The GamesIndustry.biz Podcast

Latest Episodes:

The battle for October Aug 25, 2023

Show notes

The GamesIndustry.biz team gather around their mics and discuss the biggest stories of the past week.

We start with a recap of Gamescom Opening Night Live before looking forward to the high-profile hits due for release in the run-up to Christmas - particularly the crowded October slate. Which titles do we expect to do well? Which ones face stiffer competition, and how will this affect their chances? And which titles are we particularly looking forward to?

There's also more thoughts on the new Microsoft-Activision deal as the pair prepare to address regulator concerns about cloud gaming dominance by selling the latter's streaming rights to Ubisoft.

As always, you can get more news, insight and analysis at www.gamesindustry.biz.

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Microcast: Ubisoft enters MS-ABK deal Aug 22, 2023

Show notes

On today's GI Microcast, Chris Dring and James Batchelor discuss the latest developments in the ongoing saga that is Microsoft's proposed acquisition of Activision Blizzard.

This morning it was announced the CMA has fully blocked the original deal, but a modified deal is now undergoing a phase one investigation with the aim to have a final decision on the transaction by October 18. The biggest change is that this deal excludes cloud gaming rights, which have been divested to Assassin's Creed publisher Ubiosft.

We discuss whether this major alteration is enough to address the CMA's cloud gaming concerns, whether the end of the deal is finally in site, and what prospects there are for further acquisitions in the market given the current economic climate.

As always, you can get more news, insight and analysis at www.gamesindustry.biz.

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The future of AI | Playable Futures Aug 18, 2023

Show notes

In the final episode of this series of the Playable Futures Podcast, Will Freeman chats to Mitu Khandaker, CEO and Co-Founder of mobile studio Glow Up Games, about the impact of AI on games and what they mean for the future of play.

The Playable Futures Podcast accompanies Playable Futures, a collection of insights, interviews and articles from global games leaders sharing their visions of where the industry and medium will go next. A series of ten articles so far have been published on GamesIndustry.biz, with more planned. Playable Futures is a collaborative project brought to you in partnership with GI.biz, UKIE and Diva.

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Microcast: Xbox Enforcement System, Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 Aug 17, 2023

Show notes

In today's Microcast, we discuss two of the biggest stories of the week.

First, we debate Microsoft's newly announced Xbox enforcement system, which will issue 'strikes' to players for violations of its code of conduct ranging from cheating and profanity to harassment and hate speech. Eight strikes earns a one-year suspension, but is the system too lenient? And how effective do we think it will be at addressing the issue of toxicity in multiplayer games?

Then we ponder the future of Call of Duty, with today's reveal of Modern Warfare 3 marking a shift away from Activision's tradition of rotating between sub-brands. Given the struggles of Vanguard and the abandonment of previous series, is Call of Duty becoming too reliant on the Modern Warfare name?

As always, you can get more news, insight and analysis at www.gamesindustry.biz.

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Jo Twist on the power of play | Playable Futures Aug 04, 2023

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After eleven and a half years at UKIE, Jo’s imminent move to the music industry, where she will be serving as CEO of the British Phonographic Industry, felt like an appropriate opportunity to pause and reflect on her tenure and the importance of play. Speaking with us at Develop in Brighton, she explained that play has always encompassed more than just games.

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Microcast: MS-ABK nears completion Jul 17, 2023

Show notes

James Batchelor and Christopher Dring discuss a busy week in the ongoing saga that is Microsoft's proposed acquisition of Activision Blizzard.

Following the denial of the FTC's preliminary injunction, the denial of its request for an extension to the temporary restraining order, and the denial of its appeal, there is seemingly nothing to stop Microsoft completing the deal in the US before its deadline tomorrow. And with a ten-year deal signed with Sony to keep Call of Duty on PlayStation, the barriers do seem to be lowering.

We discuss all of the above, plus the CMA's decision to consider proposals of a modified deal and how Nintendo might secretly be one of the biggest winners from the past week's events.

As always, you can get more news, insight and analysis at www.gamesindustry.biz.

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Playable Futures: The future of mobile Jun 30, 2023

Show notes

The latest episode of Playable Futures features a conversation with Deborah Mensah-Bonsu, who is the founder of dmb crew. Her flagship initiative is Games for Good, which focuses on helping studios and the wider industry harness games for social impact. Will and Deborah discuss the opportunity presented by the proliferation of games on mobile to unlock societal and behavioural change for good.

“People are starting to understand that what it means to be a gamer is not what it was ten years ago,” Deborah says, adding later - “There is a potential for mobile to engage with people who didn’t consider themselves gamers. Mobile is leading on that.”

Whilst the discussion touches the familiar themes of mobile gaming such as monetisation - with Deborah saying that “it’s not wrong to spend money on something that you think is bringing you value,” - and discoverability, the podcast equally focuses on the potential of the medium to effect change, with Deborah being optimistic about mobile as a platform for innovation and connection, with games offering tremendous potential to take us beyond the horizon of our ambition.

The Playable Futures Podcast accompanies Playable Futures, a collection of insights, interviews and articles from global games leaders sharing their visions of where the industry and medium will go next. A series of ten articles so far have been published on GamesIndustry.biz, with more planned. Playable Futures is a collaborative project brought to you in partnership with GI.biz, UKIE and Diva.

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

Microcast: FTC vs Microsoft Jun 29, 2023

Show notes

The GamesIndustry.biz Microcast is back. In today's episode, James Batchelor and Chris Dring reflect on the revelations so far from the court hearing between the Federal Trade Commission and Microsoft over the latter's proposed acquisition of Activision Blizzard.

As you can tell from our ongoing roundup, it's hard to gauge whether any progress is actually being made here but there are certainly some interesting tidbits coming out from the various parties involved that make for great headlines.

We discuss the moments and quotes that stood out the most to us, as well as the general context around this legal clash and what (if anything) might happen next.

You can get more news, insight and analysis at www.gamesindustry.biz.

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The highs and lows of Summer Game Fest 2023 Jun 20, 2023

Show notes

The GamesIndustry.biz team gather around their mics to reflect on this year's cavalcade of video game showcases.

We've already shared our favourite indie titles from the likes of Summer Game Fest, Xbox Games Showcase, Day of the Devs, Wholesome Direct and more, while Chris Dring reviewed his experience of the first physical Summer Game Fest event.

Now we discuss the overall line-up of the week-and-a-bit, our personal highlights, areas we'd like to see improvement, and how we think this collection of events might evolve if the central pillar of E3 does not return.

As always, you can get more news, insight and analysis at www.gamesindustry.biz.

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Playables Futures: The Future of Women in Games Jun 16, 2023

Show notes

Shawne Benson, Global Head of Third Party Portfolio & Acquisitions at Sony Interactive Entertainment and Laila Shabirm, Founder & CEO of Girls Make Games speak to Will Freeman for the latest instalment of our Playable Futures Series.

Our eighth outing sees us tackling what continues to be a prominent talking point within the industry - women in games. For a sector often associated with toxic stereotypes around gender, this enlightening chat looks at the ways in which the industry has changed to encompass more diverse voices and the future benefits of doing so.

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