Real Time Strategy

Embracer Group is splitting into three companies, Star Wars Outlaws’ premium day-one content is upsetting fans, and Fallout is returning for a second season on Prime Video. Kaitlyn and Sam break down these headlines, their updated Fallout impressions, and Kaitlyn’s Coachella experience on this week’s episode.

Timecodes:

00:00:00 – Intro

00:01:13 – Kaitlyn’s Coachella Weekend

00:09:01 – Embracer Group Splitting Into Three Companies

00:24:32 – Star Wars Outlaws’ Season Pass Has an Exclusive Jabba Mission, and Fans Are Upset

00:44:32 – Fallout Renewed for Season 2

01:02:56 – Outro

Stories discussed:

GamesIndustry.biz – Embracer Group splits into three: Everything you need to know

The Verge – Gaming giant Embracer Group is splitting into three companies

IGN – Ubisoft Responds to Star Wars Outlaws Season Pass Backlash, Insists Jabba the Hutt Is Part of the Experience for All Players

Variety – 'Fallout' Renewed for Season 2 at Amazon    

Ars Technica – Fallout games continue seeing big player jumps after the TV series’ success

GamesIndustry.biz – Fallout Shelter's daily revenue rockets to $80,000 after TV show debut

Kaitlyn, Sam, and special guest Trisha Hershberger exit the vault this week to review Prime Video’s Fallout. They discuss how well it adapts Bethesda’s beloved game franchise, spoilers from the first two episodes, and what other game adaptations can learn from the series.

Timecodes:

00:00:00 – Intro

00:01:45 – Trisha’s Favorite Fallout Games

00:13:50 – Life in a Fallout Vault

00:19:51 – Trisha’s Fallout Premiere Experience

00:22:20 – Comparing the Show’s Tone to the Games

00:32:19 – How the Show Adapts Fallout’s Lore

00:45:37 – Analyzing Lucy’s Storyline

00:52:49 – Analyzing the Brotherhood of Steel Storyline

01:10:27 – What Can Other Video Game Adaptations Learn From Fallout?

01:17:49 – Outro

Find Trisha on social media @thatgrltrish, subscribe to her on YouTube @TrishaHershberger, and follow her on Twitch at TrishaHershberger.

Follow the podcast on Twitter and YouTube @RealTimeStrats, and email us questions at [email protected]. Follow Kaitlyn and Sam on social media @KaitlynRedWing and @SamScotMosher respectively.

IGN’s creative staff formed the IGN Creators Guild this year to collectively work toward a stronger, more equitable workplace. IGN video editor and guild member Chelsea Miller joins Kaitlyn and Sam to explain why the IGN Creators Guild was founded, how it’s brought the staff closer together, and what the union hopes to accomplish next.

Timecodes:

00:00:00 – Intro

00:08:37 – Chelsea’s Cults, Cryptids and Conspiracies podcast

00:30:42 – What does it mean to unionize?

00:33:25 – Who makes up the IGN Creators Guild?

00:40:50 – Forming the IGN Creators Guild

00:53:22 – How the IGN Creators Guild handled the recent IGN layoffs

00:57:49 – What are the next steps for the union?

01:13:26 – How can people support the IGN Creators Guild?

01:19:21 – Outro

Stories discussed:

IGN – Polygons, Pixels and Polyamory, Oh My! The 40-Year Evolution of Video Game Romances 

IGN – How Hidden Nazi Symbols Were the Tip of a Toxic Iceberg at Life Is Strange Developer Deck Nine 

Media/artists discussed:

Voynich manuscript

Kholat 

The Last of Us

Ratchet & Clank Future: A Crack in Time

Hades

The Long Dark

Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania

Follow the IGN Creators Guild on Twitter and Instagram @IGNUnion. Follow Chelsea on Twitter @mschelseareed, and listen to her podcast, Cults, Cryptids, and Conspiracies.

Larian Studios isn’t making a Baldur’s Gate 3 sequel or expansion, Rockstar may miss Grand Theft Auto’s “early 2025” launch window, and Dragon’s Dogma 2 launched with a surprising, and to some upsetting, range of microtransactions. Sam and Kaitlyn discuss these headlines, as well as their favorite (and least favorite) April Fool’s gags this year.

Timecodes:

00:00:00 – Intro

00:06:03 – Best and Worst of April Fools' Day 2024

00:20:29 – Larian Studios Is Moving on From Baldur’s Gate

00:34:36 – Quick Thoughts on Beyoncé’s Cowboy Carter

00:36:45 – GTA VI Delayed to 2026?

