Delivering the news as of 19th March, 2022. Today's transfer includes the new Stand For Ukraine games pack from Humble Bundle, the Hogwarts Legacy announcement, Elden Ring's new patch and IP expansion, the Uncharted leak coming to PC in July, a new game studio to directly impact mental health, and plenty more! Welcome to The Dead Drop, your secret cache of game news delivered safely and securely to your podcast player.

Sources for the stories in this episode:

Story 1: Charity game bundles update
https://www.humblebundle.com/stand-with-ukraine-bundle 
https://www.gamesindustry.biz/articles/2022-03-18-itch-io-bundle-for-ukraine-raises-usd6-3-million

Story 2: Hogwarts Legacy game finally revealed
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wKbHWgiGIYU&ab_channel=PlayStation 
https://www.kotaku.com.au/2022/03/everything-you-missed-from-todays-hogwarts-legacy-state-of-play/

Story 3: Razer reports revenues of 1.6 billion
https://www.gamesindustry.biz/articles/2022-03-18-razer-reports-full-year-revenues-of-usd1-6bn

Story 4: Elden Ring patching and announcing
https://www.pushsquare.com/news/2022/03/elden-ring-ip-to-expand-beyond-the-realm-of-games 
https://parikiton.blogspot.com/2022/03/elden-rings-first-major-patch-expands.html 
https://www.bandainamcoent.com/news/elden-ring-patch-notes-v1-03 
https://www.ign.com/articles/elden-ring-speedrunners-declare-rip-speedruns-after-latest-patch

Story 5: Overwatch 2 to split up PvP and PvE
https://www.nme.com/en_au/news/gaming-news/overwatch-2-to-split-up-its-multiplayer-and-co-op-modes-3181468 
https://playoverwatch.com/en-gb/beta/

Story 6: Uncharted Legacy of Thieves coming to PC
https://gamerant.com/uncharted-legacy-of-thieves-collection-pc-july/

Story 7: Devolver co-founder starts studio for games addressing mental health
https://www.ign.com/articles/devolver-co-founder-new-publisher-games-improve-mental-health

Story 8: Microsoft aiming for 100% recyclable packaging by 2030
https://www.gamesindustry.biz/articles/2022-03-14-microsoft-promises-all-xbox-consoles-games-and-packaging-will-be-100-percent-recyclable-by-2030

Podcast Promo: The Loading Bar Podcast
(Apple) https://podcasts.apple.com/podcast/id1523536107 
(Spotify) https://open.spotify.com/show/29fyB3yxzZnlKqsHN8mXsB

Check out the website for transcripts, episode story sources and more!

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The Teaching Culture Cast (Education/Teaching)

The Game n Watch Podcast (Leisure/Video Games)

ANNOUNCEMENT: I'm changing the format of the show! We are moving to twice a week now, on Tuesdays and Saturdays. I've crunched how often you all listen, and I think three times a week is a bit much. So I'm changing the frequency to make it easier for you, the listener!

I'd also love to hear your feedback so far, and suggestions for what you'd like to see from the show. Video game streaming, a Video Game Book Club, Q&A with me... it's all on the table! Get in touch with me directly on Twitter (@MattBlissPod) or on the podcast email address ([email protected]) to tell me what you think of the podcast so far.

And thank you for listening. I appreciate your time and your support for The Dead Drop podcast!

- Matthew Bliss, your Professor of Time Preservation   

***

Check out the website for transcripts, episode story sources and more!

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Follow The Dead Drop podcast on socials!|

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The Teaching Culture Cast (Education/Teaching)

The Game n Watch Podcast (Leisure/Video Games)

Delivering the news as of 15th March, 2022. Today's transfer includes the patch notes for "Domina" with anti-mask messaging, the excellence of the 2022 Video Game Accessibility Awards, game companies supporting anti-trans legislation, Russia legalising piracy of software, E3 2022 to be entirely online, and plenty more! Welcome to The Dead Drop, your secret cache of game news delivered safely and securely to your podcast player.

Sources for the stories in this episode:

Story 1: Indie game review-bombed after anti-mask sentiment in patch notes.
https://www.eurogamer.net/articles/2022-03-13-indie-dev-gets-review-bombed-on-steam-after-slipping-anti-mask-rhetoric-in-patch-notes

Story 2: 2022 Accessibility Awards displays excellence in game accessibility
https://www.gamesindustry.biz/articles/2022-03-14-halo-infinite-and-forza-win-at-2022-video-game-accessibility-awards
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w0EchHEvB_s&t=723s&ab_channel=AlanahPearce  

Story 3: Ubisoft investing a lot in Google Stadia
https://parikiton.blogspot.com/2022/03/ubisoft-is-investing-heavily-on-its.html

Story 4: Game Companies urging Texas to drop Anti-Trans legislation
https://www.gamesindustry.biz/articles/2022-03-11-microsoft-ea-apple-google-among-companies-urging-texas-to-drop-anti-trans-directive

Story 5: Russia legalises piracy as economy falls
https://www.gamesindustry.biz/articles/2022-03-11-russia-has-reportedly-legalised-piracy-in-the-face-of-economic-sanctions

Story 6: E3 2022 rumoured to be entirely online
https://comicbook.com/gaming/news/e3-2022-rumor-digital-event/

Story 7: Exoprimal has a Dino Crisis producer on staff
https://www.pushsquare.com/news/2022/03/dino-crisis-producer-involved-in-exoprimal-development

Story 8: System Shock 3 hasn’t been touched since 2019.
https://www.eurogamer.net/articles/2022-03-13-warren-spectors-otherside-studio-hasnt-worked-on-system-shock-3-since-2019

The Weird Drop: Sifu x The Matrix
https://www.ign.com/videos/sifu-matrix-mod-gameplay-neo-vs-a-ton-of-agents-smiths

Check out the website for transcripts, episode story sources and more!

https://www.deaddroppod.com/

Follow The Dead Drop podcast on socials!|

Instagram: @DeadDropPodcast

Twitter: @deaddroppod

Submit your stories, jokes and questions! 

[email protected]

Follow your Host, Matthew Bliss, and subscribe to his other podcasts

Twitter: @mattblisspod

The Teaching Culture Cast (Education/Teaching)

The Game n Watch Podcast (Leisure/Video Games)

Delivering the news as of 12th March, 2022. Today's transfer includes a stack of Steam Deck updates, newest games from Sony’s State of Play, EA loot box lawsuit is dismissed, Xbox working on their new console hardware, more plaintiffs join a gender discrimination lawsuit against Sony, and plenty more! Welcome to The Dead Drop, your secret cache of game news delivered safely and securely to your podcast player.

Sources for the stories in this episode:

Story 1: Games to look for from Sony State of Play
https://www.kotaku.com.au/2022/03/heres-everything-shown-at-todays-playstation-state-of-play/

Story 2: The Steam Deck Stack
https://www.theverge.com/2022/3/10/22971108/valve-steam-deck-windows-runs-drivers-no-support
https://www.theverge.com/2022/3/10/22971257/microsoft-steam-deck-xbox-game-studios-list
https://flathub.org/apps/details/com.heroicgameslauncher.hgl

Story 3: Elden Ring speedrunners & bananas
https://www.ign.com/articles/elden-ring-speedrun-world-record-seemingly-broken-twice-in-a-day
https://www.eurogamer.net/articles/2022-03-11-elden-ring-boss-beaten-with-an-actual-banana
https://twitter.com/SuperLouis_64/status/1501057719175946242 

Story 4: Dutch Court rules for EA: Loot boxes aren’t gambling
https://www.gamesindustry.biz/articles/2022-03-09-dutch-court-rules-in-eas-favor-and-says-that-loot-boxes-isnt-gambling

Story 5: Xbox could be working on new console
https://gamerant.com/new-xbox-console-rumor-keystone/

Story 6: Ubisoft hit by a cyber attack
https://www.gamesindustry.biz/articles/2022-03-11-ubisoft-victim-of-cyber-security-incident

Story 7: ID@Xbox Showcase next week
https://www.eurogamer.net/articles/2022-03-11-id-xbox-showcase-set-for-next-week

Story 8: Eight women join gender discrimination suit against Sony
https://www.gamesindustry.biz/articles/2022-03-09-report-eight-women-join-gender-discrimination-lawsuit-against-playstation

PROMO: Super Bracket Bros
https://pod.link/1486717268
https://open.spotify.com/episode/6na2Al2NVlcwG1M7yfEyJt 
https://www.patreon.com/superbracketbros

Check out the brand new website for The Dead Drop! Includes transcripts, episode story sources and more!

https://www.deaddroppod.com/

Follow The Dead Drop podcast on socials!|

TikTok: @deaddroppodcast

Twitter: @deaddroppod

Instagram: @deaddroppodcast

Submit your stories, jokes and questions! 

[email protected]

Follow your host, Matthew Bliss...

