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Linktree: https://linktr.ee/AnalyticJoin The Normandy For Additional Bonus Audio And Visual Content For All Things Nme+! Join Here: https://ow.ly/msoH50WCu0KThe latest Notorious Mass Effect segment from Analytic Dreamz delivers a no-holds-barred postmortem on Highguard, the free-to-play PvP raid shooter from Wildlight Entertainment that launched January 26, 2026, only to implode spectacularly. Featuring ex-Respawn talent including Dusty Welch, Jason McCord, Chad Grenier, and Mohammad Alavi, Highguard promised a fresh take on hero shooters with Warden characters raiding mythical continents across PC (Steam), PS5, and Xbox Series X/S.Analytic Dreamz breaks down the brutal stats: an all-time Steam peak of 97,249 concurrent players cratered to a current 7,339 (-92% drop), with a 24-hour peak of just 19,296. Reviews sit at Mostly Negative (35% positive, 32.98% score from 18,000–21,000+ total), driven by massive empty maps in 3v3 matches, excessive mount downtime, bland hero abilities, poor optimization, crashes, Secure Boot/TPM 2.0 barriers, server instability, and matchmaking woes.The episode examines the fatal factors: oversaturated hero-shooter market (Marvel Rivals holding ~160,000 daily players), genre fatigue, radio-silent marketing post-The Game Awards 2025 world premiere (championed by Geoff Keighley, who faced backlash including calls to retire), and a shadowdrop launch echoing Apex Legends 2019—but without polish or clear identity. Analytic Dreamz covers Wildlight's response, including CEO Dusty Welch admitting trailer missteps and taking responsibility, plus Creative Director Jason McCord defending the silence strategy.Additional context includes near-zero Twitch viewership (~53 current, 5,343 24-hour peak), the Dr Disrespect fake preview controversy, and why this mirrors Concord's retention failure but on a faster timeline. This episode unpacks the launch death spiral, mismanaged hype, and slim revival odds in a fact-heavy, in-depth analysis.Tune in to Analytic Dreamz on Notorious Mass Effect for unfiltered gaming insights—subscribe now for more breakdowns on industry highs, lows, and everything in between. Support this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/analytic-dreamz-notorious-mass-effect/donationsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy
Welcome To The Apex Podcast! Where we keep you in the loop of everything Apex Legends. If you would like to join our discord and follow our socials here: https://linktr.ee/theapexthepod Please review and rate the Apex Podcast, as it is one of the best things to support us as a podcast! Thank you so much for listening, we appreciate you. For business inquiries: theapexthepodcast@gmail.com
We just got back from Los Angeles after spending several hours hands-on with Highguard, the new free-to-play raid shooter from Wildlight Entertainment, a studio led by developers with deep roots in games like Apex Legends and Titanfall.On paper, it is easy to dismiss Highguard as “another shooter,” especially in a crowded 2026 lineup. But after playing multiple full matches, sitting down with the design and product leads, and seeing how the systems work together, it is clear this game is aiming for something genuinely different.Highguard introduces a new take on competitive shooters through a multi-phase raid structure built around strategy, teamwork, and base defense. Each match flows through gearing up, intercepting the shield breaker, and launching full raids against enemy bases. Wardens are distinct without overpowering gunplay, abilities are additive instead of dominant, and every match feels meaningfully different based on player decisions.We also break down how Highguard approaches live service in a way that feels unusually respectful. The War Chest battle pass is free, there is no pay-to-win, no loot boxes, no RNG storefront pressure, and cosmetic purchases are straightforward and permanent. The team already has a full year of content planned, with new episodes, maps, wardens, and modes rolling out at a steady cadence.We also talk about the Game Awards reveal, the online backlash, and why the current cycle of “is this game dead” discourse does more harm than good to the industry. After hands-on time with Highguard, we believe this is a game that deserves to speak for itself.If you are curious about raid shooters, the future of live service design, or what happens when experienced developers try to rethink the genre instead of chasing trends, this is one you should be watching.About the Show: Spawn On Me spotlights gamers of color and the intersection of games, culture, and community—through interviews, reviews, and real talk about how games affect the world.Follow & Subscribe:YouTube: youtube.com/spawnonmeSpotify: Spawn On MeApple Podcasts: Spawn On MeX/Twitter: @SpawnOnMe, @kahliefadamsInstagram: @spawnonmepodcastTikTok: @spawnonmeBusiness / bookings: spawnonmepodcast@gmail.comSupport The Spawnies (our annual awards show): Learn more, see winners, and rewatch: thespawnies.com (presented by Spawn On Me; culture-forward categories and community-driven celebration).Disclaimers: Opinions are the host's/guests' and do not reflect employers or partners.Go Here To Follow Us on Twitter, snag some merch and subscribe to our podcast!! https://campsite.bio/spawnonme
Linktree: https://linktr.ee/AnalyticJoin The Normandy For Additional Bonus Audio And Visual Content For All Things Nme+! Join Here: https://ow.ly/msoH50WCu0KAnalytic Dreamz dives deep into Highguard, the upcoming free-to-play PvP raid shooter from Wildlight Entertainment, founded in 2021 by former Respawn developers behind Apex Legends and Titanfall. Revealed as the closing trailer at The Game Awards 2025 on December 12, 2025, Highguard launches worldwide on January 26, 2026, with servers going live at 10:00 AM PT—no Early Access, full release on PC, PlayStation 5, and Xbox Series X|S. Enjoy cross-play and cross-progression from day one.In this segment, Analytic Dreamz breaks down the core gameplay: first-person shooter action as arcane gunslingers called Wardens in a mythical fantasy continent. The loop combines PvP crew battles to secure the Shieldbreaker, followed by intense raid phases to destroy enemy bases, capture territory, and blend futuristic firearms with medieval mounts, character abilities, and partial destructible environments.With only ~6 weeks from reveal to launch, marketing has been minimal—leading to community skepticism, comparisons to Concord's failure, hero shooter fatigue concerns, and questions about live-service longevity. Yet Steam backend activity confirms readiness, and optimism remains around the Respawn veteran team, unique PvP-raid hybrid, and free-to-play model. The year-one roadmap drops post-launch.Tune in as Analytic Dreamz covers release times by region, launch details, distinguishing features, and whether Highguard can stand out in the crowded market.Support this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/analytic-dreamz-notorious-mass-effect/donationsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy
Go to http://rocketmoney.com/optic to reach your financial goals faster. Go to http://butcherbox.com/optic for $20 off + your choice of beef, chicken, or turkey in every box for a year for new subscribers. Come see us at Major 1 from January 29th to February 1st! TICKETS: https://OpTic.link/tickets OpTic Gaming Merch: https://shop.opticgaming.com/ Check out the OpTic SCUF collection and use code “OpTic” for a discount: https://scuf.co/OpTic Check out the OpTic Podcast here: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/optic-podcast/id1542810047 https://open.spotify.com/show/25iPKftrl0akOZKqS0wHQG 00:00 - Intro 01:51 - Major 1 Tee Reveal 02:42 - Wear Rings on Saturday 04:21 - Texas Snow Storm 07:14 - RIP OpTic Benji 9:02 - Bears vs Rams Thriller 13:03 - Most Painful Daily Injuries 14:33 - Scump's Final Death in COD 16:24 - Nadeshot's Seat Heater Incident 17:36 - HECZ and Dashy Go to Mexico 19:16 - Time is Going By SCARY Fast 23:03 - Challengers Format is Superior? 26:18 - Rocket Money 28:07 - Butcher Box 29:56 - We Want More COD 33:01 - T1 CEO Wants Scump vs Faker! 38:31 - BO7 Esports World Cup Dates 39:46 - The State of Warzone 42:20 - Apex Legends is HYPE 44:55 - Are Cheaters Ruining COD? 47:00 - The CDL is Unpredictable This Year 55:44 - Get This NEW Tee at Major 1! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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APEX LEGENDS Tips & Tricks podcast: ALGS, Season 20 Coming Soon
in Japanese|Video Spotify Exclusive
APEX LEGENDS Tips & Tricks podcast: ALGS, Season 20 Coming Soon
Apex Legends Global Series Year 5 Championship Day 3-2 / Bracket Stage in Japanese
APEX LEGENDS Tips & Tricks podcast: ALGS, Season 20 Coming Soon
ALGS
APEX LEGENDS Tips & Tricks podcast: ALGS, Season 20 Coming Soon
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Welcome To The Apex Podcast! Where we keep you in the loop of everything Apex Legends.If you would like to join our discord and follow our socials here: https://linktr.ee/theapexthepodPlease review and rate the Apex Podcast, as it is one of the best things to support us as a podcast!Thank you so much for listening, we appreciate you.For business inquiries: theapexthepodcast@gmail.comGo subscribe!
