Day Zero Podcast

In this episode Rahul and Rishi discuss Larian’s interview with Bloomberg’s Jason Schreier, what the Baldur’s Gate 3 hitmaker’s statement really means for the future of video game development and why CEO' Sven Vincke’s attempt at damage control just made everything so much worse. So much so that it appears that the company is on a generational speed run of ruining all the good will its garnered over the years.Along with this we also discuss Sandfall Interactive’s AI admissions that have resurfaced after being caught and why disclosures are critical rather than admitting AI was used after the fact. After all, nothing is a bigger betrayal of audience trust than being made aware their game of the year used AI after it hit the shelves.Speaking of which, we also parse through what the industry’s adoption of AI means for game development and more importantly, the impact it has on end-users who are effectively being priced out of buying PCs and consoles due to rising RAM costs courtesy the AI “boom”.Furthermore, we talk about Xbox’s retreat from its $80 price tag and how Microsoft may actually have to start selling games to make up for the money pit that is Xbox Game Pass.Finally, we talk about the hidden and not so hidden gems we’ve been playing this week.Welcome to Day Zero. This is a podcast on video games featuring Rahul Majumdar and Rishi Alwani. We break down the bytes and bits behind the decisions that make and break the world’s greatest entertainment industry.Naturally, we’d love to hear your objectively good takes — they surely can’t be worse than some of ours. Find us with yours at the handles below:* Twitter/X - @RishiAlwani* Threads - @rishi.alwani* Instagram - @rishi.alwani* Twitter/X - @darthrahul* Threads - @darthrahul* Instagram - @darthrahul This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit dayzeromedia.substack.com

This week, Rahul and Rishi discuss the decline of Xbox in the US, making room for a new contender — the NEX Playground. And while it might seem like just a slap in the face for the gaming division of one of the world’s biggest companies, there’s more to it. The market has decided on value-conscious offerings. We discuss why affordable gaming options are a necessity for the games industry to survive before it can even think about beginning to thrive, even if sections of the community and the business itself may frown on the liberties some of these options take in terms of IP and legitimacy, including the likes of Mitashi and Sameo, some of which exist due to the lack of an official presence from the likes of Nintendo.Along with this, we look into Sony’s cancelled game, Project Draconis and parse why leaks like these see the light of day in a business that’s obsessed with secrecy, touching on some of our personal experiences with leaks in the industry.Finally we talk about what we’ve been playing this week including the likes of The Outer Worlds 2, Dispatch, the Fishbowl demo, Tainted Grail: The Fall of Avalon, and a whole lot more.If you’re new here, Day Zero is a podcast on video games featuring Rahul Majumdar and Rishi Alwani breaking down the bytes and bits behind the decisions that make and break the world’s greatest entertainment industry.We’d love to hear your objectively good takes — they surely can’t be worse than some of ours. Find us with yours at the handles below:* Twitter/X - @RishiAlwani* Threads - @rishi.alwani* Instagram - @rishi.alwani* Twitter/X - @darthrahul* Threads - @darthrahul* Instagram - @darthrahul This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit dayzeromedia.substack.com

The PS5 is the de facto winner of this generation’s console war if you even want to call it that. And despite its relative ubiquity in part due to Microsoft’s own bad decision-making and Nintendo’s lack of ambition in expanding beyond the confines of US and Europe (we still don’t have its consoles available officially in markets like India), it’s pretty obvious Sony hasn’t put its foot off the gas. In this episode of Day Zero we look at what seems to be a big year for the PS5 with games such as:* Saros* Wolverine* Intergalactic* Phantom Blade 0* Marathon* Marvel Tokon Fighting SoulsGranted 2026 should also see GTA 6 make an appearance and while we do discuss that at length too, it’s definitely not the most interesting game to hit the console. In addition to this we also parse through what to expect from some of Sony’s quieter studios like Dark Outlaw Games, Firesprite, and of course, speculate on whatever Santa Monica is cooking next. Along with this we also discuss when to buy a PS5, if the PS5 Pro ends up making it to markets like India, all while wondering what to expect from Team Green whose big tech overlords have landed it squarely on a boycott list for good reason.Finally we also parse through Epic’s bout of epic hypocrisy on de-platforming indie game Horses after soaking in the positive publicity while fighting other platforms like Google and Apple for Fortnite to have a place in the sun.If you’re new here, Day Zero is a podcast on video games featuring Rahul Majumdar and Rishi Alwani breaking down the bytes and bits behind the decisions that make and break the world’s greatest entertainment industry.We’d love to hear your objectively good takes — they surely can’t be worse than some of ours. Find us with yours at the handles below:* Twitter/X - @RishiAlwani* Threads - @rishi.alwani* Instagram - @rishi.alwani* Twitter/X - @darthrahul* Threads - @darthrahul* Instagram - @darthrahul This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit dayzeromedia.substack.com

During the third episode of the Day Zero podcast, we tackle PC monopolist storefront Steam’s foray into censorship by striking down the release of indie studio Santa Ragione’s upcoming game Horses, and what it means for the platform. Given the chokehold Steam parent company Valve has on the digital distribution of video games, it isn’t just a retailer, but a kingmaker to boot. One that’s increasingly flaunting its strength on the most vulnerable kind of game developers — Indies.In addition to this we talk about how every Indian game company’s potential meal ticket, the PIF is reportedly falling short of funds after its (yet to be approved) buyout of EA, and why this perceived paucity of money in the games business is a good thing.Along with this we talk about how AI (yes, that again) is ruining video games by driving up DRAM prices that will make a potential PC or console purchase more expensive than it should be as well as the Roblox CEO’s generational cringe-inducing interview as well as the firm’s entry into India.Day Zero is a podcast on video games featuring Rahul Majumdar and Rishi Alwani breaking down the bytes and bits behind the decisions that make and break the world’s greatest entertainment industry.We’d love to hear your objectively bad takes. Let’s start a dialogue, preferably with enough branching paths favouring us.* Twitter/X - @RishiAlwani* Threads - @rishi.alwani* Instagram - @rishi.alwani* Twitter/X - @darthrahul* Threads - @darthrahul* Instagram - @darthrahul This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit dayzeromedia.substack.com

Another year another Call of Duty. This year’s Call of Duty: Black Ops 7 is reviled for a host of reasons, though the one of interest to us is its use of AI.With the biggest games franchise in the world in terms of annual sales using generative AI tools to make its latest entry, we break down what it means for the games industry and consumers at large, along with cameos from Arc Raiders, Clair Obscur: Expedition 33, and Anno 117 Pax Romana.In addition to this, we discuss some of the latest sales data for Ghost of Yotei, Pokémon Z-A, and, of course, Call of Duty: Black Ops 7. Furthermore, we try parsing Xbox’s strategy post the Xbox Partner Event, which had one big surprise in Raji: Kaliyuga.This is the second episode of Day Zero. Day Zero is a podcast on video games featuring Rahul Majumdar and Rishi Alwani breaking down the bytes and bits behind the decisions that make and break the world’s greatest entertainment industry.We’d love to hear your objectively bad takes. Let’s start a dialogue, preferably with enough branching paths favouring us.* Twitter/X - @RishiAlwani* Threads - @rishi.alwani* Instagram - @rishi.alwani* Twitter/X - @darthrahul* Threads - @darthrahul* Instagram - @darthrahul This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit dayzeromedia.substack.com