The holidays are upon us, and thus it's time to roll out an old Sacred Symbols tradition: Our list of the most remarkable, interesting, confounding, and notable moments in the world of PlayStation for the calendar year. As usual, each of us has chosen five 'moments' -- that's 15 total -- and they all involve the PlayStation ecosystem in some way, some literally and obviously, while others more loosely and casually. So let's chat about Helldivers 2's meteoric success, the collapse of Concord and Firewalk, Xbox's wide-ranging publishing capitulation to Sony, the lead-up to (and launch of) PS5 Pro, the PlayStation brand's uneven 30th anniversary celebration, Sony's decision to publish Horizon on Switch, the furor around Stellar Blade, confirmation of a new PlayStation handheld in the years to come, and much, much more. Happy Holidays; please enjoy.

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The holidays draw ever-nearer, making this our final recording of 2024. (Fear not, though: As tradition dictates, episodes will continue uninterrupted throughout the break, and indeed, everything is already in the can!) Not surprisingly, the news is a little light this time of year, though there are some interesting tidbits to pick up on. For starters, we take a look at two titles shown at The Game Awards that we skipped over last week, in the form of Crimson Desert and Midnight Murder Club, the latter a second party, Sony-published offering. We also delve into Mark Cerny's recent PS5 Pro technical presentation, wade through the (now rectified) drama surrounding Helldivers 2's exciting Killzone crossover, analyze whether the upcoming sci-fi RPG Exodus has the potential to be the true next Mass Effect, and more. But at the end of our show, we replace our typical six questions about random topics with six questions about something more than 50 of you wrote in about on the most recent thread. The topic at hand is obviously Intergalactic: The Heretic Prophet, Naughty Dog's upcoming PS5 exclusive. So many wrote in, in fact, that it felt disingenuous to ignore all of the noise. So instead, let's dive way deeper. What should PlayStation's next move be when it comes to rolling out this new product? Could the game flop on the market, either outright or by Naughty Dog's lofty standards? Do the masses suffer from some combination of Naughty Dog and Neil Druckmann Derangement Syndrome? And what does all of this insanity mean for The Last of Us: Part III... if anything at all?

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

0:00:00 - Intro

0:20:37 - Tri Breaker is out now!

0:33:46 - What gives us the right?

0:36:50 - Changes for LSM in 2025

0:46:09 - Gooning over the landlady

0:54:01 - Jurassic: The Hunted

0:56:00 - Chis = Smeargle

1:01:47 - New Astro Bot level

1:06:54 - Game Awards clarifications

1:15:28 - new Mark Cerny ASMR video

1:20:12 - Helldivers 2 x Killzone is real

1:31:18 - Exodus could be the next Mass Effect?

1:40:09 - Secret Level renewed

1:46:05 - Please don't make FF7 NSFW mods

1:49:06 - More Tales of remasters are coming

1:52:33 - What We're Playing

2:09:50 - Sony has bought an additional 8% of Kadokawa

2:21:18 - Circana November data

2:30:44 - Will Intergalactic flop due to the early reaction?

2:40:36 - Naughty Dog derangement

2:55:24 - Neil Druckmann derangement

3:11:16 - What will Sony's strategy be around the game?

3:20:41 - PlayStation and female characters

3:27:16 - When will we get The Last of Us Part 3?

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Geoff Keighley's 'The Game Awards' festivities didn't disappoint this year. Quite the contrary, it was arguably the single strongest showing of new game announcements the industry has seen in seemingly forever, and it was capped-off with what many of us have long awaited: Naughty Dog's new game. For the first time since 2005's Jak X: Combat Racing on PlayStation 2, Sony's crown jewel studio is readying a product that's aligned neither with Uncharted nor The Last of Us. It's called Intergalactic: The Heretic Prophet, it's about a spacefaring bounty hunter and a mysterious alien planet, and it's coming to PlayStation 5 at an undetermined point in the future. Naturally, we have much to discuss. Other TGA announcements of note include a surprise update for Helldivers 2, Capcom reveals in the form of new games in the Onimusha and Okami series, a brand new multiplayer Elden Ring spin-off called Nightreign, our first look at Borderlands 4 and The Witcher IV, the long-awaited revival of the Turok IP, the first new 2D Ninja Gaiden in more than three decades, and much more. And there's a regular ol' episode of Sacred Symbols underneath all of that, too, focused on the purported leak of Bend Studio's new game, the death of Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League, a serious lawsuit filed against Bungie by a fired executive, final word on long-defunct vaporware PS4 project Wild, and more. We wrap things up with listener inquiries on topics like rumors of an upcoming Steam console, parasocial relationships in the creator space, the ability of dialogue to ruin a perfectly good user experience, and a conundrum surrounding perpetual hiccups and $100 million.

