The Instance: The Podcast for Lovers of Blizzard Games

The title says it all I think.

SPECIAL: A conversation with Chris Metzen: I really think you'll all enjoy this interview. A lot has happened since we last had this opportunity, and we talk about it all. And yes, even the Blizzard stuff you have questions about. Enjoy!

Feed Drop - Garrett's New Podcast | The Grinding Gear Podcast

Jeremy Feasel to be precise. Enjoy all the details about the new WoW expansion! I also did a short video of my impressions today as well.

Thank you for listening to this one, and all those that came before.

What does Brad Smith at MS mean when he says these Act/Blizz games should be everywhere, and that we are all gamers together? Well, we break it down a bit. Plus games we're playing right now including Lost Ark, Demeo, FF14, and more!

WoW goes cross-faction, and we go full discussion on such news. Also, we are very skeptical about the wow on mobile mention in the earnings report. Plus a look at the games we're playing right now and more!

Sneaky headline there, but today it's all about Blizzard's announced un-named new survival game for PC's and consoles. Scott Joce and Garrett wrap our heads around things so you don't have to figure it all out on your own. :)

Patrick is back and joins us for our hot take party on all things MS buys ABK! Tune in as Scott, Joce and Patrick try and make sense of this aquisition and what it all means, especially from the Blizzard point of view. That and what we played and emails too!

Today, it's all about VR, and whether or not it has a viable place in in our gaming future. Tuck in on this one and prep that feedback. Gonna be a wild one.

It's the end of the year! We decided to talk about what we are gonna grind next year! So get in here!

On today's show, a deep dive into why Sea of Thieves is the best game you might not be playing right now. Why is it so good now? Why its systems are so different compared to what you're used to. How it made a GREAT movie crossover, and a LOT more. Plus this week's games, and more!

A quick discussion on Endwalker queues and how to get in when everyone else is doing other things. And why SWTOR stepped in and took Scott's heart. Our big topic this week is the launch of Halo Infinite in it's complete form, and what it means for the series, games as a service, and beyond. Come on in! The water's fine!

Happy Endwalker Day. Garrett and Scott dive into what Riot's new MMO might look like. Lots of theories about where things go, including the name.

Time to discuss what is really happening with Final Fantasy 14 and it's rapid growth over the last few months. Guest Kyle joins us today as well. We also have some takes on the Bobby Kotick news that hit the Wall Street Journal. All that and your emails and more!

Where are we in 2021 with video games adapted for the large and small screen? Are video games like comics, and just need the time to be right to hit new heights in film? Everything from Arcane to Warcraft the movie in today's discussion, so tune in and enjoy!

Big topic today: Should devs let players into the room, and help build their games via committee? Well, that's just what Blizzard might be asking with its new WoW Community Council. We look at that directly, but also the concept in games in general. Lots to say. Plus the games we are playing this week, and a great email about the early days of voice enabled games. And more!

We are giving away FF14 today! So tune in! And we hit the news that Blizzcon is out for the foreseeable future. Is that good? When do we want that kind of con again? How are other gaming cons effected. A quick check-in in the games we're playing. ESO, Guardians, DBD, FFXIV, etc. And more!

Why are we getting so much co-op love right now? Well, we try and sus it out on this episode of The Instance. Plus, an emailer has us thinking about how far Destiny 2 has come with their story. All that and more!

This weeks topic: The massive breach at Twitch, and what it means for gamers, streamers and game-based security in general. Plus hot takes on HS Mercenaries and Back 4 Blood.

We have a quick update on the Blizzard front up top, but the rest of the show today is all about New World. It hit this week, we've all played a bunch, and we have takes. Some of them are even HOT takes. :) Is it good? Will it have lasting power? How did it perform in its launch window? We have a lot of these answers and more so tune in!

Scott Garrett and Joce have been seeing a lot of chatter in our circles about difficulty settings in games, hard modes, casual players, and more. Got us to thinking about what the current games-space looks like these days when it comes to game difficulty, and how devs get more players in, and block some players out. Lots to talk about, plus emails and more!

Our topic this week deals with video games with a narrative, and why we seem to be swinging back to story after a love affair with games as services. Join Scott, Joce, and Garrett!

From the ESRB, to big blue warning screens before you launch your games, to making sure you're not driving while catching Pokemon. Today we talk about the modern gaming version of 'content warnings'. Do they work? If so, how, and why? Do we need them? And aren't there better ways to do this in an interactive medium? Join Scott, Joce and Garrett for a deep dive. Plus your emails and more.

GOOD NEWS! Jocelyn is our new permanent co-host and we are pretty stoked about it! Today we do a deep dive topic on why we keep buying the same games over and over when they get enhanced, remastered, or resurrected. And why is Mass Effect Legendary a good example, and Warcraft III Reforged such a terrible example. Your thoughts too, plus your emails!

Joined by Jocelyn for a deep dive into the world of Elder Scrolls Online. Is it a game you should play? What kind of player does it attract? We dig down and find out! Your emails too!

We have one more in us for this mess, and then the real work begins on trying to do our part to make the world a better place. Garrett Scott and Patrick on this one. Yeah, we know, more dude talk. But for all the shows we've done in the last week about this, this one needed to happen for the main show crew.

Scott and his guest Jules Scott sit down and have a discussion about more of this Blizz fallout, but more specifically, the need for female voices in the discussion, and how even our best intentions are sometimes just a little off target. We hope you'll listen and be part of the discussion.

The state of CA is suing Blizzard and Activision and for good reason. Join Scott and guest host Jon as they help make sense of all of it. Plus, our deep look into why Final Fantasy 14 seems to be having such a moment right now in the hearts of MMO players. Your emails and more!

WoW on a handheld? The Steam Deck says, SURE! The big (possibly not real) WoW internal memo leak and what it means, and what we can learn about it. FF14 is getting its own cook book. The Lich King is back with his own board game. Our big discussion this week: Amazon Studios upcoming MMO, "New World". What it is, what we want it to be, what we know, and what we can expect from it. Joined today with guest-host Alex! Emails and more!

Things are changing, and we are here to tell you what that means. What is a single player game when you convert it to a service game? AC wants to find out. Is telling your fans to head over to a competing MMP a revolt, or something else? Also, we go deep on the upcoming D2 Resurrection release, and why we are coming around fast to what they are selling. Also, how do NDA's and non-competes work these days at game devs? Tune in and find out!

A little up top talk about how seeing next gen game environments makes us want WoW to go there. A few E3 thoughts. The WoW team gets a new animated individual. You want Scott's blanket. We have a date for 9.1, and we blow out the discussion about what it will take to get you back into the game at this stage. How things scale in dungeons and more!

Couple interesting stories up top about Overwatch going cross-platform, but what that change in Battlenet means to everyone else playing blizzard games. Then our big topic this week: Is Activision really the problem? We discuss the history of the Act/Blizz venture, what the time since looks like when looking back, and what they might do in future to fix some of things players are concerned about. And some fun discussion about where Warcraft might go when it's not WoW anymore.

The Instance PSA 6-4-2021

There is no Blizzcon in 2021. What might they do? We discuss that. Also, More ex-Blizzard news from Frost Giant. Looks like they have Mike looking over their shoulder as well. Zovaal and why he got kicked out of the good graces of his old pals, and now calls The Maw his home. IGN has a good breakdown about the changes at Blizzard. Why is it easier to come back to some old games and not others? That's our big topic today for you Classic heads. Emails and more!

More ex-blizzard people are starting cool new studios! What does Lightfordge do? We talk about it. BC classic character cloning got cheaper today. Run something with an ARM64 chip? WoW will now run on it. Torghast might let you level one day. Our Main Quest today is all about the art and aesthetic of The Burning Crusade, and how it holds up today ahead of the Classic launch. Your emails and more!

Activision and Blizzard had some revealing things to say at the earnings call last week. We break it down. We all get to return to Outland on June 1st. Some of you will pay another $60 to do it. Emails and more!

The WoW charity worked out great and now you all get to wear a Sloth on your back. Ready to read Warcraft Sylvanas this fall. PTR 9.1 has been interesting. 19 years at Blizzard and that's a wrap for Jeff Kaplan. Blizzard now, vs Blizzard then. Emails about WoW 2 and more!

It's Question and Answer day here at the instance, where we answer some of your burning questions with answers that would make the Lich King proud. Enjoy!

You like to buy game time? Well, you just lost a couple options and we'll discuss why. Frost Giant could bring RTS's back to your life in a big way. TBC Classic is now in beta, and you can get to 66 if you wanna! We've had some time in there and have some thoughts. Why the leveling experience in Shadowlands is more of a party than a game, and more!

Scott and Chris have a sit-down and chat up up about his new big project, plus lots of great insights into development of this kind of project vs something like a major game release at Blizzard. Here’s a bit more about the project. Auroboros: Coils of the Serpent is a 5E campaign setting by Chris Metzen and Warchief Gaming. The first release in this universe, Worldbook: Lawbrand, is based on the roleplaying campaign that Chris ran with his childhood friends in the eighties and nineties, before heading to Blizzard to work on worlds such as Warcraft, StarCraft, and more. Enjoy Scott Johnson chatting with Chris Metzen about his awesome new project!

We talk about all there is to know about 9.0.5, which is not a lot turns out. But we have a real Q&A party and answer all your burning questions. Oh, and what TBC bosses do YOU remember?