Xbox promises a return to form with a chatty new memo while PlayStation’s silence suggests a heel turn no one wanted or asked for. All while Pragmata and Saros have us feeling that video games, unlike the industry that makes them, are alright actually.

It’s been a loaded week in the games business and we’re here to break it all down. Unlike most of our usual episodes that focus on a single topic, there’s a lot to unpack this time around so we got timestamps for your perusal.

Xbox Strategy — or Lack Thereof

* 00:01:00 – The Xbox memo: We break down Asha Sharma’s leaked-and-then-revealed memo on the future of Xbox.

* 00:02:08 – The “Northstar” metric: Xbox identifies daily active players as their primary metric for success. Not the first time engagement became a cornerstone metric. Some of us are old enough to remember it first introduced in 2015.

* 00:03:08 – Hardware priorities: Xbox Series X|S plans ahead of a Project Helix launch.

* 00:04:37 – Game Pass price drops: Apparent efforts to lower the cost of Xbox Game Pass and why it’s a bizarre idea at this point.

* 00:06:09 – Global distribution critique: We berate the Xbox’s lack of hardware availability in India, Asia, and the Middle East amidst a memo that calls for more console hardware focus.

* 00:08:52 – Feature Deprecation: Criticism over the removal of Xbox social features like Clubs.

* 00:10:00 – Mobile storefront rumours: Discussion on potential plans for a mobile APK storefront.

* 00:10:53 – State of Halo: Analysis of the management and current status of the Halo franchise.

* 00:12:31 – Personal Xbox Series X experiences: Rishi explains why he has owned three different Xbox Series X consoles this generation.

* 00:14:50 – Next-Gen OEM partnerships: Rumours regarding third-party partners like ASUS manufacturing Helix-based hardware.

* 00:17:22 – Corporate culture: It’s wild how much heavy-lifting the memo does in terms of making Xbox cosplay as a startup rather than a subsidiary of a megacorp.

* 00:19:39 – Call of Duty profitability: We parse through the strategic decision to remove Call of Duty from Game Pass to protect retail sales.

PS5 DRM and What Could Happen Next

* 00:31:52 – PS5 DRM: Details on the 30-day login requirement for digital purchases on PS4 and PS5.

* 00:36:34 – The Crew 2 offline mode: Ubisoft’s response to the Stop Killing Games community initiative via the EU regarding live service games.

Assassin’s Creed Black Flag Resynced: Everything We Know So Far

* 00:37:39 – Assassin’s Creed 4: Black Flag Resynced: Official announcement and details of the remake.

* 00:40:54 – Assassin’s Creed roadmap: Discussion on Shadows, Hexe, and the rumored AC1 remake.

* 00:43:16 – Gameplay overhaul: Improvements to stealth, tailing missions, and ship customisation.

* 00:45:38 – Pricing & Indian retail: Details on the 4,999 INR price point and the legitimacy of the steelbook offer at Games The Shop.

Pragmata, Saros, and the End

* 00:47:37 – Pragmata: Rahul discusses playing Capcom’s Pragmata via GeForce Now.

* 00:50:15 – Saros: Rishi reviews Housemarque’s spiritual successor to Returnal, featuring actor Rahul Kohli.

* 00:52:48 – Saros mechanics: A look at the laser-focused gameplay and DualSense haptic feedback.

* 00:57:05 – Outro & Giveaway: Information on the Marathon controller giveaway and closing out the podcast.

Welcome to Day Zero. This podcast is about video games breaking down the bytes and bits behind the decisions that make and break the world’s greatest entertainment industry. Have a request? Hot take? Insider tip? Reach us at the handles mentioned below:

* Twitter/X - @rishialwani

* Threads - @rishi.alwani

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* Twitter/X - @darthrahul

* Threads - @darthrahul

* Instagram - @darthrahul

After a solid press event a few months ago, Nvidia finally lifted the lid on its GeForce Now streaming service India release. Following a couple of weeks of media previews, players can check it out from April 16 onwards in early access.