We sit down with actor and voice actor Nicolas Roye to trace a winding path from LA bit parts to Halo Infinite, Apex Legends, Jujutsu Kaisen, and a six-year Marvel run. A candid talk on mindset, focus, and the work it takes to build a long career while still having fun.• Mindset shift that unlocked bigger roles and stability• Guarding energy and avoiding doomsday conversations• How to self-direct auditions with research and restraint• Bringing a grounded humanity across games, anime, and animation• Halo Infinite, Apex Legends, and Spidey longevity• Horror fandom, conventions, and pinball obsessions• What we're watching on Apple TV and beyond• Goals for 2026 and embracing the unknownKeep up with Nicolas here:Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/nicolasroye/Twitter: https://x.com/TheNicolasRoye
Episode 407 – PS Plus January 2026 Revealed, PS6 Rumors & Silent Hill's FutureThis week on PS This Is Awesome, Fred and Jake break down a packed slate of PlayStation news as 2026 kicks off. We run through the newly announced PlayStation Plus Essential games for January, including Need for Speed Unbound, Disney Epic Mickey: Rebrushed, and Core Keeper, and talk about how this lineup sets the tone for the year ahead. The conversation shifts to reflection and fun with PushSquare's PlayStation Quiz of the Year 2025, sparking discussion about just how much happened in gaming over the past twelve months — and how easy it is to forget some big moments.We also dive into fresh PS6 speculation, as reports around component and RAM shortages raise questions about how long Sony might stretch the PS5 generation and what that means for future hardware plans. Horror fans get some exciting news as the Silent Hill producer shares a goal of releasing one new Silent Hill game per year, building on the success of the Silent Hill 2 remake and reigniting hope for the franchise's future. The episode closes on a somber but important note, as we honor the legacy of Vince Zampella, co-creator of Call of Duty and a major force behind Titanfall, Apex Legends, and the Star Wars Jedi series, whose impact on modern shooters and the industry at large cannot be overstated.We also highlight new releases hitting PlayStation this week, including the action-packed Bunny Rampage: History of Revenge and the cozy survival builder I Am Future: Cozy Apocalypse Survival. It's a balanced episode of reflection, speculation, and excitement as PlayStation heads into a new year.Visit www.patreon.com/psthisisawesome to support the show and help us continue producing the content you love!Please, if you enjoyed the content — or even if you didn't quite enjoy this one — come back. We try to offer something for everybody. Share with your friends and help us grow our awesome PlayStation community!As always you can support our show at our Patreon Page. Thanks for listening.http://www.patreon.com/psthisisawesome Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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Welcome To The Apex Podcast! Where we keep you in the loop of everything Apex Legends.If you would like to join our discord and follow our socials here: https://linktr.ee/theapexthepodPlease review and rae the Apex Podcast, as it is one of the best things to support us as a podcast! Thank you so much for listening, we appreciate you.For business inquiries: theapexthepodcast@gmail.com#SeeYouAtTheTop
Welcome To The Apex Podcast! Where we keep you in the loop of everything Apex Legends.If you would like to join our discord and follow our socials here: https://linktr.ee/theapexthepodPlease review and rae the Apex Podcast, as it is one of the best things to support us as a podcast! Thank you so much for listening, we appreciate you.For business inquiries: theapexthepodcast@gmail.com#SeeYouAtTheTop
Follow The Trophy Room Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/PSTrophyRoom Apple Podcast: https://apple.co/2PglU1a Discord: https://discord.gg/wPNp3kC Twitter: https://twitter.com/PSTrophyRoom Twitch: https://www.twitch.tv/badbit ****** This week on The Trophy Room, we close out the year with our PlayStation 2025 Wrapped episode, breaking down the biggest stories, defining moments, and industry shifts that shaped PlayStation and gaming over the past year. We also take time to honor a devastating loss to the video game industry. Vince Zampella — Battlefield franchise lead, Call of Duty co-creator, Respawn Entertainment founder, and one of the most influential figures in modern gaming — has tragically passed away. We reflect on his legendary career, from Medal of Honor and Call of Duty to Titanfall, Apex Legends, Star Wars Jedi, and the record-breaking launch of Battlefield 6, and discuss the massive legacy he leaves behind. On the news front, Naughty Dog finds itself back in the spotlight for the wrong reasons. A new report reveals mandatory overtime (crunch) imposed on staff to complete a demo for Intergalactic: The Heretic Prophet, reigniting conversations around workplace culture, missed deadlines, and sustainability inside PlayStation Studios. We discuss what this means for Naughty Dog, Sony, and the broader industry as crunch continues to clash with modern development values. Plus, we dive into: • Our full PlayStation Wrapped 2025 breakdown • Naughty Dog landing firmly on the “not nice” list this year • A look back at the highs, lows, and turning points of 2025 • Community reactions, reflections, and end-of-year takes This is a packed, emotional, and thoughtful send-off to 2025 — celebrating what went right, questioning what went wrong, and remembering one of gaming's true legends.
APEX LEGENDS Tips & Tricks podcast: ALGS, Season 20 Coming Soon
GoFundMe: https://gofund.me/119716063GoFundMe: https://gofund.me/119716063GoFundMe: https://gofund.me/119716063GoFundMe: https://gofund.me/119716063FITZROY FAMILY Sitcom Episode 1
This week on the Boss Rush Podcast: The Boss Rush Podcast wraps up 2025 with a big discussion on The Game Awards, where Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 stole the show, and big new game announcements that have us excited for 2026 and beyond!Corey Dirrig, LeRon Dawkins, and Patrick Klein break down all the winners and announcements from The Game Awards. Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 cleaned house, winning nearly every category it was nominated in. Big reveals included the surprise reveal of Star Wars: Fate of the Old Republic, Larian's new title Divinity, Coven of the Chicken Foot from storied director Bruce Straley, Remedy's Control: Resonant, and more. They also chat about upcoming titles like Mega Man: Dual Override, Tomb Raider: Legacy of Atlantis, Phasmophobia on Switch 2, and the questionable reveal of Highguard from former APEX Legends and Titanfall devs' new studio. This and more on the Boss Rush Podcast.Follow our Hosts:Corey Dirrig, Founder of Boss Rush Media and the Boss Rush NetworkLeRon Dawkins, VP of Technology and Culture at Boss Rush NetworkPatrick Klein, Games Manager at Boss Rush NetworkJoin the Boss Rush Community: Join the Boss Rush Network Community DiscordFollow Boss Rush Network: Follow Boss Rush Network on X/Twitter, Bluesky, Facebook, LinkedIn, Threads, and InstagramSupport Boss Rush Network:Support Boss Rush on Patreon and buy merch on our Store. Subscribe to Boss Rush on YouTube and visit our website at BossRush.net for more great content.Thank you for your Support!Thank you for watching or listening to The Boss Rush Podcast. If you're watching this episode on YouTube, hit the Subscribe button, Like the video, and hit the notification bell so you don't miss an episode! If you're listening on Apple Podcasts or Spotify, consider leaving us a rating and a review as it helps with discoverability and growth. Support Boss Rush on Patreon for exclusive content, early access and audio versions of shows, become a Patreon Producer, and more. Visit our website for all of our content including reviews, news, daily Boss Rush Banter discussion topics, listicles, features, and more. However you support us, it means so much to us. Thank you for your continued support of the Boss Rush Podcast and the Boss Rush Network. #BossRushPodcast #TheGameAwards #Expedition33 #ClairObscur #StarWarsFOTOR #Divinity #MegaManDualOverride #TombRaider #GamingPodcast #BossRushPodcast #VideoGames #GamingNews #UpcomingGames
Gabe Kunda (Marvel Rivals, Apex Legends) and Natasha Rothwell (The White Lotus, Insecure) co-star in a Ugandan legend about friendship, rivalry, and making music. Sign up for our monthly newsletter, "The Lion's Roar", here.
Welcome To The Apex Podcast! Where we keep you in the loop of everything Apex Legends.If you would like to join our discord and follow our socials here: https://linktr.ee/theapexthepodPlease review and rae the Apex Podcast, as it is one of the best things to support us as a podcast! Thank you so much for listening, we appreciate you.For business inquiries: theapexthepodcast@gmail.com#SeeYouAtTheTop
APEX LEGENDS Tips & Tricks podcast: ALGS, Season 20 Coming Soon
my Patreon https://www.patreon.com/IsaacW34/giftapextipsandtrickspodcast@gmail.comProject Donate:https://www.penguinprojectmclean.org The best Apex Legend podcast ever is here! hit follow. "Pain, death nothing phases me." You want to know everything about Apex legends and how to win and/or get kills. then this is your podcast If you like what you've heard, please leave us a 5-star rating or review on Spotify, Apple Podcast, which will also help more people discover this Apex Legends Podcast. Learn more: https://penguinproject.org/
APEX LEGENDS Tips & Tricks podcast: ALGS, Season 20 Coming Soon
my Patreon https://www.patreon.com/IsaacW34/giftapextipsandtrickspodcast@gmail.comProject Donate:https://www.penguinprojectmclean.org The best Apex Legend podcast ever is here! hit follow. "Pain, death nothing phases me." You want to know everything about Apex legends and how to win and/or get kills. then this is your podcast If you like what you've heard, please leave us a 5-star rating or review on Spotify, Apple Podcast, which will also help more people discover this Apex Legends Podcast. Learn more: https://penguinproject.org/
Welcome To The Apex Podcast! Where we keep you in the loop of everything Apex Legends.If you would like to join our discord and follow our socials here: https://linktr.ee/theapexthepodPlease review and rae the Apex Podcast, as it is one of the best things to support us as a podcast! Thank you so much for listening, we appreciate you.For business inquiries: theapexthepodcast@gmail.com#SeeYouAtTheTop
APEX LEGENDS Tips & Tricks podcast: ALGS, Season 20 Coming Soon
my Patreon https://www.patreon.com/IsaacW34/giftapextipsandtrickspodcast@gmail.comProject Donate:https://www.penguinprojectmclean.org The best Apex Legend podcast ever is here! hit follow. "Pain, death nothing phases me." You want to know everything about Apex legends and how to win and/or get kills. then this is your podcast If you like what you've heard, please leave us a 5-star rating or review on Spotify, Apple Podcast, which will also help more people discover this Apex Legends Podcast. Learn more: https://penguinproject.org/
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Welcome To The Apex Podcast! Where we keep you in the loop of everything Apex Legends.If you would like to join our discord and follow our socials here: https://linktr.ee/theapexthepodPlease review and rae the Apex Podcast, as it is one of the best things to support us as a podcast! Thank you so much for listening, we appreciate you.For business inquiries: theapexthepodcast@gmail.com#SeeYouAtTheTop
Now wait a minute. This week we've quite a guest in The Carriage House. Joining us is award-winning actor and legend of gaming, Anjali Bhimani! You know Anjali from shows like MS. MARVEL and SPECIAL, but she's also a globally recognized talent in the gaming industry, having appeared in OVERWATCH, APEX LEGENDS, and many, many more. You can catch Anjali now in TALES FROM WOODCREEK on the Dungeon Dudes YouTube channel, in THE TWENTY SIDED TAVERN live show (coming to Los Angeles), and in her live charity game THE PUPPY ROLL 2, which supports furry friends in need through the fabulous organization Petco Love. Anjali helps us give advice on what to do when you find a partner has hidden something from you and how to embrace a new chapter in life without losing yourself. Sponsors: We've said it before, but if you're looking for the best chocolate chip cookies on Earth, you'll find them at Showstopper Cookies! Go to showstoppercookies.com and use code RONNA for 20% off your order, available to be shipped nationwide! And they make for an amazing gift, pardon me. Get chef-prepared, dietitian-approved meals at Factor. Go to factormeals.com/ronna50 and use code RONNA50 to get 50% off your first box plus free breakfast one year! Take comfort in Born Shoes! Go to bornshoes.com and use RONNA for 15% off plus free ground shipping on all full price shoes. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
APEX LEGENDS Tips & Tricks podcast: ALGS, Season 20 Coming Soon
my Patreon https://www.patreon.com/IsaacW34/giftapextipsandtrickspodcast@gmail.comProject Donate:https://www.penguinprojectmclean.org The best Apex Legend podcast ever is here! hit follow. "Pain, death nothing phases me." You want to know everything about Apex legends and how to win and/or get kills. then this is your podcast If you like what you've heard, please leave us a 5-star rating or review on Spotify, Apple Podcast, which will also help more people discover this Apex Legends Podcast. Learn more: https://penguinproject.org/
Welcome To The Apex Podcast! Where we keep you in the loop of everything Apex Legends.If you would like to join our discord and follow our socials here: https://linktr.ee/theapexthepodPlease review and rae the Apex Podcast, as it is one of the best things to support us as a podcast! Thank you so much for listening, we appreciate you.For business inquiries: theapexthepodcast@gmail.com#SeeYouAtTheTop
APEX LEGENDS Tips & Tricks podcast: ALGS, Season 20 Coming Soon
Hi
Welcome To The Apex Podcast! Where we keep you in the loop of everything Apex Legends.If you would like to join our discord and follow our socials here: https://linktr.ee/theapexthepodPlease review and rae the Apex Podcast, as it is one of the best things to support us as a podcast! Thank you so much for listening, we appreciate you.For business inquiries: theapexthepodcast@gmail.com#SeeYouAtTheTop
September came and went but we still found time to play a couple of games. We talked about Silksong, Baldurs Gate 3 and a few other titles. Please enjoy.
This week we talk about Electronic Arts, 3DO, and the Saudi Arabian Public Investment Fund.We also discuss Jared Kushner, leveraged buyouts, and loot boxes.Recommended Book: Bandwidth by Dan CarusoTranscriptElectronic Arts, often shorthanded as EA, was founded in 1982 in California by a former Apple employee named Trip Hawkins, who also went on to found the ill-fated 3DO company, which made video game hardware, and the somewhat more prolific, but also ultimately ill-fated casual game developer Digital Chocolate.EA, though, has been an absolutely astounding success. It's business model was predicated on the premise of selling video games directly to retailers, rather than going through intermediaries. This allowed them to gain more market share than their competitors right off the bat, and it helped them glean higher margins than their competitors from each direct sale, too.EA also established an early reputation for treating its developers really well. They were the first gaming company to feature their developers in advertising and to give them platforms, promoting them as video game artists, basically, and it shared the profits netted from those direct sales with these develops—which in turn meant all the best developers really wanted to work for EA, which led to a beneficial cycle where they created better and better, and more and more financially successful games.In the late-80s, they started deviating from this model somewhat, scooping up a collection of successful independent game development studios and deviating, at times, from the creative lead's vision when releasing their games. They also refocused a fair bit of their resources on franchises, like the immensely successful, as it turned out, Madden NFL series, and they branched out into producing games for the console market, including the still-new Nintendo Entertainment System, in 1990.That same year, EA went public on the NASDAQ, the company got new leadership when Hawkins decided to refocus on his far less successful 3DO hardware startup, and in an interesting twist, the arrival of the Sony Playstation in North America caused EA to drop support for 3DO hardware in the mid-90s so it could refocus on Playstation games, which were a lot more lucrative.By the mid-90s, EA had an astonishingly large and successful software library, including franchises like the aforementioned Madden games and the FIFA soccer games, but also celebrity-tied games like Shaq Fu, and military shooters like Jungle and Urban Strike.By the early-2000s, EA was making exclusive licensing deals with the NFL and ESPN, in order to stave off newfound sports game competitors, and it was the only video game company to consistently make a profit, most others experiencing feast and famine cycles, with periodic wins, but a whole lot of losses they had to cover with the profits from those wins. EA, in contrast, had a reliable stable of profit-sources, and it thus had a whole lot of leverage in terms of attracting and retaining talent, but also getting big names and brands on board, for collaborative projects.What I'd like to talk about today is what happened to EA during and following the 2008 economic crisis, and how and why it recently became an acquisition target for Saudi Arabia.