Remap Radio

It’s time to pour one out for our friend and colleague Austin Walker, whose own game studio recently joined the ongoing wave of layoffs in the video game industry. Patrick, Janet, Cado, and Rob unpack the strangeness of this particular layoff and why people responded so sharply to it, before taking a deep breath and talking about the recent Nintendo Indie World event. We also talk about loving the Fallout TV series, Pepper Grinder, stitch., and some early time with Hades II, before answering a reader question about our relationship with “easy mode” in games.Discussed: The Bulls 1:59, Possibility Space Closes 13:44, Nintendo Indie World Showcase 1:05:20, Info on the PS5 Pro 1:19:22, Stitch 1:32:51, Pepper Grinder 1:49:14, Hades 2 1:56:23, The Fallout Show 2:09:03, Blue Eyed Samurai 2:16:51, The Question Bucket 2:24:00, Outro and Announcements 2:38:28See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Recently, Remap has been watching a lot of Godzilla. To better understand him, Rob and Patrick are joined by Sean Konrad, visual effects supervisor on the recent Apple TV+ show Monarch: Legacy of Monsters, to talk about the state of the visual effects industry, what it means to scale a creature like Godzilla, and much more. Konrad was an artist on the spectacular Godzilla (2014), and has worked on movies like Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2, Furious 7, and TV shows like Loki and For All Mankind.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Dead Space was cool, right? Who wouldn’t want Dead Space 2? Rob, Patrick, Janet, and Cado react to the game of telephone about if/when Dead Space 2 was ever in development, before reacting to Destiny’s big announcements and some cool indie news, like Prince of Persia: The Rogue. Elsewhere, Janet and Patrick have been playing Botany Manor, and, of course, more Final Fantasy VII: Rebirth. They also dig into your questions regarding office kitchen snafus.Discussed: Rob's Top 10 List 6:37, Dead Space 2 Remake Cancelled 7:03, Immortals of Aveum Staff Furloughed 32:43, Destiny 2: The Final Shape Announcement Stream 39:43, Slay the Spire 2 Announcement 57:47, Triple-i Initiative Showcase 1:03:43, Botany Manor 1:20:04, Final Fantasy VII Rebirth 1:38:39, The Question Bucket 1:50:46, Outro and Annoucnements 2:23:28See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Jacob Geller joins Rob, Patrick, and Janet to discuss Microsoft's new "new AI assistant" and how we expect AI to be deployed to make everyday experiences easier and definitely less frustrating. Plus, Jacob's publishing a book with Lost in Cult, and we talk about the two Stellar Blades: the one that's being treated as a reactionary victory, and the character action game that actually exists. 0:33 - How a Game Lives11:22 - XBox AI45:19 - Total War but also Fort Condor59:40 - Like a Dragon: Infinite Wealth1:19:52 - Princess Peach: Showtime!1:36:12 - Stellar Blade1:56:08 - Rise of the RoninSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

It’s time to celebrate a great achievement: Dragon’s Dogma 2 has become discourse. Patrick, Janet, Rob, and Cado return from afar—GDC, PAX East, and even Disneyland—to discuss the latest details on Ken Levine’s Not BioShock Game, Judas, and what’s happening over at Sega with Relic, union contracts, and more. We also chat about the games we played at both PAX East and GDC, and Rob reveals he’s surprisingly into both Rise of the Ronin and Unicorn Overlord.Discussed: The Microtransactions of Dragon's Dogma 2 1:25, Larian isn’t making a new D&D Game 23:07, Judas revealed at IGN 27:14, Sega Workers Ratified First Union Contract in AAA Studio 54:32, Gearbox sold to Take-Two 1:03:39, Final Fantasy VII Rebirth 1:07:40, Dragon's Dogma 2 1:14:20, Princess Peach: Showtime! 1:19:10, Unicorn Overlord 1:27:13, PAX East and Janet's GDC Roundup 1:46:32, Animal Well 1:57:47, Inkonbini 2:09:21, Sopa 2:10:58, Harold Halibut 2:12:07, Rise of the Ronin 2:21:07, Cado's PAX shoutouts 2:33:53, Outro and Announcements 2:44:03See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Duncan Fyfe has written a review of Jordan Mechner's family memoir, Replay. It's a terrific piece, but also one that adds a lot of background detail on Mechner's career as a game designer. In this wide-ranging discussion, Rob and Duncan discuss Duncan's article, and their own understanding and regard for Mechner's work.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Rob and Cado sit down for a quick episode before PAX and end up shooting the breeze for over two hours about Musk's embrace of the absurd Sweetbaby witch hunt, layoffs at IGN and the challenges of unionizing in the face of a declining media ecosystem, Ron Howard's classic journalism adventure The Paper and what it means to have institutional capacity. Then Austin and Patrick talk Dragon's Dogma before Rob and Cado return to talk about their successes in Balatro and Motorsports Manager, plus the upcoming race team management game from Funselektor and what a management game set in the most dangerous years of racing will have to get into. Finally, Rob thinks there should probably be a Total War Shogun 3 by now, and finally the duo dive into questions.Discussed: Coffee Talk 2:40, Gamergate "2.0" 6:38, IGN Lays off Union Members 1:05:27, Austin and Patrick talk Dragon's Dogma 2 1:19:59, Balatro 2:10:44, Motorsport Manager 2:28:28, Total War: Shogun 2 2:42:14, The Question Bucket 2:53:06See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

