A new guest host, Josh Chandley, is stepping into the arena as we dig into Microsoft’s latest controversial moves and what they signal for the company’s long-term gaming strategy. Then, we unpack the historic $55B acquisition of EA by Saudi Arabia, the largest leveraged buyout in gaming history. What does this mean for EA, for the industry, and for the shrinking pool of public gaming companies? Finally, we explore AppLovin’s surprising push into e-commerce, and why it might be more disruptive than you think.

Timestamps

00:52 Guest Star Host: Josh Chandley

06:23 Microsoft’s Controversial Moves

13:35 The EA Acquisition: A Historic Deal

17:31 Industry Reactions and Analysis

29:12 Saudi Arabia’s Gaming Ambitions

31:39 Financial Concerns and Debt Management

40:16 AppLovin’s E-commerce Expansion

50:58 Unity’s Challenges and Opportunities