—In 2008, when the global economy was collapsing, EA suffered a bad holiday sales season and fired 1,100 employees and closed 12 of their facilities early the following year. Later in 2009, the company announced the firing of another 1,500 employees, which was about 17% of their total workforce at the time, and in 2010 they acquired a gaming company that focused on mobile games, which were becoming increasingly popular, now that many people had touch-capable smartphones, which brought hot new franchises like Angry Birds under their brand umbrella.On the strength of that acquisition and all those downsizings, in early 2011, EA announced that it hit $3.8 billion in revenue in the financial year for the first time, and in early 2012, it announced it surpassed $1 billion in digital revenue during the previous year, which was a huge figure that early in the digital media landscape. It used some of those profits to scoop up another mobile-first gaming company, adding properties like Plants vs Zombies and Peggle to their library.EA completed another mass-firing in 2013, dismissing 10% of their employees under what they called a reorganization, around the same time they announced an exclusive license with Disney that would allow them to develop Star Wars games.Their stock value boomed in the following years, as a result of those cost-savings measures, and those new relationships, and emboldened by record-high stock valuations, in the mid-20-teens, the company started releasing big-name games, like Star Wars Battlefront 2, with random-content loot boxes and other sorts of microtransactions.This did not go over well with players, who decried these in-game purchasing options as ‘pay to win' mechanics, as players could pay more money to get better characters and equipment, and a lot of the content, even after paying for the expensive games, was still locked behind paywalls, requiring more payments to unlock that content. A bunch of gaming journalists cried foul on this shift as the game careened toward its full release, as did a whole lot of early players, and Disney complained, too, so by the time it hit shelves, the game's loot system was substantially changed, but that whole controversy spooked investors, and led to an 8.5% stock value drop in just a single month, knocking $3.1 billion from the company's valuation. As a result of that controversy, EA also became the face for a larger legal and legislative debate about in-game purchases and how it's kinda sorta like gambling, from that point forward.Soon after, EA experienced a series of bad quarters, including a huge drop of 13.3% to its valuation when a major entry in one of their larger franchises, Battlefield V, was released late, and received very mixed reviews when it was released, which led to a million fewer sold copies than anticipated. The game was also lagging in terms of gameplay behind smaller, nimbler competitors, including then-burgeoning Fortnite.The company saw an overall boost with the surprise success of Apex Legends, and the COVID-19 pandemic boosted sales dramatically for a while, since everyone was staying home, which allowed EA to gobble up a few more competing companies with successful franchises, and they knocked out a few more successful Star Wars games, as well.In early 2021, Saudi Arabia's public investment funds bought 7.4 million shares of EA for about $1.1 billion, which flew under the radar for most gamers, but that'll be important in a moment.Later that year, the company experienced a massive hack, a lot of its data, including the source code for games, stolen and sold on the dark web. EA bought some more competitors, but word on the street in 2022 was the the higher ups at EA were quietly shopping the company around, themselves looking to be acquired by a larger entity, on the scale of Apple or Disney.In early 2023, the company announced more mass-layoffs and launched another internal reorganization. It gutted several of its most popular gaming sub-brands, including BioWare, it cancelled an upcoming Star Wars game, and it announced that it would be shifting away from licensing agreements and refocusing on EA-owned IP.The pattern of layoffs leading to better financial fortunes didn't pay off this time, though. In early 2025, EA divulged that it expected to underperform in the coming year, several of its big-name titles not doing as well as expected; the company cast blame on the market, but players and journalists pointed at the company's gutting of its big-name studios, and the firing of many of its veteran developers to explain the reduced sales.EA had another mass-firing in April of this year, and followed by another in May, which paralleled an announcement that they would no longer be moving forward with a big, planned Black Panther game.In late September of 2025, EA announced that it had reached a deal, worth $55 billion, to go private, no longer selling shares on the stock market, with the financial assistance of a group of investors, which included Affinity Partners, which is led by Jared Kushner, US President Trump's son-in-law, Silver Lake, which is a US-based private equity firm that helps make these sorts of big sales happen, and the aforementioned Saudi Arabian Public Investment Fund.This deal isn't done yet, it still needs to get regulatory approval and a successful vote by stockholders, but it seems likely to go through, since the US regulatory environment is pretty lax at the moment, and because Kushner is involved, it's unlikely President Trump will take a personal disliking to it.But the big story here seems to be that Saudi Arabia is buying up not just a video game company, but one of the biggest and most successful video gaming companies in the world, which, although it's lost a lot of fan-credibility over the years, still owns some massively influential intellectual property and has just a stunning number of relationships and connections throughout the media world, alongside its huge valuation.If the sale does go through, and we should know for sure by sometime around June 2026, it would be the largest-ever leveraged buyout, which means the purchase was completed by using borrowed money that was borrowed against the asset being purchased; so those investors have taken out debt against EA itself, which is an increasingly common means of buying a large asset on the cheap, but it also typically burdens that asset with a simply astounding amount of debt which must then be recouped, often by selling off undervalued assets.When this happens to a newspaper, for instance, the buyer will often sell off the paper's real estate and fire all their employees, to make money and pay off that debt, and in this case, there's a chance that debt will be paid by throwing up a bunch of new paywalls and really leaning into those in-game transactions that nobody really liked, including politicians, back in the day, but which in this current regulatory environment would probably be allowed, and they would probably make some serious bank off of it initially, before players started getting wise and moving on to other games released by less predatory companies.The really interesting facet of this story, though, is the question of why Saudi Arabia wants a video game company.And to understand that, it's important to understand that, first, the country's Public Investment Fund is meant to help its economy shift away from purely extractive resources, like oil, and it has thus invested in all sorts of things, including luxury beach resorts, minority stakes in financial service companies like Citigroup, stakes in companies like Disney and Boeing and Meta, and increasingly, investments in companies run by allies of President Trump, like the aforementioned Affinity Partners, which was formed by Jared Kushner.So this is an economic play, but also a political play, almost certainly, by the Saudis, to get in good with the people who are in good with the US government.It's also been alleged that this might be an attempt by the Saudis to engage in what's being called game-washing, which is similar to greenwashing, but instead of trying to make a company seem green and sustainable by doing kinda sorta green things, but only as a veneer to cover up the opposite, in this case it means using sports and video games and the like to increase a nation's reputation with humanistic seeming things, despite, well, the truth being much more complicated.Just as when the Fund participated in buying a Premier League football, a soccer team, back in 2021, then, alongside their concomitant establishment of LIV Gold, a golf league meant to compete with the PGA, this investment in EA, and other investments it's made in video game companies like Capcom and Nexon, might be part of a larger effort to diversify the nation's brand, not just its economics. It's human rights record is abysmal, and it's possible they're trying to cover that up, make people forget about it, by creating more connections between Saudi Arabia and more positive things, like sports and games and the like.There are additional concerns about this purchase of EA, too, by the way, because Saudi Arabia's cultural values are very anti-woman, anti-LGBTQ, and anti-liberal, democratic values. So there are fears that we might see less representation and fewer what we might call western values portrayed in the games released by these studios, as a result of this ownership.The folks running EA have said their core values will remain unchanged by the buyout, but it's expected, bare-minimum, that this will lead to another several restructurings and mass-layoffs throughout the company in the coming years, to help recoup all that debt, at the end of which even the people making those promises might be long gone.Show Noteshttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Public_Investment_Fundhttps://www.nytimes.com/2025/09/29/business/dealbook/electronic-arts-buyout-jared-kushner.htmlhttps://www.wsj.com/business/deals/ea-private-deal-buyout-video-game-maker-808aefechttps://www.ft.com/content/61cef75e-ceba-43ee-80e3-040756c6154f?accessToken=zwAGQAMTiJKIkc9hzvdezrpD7tOA4wQHVsYVTw.MEUCIHND3WOT4rS4frIMIOoeXHQeil_Ma1yGrwOqUD2m306DAiEAtA_QLvpyObai9zoo_9GZSljJuJyTKxJgFHpQDcCcVsE&sharetype=gift&token=03dd6ca5-c34f-4925-8a3d-a89f4058ee80https://www.wsj.com/business/deals/ea-silver-lake-deal-jared-kushner-c145cd55?st=eZghQHhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Electronic_Arts This is a public episode. 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Welcome To The Apex Podcast! Where we keep you in the loop of everything Apex Legends.If you would like to join our discord and follow our socials here: https://linktr.ee/theapexthepodPlease review and rae the Apex Podcast, as it is one of the best things to support us as a podcast! Thank you so much for listening, we appreciate you.For business inquiries: theapexthepodcast@gmail.com#SeeYouAtTheTop
Welcome To The Apex Podcast! Where we keep you in the loop of everything Apex Legends.If you would like to join our discord and follow our socials here: https://linktr.ee/theapexthepodPlease review and rae the Apex Podcast, as it is one of the best things to support us as a podcast! Thank you so much for listening, we appreciate you.For business inquiries: theapexthepodcast@gmail.com#SeeYouAtTheTop
Welcome To The Apex Podcast! Where we keep you in the loop of everything Apex Legends.If you would like to join our discord and follow our socials here: https://linktr.ee/theapexthepodPlease review and rae the Apex Podcast, as it is one of the best things to support us as a podcast! Thank you so much for listening, we appreciate you.For business inquiries: theapexthepodcast@gmail.com#SeeYouAtTheTop
