Gamified

If you were running a studio, would you automate over or under 30% of it with AI?

After comments suggesting many studios are already using AI tools but are afraid to admit it publicly, the conversation turns into a fight over what AI should actually replace, whether studios are quietly cutting humans out faster than they admit, and what happens when the industry starts trading headcount for tooling.

The episode also breaks down the shutdown of Wildcard / Thousands and what another major web3 gaming collapse says about overfunding, overbuilding, and trying to force an ecosystem before the game itself sticks.

From there, the crew gets into the resurfaced Peter Berg quotes calling war video games “pathetic” and whether that makes him a red flag or green flag choice to direct the upcoming Call of Duty movie, plus Sony’s reported 30-day PS5 digital license check and what it says about digital ownership.

Chapters

2:06 - Wildcard Shutdown | Autopsy

28:14 - Game Studio = 30% AI | Over / Under?

1:00:42 - Peter Berg CoD Movie | Red or Green Flag?

1:19:02 - PS5 License Checks | What’s the Word?

Watch instead of listen on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JxgjOUdFm90

Host: Sam Steffanina - Remix.gg

Panelists

Kohji Nagata - Parallel

https://x.com/ParallelTCGpod

Chris Heatherley - Griffin Gaming Partners (Ex-Disney, Ex-NBC Universal)

https://x.com/chrisheatherly

Matt "Gnoc" Biamonte - Digital Collectors Club (Ex-Magic Eden, Soar Esports)

https://x.com/itsGnoc

Michael Christine - Andrometa (Ex-SEC Lawyer)

https://x.com/MichaelSatoshi

Tony Valcarcel - Makko.ai (Ex-Twitch)

https://x.com/Tvalc

Jerry Singer - (Ex-Upptic)

https://x.com/JerrySinger

This week on Gamified, the panel breaks down Stop Killing Games and whether it’s a real consumer protection issue or a bad precedent for the industry, Roblox’s new age-based safety changes and what they mean for the company’s future, and the State of Decay 3 reveal controversy after the game was announced long before it was actually ready to show.

2:29 - Stop Killing Games | What’s the Word?

36:18 - Roblox Safety Pivot | Buy or Sell?

54:50 - State of Decay Reveal | Fair or Foul?

1:12:23 - Working in Games | Advise Me

1:25:50 - Street Fighter vs Mortal Kombat | Who Ya Got?

Subscribe to the Gamified newsletter: https://gamified.beehiiv.com/

Watch instead of listen on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x2TB2tkknlU

Host - Sam Steffanina - Remix.gg, Gamified Events

https://x.com/SamSteffanina

Panelists:

Kohji Nagata - Parallel

https://x.com/ParallelTCGpod

Chris Heatherly - Griffin Gaming Partners (Ex-Disney, Ex-NBC Universal)

https://x.com/chrisheatherly

Matt "Gnoc" Biamonte - Digital Collectors Club (Ex-Magic Eden, Soar Esports)

https://x.com/itsGnoc

Matthew Buxton - Warp Chain (ex-Rovio, Jagex)

Wills Spangler - GameCred (ex-Avalanche)

https://x.com/WillsSpangler

Tony Valcarcel - Makko.ai (ex-Twitch)

https://x.com/Tvalc

The strange rollout of Borderlands Mobile, reports that Disney and Epic want to launch their gaming universe with an extraction shooter, the allegations surrounding Gunzilla Games + Ashes of Creation, and why Roblox games are getting movie deals.

2:51 - Steam’s AI Leak | What’s the Word?

19:26 - Borderlands Surprise Launch | Red or Green Flag?

30:22 - Disney Extraction Shooter | Sentiment Score

58:51 - Ashes vs Gunzilla | Bigger Deal?

1:13:39 - Roblox UGC Movie | What’s the Word?