Twitter: @mattblisspod

...and subscribe to his other podcasts

The Teaching Culture Cast (Education/Teaching)

The Game n Watch Podcast (Leisure/Video Games)

Delivering the news as of 10th March, 2022. Today's transfer includes Lost Ark addressing sexualised character outfits, a new rumoured God of War TV Show, potential Google Stadia Windows emulation, new Valve games uncovered by data miners, the 2K loot box lawsuit, and plenty more! Welcome to The Dead Drop, your secret cache of game news delivered safely and securely to your podcast player.

Sources for the stories in this episode:

Story 1: Illinois parent sues Take-Two for loot boxes.
https://www.polygon.com/gaming/22965885/nba-2k-lawsuit-loot-boxes-myteam-microtransactions-class-action

Story 2: Amazon explains gendered classes in Lost Ark.
https://www.eurogamer.net/articles/2022-03-08-amazon-games-addresses-criticism-of-female-representation-in-lost-ark 
https://www.ign.com/articles/lost-ark-devs-are-working-on-solutions-for-gender-locked-classes-and-revealing-outfits

Story 3: Itch.io “Bundle for Ukraine” raises millions.
https://www.theverge.com/2022/3/8/22967069/itch-io-ukraine-bundle-support-charity 
https://itch.io/b/1316/bundle-for-ukraine

Story 4: Sony looking to make God of War live action TV show
https://www.theverge.com/2022/3/7/22966267/sony-god-of-war-amazon-prime-tv-show

Story 5: Activision Blizzard shareholders under investigation for insider trading
https://www.gamesindustry.biz/articles/2022-03-09-activision-blizzard-shareholders-reportedly-under-investigation

Story 6: Google Stadia running Windows games?
https://www.theverge.com/2022/3/9/22969081/google-windows-games-stadia-emulator

Story 7: Data miners find four Valve games in new title code.
https://www.ign.com/articles/valve-datamine-aperture-desk-job-combine-csgo-source-2

Story 8: Nintendo Switch Online 2.0 adds functionality.
https://www.theverge.com/2022/3/7/22965222/nintendo-switch-online-app-ios-android-version-2-update-friend-code-friend-status

Story 9: Game Delays & Announcements.
https://www.ign.com/articles/forspoken-delayed-october 
https://www.polygon.com/22968807/gotham-knights-release-date-2022-batman-arkhamverse 
https://www.polygon.com/22968764/advance-wars-remake-switch-reboot-camp-release-date-delay-russia-ukraine

Check out the brand new website for The Dead Drop! Includes transcripts, episode story sources and more!

https://www.deaddroppod.com/

Follow The Dead Drop podcast on socials!|

TikTok: @deaddroppodcast

Twitter: @deaddroppod

Submit your stories, jokes and questions! 

[email protected]

Follow your host, Matthew Bliss, and listen to his other podcasts!

Twitter: @mattblisspod

The Teaching Culture Cast (Education/Teaching)

The Game n Watch Podcast (Leisure/Video Games)

Delivering the news as of 8th March, 2022. Today's transfer includes Steam Deck deliveries for new orders delayed to Q3 2022, potential Playstation error hinting at a Spartacus release shortly, Australian Ratings Board disqualifying a game from 2013 from sale, and plenty more! Welcome to The Dead Drop, your secret cache of game news delivered safely and securely to your podcast player.

Sources for the stories in this episode:

Story 1: New Steam Deck orders unlikely until Q3 2022
https://www.theverge.com/2022/3/7/22965793/valve-steam-deck-reservation-q3-order-window-october-countries-expansion

Story 2: ActiBlizz sued over employee suicide
https://www.theverge.com/2022/3/6/22964148/activision-blizzard-lawsuit-claims-sexual-harassment-contributed-employee-death

Story 3: Sneak peek at Sony’s “Spartacus”?
https://www.playstationlifestyle.net/2022/03/04/playstation-plus-and-ps-now-merge-for-some/

Story 4: “RimWorld” removed from Steam Australia
https://www.pcgamer.com/au/rimworld-has-been-removed-from-steam-in-australia-after-all/

The Weird Drop: Chinese woman missing for 10 years lived in Internet Cafes while on the run.
https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/peoplesdaily/article-3330627/Chinese-woman-24-missing-decade-presumed-dead-living-internet-cafe-playing-games-10-years.html

Check out the brand new website for The Dead Drop! Includes transcripts, episode story sources and more!

https://www.deaddroppod.com/

Follow The Dead Drop podcast on socials!|

TikTok: @deaddroppodcast

Twitter: @deaddroppod

Submit your stories, jokes and questions! 

