committed to opening a second front on home computers in particular. Thus comes word of a new PlayStation overlay that will launch with Ghost of Tsushima on PC this May, another step in a direction towards an inevitable conclusion. Other news this week includes so-called "transmog" drama in Helldivers 2, pending layoffs at publisher Take Two, compelling rumors of remakes for the original Persona game and its sequel, additional PS5 Pro details, and more. Then: Listener inquiries! Do we track our gaming backlogs? Does Tencent's minority ownership of Stellar Blade developer Shift Up give us pause? How far back in time could you go before you could -- in no way, shape, or form -- explain what a video game was? Can British people ever overcome their insane shared vocabulary?

Please keep in mind that our timestamps are approximate, and will often be slightly off due to dynamic ad placement.

Timestamps:

0:00:00 - Intro

0:26:55 - Sacred in Antigua

0:30:12 - British Vernacular

0:36:22 - Colin's Networking Solution

0:41:10 - Chris Ray Trump

0:43:09 - Dustin's vacancy

0:55:45 - Marriage insight

0:58:05 - Chess.com

1:10:39 - Ampere Analysis

1:16:23 - No Helldivers 2 transmog

1:22:04 - Take Two layoffs

1:36:08 - Ascendant Studios furloughed

1:37:37 - Persona remakes?

1:42:16 - March top downloads

1:45:39 - Possibility Space shut down

2:01:37 - Keanu Reeves cast in Sonic 3

2:02:48 - What We’re Playing

2:37:58 - PlayStation trophies on PC

2:56:54 - New PS5 Pro leaks

3:19:02 - Have we used Backloggd?

3:26:16 - Will companies chase the success of Helldivers?

3:35:47 - How do you explain video games to the past?

3:43:32 - Shift Up and Tencent

3:48:33 - Divergent timelines and parallel universes

3:54:57 - How do our personalities play into our taste?

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We've long-wondered what Sony's plans were with its dormant SOCOM franchise (or if it even had plans at all). After all, we can't just ignore the success the likes of Ubisoft have found with titles like Rainbow Six: Siege, and even in a post-Zipper Interactive world, it always felt like PlayStation's tactical shooter never really got a fair shake at success after its PS2 heyday. So color us both pleased and surprised when information from the resumé of a deceased actor pointed towards a SOCOM game that no one had ever even heard of: SOCOM 111. While it's fairly clear this project never got off the ground (or did it?), its existence gives us a fleeting glimpse into Sony's potential plans, and frankly, we can help but wonder if Zipper's defunct series may yet see the light of day in the future. Other news this week includes a release date for Star Wars: Outlaws, Vampire Survivors finally migrating to PlayStation platforms, Stellar Blade going gold, potential hiring for a new God of War game at Santa Monica studio, copious Destiny 3 and Dead Space 2 Remake rumors, and more. Then: Listener inquiries! Will PlayStation's colorful old logo ever make a return? Do we ever rename the characters in our digital adventures? What's our worst 'losing progress in a game' experience? Should one listener extract his stolen garbage bin from his neighbor, no matter the cost?

Please keep in mind that our timestamps are approximate, and will often be slightly off due to dynamic ad placement.

0:00:00 - Intro

0:42:47 - Do you know what we look like?

0:46:42 - Colin's internet problems

0:55:01 - The return of Hector

0:57:14 - Micah Stan

1:00:19 - "clowns, the good kind"

1:07:05 - Plane worries

1:12:45 - Garbage can situation

1:21:36 - Portal hack correction

1:23:55- Stellar Blade has gone gold.

1:29:25 - Santa Monica Studio gearing up for a new God of War

1:37:47 - Dead Space 2 Remake drama

1:54:14 - Sea of Thieves PS5 closed beta

1:59:48 - Is Destiny 3 in development?

2:15:30 - Yuji Naka returns

2:19:41 - Fallout 4 next gen update

2:29:37 - What we've been playing

3:16:44 - New SOCOM rumors

3:32:42 - Star Wars Outlaws has a release date.

3:45:56 - Vampire Survivors is coming to PS5

3:53:25 - New PS Plus games

4:00:37 - Cozy games

4:09:08 - Will the original PlayStation logo come back?

4:15:23 - How do we name characters in games?

4:20:59 - Why do games keep getting greenlit?

4:28:00 - Game crash woes

4:33:38 - Ubisoft hate

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It was just a couple of weeks ago that we were discussing the newest PlayStation 5 Pro rumors, and now we have fresh scuttlebutt to parse through, particularly concerning our precious framerates and the potential of the still-unannounced console. But we can't help but also wonder what PS5's market potential will be. Will it spread the field or, as it's recently been suggested, merely sell to existing PS5 players? Heck, is there any saving console gaming at all in the long-term? Let's take some time to chat about all of that, plus other news: Helldivers 2's new patch, day-one games coming to PS+ Extra, Silent Hill 2 Remake's ESRB rating, revised PlayStation 2 sales numbers, and so much more. Then: Listener inquiries! How much to we absorb a given game's internal lore, codices, documentation, and so on? Are we ever going to figure out what a 'Soulsborne' actually is? Could a new Shark Tank-like show aimed at indie games help exciting products find their audience? Is Dustin hiding anything else from Colin and Chris that he'd like to talk about?

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Please keep in mind that our timestamps are approximate, and will often be slightly off due to dynamic ad placement.

0:00:00 - Intro

0:27:41 - Is game drama exclusive on Twitter?

0:44:39 - Universal LSM fans

0:59:49 - Retro PlayStation Magazine

1:04:05 - Chris's Red Pants

1:12:37 - Tips for moving in together

1:18:10 - IGN's Zelda April Fools

1:21:19 - PlayStation Store Spring Sale

1:27:56 - New PS5 Pro news

1:41:51 - Helldivers 2 update

1:44:42 - PS+ Game Catalogue Day One games

1:50:55 - New PS2 sales data

1:57:16 - Portal hack reported to Sony

2:01:38 - Silent Hill 2 rated

2:19:10 - KOTOR Remake is alive

2:29:03 - Dragon's Dogman 2 Sales

2:29:59 - Unicorn Overlord 500k Copies sold

2:31:47 - Hollow Knight: Silksong incoming?

2:37:33 - PS5 Minecraft port

2:40:12 - What are we playing?

3:33:30 - Do we read collectibles and lore?

3:44:51 - "this will make me sound like a hater"

3:54:20 - Updated thoughts on the Portal

4:08:48 - What does SoulsBorne really mean?

4:20:54 - Pixel Pitch

4:31:20 - Post-game emptiness

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Somehow, some way, we've made it to our 300th episode, and we did so without missing a single, solitary week between the first show in 2018 and today. We celebrated our milestone this past weekend with 500 listeners at a sold-out live show in New York City, and we're eager to reflect on what the experience meant to us. But the news marches on, too, albeit somewhat softly, and we'd be loath to ignore it. So let's delve in. The once-leaked Stellar Blade demo is set to be properly released on PSN by the time we publish, Embracer took a $800 million loss in selling Gearbox to Take Two, legendary game dev Shinji Mikami has founded a new team, Sony's Bend Studio seems to be going down the live service route, and more. Listener inquiries help us wrap things up, touching on topics like the golden era of RPGs, Dragon's Dogma 2's microtransaction drama, Nintendo's status as the ultimate gateway drug, and a listener too sick to come to Sacred 300 in NYC.

Start the Good Habit at https://www.tryfum.com/SACRED to save 10% off the Journey Pack today.

Please keep in mind that our timestamps are approximate, and will often be slightly off due to dynamic ad placement.

0:00:00 - Intro

0:31:13 - Live show video?

0:36:01 - Sacred friends on the train

0:38:39 - Too sick for Sacred 300

0:41:05 - RIP

0:46:23 - YouTube Premium

0:52:39 - Stellar Blade demo incoming

0:55:51 - Embracer sells Gearbox to Take-Two

1:02:46 - Community Game Help

1:04:11 - Final Fantasy IX teased?

