Episode 66: How A Daytrader Reddit War Made GameStop the Biggest News of the Week (News Show)
Release Date: 01/23/2021
Virtual Economy
With our Switch 2 in-hand, we’re ready to give you our early feelings about the console in this challenging market. Also: SO many earnings. Like… SO many. Nintendo, Sony, EA, Take-Two, Remedy, Embracer Group, Paradox, Square Enix, Capcom, and Sega. You can support Virtual Economy’s growth via our and also purchase! TIME STAMPS [00:05:02] - Switch 2 Impressions [00:41:28] - Nintendo FY25 Earnings [00:47:16] - Sony FY24-25 Earnings [00:51:17] - EA Q4 and FY25 Earnings [00:56:43] - Take-Two Q4 and FY25 Earnings [01:04:24] - Remedy Q1 FY25 Earnings [01:07:57] - Embracer Group Q4 and...
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PAX East isn’t the show it was 10 years ago. With most AAA developers staying away, indies take center stage. Also: Circana report for April 2025, GameStop sells off its Canadian holdings, Curve Games has a new owner, the SAG-AFTRA voice performer strike enters the endgame, and much more. We’ve also got a pair of great listener questions! You can support Virtual Economy’s growth via our and also purchase! TIME STAMPS [00:03:10] - Circana Report on U.S. Video Game Spending for April 2025 [00:17:36] - PAX East Recap [00:52:48] - Investment Interlude [01:09:12] - Quick Hits [01:17:15]...
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Microsoft is jacking prices on hardware, software, and peripherals. With costs going up while interest in Microsoft’s offerings declining, we have to wonder if Microsoft is applying pressure to push Game Pass. Also: Circana report on U.S. Video Game Spending for March 2025, Apple scores an own-goal and pisses off the Court, the tabletop industry is in freefall, and EA lays off another 300 to 400 people. You can support Virtual Economy’s growth via our and also purchase! TIME STAMPS [00:1:31] - GTA 6 Delay [00:12:06] - Circana for March 2025 [00:17:43] - Devolver Digital Investor...
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The original Nintendo Switch launched at $300 USD. The Switch 2 price was absent from the huge Nintendo Direct, only to be quietly revealed at $450. As for game prices, Mario Kart World is a whopping $80. Costs are on the rise, and the latest tariffs have spiked the price of accessories. So… where do we go from here? Also… Ubisoft slices off its most profitable franchises, lots of layoffs, and a huge game publisher strike. You can support Virtual Economy’s growth via our and also purchase! TIME STAMPS [00:02:53] - Nintendo Switch 2 and The Return of Paul Rudd, Gamer Dude [00:43:22]...
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Warner Bros. continues to chip away at its infrastructure and consumer confidence with the closure of three more studios. Also: Circana reports for Jan and Feb, a recap of GDC and developers’ feelings about the industry, a curious period for investments, a new union looks to cover the entire industry, and more. You can support Virtual Economy’s growth via our and also purchase! TIME STAMPS [00:03:00] - Circana Report on U.S. Video Game Spending for January 2025 [00:11:59] - Circana Report on U.S. Video Game Spending for February 2025 [00:21:39] - GDC 2025 Recap [00:54:29] -...
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Despite mounting evidence that Games as a Service are struggling, executives continue to go back to that empty well. Also: A ton of earnings reports (Nintendo, EA, Paradox, Square Enix, Sega, Ubisoft, Remedy, Embracer Group, and Sony), the labor picture worsens, and Niantic may be exiting the gaming space. You can support Virtual Economy’s growth via our and also purchase! TIME STAMPS [00:01:58] - Nintendo Q3 FY25 Earnings [00:16:07] - EA Q3 FY25 Earnings [00:30:18] - Paradox FY24 Earnings [00:34:40] - Take Two Q3 FY25 Earnings [00:36:46] - Square Enix Q3 FY25 Earnings [00:40:17] -...
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There are few things worse than yet another company laying people off… and EA has committed the sin of obfuscating job losses. Also: Earnings season is underway, the Circana report for December 2024 and the full year, a recap of the GDC State of the Industry report, and more. You can support Virtual Economy’s growth via our and also purchase! TIME STAMPS [00:00:49] - EA Takes a Tumble [00:12:58] - Microsoft Q2 FY25 Earnings [00:19:38] - Capcom Q3 FY25 Earnings [00:25:39] - Circana Report on U.S. Video Game Spending for December 2024 and Full Year 2024 [00:35:25] - Learnings from the...
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The year has begun, and the industry is already off to an intense start. On this episode, we discuss the business decisions behind the Switch 2’s departure from “Weird Nintendo,” Ubisoft’s precarious position, the U.S. ruffling Tencent’s feathers, and the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau’s move to regulate premium game currency. You can support Virtual Economy’s growth via our and also purchase! TIME STAMPS [00:03:27] - The Switch 2 has finally been announced [00:19:11] - The United States labels Tencent a military asset [00:22:16] - The U.S. Consumer Financial...
