Sometimes, PlayStation's userbase gets upset over nothing, and this past week was a great example of that. Rumors and uninformed conjecture rapidly circulated about Sony unleashing a stringent DRM regimen on PlayStation that would force players to check-in with the PSN every 30 days, or lose their digital licenses. That (of course) was complete nonsense, obviously so -- Sony is instead attempting to throttle dishonest people from taking advantage of a quirk in their refund system -- but it didn't stop many talking points from taking hold. And really, isn't it Sony's fault, ultimately? All they had to do was communicate, good or bad. But they didn't, and so the ne'er-do-wells filled the vacuum. Then again, maybe players should be a little more mad at the actual villains: The losers and degenerates who take advantage of loopholes, steal games, and pirate anything they can get their hands on. We discuss at length. Plus: MLB: The Show Mobile slowly expands around the world, Rebel Wolves' extremely promising vampire title The Dawn of Bloodwalker gets a release date, classic NickToon Rugrats gets a games compilation, Star Wars comes to PowerWash Simulator 2, and more. Then: Listener inquiries! With Xbox's incessant will they/won't they going on, should we expect Microsoft-published games to continue to come to PS5? Is ARC Raiders and The Finals developer Embark guilty of overtuning their titles? What are the origins of "friendslop"-style games? Is Colin's wife quietly attempting to protect him from complete embarrassment by refusing to allow him to participate in the 100 Chicken Nugget Challenge?

This episode is sponsored by BetterHelp. Get 10% off at https://www.betterhelp.com/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
0:22:19 - Sacred missed connection
0:30:03 - Group podcast listening
0:39:24 - Last Stand gambling ring
0:47:17 - Micah saving Colin
0:49:56 - Repropoised
0:51:16 - Old IGN scores
0:59:40 - PlayStation DRM story
1:34:17 - MLB: The Show Mobile pre-register
1:42:13 - Blood of Dawnwalker gets a release date and new info
1:48:57 - Rugrats: Retro Rewind collection
1:58:46 - Star Wars DLC for Power Wash Simulator 2
2:05:19 - May PS+ games
2:09:05 - What We’re Playing
2:47:04 - Xbox's future on PlayStation
3:04:20 - Investing in video game companies
3:13:23 - Overfixing a game
3:26:55 - Halo 3 = Friendslop?
3:32:00 - Steam Controller and next gen controllers
3:41:58 - Proud dad story

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A duo of interesting stories quietly circulated around the PlayStation ecosystem over the last few days, with potential clarity shone on some lingering, years-long issues. For starters, beloved ex-Sony exec Shuhei Yoshida recently spoke at a gaming event in Australia, where he revealed more precious information on his departure from first party, noting that ex-CEO Jim Ryan ultimately fired him from his role for not acceding to his demands. Meanwhile, an ex-Naughty Dog lighting artist seemed to spill the beans on some of the behind-the-scenes drama surrounding Uncharted 4, which -- as you may recall -- was a tortured project. But no one knew things were as bad as they seemingly were, until now. Plus: Age verification is coming to PlayStation hardware near you in the UK and elsewhere, Assassin's Creed IV's remake has finally officially emerged, SEGA's classic Ecco the Dolphin franchise is being revived, and more. Then: Listener inquiries! With Kotaku making aggressive new hires while touting increasing traffic, can the once-storied media brand be saved? Do any of us mess with motion aiming on DualSense? Is there a feeling of melancholy when deleting an old online friend from your PSN list? Would you believe that Colin never even one time suffered from "imposter syndrome"?
Please keep in mind that our timestamps are approximate, and will often be slightly off due to dynamic ad placement.
0:00:00 - Intro
0:18:01 - Saint Slayer is here!
0:34:43 - Gaming with a new baby
0:46:30 - Imposter syndrome
0:54:21 - Colin power
0:55:07 - More details on Shuhei's exit from Sony
1:21:11 - Uncharted 4 drama
1:38:29 - PlayStation age verification
1:42:25 - Assassin's Creed Black Flag Resynced
1:49:51 - Ecco the Dolphin returns
1:54:56 - March 2026 Circana
2:01:29 - What We’re Playing (Saint Slayer: Spear of Sacrilege, Pragmata, Mouse PI for Hire, Tomodachi Life,Vampire Crawlers)
2:31:12 - Communism and Tetris
2:35:44 - Fired for a review?
2:48:44 - Can Kotaku be saved?
3:00:35 - Motion aiming
3:05:37 - Learning from video games
3:22:33 - Deleting PSN friends

