Jiggle Physics

Jen and Rebecca are joined by Sam Tolbert for an update on Activision Blizzard, Overwatch 2, and Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth. Overwatch 2 will be free-to-play in all sorts of places, while Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth is a PS5 exclusive. They also chat about the announcement of Dragon's Dogma 2, and what to expect at the upcoming Nintendo Direct.

LINKS:

• Activision Blizzard finds there is no 'evidence' of harassment at Activision Blizzard | Windows Central
• Microsoft enters labor neutrality agreement for Activision Blizzard workers | Windows Central
• Overwatch 2 Junker Queen ultimate guide: Abilities, gameplay, and more | Windows Central
• Overwatch 2 roadmap: New heroes, PvE, maps, skins, and more | Windows Central
• Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth announced exclusively for PS5, coming next winter | Android Central
• Dragon's Dogma 2 announced by Capcom | Windows Central
• What to expect from Not-E3 2022 Nintendo Direct: Predictions, hopes, and rumors | iMore

There is no E3 this year, but that didn't stop multiple publishers, and even our own parent company, from hosting announcements for a staggering number of new games. We're here for you with all the highlights and our own most assuredly amazing ideas.

LINKS:

• Summer Game Fest 2022: Game announcements, trailers, and everything you missed | Windows Central
• Xbox Games Showcase Extended LIVE: Starfield, Forza, Halo, and all the latest Xbox announcements | Windows Central
• Wholesome Direct June 2022: Everything announced for Nintendo Switch | iMore
• Future Games Show 2022: Game announcements, trailers, and everything you missed | Windows Central
• Microsoft partners with Kojima Productions on cloud-powered Xbox game | Windows Central
• Starfield almost looks too good to be true. What’s the catch? | Windows Central
• Sonic Frontiers hands-on: It's new, but at what cost? | Windows Central

There's a ludicrous amount of game news to cover this week. We go in-depth with everything from the PlayStation State of Play, Pokémon Scarlet and Violet, and more.

LINKS:

• PlayStation State of Play: Everything announced for PS VR2 | Android Central
• PlayStation State of Play: Everything announced in the June 2022 showcase | Android Central
• Resident Evil 4 remake announced for PS5, coming in March 2023 | Android Central
• We got our first look at Street Fighter 6's open-world gameplay, new characters coming to Xbox, PC | Windows Central
• The Callisto Protocol gets a December 2022 release date | Windows Central
• Marvel's Spider-Man Remastered comes to PC in August 2022 | Windows Central
• Summer Game Fest 2022 reveals developer, publisher lineup | Windows Central
• The new Pokémon Scarlet and Violet trailer showcases new legendaries and a release date | iMore
• Pokémon Scarlet and Violet: Everything you need to know | iMore

Content Warning: Please note that we address the recent school shooting in Uvalde, TX during the first third of this week's show. If you'd prefer to not listen to that segment, skip ahead to 27:43 in the episode.

In some positive video gaming news, the Raven Software QA unit has voted to unionize, and a teaser for Star Wars Jedi: Survivor was released. Literally, as we were recording! The team also talk about PlayStation Studios, new PS VR2 games, Master Chief's on-screen romances, and more.

LINKS:

• Raven Software QA unit votes to become first union under a North American publisher [update] | Windows Central
• Report: Phil Spencer says Microsoft will recognize Raven Software union | Windows Central
• Star Wars Jedi: Survivor revealed, coming in 2023 to Xbox Series X | Windows Central
• PlayStation Studios looking to expand with first-party on mobile, more live service games | Android Central
• Sony is planning 20 PS VR2 games for launch | Android Central
• Exclusive: Microsoft continues to iterate on an Xbox cloud streaming device codenamed 'Keystone | Windows Central

The world is awful and sometimes it feels like games NEVER actually ship. But, we promise we have a great episode for you chock full of industry news, including some Pokémon goodness, what we've been playing, and more.

LINKS:

• Starfield and Redfall delayed to first half of 2023 | Windows Central
• Xbox head Phil Spencer responds to the Starfield, Redfall delays | Windows Central
• Nintendo gaming recap: Switch financial reports and tons of Pokémon news | iMore

We're joined this week by freelance games journalist, Nico Deyo, and Tyler Colp of PC Gamer to talk about their experiences playing the Overwatch 2 beta. Embracer Group bought parts of Square Enix for not a whole lot of money. Well, at least in the world of corporate acquisitions. The team also have news about Nintendo, a lawsuit against Activision filed by New York City, and more.

