Welcome to the weekly GI Microcast giving you the latest in video games news. Join James Batchelor and Chris Dring as they give you their take on the biggest stories in video games. Never miss an episode and subscribe to the GI Microcast on all podcasting platforms and YouTube.

For our penultimate episode of the year, we look back at the biggest trends of the past 12 months. Topics covered include the ongoing layoffs and closures, the struggles of live service games, the transformation of Xbox, the ever-moving goalposts of success, and more.

And we still have What Do The Numbers Mean?, in which Chris explores the year-to-date performance of console and PC games.

As always, you can get more news, insight and analysis at www.gamesindustry.biz, and you can get all the biggest news delivered straight to your inbox by signing up to the GI Daily at www.gamesindustry.biz/newsletters.

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Welcome to the weekly GI Microcast giving you the latest in video games news. Join James Batchelor and Chris Dring as they give you their take on the biggest stories in video games. Never miss an episode and subscribe to the GI Microcast on all podcasting platforms and YouTube.

This week, our show focuses on The Game Awards 2024. Chris reports on his experiences from attending the event, we discuss some of the big winners, and (inevitably) dive deeper into the big announcements from the night, as well as what they indicate about the state of games in the year ahead.

We also have the usual What Do The Numbers Mean? segment, in which we take a look at the initial performance of Indiana Jones and the Great Circle.

As always, you can get more news, insight and analysis at www.gamesindustry.biz, and you can get all the biggest news delivered straight to your inbox by signing up to the GI Daily at www.gamesindustry.biz/newsletters.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Welcome to the weekly GI Microcast giving you the latest in video games news. Join James Batchelor and Chris Dring as they give you their take on the biggest stories in video games. Never miss an episode and subscribe to the GI Microcast on all podcasting platforms and YouTube.

Our main topic this week is Ubisoft's decision to shut down XDefiant next year, and what this says about the challenges of live service games. When even the biggest publishers are struggling to create a title that's engaging enough to draw players away from their 'home games', where does the industry go from here?

We also discuss the latest wave of layoffs and studio closures, and this week's What Do The Numbers Mean? explores the impact of Black Friday sales (in the UK).

As always, you can get more news, insight and analysis at www.gamesindustry.biz, and you can get all the biggest news delivered straight to your inbox by signing up to the GI Daily at www.gamesindustry.biz/newsletters.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Welcome to the weekly GI Microcast giving you the latest in video games news. Join James Batchelor and Chris Dring as they give you their take on the biggest stories in video games. Never miss an episode and subscribe to the GI Microcast on all podcasting platforms and YouTube.

Our main topic this week is the spreading reports that Sony is making a new games handheld. We discuss how the platform holder might approach things differently after the struggles of the PSP and the Vita, how the success of the PlayStation Portal is a strong sign of demand, and how a Sony handheld can contend in a Nintendo-dominated space with an Xbox rival also on the way.

Elsewhere, we discuss some of the biggest stories of the past week, including Shuhei Yoshida's upcoming retirement, plans to shut down Switch online services in China, and the delay to Xbox bringing game sales to its Android app. 

As always, you can get more news, insight and analysis at www.gamesindustry.biz, and you can get all the biggest news delivered straight to your inbox by signing up to the GI Daily at www.gamesindustry.biz/newsletters.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Welcome to the weekly GI Microcast giving you the latest in video games news. Join James Batchelor and Chris Dring as they give you their take on the biggest stories in video games. Never miss an episode and subscribe to the GI Microcast on all podcasting platforms and YouTube.

Our main topic this week is the struggles of consumer games events like PAX, EGX and the now-defunct WASD. Hands-on experience is still very much a crucial part of winning over potential buyers for your game, but the cost of attending and running events is escalating. David Lilley of WASD organisers Roucan discusses the challenges in this space, and why he's hopeful that events will return to form in future.

We also discuss some of the biggest news, including Sony's potential acquisition of Kadokawa, and how well October's biggest games sold across Europe.

As always, you can get more news, insight and analysis at www.gamesindustry.biz, and you can get all the biggest news delivered straight to your inbox by signing up to the GI Daily at www.gamesindustry.biz/newsletters.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Welcome to the weekly GI Microcast giving you the latest in video games news. Join James Batchelor and Chris Dring as they give you their take on the biggest stories in video games. Never miss an episode and subscribe to the GI Microcast on all podcasting platforms and YouTube.

Our main topic this week is Nintendo's long-awaited (but very much expected) confirmation that Switch 2 will be backwards compatible with both its predecessor's software library and its online service. We discuss the advantages and disadvantages of this crossover, as well as the importance of backwards compatibility when launching a new console in today's industry.

And financials season continues, bringing with it a host of related stories and discussions. This week, we touch on Take-Two's decision to sell Private Division, Sony leadership's thoughts on why Concord failed, the independence of Amplitude Studios and more.

As always, you can get more news, insight and analysis at www.gamesindustry.biz, and you can get all the biggest news delivered straight to your inbox by signing up to the GI Daily at www.gamesindustry.biz/newsletters.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Welcome to the weekly GI Microcast giving you the latest in video games news. Join James Batchelor and Chris Dring as they give you their take on the biggest stories in video games. Never miss an episode and subscribe to the GI Microcast on all podcasting platforms and YouTube.

It's financials seasons, so we discuss the highs and lows from some of the biggest publishers, including Electronic Arts, Ubisoft and Xbox. Naturally, the latter comes hand-in-hand with Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 and how its launch smashed series records.

Elsewhere, we discuss Sony's decision to shut down two studios, including Concord developer Firewalk.

As always, you can get more news, insight and analysis at www.gamesindustry.biz, and you can get all the biggest news delivered straight to your inbox by signing up to the GI Daily at www.gamesindustry.biz/newsletters.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Welcome to the weekly GI Microcast giving you the latest in video games news. Join James Batchelor and Chris Dring as they give you their take on the biggest stories in video games. Never miss an episode and subscribe to the GI Microcast on all podcasting platforms and YouTube.

This time, we're joined at MCM x EGX by Big Fan Games' Amanda Kruse to talk about the evolving ways in which video games adapt IP from other forms of entertainment - and vice versa. We also discuss how having the right talent that has grown up with video games is driving the wave of great adaptations we've seen, and how video games have come from being merchandise released alongside new films.

Elsewhere, we discuss the biggest news from the past week, including a key legal win for EA, a loss for Sony, and the potential for Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 to drive Game Pass subscriptions.

As always, you can get more news, insight and analysis at www.gamesindustry.biz, and you can get all the biggest news delivered straight to your inbox by signing up to the GI Daily at www.gamesindustry.biz/newsletters.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Welcome to the weekly GI Microcast giving you the latest in video games news. Join James Batchelor and Chris Dring as they give you their take on the biggest stories in video games. Never miss an episode and subscribe to the GI Microcast on all podcasting platforms and YouTube.

This time, our main topic centres around comments by former Sony boss Shawn Layden, who declared that not only is the AA space dead but its loss is a threat to the entire games ecosystem. Chris and James unpack his statement and the nuances around it, as well as discussing the opportunities for lower-budget titles in a market seemingly dominated by AAA blockbusters.

We also discuss the biggest news of the past week, including IO and Build A Rocket Boy's publishing partnership, new leadership at Xbox Game Studios, updates on the SAG-AFTRA strike and ongoing industry layoffs, and more.

As always, you can get more news, insight and analysis at www.gamesindustry.biz, and you can get all the biggest news delivered straight to your inbox by signing up to the GI Daily at www.gamesindustry.biz/newsletters.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Welcome to the weekly GI Microcast giving you the latest in video games news. Join James Batchelor and Chris Dring as they give you their take on the biggest stories in video games. Never miss an episode and subscribe to the GI Microcast on all podcasting platforms and YouTube.

For our main discussions, we're joined by MobileGamer.biz's Neil Long to discuss the recent US court ruling that opens Google Play to rival app stores. We discuss the impact this might have on both Google and game developers, and why heavyweights like Epic Games, Xbox and other potential store operators need to make the most of the next three years in order to shift the dynamics of a mobile ecosystem dominated by two platform holders.

In other headlines, we talk about the Roblox report that accused the company of inflating metrics for investors (among other things), and a slew of new studios emerging from stealth. Meanwhile, in this week's 'What Do The Numbers Mean?', Chris gives us deeper insight into the ongoing digitisation of video games - and why physical releases are still important.

As always, you can get more news, insight and analysis at www.gamesindustry.biz, and you can get all the biggest news delivered straight to your inbox by signing up to the GI Daily at www.gamesindustry.biz/newsletters.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices