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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This week, Zak and Aaron are back at it, talking about indie mega-hit Slay The Spire 2 and its evidently divided player base. You see, while the game has earned rave reviews almost across the board and attracted hundreds of thousands of players, it's also been the target of three separate review bombing campaigns, the largest of which earned the game more than 70 thousand negative reviews on Steam... predominantly in the Chinese language.

Why such anger from one specific area of the world? And what's up with those other two review bombs, anyway?

Please, enjoy.

Check Out Bobo Bay on Steam!

Sources:

We Know Why They Did It - Bellular News

I Read Chinese Reviews to Understand Slay the Spire 2’s Backlash - Wayshush

Slay the Spire 2 is Being Review-Bombed Yet Again - Gamerant

Slay The Spire 2 Is Fantastic, So Why Is It Being Review-Bombed? - GameSpot 

Slay The Spire 2 Getting Review-Bombed Again After Latest Update - Kotaku

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This week, Zak and Aaron revisit a topic from earlier this season: the Stop Killing Games Movement! It's been a big couple of months for Ross Scott and the crew which has now grown into an official Non-Governmental Organization in Europe, presented its case in front of Parliament, and even thrown its weight behind proposed legislation in California.

What does all of this mean for the movement at large? Only time will tell for sure... but we've got some thoughts right now. 

Please, enjoy.

Sources:

Stop Killing Games Just Revealed Its Real Power: Ubisoft's In Trouble - Bellular News

Stop Killing Games Just Won Over Europe - Bellular News

SKG plans coming to fruition / Ubisoft sued by consumer watchdog - Accursed Farms

Stop Killing Games movement celebrates as The Crew 2 sees further offline mode support - Eurogamer

Stop Killing Games backs California law that will force devs to preserve games after shut down - Dexerto

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This week, Zak and Aaron take a moment to discuss an online conflict that rears its ugly head with disappointing regularity — the divide between critic and audience review scores when it comes to games and movies. Specifically, our intrepid hosts delve into the cacophonous world of The Super Mario Galaxy Movie, which is earning rapturous praise from casual viewers and drawing ample derision from critics. 

With such a disparity of opinions on display, who are you supposed to trust? And what is the role of a critic in the modern media landscape, anyway?

Please, enjoy.

Sources:

Mario Galaxy Movie Drama is Crazy - Moist Critical

‘Super Mario Galaxy Movie’ Divides Fans And Critics On Rotten Tomatoes - Forbes

Why the Super Mario Galaxy movie is majorly dividing audiences and critics - ScreenRant

The Purpose Of Critics Is Grossly Misunderstood - Giant Freakin Robot

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This week, Zak and Aaron are back to check in on Marathon, the latest title from Bungie and the latest shot by Sony to make a splash in the wildly oversaturated live service market. Rather than being an unmitigated disaster on the level of Concord or even Highguard, or a runaway success like Arc Raiders, Marathon is something of an in-bounds outlier - performance is perfectly middle-of-the-road.

It's reviewing well, but player numbers are certainly soft for a game that was meant to finally make good on both Sony's $3.7 billion purchase of Bungie and  its wider live-service ambitions. So, what comes next?

Please, enjoy.

Sources:

Marathon has sold 1.2M copies across Steam, PS5, and Xbox - Alinea Insights

Marathon Was Bungie's Last Hope - Bellular News

'Things Are Looking Lukewarm Right Now' — Marathon Has Reportedly Sold Just 1.2 Million So Far, With Steam Making Up 70% of the Player Base - IGN

Sony Has Completed Its $3.7 Billion Deal to Acquire Bungie and Welcome It Into the PlayStation Family - IGN

Sony Says Bungie Hasn’t Brought in as Much Money as It Thought It Would When It Bought the Developer, as Destiny 2 Falls Off a Cliff - IGN

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This week, Zak and Aaron sit down to discuss some pretty massive changes over at Xbox, namely the retirement of long-time CEO Phil Spencer and the quiet disappearance of his heir apparent, Sarah Bond. In their place, we find Asha Sharma, a seasoned executive who most recently led Microsoft's CoreAI team.

The why of it all is a bit murky at the moment, but that leaves plenty of room for speculation, with one big question at the heart of everything: what's next for Xbox as the brand navigates its new, Phil-free future?

Please, enjoy.

Sources:

Asha Sharma named EVP and CEO, Microsoft Gaming - The Official MicrosoftBlog

The Xbox Situation Is Worse Than Microsoft Are Letting On - Bellular News

New Xbox CEO Responds To ‘Real Gamer,’ AI Tweet Accusations - Forbes

Billions of dollars later and still nobody knows what an Xbox is - The Verge

Call Of Duty Lost $300 Million In Sales Due To Game Pass - Report - GameSpot

Black Ops 7 Had Call Of Duty's Worst Sales Year Ranking In The US Since 2008 - GameSpot

Xbox Sales Are Down 70% Year-Over-Year With PS5 Down 40% - Forbes

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This week, Zak and Aaron sit down to chat with Ashley Ruhl, the Narrative Director at Broadsword Online Games, currently in charge of Star Wars: The Old Republic! She was kind enough to tell us a little bit about her role working on SWTOR before moving on to the... ahem, meat of the conversation: romance! Specifically, romance in video games, how it can be approached thoughtfully, and where we'd like to see it go in the future.

Please, enjoy.

Check out Ashley's recommended reading!

Digital Love: Romance and Sexuality in Games - Heidi McDonald

Passion and Play: A Guide to Designing Sexual Content in Games - Michelle Clough

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This week, Zak and Aaron sit down to discuss yet another curious case of misguided marketing — this time with fewer questionable hats. Highguard, which secured the headlining spot at The Game Awards 2025 thanks to Geoff Keighley's personal fondness for the title, launched last week to overwhelmingly negative reviews on Steam and a rapidly dwindling player count. 

How did this happen? Who's to blame? Does the game deserve all of this hate, and will it ever be able to overcome it? 

Please, enjoy.

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This week, Zak and Aaron sit down to discuss how a series of PR... er, let's call them "miscalculations," arguably torpedoed Splitgate: Arena Reloaded (formerly Splitgate 2) before it even had a chance. This story has it all: politically-charged headware choices, petty Twitter arguments, $100 million investments, off-putting apology videos, and much, much more!

Please, enjoy.

Sources:

Splitgate 2 Live Service Relaunches, Immediately Dies A Second Time…
Splitgate Dev Insists Steam Charts Aren't Important As Player Numbers Plummet…
This CEO Burned $500k To Humiliate His Own Game
I’ve Never Seen A Studio Fumble $100m This Hard

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This week, Zak and Aaron are back in hell to discuss the pending acquisition of Warner Bros. by Netflix. They touch on what the merger could mean for the future of movie theaters before diving into the main topic at hand: the fate of WB Games and its treasure trove of IP. Spoiler alert: things are looking bleak.

Please, enjoy.

P.S. Aaron recorded a portion of this episode while holding a sick pupper, so if you hear any coughing, please be kind to Louie.

Sources:

The Battle for Control of Warner Bros.: A Timeline of Key Developments

What Happens to Warner Bros. Games Under Netflix?

Netflix Considers Warner Bros. Games To Be Worthless

Netflix Closes Its All-Star AAA Video Game Studio, Which Made Zero Games

Netflix acquires games avatar firm Ready Player Me

The Netflix Gaming Deal Is A Match Made In Hell

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