[email protected]

Follow Matthew Bliss...

Twitter: @mattblisspod

...and subscribe to his other podcasts

The Teaching Culture Cast (Education/Teaching)

The Game n Watch Podcast (Leisure/Video Games)

Delivering the news as of 5th March, 2022. Today's transfer includes the acquisition of Bandcamp by Epic Games, the Nvidia Ultimatum from the cyber hacker Lapsus$, the Twitch employee exodus from a culture clash, Nintendo copyright takedowns of Steam Deck emulation, and plenty more! Welcome to The Dead Drop, your secret cache of game news delivered safely and securely to your podcast player.

Sources for the stories in this episode:

Story 1: Epic Games acquires Bandcamp?!
https://www.gameinformer.com/2022/03/02/epic-games-acquires-bandcamp 
https://arstechnica.com/gaming/2022/03/epic-games-begins-to-show-its-more-than-games-acquires-bandcamp/
https://blog.bandcamp.com/2022/03/02/bandcamp-is-joining-epic/

Story 2: A hack, Nvidia and the Ultimatum

https://arstechnica.com/information-technology/2022/03/cybercriminals-who-breached-nvidia-issue-one-of-the-most-unusual-demands-ever/ 
https://www.digitaltrends.com/computing/next-gen-nvidia-gpu-plans-revealed-in-massive-data-hack/

Story 3: Twitch employee exodus from culture clash

https://www.videogameschronicle.com/news/twitch-is-facing-an-employee-exodus-amid-a-culture-clash-reports-claim/

Story 4: Game developers show support for Ukraine during conflict

https://www.ign.com/articles/ukrainian-game-studios-industry-support-ukraine?utm_source=twitter 
https://techbomb.ca/gaming/ea-stops-sales-of-games-and-content-in-russia-belarus/ 
https://www.aroged.com/2022/03/04/the-developers-of-this-war-of-mine-raised-700-thousand-dollars-to-help-ukraine/ 
https://www.bbc.com/news/technology-60592658

Story 5: Nintendo issuing take-downs of emulated content on Steam Deck
https://exputer.com/news/nintendo/switch-emulation-steam-deck/

Check out the brand new website for The Dead Drop! Includes transcripts, episode story sources and more!

https://www.deaddroppod.com/

Follow The Dead Drop podcast on socials!

TikTok: @deaddroppodcast

Twitter: @deaddroppod

Submit your stories, jokes and questions! 

[email protected]

Follow your host, Matthew Bliss...

Twitter: @mattblisspod

...and subscribe to his other podcasts

The Teaching Culture Cast (Education/Teaching)

The Game n Watch Podcast (Leisure/Video Games)

Delivering the news as of 3rd March, 2022. Today's transfer includes the halt of Intellivision's latest fundraising call, a delay of the Call Of Duty series in 2023, leaked files about a new Nintendo Switch console, and plenty more! Welcome to The Dead Drop, your secret cache of game news delivered safely and securely to your podcast player.

Sources for the stories in this episode:

Story 1: Netflix acquires Next Games

https://techcrunch.com/2022/03/02/netflix-acquires-next-games-in-finland-publisher-of-stranger-things-and-walking-dead-games-for-72m/
https://www.lifehacker.com.au/2021/11/netflix-games-guide/

Story 2: Intellivision’s Amico - a tale of unintelligent planning

https://www.eurogamer.net/articles/2022-03-01-intellivision-cuts-fundraising-campaign-for-amico-short-setting-alarm-bells-ringing
https://techraptor.net/gaming/news/intellivision-amico-investment-campaign-ends-early-at-startengine

Story 3: Nvidia leak may Switch on the rumour mill

https://nintendoeverything.com/nvidia-leak-may-hint-at-new-switch-nintendo-system/

Story 4: Call Of Duty taking a break in 2023

https://www.theverge.com/2022/2/22/22946505/call-of-duty-2023-delayed-annual-release-activision-blizzard

Story 5: Someone beats Elden Ring boss with a Ring Fit.

https://twitter.com/SuperLouis_64/status/1498158662082347009

Podcast Spotlight: The Dukes of Gaming

For the live show on Sat/Sun: https://www.twitch.tv/thedukesofgaming

Watch recordings on YouTube: The Dukes of Gaming (YouTube)

Subscribe on your Podcast Player: https://pod.link/1565104246

Check out the brand new website for The Dead Drop! Includes transcripts, episode story sources and more!

https://www.deaddroppod.com/

Follow The Dead Drop podcast on socials!|

TikTok: @deaddroppodcast

Twitter: @deaddroppod

Submit your stories, jokes and questions! 

