We’re off this week, so we thought we would release one of our Patreon Host Specials on the main feed! As chosen by the Patrons, they’ve decided to release Jocelyn’s Host Special on EA. Enjoy and we’ll return with a new episode next week.

For decades, gamers have joked that the real gaming villain isn’t Ganon, Bowser, or The Illusive Man…it’s Electronic Arts. The studio-shuttering, loot-box-pioneering, “surprise mechanics”-defending corporate monolith that somehow became the symbol of everything broken in modern gaming. How did that reputation happen? Does EA actually deserve the crown?

In this episode of Innside Stories, Joce takes a deep dive into the rise (and repeated falls) of EA, from its idealistic origins championing “Electronic Artists,” to the studio graveyard it left behind, to the crunch culture exposed by the EA Spouse letter, to the Maxis and Spore disasters, all the way to their $55 billion Saudi-led buyout in 2025. If you’ve ever wondered how EA became gaming’s favourite villain, or whether they ever truly were, this one’s for you!

Each month, we alternate posting a Host Special, focusing on personal experiences, our favourite games, or just stories that peaked our interest. If you’d like to receive these monthly specials and other Patreon bonuses, consider becoming a Patron of The Gamers’ Inn. Thank you for the support!

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With our first episode of 2026, we catch up on what we’ve been playing over the holidays, and what we’ve built! Kicking things off, Ryan received the LEGO Game Boy for Christmas and describes this epic throwback build. Jocelyn picked up many games in the Steam Winter Sale, but starts with Strange Antiquities and Wanderstop. Before moving to the news, Ryan gives us an update on Final Fantasy VII Rebirth. In the news, Ubisoft has closed a studio that unionized just a month before, PlayStation patents an AI Assist that could play games for you, and The Witcher 3 could receive a new expansion 11 years after release.

Discussion

00:00:00 - LEGO Game Boy

00:18:55 - Strange Antiquities

00:25:12 - Wanderstop

00:38:41 - Final Fantasy VII Rebirth

00:54:16 - News

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We close out 2025 with our Games of the Year episode! Kicking things off, we go over our Top 5, followed by Honourable Mentions. After the break, we chat about the Games We Missed in a VERY busy year of video games. Finally for us, it’s our Most Anticipated video game of 2026. Closing out the show, we highlight some Listener Picks. Thank you so much to those that submitted their picks in the Discord, and thank you to all our listeners in 2025. Here’s to next year being an excellent year of video games once again!

Discussion

00:00:00 - Sorry Bloodlines 2

00:06:16 - Top 5

00:46:56 - Honourable Mentions

01:17:46 - Games We Missed

01:29:08 - Most Anticipated

01:32:37 - Listener Picks

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With The Game Awards behind us for yet another year, we take some time to discuss the winners and the ads. But first, we have games we played to discuss! Ryan has finally started his journey in Final Fantasy VII Rebirth, while both Joce and Ryan played PlateUp! With Travis and Nevermore on our latest Extra Life stream. Inspired by the Best Adaptation category at The Game Awards, Jocelyn watched Until Dawn. Over in the news, we have the winners and the ads from The Game Awards, plus another unionization effort under Xbox Studios, this time from the makers of DOOM.

Discussion

00:00:00 - Until Dawn Movie

00:15:24 - Final Fantasy VII Rebirth

00:28:53 - PlateUp! + Extra Life

00:35:25 - The Game Awards + News

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With days before The Game Awards, we're in a weird limbo of game announcements, but not to worry as we have plenty of fun games to discuss! But first, a movie based on a game: Five Nights at Freddy's. Next, Jocelyn completes her adventures in Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 in preparation for our own GOTY episode. Finally in what we're playing, Ryan shares his thoughts on Constance, a new metroidvania with some very welcome accessibility options. Over in the news, Bad Robot Game Studios is partnering with Sony for their game, Bethesda finds YET ANOTHER platform to release Skyrim on, and Netflix hand waves away the game studios as part of their acquisition plans for Warner Bros.

Discussion

00:00:00 - Five Nights at Freddy's Movie

00:22:21 - Clair Obscur: Expedition 33

00:38:46 - Constance

00:55:26 - News

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After a week off, the innkeepers return to catch up on the games they've played over the last two weeks. Jocelyn prepares for GOTY with her time in Clair Obscure: Expedition 33. Both Ryan and Jocelyn recount the latest TGI Game Night with Rabbit and Steel. And Ryan delves deep into the dungeons of Moonlighter 2: The Endless Vault, which is now available in Early Access. Over in the news, Valve confirms the Steam Machine will not be priced like a console, Far Cry is getting a TV adaptation at FX, CD Projekt Red has big plans for the next Witcher trilogy, and Paramount has another Sonic Universe movie for 2028.

Discussion

00:00:00 - Clair Obscur: Expedition 33

00:32:24 - Rabbit and Steel

00:37:58 - Moonlighter 2: The Endless Vault

00:49:41 - News

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Dispatch is fully available with all 8 episodes playable, so Ryan and Jocelyn share their thoughts on Season 1 of this comic book hero adventure. Want more Dispatch? Be sure to join our TGI Game Club starting this Sunday in Discord where we’ll be playing one episode a week. Over in the news, we’ve got new trailers for The Super Mario Galaxy Movie and Fallout Season 2, plus Nintendo shares first images from The Legend of Zelda movie. Moving back to actual video games, Sony and NCSoft announce a mobile focused Horizon MMO, and Valve announces new hardware for early 2026!

Discussion

00:00:00 - Dispatch (minor spoilers)

00:44:41 - News

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With Extra Life Game Day behind us, we recap the fun filled day. From Fortnite to Smite 2, and new favourites PEAK and R.E.P.O. Thank you to all that showed your support for this amazing cause! Over in the news, Netflix is making an Overcooked reality series, N7 Day brings news of new Mass Effect for video games and the small screen, Nintendo confirms their release cadence for future movie projects, and Nintendo teases an Ocarina of Time LEGO set.

Discussion

00:00:00 - Extra Life Game Day Recap

00:33:21 - News

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Ryan has rolled credits on Hades II, which means our spoiler episode will be coming soon. Plus Ryan travels back to 2009 thanks to Plants vs Zombies Replanted. Jocelyn brings a Fortnite update that brings Springfield to the popular battle royale mode. Over in the news, Animal Crossing New Horizons will receive a free update and Nintendo Switch 2 version in January, Fantastic Pixel Castle confirms it will shut down on November 17th, and the US patent office will take another look at a patent from Nintendo.

Discussion

00:00 - Hades II Update

10:32 - Plants vs Zombies Replanted

22:14 - The Simpsons in Fortnite + Extra Life

26:42 - News

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A spooky episode number for a spooky season, but are we playing spooky games? Turns out not so much, unless you count PEAK with the AvenDaDs for Extra Life. We kick off the show with a slight Hades II update, as Ryan has managed to progress a bit further towards credits. We also get an update on PEAK as Ryan and the AvenDaDs returned to the game for their Extra Life event. Over in the news, Halo jumps to PlayStation in 2026, the next Xbox is likely to be a console/PC hybrid, and Amazon Games layoff 14,000 employees and ceases their MMO development.

Discussion

Start - Intro and Hades II Update

20:36 - The PEAK AvenDaDs

30:02 - News

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