In-between a surprisingly lengthy aside on Best Buy’s Geek Squad, the Remap Radio crew discusses Insomniac’s abandoned multiplayer Spider-Man game, Warner Bros. coldly erasing Adult Swim games from Steam, the formation of a huge new games union, and more. Elsewhere, while Patrick remains parked in mini-game city in Final Fantasy VII: Rebirth, he has seen the (gaming) light with Moonlight on his PC. We also discuss the more toxic elements of the Helldivers 2 community, bemoan a lack of Balatro wins, and answer some questions.Discussed: Warner Bros. Deleting Adult Swim Games 1:52, Spider-Man Live Service Game Canceled 18:54, Super Mario Movie Getting a Sequel 32:06, QA Workers Unionize at Microsoft 35:26, MOONLIGHT 41:43, Helldivers 2 1:21:17, Final Fantasy VII: Rebirth 1:40:52, Persona 5 Royale 1:47:34, Balatro 1:50:02, The Question Bucket 1:55:51, Outro and Announcement 2:17:28See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

If you’re unaware of the Sweet Baby Inc. “controversy” that’s stirred online, bless you. But Gamergate wasn’t all that long ago, prompting Patrick, Janet, Rob, and Cado to mull the latest attempt by gamers to invent a boogeyman over their own insecurities. We also chat about Nintendo suing Yuzu into the ground, wonder if Final Fantasy VII: Rebirth’s overflowing mini-games are too much, and find a new passion: getting stuck in the mud in SnowRunner.Discussed: Balatro 1:34, Sweet Baby Inc. Is Being Targeted 19:18, Yuzu Emulator Settles for $2.4 Million 1:03:59, Marty O'Donnell is Running for Congress 1:14:36, Like A Dragon: Infinite Wealth 1:24:26, Final Fantasy VII: Rebirth 1:34:21, Dark Forces Remaster 2:09:42, Persona 5 Royale 2:16:55, Expeditions: Mudrunner 2:21:08, The Question Bucket 2:34:02, Outro and Announcements 2:49:42See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

It’s another week of layoffs, this time at Electronic Arts, PlayStation, Supermassive, and Deck Nine. Sadly, there will probably be more by the time this podcast is edited and released. Is this all part of a great realignment in video games? Where does the industry go from here? Patrick and Janet, at least, are continuing to have a great time in Final Fantasy VII: Rebirth, while Cado has been fully unleashed in the poker-inspired Balatro, and Rob contemplates a PSVR2 (??).Discussed: Massive Layoffs Continue Across The Game Industry 6:49, Saber Interactive Leaves Embracer 1:06:32, Helldivers 2 1:11:55, Final Fantasy VII Rebirth 1:17:38, Balatro 1:52:42, The Question Bucket 2:30:13🌏 Get Exclusive NordVPN deal here → https://nordvpn.com/remapradio It’s risk-free with Nord’s 30-day money-back guarantee! ✌️See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Amidst rumors of Xbox winding down discs and the increasingly shaky future of physical media everywhere, Patrick sits down with Jon Smith, head of retail at Limited Run Games. If you’ve bought a collector’s edition of an old game lately, there’s a decent chance Limited Run Games made it. Patrick and Jon chat about how Limited Run Games has scaled up over the years, what it’s like running a physical store, and, naturally, how to change the rules of a claw machine.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Nintendo (Partner) Direct! Elden Ring DLC! Helldivers 2 queue campers! This episode of Remap Radio has it all, with Rob, Janet, Patrick, and Cado working through their feelings on this week’s many announcements, alongside spicy speculation about Nintendo’s next console. Elsewhere, Patrick and Janet have spent dozens of hours in Final Fantasy VII: Rebirth, and have come out the other side realizing they’ll, uh, be spending a lot of time in this world. We also touch on The New York Times hilariously “spoiling” a major moment in the Squaresoft classic.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Rob and Patrick welcome Giant Bomb’s Jeff Grubb to the podcast a few weeks after Grubb’s beloved Detroit Lions collapsed against the San Francisco 49ers. The group works through Grubb’s history with the Lions, what it’s like to root for a team worse than the Bears, and wonder what the heck the rest of the league is supposed to do while Patrick Mahomes is still alive.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Are you ready to spread some freedom, son? The Remap crew is, with Patrick, Janet, Rob, and Cado dropping into their individual hellpods to discuss, of course, Helldivers 2, alongside the increasingly murky futures of both PlayStation and Xbox. We also share early thoughts on Banishers: Ghosts of New Eden, and whether Don’t Nod has pulled off another Vampyr.Discussed: Playstation and the arc of the games industry 5:39, VGD Union complaints against DontNod (https://www.gamedeveloper.com/business/stjv-union-claims-don-t-nod-mismanagement-causing-staff-burnout) 53:45, Yoshitaka Murayama passes 1:09:08, Helldivers 2 1:11:28, Banishers: Ghost of New Eden 1:40:21, Xbox Exclusivity News 2:03:07, Outro and Announcements 2:40:08See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

The gang considers their upcoming demobilization from service in the console wars as they reckon with rumors that Xbox will be ditching console exclusivity in the future and bringing major titles like Starfield and Indiana Jones to the PlayStation. Patrick and Janet have been playing loads of Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League. Finally, Patrick and Rob dig into some emails.2:35 - Console Wars and the Xbox59:55 - Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League1:34:15 - MailbagSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

We begin where we always do: talking about the latest drama in F1. Unexpected, right? Wow! Anyway, we also found time to discuss our reactions to PlayStation’s State of Play showcase, make sense of the latest layoff news from several companies, mope about the cancellation of an unannounced Deus Ex game, and more. We also dig into Prince of Persia: The Lost Crown’s endgame, puzzle over the output of the studio Dontnod, and briefly touch on Suicide Squad.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

What happens when a game you’ve spent the last five years making doesn’t take off? Immortals of Avenum, last year’s magic-infused shooter with elements of Call of Duty and Doom, was hardly a hit. It was the opposite. Remap liked it, but most people didn’t play it. The developer behind Immortals of Aveum, Ascendant Studios, was soon hit with layoffs. But Ascendant isn’t dead, and CEO Bret Robbins, once the creative director for Dead Space, came through Remap Radio to talk about what happens when you realize that bad news is on your doorstep.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

It’s a familiar story this year: layoffs. Sometimes the number is bigger, sometimes the number is smaller, but it’s a tragedy all the same, and Patrick, Janet, Rob, and Cado are here to try and unpack the horror of it all. Elsewhere, we talk through our time with, and the toxic conversation around, 2024’s surprise hit, Palworld. In happier news, Patrick and Rob have utterly fallen for Like a Dragon: Infinite Wealth, while Janet is less high on the Jungle Book-inspired The Cub.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

The full crew—Rob, Patrick, Janet, Cado—is back. We recorded this ahead of the Xbox Direct, but there’s still plenty to chew on, including Square Enix openly talking about using generative AI in a game, Ubisoft+ training people to become comfortable with not owning their games, and more. We also unpack Home Safety Hotline, Trepang2, the endgame of Prince of Persia: The Lost Crown, and consider a deep question: so, how long should you hold onto a document?Discussed: Ubisoft+ 9:59, Thunderful lays off 30% of its employees 38:12, Square Enix uses AI in Foamstars 45:40, Epic vs Apple suit 1:01:13, Home Safety Hotline 1:30:56, Prince of Persia:The Lost Crown 1:46:20, The Question Bucket 1:59:04See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Patrick and Rob get together to unpack the stark realization that the Green Bay Packers may, in fact, have done it again, while talking through the shocking amount of high-profile coaching firings in the NFL and the series of blowout games that ultimately defined NFL’s Wild Card weekend. We also consider what it would mean to meet the athlete who broke your heart.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.