[email protected]

Follow Matthew Bliss...

Twitter: @mattblisspod

...and subscribe to his other podcasts

The Teaching Culture Cast (Education/Teaching)

The Game n Watch Podcast (Leisure/Video Games)

Delivering the news as of 1st March, 2022. Today's transfer includes Bandai Namco's salary bump and flexible working, good-guy Gaben's new marketing push for the Steam Deck, the announcement of new Pokemon titles Scarlet and Violet, and plenty more! Welcome to The Dead Drop, your secret cache of game news delivered safely and securely to your podcast player.

Sources for the stories in this episode:

Story 1: Elden Ring studio showing their true colours

https://www.eurogamer.net/articles/2022-02-27-the-challenge-of-from-software-games-is-part-of-the-studios-identity-says-hidetaka-miyazaki

https://www.eurogamer.net/articles/2022-02-26-japanese-development-studio-gives-staff-paid-time-off-to-play-elden-ring

https://techraptor.net/gaming/news/bandai-namco-announces-significant-pay-raise-for-developers

Story 2: Gabe Newell: head of marketing for Steam Deck

https://www.theverge.com/2022/2/26/22952086/valve-microsoft-pc-game-pass-steam-comments

https://www.ign.com/articles/steam-deck-higher-end-models-gabe-newell

Story 3: New Core Pokemon Games

https://www.eurogamer.net/articles/2022-02-27-pokemon-scarlet-and-pokemon-violet-coming-to-switch-later-this-year

https://www.respawnstation.com/2022/02/pokemon-scarlet-and-violet-announced.html

Story 4: Playstation Spartacus “test run?”

https://gamerant.com/playstation-now-games-march-2022-shadow-warrior-3/

https://www.theverge.com/2022/1/18/22406059/xbox-game-pass-subscribers-25-million-microsoft-activision

Story 5: Nvidia compromised by cyber attack

https://www.videogameschronicle.com/news/nvidia-has-reportedly-been-completely-compromised-by-a-cyber-attack/

Story 6: ActiBlizz being sued by shareholder for sale

https://www.polygon.com/22949594/activision-blizzard-shareholder-lawsuit-sec-violation

Dead Drop Shopper: Witcher 3: The Wild Hunt (GOTY)

https://store.steampowered.com/sub/124923/

Check out the brand new website for The Dead Drop! Includes transcripts, episode story sources and more!

https://www.deaddroppod.com/

Follow The Dead Drop podcast on socials!|

TikTok: @deaddroppodcast

Twitter: @deaddroppod

Submit your stories, jokes and questions! 

[email protected]

Follow Matthew Bliss...

Twitter: @mattblisspod

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The Teaching Culture Cast (Education/Teaching)

Sources for the stories this week:

Story 1: Elden Ring is here!
https://www.ign.com/articles/elden-ring-best-reviewed-games-modern-history
https://steamdb.info/app/1245620/graphs/
https://www.gamespot.com/articles/elden-ring-rarely-achieves-a-consistent-60fps-on-consoles/1100-6501015/

 Story 2: D.I.C.E. Awards
https://www.ign.com/articles/dice-awards-2022-how-to-watch-all-the-nominees-and-what-to-expect-winners
https://twitter.com/Scapes/status/1497071691675037696

 Story 3: This War of Mine developer donating to Ukraine
https://store.steampowered.com/news/app/282070/view/3099043827448708763
https://restream.io/blog/stand-with-ukraine/

 Story 4: Fallout New Vegas 2 rumours
https://www.videogameschronicle.com/news/fallout-new-vegas-2-is-reportedly-in-very-early-talks-at-microsoft/

Story 5: Steam Deck release day
https://www.theverge.com/22950371/valve-steam-deck-review  

Check out the brand new website for The Dead Drop! Includes transcripts, episode story sources and more!

https://www.deaddroppod.com/

Follow The Dead Drop podcast on socials!|
TikTok: @deaddroppodcast
Twitter: @deaddroppod

Submit your stories, jokes and questions! 
[email protected]

Follow Matthew Bliss...

Twitter: @mattblisspod

...and subscribe to his other podcasts

The Teaching Culture Cast (Education/Teaching)
The Game n Watch Podcast (Leisure/Video Games)