Podcasts about Kotaku

The Insert Credit panel you know and love discuss developments in game journalism, gacha games about girls who are horses, and what happens when you put Coke Zero in espresso. Hosted by Alex Jaffe, with Frank Cifaldi, Ash Parrish, and Brandon Sheffield. Edited by Esper Quinn, original music by Kurt Feldman. Watch episodes with full video on YouTube Discuss this episode in the Insert Credit Forums SHOW NOTES: Murderbot The Murderbot Diaries 1: Ash, you used to write for Kotaku, right? (03:29) Kotaku 2: Ash, what's your read on this whole G/O Media selling Kotaku to Gizmodo's parent company? (03:36) G/O Media sells Kotaku and says it's “winding down” Gizmodo Jim Spanfeller io9 The Root What Is an io9? The Verge Polygon Iodine SegaSammy merger SquareEnix merger Dragon Quest series Hi-Fi Rush Tango Gameworks Krafton slams ex-Subnautica 2 execs — who now say they're suing 3: When is it cool that a video game changes the rules on you, and when is it annoying? (08:55) Xbox 360 Sega Genesis Commodore 64 4: What non-video game piece of media do you think has inspired the most video games? (13:20) Star Wars The Lord of the Rings Dune Sailor Moon Gambling Magical girl Dungeons & Dragons Zoobooks Sonic the Hedgehog Bill Clinton Arsenio Hall Cedric the Entertainer Knuckles the Echidna Michael Jackson How Sonic The Hedgehog Was Directly Inspired By Bill Clinton and Michael Jackson Miles “Tails” Prower A.C. Slater Screech Powers Blade Runner (1982) Phantasy Star Final Fantasy VI Alien (1979) Metroid 5: Design 3 new characters for Uma Musume: Pretty Derby (18:27) Uma Musume: Pretty Derby Infinity Nikki Seabiscuit Kentucky Derby Babe Ruth Shiori Fujisaki Tokimeki Memorial Eve DraftKings Bayonetta Jill Valentine Lady Dimitrescu 2B Kainé Samus Aran Stellar Blade The iDOLM@STER series Minigame: Gacha Time! (24:44) John Smith The Outfoxies Governor Griffon Red Dead Revolver Steven Tyler Orianna The Witcher III: Wild Hunt The Nothing Fortnite Autkendo Jansa The Elder Scrolls IV: Shivering Isles Karlach Baldur's Gate III Heidi Kalson The Sims: Life Stories Bonker Clay Fighter 6: Alex Jaffe asks, what is an indie game? (33:13) Indie Game: the Movie (2012) Braid Fez Super Meat Boy Minecraft Naughty Dog Brandon Boyer Necrosoft Minigame: 18 Questions - Real Person Who Has Appeared in the Greatest Number of Video Games (XX:XX) John Madden Harrison Ford Sid Meier's Civilization series Genghis Khan (SPOILER) The Real Person Who Has Appeared in the Greatest Number of Video Games 7: Gemstonez asks, please rank and discuss the PlayStation games mentioned in the song “My Console” by Eiffel 65 (43:12) Eiffel 65 - My Console Tekken 3 Metal Gear Solid Eiffel 65 - Blue Resident Evil Gran Turismo Omega Boost Bloody Roar The X-Files Game Another World Éric Chahi Ridge Racer Oddworld: Abe's Oddysee Pagliacci Winning Eleven series Mathew Kumar Recommendations and Outro (50:39): Frank: Vent your PC heat out of your home's chimney, Charlie Hustle & The Matter of Pete Rose Brandon: Check your airplane console for Bejeweled 3 which is the good version of Bejeweled without microtransactions, ZPF Ash: Make more root beer floats, The Murderbot Diaries This week's Insert Credit Show is brought to you by patrons like you. Thank you. This week's horrible buzzer was sent in by BB Kaizo. Thanks! To submit your own horrible buzzer, send an original recording no longer than two seconds in mp3 or wav format to show@insertcredit.com, and maybe we'll use it on the show! Subscribe: RSS, YouTube, Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and more!

The Insert Credit panel you know and love discuss developments in game journalism, gacha games about girls who are horses, and what happens when you put Coke Zero in espresso. Hosted by Alex Jaffe, with Frank Cifaldi, Ash Parrish, and Brandon Sheffield. Edited by Esper Quinn, original music by Kurt Feldman. Watch episodes with full video on YouTube Discuss this episode in the Insert Credit Forums SHOW NOTES: Murderbot The Murderbot Diaries 1: Ash, you used to write for Kotaku, right? (03:29) Kotaku 2: Ash, what's your read on this whole G/O Media selling Kotaku to Gizmodo's parent company? (03:36) G/O Media sells Kotaku and says it's “winding down” Gizmodo Jim Spanfeller io9 The Root What Is an io9? The Verge Polygon Iodine SegaSammy merger SquareEnix merger Dragon Quest series Hi-Fi Rush Tango Gameworks Krafton slams ex-Subnautica 2 execs — who now say they're suing 3: When is it cool that a video game changes the rules on you, and when is it annoying? (08:55) Xbox 360 Sega Genesis Commodore 64 4: What non-video game piece of media do you think has inspired the most video games? (13:20) Star Wars The Lord of the Rings Dune Sailor Moon Gambling Magical girl Dungeons & Dragons Zoobooks Sonic the Hedgehog Bill Clinton Arsenio Hall Cedric the Entertainer Knuckles the Echidna Michael Jackson How Sonic The Hedgehog Was Directly Inspired By Bill Clinton and Michael Jackson Miles “Tails” Prower A.C. Slater Screech Powers Blade Runner (1982) Phantasy Star Final Fantasy VI Alien (1979) Metroid 5: Design 3 new characters for Uma Musume: Pretty Derby (18:27) Uma Musume: Pretty Derby Infinity Nikki Seabiscuit Kentucky Derby Babe Ruth Shiori Fujisaki Tokimeki Memorial Eve DraftKings Bayonetta Jill Valentine Lady Dimitrescu 2B Kainé Samus Aran Stellar Blade The iDOLM@STER series Minigame: Gacha Time! (24:44) John Smith The Outfoxies Governor Griffon Red Dead Revolver Steven Tyler Orianna The Witcher III: Wild Hunt The Nothing Fortnite Autkendo Jansa The Elder Scrolls IV: Shivering Isles Karlach Baldur's Gate III Heidi Kalson The Sims: Life Stories Bonker Clay Fighter 6: Alex Jaffe asks, what is an indie game? (33:13) Indie Game: the Movie (2012) Braid Fez Super Meat Boy Minecraft Naughty Dog Brandon Boyer Necrosoft Minigame: 18 Questions - Real Person Who Has Appeared in the Greatest Number of Video Games (XX:XX) John Madden Harrison Ford Sid Meier's Civilization series Genghis Khan (SPOILER) The Real Person Who Has Appeared in the Greatest Number of Video Games 7: Gemstonez asks, please rank and discuss the PlayStation games mentioned in the song “My Console” by Eiffel 65 (43:12) Eiffel 65 - My Console Tekken 3 Metal Gear Solid Eiffel 65 - Blue Resident Evil Gran Turismo Omega Boost Bloody Roar The X-Files Game Another World Éric Chahi Ridge Racer Oddworld: Abe's Oddysee Pagliacci Winning Eleven series Mathew Kumar Recommendations and Outro (50:39): Frank: Vent your PC heat out of your home's chimney, Charlie Hustle & The Matter of Pete Rose Brandon: Check your airplane console for Bejeweled 3 which is the good version of Bejeweled without microtransactions, ZPF Ash: Make more root beer floats, The Murderbot Diaries This week's Insert Credit Show is brought to you by patrons like you. Thank you. This week's horrible buzzer was sent in by BB Kaizo. Thanks! To submit your own horrible buzzer, send an original recording no longer than two seconds in mp3 or wav format to show@insertcredit.com, and maybe we'll use it on the show! Subscribe: RSS, YouTube, Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and more!