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Things are quiet recently. It feels like we're waiting for something to pop-off; some new announcements, or tantalizing rumors, or whatever. We have a little of that this week, though -- perhaps as usual -- it's good news mixed-up with a few questionable items. Let's start with PS5 sales, which picked up substantially in the days leading up to the hardware's global price increase. We then move into the surreptitious release of once-hidden Grand Theft Auto Online numbers, which shows a game still making around $10 million a week, with around two-thirds of its playerbase on PlayStation 5 and PlayStation 4. Then, we get into first and second party fare: More details about the unannounced (but heavily rumored) Faye-driven God of War spinoff, casting and performance capture details for Hideo Kojima's PHYSINT, word of a Bloodborne animated feature in the works, and a Metal Gear Solid film, too, both being steered by Sony Pictures. And did Insomniac's Spider-Man 3 get leaked, too? Inquiries from the audience help us round things out, as always. Why is PlayStation 2 Colin's least-favorite Sony console? Is there room for the point-and-click adventure genre in modern gaming? Will Xbox really go back down the path of exclusivity? Can we act as an effective billboard for a listener's pregnancy announcement?

Please keep in mind that our timestamps are approximate, and will often be slightly off due to dynamic ad placement.
0:00:00 - Intro
0:35:29 - Player 3
0:39:45 - Timothy's weight loss
0:44:56 - RIP Juno
0:56:18 - Back to PSVR2?
0:57:39 - Weird Pragmata discourse
1:09:20 - Roblox on PS5
1:10:14 - PS5 sales boost due to the price increase
1:22:13 - GTA Online makes $10 million a week
1:36:28 - New Faye God of War details
1:47:42 - Physint casting details
1:56:27 - Bloodborne animated movie
2:12:37 - Metal Gear Solid movie rumors
2:21:39 - Mocap for Spider-Man 3
2:32:29 - New PS+ games
2:39:39 - What We’re Playing (Starfield, Marathon, Mouse PI For Hire)
3:00:56 - Defending capitalism
3:16:27 - "AI-free"
3:27:11 - PlayStation in Super Smash Brothers
3:38:01 - PS2, the least favorite
3:43:06 - Point and Click adventure games
3:49:05 - Xbox returning to exclusives?

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In the world of PlayStation, this past week was one of mystery. For instance, the director of Uncharted: The Lost Legacy seems to be rather blatantly teasing a new Uncharted game on Instagram. But is he actually? Meanwhile, the promise of PlayStation on PC seems to have gone totally up in smoke, with the quiet removal of related iconography from the PSN. Could it be a sign of things to come? Plus, Sony's aggressive new position on the PlayStation Store continues to bear fruit, as even more games are deleted and unpublished that never belonged there to begin with. Are we finally getting the storefront we deserve? Other news this week includes intrigue surrounding an interview with Sony CEO Hiroki Totoki, changes incoming for PS5's UI, potential teases for remakes or remasters of Persona 1 and 2, the wet fart that was the Tales series' 30th anniversary, and more. Then: Listener inquiries! Do you have to play the original Resident Evil trilogy on PSone to be a "real" fan, or do the remakes suffice? Why is Square Enix so hesitant to do anything with Chrono Trigger? With Capcom's Pragmata right around the corner, what are our last-minute thoughts? Is Dustin hiding his PlayStation Trophies because he's a fake gamer?

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

0:00:00 - Intro
0:21:17 - Back to the spread
0:21:52 - Read the names
0:28:09 - How's everyone doing?
0:46:11 - Dustin's hidden trophies
0:47:51 - Tacos or burritos
0:55:03 - Colin was wrong?
0:55:33 - Uncharted tease?
1:15:52 - PC and Crossbuy icons removed from PS5 OS
1:30:43 - Hiroki Totoki interview
1:39:00 - new PS5 interface?
1:40:33 - PSN delisting continues
1:50:16 - The Playerbase
1:58:49 - Persona 1 and 2 remakes/remasters?
2:05:25 - Bandai Namco doesn't have anything for Tales 30th anniversary
2:11:38 - 007: First Light Dualsense
2:18:27 - Top PSN downloads for March
2:27:42 - What We’re Playing (SuperStation One, Returnal, Starfield)
2:51:09 - Games industry guardrails
3:11:39 - Remakes vs Originals
3:28:01 - PlayStation theme park
3:33:47 - Where is Chrono Trigger?
3:39:14 - Pragmata worries
3:44:42 - PlayStation Experience

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We're in the midst of a promising month of releases on PlayStation 5, and our patience is finally about to be rewarded. For starters, Housemarque's first party third-person shooter Saros has gone gold. So, too, has Capcom's beleaguered (yet incredibly promising) Pragmata, which was first revealed in 2020 for a 2022 release. Starfield's and Hades II's PS5 debuts, Mouse: PI For Hire's launch, the Konami-published Darwin's Paradox, the undoubtedly addictive Vampire Crawlers, and much more have us asking: When are we supposed to find the time to play all of this? It's a good problem to have! Plus: Sony purchases British machine learning firm Cinemersive Labs, Neil Druckmann teases the future of The Last of Us, Stellar Blade developer Shift Up buys Shinji Mikami's new studio outright, Disney executives are apparently interested in acquiring Epic, MindsEye's bizarre drama gets even weirder, and more. Then: Listener inquiries! What's the status of Fairgames? Are there any Life Is Strange fans in the LSM crew? Should gaming be more accessible to the poor? Is it possible that the Artemis II astronauts will listen to this episode of the show while en route to the moon?

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

0:00:00 - Intro
0:31:27 - Never give up Krystal
0:33:51 - Ernie Anastos RIP in Peace
0:40:52 - First to platinum Saint Slayer
0:46:23 - Artemis II
0:56:09 - Nate's next career
1:01:14 - Sony spins off TV business
1:08:05 - Sony acquires cinemersive
1:14:05 - Saros goes gold
1:22:38 - Pragmata goes gold
1:27:36 - The Last of Us 3 tease?
1:38:35 - Shift Up purchases Shinji Mikami's studio
1:48:31 - Disney rumored to buy Epic
1:59:02 - MindsEye gets weirder
2:09:43 - New PS Plus games for April
2:14:02 - What We’re Playing (Returnal, Saint Slayer: Spear of Sacrilege, Marathon, Resident Evil Requiem, Crimson Desert, Marathon, Raccoin, Croc)
2:45:49 - Is gaming really for the rich?
2:59:10 - Is this crash worse than 1983?
3:12:46 - Are we Life is Strange fans?
3:19:32 - The state of Fairgames
3:23:40 - PSSR update
3:27:27 - PlayStation Direct preorders

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It's another week of bad news for PlayStation, as PlayStation 5 -- as well as PS5 Pro and PlayStation Portal -- are getting another fresh round of global price increases. While every previous gaming generation got progressively cheaper over time, our current gen is becoming substantially more expensive, and things are clearly starting to get to a breaking point. There's much to say. Also, more bad news: Newly-minted first party shooter studio Dark Outlaw Games has been unceremoniously shuttered after only a year. Such a move speaks yet again to the uneven leadership, tastemaking ability, and decision making at the top of PlayStation Studios, and begs the question how much bloodletting we need to see before anyone takes responsibility. If this sort of thing doesn't fall on Hermen Hulst's shoulders (an idea which doesn't really make any sense in and of itself), then who or what is responsible, and when will the poor stewardship of the brand's own games and studios finally cease? Plus: PlayStation cuts down on its years-long mobile gaming investments and initiatives, Sly 4 studio Sanzaru at one time readied a pitch for a Jak & Daxter remake, we nearly got a Breaking Bad game on PSVR, Epic Games lays off 1,000 employees, Pearl Abyss owns its AI mistakes in Crimson Desert, Microsoft Flight Simulator on PS5 gets PSVR2 support, Marathon sells a purported (and somewhat soft) 1.2 million copies, and more. Then: Listener inquiries! With Final Fantasy VII Remake and Rebirth courting older gamers on average, is Final Fantasy officially finished with the younger generations? Are platform holders and publishers intentionally underpublishing physical copies of games to drive customers to digital storefronts? Do we believe the incessant rumors that Witcher 3 will get an expansion more than a decade after it first launched? Could Colin be the undisputed typing champion of Last Stand Media?

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

0:00:00 - Intro
0:31:24 - Shoutout to Tyrell
0:33:44 - New York authentic experience
0:46:37 - Nitrotype
0:55:08 - PlayStation price increases
1:29:28  Dark Outlaw Games closed
2:12:51 - PlayStation moving away from mobile
2:38:52 - Sanzaru pitched Jak & Daxter remake
2:49:14 - Firesprite was working on Breaking Bad VR
2:57:33 - Epic layoffs
3:17:54 - Pearl Abyss apologizes for AI art in Crimson Desert
3:20:20 - Flight Simulator is getting PSVR 2 support
3:24:38 - Minecraft Dungeons 2 announced
3:28:22 - Marathon predicted sales at 1.2 million
3:43:29 - February sales data
3:49:07 - What We’ve Been Playing (Chronicles of the Wolf, Returnal, Resident Evil Requiem, Marathon, Crimson Desert)4:21:16  Is Final Fantasy doomed?
4:35:49 - Is Dragon Quest like Pokemon?
4:42:48 - AI flooding indie games
4:55:09 - Physical games low stock
5:01:27 - Witcher 3 DLC

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The drama around DLSS 5 has overtaken the gaming industry during the last week. Nvidia's image upscaling tech has been present in our space for years, but its newest iteration (set for a proper fall release) has many people scratching their heads. Have we gone from frame generation to art reinterpretation? Why is this technology being deployed so aggressively, anyway? And how come so many companies were so excited about it until they saw the overwhelmingly negative audience response? Let's delve headfirst into the mystery of the Yassified Grace, and all of the fallout therein. Plus: A fresh rumor indicates PlayStation Network branding will disappear later this year, Sony has apparently automatically refunded people for any spending in the now-cancelled Highguard, PSVR2 second party FPS Firewall Ultra has silently been delisted, PlayStation 3 received its random annual firmware update, legendary Tom Clancy developer Red Storm has been gutted, and more. Then: Listener inquiries! Have any of us messed around with a PS3 emulator? What's going on with Street Fighter 6's creepy new storyline? With Bravely Default skipping PS4 and PS5, is it safe to assume Square Enix isn't actually done with exclusives? Did two Sacred Symbols fans miss each other by mere seconds in a Dollar Tree parking lot?

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

0:00:00 - Intro
0:17:29 - Sacred Symbols missed connection
0:18:46 - The Oscars Vs The Game Awards
0:27:32 - New Titans logo
0:32:29 - This is life huh?
0:35:29 - DLSS 5
1:14:13 - Sony is dropping the PlayStation Network branding
1:27:46 - Sony refunding Highguard purchases
1:34:14 - Starfield is officially coming to PS5
1:41:19 - Portal update
1:48:15 - Firewall Ultra delisted
2:02:31 - New PS3 Firmware
2:07:15 - Layoffs at Red Storm
2:13:26 - Exodus gameplay
2:18:24 - Saudi Arabia buys 5% of Capcom
2:19:50 - What We’ve Been Playing (Minishoot Adventures, Chronicles of the Wolf, Resident Evil Requiem, Marathon)
2:59:57 - PSNProfile leaderboards change
3:05:44 - Giving up on gaming
3:12:18 - PS3 emulation
3:21:05 - Bravely Default only on Xbox
3:23:33 - Flopathon website
3:29:19 - Street Fighter 6 controversy

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With Sony abandoning its chase of easy PC dollars, the megalithic Japanese company instead seems intent on maximizing its dollars at home, and reasonably so. While reporting indicates PlayStation's PC sales were stymied by staggered and unpredictable releases, that was already obvious. What's less clear is how Sony's pursuit of profit might affect the status quo, with a lawsuit in the UK over PSN monopolization and blatant A/B testing for dynamic digital pricing happening right before our eyes. What does the future hold as we begin to move towards next-gen? Plus: EA lays off members of the Battlefield team that created America's best-selling game in 2025, Nagoshi Studio and its Yakuza-like title Gang of Dragon are in big trouble, a LEGO PlayStation (1) console is seemingly en route for the holiday season, adventure classics Myst and Riven are PS5-bound, Crimson Desert finally emerges on PS5 Pro, and more. Then: Listener inquiries! With id finding so much success with the revived Doom trilogy, could Quake be next? What was the deal with that cryptic Bluepoint Tweet from 2019, anyway? Are physical-only players being hurt by the underproduction of copies of big games? Is Dustin intentionally making mistakes in his edits to sabotage our entire operation?

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

0:00:00 - Intro
0:28:57 - Ragebaiting Dustin
0:38:33 - Geno Smith
0:38:56 - Neighborhood drama
0:45:22 - Sony's issues with PC releases
0:54:22 - UK case vs Sony digital storefront begins
1:13:40 - Sony testing dynamic pricing
1:33:32 - EA layoffs
1:45:23 - Nagoshi Studio is in trouble
1:56:33 - A PS1 Lego set is coming
2:05:55 - Crimson Desert console specs
2:13:43 - Pragmata moves up release date
2:15:36 - Myst and Riven remake coming to PS5
2:19:38 - Falcom revives Dragon Slayer
2:27:09 - New PS+ game catalog titles
2:31:27 - What We’re Playing (Resident Evil Requiem, Minishoot Adventures, Marathon, Pokemon Pokopia)
3:38:42 - Preordering physical games
3:48:05 - New Quake?
3:56:13 - Can Sony pull people away from established games?
3:59:50 - Do Sony studios have too much power?
4:02:27 - What was the point of Bluepoint's old tweet?
4:05:03 - Starfield interference

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Reporting from this past week indicates Sony is abandoning its push to publish more games on PC, a reversal from a six-ish year old initiative that frankly bore little fruit outside of Helldivers 2. And let's be real: Though we were vocal advocates of this approach on the show, a vast majority of the PlayStation fanbase was decidedly not on board. Sony has apparently determined that it's a waste of time to further pursue this path, and that doing so could ultimately eat into their console ecosystem in unacceptable ways. Thus, it's time for many of you to celebrate, as we consider the reasons behind this dramatic course-correction. Plus: Rumors are circulating that Cory Barlog's next game is a God of War spin-off, Bluepoint was apparently eager to work on a Bloodborne remake before behing unceremoniously shut down, Starfield is finally coming to PlayStation 5 this April, Marathon has been mysteriously rated by the ESRB for launch on PlayStation 4, embattled free-to-play shooter Highguard is officially shutting down, and more. Then: Listener inquiries! Is Sony investing enough into games for kids? In such a hostile environment, could troubled products like No Man's Sky and Cyberpunk 2077 have launched and turned things around today? Why are some games' Trophies published, even if they go unreleased? Will Dustin continue to compile a collection of pictures of complete strangers on his refrigerator?

