Around the Monitor

We're back with the week's hottest gaming news! Topics Include: Pokemon GO developer Niantic facing Layoffs, Riot will Monitor their Voice Chat for Toxicity, and One Man Spent $40k to ask Nintendo why they aren't making F-Zero Games anymore.

00:00 - Intro

1:57 - Trivia: How much money has Fire Emblem Heroes made Nintendo?

4:51 - Topics

7:37 - Niantic cancels 4 projects, and lays off 8% of staff

https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2022-06-29/pokemon-go-creator-niantic-cancels-four-projects-cuts-jobs

14:07 - Riot will monitor voice chat in Valorant for toxic behavior

https://www.ign.com/articles/valorant-monitor-voice-chat-tests-begin-next-month

18:04 - Game Devs in Quebec fear for their jobs over new law mandating French

https://kotaku.com/quebec-bill-96-french-language-law-game-devs-ubisoft-1849120595

25:46 - Master Chief Collection could start adding microtransactions, years after release

https://www.ign.com/articles/halo-master-chief-collection-could-add-microtransactions-soon

28:58 - A man bought $40k of Nintendo stock to ask about F-Zero

https://kotaku.com/nintendo-fan-f-zero-40k-5-million-yen-stock-investor-1849131627

34:00 - QA firm for Cyberpunk 2077 accused of “misleading CD Projekt,” claps back

https://kotaku.com/cyberpunk-2077-bugs-cd-projekt-red-quantic-lab-qa-teste-1849124066

39:22 - Ron Gilbert says he will no longer post about Monkey Island after online harassment

https://www.videogameschronicle.com/news/ron-gilbert-will-no-longer-post-about-monkey-island-due-to-personal-attacks/

45:10 - Ubisoft will add sudden forest fires to Riders Republic to draw awareness to climate change

https://www.gamespot.com/articles/ubisoft-will-set-its-own-virtual-world-on-fire-to-raise-awareness-for-climate-change/1100-6505046/

49:31 - The Winner is…

50:34 - Closing, and Chris Pratt Impressions

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Around the Monitor is back with the week's hottest gaming news! This week's topics include: 1-2 Switch might be getting a sequel, Blizzard in hot water over Diablo Immortal Microtransactions, and a Summer Games Fest roundup.

Show notes:

00:00 - Intro

2:09 - Trivia: How many mini-games are in 1-2 Switch?

3:59 - Topics

6:11 - 1-2 Switch has a sequel that’s mostly finished, but is so bad Nintendo might not release it

https://www.fanbyte.com/news/the-wild-story-behind-nintendos-unannounced-1-2-switch-sequel/

12:15 - E3 it isn’t dead. Is planning to come back in 2023?

https://www.washingtonpost.com/video-games/2022/06/07/esa-e3-2023-summer-game-fest-nintendo-direct/

18:41 - Xbox is going to bring Games Pass to Samsung televisions this year

https://www.theverge.com/2022/6/9/23159460/microsoft-xbox-tv-app-samsung-2022-tv-xbox-cloud-gaming-streaming

26:02 - Nintendo wanted to “send a message” with the sentencing of Gary Bowser

https://www.videogameschronicle.com/news/nintendo-said-hacker-gary-bowsers-jail-sentence-was-a-unique-opportunity-to-send-a-message/

32:40 - Midnight Suns is actually getting good previews

https://www.videogameschronicle.com/features/marvels-midnight-suns-has-totally-subverted-our-expectations/

38:56 - GameStop employees walk out in Nebraska, tell people to shop elsewhere.

https://kotaku.com/gamestop-meme-stock-crypto-scam-used-games-walkout-unio-1849027868?utm_campaign=Kotaku&utm_content=1654609442&utm_medium=SocialMarketing&utm_source=twitter

44:49 - Diablo Immortals is getting roasted for microtransactions

https://www.videogameschronicle.com/news/diablo-immortal-now-has-blizzards-lowest-ever-user-score-on-metacritic/

50:54 - Sonic Frontiers gameplay was revealed this week and uhhh, folks are tepid at best on it

https://www.ign.com/articles/sonic-frontiers-preview

56:34 - The winner is…

59:30 - Closing and Plugs

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Around the Monitor is back with the weeks hottest gaming news, including: EA is looking to be acquired, PlayStation CEO says unfortunate things, and Activision's diversity metric debacle.

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Discord: https://discord.gg/nJF7U7dund

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Show notes: 

00:00 - Intro

2:03 - What is the highest reviewed Sonic game on Metacritic?

5:02 - Topics

7:32 - Square Enix sells off Crystal Dynamix and Eidos Montreal to Embracer for $300M

https://www.gamesindustry.biz/articles/2022-05-02-embracer-acquires-crystal-dynamics-eidos-montreal-and-square-enix-montreal-for-usd300m

13:30 - EA is looking to be acquired, who will pick them up? https://kotaku.com/ea-acquisition-apex-legends-star-wars-fifa-nbcuniversal-1848957274?utm_campaign=Kotaku&utm_content=1653086078&utm_medium=SocialMarketing&utm_source=twitter

18:03 - Nintendo says transitioning to “next gen” hardware is a current focus for them

https://www.videogameschronicle.com/news/nintendo-says-the-transition-to-its-next-console-is-a-major-concern-for-us/

23:03 - Activision’s diversity metric debacle 

https://www.fanbyte.com/news/activision-inexplicably-introduces-tool-to-rate-character-diversity-metrics/

28:13 - Xbox announces Starfield and Redfall delayed out of 2022, how bad is this for Xbox?

https://www.polygon.com/23070404/xbox-starfield-redfall-delays-analysis

33:33 - PlayStation reveals game lineup for its new PlayStation Plus

https://www.polygon.com/23074740/ps-plus-extra-deluxe-premium-ps2-ps3-psp-games-list 

41:04 - PlayStation boss, Jim Ryan, says to “respect both sides,” on abortion debate https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2022-05-12/sony-playstation-staff-fume-over-ceo-s-abortion-comments

47:20 - Fall Guys will go free to play, launch on Xbox & Switch, and have level builder!

https://kotaku.com/fall-guys-free-to-play-release-date-nintendo-switch-1848933949

52:29 - The Winner is…

56:06 - Closing and Plugs

#electronicarts #gamingnews 

We're back with the weeks hottest gaming news, including: Twitch might cut the payouts for its creators by 20%, Ubisoft might be acquired by a bigger company, and PlayStation will add demos for all AAA games in the near future!

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Show Notes:

00:00 - Intro

1:40 - Trivia: When was Crazy Taxi released?

3:50 - Topics

5:22 - Twitch is reworking creator pay with an emphasis on paying creators less

https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2022-04-27/amazon-s-twitch-seeks-to-revamp-creator-pay-with-focus-on-profit

(Here’s a non-pay wall article: https://www.gamespot.com/articles/twitch-exploring-subscription-revenue-cuts-bigger-focus-on-ads-report/1100-6502849/)

9:17 - Word on the Street is Ubisoft may get acquired soon

https://www.ign.com/articles/ubisoft-reportedly-being-targeted-for-acquisition

13:23 - All games above $34.99 will have a 2 hour demo with PS+ Premium plan

https://www.videogameschronicle.com/news/playstation-plus-game-trials-will-be-required-for-games-priced-34-or-higher/ 

18:01 - It Takes Two movie in development, “The Rock” is involved.

https://twinfinite.net/2022/04/it-takes-two-movie-adaptation-will-launch-on-amazon-dwayne-the-rock-johnson-attached/

22:44 - Halo Infinite will have 3 new mods in season 2, including a “battle royale” mode

https://www.ign.com/articles/halo-infinite-dev-reveals-3-new-modes-coming-in-season-2

27:23 - And while we’re at it, Jason Mamoa set to star in Minecraft movie

https://www.polygon.com/23030925/jason-momoa-minecraft-movie-report-warner-bros 

31:05 - GBA games may be coming to Switch online soon https://kotaku.com/nintendo-switch-online-game-boy-advance-emulator-leak-p-1848809116

36:33 - Sega is working on Crazy Taxi and Jet Set Radio reboots. Will they succeed?

https://www.gameinformer.com/2022/04/19/sega-reportedly-developing-big-budget-reboots-of-crazy-taxi-jet-set-radio

40:14 - The Winner is…

42:14 - Closing and Plugs

Folks we're back with the hottest gaming news, including: Activision is paying off California Governor, Gavin Newsom, to get out of its lawsuit, the Saudi Crown Prince now owns 96% of SNK, and Kingdom Hearts 4 BAYBEEEE!

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Show Notes:

00:00 - Intro

2:05 - Trivia: How many flavors of Coke are available at Coca-Cola’s museum?

3:40 - Topics

5:44 - The Saudi crown prince now owns 96% of SNK

https://kotaku.com/snk-saudi-arabia-mohammed-bin-salman-mbs-king-of-fighte-1848754233

12:03 - KINGDOM HEARTS IV BAYBEE

https://www.ign.com/articles/kingdom-hearts-4-and-kingdom-hearts-missing-link-announced-at-the-series-20th-anniversary-event

15:51 - The Halo show now shows Master Chief’s master dong. https://kotaku.com/master-chief-nudity-halo-show-paramount-plus-ass-butt-1848762984

22:00 - Halo Infinite’s concurrent players drops below Master Chief Collection on Steam

https://www.eurogamer.net/halo-infinites-player-count-falls-below-halo-the-master-chief-collection-for-the-first-time

26:50 - Sony invests $1B into Epic Game’s Metaverse

https://kotaku.com/sony-epic-metaverse-unreal-engine-5-virtual-reality-inv-1848778166 

32:07 - California’s Governor Gavin Newsom is accused of interfering with Activision lawsuit

https://www.gamespot.com/articles/california-governors-office-accused-of-interfering-with-activision-blizzard-lawsuit/1100-6502460/

38:39 - Coca Cola has made “Pixel Flavored” soda, whatever that means

https://www.gameinformer.com/2022/04/04/coca-cola-zero-sugar-byte-is-a-pixel-flavored-beverage-coming-first-to-the-metaverse-on

44:09 - Jason speaks again

48:11 - The Winner is…

50:02 - Closing and Plugs

We're back with the hottest gaming news! Topics include E3 2022 is canceled, Sony reveals new PlayStation+ plans, and GTAV adds a $6 a month battlepass.

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00:00 - Intro

1:39 - Trivia: how much has Fortnite raised in 10 days for Ukraine?

3:39 - Topics

5:53 - E3 is officially canceled forreal forreal this year. Will it ever return?

https://www.polygon.com/23005160/e3-2022-canceled-digital-event-esa 

12:31 - Master Chief removing his helmet in Halo series “had to feel earned and meaningful”

https://www.ign.com/articles/343i-on-master-chief-removing-his-helmet-in-halo-it-had-to-feel-earned-and-meaningful

18:17 - Sony finally reveals their changes to Playstation +, includes a 3 tier structure.

https://kotaku.com/playstation-unveils-game-pass-competitor-shell-1848716609

22:55 - Amazon Games Boss, Mike Frazzini, is stepping down

https://www.gamesindustry.biz/articles/2022-03-28-long-running-amazon-games-boss-mike-frazzini-is-stepping-down

29:55 - Sony acquires Jade Raymond’s Haven Studios before they’ve made a single game

https://www.gamesindustry.biz/articles/2022-03-21-jade-raymond-and-hermen-hulst-on-why-sony-is-buying-haven

34:54 - After introducing it temporarily, Fortnite has permanently added a no-build mode

https://www.videogameschronicle.com/news/fortnite-has-officially-added-the-new-zero-build-mode/

41:34 - Nintendo takes down scans of Super Mario 64’s strategy guide

https://kotaku.com/nintendo-takedown-legal-threat-1996-book-scans-super-ma-1848700781

46:11 - GTAV is adding a $6/month membership

https://www.videogameschronicle.com/news/gta-online-is-adding-a-6-monthly-membership-scheme-for-ps5-and-xbox-series-x-s/

51:12 - The Winner is…

54:33 - Closing and Plugs

We're back with some more gaming news! This week's topics include: Xbox's Perfect Dark Reboot is in trouble, PlayStation accused of systemic Sexism, and Star Wars Eclipse might not release until 2027.

