The Game Professors

Join the Professors as we dive deep into gaming's business shakeups and market madness! Heru and Plague dissect Microsoft's aggressive 30% profit margin mandate for Xbox—exploring studio closures, massive layoffs, and the shift to multi-platform releases including Halo: Campaign Evolved coming to PlayStation. We unpack Amazon's devastating 14,000-person layoff with New World entering maintenance mode and the uncertain fate of their Lord of the Rings MMO. Then it's on to Counter-Strike 2's explosive skins market crash that wiped out $2 billion in value overnight when Valve's trade-up update democratized knife access. Plus, the next-gen Xbox's Windows-based hybrid philosophy and Wolfe Glick stepping away from Pokémon tournaments after harassment. Heru and Plague would love your feedback! Let us know what we can improve on and other topics you'd like to hear us discuss by reaching out to [email protected] . Come in and grab a seat as we profess our love and hate for all things video games!

Timestamps:

00:40 - Lecture Lowdown

01:16 - WolfeyVGC

07:55 - Emiru’s Response to Twitch X Statement

17:03 - Elden Ring on Switch 2 delayed and 3rd-party title viability

24:40 - Outer Worlds 2

28:05 - Arc Raiders Release

30:48 - Halo: Campaign Evolved and other Microsoft Titles coming to PlayStation

38:22 - Business and Econ

38:36 - Xbox Profit Margin requirements

55:41 - Microsoft Layoffs

1:02:04 - Amazon layoffs

1:03:59 - Heru gets very passionate about New World numbers

1:17:49 - Amazon shifting focus to casual and AI games

1:19:38 - Shop Class

1:19:52 - Next Gen Xbox info from Windows Central

1:22:04 - Heru’s thoughts on World of Warcraft on Next Gen Xbox console

1:27:34 - Revenue difference between between Xbox and Steam

1:30:20 - Free Period

1:30:42 - Counter Strike skin economy crash

1:54:03 - Brief Battlefield 6 Update

Join the Professors as they dissect the TwitchCon 2025 disaster that has the twitch community in uproar. Heru and Plague break down the shocking assault on streamer Emiru, the mishandling of VTuber fan gifts, and the questionable behavior of Twitch's CEO during the crisis—all exposing serious security failures at what should have been a celebration of streaming culture. They also dive into hardware leaks revealing PlayStation "Orion" and Xbox "Magnus" specs ahead of their 2027 launch, explore their hands-on experience with Arc Raiders' massive server stress test, discuss League of Legends Worlds action with GenG's dominant performance, and touch on Valve's upcoming Steam Frame VR headset. Heru and Plague would love your feedback! Let us know what we can improve on and other topics you'd like to hear us discuss by reaching out to 

[email protected]. Come in and grab a seat as we profess our love and hate for all things video games!

Timestamps:

1:00 - Lecture Lowdown

4:40 - Gym Class

12:07 - Shop Class

38:31 - Business and Econ

54:34 - Independent Study

1:17:19 - Free Period

Join the Professors as Heru and Plague dive deep into Battlefield 6's massive launch success with 747K peak Steam players, TPM 2.0 security requirements changing the PC gaming anti-cheat landscape, and Ubisoft's cancelled Assassin's Creed project. We also explore Xbox's scrapped handheld plans, Unity's major security vulnerability affecting millions, and gaming handheld sales. Heru and Plague would love your feedback! Let us know what we can improve on and other topics you'd like to hear us discuss by reaching out to [email protected] . Come in and grab a seat as we profess our love and hate for all things video games!

Episode Timestamps:

• 3:15 - Lecture Lowdown

• 25:20 - Lost and Found

• 37:30 - Lab Work

• 1:03:27 - Shop Class

• 1:21:15 - Business and Econ

Join the Professors for Course #2: GamePass, Play, or Pay?

Join the Professors as Plague and Heru dive deep into Microsoft’s big Game Pass shake-up, unpacking Essential, Premium, and Ultimate tiers, day-one exclusives, price spikes, and subscriber backlash. Next, we switch gears to the wider gaming economy, from digital-first strategies and Costco’s console pullback to FTC commentary on consolidation, Xbox partnerships, and potential future direction. Finally, it’s time for Gym Class, where India’s new Online Gaming Act meets League of Legends Worlds 2025, betting sponsorship news, and the evolving eSports landscape. For those eagerly awaiting the news of Heru’s favorite browser, you are in for a treat this week!

Heru and Plague would love your feedback! Let us know what we can improve on and other topics you’d like to hear us discuss by reaching out to [email protected]. Come in and grab a seat as we profess our love and hate for all things video games!

Segment Times:

Lecture Lowdown – 4:46

Business and Econ – 22:30

Gym Class – 59:49

Join the Professors in our very first episode as we dive into major gaming news, including Escape from Tarkov's Steam launch, World of Warcraft's upcoming player housing and updates, and the highly anticipated release of Ghost of Yōtei. We also discuss Kojima Productions' new projects, recent game sales successes, and industry happenings like Electronic Arts' massive buyout. Plus, we take a deep dive into game performance issues with Borderlands 4 and Monster Hunter: Wilds. Come in and grab a seat as we profess our love and hate for all things video games!

This is Heru and Plague's first episode, and we would love your feedback! Let us know what we can improve on or what other topics you’d like to hear us discuss by reaching out to [email protected].