YoVG # 546 Gaming Industry 2026: Future Private
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Did I make the title a joke about a game from 2005? Yes. Will anyone get it/see it/care? No. But you gotta do what brings you joy. Sometimes that's about making a little joke for you. Sometimes it's about rippin' lines in a grungy club bathroom while kids in bad fashion call you chopped. You do you. I'm not here to judge. I am here to tell you that the industry continues its march through rough times. In this week's episode we talk about EA going private. We wonder if that will lead to a bigger trend of publishers taking themselves private, or perhaps new publishers staying private. Matt seems...
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YoVG # 545 What Will Convince You To Buy Next Gen?
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For me? Nothing, honestly. Well, okay... A launch line up of epic proportions would be hard to deny, but I can't honestly tell you what that would be at this point. Sony specifically? Is there any one franchise that makes it a lock? Any three? Hard to say. Given that this generation has been underwhelming (in terms of hardware performance), would we feel the upgrade to a new console anyway? Why would Nintendo be the safest bet in that world? Will Xbox continue to exist as we know it by then?
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YoVG # 543 Evo 2026 & Future Fighting Games
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This episode is mostly about EVO, and what we expect coming for fighting games. There is a furry/waifu subplot though and you should be prepared for it. So, we didn't hit EVO this year and it sounds like we weren't alone. Do we think this is linked to there being multiple EVOs on multiple continents now? And... Wait... Are they already walking back how many countries that will have tournaments? And wait, did they already drop Invincible VS from future events? We got questions!
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YoVG # 542 The Next Gen Trap
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This episode is a discussion inspired by Mystic on Youtube. He recently made a video about why Sony can't/won't delay the release of the PS6. You can watch that video, . What's it boil down to? Sunk cost. They already spent all the time and money to bring it to market, stopping now won't actually save them anything and can only cost them more. Personally, I think that's a fallacy, but Matt sees the logic of the argument. Additionally, we talk the steam machine, Xbox next gen, and more!
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YoVG # 541 No One Is Safe
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More layoffs. The pendulum always swings. We just had maybe the best not-E3 in close to a decade. Excitement is in the air for anyone that is a fan of games. So, naturally, Microsoft would go ahead and try to scuttle any good will by closing multiple studios. Including one that had a game announced at their event. So, who's getting the axe? Why? And what does it mean for the industry at large? Because while we had an incredible summer announcement season, the industry itself is still contracting. Not because it isn't profitable. It very much still is.
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YoVG # 540 The Best (NOT) E3 in a Decade!?
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Ok. Maybe that's hyperbolic, but this really was a solid gaming Christmas. Is anyone mad? Of course, there are people who didn't get the exact thing they wanted, and so they are mad as hell. But this might be the first year in a decade or close to where there's not only something for everyone, but there's MULTIPLE big somethings for most people. I am already thinking about what I will pick up in September, and what I'll budget for over the following months. And really, that might be the only mark against this... So many things are coming out in September that I have to wonder how the rest of...
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YoVG # 539 Sony Delivers (Great) Safe Bets!
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Sony kicked off gaming summer with an hour long State of Play. Naturally, expectations were high. Did they deliver? I'd argue, yes. They bookended the SoP by opening with extended Wolverine gameplay and then ended with 20 minutes of God of War: Laufey cinematic gameplay. In between was a mix of promising titles, and a couple small surprises, like Kemuri. It felt very safe. Even the release dates: all of them pointedly avoiding GTA6 release. That's not really a mark against Sony in my opinion, but it does mean nothing will absolutely melt your face or blow your mind. Still, this was a solid...
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YoVG # 538 James Bond First Light: Who's it for?
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I love James Bond movies. I grew up with them. I just talked about having gone through every Bond film a few weeks ago (there's 28, if you include The Rock, and you should!). When I watched the marketing for First Light, it looked like a Hitman game. A very well done, excellently made, Hitman game. And that meant I was out. I'm not hating on Hitman. Blood Money is a classic, and as far as I'm concerned the peak of the series because after that I never got into it again. World of Assassination is supposed to be incredible - if you love Hitman and haven't played it - get after it. This is by no...
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YoVG # 537 Sony Announces a SoP Weeks in Advance?!
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Sony is making a bit of an event out of their summer State of Play - coming June 2nd. Summer Games Fest is coming just three days later; so I guess we know Sony isn't making any big announcements there. If they are giving so much of a heads up , they must expect this to be big, right? What do we think/hope this is? Well, we know Wolverine will take up a big chunk of the hour long show - they've said so. It's been a long time since we saw anything from Naughty Dog's Intergalactic - so I'm betting we get something. Matt has a big brain idea about something else Naughty Dog might tease. There's...
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YoVG # 536 Catching Up on This Week in Gaming
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There's no snappy title for this. My internet was a mess last week and naturally that means a lot happened in the industry. This is our catch up episode! We talk Game Pass price drop, Nintendo price increase (and how they seem to be trying to soften that blow as much as possible). We talk Saros, and StarFox. Plus, we talk RE9 now that it's settled for us and Leon Must Die Forever has been released.
info_outlineIt's like news breaks in chunks these days. Is that planned? It feels planned.
In this episode we cover: Saudi Arabia buys the rest of EVO and announces plans for multiple cities worldwide to host their own. Phil Spencer has retired and his replacement is definitely a signal of what is to come. And Aussies are fun to hang with wherever you meet them. (Okay we don't really cover that but I do mention it.)
In this episode we reference these articles a few times, and I recommend you read them if you have time because they add a ton of context:
The Verge article about Xbox Leadership shake up (Sarah Bonds abrupt exit): https://www.theverge.com/tech/883015/microsoft-xbox-new-ceo-shakeup-notepad
Seamus Blackley says Xbox is being sunsetted:
https://gamesbeat.com/what-an-xbox-founder-thinks-of-the-new-xbox-ceo-seamus-blackley-interview/
Do I think Xbox is being sunsetted? No. If it gets back on track it is a big earner, and it fits with Satya Nadella's goals. Namely consumer cloud compute and AI adoption. I expect the next iteration of Xbox to have an AI assistant that you can't opt out of, and of course AI "tools" will be used in all projects moving forward. I expect it will be used as a selling point on every game. "New AI makes bots behave naturally!" "AI learns and adapts to how you play!!!!" " GenAI generated levels mean every playthrough is unique!!!!!!!!"
Stuff like that.
Do I think Xbox is being brought in line with Satya Nadella's AI push? Absolutely.
Do I think Asha Sharma is going to bring about a new Xbox Golden Age? No. But I do think we need to wait a year to see what she actually does. Because this year will mostly be finishing up Phil's plans. We won't know her real priorities for 6 months minimum, and I am saying a year to be generous.