In this episode, I talked about Microsoft's decision to lay off 1,900 people. I also included comments from Phil Spencer, Mike Ybarra, and Allen Adham. ABK Workers Alliance and CWA had things to say. Also talked about interesting news related Season 3 about Diablo IV.



Things mentioned in this episode:




The Verge: Microsoft lays off 1,900 Activision Blizzard and Xbox employees



Mike Ybarra wrote about the layoffs on x/Twitter - and left Blizzard



Wowhead posted that original co-founder of Blizzard Allen Adham left Blizzard (By Neryssa)



ABK Workers Alliance posted on x/Twitter about the Microsoft layoffs



Nathan Grayson (Vahn16) posted a quote on x/Twitter from CWA the union that represents workers across ZeniMax and ActivisionBlizzard



Game Developer posted: Update: CWA says Microsoft layoffs didn't impact the developers it represents (By Chris Kerr)



Bloomberg: Microsoft Cuts 1,900 Jobs in Gaming Including at Activision (By Jason Schreier)



Bloomberg: Microsoft Cancels New Blizzard Video Game After Six Years of Development (By Jason Schreier)



Maxroll about Legendary Aspects in Season of the Construct Diablo IV (By Echohack)



Blizzard Entertainment posted: Unearth A Looming Unearth A Looming Threat In Season Of the Construct (in case you missed it)



Wowhead posted: Trading Disabled in Diablo 4 Season 3 - Dupe Exploit (By Jezartroz)



Wowhead posted: All Aspect Rewards from the Season Journey - Diablo 4 Season 3 (by Silec)



Wowhead posted: Diablo 4 Patch 1.3.0a - Seneshal Improvements & Quality-of-Life Changes (Populartopular)




Where to find Jen’s Content Creation:




Shattered Soulstone T-shirts now available on Jen’s Redbubble!



Shattered Soulstone Pride shirts now available on Jen’s Redbubble!



Shattered Soulstone Trans Flag shirts now available on Jen’s Redbubble!



Book Of Jen website: Diablo gameplay videos



BookOfJen Original YouTube: Diablo Game videos



BookOfJen Original YouTube: Vampire The Masquerade videos (via Restless Barbarian Gaming)



Jen’s Lore Corner episodes are on the Shattered Soulstone website

Nineteen Hundred – Episode 443

Personal Journals

Society & Culture

History

Philosophy

Places & Travel

Hobbies

Games & Hobbies

Games

Leisure

In this episode: Sega of America supports its union workers; GameStop commits to layoffs; Nintendo of America laying off contractors; and Xbox has mass layoffs. Meanwhile Microsoft is making a handheld Xbox. Diablo III - Season 31 Season of the Forbidden Archives; Art and Legacy of Kevin Kanai Griffith; Reaper of Souls expansion (10 years ago); And more!



Things mentioned in this episode:




Game Developer: Sega of America union workers secure raises, layoff protections with first collectively-bargained contract (by Chris Kerr)



Game Developer: GameStop commits to layoffs despite concerns over business 'strain' (by Chris Kerr)



Game Developer: Report: Nintendo of America laying off contractors ahead of Switch 2 launch (by Justin Carter)



VideoGamesChronicle: Xbox claims mass layoffs were the outcome of a 'concerning' lack of industry growth (by Tom Ivan)



Polygon: A handheld Xbox? Microsoft's gaming chief can't stop thinking about it (by Chris Plante)



Blizzard Entertainment: Season 31: Season Of The Forbidden Archives - Preview



K. LeCrone posted a blog of her's from 2016 about The Art and Legacy of Kevin Kanai Griffith



@Diablo posted on X/Twitter: "No one can stop death." 10 year anniversary of Reaper of Souls



@Diablo posted a video titled: "Diablo III Reaper of Souls Opening Cinematic"



Wowhead: All 12 New Unique Items in Diablo 4 PTR Patch 1.4.0 (by SILEC)



Wowhead: Diablo 4 PTR Patch 1.4.0 Patch Notes Now Available - Itemization Rework, Class Changes (by SILEC)



Wowhead: Andariel Newest Endgame Boss in Diablo 4 - Season 4 (by OXID3)



Wowhead: Changes Coming to Forgotten Souls Drop Rate in Diablo 4 Season 4 (by POPULARTOPULAR)



Wowhead: New Affixes in Diablo 4 Season 4 - Life Per Hit, Resource Per Second (by ARKTANE)



Wowhead: Accursed Ritual - New Large Scale Event & Boss Coming to Helltides in Diablo 4 Season 4




Where to find Jen’s Content Creation:




Shattered Soulstone T-shirts now available on Jen’s Redbubble!



Shattered Soulstone Pride shirts now available on Jen’s Redbubble!



Shattered Soulstone Trans Flag shirts now available on Jen’s Redbubble!



