The Game Business Show

On Today's episode, Chris is joined by YouTuber and media entrepreneur Ralph Panebianco (or Skill Up as he’s also known).The two chat about the Unity/Epic partnership, the on-going row between Rockstar and a UK workers union, the success of the ROG Xbox Ally X, the F1 franchise taking a year off (sort-of) and Ralph's new media website This Week In Videogames.And our big topic is about the shooter genre. Specifically, the challenges faced by Call of Duty and the early success of Battlefield 6 and Arc Raiders, with exclusive data supplied by Ampere.Enjoy! This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.thegamebusiness.com/subscribe

In this week's edition of The Game Business Show, we secure a very rare interview with Bandai Namco Entertainment CEO and president Nao Udagawa. During the chat, We ask Udagawa-san about the firm's strong relationship with FromSoftware, the rise of Japanese-made games, the desire to grow its own IP, plus movies, merchandise, mobile and more. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.thegamebusiness.com/subscribe

Hello and welcome to this week’s News edition of The Game Business.On the Show today, we are joined by Shams Jorjani, the CEO of Helldivers 2 developer Arrowhead. Shams and I chat about the Helldivers 2 launch on Xbox, before diving into some big stories, including the delay to GTA 6, the layoffs at Square Enix, the NetEase-backed studio closures, and the debate triggered by a Eurogamer review, which marked down Arc Raiders for its use of AI voice generation.Then we tackle the big breaking story, the return of the Steam Machine (plus Valve’s new VR headset), and what it might mean for the console space.Meanwhile, in today’s articles (below), you can read about Sham’s experience of launching Helldivers 2 on Xbox, plus my own take on the Steam Machine, and what it might mean for the market.Enjoy!Valve’s Steam Machine is a threat to PlayStation and XboxI can’t believe it’s been ten years since the last time since we all got over-excited about Valve entering the console space.The 2015 Steam Machines (and Steam Link) were Valve’s attempts at taking PC gaming into the living room. It failed. We estimate somewhere between 300,000 – 400,000 Steam Machine units were sold worldwide in three years.Consoles are designed to be simple. When you buy a game, you know it will work and it has been optimised for the machine you own. There’s not a plethora of different configurations to worry about. The 2015-era Steam Machines didn’t deliver on this. They neither had the flexibility of a PC, or the simplicity of a console.Yesterday, the Steam Machine made a comeback in the form of a cube-shaped device that has six times the horsepower of the Steam Deck. It comes with a new Steam controller, and will be available next year. It currently doesn’t have a price.So, why will this time be any different?Well, ten years is a lifetime in gaming terms, and Valve has taken some lessons from its previous attempts. The original Steam Machines were all made by partner manufacturers and there were multiple devices to choose from. This time, it’s just the single proposition and it’s been built internally by Valve. It’s a far clearer and cleaner offering that ties into the modest success it’s had with the Steam Deck handheld.More significantly, PC gaming has exploded in the ten years since the original Steam Machines. Analyst Matthew Ball points out that Steam players own $90 billion worth of games (or entitlements) today, while in 2015 it was a tenth of that. Traditional console games are also common on Steam now, and even first-party Xbox and PlayStation software is available on the platform.Put simply, the execution appears to be better, and PC gaming is dominant today. Nevertheless, I can’t help but see this Steam Machine as an enthusiast product that appeals to a small, albeit lucrative, group of players.The Game Business is reader-supported. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.From my view, there are two main potential audiences for the Steam Machine.The first are existing PC/Steam users that want an effective way to take their PC gaming into the living room. It’s a similar audience to what the Steam Deck has been targeting, which are gamers looking for a way to continue playing Steam away from the desktop.This is a pretty high-end customer; someone who can justify buying a second gaming PC for use in a different scenario. As a point of comparison, Steam Deck has sold between four and five million units, according to various analysts. It’s a small audience but a significant one, because these players are often the most engaged users and therefore the highest spenders.The second potential audience for the Steam Machine are console players that are interested in PC games, but have been put off by the complexity of it all.These people certainly exist, but it’s hard to know how large that group might be. For all its comparative simplicity, Steam Deck hasn’t unlocked many new customers for Steam (at least according to documents shared with me last year, which revealed that over 90% of Steam Deck owners are existing Steam players).And if Valve wants its Steam Machine to expand its audience significantly, it’ll need an attractive price point, strong marketing, and wider retail distribution than just its own store. This is all very costly.Should PlayStation and Xbox be worried?If this is just an extension of PC gaming into a different space, is it really competition for