In this episode of the Day Zero Podcast, we discuss our thoughts on GeForce Now after trying it out pre-release across a host of devices ranging from TVs to Steam Decks and a smartphone or two. We also discuss the state of the games business in India what with resurgent PS5 and Nintendo Switch (yes, Switch, not Switch 2) sales.

Furthermore, we also address the RTX 5090-sized elephant in the room — if renting high-speed, performant servers to stream video games is all GeForce Now is, and if you still have to buy your own games — who is it really for in a market that’s dominated by free-to-play mobile games and value-conscious spenders?

Finally, we discuss what we’ve been playing this week, including Pragmata, Dosa Divas, and to no one’s surprise, Starfield.

This is Day Zero. It is a podcast on video games breaking down the bytes and bits behind the decisions that make and break the world’s greatest entertainment industry. Day Zero is hosted by Rahul Majumdar and Rishi Alwani.

We’d love to hear your objectively good takes — they surely can’t be worse than some of ours. Find us with yours at the handles below:

* Twitter/X - @RishiAlwani

* Threads - @rishi.alwani

* Instagram - @rishi.alwani

* Twitter/X - @darthrahul

* Threads - @darthrahul

* Instagram - @darthrahul

Episode 20 of the Day Zero podcast is out. As the title suggests, we break down what to expect from the ShinyHunters hack of GTA 6 developer Rockstar. Keep in mind that this was recorded on April 12, a day before the hackers leaked details early. That said we parse what you can expect in the aftermath of this reveal and ponder how a company with more money than god can’t get its cybersecurity in order (what with this being the second known major hack since 2022).

Along with this we also discuss friend of the podcast Kirk McKeand’s awesome interview with industry legend and Bethesda game deliverer of sick day notes Pete Hines, which pretty much confirms what we already know when mega-corps try to make sense of video games.

Apart from this, we get into the weeds of one of the more ridiculous pricing moves for a video game in India — 007 First Light courtesy of IO — and make the argument for not buying anything from the publisher given its focus on live services.

Finally, we also talk about what we’ve been playing this week, namely the excellent Dosa Divas and the not so excellent Starfield to name a few.

The Day Zero podcast breaks down the bytes and bits behind the decisions that make and break the world’s greatest entertainment industry. It’s run by Rahul Majumdar and Rishi Alwani.

Comments? Criticisms? Industry tips? Leather jackets? You can find us at the following handles to discuss all of that and then some:

* Twitter/X - @RishiAlwani

* Threads - @rishi.alwani

* Instagram - @rishi.alwani

* Twitter/X - @darthrahul

* Threads - @darthrahul

* Instagram - @darthrahul

With the PS5 getting a much-maligned price hike this week, we discuss what to expect from PlayStation in terms of its impact on a potential PS5 Pro India launch and more importantly, how much more you could pay for a PS5 if you haven’t got one already.

Along with this, we also discuss the company’s legacy of making games for India from India (or in the case of Singstar Bollywood, London).

Before that though, we dig deep into Fishbowl. Developed by Goa-based imissmyfriends.studio, it’s a cosy slice-of-life game that has a surprising focus on details, a deceptively hypnotic gameplay loop, and an interesting story to boot.

However there’s more to it, as the first game of the PlayStation India Hero Project — Sony’s latest attempt at curating the best Indian game developers have to offer — it’ll likely set a standard by which others will be judged. Without spoiling much, Fishbowl sets the bar high enough.

Oh and, if you’re reading this the day it goes live and you want to win a limited edition Marathon DualSense controller, subscribe to us on Substack if you haven’t already. Winner to be announced on the next podcast.

Finally, we discuss what we’ve playing this week and to no one’s surprise it involves a lot of crimson — in terms of deserts and demon blood.