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

0:00:00 - Intro

0:35:57 - Tri Breaker is out now!

0:40:41 - Colin and Charli XCX

0:43:38 - $100 million but hiccups

0:50:04 - PlayStation Wrap-up

1:05:33 - Sony shares are trading higher than any point since 2000

1:07:19 - Thoughts from employees about Sony x Kadokawa

1:14:02 - Ex-Bungie director is suing

1:22:44 - UI designer leaks Bend's next game

1:27:37 - Apple and Sony are partnering on PSVR2 controllers for Apple Vision Pro

1:35:09 - Publishers are worried about their releases around GTAVI

1:37:13 - Suicide Squad support is ending

1:41:39 - What Are We Playing?

2:15:08 - The Game Awards announcements

4:04:44 - New info on Wild

4:12:28 - New PS Plus games

4:15:23 - PSN top games

4:18:16 - Does Steam OS going everywhere affect Sony?

4:34:06 - Too many tutorials

4:41:05 - Our thoughts on parasocial bonds

4:52:25 - Realizing you've changed through media

4:59:36 - Are clips hurting the industry?

5:11:10 - Main Quest vs Side Quests

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News is admittedly slow as the industry awaits major announcements at the imminent Game Awards. But a specific interview was recently released that still gives us plenty to discuss. The website Eurogamer sat down with ex-PlayStation executive Shawn Layden for a fascinating chat about the present and future of the console space, and he had tons to say. We spend a lot of time dissecting his thoughts on topics ranging from PlayStation 6 and console agnosticism to Sony publishing on Xbox and perhaps the most important issues of all: The cost to develop increasingly long and expensive games that few people even bother to beat. Other news this week includes the shuttering of Ubisoft's beleaguered shooter XDefiant, the announcement of a blatant ripoff of Guerrilla's Horizon series called Light of Motiram, FromSoft's puzzling claim that it's not working on an Elden Ring sequel, and more. Listener inquiries help us round things out, per usual. Is Sony quietly giving PSVR2 a new push? How can Square Enix still be publishing PS1 games? Will Sony's E3 2013 'game sharing video' truly resonate throughout time? When will the audience learn that -- yes, indeed! -- you should definitely listen to our rock-solid relationship advice?

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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

0:15:43 - Spotify Wrapped

0:32:06 - The chips in the microwave was a red flag

0:38:25 - Breakup advice

0:45:05 - Gooner rankings

0:55:07 - Joker 2

1:04:47 - The PlayStation startup returns

1:22:10 - BBC interview with Hulst and Nishino

1:43:59 - Horizon ripoff Light of Moritam

1:52:56 - Fromsoft on Elden Ring 2

2:01:17 - Xdefiant is shutting down

2:15:58 - Foamstars support ending

2:21:10 - What are we playing?

2:39:56 - Shawn Layden interview

3:41:16 - The famous "game sharing" video

3:52:10 - PSVR2's new push

4:03:07 - Picking a game for friends to play

4:11:18 - Square Enix is printing new PS1 games

4:13:12 - "Global Subscription Optimization Manager"

4:18:51 - "Take care guys"

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Over the past year or so, rumors have percolated surrounding a future PlayStation handheld, but in reality, no one knew what the exact nature of this hypothetical device would be. Could it be a successor to PSP and Vita? Or perhaps a portable PS4 or PS4 Pro? Well, it's neither of those things, if recent reporting is accurate. Instead, Sony is apparently building a fully portable PlayStation 5, which -- if accurate -- could completely upend not only the core gaming market, but the traditional cadence of console generations, full-stop. But perhaps the biggest question about a PS5 Portable is this: What does it mean for PlayStation 6? Other news this week includes an update to Sony's pursuit of Kadokawa Corporation, the retirement of legendary PlayStation executive Shuhei Yoshida after 31 years with the brand (and 38 years at Sony itself), a surprise upward revision of PlayStation 2's once-static sales number, and much more. We round things out with listener inquiries, as we always do. Do we have any preliminary "gaming plans" for 2025? Will the west's catastrophic demographic collapse have equally catastrophic ramifications for the gaming space? What does it mean when a game (or gamer) is called "sweaty"? Have we officially reached peak "Fantasy Slop Nerd" voice?

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

0:00:00 - Intro

0:27:35 - Chris Chan's spawn

0:35:10 - Bluesky

0:55:19 - Sacred celebrity look-alikes

0:56:44 - Fantasy nerd slop voice

0:59:47 - PS5 selling faster than PS1

1:02:26 - Alan Wake corrections

1:04:35 - Updated PS2 sales numbers

1:10:17 - Troy Baker is in Naughty Dog's next game

1:20:43 - My First Gran Turismo

1:24:03 - Helldivers 2 Controller incoming

1:32:18 - Dino Crisis and RE: Directors Cut can be bought a la carte

1:34:49 - Cyberpunk 2077 surpasses 30 million, Witcher 4 is in production

1:37:34 - What Are We Playing?

2:19:39 - PlayStation is working on a new handheld

2:40:32 - Kadokawa updates

2:54:45 - Shuhei Yoshida is leaving PlayStation

3:17:48 - New PS Plus games coming

3:26:10 - Gaming mission statements for 2025

3:35:29 - Gaming needs new markets to grow

3:42:04 - What does being "sweaty" mean?

3:47:41 - AI gaming companies

• This episode is sponsored by BetterHelp. Give online therapy a try at https://www.betterhelp.com/symbols and get on your way to being your best self

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The industry was recently set alight by a pair of articles from newswire Reuters indicating that Sony is interested in buying Japanese media conglomerate Kadokawa Corporation, and indeed, Kadokawa itself has since confirmed the reporting. Such a move has massive implications for Sony's increasing dominance in the anime and manga spaces, and it's likely this attempt at M&A is squarely focused on that first and foremost. But acquiring Kadokawa could be a huge boon for the PlayStation brand, too, considering it owns the likes of Spike Chunsoft and Acquire, and perhaps most importantly a controlling share in FromSoftware, too, the prolific studio behind Elden Ring, Bloodborne, Demon's Souls, Dark Souls, Armored Core, Sekiro, King's Field, and more. Should Sony nab Kadokawa, does that mean FromSoft would join PlayStation Studios as a proper first party team? Could further emphasizing Sony's Japanese identity provide a valuable path forward for PlayStation? Other news this week includes fresh PlayStation 6-related rumors, word out of Square Enix concerning Final Fantasy VII Remake: Part III and a potential 2D-HD version of Final Fantasy VI, PlayStation Portal's awesome upgrade to allow cloud gaming without PS5, and more. Per usual, we wrap things up with inquiries from our beloved audience. What are our thoughts on this year's iteration of Geoff Keighley's Game Awards? Which difficulty settings are most appealing to us in the titles we play? How does Colin deal with any negative feedback surrounding the games he writes? In one listener's quest to invite another to be his Best Man, could it be that their shared romance is the real story?

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

0:00:00 - Intro

0:15:36 - New Chris video

0:25:23 - Why the Chris hate?

0:33:40 - This week in Situational Advice

0:45:12 - Best Man Bromance

0:47:52 - Sacred helps hearing loss!

1:07:55 - PlayStation Black Friday sales have started

1:11:42 - PlayStation 6 rumors have begun

1:14:50 - Shakeup at PlayStation mobile

1:23:36 - Final Fantasy VII Remake Part III is in full development

1:30:20 - SE producer sees FFVI as a logical target for HD-2D

1:37:36 - Remedy's financials

1:44:00 - Splinter Cell movie is dead

1:48:02 - What Are We Playing?

2:29:17 - Sony is trying to buy Kadokawa

2:58:36 - PlayStation Portal update with cloud gaming

3:11:14 - Black Myth Wukong's GOTY nomination

3:33:35 - Knockoff game on the PSN store

3:42:13 - Getting more from higher difficulty

3:54:16 - The design of PS5 and PS5 Pro

4:01:20 - Dealing with criticism of your own game

4:07:46 - Minimizing griefing in multiplayer

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With profits falling and first party game releases scarce, it seemed like PlayStation's positive commercial situation may have been softening. But Sony's newest financial report illustrates a rosy picture, with ballooning sales, impressive margins, and a brighter software-driven future that promises more of the brand's bread-and-butter: First party, single-player AAA fare. With a temporary PS5 price cut now instituted, rumors of Guerrilla's Horizon Online targeting a 2025 release date, and so on, it appears PlayStation may be back-on-track and off to the races. Other news this week includes even more confirmation that Xbox games will continue to migrate to PlayStation in greater numbers, a potential tease of a Sony event commemorating PSone's 30th anniversary, Amazon finally getting a Mass Effect TV show off the ground, and more. Then, we wrap up with listener inquiries. Have we started thinking about what our respective "Game of the Year" might be? How come Game of Thrones never got an adequate (or even great) video game rendition? Is it possible to play the "biggest" and "best" games on a budget? Can we all agree that Christmas trees shouldn't be put out until November at the earliest?

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

0:00:00 - Intro

0:26:20 - Secret pooper

0:40:15 - Christmas decorations in August

0:43:25 - Colin and Micah's 1 year anniversary

0:47:41 - Lillymo's next game

0:50:03 - PS5 Pro experience so far

1:06:13 - RIP Tony Tod

1:11:38 - A few PSAs

1:13:47 - Sony is teasing something for December 3rd

1:19:34 - Horizon Online in 2025?

1:26:32 - More Xbox games coming to PlayStation

1:46:46 - New Indiana Jones gameplay video

1:53:32 - Mass Effect TV show coming from Amazon

2:05:19 - What Are We Playing?

2:27:54 - Sony Financials

2:44:32 - New PS Plus games

2:53:06 - Best Selling PSN Games for October

3:01:29 - Are we ready to decide Game of the Year?

3:08:46 - Are FPS games losing their visual identity?

3:17:04 - Paywalled articles is theft?

3:30:07 - When will PlayStation make a handheld?

3:37:37 - Why isn't there a good Game of Thrones game?

3:42:39 - Is gaming a luxury hobby?

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Barriers continue to erode in our industry, with the surprising news that one-time PlayStation exclusive Death Stranding would be migrating to Xbox platforms on the fifth anniversary (to the day) of its launch on PS4. Taken along with Sony publishing games like Rise of the Ronin and Stellar Blade that it never owned outright to begin with -- a truly marked change from prior behavior -- what does the brand's increasing flexibility mean for its traditionally robust and powerful exclusives catalog? Is openness a vital component of keeping the games flowing in the modern era? And with yet another Xbox game seemingly en route to PS5 in the form of Age of Empires II: Definitive Edition, how are things moving in the other direction? Other news this week includes fresh word of a Hogwarts Legacy sequel, confirmation of Grand Theft Auto VI's release season, Take Two's sale of AA label Private Division, and more. Listener inquiries help us round things out, per usual. How do we define "the modern audience?" Is gaming an important component of our respective relationships? Has replayability taken a nosedive this generation? How did the interaction between a listener's mother and Colin go when she encountered him walking his dogs?

• Try VIIA! https://bit.ly/viiasacredsymbols and use code SACRED!

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

0:00:00 - Intro

0:18:23 - Joseph's mom

0:21:16 - Daylight Savings time

0:27:48 - Time to put up Christmas decorations?

0:38:24 - Take Two confirms GTA VI next year and sells Private Division

0:52:18 - Alan Wake 2 is still not profitable

1:02:51 - List of PS5 Pro enabled games

1:06:46 - Bandai Namco trademarks two new games

1:12:40 - Death Stranding coming to Xbox

1:31:44 - What Are We Playing?

2:04:05 - HogLeg 2 is confirmed

2:15:11 - Age of Empires II coming to PlayStation

2:22:05 - Games media becoming more Political

2:44:29 - Who is the "modern audience"?

2:51:20 - Real world ads in EA games

2:54:48 - Can you have a long term relationship with someone who doesn't like games?

3:02:50 - Game replayability

3:09:43 - Time off playing games

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It's not been a good week for PlayStation's vaunted first party studios. For starters, Insomniac's long-in-development licensed Marvel title Wolverine (first revealed to the public way back in 2021) has lost both its game and creative directors, an ominous sign that something has gone seriously wrong behind-the-scenes. Meanwhile, two Sony-owned teams -- Firewalk and Neon Koi -- have been shuttered outright, ending any glimpse of a return for the troubled service game Concord, and stymying mightily Sony's glacial mobile initiatives. Between blowing billions on Bungie, the disaster of the aforementioned Concord, the cancellation of a slate of fare (including The Last of Us Online), and a trickling first party pipeline, what exactly is going on at Sony? And who's responsible for this mess, anyway? We have an enormous amount to discuss. We wrap things up with listener inquiries, of course. What are some of our favorite defunct gaming websites? Should the Tales JRPG series be played in a certain order? Is Sonic experiencing a sales (and critical) renaissance? Can we stop with all the flagrant tipping, already?

• This episode is sponsored by BetterHelp. Give online therapy a try at https://www.betterhelp.com/SYMBOLS and get on your way to being your best self.

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It's now obvious that Sony shouldn't have purchased Bungie back in 2022, but considering the transaction did indeed occur, both parties have to make the best out of a less-than-promising situation. After instituting a significant reduction in headcount, poaching key employees for posts within PlayStation proper, and even swiping an entire team and drafting it into PlayStation Studios, Sony has made another play, ingesting Bungie's Creative Studios to help shepherd the wider brand's future service games. How will this entire ordeal play out in the end? We're years away from finding out, but that doesn't stop us from speculating. Plus: Spider-Man 2 is getting a Nixxes-led PC port in early '25, Amazon Prime's God of War project receives a massive personnel overhaul, a recent interview with Guerrilla has some fans longing for more Killzone, and more. We wrap things up (as always) with listener inquiries. Have we reached a dead end with game design? Are 60 frames plenty, or should we ultimately strive for 120? How might Sony celebrate PlayStation 2's 25th anniversary next year? Are we able to convince a skeptical fan that -- yes, indeed! -- 'tchotchke' is a real word?

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