LINKS:

• New York City sues Activision, claims Kotick 'unfit' to negotiate Microsoft deal | Windows Central
• Embracer acquires Tomb Raider, Deus Ex, and their studios from Square Enix | Windows Central
• Nintendo and iOS gaming recap: Breath of the Wild 2 spoiled and demoralizing workplace reports | iMore
• Fortnite is now available to play through Xbox Cloud Gaming for free | Windows Central
• Overwatch 2 beta impressions: Breathing new life into Blizzard's stagnant hero shooter | Windows Central
• Overwatch 2 team addresses support issues, scoreboard changes | Windows Central
• The Stanley Parable: Ultra Deluxe Xbox review — An expanded, evolved narrative masterpiece | Windows Central
• cleric hypebeast (@appleciderwitch) / Twitter
• Tyler (@tylercolp) / Twitter

Tune in this week for another heaping spoonful of games industry nonsense, including an ad system for Xbox games, Sonic Origins' preorder scheme, and "girl boss" energy. Also, Gearbox has announced a new Tales from the Borderlands game, a 'leaked' Game Boy emulator for Switch, and more.

LINKS:

• Meta's Sheryl Sandberg reportedly pressured outlet to drop story on Activision CEO Bobby Kotick | Windows Central
• Gearbox announces new Tales from the Borderlands game | Windows Central
• Report: Microsoft working on ad system for Xbox games | Windows Central
• Sonic Origins comes to Xbox and other platforms in June 2022 | Windows Central
• Sonic Origins' preorder scheme is way past uncool | Windows Central
• Nintendo recap: Game Boy emulator for Switch 'leaks' and alleged workers' rights violations | iMore
• Nintendo allegedly violated workers' right to unionize | iMore

After tackling some news in Activision Blizzard corner, we discuss updates and shortcomings in Halo Infinite. There's also a Nintendo recap, an overview of Kingdom Hearts games are worth playing, and more.

LINKS:

• Vicarious Visions officially merged into Blizzard Entertainment, renamed Blizzard Albany | Windows Central
• Whistleblower claims Gov. Newsom interfered in Activision Blizzard case | Windows Central
• Certain Affinity announces a 'deeper' commitment to Halo Infinite | Windows Central
• Halo Infinite Season 2 Lone Wolves: Release date and everything we know | Windows Central
• Nintendo recap: Switch Sports damaging TVs in new ways, Bandai Namco's remaster project, Bugsnax extras | iMore
• Which Kingdom Hearts games are worth playing? | iMore
• Peridot for iOS: Everything you need to know | iMore

We won't bury the lede, folks. We forgot to mention that E3 has been canceled for 2022. Whoops! But in news we DO actually discuss, Sony has revealed their new PlayStation Plus membership. The next Zelda game won't be released until 2023, but Nintendo has delivered a morsel of a teaser. Carli reports on her field trip to GDC 2022, and more!

LINKS:

• The best (and worst) April Fools' Day video game jokes of 2022 | Windows Central
• US senators call out lack of accountability for Bobby Kotick in Microsoft deal [Update] | Windows Central
• Report: State of Decay dev Undead Labs suffered from mismanagement, toxic culture | Windows Central
• Sony's PlayStation Plus revamp is only the beginning | Android Central
• Sony reveals new PlayStation Plus membership | Android Central
• The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild 2 — Rumors, delays, and everything we know so far about the sequel | iMore
• GDC 2022 roundup: Unions, NFTs, and VR all in one place

Sam Tolbert is back as our special guest! We go on a romp through the latest gaming and gaming-related news, including PlayStation's Spartacus service, Tiny Tina, a new Witcher game, Halo on Paramount+, and more.

LINKS:

• Tiny Tina's Wonderlands review: Bringing D&D magic to Borderlands | Windows Central
• Halo TV series Season 1, Episode 1 review: Bloody and victorious first contact | Windows Central
• Next Witcher game medallion is a lynx, CD Projekt RED confirms | Windows Central
• Netflix is acquiring its third gaming studio | Windows Central
• PlayStation's Spartacus service will reportedly be revealed next week | Android Central