PS5 dominated Black Friday console sales in the UK, Meta planning massive cuts to Reality Labs metaverse division, and Metroid Prime 4: Beyond's $30 Amiibo sparks exclusive bike radio backlash.

Also: The Jesus and Mary Chain, Games of the Decade, Mixtape genres, and more!

GAMES DISCUSSED: Metroid Prime 4: Beyond, Marvel Cosmic Invasion, Terminator: Resistance, Schildmaid MX.

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Epic’s Tim Sweeney says it ‘makes no sense’ for game stores to flag when AI has been used in development, Valve dev counters calls to scrap Steam AI disclosures, Gears Tactics developer Splash Damage puts entire studio at risk of redundancy, Phil Spencer says Xbox's Game Pass cloud hours are up 45% YoY, and a leaker says that Destiny 3 in “Extremely Early Development” at Bungie!

Also: Farley pants, baby recommendations, sequel recommendations and more!

GAMES DISCUSSED: Detective Instinct: Farewell, My Beloved, Battlefield 6, ARC Raiders, Walkabout Mini Golf, Baby Steps.

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Interplay co-founder Rebecca Heineman dies aged 62, Xbox Partner Preview, Steam Machines, the internet thinks Half-Life 3 is being announced this month, and Xbox is reportedly warning of yet another potential price increase.

Also: Switch mouse controls, Perfect For Portal, Goated sauce, Outer Worlds 2, Steam Deck, mechanical keyboards, and more!

GAMES DISCUSSED: This Bed We Made, Sektori, Battlefield 6, Call of Duty: Black Ops 7, PowerWash Simulator 2, Dispatch, ARC Raiders

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Over 200 Rockstar North staff sign letter demanding "immediate reinstatement" of fired colleagues, Valve announces a new Steam ‘console’ and controller and VR headset, everything announced in last week’s PlayStation State of Play, everything announced in the Super Mario Galaxy Movie Nintendo Direct, Activision confirms Black Ops 7 uses gen-AI tools for assets, and more!

GAMES DISCUSSED: Call of Duty: Black Ops 7, Lumines Arise, Dispatch, Kingdom Come Deliverance II, ARC Raiders, Vampire Survivors But It’s In Virtual Reality.

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Workers affected by Rockstar layoffs protest outside offices in London and Edinburgh, GTA 6 has been delayed again to the end of 2026, cloud streaming officially arrives on PlayStation Portal, Halo Infinite development finishes, and Bioware moves to reassure fans that a new Mass Effect is definitely still in development.

Also: hacking Alarmos, Hades fights, national dress, physical media, school fibs, and more!

GAMES DISCUSSED: Hyrule Warriors: Age of Imprisonment, ARC Raiders, RV There Yet?, Kirby Air Riders, The Séance of Blake Manor, Ghost of Yōtei, Dispatch.

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Amazon reportedly "gutting" its video game division as part of 14,000 company wide job cuts, Rockstar accused of union-busting after it fires dozens of developers, Xbox Q1 hardware sales down 29% while third-party content experiences "better-than-expected performance", US government says it’ll keep making video game memes, as Halo co-creator says ICE ad makes him ‘sick’, and Animal Crossing: New Horizons springs back to life next year with huge updates and more.

Also: ideal button layouts, host orders, game levels IRL, TV show teams, Marathon (the game) and more!

GAMES DISCUSSED: Mortal Kombat Legacy Kollection, Dispatch, Absolum, RV There Yet?, Escape Simulator 2, Halls of Torment, Atari 2600+, Battlefield 6.

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Microsoft's push for high Xbox profit margins behind job cuts, publishing on PlayStation, and cancellation of projects like Perfect Dark, a Next-gen Xbox confirmed in development, Halo is coming to PS5, With PS6 Sony "cannot do the same thing they have been doing" says Shuhei Yoshida, and Starfield is a "good game" says former designer.

Also: perfect games, hats, being financially irresponsible, favourite gaming eras, Barack Obama, non-lethal misfortune, and more!

GAMES DISCUSSED: The Séance of Blake Manor, Dispatch, Ghost of Yōtei, Absolum, BALL x PIT, PowerWash Simulator 2.

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This week: a former Call of Duty lead "immensely worried" about series under Microsoft, Nintendo is reportedly increasing Switch 2 production as it expects record-breaking first year sales exceeding its own estimates, Xbox Ally and Ally X reviews are here, Tomonobu Itakagi has sadly passed away, Quantic Dream has revealed its first-ever free-to-play multiplayer game, and more!

GAMES DISCUSSED: Keeper, Pokémon Legends: Z-A, Battlefield 6, BALL x PIT, Hades II, Ghost of Yōtei, Absolum

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Sean returns!

This week: Ubisoft reportedly cancelled an Assassin’s Creed game partly due to ‘political concerns’, MindsEye developers sign damning open letter against studio execs over "longstanding disrespect and mistreatment" following game's disastrous launch, A Minecraft Movie gets inevitable sequel after grossing almost $1bn, and Battlefield 6 players face extensive queues this weekend as servers immediately reach capacity.

Also: crisp sandwiches, game delays, complex button combos, trainers, and more!

GAMES DISCUSSED: Battlefield 6, Ghost of Yōtei, Hades II, Baby Steps.

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Sean's away, so this week we're joined by Iain Lee!

This week: Microsoft increases price of Xbox Game Pass Ultimate, Game Pass reportedly led to $300 million in lost sales of Black Ops 6, Xbox's next gen console hardware plans aren't cancelled (yet), a ‘deep dive’ on the future of Halo will be held next month, and FIFA lives on in a mascot-focused five-a-side football game. Also: first completed games, what ARE Microsoft doing, elephants, and more.

GAMES DISCUSSED: Ghost of Yōtei, Baby Steps, Sonic Racing: CrossWorlds, Death Stranding 2, Borderlands 4, Chess

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