Some Patches Required

This week, Zak and Aaron are back at it discussing something that (for once) doesn't directly link to the dire state of the modern games industry - Fire Emblem: Fortune's Weave, and the question of game length.

Is there such a thing as having too much game? How would you quantify "beating a game?" Are Zak and Aaron finally too old to have relevant opinions? All these questions and none of their definitive answers await you on this installment of Some Patches Required!

Please, enjoy.

Sources:

Fire Emblem: Fortune's Weave Quietly Hits Huge Sales Milestone - GameRant

Fire Emblem: Fortune's Weave Just Made Three Houses Look Surprisingly Small on Switch 2 - GameRant

Best-selling games in the U.S. for September 2026 – Fire Emblem: Fortune’s Wave makes the top 5 - Nintendo Everything

HowLongToBeat Games

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This week, Zak and Aaron return to the burgeoning phenomena of old video games being resurrected and expanded through the lens of World of Warcraft: Forever. Much like The Witcher 3 with Songs of the Past, Blizzard has gone back to basics with its legendary MMO, and is essentially building on the blueprint laid down by WoW: Classic with new content and fresh mechanics.

It's a fascinating move for one of the industries longest-running and most influential success stories - and it might just catch the industry's attention if it pays off.

Please, enjoy.

Sources:

World of Warcraft: Forever - What's Next Panel - BlizzCon 2026

World of Warcraft: Forever Overview - New Features, Zones, Raids - Wowhead

Blizzard is scrambling to meet World of Warcraft Forever's unexpected popularity - Polygon

Blizzard Finally Made WoW For Regular People - Bellular Warcraft

So, what is WoW Forever? - Bellular Warcraft

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This week, Zak and Aaron are back to talk about Sony walking into a PR landmine... again. This time, they seem to have unexpectedly dumped legendary developer Hideo Kojima and Physint, his spiritual successor to Metal Gear Solid. In the wake of the title being scooped up ravenously by XBOX, all that's left is to discuss why... and poke some more fun at PlayStation's legendary streak of misfortune.

Please, enjoy.

Sources:

Why PlayStation Ditched Hideo Kojima's Physint - Jason Schreier

PlayStation Are So Scared, They Dumped Kojima - Bellular News

Bill Skarsgard to Star in Hideo Kojima’s ‘Physint’ Video Game From Xbox - Variety

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This week, Zak and Aaron draw a throughline connecting numerous recent episodes, and discuss the state of the games industry in general. Namely, the fact that many of its woes can be tied to the idea that games are now a mature market rather than a growing one. But that has no bearing on investors' insatiable need to see the all-important line go up - whatever the cost.

Please, enjoy.

Sources:

The Death Of Physical Games Is A Sign Of What's Coming - Jason Schreier

The Video Game Industry Is Collapsing - Adam Conover

PRESENTATION: The State of Video Gaming in 2025 - Matthew Ball

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This week, Zak and Aaron return to the ever-growing trash heap that is Sony's failed foray into live service gaming to talk about its latest addition: Guerilla's Monster Hunter-like Horizon Hunters Gathering. Following less-than-ideal feedback from playtests spread across the year, the studio reportedly now has just a handful of months to impress executives as a more traditional co-op title, lest itn receive the axe like so many before it.

This raises the question: money aside, what was the real cost of Sony's blunder? And what does it mean for the future of its studios?

Please, enjoy.

Sources:

Announcing Horizon Hunters Gathering, Guerrilla’s new co-op action game - Guerilla Games

PlayStation's Live-Service Initiative Could Not Have Gone Worse - Jason Schreier

Sony reportedly reverses course on live service co-op Horizon game after 'negative player feedback' - PCGamer

The opportunity cost of Sony's live service pivot is enormous | Opinion - GamesIndustry.biz

Sony Says Ghost of Yotei 'Exceeded' the Sales of Ghost of Tsushima in the Same Period of Time and 'Significantly' Contributed to Its Financial Results - IGN

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This week, Zak and Aaron take a moment to discuss Sony's recent decision to discontinue the release of physical games in 2028, and what it means for the future of ownership in general. Just a heads up, its looking pretty grim out there.