00:55:28 – Dragon’s Dogma 2’s Microtransaction Drama

01:06:51 – More Thoughts on Beyoncé’s Cowboy Carter

01:13:58 – Outro

Stories discussed:

IGN – Surprise Steam Hit Content Warning Garnered 6.2 Million Downloads in Free Period

GamesRadar+ – Chaos reigns as new Hollow Knight Silksong store page found on April 1 of all days, Xbox marketing exec says it's not a joke 

PC Gamer – Larian is finished with Baldur's Gate: 'We're going to move away from D&D and we're going to start making a new thing'

Kotaku – GTA 6 Production Reportedly Falling Behind, Rockstar Urges Staff To Return To Office To Avoid Delay [Update] 

PC Gamer – The Dragon's Dogma 2 microtransactions are real and bafflingly silly, since nearly all of them can be found in the game without too much trouble 

IGN – Dragon’s Dogma 2 Director Explains Why Less Fast Travel Can be a Good Thing

Media/artists discussed:

Julien Baker

Black Country, New Road

“Erased Tapes 20・・---0” by Various Artists

Exodus

“Cowboy Carter” by Beyoncé

Follow the podcast on Twitter and YouTube @RealTimeStrats, and email us questions at [email protected]. Follow Kaitlyn and Sam on social media @KaitlynRedWing and @SamScotMosher respectively.

Entertainment journalists Lin Codega and Chase Carter launched Rascal News, an independent outlet covering tabletop roleplaying games, in February. One month later, they join Sam to discuss why they launched the reader-supported, worker-owned outlet, their love for tabletop, and why passionate journalists tell the best stories.

Timecodes:

00:00:00 – Intro

00:02:03 – Lin’s Movie, Book, and TV Recommendations

00:04:54 – Chase’s Game and TV Recommendations

00:08:10 – What Is Rascal News?

00:10:14 – Starting Rascal News

00:17:05 – Advice for Independent Outlets

00:26:51 – Rascal’s Founding Principles

00:41:10 – Coverage at Rascal vs. Previous Sites

00:49:12 – Rascal’s Future Plans

01:04:31 – Lin and Chase’s Dream Stories

01:10:04 – Developing Investigative Stories (Including Lin’s Dungeons & Dragons OGL Piece)

01:18:26 – Outro

Stories discussed:

Gizmodo – The Dungeons & Dragons’ OGL 1.1 Tightens Grip On Competition 

Rascal – GUDIYA: The horrors of being Bluebeard's latest plaything 

Rascal – The Harlem Renaissance is here again 

Rascal – Stumble Guys x D&D is goofy, but Hasbro’s direct links to the PIF are nothing to laugh at 

Rascal – Baldur’s Gate 3 developer isn’t interested in being another Hasbro show pony 

Rascal – Chuck Tingle, the World’s Greatest DM, trots to 2e and has never regretted it 

Gizmodo – Our Flag Means Death's Finale Was Full of Hurt For Izzy Hands Fans 

Media discussed:

Dune: Part Two

“The Mars House” by Natasha Pulley

“Starling House” by Alix E. Harrow

“Our Share of Night” by Mariana Enríquez

Stardew Valley

True Detective: Night Country

Read and support Rascal here, and follow the site on Twitter, Bluesky, and TikTok. Follow Lin on Twitter @lincodega and Chase on Bluesky @chasecarter.bsky.social.

Follow the podcast on Twitter and YouTube @RealTimeStrats, and email us questions at [email protected]. Follow Sam on social media @SamScotMosher.

World of Darkness – a connected story universe including Vampire: The Masquerade, Werewolf: The Apocalypse, and more – is coming off its most successful year ever in 2023. Jason Carl, brand marketing manager for World of Darkness and storyteller for the “By Night” actual play series, joins Sam and Kaitlyn to dive deep into the universe, what makes it different from other transmedia brands, and why World of Darkness succeeds as a licensing partner.

Timecodes:

00:00:00 – Intro

00:03:54 – Wine and Book Pairings

00:07:21 – What is World of Darkness?

00:14:12 – How To Get into World of Darkness

00:23:02 – The Popularity of World of Darkness

00:35:06 – What Is the “By Night” Series?

00:48:24 – Licensing World of Darkness

01:03:50 – Producing the “By Night” Series

01:15:06 – Outro

Follow Jason on social media @vampiresnvino, learn more about World of Darkness here, and check out the Darkness Emergent event page here.

Follow the podcast on Twitter and YouTube @RealTimeStrats, and email us questions at [email protected]. Follow Kaitlyn and Sam on social media @KaitlynRedWing and @SamScotMosher respectively.

It’s finally time for Kaitlyn and Sam to flex their love for movies. This week, they discuss the 2024 Academy Awards and how Hollywood’s biggest night compares to gaming’s awards slate. They break down where The Game Awards, DICE Awards, and BAFTA Games Awards stand in the gaming industry, how a video game adaptation could be recognized at the Oscars, and what upcoming adaptation stands the best shot at a nomination.

Timecodes:

00:00:00 – Intro

00:05:56 – The Bradley Cooper Oscars Discourse

00:14:32 – Oscars Highlights (I’m Just Ken)

00:18:36 – Oscars Winners

00:32:33 – Game Awards vs. Oscars

00:41:17 – How the Oscars Could Recognize Video Games in the Future

00:54:16 – Celebrities at Gaming Awards Shows

01:04:59 – Amazon Drops New Fallout TV Show Trailer

01:11:29 – Outro

Stories discussed:

The Hollywood Reporter – Oscars: Full List of Winners 

IGN – Upcoming New Video Game Movies and TV Shows: 2024 Release Dates and Beyond

Game Informer – Here Are The Nominees For The 20th Annual BAFTA Games Awards 

Follow the podcast on Twitter and YouTube @RealTimeStrats, and email us questions at [email protected]. Follow Kaitlyn and Sam on social media @KaitlynRedWing and @SamScotMosher respectively.

PlayStation and EA laid off hundreds of people last week, adding to the thousands of people affected by layoffs in the games industry in 2024. Sam and Kaitlyn discuss why layoffs are sweeping the industry, what they mean for the state of AAA game development, and how PlayStation and EA’s cuts signal major changes for their content strategies.

Timecodes:

00:00:00 – Intro

00:02:27 – The Games Industry’s Layoff Epidemic 

00:04:24 – PlayStation Layoffs

00:23:31 – EA Layoffs

00:45:10 – State of PSVR 2

00:52:28 – Dune: Part Two and Dune: Awakening

01:02:05 – Outro

Stories discussed:

Kotaku – Every Video Game Industry Layoff In 2024

The Verge – Sony is laying off 900 PlayStation employees 

IGN – EA to Lay Off Around 670 Workers, Sunsetting Games, 'Moving Away From Future Licensed IP' 

Entertainment Weekly – 'Dune: Part 2' tops the box office with $81.5 million 

Polygon – Surviving the new Dune MMO sounds like hell, but at least you can drink the blood of your enemies  

Follow the podcast on Twitter and YouTube @RealTimeStrats, and email us questions at [email protected]. Follow Kaitlyn and Sam on social media @KaitlynRedWing and @SamScotMosher respectively.

Lysfanga: The Time Shift Warrior reinvents the hack ‘n’ slash genre by empowering players to rewind time and fight with an army of their past selves. Thibault Legouet, game director and lead game designer at Sand Door Studio, joins Sam to discuss Lysfanga’s innovative combat, its origins as a student project, and the challenges of making a game where you can play co-op with yourself.

Timecodes:

00:00:00 – Intro

00:01:44 – Thibault’s favorite game of all-time

00:04:27 – What is Lysfanga?

00:09:48 – Why Thibault went down the game design path

00:17:43 – How did Lysfanga go from a student project to a commercial project?

00:21:44 – Where does the name Lysfanga come from?

00:32:44 – What did they learn from the student version to the commercial version?

00:44:42 – Coming up with the character designs

00:51:42 – Surprises from people playing

00:54:24 – Thibault’s advice to new game designers

01:00:49 – Outro

Find Lysfanga: The Time Shift Warrior on Steam and Epic Games Store now.

Follow the podcast on Twitter and YouTube @RealTimeStrats, and email us questions at [email protected]. Follow Sam on social media @SamScotMosher.

Xbox is staying in the hardware and exclusives business, PlayStation has no “major existing franchise titles” this year, and Nintendo’s next console is reportedly delayed to 2025. Sam and Kaitlyn break down the state of the first parties and what their strategies mean for major gaming franchises, as well as share their favorite (and least favorite) media from the Presidents' Day weekend.

Timecodes:

00:01:33 – Kaitlyn Discovers EA’s Dante’s Inferno

00:10:09 – Kaitlyn Reviews Her Presidents' Day Movies

00:16:48 – Sam’s Presidents' Day Weekend

00:25:24 – Xbox’s Business Update

00:44:39 – The State of Franchises in Gaming

00:57:27 – Nintendo Switch 2 Reportedly Delayed to 2025

01:17:23 – Outro

Games/stories discussed:

GamesRadar+ – Xbox Podcast - everything announced at the Future of Xbox event 

IGN – Sony Will Not Release Any New Major Existing PlayStation Franchise Titles Before April 2025

IGN – When the PlayStation 6 Might Be Released

VGC – Sources: Nintendo Switch 2 will now launch in 2025

Bloomberg – Nintendo Is Telling Game Publishers Switch 2 Will Be Delayed

CNBC – Nintendo shares fall nearly 6% after report that the Switch 2 will be delayed until 2025 

Media discussed:

Dante’s Inferno – #EAFail: the absolute worst (best?) PR campaign in gaming | Ars Technica

Anyone But You

Argylle 

The Beekeeper

Upgraded

All of Us Strangers

Dream Scenario

Clueless

Chain-Gang All-Stars

The Taste of Things