The GamesIndustry.biz Podcast

Latest Episodes:

Is Rocksteady doing enough to tackle abuse? Aug 25, 2020

Show notes

Brendan, Marie, Chris and James discuss the biggest stories of the past week, starting with the allegations of inaction against abuse at Rocksteady.

The Batman: Arkham Knight studio has been accused of doing little to nothing to address the issues with toxicity and harassment raised by female employees back in 2018.

It's worth noting the studio has since released an updated statement that was not available at the time of recording.

After this, we discuss the first PlayStation 5 ad and the challenges of promoting a physical next-generation experience when the pandemic has cut off all the usual event marketing opportunities.

And with Bossa adopting a hybrid remote-office model, we debate whether a mix of the two can really work for games teams going forward.

As always, you can get more news, insight and analysis into the world behind video games at www.gamesindustry.biz.

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Epic is doing the right thing the wrong way | Podcast Aug 17, 2020

Show notes

Matt, Rebekah, Chris and James gather round their microphones to discuss the biggest news of the past week -- starting, of course, with Epic versus Apple and Google.

In case you missed the news, the Fortnite firm skillfully goaded Apple into removing the world's biggest game from its App Store then followed up with a pre-prepared lawsuit and a conveniently-ready-to-go parody video.

Google later removed the game as well and found itself facing a similar lawsuit.

Rebekah has already discussed the messaging around this video in her opinion piece on why it was an irresponsible piece of corporate propaganda, but we delve deeper on the podcast into the many nuances around what Epic is attempting to do.

We discuss the way it is mobilising its audience -- and whether the audience has any place in this fight -- as well as the ongoing and related investigations into big tech firms both in Congress and the European Commission, and whether Epic is right in its motivations.

We also discuss the delay to Halo Infinite, and the impact this will have on the launch of Xbox Series X, the all-but-confirmed Xbox Series S, and Xbox Game Pass.

As always, you can get the latest news, insight and analysis into the world behind video games at www.gamesindustry.biz.

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The Game Developer's Playlist: Earthbound, with Aaron Linde Aug 10, 2020

Show notes

Presenting the debut episode of a new spin-off from The GamesIndustry.biz Podcast: The Game Developer's Playlist

In this new monthly show, developers join us to discuss the games that influenced their careers.

Kicking off this series is Aaron Linde, lead narrative designer at Halo developer 343 Industries, who shares his love of SNES RPG Earthbound.

This podcast is an extension of a series we run on the site called Why I Love, in which developers explore their favourite games. You can find these articles here.

Title music by Julian Villareal.

As always, you can get your daily dose of news, insight and analysis at www.gamesindustry.biz.

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No, really - do we need E3? Aug 03, 2020

Show notes

James, Marie, Chris and USGamer's Mike Williams weigh in on the big debate of the week: does the games industry need E3?

Studies from both Fancensus and SuperData show that this summer's big game reveals didn't suffer from the absence of the annual showcase -- certainly not when it comes to the platform holders and big publishers.

But there are many other aspects of E3 that aren't as easily recreated online and benefits that might be overlooked when focused purely on data -- something Chris discussed in detail last week.

We weigh up all these points and more, before turning our attention to the ongoing scrutiny around Apple's 30% share of all App Store revenues.

With big tech firms facing antitrust enquiries on both sides of the Atlantic, we debate whether 30% is too high a payment and, building on Rob Fahey's latest column, what the alternative might be.

As always, you can get more news, analysis and insight into the world behind video games at www.gamesindustry.biz.

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Xbox confuses its cross-generation message Jul 24, 2020

Show notes

James, Matt, Brendan, Rebekah and USGamer's Mike Williams reflect on the titles shown at this week's Xbox Games Showcase.

There was a diverse line-up of internally-developed titles, with the first look at Halo Infinite's gameplay and the long-awaited reveal of the Playground-developed Fable revival.

But the presentation did leave us with questions. After multiple instances of Xbox assuring that all title for Xbox Series X will run on Xbox One, the showcase announced several games that appear to be exclusive to the next-generation console (and PC, of course).

We delve into the possible reasons for the confusion in Xbox's communications, such as the practicalities of supporting a seven-year-old console while trying to sell the next one.

We also discuss the prominence of Game Pass throughout the presentation, and share our highlights from the line-up.

As always, you can get your daily dose of news, insight and analysis into the world behind video games at www.gamesindustry.biz.

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Inside GlobalStep's culture of fear Jul 21, 2020

Show notes

This week, Rebekah, Matt, Brendan and James dive deeper into Rebekah's recent investigation into GlobalStep.

For those who haven't read the full article yet, we explore some of the accusations the UK-based QA company -- formerly known as Testology -- faces.

Claims include the "culling" and "ghosting" of staff, incorrect pay, and a stifling culture built on fear and zero-hour contracts.

We discuss the full findings of the investigation, as well as how such a culture has been sustained, and what other companies might learn from GlobalStep's mistakes.

As always, you can get your daily dose of news, insight and analysis into the world behind video games at www.gamesindustry.biz.

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What went wrong at Ubisoft? Jul 13, 2020

Show notes

We have a double episode of the GamesIndustry.biz Podcast today, following developments over the weekend at Ubisoft as the publisher attempts to reign in its abuse problems.

James. Matt and Haydn take a deep dive into the situation at Ubisoft, after several high-level staffers departed the company amid mounting abuse allegations.

CEO Yves Guillemot, previously lauded for steering Ubisoft away from a hostile takeover by Vivendi, now finds himself heading a company which faces one of the largest abuse scandals in games industry history.

After that Rebekah, Matt, Marie, and Mike tackle the wider issue of systemic abuse in the games industry. The discussion springboarded from an article by narrative designer Kim Belair, which addressed the need for a movement, rather than a moment, in the wake of these allegations.

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The rising cost of video games Jul 06, 2020

Show notes

Matt, Brendan, Chris and James gather around their respective mics to discuss the biggest industry stories of the past week.

Once again, we've refrained from commenting on the ongoing stories of abuse and harassment as we don't feel the podcast is the right forum for this discussion. But you can find our in-depth coverage through the links below.

The main discussion this week follows 2K Games' revelation that NBA 2K21 will be priced at $69.99/£64.99 -- $10/£5 more than the current gen versions.

With IDG Consulting expecting more publishers to follow suit, we discuss the implications of a price hike for AAA games, whether it can be justified in a series so divisive over its use of microtransactions, and what this means for lesser-known and new IP trying to stand shoulder-to-shoulder with $70 established hits.

You can get your daily dose of news, insight and analysis at www.gamesindustry.biz

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Are Video Games Too Long? Jun 29, 2020

Show notes

Matt, Brendan, Marie and Chris are on hand to discuss the biggest games industry topics of the week.

The most prominent subject has been the latest wave of allegations concerning abuse, bullying and harassment that have emerged across the industry. As the podcast is not the best forum for such a discussion, we instead direct you to our detailed coverage on the site:

This episode focuses primarily on the subject of game length, following comments from former PlayStation executive Shawn Layden, who said he would "welcome the return of the 12 to 15 hour game."

This has reignited the ongoing debate about whether video games are too long, particularly in the AAA space. The team offers their thoughts on whether the biggest games are too big, and whether Layden is correct in calling this model "unsustainable."

We also discuss recent comments from Xbox boss Phil Spencer, who said the cellphone-style payment program All Access will be "critical" to selling Xbox Series X.

As always, you can get more news, insight and analysis into the world behind video games at www.gamesindustry.biz.

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Review embargoes and next-generation sweat Jun 23, 2020

Show notes

This week on the podcast, Rebekah, Matt and Brendan are joined by new regular guest Mike Williams, of former GamesIndustry.biz and current USGamer fame.

In lieu of an formal E3 event this year, Electronic Arts went ahead with its own branded online presser, EA Play. Depending on who you ask, the show was either an exciting glimpse into what the publisher has to offer in the coming years, or a lacklustre display will little of note.

But the publisher, which has long held onto dreams of its own highly-lucrative and DRM-riddled digital storefront, announced it was backtracking on the idea and would return to Steam. Combined with a renewed focus on the Nintendo Switch, there’s a lot of change afoot at EA.

Finally, The Last of Us Part may have been met with critical acclaim, but the discussion of the game was tainted somewhat by highly restricted review embargoes.

Sony forced reviewers to remain tight-lipped on certain story elements which turned out to be a controversial move given the content and Sony’s marketing approach.

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