1:08:50 - It Takes Two sales

1:15:32 - Shinji Mikami is back

1:21:20 - What Are We Playing

1:42:44 - Sony Bend’s Live Service Project

1:56:33 - Final Fantasy XVI's DLC

2:02:10 - PS Plus Games

2:08:11 - The rise of RPGs

2:22:50 - Dragon's Dogma 2 discourse

2:38:29 - The power of $40-50 games

2:47:48 - The future of GameStop

3:00:21 - What's wrong with comic book games?

3:14:56 - Nintendo, the gateway console

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Various leaks (and our own sources) have long-indicated the arrival of a so-called PlayStation 5 Pro console this calendar year, and now new reports have given us a great idea of what this yet-unannounced machine can do. Similar to 2016's PlayStation 4 Pro, PS5's Pro model largely keeps its CPU functionality in place, instead focusing on GPU-centric graphical boosts that promise to please the discerning eye. Combined with mysterious proprietary upscaling technologies and AI-related features, it sounds like PlayStation 5 Pro will be a beastly machine when it comes to aesthetics. But what about the all-important framerate? The news may be less stellar. And the price? Well, that remains to be seen. We discuss. Other news this week includes continuing and seemingly never-ending drama at Sony's great unforced acquisition error Bungie, stalled sales numbers for Sony's struggling PSVR2 hardware, exceptional performance for Helldivers 2 on the US market, the beginning of the end (or maybe more like the end of the end) of Kotaku, and more. Then: Listener inquiries! Between multiple cancellations on one end and Helldivers 2 on the other, what is our current assessment of PlayStation's embryonic games-as-a-service initiative? Does Resident Evil 5's setting and antagonists make the game truly un-remakable? Has 2024's schedule of strong releases unabashedly picked up right where 2023 left off? Has our show successfully infiltrated Fort Leavenworth, Kansas, corrupting its personnel?

Please keep in mind that our timestamps are approximate, and will often be slightly off due to dynamic ad placement.

0:00:00 - Intro

0:18:17 - Sacred Symbols Military Base

0:20:27 - Use Sacred to make people think you're busy

0:27:44 - Boars Heads superiority

0:36:25 - Chris Chan catch-up

0:42:06 - concerning notification?

0:51:22 - Connie Booth goes to EA

0:59:09 - New Helldivers developments

1:03:09 - Palworld looking to release on PlayStation

1:09:07 - Marvel 1943: Rise of Hydra

1:18:18 - Halo co-creator's thoughts on EA

1:24:50 - Callisto Protocol spin-off

1:29:01 - Tales series character artist has pass away

1:30:22 - What We've Been Playing

1:41:50 - PS5 Pro leaks

2:14:17 - PSVR2 stops production

2:43:33 - Trouble at Bungie

3:06:32 - Monthly sales data

3:07:56 - Kotaku EIC resigns

3:15:17 - Community Managers

3:23:37 - What's the best handheld console?

3:36:28 - Should Resident Evil 5 be re-written?

3:47:28 - 2024 best year ever for games?

3:53:25 - Gut check on Sony live service games

4:01:21 - What games need to go?

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From this show's perspective, there simply aren't that many rational targets of acquisition in PlayStation's sphere, especially with a tightening economy all around us. But there are two teams in particular -- Helldivers' Arrowhead and Stellar Blade's Shift Up -- that seemed like obvious potential marks based on Sony's historical activity. But with Shift Up about to go public in South Korea and Arrowhead's CEO publicly stating they aren't being courted, are we overestimating these teams' want to join the family? Or maybe it's on Sony? Or perhaps it's something else... So let's discuss. Plus: Ex-second party partner Deviation closes its doors, Embracer continues its sell-off, a trailer leaks for Insomniac's cancelled Spider-Man multiplayer game, Final Fantasy XVI's PC port draws near, and more. Then: What do we think of Sea of Thieves' success in pre-order on PSN? What does a "community manager" do? Are Trophies worth protecting? Did Colin's undying love of Long Island unite two star-crossed listeners?

Please keep in mind that our timestamps are approximate, and will often be slightly off due to dynamic ad placement.