This is the Day Zero podcast. breaking down the bytes and bits behind the decisions that make and break the world’s greatest entertainment industry. Have a request? Hot take? Insider tip? Reach us at the handles mentioned below:

* Twitter/X - @RishiAlwani

* Threads - @rishi.alwani

* Instagram - @rishi.alwani

* Twitter/X - @darthrahul

* Threads - @darthrahul

* Instagram - @darthrahul

AI slop and its proponents can’t stop clinging to an already hollowed-out games industry and this time it’s courtesy of Nvidia. By now the megacorp’s AI piss filter reveal or “DLSS 5”as its officially known has been universally panned to the point where our favourite leather clad CEO Jensen had to claim to hate AI slop after calling his audience wrong, all while the company has admitted that the level of control developers have isn’t as granular as it could be.

In this episode of Day Zero we discuss everything wrong with Nvidia’s DLSS 5 reveal. From the games chosen to how it was framed and even the amusingly hilarious attempts at astroturfing to boot. Suffice to say, we had opinions aplenty.

And for game developers, publishers, and industry execs listening, we also discuss if you should disclose if AI was used in making your game — or not. Spoiler alert: you should to understand why and how: we got you covered from 32:54 onwards.

Welcome to Day Zero. This is a podcast about video games breaking down the bytes and bits behind the decisions that make and break the world’s greatest entertainment industry. Have a request? Hot take? Insider tip? Reach us at the handles mentioned below:

* Twitter/X - @RishiAlwani

* Threads - @rishi.alwani

* Instagram - @rishi.alwani

* Twitter/X - @darthrahul

* Threads - @darthrahul

* Instagram - @darthrahul

Halo and Destiny hitmaker Bungie released Marathon earlier this month. It’s the legendary studio’s first game following Sony splurging $3.6 billion to acquire it. While there’s a lot of things in this extraction shooter that make it compelling to play, there’s also a lot of friction that make it impenetrable for some. And while certain sections of the internet might croon that it’s Concord 2.0 (probably the same lot fetishising Nvidia’s DLSS 5), Marathon’s actually a pretty solid game. We explain why in the first half of the Day Zero Podcast. Oh, and if you want to win a limited edition Marathon DualSense controller, subscribe to us on Substack if you haven’t already. Winner to be announced in two weeks.

After that we talk about Microsoft’s new Xbox moves or lack thereof. At GDC 2026 Xbox revealed more details on Project Helix, the next iteration of its consoles. While a slew of technical information was made public, there was little in the way of innovation spoken and even less in terms of Xbox Game Pass, likely lending credence to the deprioritisation of a service some have referred to as ‘Welfare Pass’.

Furthermore, the way forward seems to indicate lip service in terms of video games preservation rather than an earnest attempt at it.

Finally we discuss Xbox’s duality in terms of keeping AI away from game development but still shoehorning it into Xbox Series X|S with Copilot coming in an update to the consoles.

This is Day Zero. It is a podcast about video games breaking down the bytes and bits behind the decisions that make and break the world’s greatest entertainment industry. Have a request? Hot take? Insider tip? Reach us at the handles mentioned below:

* Twitter/X - @RishiAlwani

* Threads - @rishi.alwani

* Instagram - @rishi.alwani

* Twitter/X - @darthrahul

* Threads - @darthrahul

* Instagram - @darthrahul

After a recent Shark Tank India episode featuring a father and son duo making $221,000 in Roblox, we’ve been inundated with requests from our listeners — mainly those working in the video games industry — to break down what user generated content is for platforms like Roblox and Fortnite, and how that differs from (or complements) existing live service pipelines for such games. For what it’s worth, Roblox’s leadership is still cringe and can do better with its safety standards, our position on this has not changed and we’ve discussed this on a previous episode.

That said, to break down the nuance behind user generated content on Roblox and Fortnite, we got special guest Rishabh Sabarwal to break down everything you need to know. Currently a gaming editor at Beebom India, focussing on live service games, he’s previously consulted studios making games in Fortnite. He sheds light on how game developers are making the switch and what are the common pitfalls of doing so.

We also dive into how creators are earning millions by developing brain rot games that prioritise instant gratification and viral trends over complex design. This includes a deep dive into revenue which is primarily driven by engagement metrics and the sale of virtual items using in-game currencies like Robux.

Finally, we also discuss how these kind of games/experiences built on Fortnite and Roblox live or die on basis of their update cadence and mobile accessibility rather than traditional gameplay loops. Time stamps as follows:

Market Scenario

* 0:00 – Introduction to the UGC Ecosystem

* 1:30 – The Billion-Dollar Scale: we discuss how top UGC games on both platforms have already exceeded $1 billion in revenue, often outperforming traditional high-budget titles that are being shelved.

* 2:45 – Monetisation: revenue streams breakdown including those where creators can keep up to 100% of the in-game currency spent.

Case Studies: Brain Rot Performance Metrics

* 5:00 – High-Performance Experiences: we look at Steal a Brain Rot the top-performing game driving 6 million concurrent users (CCU) daily on Roblox.

* 7:30 – The Fortnite Inflection Point: how UGC experiences in Fortnite broke records with 6.5 million CCU, surpassing the player count of Fortnite’s own core Battle Royale mode.

* 8:45 – Platform Marketing Shifts: insight into Fortnite’s decision to rebrand its App Store presence to feature UGC characters, highlighting a creator who earned $50 million in five months.

User Psychology and Retention

* 10:15 – Demographics and the “iPad Kid” Economy: why 15-minute dopamine loops are more effective for younger audiences than 30-minute battle royale matches.

* 11:45 – Advanced Retention Tactics: discussion on “offline progression” (e.g., Grow a Garden) and live events, such as the Bruno Mars concert, used to drive exclusive cosmetic sales.

Where Studios Fail and India Insights

* 13:30 – Common Studio Failures: why traditional studios fail by over-investing in “perfect” game design documents rather than chasing viral TikTok trends and memes.

* 15:00 – The “Live Ops” Mandate: the requirement for daily updates to maintain UGC momentum, contrasting with the multi-week cycles typical of mobile or PC gaming.

* 16:30 – Regional Market Insights (India): analysis of the gap in the Indian market where local studios are failing to target the primary 7-year-old demographic already playing brain rot games.

What Next?

* 18:45 – Why Creators Don’t Go Solo: Roblox and Fortnite handle all server infrastructure, publishing, and marketing, making it risky for successful creators to build independent games.

* 20:00 – The Disney Play: early indicators of how Disney is licensing official IP to creators within Fortnite’s Unreal Editor (UEFN), signalling a new era of corporate-UGC collaboration.

Welcome to Day Zero. This is a podcast about video games breaking down the bytes and bits behind the decisions that make and break the world’s greatest entertainment industry. Have a request? Hot take? Insider tip? Reach us at the handles mentioned below:

* Twitter/X - @RishiAlwani

* Threads - @rishi.alwani

* Instagram - @rishi.alwani

* Twitter/X - @darthrahul

* Threads - @darthrahul

* Instagram - @darthrahul

Capcom’s on a generational run with its survival horror series Resident Evil. The ninth mainline entry, Resident Evil Requiem is out now for PS5, Xbox Series X|S, Nintendo Switch 2, and PC. In this episode of the Day Zero Podcast we discuss our thoughts on the game (spoiler-free) along with how it’s sold in the Indian market (spoiler: good) and how the likes of Games The Shop — the country’s biggest retailer as well as Nvidia, did their bit to hype up the game.

We also talk about how Resident Evil Requiem fits into the greater context of AAA game development and how games like this are few and far between due to what the industry at large optimises for (i.e. economics, not AI and lay-offs or so we hope). Mad props to David Goldfarb for the tweets that sparked this part of the conversation (and the title of this podcast) to begin with.