Book Of Jen website: Diablo gameplay videos



BookOfJen Original YouTube: Diablo Game videos



BookOfJen Original YouTube: Vampire The Masquerade videos (via Restless Barbarian Gaming)



Jen’s Lore Corner episodes are on the Shattered Soulstone website

Happy Malthaversery! – Episode 451

In this episode, I talked about Bobby Kotick wanting to buy TikTok; Diablo 4 Patch 1.3.4; good news for Bluddshed; Diablo Immortal activities; Book of Cain and Book of Tyrael now available (again); Book of Prava - not available yet. Maxroll wrote Itemization Campfire Chat Wrap Up; Diablo IV Patch Notes; and a whole lot about Diablo Season 4!



Things mentioned in this episode:




Engadget: Activision Blizzard's ex-CEO Bobby Kotick reportedly wants to buy TikTok (by Cheyenne MacDonald)



Wowhead: Diablo 4 Patch 1.3.4 Now Available to Download - 2GB (by JEZARTROZ)



Bluddshed announced on X/Twitter he is now a member of the #diablo community team!



Diablo Immortal posted on X/Twitter about the Season 24 Battle pass "Regent of Webs"



Diablo Immortal posted on X/Twitter about a new terror descending onto Sanctuary



Diablo Immortal posted on X/Twitter about "The Age of Unmasking"



Wowhead: Diablo: Book of Cain and Book of Tyrael Re-Release on March 12 (by SILEC)



Maxroll: The Itemization Campfire Chat Wrap Up! (by Dredscythe)



Diablo IV Patch Notes



Diablo IV: Hell's Beauty Burns Anew With Ray Tracing



PCGamer: Blizzard just revived Diablo 4 with a list of changes so massive that it's practically a new game (by Tyler Colp)



The Verge: Diablo IV's ray tracing update arrives March 26th (by Tom Warren)



Wowhead: Occultist Enchanting Costs to Cap in Diablo 4 Season 4 (by CONSTVNT)



Wowhead: Huge Changes Coming to Hilltides in Diablo 4 Season 4 (by ARKTANE)



Wowhead: Blizzard Confirms Andariel and Other Bosses Will Drop Uber Uniques In Season 4 - Diablo 4 (by Arktane)



Adam Fletcher (PezRadar) posted on X/Twitter about the camera/view distance change



Wowhead: Hardcore Changes to Death Avoidance Coming in Season 4 (by CONSTVNT)



Wowhead: Better Visual Clarity Coming to Uber Lilith Boss Mechanics in Diablo 4 PTR (by POPULARTOPULAR)



Wowhead: Tempering - New Crafting System Coming with Diablo 4 Season 4 (by THARID)



Wowhead: Diablo 4 New Uber Unique Coming in Season 4 - Tyrael's Might (by POPULARTOPULAR)




Where to find Jen’s Content Creation:




Shattered Soulstone T-shirts now available on Jen’s Redbubble!



Shattered Soulstone Pride shirts now available on Jen’s Redbubble!



Shattered Soulstone Trans Flag shirts now available on Jen’s Redbubble!



Book Of Jen website: Diablo gameplay videos



BookOfJen Original YouTube: Diablo Game videos



BookOfJen Original YouTube: Vampire The Masquerade videos (via Restless Barbarian Gaming)



Jen’s Lore Corner episodes are on the Shattered Soulstone website

Kotick-Tok: Episode 450

Topics include: Activision QA workers unionized; BAFTA Games Awards selected Diablo IV (among other games); Accessibility at Blizzard Entertainment; How to report a forum post; Blizzard has a refund policy; Overwatch and Cowboy Bebop; Diablo IV Gauntlet map; and more!



Things mentioned in this episode:




Polygon: "600 Activision QA workers workers unionize, Microsoft voluntarily recognizes" (by Nicole Carpenter)



The Verge: "Activision QA workers form the largest US video game union yet" (by Ash Parrish)



ABK Workers | CODE-CWA posted "Activision QA Vision Statement"



@ABetterABK posted a short thread on X/Twitter: "This union was formed on five key principles that we wish to uphold within our workplaces: Democracy, Diversity, Equity, Solidarity, and Transparency"



BAFTA stated the highlights of today's (gaming) nominations included Diablo IV.



U.S. battle.net  posted "Accessibility at Blizzard Entertainment"



U.S. battle.net posted about Reporting Forums Post



Blizzard posted their Blizzard Refund Policy 



@PlayOverwatch posted on X/Twitter Overwatch 2 x Cowboy Bebop arrives March 12.



Diablo IV Patch Notes were posted on March 8, 2024.



@Diablo posted a YouTube video featuring MacroBioBoi talking about The Gauntlet



Wowhead posted: Diablo 4 Leaderboards Day 1 Roundup - Opening night of The Gauntlet (By Jezartroz)



Wowhead posted: Community-Created Diablo 4 Gauntlet Map By Rob2628 (by Tharid)



Wowhead posted: Diablo 4 Patch 1.3.3a Now Live -- PlayStation Tutorial and Leaderboard Filtering Fixed" (By Silec)




Where to find Jen’s Content Creation:




Shattered Soulstone T-shirts now available on Jen’s Redbubble!



Shattered Soulstone Pride shirts now available on Jen’s Redbubble!



Shattered Soulstone Trans Flag shirts now available on Jen’s Redbubble!



Book Of Jen website: Diablo gameplay videos



BookOfJen Original YouTube: Diablo Game videos



BookOfJen Original YouTube: Vampire The Masquerade videos (via Restless Barbarian Gaming)



Jen’s Lore Corner episodes are on the Shattered Soulstone website

Union Strong – Episode 449

In this episode, I read you not one, but two articles about Blizzard; Diablo Immortal has a lot going on in March; Blizzard posted the Campfire Chat video; Diablo IV - The Trials; Diablo IV Patch Notes; Diablo IV Battle Pass; Vampiric Powers coming to season 3; and Herb Gathering.



Things mentioned in this episode:




PCGamer posted: "Diablo 4's upcoming loot rework will be so massive Blizzard will let you playtest it early in its first PTR" (by Tyler Colp)



Game Developer posted: "Diablo boss Rod Ferguson: don't treat devs like 'knobs and dials'



Diablo Immortal posted on X/Twitter: Happy Leap Year! There's no better way to spend your extra day than battling fearsome bosses like Iscea and more in Diablo Immortal.



Diablo Immortal posted on X/Twitter posted: This March, more exciting events are coming to Sanctuary! - this includes a list of the events.



Blizzard posted: Catch Up On Our Latest Campfire Chat (video embedded in article)



Blizzard posted: Undying Glory Awaits In Trials



Maxroll: The Gauntlet Campfire Chat Wrap Up! (by Dredscythe)



Blizzard posted: Diablo IV Patch Notes



Maxroll: Diablo 4 Patch 1.3.3 Notes! (by Dredscythe)



Wowhead: Diablo 4 Battle Pass & Tier Skips Purchasable With Microsoft Rewards (by Populartopular)



Microsoft posted about Microsoft Rewards



Wowhead: Top 5 Vampiric Powers We'd Like to See Return To Diablo 4 (by Constvnt)



Blizzard Watch: Six Diablo 4 Season 2 Vampiric powers return to the game as affixes in mid-season update (by Liz Patt)



Diablo posted on X/Twitter a short video about six deadly vampiric powers returning to Diablo IV



Wowhead: Why Herb Gathering Needs Improvement in Diablo IV (by Renatakane)




Where to find Jen’s Content Creation:




Shattered Soulstone T-shirts now available on Jen’s Redbubble!



Shattered Soulstone Pride shirts now available on Jen’s Redbubble!



Shattered Soulstone Trans Flag shirts now available on Jen’s Redbubble!



Book Of Jen website: Diablo gameplay videos



BookOfJen Original YouTube: Diablo Game videos



BookOfJen Original YouTube: Vampire The Masquerade videos (via Restless Barbarian Gaming)



Jen’s Lore Corner episodes are on the Shattered Soulstone website

March Monsters – Episode 448

In this episode, I talked about Phil Spencer wanting more layoffs; Blizzard Watch wrote about player faith in Diablo IV; Diablo II Ladder Season 6 Now Live; Diablo Immortal added more familiars, Survivor's Bane event; and more; Diablo IV Patch Notes; Beneath the Sands music video; Homily For Zoltun Kulle; The Gauntlet only on Seasonal; Upcoming Campfire Chat; and more!



Things mentioned in this episode:




Game Developer: Phil Spencer: Xbox layoffs will ensure company has 'enough of the right people' to succeed (Chris Kerr)



Blizzard Watch: What does Blizzard need to do to regain player faith in Diablo IV? (Sara Hanson)



@Diablo posted on X/Twitter: Diablo II Resurrected Ladder Season 6 Now Live



@DiabloImmortal posted on X/Twitter for more familiars: Quakestrider, Broodtalon, Ashwweeper and Stormlost



@DiabloImmortal posted on X/Twitter: Survivor's Bane is back!



@DiabloImmortal posted on X/Twitter Phantom Market (ends on February 28)



Blizzard posted Diablo IV Patch Notes (from February 9)



Wowhead posted: Emanations of Sanctuary - New "Beneath The Sands" Music from Blizzard (by OXID3)



Wowhead posted: The History of Zoltun Kulle - Diablo Lore Video Released (by Silec)



Wowhead previously posted: Who is Zoltun Kulle? The History of the Fallen Horadric Mage (by Arktane)



Wowhead posted: The Gauntlet Only Available on Seasonal Realm - Diablo 4 Patch 1.3.3 (by Silec)



Blizzard posted: Tune In To Our Next Campfire Chat (February 29)



Wowhead posted: Diablo: Book of Prava Releases October 15 (by Silec)



Amazon posted a small bit if information about Diablo: Book of Prava



Blizzard posted about Survivor's Bane in Diablo Immortal (and more)




Where to find Jen’s Content Creation:




Shattered Soulstone T-shirts now available on Jen’s Redbubble!



Shattered Soulstone Pride shirts now available on Jen’s Redbubble!



Shattered Soulstone Trans Flag shirts now available on Jen’s Redbubble!



Book Of Jen website: Diablo gameplay videos



BookOfJen Original YouTube: Diablo Game videos



BookOfJen Original YouTube: Vampire The Masquerade videos (via Restless Barbarian Gaming)



Jen’s Lore Corner episodes are on the Shattered Soulstone website

Nineteen Hundred – Episode 443

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