Subscribe to the Gamified newsletter: https://gamified.beehiiv.com/

Watch instead of Listen on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4D51MM7jFAA

Host - Sam Steffanina https://x.com/SamSteffanina

Panelists:

Kohji Nagata - Parallel

https://x.com/ParallelTCGpod

Chris Heatherley - Griffin Gaming Partners (Ex-Disney, Ex-NBC Universal)

https://x.com/chrisheatherly

Kate Irwin - Veda (Ex-Blockworks Ex-PCMag

https://x.com/kateirwin

Michael Christine - Andrometa (Ex-SEC Lawyer)

https://x.com/MichaelSatoshi

Matt "Gnoc" Biamonte - Digital Collectors Club (Ex-Magic Eden, Soar Esports)

https://x.com/itsGnoc

Colan Neese - Screen Engine & mindGAME Data

LinkedIn / colanneese

Info on the Gunzilla and Ashes of Creation topic:

https://navarti.in.ua/1048774-vlad-korolev-alexander-zoll-and-gunzilla-games-russian-mafia-assets-laundered.html

https://www.dexerto.com/gaming/failed-mmo-devs-reportedly-used-3-2m-kickstarter-funds-on-trading-cards-more-3350692/

The panel debates Take-Two (GTA6) cutting its AI team, whether game adaptations should be made for core fans or mainstream audiences, if PC is really about to overtake console, and if AAA is still the safer bet than indies. We also get into , AI’s role in preserving game history, and whether a curated indie subscription service can actually work.

2:08 - Fan Service in Game Adaptations | Bullish or Bullshit

12:37 - Would you rather 10 indies or 1 AAA?

39:34 - PC vs Console Revenue | Over/Under

57:28 - Take-Two Cuts AI Team | Red Flag or Green Flag?

1:05:05 - AI Game Preservation | What’s the Word?

1:15:39 - Indie Game Pass | Sentiment Score

1:33:29 - MVP of the Show

Subscribe to the Gamified newsletter: https://gamified.beehiiv.com/

Watch instead of listen on YouTube:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eKDmIzdV1Lg

Host - Sam Steffanina - https://x.com/SamSteffanina

Panelists:

Kohji Nagata - Parallel - https://x.com/ParallelTCGpod

Chris Heatherley - Griffin Gaming (Ex-Disney, Ex-NBC Universal) - https://x.com/chrisheatherly

Tony Valcercel Makko AI (Ex-Twitch Prime) - https://x.com/Tvalc

Payton Kaleiwahea (Wolves Co, Kizuna) - https://x.com/paytkaleiwahea

Jonah Blake (LiveFrame) - https://x.com/JonahBlake

Jerry Singer (Exit Liquidity show) - https://x.com/JerrySinger

Is Marathon already dead? Sony just raised PS5 prices for the second time in a year. And the CEO of an $11 billion company used ChatGPT to try dodging a $250M payout. Plus Chris Heatherly serves up a rumor about Disney. 2:55 Is Marathon Already Cooked?19:20 PS5's are 30% More Expensive 36:48 Metacritic's Top 10 Publishers48:08 Disney is Working on "Playable TV" 1:01:29 How Much Did Nintendo Pay for Hades 2 (Exclusive)1:14:12 Krafton's $250m Disaster + CEO Embarassment1:31:00 MVP VotingSubscribe to the Gamified news letter for summaries, quotes and extras: https://gamified.beehiiv.com/Watch instead of listen on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RYAAnN4fTy4Host - Sam Steffanina https://x.com/SamSteffaninaPanelists:Kohji Nagata - Parallelhttps://x.com/ParallelTCGpodChris Heatherley - Griffin Gaming (Ex-Disney, Ex-NBC Universal)https://x.com/chrisheatherlyKevin Lambert - Origins TCG (Ex-Microsoft)https://x.com/kevinlambertWills Spangler GameCredhttps://x.com/WillsSpanglerTony Valcercel Makko AI (Ex-Twitch Prime)https://x.com/TvalcGnoc - Digital Collectibles Club (Ex-Soar Gaming/Eleven Esports)https://x.com/itsGnoc

Episode 153: The panel goes to war over Nintendo vs Marvel, dunks on Epic's disaster, dissects the $80B metaverse failure, and debates whether Crimson Desert's AI art scandal even matters.

4:00 Big Deal?: Crimson Desert AI Art Scandal

19:55 Buy or Sell: Cyberpunk TCG Kickstarter ($13M Raised)

35:49 Autopsy: What Killed the Metaverse? ($80B Lost)

46:45 Quickfire: GameStop Declares Xbox 360 "Retro"

53:06 Boardroom: Epic Games Lays Off 1,000 Employees

1:06:33 CEO: Nintendo vs Marvel - Who Owns the Next Decade?

