Real Time Strategy

The Game Awards are a week away, and Baldur’s Gate 3 and The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom are ready to duke it out! Hosts Kaitlyn Red Wing and Sam Mosher dig into this year’s TGA nominations and predict the big winners, cameos, and surprises of the night. Then the duo discusses the recently announced The Last of Us Part II Remastered and their favorite media from the Thanksgiving break.

Timecodes:

00:00:00 – Intro

00:07:43 – The Game Awards 2023 Nominations

00:11:31 – Is Baldur’s Gate 3 the Game of the Year Frontrunner?

00:21:41 – Dave the Diver’s Best Indie Game Controversy

00:30:00 – Other Category Predictions

00:40:52 – Announcement and Cameo Predictions

00:45:15 – The Last of Us Part II Remastered Announced

00:58:19 – Favorite Media from Thanksgiving Break

01:15:02 – Outro

Stories/media we discussed:

IGN – The Game Awards 2023 Nominations See Baldur's Gate 3 and Alan Wake 2 Leading With 8 Nods Each 

PC Gamer – Should facts or vibes determine whether an 'indie game' is really indie? 

IGN – Geoff Keighley Confirms The Game Awards Will Move Away From 'World Premiere' Label, Beef Up Security 

PlayStation Blog – The Last of Us Part II Remastered coming to PS5 on January 19, 2024 

Five Nights at Freddy’s

“Babel, or the Necessity of Violence” by R. F. Kuang

“A Memory Called Empire” by Arkady Martine

“The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes” by Suzanne Collins

It’s a huge gaming news month, and hosts Kaitlyn Red Wing and Sam Mosher are joined by Mel Gazazian to break it all down. The trio discusses Blizzard’s first BlizzCon since 2019, the first trailer for the “next Grand Theft Auto” (a.k.a. Grand Theft Auto 6) coming in December, and Nintendo’s announcement of a live-action Legend of Zelda movie.

Timecodes:

00:00:00 – Intro

00:02:48 – What Are We Thankful For?

00:11:12 – We Attended BlizzCon 2023 

00:15:12 – Favorite Opening Ceremony Moments

00:25:39 – Fan Interactions and Energy

00:39:29 – Rockstar Announces GTA 6 Trailer Is Coming in December

01:00:30 – Nintendo Announces Live-Action Legend of Zelda Movie

01:10:09 – We Cast the Zelda Movie

01:27:36 – Outro

Stories/videos we discussed:

IGN – Grand Theft Auto 6 Trailer Arriving in December 

The Verge – Nintendo is making a live-action Zelda movie 

Puzzmo is a digital reinvention of the daily newspaper puzzle page, complete with a more accessible crossword, hit word games like Spelltower and Typeshift, and more to come. Co-founder and game designer Zach Gage joins Sam this week to discuss Puzzmo, its puzzle-locked limited launch, and how it rethinks newspaper games while preserving what makes them fun.

Timecodes:

00:00:00 – Intro

00:00:46 – Zach’s Favorite Games

00:10:59 – What Is Puzzmo?

00:17:23 – Gamifying Puzzmo’s Limited Launch

00:26:05 – Preserving the Fun of Physical Newspaper Games

00:43:21 – How to Improve Crossword Puzzles

00:55:51 – The Puzzmo Team

01:08:58 - The Puzzmo Mascot

01:17:09 – Outro

Play Puzzmo here, and follow Zach on Twitter @helvetica.

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

NYU Game Center director Frank Lantz set out to explain why games are beautiful in his book, “The Beauty of Games,” and it became one of Sam’s favorite reads of the year. Frank and Sam discuss the book, how to reframe the “are games art?” conversation, why games are most similar to music, and more.

Timecodes:

00:00:00 – Intro

00:00:44 – Frank’s Favorite Games

00:07:23 – The Origins of “The Beauty of Games”

00:12:21 – Changing the “Are Games Art?” Conversation

00:22:42 – How Our Minds Work with Games

00:37:53 – How Games Can Be Dangerous

00:55:16 – The Editing Process of “The Beauty of Games”

01:11:06 – Outro

Order a copy of “The Beauty of Games” here, follow Frank on Twitter @flantz, and read more about his work here.

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

TwitchCon moved to Vegas for its 2023 event, and host Kaitlyn Red Wing and TriplePointer Mel Gazazian have the first-hand report. They join Sam to discuss the streamer convention, the state of Twitch, and how it’s competing with rival services. Then they enter the Spider-Verse to discuss Spider-Man 2, Kaitlyn’s first hours with the game, and whether its length is worth $70.

Timecodes: 

00:00:00 – Intro (Mel’s Favorite Game)

00:10:46 – TwitchCon 2023

00:22:54 – Main Benefits of TwitchCon

00:27:25 – How to Network at TwitchCon

00:40:45 – Twitch Competitors

00:45:17 – Spider-Man 2 Impressions

00:52:40 – Is Spider-Man 2’s Length Worth $70?

01:05:43 – Outro

Stories/videos we discussed:

Digiday – 'Brands are a really important audience': A pre-TwitchCon Q&A with Twitch CMO Rachel Delphin

The Verge – Twitch will now let streamers simultaneously stream on any service they want

Forbes – Kick Signs Nickmercs To $10 Million Deal 

Polygon – Streaming platform Kick took on Twitch at TwitchCon

BBC – Spider-Man 2: PS5 developer on stories, game length, and what's next

Check out Shaurya Chawla’s YouTube channel for his Spider-Man 2 review with Kaitlyn.

Microsoft has officially closed its Activision Blizzard acquisition, so what does that mean for Xbox? Kaitlyn and Sam discuss the largest gaming acquisition ever and what to expect from it on this week’s episode, as well as rumors of Disney making a major gaming acquisition and John Riccitiello stepping down as Unity’s CEO.

Timecodes: 

00:00:00 – Intro (Our Halloween Costume Plans)

00:14:19 – Microsoft Closes Activision Blizzard Deal

00:20:37 – Will Microsoft Make Any Games Exclusive?

00:29:40 – Call of Duty on Game Pass?

00:35:37 – Xbox’s Mobile Plans

00:40:14 – Xbox’s Cloud Gaming Future

00:45:34 – Disney Looking to Purchase EA?

01:01:10 – Unity CEO Steps Down

01:12:42 – Outro

Stories/videos we discussed:

Game Maker’s Toolkit – A puzzle game where you decipher languages (Chants of Sennaar)

The Verge – Microsoft completes Activision Blizzard acquisition, Call of Duty now part of Xbox

Bloomberg – Has Bob Iger Lost the Magic? Inside Disney CEO’s Billion-Dollar Crisis

Polygon – Unity CEO out following widely criticized pricing model update 

Polygon – Unity walks back some of its widely criticized pricing updates 

GamesIndustry.biz – Unity's crisis is much bigger than John Riccitiello 

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

It’s spooky season, so let’s get into the ghoulish spirit and talk horror games! TriplePointers Alyx Evans and Paul Lombardo join Sam this week to discuss their introduction to the horror genre, their favorite scary games, memorable horror marketing, and more.

Timecodes: 

00:00:00 – Intro

00:02:15 – Adapting scary movies into games

00:09:36 – Horror gaming memories

00:23:03 – Outlast and Amnesia

00:26:21 – Stealth horror games

00:34:38 – All-time favorite horror games

00:44:17 – Memorable horror game marketing

00:55:19 - P.T. and Silent Hills

01:04:09 - Outro

Find Alyx and Paul on Twitter @OddLifeAlyx and @KopiKitten respectively. Follow the podcast on Twitter and YouTube @RealTimeStrats, and email us questions at [email protected].

We go under the sea this week with lead game designer Thomas Bardet to talk about Under The Waves, the new narrative-driven adventure game from Paris-based Parallel Studio. Thomas explains the challenges of making a game set underwater, the team’s visual and narrative inspirations, striking a balance between cozy gameplay and emotional storytelling, and more.

Timecodes: 

00:00:00 – Intro

00:01:40 – Thomas’ favorite games of all time

00:06:44 – What is a lead game designer?

00:12:30 – Designing Under The Waves’ gameplay

00:23:42 – Level and world design

00:27:07 – Development inspirations

00:36:25 – Ocean preservation

00:51:10 – Music of Under the Waves

01:06:12 - Outro

Find Thomas on Twitter @TomBuston, and check out Under The Waves here.

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

MMORPG managing editor Joseph Bradford joins us to discuss the week’s biggest headlines, including Starfield reviews, the Unity Runtime Fee controversy, and our favorite games from the latest Nintendo Direct and PlayStation State of Play. Look forward to new weekly episodes of Real Time Strategy every Wednesday.

Timecodes: 

00:00:00 – Intro

00:07:41 – PAX West 2023 thoughts

00:14:17 – Nintendo Switch 2 at PAX West 2024?

00:18:10 – Starfield review codes

00:34:31 – Maintaining PR relationships

00:39:42 – The Unity Runtime Fee outrage

00:59:33 – PlayStation State of Play and Nintendo Direct highlights

01:18:36 – Outro

Stories we discussed:

Eurogamer - Starfield review - a game about exploration, without exploration

Axios - Unity rushes to clarify price increase plan, as game developers fume 

GamesIndustry.biz - Unity's self-combustion engine | This Week in Business

Polygon - Game devs say Unity's big change puts studios at risk 

Find Joseph on Twitter @LotRLore, and read his work on MMORPG.

Five years after its announcement, Starfield is finally here. TriplePoint’s Sam Mosher, Nick Shepherd, and Blane Humphries break down its campaign from announcement to launch and discuss what other games can learn from Starfield’s deep-dive showcase, messaging, and review strategy.

Timecodes: 

00:00:00 – Intro

00:01:50 – Baldur’s Gate 3 and other favorite 2023 games

00:07:52 – Starfield’s launch campaign

00:19:32 – Messaging the “Bethesda Jank”

00:28:36 – Why Bethesda touted Starfield’s length

00:34:45 – Explaining Starfield’s 1000 planets

00:47:38 – Starfield’s UK review code drama

00:59:19 – Starfield’s effect on the media landscape

Stories we discussed:

Kotaku - It Could Take 130 Hours To Really Start Starfield, Bethesda Exec Says

GamesIndustry.biz - Pete Hines on Starfield, Bethesda and bugs: "We embrace chaos"

New York Times - Starfield’s 1,000 Planets May Be One Giant Leap for Game Design

Eurogamer - Eurogamer and Starfield: Why our review will be late 

GamesIndustry.biz - Starfield review controversy traces game journalism's orbital decay

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