PlayStation and Xbox? Well, yes.Even if the Steam Machine only speaks to a small group of existing Steam customers, we can make some assumptions about who they are. It’s likely these are gamers that own multiple devices, including PS5 and Xbox machines. It’s likely they game a lot and spend a lot of money on their hobby. And if they were to pick up a Steam Machine, we might expect these high valued customers to spend more of their time, and by extension money, within the Steam ecosystem, as opposed to Sony or Microsoft’s (or even Nintendo’s).Xbox will also be smarting from this reveal. The firm has made no secret of its future hardware plans. Last month it released the ROG Xbox Ally and the ROG Xbox Ally X, two PC handhelds it developed in partnership with Asus that directly competes with the Steam Deck. And that approach is being adopted for the next Xbox console(s), too. Which means the next Xbox will be a gaming PC that sits under the TV, just like the Steam Machine.Now hardware is just one part of Microsoft’s strategy, and a successful Steam Machine would help the company reach more players, both with its games and its Game Pass subscription service. To quote its current marketing campaign, the Steam Machine ‘is an Xbox’.But, of course, Xbox would rather people were buying their hardware and purchasing Call of Duty through them rather than Steam, where they’re obliged to give Valve a 30% cut of the revenue. Valve getting out ahead of Xbox and offering their own PC-based console-like experience will be frustrating to the Microsoft team.We had Shams Jorjani, the CEO of Helldivers 2 developer Arrowhead, on The Game Business Show this week, and he said: “Can you imagine being charged of Xbox? They’re being attacked from every angle.” It can certainly feel like that. But Xbox is not some minnow. It’s the publisher of some of the biggest video games on the planet. If building up a platform business, whether that’s a console or a PC platform, was that important, it has the software available to help it achieve that. The fact that it continues to release its games on rival devices and stores speaks to what the company’s priorities truly are.My instinct at this stage is that this new Steam Machine will avoid the fate of its predecessors. And that it will ultimately attract an influential but niche audience. It will be competition to PlayStation and Xbox, but neither Sony or Microsoft will be losing too much sleep over it.Yet it could be more. And that’s no bad thing. In my interview with former Nintendo of America president Reggie Fils-Aimé this week, we discussed the fact that Sony, Microsoft and Nintendo were no-longer in direct competition, and how that might negatively impact innovation in the console space. That’s a concern, especially for a sector that is showing signs of user decline.The arrival of Steam in the living room might just give the console market the excitement and inspiration it needs.Launching Helldivers 2 on Xbox has been “a positive story across the board”This week on The Game Business Show, we were joined by Shams Jorjani, the CEO of Helldivers 2 developer Arrowhead.Helldivers 2 had a spectacular launch in 2024, followed by a sharp decline, and then a significant comeback. It was a story we covered when Jorjani joined us on the Show back in April. Since that interview, Helldivers 2 has made its way to Xbox, which was a big industry story because Helldivers 2 is a game published and funded by Xbox’s main rival: PlayStation.Jorjani admits he was surprised that Sony requested an Xbox version. “But I’m super happy,” he told us. “Ultimately, it’s their strategy, it’s their thing. We’re just along for the ride and excited to be part of it. It’s always fun to be part of gaming history.”“It’s always fun to be part of gaming history.”Jorjani stressed he isn’t privy to Sony’s multiplatform strategy, or what this move might mean (or not mean) for the future. Only that Xbox players had been “clamoring” for Helldivers 2, and that coinciding the launch with Halo content in the game proved to be a winning formula.“It turns out if you give the players what they want, they’ll be happy,” he said.He added: “It was a good driver and it was well received. It’s been interesting. We’ve been so focused on trying to level up quickly and becoming good at the live service shtick, which is new for us, that we forgot that we’ll have a ton of new players coming in that’ll have so much Helldivers to enjoy from the beginning.“The magical part of it is that… sometimes in online games we see some toxicity in the community, where people are not helpful. But this was the opposite. The narrative thing of Halo’s Master Chief [in Helldivers 2] is he’s this mythical figure, because he comes in and just helps out regular soldiers. The same thing happened organically in the community with other veteran Helldivers players helping new Xbox joiners. It was a positive story almost across the board.”Jorjani couldn’t share numbers, but the latest Newzoo estimates suggests that over two million Xbox players joined the Helldivers universe in September.Of course, Helldivers 2 is an on-going story that is somewhat shaped by the players. And as the game had been available for 18 months before its release on Xbox, there are story moments that Xbox players will have missed out on.“If you were at the planet of Malevelon Creek on March 24… that’s etched into people’s memories. So, people come in three, four months after these historical events and they hear about them and