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34,000. That’s how many jobs have been lost in our industry since the start of 2022. We recap the year, discuss PAX Unplugged and The Game Awards, and look ahead at what to expect in 2025. We did a deep dive on tabletop card game trends and the looming tariffs for all of our fellow tabletop gaming nerds, too! You can support Virtual Economy’s growth via our and also purchase! TIME STAMPS [00:05:17] - Reflecting on PAX Unplugged 2024 [00:27:44] - Our Time at the TGAs [00:32:54] - Circana Report on U.S. Video Game Spending for November 2024 [00:39:23] - Gamestop Q3 FY24 Earnings...
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We now know that Microsoft wasn’t kidding when they said they had no intention of pulling Call of Duty from PlayStation. Whether the Game Pass Gambit pays off or not, Black Ops 6 is selling great on Sony’s console. Also: the rest of the Circana report on U.S. Video Game Spending for October, a pair of Mass Effect alums run into funding trouble, and more. You can support Virtual Economy’s growth via our and also purchase! TIME STAMPS [00:] - Ubisoft Shutters Three Studios and Ends XDefiant Development [00:] - Circana Report on U.S. Video Game Spending for October 2024 [00:] -...
info_outlineGameStop stock jumped 80% as Redditors threw down with a short-seller analyst firm. We also discuss the Xbox Live price hike, Vicarious Visions’ new home at Blizzard, the EU fining Valve and five publishers, and more.
TIME STAMPS
- [00:01:37] - MGI purchases KingsIsle Entertainment
- [00:08:53] - Opera purchases YoYo Games
- [00:14:05] - Team17 acquires Blacklight Interactive
- [00:17:01] - Tencent makes significant investment in Klei
- [00:20:59] - Steam, five publishers fined by EU for geoblocking
- [00:31:14] - Quick Hits
- [00:45:55] - Listener Question from Pauleto G
- [01:00:16] - Resident Evil Showcase
- [01:13:33] - Vicarious Visions folded into Activision Blizzard
- [01:19:50] - CD Projekt facing a second investor lawsuit
- [01:23:15] - Microsoft faces backlash over (and swiftly retracts) Xbox Live price hike
- [01:35:54] - GameStop’s wacky week and short squeezin’
Sources:
- Media and Games Invest entered into an agreement to acquire U.S. game developer KingsIsle Entertainment Inc... : https://press.mgi.group/correction-of-a-release-from-16012021-0026-cetcest-media-and-games-invest-entered-into-an-agreement-to-acquire-kingsisle-entertainment-inc-for-usd-126m-plus-earn-outs-in-this-context-oaktree-is-subscribing-for-a-eur-25m-share-issue
- Opera opens new video game division and confirms YoYo Games purchase (Gamasutra): https://www.gamasutra.com/view/news/376454/Opera_opens_new_video_game_division_and_confirms_YoYo_Games_purchase.php
- Team 17 acquires Golf With Your Friends franchise for $16.4 million (Gamasutra): https://www.gamasutra.com/view/news/376492/Team_17_acquires_Golf_With_Your_Friends_franchise_for_164_million.php
- Studio Announcement (Klei): https://forums.kleientertainment.com/forums/topic/126355-studio-announcement/
- Antitrust: Commission fines Valve and five publishers of PC video games € 7.8 million for “geo-blocking” practices (European Commission): https://ec.europa.eu/commission/presscorner/detail/en/ip_21_170
- Coding Prodigy Behind Hit Game PUBG Eyes IPO Worth Billions (Bloomberg): https://www.bloomberg.com/amp/news/articles/2021-01-18/coding-prodigy-behind-hit-game-pubg-eyes-ipo-worth-billions
- GDC Showcase: https://gdconf.com/showcase
- LudoNarraCon: LudoNarraCon.com
- Capcom Announces Revision of Consolidated Full-Year Earnings Forecast…: https://www.capcom.co.jp/ir/english/news/html/e210121b.html
- Vicarious Visions merged into Blizzard (GamesIndustry): https://www.gamesindustry.biz/articles/2021-01-22-vicarious-visions-merged-into-blizzard
- CD Projekt faces a second class-action lawsuit over Cyberpunk 2077 (GamesIndustry): https://www.gamesindustry.biz/articles/2021-01-19-cd-projekt-faces-a-second-class-action-lawsuit-over-cyberpunk-2077
- Current report no. 4/2021 (CD Projekt): https://www.cdprojekt.com/en/investors/regulatory-announcements/current-report-no-4-2021/
- People Are Getting 'Cyberpunk 2077' Refunds and Getting to Keep The Game (Vice): https://www.vice.com/en/article/g5bmmx/people-are-getting-cyberpunk-2077-refunds-and-getting-to-keep-the-game