Laine and Joost return from hiatus older, wiser, and slightly more disillusioned. After swapping life updates (burnout, sabbatical travel, bike repair, Belgian sauce gossip), they dive into the state of the games industry: mass layoffs, market decline, and the collapse of the forever-growth fantasy. Plus: Apple loses in court, Steam gets sued (again), GTA VI becomes the industry’s last great hope, and Laine spills the tea on fighting the ESA over game preservation rights. It’s only Season 4, episode 1 and it’s already a ride.

Unboxing is back with a fresh summer season! Hosts Joost and Laine catch up and discuss the top four stories they missed: Sony's new CEO duo, Disney's investment in Epic Games, GDC 2023, and the hosts' experience at the U.S. Copyright Office video game hearings. They also cover the latest GameStop stock price antics and share thoughts on Chaim Gingold's new book "Building SimCity." Stay tuned for details on an upcoming live Twitch conversation with Gingold and Will Wright, hosted by Laine's journal "ROMchip: A Journal of Game Histories."

Another Unboxing exclusive. We interview Minecraft's Kayla Kinnunen on Mojang's vision on user-generated content. Plus, why The Game Awards can't win

The worst of Florida as a canvas for the best in gaming. Join team UNBOXING breaking down the long-awaited trailer. We discuss female protagonist Lucia, the nostalgic return to Vice City, and the evolution of boundary pushing blockbuster franchise.

Why Emmett Shear's stint was short-lived. PC Gamer's history issue causes Twitter fury over sexism, but did critics get it right? Plus: lighthouse tech, Dune fandom, and why historical narratives matter when it comes to diversity in tech.

Amazon Games layoffs lead Laine and Joost to consider what it might signal about the economy at large. Roblox beats expectations and Take-Two drops the announcement of the trailer for GTA6 for a 6% share price bump. We also welcome to the show games researcher David Nieborg and talk about his newly released, co-authored book Mainstreaming and Games Journalism, written with Maxwell Foxman.

Laine and Joost give you the highlights on FaZe's Icarus-like fall from grace, as it recently got picked up by GameSquare for a fraction of its IPO price. Bungie is laying off workers and disappoints its player community. And lastly, what to make of Netflix converting less than 1% of its subscribers to play games on its platform.

Another Unboxing exclusive. We interview Roblox's VP of Economy, Enrico D'Angelo, on where one of the most popular games for kids is headed next. Plus, our view on the Microsoft/Activision Blizzard saga coming to a close.

What's next for engine maker Unity post-Riccitiello, Poland gets its first game union, and fossil fuels are fun in Fortnite says Big Oil. We discuss the tyranny of the pumpkin spice flavor palette, Laine shares a long-held secret, and Joost finally opens up about his fear of straws.

Joost phones it in from an investor summit in Las Vegas, while Laine regales with tales of a weekend spent at the New York Renaissance Festival. Tune in as they discuss Epic's extensive layoffs, EA's triumph over FIFA following their split, and the frontier of haptics tech with insights from expert David Parisi.