The GamesIndustry.biz Microcast

Welcome to the weekly GI Microcast giving you the latest in video games news. Join James Batchelor and Chris Dring as they give you their take on the biggest stories in video games. Never miss an episode and subscribe to the GI Microcast on all podcasting platforms and YouTube. Our main topic this week is Nintendo's long-awaited (but very much expected) confirmation that Switch 2 will be backwards compatible with both its predecessor's software library and its online service. We discuss the advantages and disadvantages of this crossover, as well as the importance of backwards compatibility when launching a new console in today's industry. And financials season continues, bringing with it a host of related stories and discussions. This week, we touch on Take-Two's decision to sell Private Division, Sony leadership's thoughts on why Concord failed, the independence of Amplitude Studios and more. As always, you can get more news, insight and analysis at www.gamesindustry.biz, and you can get all the biggest news delivered straight to your inbox by signing up to the GI Daily at www.gamesindustry.biz/newsletters. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Welcome to the weekly GI Microcast giving you the latest in video games news. Join James Batchelor and Chris Dring as they give you their take on the biggest stories in video games. Never miss an episode and subscribe to the GI Microcast on all podcasting platforms and YouTube. It's financials seasons, so we discuss the highs and lows from some of the biggest publishers, including Electronic Arts, Ubisoft and Xbox. Naturally, the latter comes hand-in-hand with Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 and how its launch smashed series records. Elsewhere, we discuss Sony's decision to shut down two studios, including Concord developer Firewalk. As always, you can get more news, insight and analysis at www.gamesindustry.biz, and you can get all the biggest news delivered straight to your inbox by signing up to the GI Daily at www.gamesindustry.biz/newsletters. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Welcome to the weekly GI Microcast giving you the latest in video games news. Join James Batchelor and Chris Dring as they give you their take on the biggest stories in video games. Never miss an episode and subscribe to the GI Microcast on all podcasting platforms and YouTube. This time, we're joined at MCM x EGX by Big Fan Games' Amanda Kruse to talk about the evolving ways in which video games adapt IP from other forms of entertainment - and vice versa. We also discuss how having the right talent that has grown up with video games is driving the wave of great adaptations we've seen, and how video games have come from being merchandise released alongside new films. Elsewhere, we discuss the biggest news from the past week, including a key legal win for EA, a loss for Sony, and the potential for Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 to drive Game Pass subscriptions. As always, you can get more news, insight and analysis at www.gamesindustry.biz, and you can get all the biggest news delivered straight to your inbox by signing up to the GI Daily at www.gamesindustry.biz/newsletters. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Welcome to the weekly GI Microcast giving you the latest in video games news. Join James Batchelor and Chris Dring as they give you their take on the biggest stories in video games. Never miss an episode and subscribe to the GI Microcast on all podcasting platforms and YouTube. This time, our main topic centres around comments by former Sony boss Shawn Layden, who declared that not only is the AA space dead but its loss is a threat to the entire games ecosystem. Chris and James unpack his statement and the nuances around it, as well as discussing the opportunities for lower-budget titles in a market seemingly dominated by AAA blockbusters. We also discuss the biggest news of the past week, including IO and Build A Rocket Boy's publishing partnership, new leadership at Xbox Game Studios, updates on the SAG-AFTRA strike and ongoing industry layoffs, and more. As always, you can get more news, insight and analysis at www.gamesindustry.biz, and you can get all the biggest news delivered straight to your inbox by signing up to the GI Daily at www.gamesindustry.biz/newsletters. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Welcome to the weekly GI Microcast giving you the latest in video games news. Join James Batchelor and Chris Dring as they give you their take on the biggest stories in video games. Never miss an episode and subscribe to the GI Microcast on all podcasting platforms and YouTube. For our main discussions, we're joined by MobileGamer.biz's Neil Long to discuss the recent US court ruling that opens Google Play to rival app stores. We discuss the impact this might have on both Google and game developers, and why heavyweights like Epic Games, Xbox and other potential store operators need to make the most of the next three years in order to shift the dynamics of a mobile ecosystem dominated by two platform holders. In other headlines, we talk about the Roblox report that accused the company of inflating metrics for investors (among other things), and a slew of new studios emerging from stealth. Meanwhile, in this week's 'What Do The Numbers Mean?', Chris gives us deeper insight into the ongoing digitisation of video games - and why physical releases are still important. As always, you can get more news, insight and analysis at www.gamesindustry.biz, and you can get all the biggest news delivered straight to your inbox by signing up to the GI Daily at www.gamesindustry.biz/newsletters. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Welcome to the weekly GI Microcast giving you the latest in video games news. Join James Batchelor and Chris Dring as they give you their take on the biggest stories in video games. Never miss an episode and subscribe to the GI Microcast on all podcasting platforms and YouTube. This week, we use Devolver's unveiling of Big Fan Games - a new publishing label dedicated to indies working on licensed and other established IP - as a jumping off point to discuss the market for video game adaptations. Ranging wildly in scope and quality, there have been examples over the years that licensed games don't always print money in the way publishers might hope - we discuss the many reasons behind this, and the potential for indies who get the chance to work on major IP. Other headlines we discuss is Epic Games' latest lawsuit against Google, the closure of Play Magazine, the death of HoloLens, and Palworld coming to mobile. Finally, in 'What Do The Numbers Mean?', Chris looks at the early performance of The Legend of Zelda: Echoes of Wisdom. As always, you can get more news, insight and analysis at www.gamesindustry.biz, and you can get all the biggest news delivered straight to your inbox by signing up to the GI Daily at www.gamesindustry.biz/newsletters. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Welcome to the weekly GI Microcast giving you the latest in video games news. Join James Batchelor and Chris Dring as they give you their take on the biggest stories in video games. Never miss an episode and subscribe to the GI Microcast on all podcasting platforms and YouTube. This week, our main topic is Ubisoft not only delaying Assassin's Creed Shadows to February 2025, but also drop the season pass model and launch an internal review into its games strategy following softer than expected sales for Star Wars Outlaws. We discuss the implications of the delay, the toxic response to some of Ubisoft's titles from certain corners of the internet, and how Ubisoft might recover from the setbacks it has faced Elsewhere on this episode, we discuss recent headlines such as Sony's State of Play, Xbox's growth in Asia, Stellarblade's lawsuit against Stellar Blade and the most recent layoffs. Meanwhile in 'What Do The Numbers Mean?', Chris shares insights into how EA Sports FC is faring since Electronic Arts dropped the FIFA licence and the success this year's release has seen from its special edition (which grants early access to the game). As always, you can get more news, insight and analysis at www.gamesindustry.biz, and you can get all the biggest news delivered straight to your inbox by signing up to the GI Daily at www.gamesindustry.biz/newsletters. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Welcome to the weekly GI Microcast giving you the latest in video games news. Join James Batchelor and Chris Dring as they give you their take on the biggest stories in video games. Never miss an episode and subscribe to the GI Microcast on all podcasting platforms and YouTube. This week, the big story is Nintendo and The Pokémon Company are taking legal action against Pocketpair developer Palworld. We dig into why this is not the lawsuit so many consumers expected after the game was originally announced, which patents may be at the centre of this dispute, and the potential motivations behind these two major companies calling on their lawyers. Elsewhere on this episode, we discuss recent headlines such as EA's investor day, Australia's new rules on in-game gambling imagery and loot boxes, and the return of Flappy Bird. And in What Do The Numbers Mean? we take a deeper look at how well Astro Bot has performed. As always, you can get more news, insight and analysis at www.gamesindustry.biz, and you can get all the biggest news delivered straight to your inbox by signing up to the GI Daily at www.gamesindustry.biz/newsletters. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Welcome to the weekly GI Microcast giving you the latest in video games news. Join James Batchelor and Chris Dring as they give you their take on the biggest stories in video games. Never miss an episode and subscribe to the GI Microcast on all podcasting platforms and YouTube. This week, we are joined by Ampere Analysis' Piers Harding-Rolls to discuss Sony's unveiling of the PS5 Pro, its potential value as a product, and its sales prospects with that divisive price tag. Elsewhere on this episode, we discuss Ubisoft's performance over the past few years and some of the biggest challenges the company faces, while in What Do The Numbers Mean? we look at the early performance for some key recent releases, including Astro Bot and Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine 2. As always, you can get more news, insight and analysis at www.gamesindustry.biz, and you can get all the biggest news delivered straight to your inbox by signing up to the GI Daily at www.gamesindustry.biz/newsletters. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Welcome to the weekly GI Microcast giving you the latest in video games news. Join James Batchelor and Chris Dring as they give you their take on the biggest stories in video games. Never miss an episode and subscribe to the GI Microcast on all podcasting platforms and YouTube. This week, we continue our discussion of Concord's troubles with Sony pulling the shooter from sale two weeks after launch. While some have seen this stumble as a nail in the coffin for PlayStation's live services strategy, we walk about why it's important for the platform holder to continue pushing forward in this space, and for the rest of the industry to take more risks and step out of comfort zones. Elsewhere on this episode, we ponder Hiroki Totoki's comments that Sony has not fostered enough original IP, and in What Do The Numbers Mean? we look at the initial signs of a disappointing performance for Star Wars Outlaws. As always, you can get more news, insight and analysis at www.gamesindustry.biz, and you can get all the biggest news delivered straight to your inbox by signing up to the GI Daily at www.gamesindustry.biz/newsletters. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Welcome to the weekly GI Microcast giving you the latest in video games news. Join James Batchelor and Chris Dring as they give you their take on the biggest stories in video games. Never miss an episode and subscribe to the GI Microcast on all podcasting platforms and YouTube. This week, we talk about the struggles of Concord, PlayStation's latest foray into the live service space, and the potential reasons behind the hero shooter's failure to pull in the number of players seen by other multiplayer outings - including Sony's own recent hit Helldivers 2. We also talk about Remedy's deal with Annapurna and the Alan Wake studio's move towards self-publishing, while this week's What Do The Numbers Mean? takes a look at how Astro Bot might perform when the PlayStation platformer releases later this week. As always, you can get more news, insight and analysis at www.gamesindustry.biz, and you can get all the biggest news delivered straight to your inbox by signing up to the GI Daily at www.gamesindustry.biz/newsletters. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Chris and James recap their time at Gamescom and predict how Star Wars Outlaws might do next week Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

For this podcast, we did something a little different: a live Q&A show recorded as part of the official Devcom 2024 Twitch stream. Chris Dring and James Batchelor were joined by Altered Gene's Des Gayle, answering questions submitted by GamesIndustry.biz readers ahead of the show. Topics tackled in this episode included: Why do developers create huge expansions over standalone games? Can Nintendo maintain momentum with Switch 2? How many concurrent users does a multiplayer game need to survive? Will Grand Theft Auto 6 convert last-gen console owners to upgrade? As always, you can get more news, insight and analysis at www.gamesindustry.biz, and you can get all the biggest news delivered straight to your inbox by signing up to the GI Daily at www.gamesindustry.biz/newsletters. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Continuing our Gamescom 2024 coverage, Chris and James look back at the biggest announcements from this year's Opening Night Live showcase. We talk about Take-Two's packed 2025 line-up, the range of updates from Xbox's many studios, and some of the big surprises, such as the new fantasy god game Masters of Albion from veteran designer Peter Molyneux and his team at 22Cans. You can find out more about Molyneux's approach to this - potentially his final game - in his full interview with GamesIndustry.biz. As always, you can get more news, insight and analysis at www.gamesindustry.biz, and you can get all the biggest news delivered straight to your inbox by signing up to the GI Daily at www.gamesindustry.biz/newsletters. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

As part of our series of daily podcasts from Devcom and Gamescom 2024, GamesIndustry.biz editor-in-chief James Batchelor is joined by Execution Labs co-founder and former IGDA Montreal executive director Jason Della Rocca. Drawing on Della Rocca's years of experiences working with indie developers, we discuss the biggest challenges these studios face in today's market, from the impact of layoffs and studio closures to the shrinking indie publisher scene. We also talk about what helps indies stand out in the market, why it's important to research your genre before committing to it, and what opportunities there may be for indies in the near future. As always, you can get more news, insight and analysis at www.gamesindustry.biz, and you can get all the biggest news delivered straight to your inbox by signing up to the GI Daily at www.gamesindustry.biz/newsletters. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Welcome to the weekly GI Microcast giving you the latest in video games news. Join James Batchelor and Chris Dring as they give you their take on the biggest stories in video games. Never miss an episode and subscribe to the GI Microcast on all podcasting platforms and YouTube. Our main topic this week is the launch of the Epic Games Store on mobile, bringing Fortnite back to Android and (in the EU) iOS four years after Epic began its legal dispute with Apple and Google. We discuss the potential for alternative mobile stores, and Epic's goal to reach 100,000 installs before 2025 despite the 12 to 15 steps players must go through on each mobile ecosystem. And in this week's What Do The Numbers Mean?, Chris takes a look at the long-awaited release date for Devolver Digital's The Plucky Squire, two fairly hefty (and one very similar) games coming out around it, and, of course, sales figures that offer a little more context. As always, you can get more news, insight and analysis at www.gamesindustry.biz, and you can get all the biggest news delivered straight to your inbox by signing up to the GI Daily at www.gamesindustry.biz/newsletters. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Welcome to the weekly GI Microcast giving you the latest in video games news. Join James Batchelor and Chris Dring as they give you their take on the biggest stories in video games. Never miss an episode and subscribe to the GI Microcast on all podcasting platforms and YouTube. This week, we continue our look at the latest financial results, with highlights from Warner Bros, Bandai Namco, Sega and Remedy. We dive a little deeper into Sony and the decline it faces in PS5 sales, as well as our conversation with Take-Two CEO Strauss Zelnick around the publisher's latest results and its future line-up. We also discuss Krafton's acquisition of Tango Gameworks and the Hi-Fi Rush IP following closures at Xbox earlier this year, and we introduce a new segment, What do the numbers mean?, where we foolishly indulge Chris and his love of sales statistics. As always, you can get more news, insight and analysis at www.gamesindustry.biz, and you can get all the biggest news delivered straight to your inbox by signing up to the GI Daily at www.gamesindustry.biz/newsletters. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Welcome to the weekly GI Microcast giving you the latest in video games news. Join James Batchelor and Chris Dring as they give you their take on the biggest stories in video games. Never miss an episode and subscribe to the GI Microcast on all podcasting platforms and YouTube. This week's packed episode covers the key takeaways so far from the latest financials season, included expected declines at Nintendo and Electronic Arts (and why 2023 is such a tough comparison year to follow), as well as Activision Blizzard's ongoing boost to Microsoft's results. We also discuss the Bungie layoffs and the latest US monthly spending figures, with Elden Ring's Shadow of the Erdtree helping to offset the potential year-on-year decline. Finally, and for our main topic, we talk about the closure of Game Informer and the many, many challenges the games media - and journalism in general - faces in today's market. As always, you can get more news, insight and analysis at www.gamesindustry.biz, and you can get all the biggest news delivered straight to your inbox by signing up to the GI Daily at www.gamesindustry.biz/newsletters. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Welcome to the weekly GI Microcast giving you the latest in video games news. Join James Batchelor and Chris Dring as they give you their take on the biggest stories in video games. Never miss an episode and subscribe to the GI Microcast on all podcasting platforms and YouTube. This week, we discuss Humble Games' claims that is restructuring amid reports of mass layoffs and ponder how this reflects some of the biggest challenges in publishing today. Specifically, we look at a range of indie-focused publishers and the troubles they've encountered in the past year, and discuss the future prospects for this segment of the market. We also discuss two stories in which generative AI was a primary concern, from Activision reportedly using these tools at the potential expense of staff and the SAG-AFTRA strike, in which the union is trying to protect voice actors from being exploited by companies using AI. As always, you can get more news, insight and analysis at www.gamesindustry.biz, and you can get all the biggest news delivered straight to your inbox by signing up to the GI Daily at www.gamesindustry.biz/newsletters. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Welcome to the weekly GI Microcast giving you the latest in video games news. Join James Batchelor and Chris Dring as they give you their take on the biggest stories in video games. Never miss an episode and subscribe to the GI Microcast on all podcasting platforms and YouTube. This week, and in Chris' absence, James is joined by MobileGamer.biz editor Neil Long as they discuss the latter's reports that Resident Evil 7 on iOS has struggled to convince the majority of the 83,000 people who downloaded it to purchase the full $20 experience. The pair reflect on the challenges AAA hardcore games face on mobile devices and ponder the future of whether publishers will continue to invest in these technologically impressive but commercially disappointing ports. James and Neil also share their thoughts on the FTC's criticism of Microsoft's recent changes to Xbox Game Pass (please note, this episode was recorded before Microsoft responded to the FTC). As always, you can get more news, insight and analysis at www.gamesindustry.biz, and you can get all the biggest news delivered straight to your inbox by signing up to the GI Daily at www.gamesindustry.biz/newsletters. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices