The GamesIndustry.biz Podcast

Latest Episodes:

Microcast: Ubisoft Forward, Embracer restructure Jun 13, 2023

Show notes

James and Brendan discuss two of the biggest stories of the day in our latest GamesIndustry.biz Microcast.

We start by wrapping up our coverage of the major summer games showcases, discussing the line-up at yesterday's Ubisoft Forward. The conversation touches on everything from the narrative dilemmas of Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora to the more-than-a-little awkward introduction of Netflix animated series Captain Laserhawk: A Blood Dragon Remix.

Then we turn our attention to this morning's announcement that Embracer Group is embarking on a restructuring program that will result in the closure of studios, cancellation of games, and an unknown number of layoffs. We discuss the events that may have led up to this, and what happens next.

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

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Microcast: Xbox Games Showcase 2023 Jun 12, 2023

Show notes

Continuing our breakdown of the biggest summer games showcases, James and Marie reflect on the line-up Microsoft showed off at last night's Xbox Games Showcase.

Headlined by the likes of Fable and Star Wars: Outlaws, with a good old fashioned hardware reveal and a lot more information on the upcoming Starfield, the showcase gave a great insight into what Microsoft's first-party studios are working on as it continues to beef up its offering.

We discuss our highlights of the show, but be sure to read our handy roundup to check there's nothing you have missed.

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

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Microcast: Summer Game Fest 2023 Jun 09, 2023

Show notes

The GamesIndustry.biz microcast returns as we discuss the biggest announcements from this year's Summer Game Fest: Kickoff Live.

James and Marie share their thoughts on the most promising games, as well as the tone and quality of the overall line-up. And, inevitably, the conversation shifts towards the usual 'do we need E3/Not-E3?' discourse.

If you missed this year's Summer Game Fest, be sure to catch up on all the news with our handy roundup.

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

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Can cloud gaming change the industry? Jun 05, 2023

Show notes

The GamesIndustry.biz team gathers around their mics to discuss the biggest stories in the business of video games.

This week, we dive deeper into the potential for cloud gaming - a technology the UK competition regulator believes will become so big that it's using this as ground to block the Microsoft acquisition of Activision Blizzard.

Following our recent conversation with analysts on the true impact cloud streaming might have on the industry, we share our own thoughts on the many, many barriers games companies will need to overcome before streaming becomes as dominant as it has in music, film and TV.

We also look ahead to the string of showcases happening this month in the void where E3 once was, which kicks off on Thursday with Summer Games Fest. What do we expect to see from this year's events?

(And don't worry, we're still experimenting with our new Microcast format and will likely have more for you after the showcases this month)

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

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Microcast: PlayStation Showcase May 25, 2023

Show notes

Chris and James offer a bite-sized breakdown of yesterday's PlayStation Showcase, from the new hardware revealed to the glimpses at Sony's future first-party line-up.

As well as rounding up some of the highlights, the discussion dives a little deeper into the potential audience and use cases for the Project Q handheld streaming device, Remedy's decision to release Alan Wake 2 as a digital-only title, and Sony's latest steps into the live service arena.

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

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Microcast: Take-Two and Ubisoft fiscal results, PlayStation showcase, absence of E3 May 19, 2023

Show notes

GamesIndustry.biz's Chris Dring and James Batchelor deliver another short, sharp analysis of the biggest stories happening across the business of video games.

Today's microcast covers:

As always, any feedback on this new show format would be appreciated. Please email news@gamesindustry.biz.

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Microcast: EU approves MS/ABK, Zelda smashes sales records, Amazon's Lord of the Rings MMO May 16, 2023

Show notes

Welcome to the new GamesIndustry.biz Microcast.

In addition to our full-length, in-depth discussions of key topics from across the industry, we are also experimenting with a new short-form format in which we analyse the biggest stories as they break.

Today's episode covers the European Commission's approval of Microsoft's proposed Activision Blizzard acquisition, the record-breaking UK launch sales of The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom, and Amazon's announcement of a new Lord of the Rings MMO.

We're keen to hear your feedback on this new episode format, so please email editorial@gamesindustry.biz with your thoughts.

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Will E3 return? Apr 06, 2023

Show notes

The GamesIndustry.biz team gather around their mics to discuss the biggest stories from the business of video games.

This week, we discuss the recent cancellation of E3 2023, the myriad factors behind it, and what comes next for the long-running trade show. With the industry's needs changing over the years, and the rise of new ways to reach your audience, the very purpose of E3 has been the ongoing subject of debate - so how can the event evolve in the future?

For further context around this discussion, be sure to read our interview with ESA president Stanley Pierre-Louis and Chris Dring's opinion piece on why the industry simply didn't want this year's vision for E3.

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

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The future of game consumption | Playable Futures Podcast Mar 17, 2023

Show notes

Episode seven of the Playable Futures podcast turns its attention to the future of game consumption, and the shift in the dynamic between user, creator and platform. The result was a wide-ranging, insightful conversation between two brilliant guests – Stephanie King, Chief Administrative and Legal Officer and Playco, and Karol Severin, Senior analyst, VP of data, and Co-Founder at MIDiA Research. Both brought robust analysis and fascinating data – and a lot of vibrancy and infectious

Through their conversation, what becomes clear is that today's gamers are bombarded with more choices than ever – and yet we all only have 24 hours in one day. The attention economy is a place of more movement than ever before. Publishers and developers will increasingly need to have agile tactics in order to take their games to players, rather than work to bring users to platforms.

Their episode’s conversation also covers themes that are commonly preoccupying the sector at the moment – saturation and discoverability, for example – but with a realistic and enthusiastic outlook on how things will develop in the future. King and Severin discuss games as collected shared experiences; games as identifiers for tribes; and escape versus connection.

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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No rest for Call of Duty Mar 03, 2023

Show notes

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

On this episode, we begin with the report that 2023's Call of Duty release will be a follow-up to 2022's Modern Warfare 2 that originally began an expansion. It will plug the previously reported gap that could have seen this year become the first since 2005 not to see a new entry in the series, with Treyarch's next game pushed to 2024.

We ponder Call of Duty's reliance on an annual release, Activision Blizzard's reliance on Call of Duty, the wider impact the series has on the global market, and the challenges Activision faces in rolling out a not-quite-full-scale Call of Duty in 2023.

In the second half, we turn to Larian Studios' recent revelation that it's unable to release Baldur's Gate 3 on Xbox until it can get certain features running on the low-end Series S model, which is a requirement from Microsoft. The discussion goes from potential solutions to supporting the less powerful console to the possibility of a mid-cycle console upgrade in the current generation.

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

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