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Show Notes:

00:00 - Intro

3:42 - Trivia

6:49 - Topics

9:26 - Star Wars Eclipse may not release till 2027

https://gamerant.com/star-wars-eclipse-release-date-2027-2028/

15:09 - SKULL AND BONES ISN’T DEAD!?!

https://www.ign.com/articles/skull-bones-long-delayed-ubisoft-pirate-game-opens-applications-for-public-testing

20:00 - Two men connected to Bobby Kotick just happened to buy $100M Activision stock right before Microsoft bought the company

https://kotaku.com/activision-bobby-kotick-david-geffen-barry-diller-sec-j-1848626232

25:49 - PlayStation accused of systemic sexism by several former employees.

https://kotaku.com/playstation-sony-sexism-case-suit-harassment-discrimina-1848631711

32:26 - Trouble over at Xbox’s The Initiative after roughly 50% of staff leaves

https://www.videogameschronicle.com/news/insiders-describe-fast-and-furious-exits-from-xboxs-perfect-dark-studio/

39:13 - Time for Chris’ favorite topic, Super Nintendo World will open in California in 2023!

https://www.ign.com/articles/super-nintendo-world-universal-studios-hollywood-2023-opening-announced

42:20 - Square Enix launched its own YT music channel

https://www.videogameschronicle.com/news/square-enix-launches-its-own-youtube-music-channel-and-adds-5500-tracks-to-youtube-music/

47:31 - Just weeks into Elden Ring’s launch, it sold 12M copies. https://www.gamespot.com/articles/elden-ring-has-sold-over-12-million-units-already/1100-6501572/

55:34 - The Winner is…

57:45 - Closing and Plugs

We're back with some more gaming news! This week's topics include Nintendo copyright strikes on over 2000 songs on Youtube, Sony Acquired Bungie, and Tom Holland wants to make a Jak and Daxter movie.

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Shownotes:

00:00 - Intro

2:00 - Trivia: How many views did GilvaSunner’s YouTube channel have?

3:55 - Topics

6:00 - Tom Holland wants to do a Jak and Daxter movie

https://www.gameinformer.com/2022/02/08/spider-man-uncharted-star-tom-hollands-dream-video-game-movie-might-surprise-you

10:02 - Sony Head says Bungie acquisition is just the start. Who else will they buy up?

https://www.gamesindustry.biz/articles/2022-01-31-playstation-bungie-will-considerably-accelerate-our-journey-with-multiplatform-live-service-games 

17:24 - Nintendo Direct Announcement Roundup!

https://kotaku.com/nintendo-direct-switch-announce-news-metroid-mother-mar-1848510862

25:10 - PlayStation vows to make 10 live service games by 2026

https://www.ign.com/articles/sony-playstation-to-launch-more-than-10-live-service-games-by-2026 

31:12 - Nintendo says it won’t join the games acquisition arms-race

https://www.videogameschronicle.com/news/nintendos-president-says-it-wont-join-the-games-industry-acquisition-arms-race/

36:04 - Team17 (creators behind worms) pulled back on planned NFTs, but devs still speak out

https://www.eurogamer.net/articles/2022-02-10-inside-team17-following-the-worms-nft-firestorm

45:14 - Platinum Games Director flirting with the idea of more GaaS games

https://www.videogameschronicle.com/news/platinums-new-ceo-wants-to-create-larger-riskier-games-and-hints-at-live-service-focus/

52:16 - Video Game music channel GilvaSunner shutting down after Nintendo claims over 2k videos

https://www.polygon.com/22916040/nintendo-video-game-music-osts-youtube-gilvasunner-copyright-takedown 

56:43 - The Winner is…

59:02 - Closing and Plugs

We're back with the hottest gaming news! This week's main topics are: Will the Rock star in a grand theft auto movie gta, we weigh in on Xbox buying Activision, and Twitch rolling out a new strategy for streamers to make consistent money. 