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

0:00:00 - Intro
0:14:34 - Preorder Allegheny Hogs shirt!
0:25:54 - Shout out Brady
0:36:51 - RIP in Peace Bozo
0:39:21 - Coming back home
0:41:35 - Dustin's polaroids
0:44:46 - Sony is done with PC ports
1:17:49 - Cory Barlog's game stars Faye
1:52:13 - Bluepoint wanted to remake Bloodborne
2:25:18 - Leaks show Starfield is coming April 7th
2:28:39 - Marathon post release plans
2:35:07 - Amazon's God of War screenshot
2:42:01 - Highguard is shutting down
2:58:30 - Physical game sales at lowest point ever
3:00:32 - PSN top downloads in February
3:01:51 - Resident Evil Requiem surpasses 5 million copies
3:02:37 - What We’re Playing (Resident Evil Requiem, Marathon)
3:42:57 - What's up with Horizon Hunters Gathering?
3:53:02 - Is PlayStation doing enough for younger audiences?
4:01:00 - The disappearing resistance games
4:08:24 - Seinfeld game
4:14:04 - Can game comebacks still happen?
4:23:09 - Unreleased games and trophies

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While the wider world continues to embrace ubiquitous access for their digital products, compelling rumors indicate Sony might opt to go in the other direction. This is particularly surprising considering their pursuit of success on PC, openness in publishing on Nintendo Switch, and the shocking move to bring Helldivers II to Xbox. Then again, the numbers speak for themselves. It appears PlayStation has grossed somewhere between one and two billion dollars in total from their PC releases dating back to 2020, a comically small sum compared to their greater gross over that time, and an amount of money that may simply not justify further jeopardizing their closed ecosystem. Are we about to snap back to the old way of doing things? Many PlayStation fans will be pleased, if so. Plus: Wolverine gets a September release date on PS5, Horizon: Hunters Gathering and Marathon revel in concurrent playtests, Death Stranding 2 is coming to PC very soon, French publisher Nacon declares its insolvency, and more. Then: Listener inquiries! Can Sony's first party teams truly be blamed for pitching games-as-a-service when it was clear that's what leadership wanted? Could it be possible that the secret Santa Monica Studio, Cory Barlog-directed game is Uncharted? Is Resident Evil 9's 10-12 hour runtime a selling point or a detriment? Will Sacred Symbols go another 400 episodes, or perhaps even 4,000?

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

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

0:00:00 - Intro
0:34:10 - New merch drop!
0:46:42 - Reflecting on 400 episodes
1:00:10 - Favorite part of doing the show
1:13:26 - 420 special?
1:14:25 - capspiracy
1:15:39 - USA GOLD
1:26:16 - triple space
1:27:49 - 100 chicken nuggets
1:39:16 - Chris on Bluepoint
1:56:17 - Saint Slayer release date
2:01:35 - Wolverine release date
2:09:17 - Sony walking away from PC gaming?
2:33:09 - Horizon Hunters Gathering beta this weekend
2:36:52 - Marathon cheaters will be banned permanently
2:45:08 - Death Stranding 2 PC specs revealed
2:48:01 - Nacon is insolvent
2:50:29 - Marvel Maximum Collection revealed
3:02:46 - New NieR game?
3:06:12 - Yves Guillemot interview
3:11:17 - Koei Tecmo reorganizes
3:13:08 - March PS+ Games
3:17:50 - January sales data
3:23:27 - What We’ve Been Playing
3:39:34 - Did PS Studios really choose live service games?
3:55:00 - Could Cory Barlog’s next game be Uncharted?
4:05:40 - Softball interviews
4:19:45 - 10–12 hour games
4:24:30 - How to use guides
4:28:11 - RNG in games

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