It's a big week for us! We joined a podcast network! We're all three here talking about games! Nathaniel and Noah reveal what Final Fantasies they've been playing! All that and more!!!SPOILERS FOR FINAL FANTASY XV FROM 31:30 to 45:30!!!THINGS MENTIONED: OK fine here are the Animal Crossings Crocs but don't buy them just because we talked about them Nintendo is not paying usSoon you'll be able to buy V-bucks and pay for them later - GamespotG/O Media sells Kotaku to Gizmodo owner - AxiosDavid Corinswet's GQ interviewNathaniel's tierlist of every game he's played so far this yearTori's on bluesky: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠toridp98⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Nathaniel's onlineNoah's onlineOur show is a proud member of The Worst Garbage network of podcasts. Find all the rest of the great shows on the network at TheWorstGarbage.online.Join The Worst Garbage Discord channel!Our intro/outro music are by ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠GEIST⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ and our show art is by⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@tristemegistus⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠. We curate your gaming news together and Noah, Tori and Nathaniel take turns producing the show. You can follow the show on Twitter ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@Press_StartPod⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠, on tumblr at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠press-startpod.tumblr.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ and on bluesky ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@press-startpod⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠. Email us questions for Nathaniel about Final Fantasy XV, gaming recs and other stuff at heypressstart@gmail.com. We'd also appreciate if you left us reviews on your podcast app of choice! Good text reviews will be read out on the show.

On this week's episode, Nathan and Chris are joined by award-winning disability reporter Grant Stoner to discuss Disability Pride Month, as well as his own growing body of investigative work in the accessibility space. Not entirely in order, we draw a line from the early days of companies largely ignoring accessibility-related concerns to the moment they realized such options could serve as a marketing hook – and then up to the present, which Grant argues would be better served by journalism that goes beyond praising PR-friendly features. After that, we move on to the horse girl sensation that's sweeping the nation: Umamusume. Chris, like the whole internet, is obsessed. He explains why this oddity speaks to him, and then we grapple with how this new fandom has impacted real horses and horse game researchers. Finally, we decide that anyone who pastes into a document (or email or what have you) with formatting is a deviant who deserves to be confined to the deepest reaches of hell. Credits- Hosts: Nathan Grayson, Chris Person, & special guest Grant Stoner- Podcast Production & Ads: Multitude- Subscribe to Aftermath!About The ShowAftermath Hours is the flagship podcast of Aftermath, a worker-owned, subscription-based website covering video games, the internet, and everything that comes after from journalists who previously worked at Kotaku, Vice, and The Washington Post. Each week, games journalism veterans Luke Plunkett, Nathan Grayson, Chris Person, Riley MacLeod, and Gita Jackson – though not always all at once, because that's too many people for a podcast – break down video game news, Remember Some Games, and learn about Chris' frankly incredible number of special interests. Sometimes we even bring on guests from both inside and outside the video game industry! I don't know what else to tell you; it's a great time. Simply by reading this description, you're already wasting time that you could be spending listening to the show. Head to aftermath.site for more info. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

In this episode of the Day 0 Update: We talk about the huge Xbox layoffs, Kotaku finally being freed from G/O Media's clutches, and EA shutting down Anthem's servers in early 2026. All this and more, up next!Full show notes can be found ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠here⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠.

This week, Niki and John are joined by perhaps the greatest games media talent scout in the industry's history, Endless Mode's Editor-in-Chief Garrett Martin. He hung out to tell us about the new site, what to expect from its amazing writers, and, of course, theme parks! Also:nearly half an hour of AEW All In Texas preview discussion (sorry non-wrestling fans)Kotaku's sale to KeleopsMicrosoft's astonishing layoff round of 9,100 employeesPerfect Dark reboot canceled and studio shutteredEA's bonkers 100,000,000 player expectation for BattlefieldBonk!Shmups!Half SwordSGDQ 2025Also, we answer your burning HIVE QUESTIONS from our Discord.

On this week's episode, Nathan and Riley are joined by Ethan Gach of Kotaku dot com and Garrett Martin of the newly rechristened Endless Mode, two beneficiaries of the only good week for games media in the past century. The former finally managed to wriggle out from under G/O Media's suffocating boot via a sale to the same seemingly benign company that bought Gizmodo, and the latter represents that rarest of unicorns: a new video game website with a functional budget in the year 2025. We talk to both Ethan and Garrett about the state of games journalism and their cautious optimism about the future now that MBA-brained business idiots seem to have moved on from blindly buying up websites for their ponzi schemes. Then we discuss decidedly less good news: Microsoft just laid off 9,000 more workers, many of them in games, resulting in cancellations of multiple promising projects as well as general industry brain drain. Finally, prompted by a mailbag question, we talk about the many cool world records we've broken, only some of which involve eating a waffle to discover a clue. Credits- Hosts: Nathan Grayson, Riley MacLeod, & special guests Ethan Gach and Garrett Martin- Podcast Production & Ads: Multitude- Subscribe to Aftermath!About The ShowAftermath Hours is the flagship podcast of Aftermath, a worker-owned, subscription-based website covering video games, the internet, and everything that comes after from journalists who previously worked at Kotaku, Vice, and The Washington Post. Each week, games journalism veterans Luke Plunkett, Nathan Grayson, Chris Person, Riley MacLeod, and Gita Jackson – though not always all at once, because that's too many people for a podcast – break down video game news, Remember Some Games, and learn about Chris' frankly incredible number of special interests. Sometimes we even bring on guests from both inside and outside the video game industry! I don't know what else to tell you; it's a great time. Simply by reading this description, you're already wasting time that you could be spending listening to the show. Head to aftermath.site for more info. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Kotaku has FINALLY been sold off by G/O Media, and it's about time. We talk about whether or not the site with get a 1UP, and the bigger picture -- Google DESTROYING niche hobby and entertainment sites with its rollout of AI search. And it's coming for YouTube, too. Watch this podcast episode on YouTube and all major podcast hosts including Spotify. CLOWNFISH TV is an independent, opinionated news and commentary podcast that covers Entertainment and Tech from a consumer's point of view. We talk about Gaming, Comics, Anime, TV, Movies, Animation and more. Hosted by Kneon and Geeky Sparkles. D/REZZED News covers Pixels, Pop Culture, and the Paranormal! We're an independent, opinionated entertainment news blog covering Video Games, Tech, Comics, Movies, Anime, High Strangeness, and more. As part of Clownfish TV, we strive to be balanced, based, and apolitical. Get more news, views and reviews on Clownfish TV News - https://news.clownfishtv.com/ On YouTube - https://www.youtube.com/c/ClownfishTV On Spotify - https://open.spotify.com/show/4Tu83D1NcCmh7K1zHIedvg On Apple Podcasts - https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/clownfish-tv-audio-edition/id1726838629

On this week's episode, Nathan and Chris celebrate the NYC democratic mayoral primary victory of Zohran Mamdani by bringing on a whopping TWO guests: First, Max Rivlin-Nadler joins us to talk about how Hell Gate – a fellow worker-owned publication – punched well above its weight during this election, organizing a town hall that every candidate except Andrew Cuomo showed up for and hosting an election night livestream that aired in bars across the city. Then f ormer Kotaku writer turned professional Genshin Impact advocate turned laid off person (hire them!) Sisi Jiang comes on to share their experience knocking on over 1,000 doors for the Mamdani campaign – part of a wider canvassing effort that resulted in an unprecedented turnout for a leftist candidate. Lastly, using the scant information available, we attempt to divine what kind of gamer Mamdani is.Credits- Hosts: Nathan Grayson, Chris Person, & special guests Max Rivlin-Nadler and Sisi Jiang- Podcast Production & Ads: Multitude- Subscribe to Aftermath!About The ShowAftermath Hours is the flagship podcast of Aftermath, a worker-owned, subscription-based website covering video games, the internet, and everything that comes after from journalists who previously worked at Kotaku, Vice, and The Washington Post. Each week, games journalism veterans Luke Plunkett, Nathan Grayson, Chris Person, Riley MacLeod, and Gita Jackson – though not always all at once, because that's too many people for a podcast – break down video game news, Remember Some Games, and learn about Chris' frankly incredible number of special interests. Sometimes we even bring on guests from both inside and outside the video game industry! I don't know what else to tell you; it's a great time. Simply by reading this description, you're already wasting time that you could be spending listening to the show. Head to aftermath.site for more info. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

We're off this week because of Juneteenth, but back in February, Nathan released a book! About Twitch! As part of that, he hosted a launch event at Wonderville in Brooklyn, NY with a panel featuring Chris and Gita, as well Polygon's Simone de Rochefort. It was basically a live episode of Aftermafh Hours, so here it is now, as an episode of Aftermath Hours. Enjoy!Credits- Hosts: Nathan Grayson, Chris Person, Gita Jackson, & special guest Simone de Rochefort- Podcast Production & Ads: Multitude- Subscribe to Aftermath!About The ShowAftermath Hours is the flagship podcast of Aftermath, a worker-owned, subscription-based website covering video games, the internet, and everything that comes after from journalists who previously worked at Kotaku, Vice, and The Washington Post. Each week, games journalism veterans Luke Plunkett, Nathan Grayson, Chris Person, Riley MacLeod, and Gita Jackson – though not always all at once, because that's too many people for a podcast – break down video game news, Remember Some Games, and learn about Chris' frankly incredible number of special interests. Sometimes we even bring on guests from both inside and outside the video game industry! I don't know what else to tell you; it's a great time. Simply by reading this description, you're already wasting time that you could be spending listening to the show. Head to aftermath.site for more info. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

On this week's episode, Nathan, Chris, and Riley reflect on the latest installment of Geoff Keighley's mid-year video game advertisement carnival, Summer Game Fest. It was a weird one! High-profile announcements were few and far between, leaving relative no-names shaped kinda like the industry's heaviest hitters to fill in the gaps. But at least Stranger Than Heaven, which is basically noir Yakuza in the 1940s, looks cool. Then Nathan talks about what it was like to actually attend SGF's in-person Play Days event, which took place roughly a mile from the locus of LA's anti-ICE protests. Game developers and press struggled with mixed feelings over the unavoidable tension between the perceived frivolity of advertising video games within the event's walls and the enormity of the protests raging outside. After that, we move on to perhaps the week's most telling story: what happened to Dragon Age: The Veilguard. A new Bloomberg report details trend-chasing, reactive mismanagement nearly every step of the way. At what point do we determine that these execs are simply not fit to lead? Lastly, we figure out where we fall on the Aftermath community's incredible Many Emotions Of Geoff Keighley chart.Credits- Hosts: Nathan Grayson, Chris Person, & Riley MacLeod- Podcast Production & Ads: Multitude- Subscribe to Aftermath!About The ShowAftermath Hours is the flagship podcast of Aftermath, a worker-owned, subscription-based website covering video games, the internet, and everything that comes after from journalists who previously worked at Kotaku, Vice, and The Washington Post. Each week, games journalism veterans Luke Plunkett, Nathan Grayson, Chris Person, Riley MacLeod, and Gita Jackson – though not always all at once, because that's too many people for a podcast – break down video game news, Remember Some Games, and learn about Chris' frankly incredible number of special interests. Sometimes we even bring on guests from both inside and outside the video game industry! I don't know what else to tell you; it's a great time. Simply by reading this description, you're already wasting time that you could be spending listening to the show. Head to aftermath.site for more info. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

On this week's episode, we are joined by Xalavier Nelson Jr. of Strange Scaffold to talk about the Switch 2 (because neither of us bought one at launch.) We discuss the satisfying click of the magnetic controllers, the strange emptiness of Mario Kart World, and the idea of trying to return to a yesteryear that can never be recaptured.Then, we discuss the State of Play, Luke's piece about vibes, Sony's entry into fight stick hardware as it relates to Arc System Works making a Marvel game. Last, we talk about what games we're playing lately. Chris talks about Elden Ring Nightreign and Luke talks about Keita Takahashi's latest To A T. To close, we answer some mailbag questions about books we read and more.Credits- Hosts: Chris Person, Luke Plunkett, & guest Xalavier Nelson Jr.- Podcast Production & Ads: Multitude- Subscribe to Aftermath!About The ShowAftermath Hours is the flagship podcast of Aftermath, a worker-owned, subscription-based website covering video games, the internet, and everything that comes after from journalists who previously worked at Kotaku, Vice, and The Washington Post. Each week, games journalism veterans Luke Plunkett, Nathan Grayson, Chris Person, Riley MacLeod, and Gita Jackson – though not always all at once, because that's too many people for a podcast – break down video game news, Remember Some Games, and learn about Chris' frankly incredible number of special interests. Sometimes we even bring on guests from both inside and outside the video game industry! I don't know what else to tell you; it's a great time. Simply by reading this description, you're already wasting time that you could be spending listening to the show. Head to aftermath.site for more info. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

On this week's episode, Riley, Luke, and Isaiah intend to talk about a lot of topics, but mostly can't keep themselves from talking about Clair Obscur. We start by talking about two stories Aftermath ran this week: one in favor of parrying in video games, and one against. Those stories kicked off a flurry of discourse on social media, which we found mostly to be in good fun, and we talk about how those kinds of conversations are different now that we're at Aftermath instead of a larger site. Clair Obscur features parrying, so then we talk about that game a whole lot.Then, we discuss this week's layoffs at Electronic Arts, which follow on the heels of *other* layoffs at Electronic Arts. We wonder why several companies have run into trouble with licensed games, and we talk about the challenge of getting players excited about Marvel games when the MCU is facing its own uphill battle.Last, we talk about what games we're playing lately. Luke goes through a lot of games he didn't like before landing on one he did, 9 Kings. Riley wishes he were playing more Clair Obscur, so then we talk about that game a whole bunch more, and we debate whether it can ever be “too late” to talk about a video game.To close, we answer some mailbag questions about the best wrestling moves, what we'd do if we were CEO of EA, and who we trust to give us game recommendations. Credits- Hosts: Riley MacLeod, Luke Plunkett, & Isaiah Colbert- Podcast Production & Ads: Multitude- Subscribe to Aftermath!About The ShowAftermath Hours is the flagship podcast of Aftermath, a worker-owned, subscription-based website covering video games, the internet, and everything that comes after from journalists who previously worked at Kotaku, Vice, and The Washington Post. Each week, games journalism veterans Luke Plunkett, Nathan Grayson, Chris Person, Riley MacLeod, and Gita Jackson – though not always all at once, because that's too many people for a podcast – break down video game news, Remember Some Games, and learn about Chris' frankly incredible number of special interests. Sometimes we even bring on guests from both inside and outside the video game industry! I don't know what else to tell you; it's a great time. Simply by reading this description, you're already wasting time that you could be spending listening to the show. Head to aftermath.site for more info. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

On this week's episode, Nathan and Luke are joined by Aftermath's newest regular contributor, former Polygon senior reporter Nicole Carpenter to discuss her tenure at the freshly gutted games media institution, as well as how she got into journalism in the first place. She also tells us about the time she got to speak to the voice of Barbie for a story, and she started speaking in character without even being asked. You love to hear it. Then we delve into the news of the week: First, the community around Google Maps-based location guessing game GeoGuessr protested the game's inclusion in the Saudi-backed Esports World Cup by blacking out most of the game's most popular maps… and it worked? Despite the prevailing mentality that corporate interests and oil money will overcome all, GeoGuessr's developers relented and pulled out of the event. We talk about the ways in which this situation was unique, but conclude that it can still serve as an inspiration to other gaming communities unnerved by the sudden presence of a sportswashing festival on their annual calendars. Then we move on to Grow A Garden, a Roblox game Nicole wrote about that has more concurrent players than anything on Steam. Why is it so popular? And what is Roblox offering young people that more traditional games don't? Lastly, we accept an offer from the King Of All Cosmos and transform Aftermath into a giant ball company.Credits- Hosts: Nathan Grayson, Luke Plunkett, & special guest Nicole Carpenter- Podcast Production & Ads: Multitude- Subscribe to Aftermath!About The ShowAftermath Hours is the flagship podcast of Aftermath, a worker-owned, subscription-based website covering video games, the internet, and everything that comes after from journalists who previously worked at Kotaku, Vice, and The Washington Post. Each week, games journalism veterans Luke Plunkett, Nathan Grayson, Chris Person, Riley MacLeod, and Gita Jackson – though not always all at once, because that's too many people for a podcast – break down video game news, Remember Some Games, and learn about Chris' frankly incredible number of special interests. Sometimes we even bring on guests from both inside and outside the video game industry! I don't know what else to tell you; it's a great time. Simply by reading this description, you're already wasting time that you could be spending listening to the show. Head to aftermath.site for more info. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

This week we talk with Ben Bertoli (Polygon, Kotaku, IGN) about the current state of gaming journalism following the sale of Polygon and the layoff of the majority of their staff. With sites like Giant Bomb going independent, how feasible are smaller scale operations in the media space? We also cover all the Nintendo and gaming news and rumors such as Nintendo attending Gamescom, Nintendo's ability to brick your Switch 2, and much more. As always, we close with the games we've been playing. Listen to Super Switch Headz on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, YouTube or wherever you enjoy podcasts. 0:00:00 Introduction 0:05:28 News and Rumors 0:33:41 Gaming Journalism 1:16:20 Games We're Playing Discord: https://discord.com/invite/CWbF4gb Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/groups/switchheadz Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/SuperSwitchHeadz/ Website: https://www.switchheadz.com/ Clips Channel: https://www.youtube.com/@SwitchHeadzClips

On this week's episode, Nathan and Chris are joined by Jeff Grubb of the newly independent Giant Bomb, an incredible turnaround from just a few weeks ago when it seemed like corporate meddling had blown the whole operation sky high. We discuss how Jeff and the rest of the Giant Bomb crew managed to buy their freedom and what the future holds now that the shackles are off (a lot more, as Jeff puts it, “bullshit”). Then we move on to recent Switch 2 news – hardware specs are out, and also Nintendo isn't sending pre-release units to press – and talk about very specific games we've been playing (RoadCraft, a truck sicko sandbox, and The Hundred Line, aka Fire Emblem for freaks). Finally, we reach into the depths of the mailbag and pull out the Scrappy Doo of video games, as well as an extended digression about Chris' wild yet undeniably alluring Norwegian chair.Credits- Hosts: Nathan Grayson, Chris Person, & special guest Jeff Grubb- Podcast Production & Ads: Multitude- Subscribe to Aftermath!About The ShowAftermath Hours is the flagship podcast of Aftermath, a worker-owned, subscription-based website covering video games, the internet, and everything that comes after from journalists who previously worked at Kotaku, Vice, and The Washington Post. Each week, games journalism veterans Luke Plunkett, Nathan Grayson, Chris Person, Riley MacLeod, and Gita Jackson – though not always all at once, because that's too many people for a podcast – break down video game news, Remember Some Games, and learn about Chris' frankly incredible number of special interests. Sometimes we even bring on guests from both inside and outside the video game industry! I don't know what else to tell you; it's a great time. Simply by reading this description, you're already wasting time that you could be spending listening to the show. Head to aftermath.site for more info. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

On this week's episode, Nathan and Gita engage in a savvy act of brand synergy by bringing on extremely vocal AI critic and friend of the show Ed Zitron to celebrate the release of Aftermath's new “Destroy AI” shirt, which we made in conjunction with Kim Hu, an incredible (human) artist, and are very proud of. We eventually get around to talking about the extra-shimmery AI bubble, but first: JoJo's Bizarre Adventure. Ed got into it recently, and ⅗ of Aftermath have been obsessed with it for years, so obviously we've got to ramble like a runaway train about the good (cool powers, clever fights, fun characters), the bad (a season that you can cut the entire middle out of), and the ugly (baby poop jokes) of the incredibly idiosyncratic anime. Then we discuss the societal rot AI continues to inspire, with kids cheating their way through school, normies having no idea what hallucinations are, and vulnerable people being talked into believing they're god. Still, Ed doesn't think this thing – or at least, the companies undergirding it – can last. The people in charge have no idea what human beings actually want or need, and that will come back to bite them eventually. Finally, we discuss Grand Theft Auto VI, which is a departure for the series in that it seems like a romance between two legitimately likable main characters. But can it sustain such an intimate dynamic in a game where you'll inevitably end up murdering 9,000 dudes? I guess we'll see! Credits- Hosts: Nathan Grayson, Gita Jackson, & special guest Ed Zitron- Podcast Production & Ads: Multitude- Subscribe to Aftermath!About The ShowAftermath Hours is the flagship podcast of Aftermath, a worker-owned, subscription-based website covering video games, the internet, and everything that comes after from journalists who previously worked at Kotaku, Vice, and The Washington Post. Each week, games journalism veterans Luke Plunkett, Nathan Grayson, Chris Person, Riley MacLeod, and Gita Jackson – though not always all at once, because that's too many people for a podcast – break down video game news, Remember Some Games, and learn about Chris' frankly incredible number of special interests. Sometimes we even bring on guests from both inside and outside the video game industry! I don't know what else to tell you; it's a great time. Simply by reading this description, you're already wasting time that you could be spending listening to the show. Head to aftermath.site for more info. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

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In this episode, we sit down with Nicholas O'Brien, one of the most distinctive voices in narrative game design and critical play. As the founder of Essay Games, his groundbreaking work has earned recognition from The New York Times, The Guardian, and Kotaku, and has been showcased at top festivals like MAGFest, Narrascope, and Now Play This.Learn more about NicholasLearn more about usJoin the next episode of the Indie Game Lunch Hour LIVE every Wednesday at 12pm EST on our Discord channel to answer your own burning questions and be immortalized in the recordings.

On a very special (for bad reasons) episode of Aftermath Hours, Nathan, Riley, Chris, and Luke convene to mourn the apparent – and horrifyingly sudden – passing of two games media institutions: Polygon and Giant Bomb. None of this was, strictly speaking, necessary, with the former an unqualified success in terms of traffic and regard while the latter boasted a dedicated audience drawn to its unique mix of personalities. But of course, execs decided to gut both – on the same day, no less – and now we're left wondering what comes next. Independent, worker-owned sites like ours hope to pave a path toward a better future, but that will take a lot of time, and many excellent writers are out of work right now. Then, in less soul-crushing news, we discuss this year's latest surprise hit, extremely French RPG Clair Obscur: Expedition 33, which absolutely rules. Finally, we wrap up with the longest mailbag in the show's history, so get comfortable! Credits- Hosts: Nathan Grayson, Riley MacLeod, Chris Person, & Luke Plunkett- Podcast Production & Ads: Multitude- Subscribe to Aftermath!About The ShowAftermath Hours is the flagship podcast of Aftermath, a worker-owned, subscription-based website covering video games, the internet, and everything that comes after from journalists who previously worked at Kotaku, Vice, and The Washington Post. Each week, games journalism veterans Luke Plunkett, Nathan Grayson, Chris Person, Riley MacLeod, and Gita Jackson – though not always all at once, because that's too many people for a podcast – break down video game news, Remember Some Games, and learn about Chris' frankly incredible number of special interests. Sometimes we even bring on guests from both inside and outside the video game industry! I don't know what else to tell you; it's a great time. Simply by reading this description, you're already wasting time that you could be spending listening to the show. Head to aftermath.site for more info. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Former Kotaku journo Alyssa Mercante apparently can't get work in the industry, and a comics news site is losing one of the only things it had going for it. Is this age of "pop culture journalism" finally ending?

This week Nathan and Chris are joined by Aftermath's first-ever regular contributor, Isaiah Colbert, to talk about the latter's speciality: anime. It does not take long for this to spiral into a fittingly multi-part conversation about JoJo's Bizarre Adventure, but we also manage to at least briefly tackle issues pertaining to labor in the anime and manga industries and fans' reaction (or lack thereof) to pervasive crunch at major studios. Then we discuss Nathan's big, months-in-the-making report on OTK, a streamer organization headed up by Twitch stars like Asmongold and Mizkif which finds itself facing an uncertain future after years of scandal and streamers, who also own the organization, losing interest. After that, Chris gushes about Blue Prince, a roguelite puzzle game tailor-made for the exact kind of person Chris is. Finally, we answer a reader question about everybody's favorite completely uncontroversial anime topic: fan service. Credits- Hosts: Nathan Grayson, Chris Person, & special guest Isaiah Colbert- Podcast Production & Ads: Multitude- Subscribe to Aftermath!About The ShowAftermath Hours is the flagship podcast of Aftermath, a worker-owned, subscription-based website covering video games, the internet, and everything that comes after from journalists who previously worked at Kotaku, Vice, and The Washington Post. Each week, games journalism veterans Luke Plunkett, Nathan Grayson, Chris Person, Riley MacLeod, and Gita Jackson – though not always all at once, because that's too many people for a podcast – break down video game news, Remember Some Games, and learn about Chris' frankly incredible number of special interests. Sometimes we even bring on guests from both inside and outside the video game industry! I don't know what else to tell you; it's a great time. Simply by reading this description, you're already wasting time that you could be spending listening to the show. Head to aftermath.site for more info. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

To celebrate the return of Inside Baseball Week – during which we publish a barrage of stories about the lesser-known parts of game dev, the ins and outs of games journalism, and other topics so specific no other website would ever touch them – we put together a roundtable about worker-owned media featuring Aftermath's Nathan Grayson and Riley MacLeod, Defector's David Roth, 404 Media's Emanuel Maiberg, and Hell Gate's Max Rivlin-Nader. We go deep on all sorts of topics: What was the hardest part of starting a publication in this mold? How did you know when you'd found your site's voice? How do you collectively make decisions when everyone's an owner? Who handles business stuff when everyone's a writer (and, in Aftermath's case, definitely NOT a businessperson)? How do you promote the written word to a video-obsessed internet? And at what point do you, somebody who got into this business to be a journalist, have to transform yourself into at least a bit of an influencer? And perhaps most importantly, how can sites like ours work together to create a scene that provides opportunities to new voices as opposed to just cashing in on preexisting clout? Finally, we get to the topic everyone's really listening for: the awkward truth underlying podcast ad reads about people's guts not working right. Credits- Hosts: Nathan Grayson, Riley MacLeod, & special guests David Roth, Emanuel Maiberg, and Max Rivlin-Nader- Podcast Production & Ads: Multitude- Subscribe to Aftermath!About The ShowAftermath Hours is the flagship podcast of Aftermath, a worker-owned, subscription-based website covering video games, the internet, and everything that comes after from journalists who previously worked at Kotaku, Vice, and The Washington Post. Each week, games journalism veterans Luke Plunkett, Nathan Grayson, Chris Person, Riley MacLeod, and Gita Jackson – though not always all at once, because that's too many people for a podcast – break down video game news, Remember Some Games, and learn about Chris' frankly incredible number of special interests. Sometimes we even bring on guests from both inside and outside the video game industry! I don't know what else to tell you; it's a great time. Simply by reading this description, you're already wasting time that you could be spending listening to the show. Head to aftermath.site for more info. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

The lads grab their golf clubs and make for Seattle as they hop on the Ellie murder train that is Naughty Dog's 2020 revengeapalooza: The Last of Us Part II. Topics include the chaotic development process, the CW-fication of the writing, and the inescapable conservatism at the core of The Last of Us universe. Media Referenced in the Episode: The Last of Us Part II. Dir. Neil Druckmann. Naughty Dog. 2020. 220: Josh Boerman and Dylan Rank Game Mechanics With Us | Anime Sickos - Podcast for Geniuses “The Evolution of Ellie” by Elise Favis. The Washington Post. July 1st, 2020. Grounded II: The Making of The Last of Us: Part II. “The Not So Hidden Israeli Politics of 'The Last of Us Part II'” by Emanuel Maiberg. Vice. July 15h, 2020. “We Talked To The Last Of Us Part II's Director About The Game's Violence (And More Treacherous Stealth)” by Stephen Totilo. Kotaku. June 12th, 2018. Interstitial: “The CW's The Last of Us: Season Two” // Written by A.J. Ditty // Feat. A.J. Ditty as “CW Announcer/Barnaby Bozo” (edited) 

This week Nathan and Chris are joined by special guest Mike Drucker, comedian and writer on shows like Adam Ruins Everything, The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon, and Full Frontal with Samantha Bee, to talk about his new book, Good Game, No Rematch: A Life Made of Video Games. We discuss how games and people's relationship to them have changed over the years – and also the time Mike got shot in the dick with a paintball gun while working for Nintendo. Speaking of Nintendo, we then move on to the Switch 2, which the company finally revealed in earnest this week with a handful of intriguing games (Mario Kart World, Donkey Kong Bananza, a new FromSoftware game) and a price tag that's giving would-be buyers serious sticker shock as a result of, well, everything else going on in the world right now. We also put out into the universe the idea of a new DK Rap – but this time they hire a legit rapper and play it totally straight. Please, Nintendo, fulfill our dreams.Credits- Hosts: Nathan Grayson, Chris Person, & special guest Mike Drucker- Podcast Production & Ads: Multitude- Subscribe to Aftermath!About The ShowAftermath Hours is the flagship podcast of Aftermath, a worker-owned, subscription-based website covering video games, the internet, and everything that comes after from journalists who previously worked at Kotaku, Vice, and The Washington Post. Each week, games journalism veterans Luke Plunkett, Nathan Grayson, Chris Person, Riley MacLeod, and Gita Jackson – though not always all at once, because that's too many people for a podcast – break down video game news, Remember Some Games, and learn about Chris' frankly incredible number of special interests. Sometimes we even bring on guests from both inside and outside the video game industry! I don't know what else to tell you; it's a great time. Simply by reading this description, you're already wasting time that you could be spending listening to the show. Head to aftermath.site for more info. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

This week Nathan, Gita, and Riley briefly talk about their true passion, shirts, before elegantly segueing into a conversation about Ubisoft's extremely eventful week: The embattled publisher announced that it's spinning off its most successful series, including Assassin's Creed, Far Cry, and Rainbow Six, into a separate subsidiary thanks to a $1.25 billion investment from Chinese conglomerate Tencent. What does this mean for those remaining aboard the Ubisoft mothership? And will this lead to even more heads rolling following layoffs and studio closures in December? Then we move on to the AI abomination of the week: an image filter based on the works of Studio Ghibli, whose most famous creative, Hayao Miyazaki, once called AI “an insult to life itself.” After that, we give our final appraisal of Severance season two, which was not perfect, but which managed to hit some impressive high notes and benefited from largely focusing on characters over mystery box shenanigans. Gita doesn't love Ben Stiller's directorial style, and Riley doesn't think Severance is necessarily a Smart Show, but those things don't prevent it from being good, if that makes sense. If it doesn't, listen to the episode! Finally, we come up with a simple solution to the problem of mass media illiteracy: change all of society. Seems like something we can knock out in a day or two, so let's get cracking.Credits- Hosts: Nathan Grayson, Gita Jackson, & Riley MacLeod- Podcast Production & Ads: Multitude- Subscribe to Aftermath!About The ShowAftermath Hours is the flagship podcast of Aftermath, a worker-owned, subscription-based website covering video games, the internet, and everything that comes after from journalists who previously worked at Kotaku, Vice, and The Washington Post. Each week, games journalism veterans Luke Plunkett, Nathan Grayson, Chris Person, Riley MacLeod, and Gita Jackson – though not always all at once, because that's too many people for a podcast – break down video game news, Remember Some Games, and learn about Chris' frankly incredible number of special interests. Sometimes we even bring on guests from both inside and outside the video game industry! I don't know what else to tell you; it's a great time. Simply by reading this description, you're already wasting time that you could be spending listening to the show. Head to aftermath.site for more info. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

This week Chris is holding down the fort with Luke and is joined by writer Yussef Cole (@youmeyou.bsky.social) who reviewed Assassin's Creed Shadows for The New York Times. We get into Assassin's Creed generally and Shadows specifically, what we like and dislike about the game and if it makes good its narrative promise. Is it simply enough for a game to be the ultimate Japan simulator, particularly when it works so well with the series?Credits- Hosts: Chris Person, Luke Plunkett & special guest Yussef Cole- Yussef also edits Bullet Points Monthly, you can read it here: bulletpointsmonthly.com/- Podcast Production & Ads: Multitude- Subscribe to Aftermath!About The ShowAftermath Hours is the flagship podcast of Aftermath, a worker-owned, subscription-based website covering video games, the internet, and everything that comes after from journalists who previously worked at Kotaku, Vice, and The Washington Post. Each week, games journalism veterans Luke Plunkett, Nathan Grayson, Chris Person, Riley MacLeod, and Gita Jackson – though not always all at once, because that's too many people for a podcast – break down video game news, Remember Some Games, and learn about Chris' frankly incredible number of special interests. Sometimes we even bring on guests from both inside and outside the video game industry! I don't know what else to tell you; it's a great time. Simply by reading this description, you're already wasting time that you could be spending listening to the show. Head to aftermath.site for more info. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

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This week Nathan and Chris are joined by freelance writer Aidan Moher to discuss his upcoming book about Suikoden I and II, a pair of sneakily influential JRPGs from the PS1 era that, yes, are very much worth writing an entire book about. Then we discuss news from the eye of the pre-GDC storm: Next week thousands of game developers will convene in San Francisco to network and exchange knowledge, but a growing number of non-US-based devs are dropping out due to Trump's hostile policies and erratic governance. After that we talk about Sony and Microsoft both introducing new unwanted AI features in the same week. Whose is worse? We'll let you decide. Lastly, we design the one product that should include generative AI: a fucked-up private jet for rich people that definitely works just fine.Credits- Hosts: Nathan Grayson, Chris Person, & special guest Aidan Moher- Podcast Production & Ads: Multitude- Subscribe to Aftermath!About The ShowAftermath Hours is the flagship podcast of Aftermath, a worker-owned, subscription-based website covering video games, the internet, and everything that comes after from journalists who previously worked at Kotaku, Vice, and The Washington Post. Each week, games journalism veterans Luke Plunkett, Nathan Grayson, Chris Person, Riley MacLeod, and Gita Jackson – though not always all at once, because that's too many people for a podcast – break down video game news, Remember Some Games, and learn about Chris' frankly incredible number of special interests. Sometimes we even bring on guests from both inside and outside the video game industry! I don't know what else to tell you; it's a great time. Simply by reading this description, you're already wasting time that you could be spending listening to the show. Head to aftermath.site for more info. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Join the mission! Visit donate.accessmore.com to help fund more episodes and shows like this. This week the guys talk about Fable being delayed, sad news from Warner Brothers, and much much more! Xbox's new Fable game is delayed to 2026https://www.theverge.com/news/619046/microsoft-xbox-fable-game-delay-2026 Warner Bros. Cancels Wonder Woman Game And Shuts Down Shadow Of Mordor Studiohttps://kotaku.com/monolith-productions-wonder-woman-multiversus-cancel-wb-1851766400?utm_source=flipboard&utm_content=user/Kotaku

This week Nathan, Chris, and Riley overcome a slew of technical issues to bring you the latest news about guys who suck. First we discuss two Twitch dramas that broke containment and produced consequences that reverberated into the wider world: Several female streamers, Valkyrae, Cinna, Emiru, and Amouranth, found themselves in severe mortal peril during the same night and Hasan “HasanAbi” Piker was briefly banned for suggesting that if Republican lawmakers really wanted to act on their principles, they'd “kill Rick Scott,” a current senator and former healthcare CEO who oversaw what the Department of Justice called “the largest health care fraud case in US history.” In more ways than one, how is Twitch meeting our current moment? And what are the real-world consequences of the culture surrounding Twitch? Then we get a Chris Person twofer in characteristically detailed breakdowns of Monster Hunter Wilds, a game so insanely popular that it nearly doubled Street Fighter 6's lifetime sales in a few days, and a fancy headphone convention during which he learned that the real optimal picks are the budget pairs you find along the way. Finally, we discuss what gamers should give up for lent (gacha games, at which point maybe they'll just leave them behind forever, like Dry January for waifus).   Credits - Hosts: Nathan Grayson, Chris Person, & Riley MacLeod - Podcast Production & Ads: Multitude - Subscribe to Aftermath! About The Show Aftermath Hours is the flagship podcast of Aftermath, a worker-owned, subscription-based website covering video games, the internet, and everything that comes after from journalists who previously worked at Kotaku, Vice, and The Washington Post. Each week, games journalism veterans Luke Plunkett, Nathan Grayson, Chris Person, Riley MacLeod, and Gita Jackson – though not always all at once, because that's too many people for a podcast – break down video game news, Remember Some Games, and learn about Chris' frankly incredible number of special interests. Sometimes we even bring on guests from both inside and outside the video game industry! I don't know what else to tell you; it's a great time. Simply by reading this description, you're already wasting time that you could be spending listening to the show. Head to aftermath.site for more info.

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This week Nathan and Gita accidentally burst the dam on another wellspring of Riley Lore – perhaps the wildest yet – before we all move on to a discussion of more sobering matters: WB recently closed three video game studios, including Monolith, the makers of quietly revolutionary games like No One Lives Forever, F.E.A.R., and Shadow of Mordor, as well as the upcoming (now-canceled) Wonder Woman game. WB, of course, has proven especially eager to dumpster promising projects beyond the world of games in recent years, but what portion of this sickness is specific to the company and where does it overlap with the gaming industry's own mismanagement epidemic? Then we talk about Jeff Bezos' mask-off decision to transform The Washington Post into the propaganda arm of his already-unimaginably-profitable business empire, the latest in a line of tech billionaires bending the knee to tired old king Donald Trump and cackling vizier Elon Musk. Speaking of workplaces that suck, we also discuss Severance, a show that definitely does not suck. It has the trappings of a mystery box, but so far, it has successfully maintained a focus on characters above all else. Fantastic! Keep it up! Please do not become another Lost or Westworld! Finally, we suggest games that would be improved by the addition of a Nemesis System (basically all of them; fuck WB for patenting it).     Credits - Hosts: Nathan Grayson, Gita Jackson, & Riley MacLeod - Podcast Production & Ads: Multitude - Subscribe to Aftermath! About The Show Aftermath Hours is the flagship podcast of Aftermath, a worker-owned, subscription-based website covering video games, the internet, and everything that comes after from journalists who previously worked at Kotaku, Vice, and The Washington Post. Each week, games journalism veterans Luke Plunkett, Nathan Grayson, Chris Person, Riley MacLeod, and Gita Jackson – though not always all at once, because that's too many people for a podcast – break down video game news, Remember Some Games, and learn about Chris' frankly incredible number of special interests. Sometimes we even bring on guests from both inside and outside the video game industry! I don't know what else to tell you; it's a great time. Simply by reading this description, you're already wasting time that you could be spending listening to the show. Head to aftermath.site for more info.

This week Nathan, Chris, and Luke find themselves champing at the bit to talk about Avowed, which they can't stop playing, but first, The News: NetEase shocked the game-playing public by laying off members of the team behind Marvel Rivals, the biggest breakout success story to come out of the live service sector in years. What happened? Well, decaying relations between the United States and China, for one, but also a seismic shift in how Chinese companies are developing games. Then we discuss Microsoft's new “Muse” AI, which it intends on shoehorning into game development projects – a plan you will not be surprised to learn that nobody likes! Game developers least of all! This is especially pertinent considering that Microsoft just published Avowed, a fantasy role-playing game that's so good because it was meticulously crafted by human hands in a way that feels tangible for every second of the experience. Lastly, we decide which game console would work best as a house (Gamecube for humans, PlayStation 4 or 5 for roaches).   Credits - Hosts: Nathan Grayson, Chris Person, & Luke Plunkett - Podcast Production & Ads: Multitude - Subscribe to Aftermath! About The Show Aftermath Hours is the flagship podcast of Aftermath, a worker-owned, subscription-based website covering video games, the internet, and everything that comes after from journalists who previously worked at Kotaku, Vice, and The Washington Post. Each week, games journalism veterans Luke Plunkett, Nathan Grayson, Chris Person, Riley MacLeod, and Gita Jackson – though not always all at once, because that's too many people for a podcast – break down video game news, Remember Some Games, and learn about Chris' frankly incredible number of special interests. Sometimes we even bring on guests from both inside and outside the video game industry! I don't know what else to tell you; it's a great time. Simply by reading this description, you're already wasting time that you could be spending listening to the show. Head to aftermath.site for more info.