Subscribe to the Gamified news letter for summaries, quotes and extras: https://gamified.beehiiv.com/

Watch instead of listen on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eKSyYkeTvl8

Host - https://x.com/paytkaleiwahea

Follow our panelists:

Sam Steffanina https://x.com/SamSteffanina

Chris Heatherly - https://x.com/chrisheatherly

Jerry Singer - https://x.com/JerrySinger

Oliver Maroney - https://x.com/OliverMaroney

Michael Christine - https://x.com/MichaelSatoshi

Gnoc (Matt Biamonte) - https://x.com/itsGnoc

Topics on today's show - 143 million Pokemon Go players unknowingly built a 30 BILLION image AI dataset. Microsoft announced Gaming Copilot for Xbox - an AI that can play the game for you. NVIDIA showed DLSS 5 and the internet lost its mind (in a bda way). Slay the Spire 2 sold 3 million copies at $25 - did they leave millions on the table? GDC rebranded as a "Festival" and nobody cared or noticed. And Roblox accounted for 67% of ALL gaming growth outside China.This is Gamified, breaking down the biggest stories in the industry, one game mode at a time.0:28 - Pokemon Go selling data11:58 - Xbox is getting Microsoft Copilot27:40 - Slay the Spire TOO CHEAP?38:49 - GDC "festival" buy or sell?57:36 - Nvidia's DLSS 51:08:53 - Is Roblox the only stock worth buying in Gaming?Game Modes + Topics for this episode:1. Red Flag or Green Flag - Is it okay for gaming companies to use player behavior as covert data collection? Pokemon Go produced 30 billion real-world images for Niantic's AI. Players had no idea.2. Bullish or Bullsh*t - Microsoft's Gaming Copilot is coming to Xbox. Voice assistant, real-time tips, and patents for AI that takes control of gameplay. One week after Xbox's new CEO said they'd be careful with AI.3. Sentiment Score - NVIDIA showed DLSS 5 at GTC 2026. Transformer-based scene reconstruction. Photorealistic output. YouTube comments were near 100% negative. Bethesda walked back Starfield's implementation. 0-10, what's your score?4. Over/Under - Slay the Spire 2 launched at $25 and sold 3 million copies. Over or under $35 as the right price point?5. Buy or Sell - GDC rebranded as the Festival of Gaming. 20,000 attendees, down from 30K. Studios closing, layoffs compounding. Buy or sell the new format?6. Explain Like I'm a Shareholder - Roblox hit $4.9B revenue, $6.8B bookings, 144M DAUs in Q4, and more hours played than Steam, PlayStation, and Fortnite combined. It represented 67% of all non-China gaming growth. Break it down.Follow our panelists:Host - Sam Steffanina https://x.com/SamSteffaninaChris Heatherly - https://x.com/chrisheatherlyJerry Singer - https://x.com/JerrySingerOliver Maroney - https://x.com/OliverMaroneyWills Spangler - https://x.com/WillsSpanglerGnoc (Matt Biamonte) - https://x.com/itsGnoc

Watch instead of listen on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4UJ3DB-zf2E

Game Modes + Topics for this episode:

0:37 Netflix Valued Warner Bros Games at Zero

13:55 Marathon's Massive Sentiment Reversal

26:44 NY AG Sues Valve Over CS2 Loot Boxes

43:33 Where Does Gaming UGC Go From Here?

59:30 Pokemon Gen 10 Revealed

1:22:09 Should Celebrities Be Making Games?

Red Flag or Green Flag — Paramount just acquired Warner Bros Discovery, including Mortal Kombat, Batman Arkham, and LEGO Games. Netflix walked away and said they attributed zero value to the game studios. Red flag or green flag for Warner Bros Games?

Sentiment Score — Marathon had plagiarism accusations, a boring alpha, and an indefinite delay. Then Bungie ran the Server Slam and 143,000 people showed up on day one. Score it before and after. Both numbers before you explain.

Big Deal, Little Deal, No Deal — The New York AG just sued Valve, calling CS2 loot boxes illegal gambling. The skins market is worth $4.3 billion. A single skin sold for over a million dollars. Big deal?