Show Notes:

00:00 - Intro

2:18 - Trivia: What is the Rotten Tomatoes score of the 2005 DOOM movie?

4:49 - Topics

6:50 - The Rock is going to star in another video game movie, what will it be?

https://www.gameinformer.com/gamer-culture/2022/01/25/dwayne-the-rock-johnson-is-working-on-a-video-game-movie-and-itll-be 

13:41 - What does Xbox buying Activision mean for company culture there?

https://www.polygon.com/22889580/microsoft-activision-blizzard-acquisition-bobby-kotick 

20:21 - Activision’s Raven Software has 34 workers trying to unionize

https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2022-01-21/activision-employee-group-forms-union-a-first-in-video-games

27:47 - What does Xbox buying Activision mean for Sony?

https://www.gameinformer.com/2022/01/21/xbox-head-phil-spencer-confirms-intent-to-keep-call-of-duty-on-playstation-after#:~:text=I%20confirmed%20our%20intent%20to,week%20with%20leaders%20at%20Sony. 

35:29 - TT Games, makers of the Lego games, has reports of terrible crunch

https://www.polygon.com/features/22891555/lego-star-wars-the-skywalker-saga-has-led-to-extensive-crunch-at-tt-games

42:27 - Twitch plans to roll out a new program allowing streamers to earn a set salary payout

https://www.gamespot.com/articles/twitch-rolls-out-new-way-for-streamers-to-make-money/1100-6499974/

48:02 - Yakuza’s creator officially announced his new studio with Netease https://www.videogameschronicle.com/news/yakuza-veterans-confirm-founding-of-nagoshi-studio/

54:03 - Runescape is getting not one, but two tabletop games ths year!

https://www.polygon.com/tabletop-games/22899249/runescape-tabletop-games-2022

58:02 - The Winner is…

59:46 - Closing and Plugs

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#gamingnews #therockmovie #gtamovie

We're finally back in 2022 with some more gaming news! Topics include: Take Two Acquiring Zynga for $12B, In order to help with PS5 shortages Sony is making more PS4s, and E3 is going online only again, can the showcase keep its relevance in the age of internet showcases?

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Timestamps:

00:00 - Intro

2:44 - Trivia

5:51 - Topics

8:42 - Fromsoft is officially working on Armored Core

https://www.videogameschronicle.com/news/the-first-screenshots-of-from-softwares-armored-core-6-have-seemingly-leaked/

15:10 - Take Two acquires Zynga for over $12B https://www.videogameschronicle.com/news/take-two-announces-acquisition-of-mobile-games-giant-zynga-for-12-7bn/

19:29 - E3 is going to be online only again this year, how bad is it for E3’s continued relevance?

https://www.polygon.com/22870905/e3-2022-date-online-only

25:11 - Sony’s Firesprite Studio has taken over Twisted Metal Reboot, Lucid also loses staff

https://www.videogameschronicle.com/news/sonys-firesprite-takes-over-twisted-metal-as-motorstorm-director-is-hired/

32:27 - In order to address the PS5 shortage, Sony is going to… make more PS4s?

https://kotaku.com/sony-to-produce-more-ps4s-in-response-to-ps5-shortage-1848345590

36:59 - Pokimane banned on twitch (for 2 days) after blatantly watching ATLA on stream

https://www.polygon.com/22873041/pokimane-twitch-ban-tv-meta-avatar-last-airbender-dmca

42:55 - The Winner is…

44:10 - Closing and Plugs