Sources:

The World Is Turning On PlayStation - Bellular News

The Death Of PlayStation Discs Was Decades In The Making - Jason Schreier

Why PlayStation Is Killing Discs (Despite The Fan Revolt) - Jason Schreier

Sony Killed Destiny 2, Now It's Killing Physical Game Discs  - Paul Tassi

Nintendo Says Physical Games Still Account for 38.5% of Its Software Sales, Following Sony's Decision to Kill PS5 Discs - IGN

Circana Data via BlueSky - Matt Piscatella

PlayStation ending physical games is "like Apple removing the CD Drive from its laptops," says analyst: "Not a single person is complaining about it today" - GamesRadar+

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This week, Zak and Aaron take a beat to address the thousands of layoffs that wracked many XBOX studios in recent weeks, and how that culling relates to Bethesda's newest move: just announcing or re-announcing every single thing they're working on all at once. 

Beyond the evident smoke and mirrors, can the studio actually deliver for modern audiences? And exactly how much Fallout is too much Fallout?

Please, enjoy.

Sources:

Why Did Bethesda Just Announce... Everything? - Bellular News

Xbox layoffs: Jobs lost at Obsidian, Bethesda, Id and Zenimax Online Studios - GamesIndustry.biz

Xbox announces plans to lay off 3,200 staff and divest five studios - GamesIndustry.biz

Bethesda pivots to "franchise-centric" planning model amid Xbox restructure - GamesIndustry.biz 

Bethesda reveals plans for Fallout 5, The Elder Scrolls 6, and more - GamesIndustry.biz 

The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim Has Sold 65 Million Copies Since Going on Sale in 2011 - IGN

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This week, Zak and Aaron are back to talk about the biggest event in the history of the games industry, and why it could still be considered a failure in the eyes of investors. That's right, Grand Theft Auto VI, the game to end all games and save manufacturers from languishing console sails, could absolutely flop. If its hotly anticipated online component doesn't just meet, but exceed the astronomical financial figures posted by GTA V since its launch in 2013, the future of Rockstar and its 5,000-plus employees may be a lot less stable than previously imagined.

Sources:

I Cant Believe You've Done This - PWee28

Take-Two’s real GTA 6 jackpot may not be the game itself - The Street

GTA 5 Statistics 2026 - Axis Intelligence Research

GTA Online Leak Reveals $5 Billion In Revenue, Shocking Spending Habits - RockstarIntel

GTA 6 is a 'singleplayer experience', leaving me to question what's going on with GTA Online - PC Gamer

GTA 6 Doesn't Mean The End Of GTA Online, Says Take-Two CEO - Kotaku

GTA 6 Has the Highest Break-Even Threshold in Entertainment History - GTABoom

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This week, Zak and Aaron are back at it with something potentially positive, for a change! Namely, that The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt is receiving a 12-years-after-the-fact expansion entitled Songs of the Past, bucking industry trends and further solidifying the base game as one of the most important RPGs of the last 20 years.

Never content to simply enjoy good news when it comes, Zak and Aaron instead find themselves consumed by several questions upon which they will pontificate into your ears for roughly the next hour.

Please, enjoy.

Sources:

The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt - Songs of the Past - NEW Details You May Not Know - GamingBolt

The Witcher 3 sold another 5 million copies over the last year: 'This cements its place among the best-selling videogames in history' - PC Gamer 

It's Official: The Witcher 3 Songs of the Past Expansion Is Real and It's Coming Next Year - IGN

Games – Fool's Theory

SteamDB - The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt

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This week, Zak and Aaron are back to talk about Bungie again, but not exclusively because of Marathon this time. It would seem that the bell has finally tolled for the long-beleaguered Destiny 2, as its studio is releasing one final content update before transitioning the title to maintenance mode. Perhaps more damning are the recent reports that a Destiny 3 has yet to be greenlit by Sony, and that Bungie is expected to be hit by a substantial round of layoffs in the near future.

With all resources now going towards rescuing the struggling Marathon, what does the future look like? Can Bungie turn the game around, or will it continue to flounder? And if it flounders, what does that mean for the storied studio's long-term prospects?

Please, enjoy.

Sources:

Reality Check: The Fate Of Destiny 3, Marathon And Bungie - Paul Tassi

Bungie Announces The Final Death Of Destiny 2 - The Expected, Sad, Maddening End Of An Era - Paul Tassi

PlayStation Finally Realized Bungie Played Them - Bellular News

With ‘Destiny 2’ Gone, No ‘Destiny 3’ Is Coming - Forbes

Destiny 2's End Reportedly Portends 'Significant' Layoffs At Bungie - Kotaku

‘Marathon’ Is Pulling The PvE Trigger In Season 2, A Sign Of Things To Come - Forbes

(20) Marathon on X: "Launch, Learnings, and What’s Next" - Bungie Blog Post

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