This week, we officially kick off our next Video Game Book Club title: Titanfall 2. Jerica, Kayla, and Koleman suit up for a deep dive into this critically beloved FPS — from its fast-paced movement and emotional storytelling to its unexpected ties to Apex Legends.We also rewind to the original Titanfall to explain why we're starting with the sequel, touch on Respawn's development choices, and unpack how this world became one of the most celebrated sci-fi shooter settings of the last decade.Whether you're playing along for the first time or revisiting your BT memories, this episode is all about appreciating the details — from gunplay to skyboxes.Timecodes:00:00:00 – Start00:19:17 – Listener Fanfare: Titanfall 2 Love Letters00:22:24 – Easy Mode: What We've Been Playing + Koleman's Icebreaker00:35:11 – Normal Mode: Titanfall 1 History & Why We're Starting With 200:49:13 – Expert Mode: Titanfall 2 First ImpressionsWe're JK! Games! Podcast!We bring you the gaming news and reviews we care about — and right now we're playing through one game at a time with our official Video Game Book Club.We pick a game, break it down week by week, and talk about everything from mechanics to heart-wrenching narratives — all through the lens of a book club… but with video games. And don't worry, you don't have to read anything (until there's a dialogue wheel).Easy Mode or Expert, you belong in the conversation.Follow and play with us! @JKGamesPodcast Discord Twitch Youtube Insta Bsky
Welcome To The Apex Podcast! Where we keep you in the loop of everything Apex Legends.If you would like to join our discord and follow our socials here: https://linktr.ee/theapexthepodPlease review and rae the Apex Podcast, as it is one of the best things to support us as a podcast! Thank you so much for listening, we appreciate you.For business inquiries: theapexthepodcast@gmail.com#SeeYouAtTheTop
I'm an experienced gamer. A very experienced gamer. But, I'm not about to give it up because some kid who has just destroyed me on Apex Legends is laughing down the mic and calling me a fossil. No siree! Not that anyone is suggesting I give it up. I don't think. Not sure why I recorded this, thinking about it.But it's here now, so wrap your ears around it and give it a big waxy hug!Brief mentions of the console wars, Daley Thompson, Space Invaders, and other stuff that has been tossed along on the winds of time. Some mild complaining and minimal swears.To the campfire!Let us know where we're going wrong....or, like, right...maybe.Support the showFollow the adventure, support the show, listen with both ears - https://linktr.ee/DesertIslandGamer
Saving all of our in-depth Silksong discussions for the next episode. The boys chat about all the games they've been playing in August. Please enjoy
Welcome To The Apex Podcast! Where we keep you in the loop of everything Apex Legends.If you would like to join our discord and follow our socials here: https://linktr.ee/theapexthepodPlease review and rae the Apex Podcast, as it is one of the best things to support us as a podcast! Thank you so much for listening, we appreciate you.For business inquiries: theapexthepodcast@gmail.com#SeeYouAtTheTop
Welcome To The Apex Podcast! Where we keep you in the loop of everything Apex Legends. If you would like to join our discord and follow our socials here: https://linktr.ee/theapexthepod In this episode, the boys interview Deeds From ROC Esports Please review and rate the Apex Podcast, as it is one of the best things to support us as a podcast! Thank you so much for listening, we appreciate you. For business inquiries: theapexthepodcast@gmail.com #apexlegends #apex #gaming Give these guys a follow Wyatt Babb - https://twitter.com/wyattbabb Enoch - https://twitter.com/brother_enoch_ - http://Enochsgarden.net Jumba - https://twitter.com/JumbaGW Donny - https://twitter.com/dkdon06
When life gives you a video game, mod the hell out of it. The dudes discuss more Cyberpunk, The Case of the Golden Idol, and TOTK modding. Please enjoy.Catch us on the last Sunday of every month at 8pm on twitch.tv/videogamerations
SPONSORS: TRADE COFFEE: Get 50% off 1 month of cold brew with Trade” at https://www.drinktrade.com/KRISTIAN FACTOR: Eat smart at https://www.FactorMeals.com/kristian5... and use code kristian50off to get 50 percent off plus FREE shipping on your first box. Get delicious, ready-to-eat meals delivered—with Factor. James Gunn is finally speaking up about those The Batman Part II villain rumors — and we're breaking it all down on today's episode of The Kristian Harloff Show! Kristian Harloff is joined by Roxy Striar and Mike Kalinowski to dive deep into what Gunn had to say, plus all the latest movie and TV news making waves this week. Topics include: James Gunn addresses the Batman Part II villain speculation – could Clayface actually be in the mix? New report says The Handmaid's Tale actor Max Minghella is being eyed for a major role in Clayface James Cameron opens up about the personal and creative challenges behind his upcoming film Hiroshima Watch the trailer for Regretting You, starring Michelle Williams and James Franco Is an Apex Legends movie actually happening? The hit game might be headed to the big screen Make sure you're subscribed and hit that notification bell so you never miss a beat of The Kristian Harloff Show! Leave a comment below with your thoughts on Clayface, Max Minghella, and whether Apex Legends deserves a film adaptation.
Check out In Review, our movie review podcast! https://open.spotify.com/show/7qpmaTOqCuZePIVGZJnGYj The next Bioshock experiences development turmoil, Darksiders 4 has been announced, and everything announced at Evo over the weekend. Thank you for the support! Run of Show - - Start - Housekeeping Today after, KFGD, you'll get: If you're a Kinda Funny Member: The Roper Report - - Next ‘BioShock' Game Changes Leaders After Development Turmoil - Darksiders IV and Other Things Announced at THQ Nordic's Digital Showcase - Ad - Sega shares the first combat gameplay from its upcoming Virtua Fighter project and more news from Evo - Rare celebrates their 40th anniversary! - EA ‘pretty motivated' to adapt Apex Legends for film or TV - Wee News! - SuperChats & You‘re Wrong Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices