With leaks galore coming out of its closed testing period, it should come as no surprise that Battlefield 6 is real, and it's en route very soon. Electronic Arts and its quartet of fully-owned teams under the Battlefield Studios moniker promise a full multiplayer reveal in late July, and rumors indicate the full title is primed to launch in October. Can EA finally turn the ship around and fully deliver on the potential of its ailing franchise? Or has its lunch been permanently eaten? Plus: Sony invests $450 million into Bandai Namco in return for 2.5% of the publisher, FromSoft is reportedly working on a mystery game due out in 2026, the reasons for Final Fantasy Tactics: The Ivalice Chronicles' long development cycle suddenly become clearer, Microsoft backtracks on The Outer Worlds 2's aggressive pricing, Death Stranding 2 sells big, and more. Then: Listener inquiries! Did our parents ever play games with us while we were growing up? Is Colin an unadulterated and unhinged Nintendo hater? Will shorter and more reasonable development cycles ever return to the AAA space? Could one listener's ex now be dating another listener?

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Please keep in mind that our timestamps are approximate, and will often be slightly off due to dynamic ad placement.

0:00:00 - Intro
0:21:45 - Sacred Symbols lifts you up
0:22:56 - Good news for a change
0:23:49 - Loud yawning
0:32:16 - Perfect Colin
0:34:17 - Colin's allowance
0:42:06 - Sony buys 2.5% of Bandai Namco
0:53:29 - Battlefield 6 announced
1:10:52 - What is FromSoft's Project FMC
1:19:29 - New PS5 beta firmware
1:29:49 - Why FF Tactics took so long
1:36:53 - Outer Worlds 2 lowers its price
1:48:30 - Splitgate 2 goes back to beta
2:07:05 - June 2025 Circana
2:16:32 - What We’ve Been Playing (Death Stranding 2, Donkey Kong: Bananza, Tony Hawk Remakes)
2:38:07 - Playing video games with your parents
2:51:03 - Is Colin jealous of his ex (Nintendo)?
3:07:12 - Why does game development take so long?
3:13:18 - The homogeneity of AAA gaming
2:55:55 - New TV settings
3:19:19 - Why do we care so much about news?

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Sony-owned Santa Monica Studio is one of PlayStation's first party powerhouses. Responsible for the God of War franchise -- and, other than Kinetica early in the PS2 era, only the God of War franchise -- there was some excitement building about what was next. But what if it's just more God of War... at least kinda? New rumors indicate that Santa Monica is working on something more familiar than we might have hoped, and from our perspective, that can only mean one thing. We discuss. Plus: Sucker Punch expresses interest in returning to Infamous, Ghost of Yotei gets special edition PS5 hardware and a DualSense, HBO's second season of The Last of Us earns a ton of Emmy nominations, concept art for Deviation's cancelled PlayStation exclusive emerges, Dragon Quest VII is apparently being remade at Square Enix, and more. Then: Listener inquiries! With the demise of Xbox's Turn 10 Studio, is it time for PlayStation to port Gran Turismo to its rival's machine? Is Colin totally off-base with his desire for Arc System Works to create a PlayStation fighter instead of a Marvel one? What's the worst example in our personal gaming lives of losing a save file? Should Dustin enter into an illicit relationship with an eager listener?

Please keep in mind that our timestamps are approximate, and will often be slightly off due to dynamic ad placement.

0:00:00 - Intro
0:44:52 - Dustin's cry for help
0:52:56 - Sacred Streaming
1:07:46 - Stand down Chrissy
1:11:43 - What is Santa Monica working on?
1:33:34 - Ghost of Yotei PS5 special edition
1:38:23 - Restock of 30th Anniversary gear
1:41:11 - 16 Emmys for TLOU season 2 + Season 3
2:00:46- Art from Deviation's canceled game
2:08:21 - Dragon Quest VII remake rumors
2:15:09 - Ubisoft announces new co-CEOs
2:35:35 - Iron Galaxy's guitar hero joke
2:52:39 - What We’re Playing
3:30:11 - Favorite video game merch
3:37:11 - Custom Powerwash simulator levels
3:40:53 - GT7 on Xbox
3:45:52 - Demands to Spider-Man on Xbox
3:52:55 - PlayStation fighter vs Marvel Tokon
4:01:18 - Accidentally deleting your save

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 If you're tired of The Last of Us, well, it's really too bad. That's because Naughty Dog has updated The Last of Us: Part II yet again, this time with a so-called Chronological Mode that orders the game's chapters and subchapters sequentially. It's easy to mock this many updates, of course, but in reality, is Sony going above-and-beyond in keeping some of its older games alive? Shouldn't we applaud the years-long dedication to not only The Last of Us, but to God of War, Ghost of Tsushima, Days Gone, Horizon, and others? We discuss. Then: Twisted Metal's second season on Peacock gets a new trailer, STALKER 2 is finally confirmed for PlayStation 5, Final Fantasy IX Remake may be in trouble, Capcom acknowledges Mega Man, and more. Plus: Listener inquiries! If we could only play a single game-as-a-service, which would it be? Could gaming be entering a more serious phase, as the industry finds itself fused more with education? Is it crazy to play sequels without having experienced the original? What are the percentage odds Colin is on the precipice of becoming a Kingdom Hearts superfan?

Please keep in mind that our timestamps are approximate, and will often be slightly off due to dynamic ad placement.

0:00:00 - Intro
0:25:36 - Favorite color and number
0:26:16 - Furries
0:35:30 - Hot dog advice
0:48:36 - Sacred vernacular
0:53:57 - Fawn-ta
0:58:34 - Kingdom Hearts Stockholm syndrome
1:05:21 - Upcoming Games list
1:07:14 - Last of us Part II Chronological mode
1:18:00 - Twisted Metal Season 2
1:22:34 - STALKER 2 is coming to PS5
1:28:26 - Is FFIX Remake canceled?
1:38:32 - Capcom comments on Mega Man
1:48:25 - SAG-AFTRA strike is over
1:57:14 - The industry's statement on Stop Killing Games
2:13:08 - New PS+ Games
2:23:42 - May Circana
2:30:55 - May PSN sales
2:37:01 - PS4 Firmware update
2:42:39 - What Are We Playing? (Death Stranding 2, Peak)
3:15:17 - Gaming attention span
3:28:38 - Picking one live service game
3:33:23 - Sequels that clicked
3:39:15 - Does our jobs make us enjoy games less?
3:51:11 - New concurrent player count record
3:59:35 - Video games in education

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For the first time ever, PlayStation is publishing one of its own games on Xbox. The new port comes in the form of 2024's smash-hit multiplayer game Helldivers 2 from second party studio Arrowhead, and though Sony has a long-but-silent history of bringing games to other consoles -- there was a Wipeout game on N64, after all, and the likes of Death Stranding and MLB: The Show have already migrated to Xbox via intermediaries -- never before have they acted as publisher. Is this a one-off, or a move that could signify a new strategy? Will Xbox players conditioned to Game Pass put their money where their mouth is? Are single-player exclusives next? Then: Neil Druckmann announces he's done with The Last of Us on HBO, instead turning his full attention back to Naughty Dog, while it sure does sound like Sony-owned team Firesprite is openly hiring for a PlayStation 6 project. After some other news, we get into what we're playing before ending the show as we always do, with six questions, comments, concerns, thoughts, and ideas from our audience. What are our ruminations concerning Xbox's recent layoffs and cancellations? Will the PS5 era be looked back upon as a generation of wasted potential? How do we feel about the Stop Killing Games initiative in Europe? Are some listeners intentionally exposing their wives to Sacred Symbols in order to facilitate a divorce?

Please keep in mind that our timestamps are approximate, and will often be slightly off due to dynamic ad placement.

0:00:00 - Intro
0:23:03 - Patreon numbers
0:29:17 - Benji
0:36:16 - Don't show your wife Sacred
0:43:47 - This week's situation
0:47:51 - Happy Birthday Nick
0:52:23 - Defending the PlayStation concert
0:59:28 - Helldivers 2 coming to Xbox
1:31:18 - Neil Druckmann is no longer working on TLOU on HBO
1:40:45 - PSSR update in 2026
1:54:12 - Firesprite is hiring
1:59:29 - Is College Basketball returning?
2:02:56 - Street Fighter movie casting
2:06:49 - What We’ve Been Playing (Death Stranding, Death Stranding 2, Peak)
2:45:15 - Xbox's unraveling
3:04:57 - Supporting layoffs
3:15:19 - Studios moving to cheaper cities
3:18:57 - What is going on this generation?
3:30:10 - Journalism as a path into marketing or development
3:33:38 - Stop Killing Games

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Is your PlayStation 5 about to break? Probably not, but speculation is increasingly circulating suggesting that the old run of PS5s -- pre-Slim and pre-Pro -- may start running into a 'liquid metal' problem that's causing issues for some players. What does this all mean, from where does this speculation stem, and what (if anything) can be done about it? We discuss in detail. Plus: Death Stranding 2 is out, and thus it's time for us to gush! Then: The other news of the week, including Hellblade II's PS5 release date, rumors of RPG progression systems in Intergalactic: The Heretic Prophet, PlayStation Plus turns 15, SEGA accidentally leaks a ton of sales data, and more. Finally: Listener inquiries. What's the best 'one-hit wonder' game? With PlayStation: The Concert coming Stateside, do we have any interest in attending? Which studio's three-game run is most impressive, quality-wise? Will you, too, find a Sacred Symbols shirt in your local Goodwill or Salvation Army?

Please keep in mind that our timestamps are approximate, and will often be slightly off due to dynamic ad placement.

0:00:00 - Intro
0:29:19 - This week's situation
0:34:22 - Nintendo 69
0:43:33 - Colin's power washing
0:59:42 - Nitpick from last week
1:01:04 - Are PS5s failing due to liquid metal?
1:15:16 - Hellblade 2 releases August 12th
1:20:25 - Intergalactic will have RPG elements
1:27:27 - Midnight Murder Club releases August 14th
1:37:33 - Sony reiterates the PS Plus strategy
1:49:57 - Sega sales leak
1:57:45 - Lies of P sells over three million
1:58:06 - Square Enix is "aware" of Expedition 33
2:01:27 - System Shock 2 Remake delayed on PS5
2:05:15 - Blood of Dawnwalker gameplay video
2:08:23 - What We’ve Been Playing (Death Stranding, Death Stranding 2: On The Beach)
2:27:40 - Established or custom characters
2:34:21 - One hit wonder games
2:42:11 - Best 3 game run
2:49:44 - Rush to story or pace yourself
2:58:11  - PlayStation: The Concert
3:03:47 - Selling Physical games

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Sony's recent PlayStation-centric corporate presentation illustrated just how powerful their gaming vertical is. Indeed, PlayStation 5 has already generated more revenue for the company than PS1, PS2, and PS3 combined, and in the last five years, Sony has netted more in profit from gaming than it did in all 26 prior years the brand has existed, combined. Within their presentation was a lot of interesting data, quotes, anecdotes, and more to comb through, and we do that with a fine-tooth comb. We also wonder why the video presentation was so awkward, stilted, and choreographed. Can these people not speak extemporaneously and off-the-cuff? But we digress! Then, we get into other pertinent news of the week: Bungie's indefinite delay of Marathon, rumors of Sony's potential interest in Warner Bros., fresh PlayStation 5 and 6 handheld rumors, and more. Then, we end the show (as we always do) with listener inquiries. Is Hermen Hulst truly to blame for PlayStation's serious first party woes? When will Ghost Story's Judas launch? Is controller rumble and vibration an important component of our gameplay experiences? Will Colin's 100 hours in PowerWash Simulator translate to the real world?

0:00:00 - Intro
0:31:11 - Colin and the pool
0:44:34 - New home tips
0:58:35 - Sony Business Segment Presentation
2:26:40 - Marathon delay
2:55:14 - Is Stellar Blade coming to Switch 2?
3:02:17 - Does Sony want Warner Bros Discovery?
3:15:09 - PlayStation handheld rumors increase
3:29:00 - Death Stranding changed because people liked it too much
3:39:11 - Death Stranding animated adaptation
3:41:34 - Borderlands 4 is $70
3:51:35 - Beastsaber updates on PSVR2 is ending
4:00:36 - Gears beta extended
4:02:42 - What We've Been Playing (Cyberpunk 2077, Splitgate 2, FBC Firebreak Death Stranding)
4:24:06 - Hermen Hulst's long term projects
4:29:36 - PC titles on Xbox's next hardware
4:48:44 - Where is Judas?
4:54:33 - Is vibration important?
5:01:10 - Climate station
5:04:59 - Does knowing who developed a game even matter?

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With Bend Studio laying off 30% of its staff as it gears up to enter a lengthy pre-production stage, it's clear their next release (should it ever materialize) will be on PlayStation 6. This is just the most recent example in a lengthening string of Sony absolutely botching its first party initiative, deploying teams on projects that make no sense, purchasing studios that have never even released a game, and complicating a service game strategy that -- at least on paper -- made a lot of sense. Where does the buck stop, exactly? And how lucky is Sony and the PlayStation brand that they've been able to coast almost entirely on external content and commercial inertia all the while? Plus: MindsEye is a complete disaster, Stellar Blade becomes PlayStation Publishing's most-played single-player PC port, Capcom and Konami reveal Resident Evil Requiem and Silent Hill Remake respectively, the Outer Worlds 2's $80 price point infuriates some, Call of Duty: Black Ops 7 is somehow coming to PlayStation 4, and more. Then: Listener inquiries! When Colin talks about a hypothetical AAA Mega Man game, what exactly is he envisioning? Why did Microsoft include the PS5 logo so readily during its showcase? Will GameStop ever stop selling opened games as new? Will Dustin and Brad one day own Last Stand?

0:00:00 - Intro
0:32:13 - Habroxia Special Edition
0:46:31 - LSM at TooManyGames!
0:51:17 - Sacred proposal
0:54:05 - Bradstin
1:05:28 - Mindseye refunds
1:24:59 - Stellar Blade is PlayStation's biggest single-player game on Steam
1:35:14 - Bend Studio layoffs
2:01:18 - Tencent acquires 15% of Arrowhead
2:05:17 - Resident Evil: Requiem announced
2:15:18 - Silent Hill Remake announced
2:22:30 - Persona 4 Revival
2:28:38 - Black Ops 7
2:35:05 - Gears of War: Reloaded PS5 beta incoming
2:41:41 - Halo coming to PS5 soon?
2:51:16 - The Outer Worlds 2 is $80
3:00:32 - DualSense will connect to multiple devices
3:04:05 - Mina the Hollower launches this Halloween
3:04:55 - New PS+ game catalog entries
3:12:11 - What We’ve Been Playing
3:29:30 - What would a new Mega Man game look like?
3:34:25 - Should we keep going to GameStop?
3:38:06 - Is the future handhelds?
3:52:28 - PS5 logos at Xbox's Showcase
3:58:27 - Alex Hutchinson's Game Pass comments
4:11:25 - Pandemic hiring sprees fallout

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Since we published our previous episode, Sony not only announced it was having a State of Play event, but that event has already happened. Thus, we have much to discuss throughout this lengthy episode, an unexpected surprise for the PlayStation faithful. In short, the most recent State of Play was a great showcase of nearly 30 upcoming PlayStation 5 games, with some PS4 and PSVR2 mixed in there, too. And -- for those that care -- more than a half-dozen of the games are PS5 console exclusive, nipping that entire argument in the bud. In the realm of Sony second party, we've learned about a Marvel-themed fighting game from Arc System Works called Marvel Tokon: Fighting Souls, while Tecmo Koei's Team Ninja is hard at work on Nioh 3. Elsewhere, we were given the first glimpse at IO Interactive's long-in-development James Bond game called First Light, a brand-new Lumines offering from the creators of Tetris Effect, the return of Capcom's seemingly-beleaguered Pragmata, something fresh from Grasshopper Manufacture called Romeo Is A Dead Man, a late-September release date for Silent Hill F, our first look at the sequel to Iga's Bloodstained, and -- yes indeed! -- confirmation of Final Fantasy Tactics coming to PlayStation in just a few months in the form of The Ivalice Chronicles. "No games?" Maybe if you don't like or play video games, perhaps. Other news this week includes our first look at Witcher 4 via a controversial UE5 tech demo, rumors of a native PS5 port for Red Dead Redemption 2, and more. Then: Listener inquiries! Should 'game length' be considered a spoiler? How do we feel about pinball video games? Do we ever mess with the PSN's 'activity cards' while playing? Is Dustin poised to elope with Brad?Please keep in mind that our timestamps are approximate, and will often be slightly off due to dynamic ad placement.

Timestamps: 

0:00:00 - Intro
0:26:17 - Habroxia Special Edition
0:36:59 - Too much to play
0:42:31 - Look or talk like Jar Jar?
0:44:49 - This week’s “situation”
0:51:21 - MLMs
0:57:49 - State of Play overall thoughts
1:10:07 - Lumines Arise
1:14:44 - Pragmata
1:21:10 - Romeo Is a Dead Man
1:28:46 - Silent Hill F
1:34:33 - Bloodstained: The Scarlet Engagement
1:40:12 - Digimon Story Time Stranger
1:45:17 - Final Fantasy Tactics: The Ivalice Chronicles
1:57:37 - Babysteps
2:02:06 - Herogami
2:04:37 - Everybody’s Golf Hot Shots
2:10:32 - Ninja Gaiden Ragebound
2:14:08 - Cairn
2:17:55 - Mortal Kombat Legacy Collection
2:25:34 - Playstation Fight Stick (Project Defiant)
2:35:44 - Metal Gear Solid Delta
2:37:48 - Nioh 3
2:43:17 - Thief VR
2:47:48 - Tides of Tomorrow
2:50:49 - Astrobot update
2:57:47 - Sea of Remnants
3:00:46 - Sword of the Sea
3:04:57 - FBC: Firebreak
3:08:39 - Deus Ex on PS Plus Premium
3:11:43 - Twisted Metal 3 and 4 on PS Plus Premium
3:14:22 - Resident Evil 2 and 3 on PS Plus Premium
3:16:07 - 007 First Light
3:27:37 - Ghost of Yotei
3:28:48 - Marvel Tokon Fighting Souls
3:39:11 - Apple Pay on PS5
3:39:43 - Witcher 4 UE5 tech demo
3:48:01 - People Can Fly cancels two games
3:49:22 - Red Dead Redemption 2 PS5 port
3:51:06 - MindsEye executives leave
3:54:56 - Shift Up’s Project Spirits
3:58:54 - MediEvil and Tenacious D’s canceled movie
4:04:17 - Elden Ring Nightrein’s success and PSN charts
4:09:43 - What Are We Playing (Clair Obscur: Expedition 33, Borderlands 2, Dead Island 2)
4:25:37 - Is game length a spoiler?
4:28:47 - Pinball video games
4:33:54 - PlayStation activity cards
4:37:54 - AI making games
4:42:40 - New console reviews
4:48:02 - Fixing inverted controls for a kid

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The global economy is in a tumultuous state, inflation has carved away everyone's purchasing power, and prices are almost universally going up. So naturally, PlayStation will follow suit and jack its rates up too, right? Well, no. Instead, they're doing the exact opposite of what seems natural: For their annual, weeks-long Days of Play sales event, Sony has slashed prices on PS5 and PS5 Pro, PSVR2 and DualSense, and even DualSense Edge and the Access controller. Is Sony's boldness in risking economic erosion worth it? Is its strategy simply to put its boot on Xbox's neck once and for all? We discuss. Plus: If all went according to plan, The Order: 1886 would have gotten two sequels, EA cancels its Black Panther project while shutting down the studio behind it, Build A Rocket Boy suggests there may be a paid, organized campaign against its upcoming title MindsEye, and more. Then: Listener inquiries! What does Clair Obscur: Expedition 33's success mean for the future of global JRPGs? Could Star Wars Battlefront be revived on the basis of a recent resurgence in popularity? Is Colin ignoring an obvious connection between Souls games and his beloved Castlevania? Should we invest thousands in a commemorative Concord plaque, currently for sale on an online auction site?Please keep in mind that our timestamps are approximate, and will often be slightly off due to dynamic ad placement.

Timestamps: 

0:00:00 - Intro
0:39:27 - Store bought pasta
0:47:19 - Micah cooked Colin
0:49:13 - **TLOU2 spoiler** Jerkin Joel
0:53:34 - New YouTube censorship words
0:58:50 - Concord plaque found
1:07:37 - Days of Play 2025
1:17:56 - The Order's canceled sequels
1:26:43 - EA cancels Black Panther game
1:39:50 - MindsEye under attack?
1:57:53 - PS+ for June
2:05:40 - Dragon Quest 1 and 2 HD release date
2:09:53 - Video game sales numbers
2:38:38 - What We've Been Playing (Clair Obscur: Expedition 33, Shovel Knight Dig, Powerwash Simulator Shrek DLC, Borderlands 2, Death Stranding)
2:47:09 - Gaming "moment of clarity"
2:52:29 - More JPRG settings
3:07:37 - PlayStation's return to handheld
2:08:32 - Watching a playthrough to catch up
3:14:16 - Battlefront 2 resurgence
3:22:31 - When will Colin play a Souls game?

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The last couple of weeks for Bungie have been nothing short of catastrophic, calling into question whether their upcoming extraction shooter Marathon has any chance at all in finding market success. We've long discussed whether Sony should have bought Bungie at all (they shouldn't have), but now that they're so deeply invested, how do they get the team out of this mess? And what does all of this hullabaloo -- about stolen art, poorly-reviewed gameplay, and lackluster audience reaction -- say about the team's future, full stop? Meanwhile, things aren't much better north of the border, where Quebec-based Haven recently parted ways with founder and once-famous producer Jade Raymond, who has now left three different teams without any sort of release. Is Fairgame$ DOA? Maybe not, but we have lots of new information on the recent closed test of the game under the moniker Project Hearts, and... well... it's not sounding great. Also: MLB: The Show is seemingly getting a mobile release, PlayStation Stars is going away unceremoniously, Stellar Blade 2 is in active development, Xbox's Hellblade II is coming to PS5, Kojima's Physint is at least five more years away, and more. Then: Listener inquiries! Keeping in mind Sony's typical naming conventions, what will PlayStation 6's controller be called? Do we also find delight in Darth Vader's AI voice in Fortnite? Is the PS5 Pro truly worth purchasing before prices likely go up? Has Chris ever seen a ghost?Please keep in mind that our timestamps are approximate, and will often be slightly off due to dynamic ad placement.
Timestamps: 

0:00:00 - Intro
00:44:13 - Best man bromance
00:46:03 - ghoul-ing
01:04:41 - Haven/Jade Raymond reflections
01:37:51 - Bungie art theft reflections
02:33:15 - MLB: The Show mobile
02:38:25 - PlayStation Stars is over
02:51:24 - Stellar Blade sequel coming
02:56:49 - Kojima's next game is far off
03:01:41 - Hellblade 2 is coming to PS5
03:05:56 - Randy Pitchford on Borderlands 4 pricing
03:26:21 - Circana data
03:35:21 - New Naughty Dog logo
03:37:18 - Doom: The Dark Ages surpasses three million players
03:40:44 - What Are We Playing (Doom The Dark Ages, Stardew Valley, Clair Obscur: Expedition 33, Shovel Knight Dig)
04:05:34 - Iconic PlayStation Games
04:16:19 - ChatGPT game hints
04:19:15 - DualSense 2?
4:22:38 - AI Vader in Fortnite
04:28:19 - "Editions" releases
04:35:04 - Current thoughts on PS5 Pro

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