0:00:00 - Intro

0:30:55 - Shoutout Ray

0:35:30 - Pride of Long Island brings Sacred fans together

0:39:57 - Sacred's Point of No Return

0:42:14 - Vice President Aaron Rodgers

0:47:58 - RIP In Peace

0:49:53 - Goth Girls

0:53:12 - Colin's Beyond 200 Promise

0:55:48 - Are new studios a good idea?

1:01:42 - Why is every game a lightning rod?

1:13:37 - New PS5 firmware

1:18:16 - Spider-Man: The Great Web

1:24:51 - PSN most-downloaded games

1:29:53 - Embracer jettisons Saber, 4A Games and Zen

1:31:18 - Helldivers 2 introduces flying bugs

1:35:26 - FF16 is coming to PC

1:38:12 - Mega Man tease?

1:40:58 - RE4 Remake surpasses 7 million sold

1:41:39 - System Shock Remake comes to PS4 and PS5

1:43:13 - MultiVersus returns

1:45:17 - What Are We Playing?

2:04:26 - Deviation closes

2:13:27 - Shift Up's evaluation

2:23:38 - Grandia 1 and 2 are coming to PlayStation 4

2:29:27 - PS Plus new games

2:37:48 - More games made for less money?

2:44:55 - Sea of Thieves is the most pre-ordered game on PS5

2:57:20 - Instruments over games

3:04:43 - Are community managers needed?

3:10:17 - Why does games media turn a blind eye to racism?

3:35:34 - AITA for protecting trophies?

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The last week in gaming has been a bit of a downer, no doubt. But we don't dodge the news; we lean into it. And frankly, it's not all bad. Quite the contrary: Ghost of Tsushima is coming to PC, Spider-Man 2 has finally received a major update, and the STALKER Trilogy is migrating to console for the first time ever. But then there's drama surrounding a random DEI-slanted consultancy called Sweet Baby Inc., the closure of the storied media brand Rooster Teeth after more than a decade of running in the red, and word that the publisher behind 2023's biggest commercial hit wants to abandon the model it followed for greener pastures. Listener inquiries help us round-out a strange seven days, focusing on topics like crossover fighters, Marty O'Donnell entering the political realm, Helldivers 2's newest patch, and one listener who was 'caught' playing an anime game, and had a lot of explaining to do at the dinner table.

Please keep in mind that our timestamps are approximate, and will often be slightly off due to dynamic ad placement.

0:00:00 - Intro

0:31:15 - Gaming’s Three-Fifths Compromise

0:33:07 - Arby’s x LSM

0:35:31 - Copium around laxative-gate

0:43:06 - Games to take to space

0:51:05 - Doordash disgust

0:57:35 - META

0:59:14 - Helldivers 2 patch

1:02:30 - Horizon Forbidden West PC specs

1:04:49 - Balatro age rating issues

1:11:41 - Persona 3 Reload DLC

1:16:04 - Rooster Teeth closed

1:40:27 - What Are We Playing?

1:57:05 - Ghost of Tsushima is coming to PC

2:08:14 - India Hero Project

2:11:52 - STALKER re-releases

2:17:26 - Spider-Man 2 update

2:20:04 - A counter-argument on 1st Party

2:33:34 - What developers should collaborate?

2:42:54 - Warner Bros. Live service comments

2:49:53 - Sweet Baby Inc controversy

3:11:34 - Marty O’Donnel is running for Congress

3:16:18 - When your kid exposes you as a weeb 

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There's no doubt that the console games space at large is predicated on some shaky economics, and recent layoffs are just the beginning of what will likely be a substantial purging of talent from the ranks of teams around the world. Late last year, we caught wind (via the Insomniac leaks) that Sony was planning layoffs, and would close one of its teams, too. This turned out to be true: 8% of PlayStation's workforce has been released, London Studio is no more, and multiple games have been cancelled, including a Twisted Metal project. Will these drastic moves help buttress the PlayStation brand's ever-narrowing profit margin, and allow the world-class brand to operate from a point of renewed strength? Or is the pain only beginning? Plus: Neil Druckmann may be burning out, footage of a never-released LittleBigPlanet product emerges on the net, cheaters begin ruining Helldivers 2, and more. At the end of our show, we field audience questions, as usual. Where do we fall on the recently-brewing localization fiasco surrounding games like Unicorn Overlord? How come Stellar Blade got such trouble for its fanservice while Final Fantasy VII Rebirth's blatant fanservice is celebrated? Should everyone be a little nicer to Geoff Keighley? Has Dustin's opinions on Aldi changed one listener's life forever?

Start the Good Habit at https://www.tryfum.com/SACRED to save 10% off the Journey Pack today.

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Please keep in mind that our timestamps are approximate, and will often be slightly off due to dynamic ad placement.

0:00:00 - Intro

0:24:24 - RIP Richard Lewis

0:31:03 - Annals of manifested wishes

0:34:39 - Laxative-gate

0:39:55 - First apartment advice

0:45:09 - Aldi is awesome

0:54:01 - Potential baby names

0:55:05 - Best Podcast award

1:00:18 - Peloton LSM crew

1:02:13 - FFVII Rebirth discs are messed up in Asia

1:06:42 - Helldivers 2 cheaters

1:12:18 - LittleBigPlanet Hub leaks

1:14:55 - Remedy regains control of Control

1:20:39 - Supermassive Games layoffs

1:21:46 - NCAA Football is offering $600 to players

1:25:09 - What Are We Playing?

2:00:39 - Sony layoffs

3:22:41 - EA layoffs

3:31:36 - Neil Druckmann says he only has a few games left in him

3:41:00 - January 2024 Game Sales

3:43:44 - March PS+ Games

3:45:03 - Localization issues

3:55:17 - Stop attacking Geoff Keighley

3:58:39 - Proportional hypocrisy

4:02:18 - Multiple playthrough trophies

4:04:24 - Bloodborne leak woes

4:07:56 - Two-path system

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The dam has broken. After paving the way just last week, Microsoft has confirmed its four games that are coming to PlayStation platforms, and they're arriving a lot sooner than any of us thought. One of them -- Pentiment -- is available on PS4 and PS5 alike right now, while Hi-Fi Rush isn't far behind. Multiplayer titles Grounded and Sea of Thieves will round things out, but certainly, this is just the beginning of the migration, right? Other news this week includes the release date for Elden Ring's long-awaited expansion, percolating PS5 Pro rumors suggesting a fall release, the beginning of Jim Ryan's goodbye tour, PSVR2's PC future, and much more. Listener inquiries help us round things out, as usual. Did Hiroki Totoki successfully diagnose Bungie's issues? Does Sony suffer and Nintendo benefit from a double-standard when it comes to porting and otherwise re-releasing their respective games? Could Resistance: Retribution's reemergence indicate a future for the dormant franchise? Is Brad saying "Colin" wrong on all of his shows?

This episode is sponsored by BetterHelp. Give online therapy a try at https://www.betterhelp.com/symbols and get on your way to being your best self

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It's been an unusual week in the PlayStation ecosystem, especially in recent years, where the exclusives and heavy-hitters from Sony primarily resided in the single-player sphere. But then a game like Helldivers 2 drops out of orbit, and suddenly we're brought back to the days of SOCOM, Killzone, and others, when PlayStation had an actual online identity, albeit a fledgling one. Could this be the beginning of a great new trend? Or does pessimism reign supreme? Other news this week includes the most vague, circular PR from Xbox that confirms -- yes, indeed -- Xbox games are en route to PlayStation beginning with four titles, while Sony releases a financial report that shows promising revenue and meteoric PS5 sales, but with serious financial warnings on the horizon. Plus: What the hell is Intergalactic: The Heretic Prophet? Is there a rift between Konami and Bloober Team? Are people overreacting to the Tomb Raider Remaster's content warning label? Then: Listener inquiries! Where do we fall in the raging 'yellow paint' debate? What's our favorite JRPG battle system? Which order should the Castlevania games be played in? Was Colin's and Micah's recent visit to Cracker Barrel everything they hoped it'd be?

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