Today on The Game Business Show, Chris talks to industry legend and former Nintendo of America president Reggie Fils-Aime. The two discuss the Nintendo Switch 2, the state of the console industry, leadership, the future of games and a whole lot more. Check it out. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.thegamebusiness.com/subscribe

In today's episode of The Game Business Show, Chris is joined by video game political journalist George Osborn (Editor of Video Game Industry Memo), where they discuss the rise of global Governments utilising video games to influence the population. The duo also chat Nintendo financials, Amazon backing away from MMOs and the rise of remakes and remasters. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.thegamebusiness.com/subscribe

In this edition of The Game Business Show, we chat with Obsidian's Marcus Morgan and Justin Britch to discuss the studio's impressive output, its iterative, RPG-like approach to development and how it's managed to launch three games (Avowed, Grounded 2 and The Outer Worlds 2) in one year. We also find out how the studio hopes to keep staff happy so they stay for 20 years or more. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.thegamebusiness.com/subscribe

In this week's edition of The Game Business Show, we're joined by Embark CEO Patrick Soderlund. The former EA boss is launching a new shooter IP this week called Arc Raiders, and despite huge competition from Battlefield and Call of Duty, early signs are very, very positive that it's going to enjoy an impressive launch. In this chat, Soderlund talks about how Arc Raiders has managed to cut through, what the team learned from their last game (2023's The Finals), and how they're trying to make games 100X faster than anyone else. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.thegamebusiness.com/subscribe

In today's bumper edition of The Game Business Show, we are joined by Circana game boss Mat Piscatella, who gives us his take on a better-than-expected year for video game sales in the US.Plus, we interview GDC chief Mark DeLoura, where we discussed some of the big changes taking place at the conference this year. We also spoke about the challenges of hosting the event in the US, and how he felt about big companies skipping GDC this past year. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.thegamebusiness.com/subscribe

In today’s edition of The Game Business Show, Chris speaks to Nicolas Doucet, the studio head of Astro Bot developer Team Asobi. The studio is known for its close involvement in the creation of PlayStation consoles, so Chris asks Nicolas for his views on the role of consoles, and what makes PS5 different to what has come before.The two also chat about Team Asobi’s skill at making incredible games quickly, and Doucet’s personal history with building games for family audiences. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.thegamebusiness.com/subscribe

In this episode, Chris Dring and MobileGamer.biz editor Neil Long look at Nintendo’s return to mobile games, with some exclusive data on how the company has performed in this space so far. The two also dive into the recent challenges at Build A Rocket Boy, Remedy’s profit warning and Supercell’s concerns about potential EU regulation. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.thegamebusiness.com/subscribe

In today's The Game Business Show, we chat with the leaders of GOG (formerly Good Old Games) to discuss the retro games scene, the increasing competition, the problems it's faced with its Preservation Program, the ageing gaming audience and why players crave the OG versions of classic titles. Enjoy. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.thegamebusiness.com/subscribe

In this week's edition of The Game Business Show, Chris is joined by two guest hosts: Lisa Cosmas Hanson (President and CEO of Niko Partners) and Daniel Ahmad (director of research and insights at Niko Partners), who both share an abundance of data and insights into what is really going on in the Chinese video game market. The three also chat about what former FTC Chair Lina Khan had to say about Xbox, the layoffs at Funcom, and Ubisoft’s new Saudi Arabian-backed Assassin’s Creed DLC. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.thegamebusiness.com/subscribe

In this week’s special edition of The Game Business Show, we speak to some of the leaders behind the launch of PlayStation 1 in Europe, including former bosses Chris Deering and Jim Ryan, developers Martin Alltimes and Juan Montes, PR and marketing veterans Glen O’Connell, Alan Welsman and Geoff Glendenning, and Namco’s Jackie Plumeridge. Listeners can receive extra content at www.thegamebusiness.com and you can find out all about it. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.thegamebusiness.com/subscribe

On this week’s The Game Business Show, Chris is joined by analyst, author and all-round nice guy Joost van Dreunen to discuss the shock acquisition of EA and what it means on a political level. They also discuss Xbox's decision to raise the price of Game Pass Ultimate by 50%. And we dive into the numbers to get a sense of who might win between Battlefield 6 and Call of Duty: Black Ops 7 This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.thegamebusiness.com/subscribe

In this edition of The Game Business Show, we dive into video game release dates, featuring the latest stats from Newzoo. We also welcome the data firm’s director of market intelligence Emmanuel Rosier onto our Show.Rosier shares his views on where the industry may be going wrong when it comes to setting dates, and we also chat about Epic Games’ Fortnite monetisation U-turn, the Xbox price rises, and the rebrand of GDC. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.thegamebusiness.com/subscribe

In today's interview edition of The Game Business Show, we speak to new Jagex CEO Jon Bellamy where we discussed the firm's efforts to rescue its main RuneScape product. We also chatted about the incredible success of Old School RuneScape, the firm's surprise shadow drop for RuneScape Dragonwilds, the state of the game market, secret Jagex hit Scum and more! This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.thegamebusiness.com/subscribe

On today’s episode of The Game Business Show, we reunite with Stephen Totilo, the man who guest-hosted on our first ever episode. And this time, we discuss retro games, the latest Nintendo Direct and the future of video game consoles. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.thegamebusiness.com/subscribe

In this episode of The Game Business Show, we speak to two former Sega studios: The real-time strategy experts Relic Entertainment, and the 4X strategy developer Amplitude. In both of our short charts with the two CEOs, we discuss their journey to independence, the challenges and opportunities in the strategy space, and their ambitions for the future.  This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.thegamebusiness.com/subscribe

In this week’s edition of The Game Business, we tackle the legislation that is forcing developers to introduce age verification and other measures into its games, and how that is impacting studios. To help us understand all that, we’ve enlisted the help of media, tech and IP legal veteran Isabel Davies (currently plying her trade at Wiggin), who joins us as this week’s Guest Host.Davies and Chris also chat about ‘dark patterns’, Capcom’s console concerns, the blockbuster success of Hollow Knight: Silksong, and a whole lot more. Including the news that we are doing another live show, this time in London. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.thegamebusiness.com/subscribe

In this week's edition of The Game Business Show, Atari CEO Wade Rosen talks about the challenges of making retro games a success in 2025, the state of the classic games market, building sequels to classic games, and the firm's journey to profitability This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.thegamebusiness.com/subscribe