Furthermore, we talk about Marathon, Bungie’s first game since Sony’s acquisition of the Halo and Destiny maker. From font choices (bad) to its visual direction (good) every aspect of this extraction shooter is laid bare. Along with some choice for words for those pushing out “reviews” for a live service game that isn’t out in a wide enough fashion to warrant the exuberance (or gloom).

Day Zero is a podcast about video games breaking down the bytes and bits behind the decisions that make and break the world’s greatest entertainment industry.

We’d love to hear your objectively bad takes. Let’s start a dialogue, preferably with enough branching paths favouring us.

* Twitter/X - @RishiAlwani

* Threads - @rishi.alwani

* Instagram - @rishi.alwani

* Twitter/X - @darthrahul

* Threads - @darthrahul

* Instagram - @darthrahul

Industry staple Phil Spencer is moving on from Xbox. Megacorp Microsoft announced the Xbox CEO’s departure late last week. Heir apparent Sarah Bond revealed she would be moving on too. In their place is Asha Sharma is the new CEO of Xbox. She was previously the head of coreAI at Microsoft.

In this episode of Day Zero, we discuss the ramifications of this move along with some community wisdom that’s probably done a better job of reading the room versus most (or even the official narrative).

One of the points of discussion is deprioritising PC Game Pass and potentially Xbox Game Pass in itself given. Despite a strong slate of games and a rumoured new Xbox hardware next year, we may actually see Xbox being sold for parts or gutted completely.

Before this, we discuss Sony’s scuppering of Bluepoint and how that it appears like an unwarranted move given that the company recently revealed its remaster plans for the God of War trilogy.

And speaking of God of War, we also break down what we liked — and did not like — about God of War Sons of Sparta that was shadow dropped during the excellent State of Play earlier in the month.

Day Zero is a podcast on video games featuring Rahul Majumdar and Rishi Alwani breaking down the bytes and bits behind the decisions that make and break the world's greatest entertainment industry.

We’d love to hear your objectively bad takes. Let’s start a dialogue, preferably with enough branching paths favouring us.

* Twitter/X - @RishiAlwani

* Threads - @rishi.alwani

* Instagram - @rishi.alwani

* Twitter/X - @darthrahul

* Threads - @darthrahul

* Instagram - @darthrahul

The PlayStation State of Play for February 2026 was perhaps the strongest showing from any console maker in recent times. From the likes of John Wick to Kena: Scars of Kosmora, there’s something for everyone. It harkened back to the time of the original PlayStation’s (and arguably PlayStation 2’s) peak — so many games to choose from for any kind of gamer.

In this episode of Day Zero, we discuss why this matters. With the state of the games business in flux courtesy of AI, a weak Xbox, and Nintendo yet to find its footing with the Switch 2, we talk about why the State of Play for February 2026 was a show of strength and how it could shape expectations for the year to come.

More so when you consider that GeForce Now’s launch event is done and dusted and we still don’t have an actual launch date, and Xbox appears to be content doing absolutely nothing of value.

Along with this we discuss some of PlayStation India’s marketing snafus, complete with select comments from Twitter on how the company could change it for the better. From marketing professionals to editors (and friends of the podcast) and even streamers, it appears that PlayStation’s vocal and loyal fan base has a lot to say. And some of it is even worth surfacing. In addition with how to save some money on PS5 games that fans of the podcast would be familiar with.

Finally, we tell you what we’ve been playing this week, including a certain mystery game that Rahul can’t tell you about (just yet) and Rishi’s adventures with the latest Suda51 title, Romeo Is a Dead Man.

Day Zero is a podcast that breaks down the bytes and bits behind the decisions that make and break the world’s greatest entertainment industry. It’s run by Rahul Majumdar and Rishi Alwani.

Comments? Criticisms? Industry tips? Leather jackets? You can find us at the following handles to discuss all of that and then some:

* Twitter/X - @RishiAlwani

* Threads - @rishi.alwani

* Instagram - @rishi.alwani

* Twitter/X - @darthrahul

* Threads - @darthrahul

* Instagram - @darthrahul