Finish the Sentence — Roblox has 88 million daily active users and represents 67% of all net growth in gaming. In 5 years, gaming UGC will be ___?

What's the Word — Pokemon Day just happened — the 30th anniversary. Generation 10 is officially Pokemon Winds and Waves. Switch 2 exclusive. Underwater exploration. What's the word?

Bullish or Bullshit — Last Flag is a free-to-play hero shooter that had 100K Steam wishlists before Imagine Dragons ever got involved. Then the band signed on, the trailer hit 280K YouTube views in a week, and Tyler1 joined the party. Should celebrities be in games?

Watch instead of listen on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AdASe58sCAk

Follow our panelists:

Host - Sam Steffanina https://x.com/SamSteffanina

Kohji Nagata - https://x.com/ParallelTCGpod

Jerry Singer - https://x.com/JerrySinger

Oliver Maroney - https://x.com/OliverMaroney

Michael Christine - https://x.com/MichaelSatoshi

Gnoc (Matt Biamonte) - https://x.com/itsGnoc

Payton - https://x.com/paytkaleiwahea

Behind the scenes - Lemz https://x.com/Lemz_42

Gamified brings 6 game industry workers from founders to business developers to discuss what's going on each week in 60-second bursts. Every topic has a 'game mode' that makes the topics more entertaining and the takes a little hotter.

Game Modes + Topics for this episode:

1. What's the Word -- Sony quietly shut down Bluepoint Games, the studio behind some of the most beloved remakes in gaming history. 70 people out. No warning.

2. Devil's Advocate -- Xbox just appointed an AI executive with zero gaming experience as its new head. 5.6 million people are not happy. We argue the other side.

3. Sentiment Score -- Blizzard announced Overwatch Rush, a brand new top-down hero shooter built from the ground up for mobile. Zero to ten, what's your number?

4. Change My Mind -- Friend Slop is oversaturated. Unicycling sausages, airport security simulators, Super Battle Golf. The genre has hit the wall. Change our mind.

5. Explain like I'm a Shareholder -- A new report says gaming is losing your Friday nights to gambling, OnlyFans, and online casinos. Why buy gaming stocks?

6. Red Flag or Green Flag -- Nintendo is charging $20 for Pokemon games outside their subscription. Microsoft is stuffing more into Game Pass and raising the price. Both are getting roasted. Red flag or green flag for gaming subscriptions?

Watch instead of listen on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_2IL2aKNgk0

Follow our panelists:

Host - Sam Steffanina https://x.com/SamSteffanina

Kevin Lambert - https://x.com/kevinlambert

Kohji Nagata - https://x.com/ParallelTCGpod

Wills Spangler - https://x.com/WillsSpangler

Michael O'connor - / mjoc9

Gnoc (Matt Biamonte) - https://x.com/itsGnoc

dub (Andrew Wian) - https://x.com/uhhdub

Behind the scenes - Lemz https://x.com/Lemz_42

Gamified brings 6 game industry workers from founders to business developers to discuss whats going on each week in 60-second bursts.

Every topic has a 'game mode' - that make the topics more entertaining and the takes a little hotter.

Game Modes + Topics for this episode:

1. What's the Word — Blizzard surprise-dropped a brand new class for a 25-year-old game, Diablo 2 Resurrected

2. Ship It or Rip It — Over half of game industry professionals think generative AI is hurting the industry. Is the backlash justified?

3. Sentiment Score - Overwatch 2 drops the 2 and becomes Overwatch... again?

4. Red Flag or Green Flag — Five, six, seven-year dev cycles are becoming the norm. Is that a sign of ambition or a broken industry?

5. Who's to Blame? — Highguard launched, got destroyed by the internet, and the devs hit back. We dig into who's actually responsible.

Watch instead of listen on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tkd6RlMyJAw

Follow our panelists:

Host - Sam Steffanina https://x.com/SamSteffanina

Kevin Lambert - https://x.com/kevinlambert

Kohji Nagata - https://x.com/ParallelTCGpod

Wills Spangler - https://x.com/WillsSpangler

Jerry Singer - https://x.com/JerrySinger

Gnoc (Matt Biamonte) - https://x.com/itsGnoc

Michael Christine - https://x.com/MichaelSatoshi

Behind the scenes - Lemz https://x.com/Lemz_42