In this episode of the Game Deflators Podcast, John and Ryan unpack an action-packed week in gaming with a lineup that spans kart racing chaos, collectible card surprises, corporate culture wins, and a splash of retro nostalgia. 

They kick things off with the wild new Sonic Racing CrossWorlds where iconic franchises like Minecraft, TMNT, and Avatar: The Last Airbender collide on the track. The conversation then shifts to cardboard as Sonic speeds into Magic: The Gathering with an upcoming Secret Lair set—John and Ryan speculate provide their opinion on the quality of cards revealed and their interest in the video game franchise cards. They then take a thoughtful detour into the real-world side of gaming, discussing recent data that shows Nintendo’s impressively low employee turnover rate and what that says about its workplace culture in contrast to wider industry trends. 

Rounding out the episode is a retro review of Wave Race: Blue Storm for the Nintendo GameCube, as the duo discusses the game’s intense physics, water mechanics, and enduring difficulty curve.

Articles covered:

https://magic.wizards.com/en/news/announcements/secret-lair-the-sonic-superdrop 

https://www.nintendolife.com/news/2025/06/sonic-racing-crossworlds-officially-reveals-nickelodeon-collaboration  

https://thenerdstash.com/while-layoffs-keep-hitting-the-industry-nintendo-retains-98-of-staff-including-78-with-disabilities/   

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Permission for intro and outro music provided by Matthew Huffaker http://www.youtube.com/user/teknoaxe 2_25_18