This week Nathan, Chris, and Luke find themselves champing at the bit to talk about Avowed, which they can't stop playing, but first, The News: NetEase shocked the game-playing public by laying off members of the team behind Marvel Rivals, the biggest breakout success story to come out of the live service sector in years. What happened? Well, decaying relations between the United States and China, for one, but also a seismic shift in how Chinese companies are developing games. Then we discuss Microsoft's new “Muse” AI, which it intends on shoehorning into game development projects – a plan you will not be surprised to learn that nobody likes! Game developers least of all! This is especially pertinent considering that Microsoft just published Avowed, a fantasy role-playing game that's so good because it was meticulously crafted by human hands in a way that feels tangible for every second of the experience. Lastly, we decide which game console would work best as a house (Gamecube for humans, PlayStation 4 or 5 for roaches).Credits- Hosts: Nathan Grayson, Chris Person, & Luke Plunkett- Podcast Production & Ads: Multitude- Subscribe to Aftermath!About The ShowAftermath Hours is the flagship podcast of Aftermath, a worker-owned, subscription-based website covering video games, the internet, and everything that comes after from journalists who previously worked at Kotaku, Vice, and The Washington Post. Each week, games journalism veterans Luke Plunkett, Nathan Grayson, Chris Person, Riley MacLeod, and Gita Jackson – though not always all at once, because that's too many people for a podcast – break down video game news, Remember Some Games, and learn about Chris' frankly incredible number of special interests. Sometimes we even bring on guests from both inside and outside the video game industry! I don't know what else to tell you; it's a great time. Simply by reading this description, you're already wasting time that you could be spending listening to the show. Head to aftermath.site for more info. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

This week Nathan, Chris, and Luke convene on the eve – if we're measuring in podcast time – of Nathan's book release (Stream Big, available wherever books are sold) to talk mostly about other stuff. First up, Activision and former Activision CEO Bobby Kotick both got into dustups with CWA, the union that represents over 1,000 workers across Microsoft and Activision, with Kotick claiming that harassment suits against Activision Blizzard were “fake,” engineered to juice CWA membership, while – over here in the real world – CWA is working to get an Activision employee his job back after he was fired (allegedly) for talking about guns… at the company that makes Call of Duty. Hmmmm. Then we move on to Civilization VII, which Luke has many, many thoughts about, none of them positive. The game feels distinctly unfinished, he says – a sign of the times when even such a ubiquitous series no longer commands the time and resources necessary to emerge from the oven fully baked. After that, Chris tells us about a thing that rules: Lies of P, the Pinocchio-themed Bloodborne-like that's receiving DLC in the near future. Then we wrap it up by talking about our favorite interview moments, some of which might tie into Nathan's book (what are the odds?).    Credits - Hosts: Nathan Grayson, Chris Person, & Luke Plunkett - Podcast Production & Ads: Multitude - Subscribe to Aftermath! About The Show Aftermath Hours is the flagship podcast of Aftermath, a worker-owned, subscription-based website covering video games, the internet, and everything that comes after from journalists who previously worked at Kotaku, Vice, and The Washington Post. Each week, games journalism veterans Luke Plunkett, Nathan Grayson, Chris Person, Riley MacLeod, and Gita Jackson – though not always all at once, because that's too many people for a podcast – break down video game news, Remember Some Games, and learn about Chris' frankly incredible number of special interests. Sometimes we even bring on guests from both inside and outside the video game industry! I don't know what else to tell you; it's a great time. Simply by reading this description, you're already wasting time that you could be spending listening to the show. Head to aftermath.site for more info.

Hey Geeks, this week is a rarity. We talk about politics. Now, now, nothing extremely serious. Just the fact that USAID gave money to publications to bat down Gamergate 2.0. That's right, the government thought they'd throw their hat into the arena of gaming affairs. As you can guess their understanding is about as extensive as Kotaku's so you can see where this is going. Anyway we also talk about a few games. Give our personal takes on Civilization VII. Catch up on some issues that cropped up involving Assassin's Creed Shadows. We even discuss some movies we're genuinely excited for. If you don't wanna hear out takes on the political nonsense, just skip ahead to 15:35 and you should be golden.

Discover the way ahead at Indiana Wesleyan University. Learn more here. This episode the guys talk about Overwatch fans upset (again), Forza Horizon 5 on PlayStation, the takedown of Bloodborne's 60fps patch, Hideaki Nishino's new position and much, much more! Livid Overwatch 2 Fans Are Asking For Refunds After Paid Skin Is Made Free A Day Laterhttps://kotaku.com/livid-overwatch-2-fans-are-asking-for-refunds-after-pai-1851752055?utm_source=flipboard&utm_content=Kotaku/magazine/Kotaku+Latest Forza Horizon 5 Is The Next Xbox Game To Speed Onto PlayStation 5https://www.gamespot.com/articles/forza-horizon-5-is-the-next-xbox-game-to-speed-onto-playstation-5/1100-6529156/?ftag=CAD-01-10abi2f Four Years Later, 60fps Bloodborne Patch Gets Taken Down By Sonyhttps://www.gamespot.com/articles/four-years-later-60fps-bloodborne-patch-gets-taken-down-by-sony/1100-6529174/?ftag=GSS-05-10aac1i Sony Interactive Entertainment appoints Hideaki Nishino as president and CEOhttps://www.gematsu.com/2025/01/sony-interactive-entertainment-appoints-hideaki-nishino-as-president-and-ceo

This week Nathan and Riley are joined by special guest Rowan Zeoli of Rascal, an independent, reader-supported, worker-owned outlet for journalism about tabletop roleplaying games not unlike Aftermath. The site is celebrating one year of life on the increasingly tumultuous planet Earth with a subscription drive, so we ask Rowan how things are going (pretty well!) and then dig into a harrowingly powerful piece she recently wrote about roleplaying the January 6 insurrection in a Brooklyn warehouse. What can we learn from living out these moments in a controlled, game-like environment? And why don't wargames recreate modern history more often? Then we discuss Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2 and its director's support of the original Gamergate movement, which everybody seems to have forgotten about. Why, though? And what does it mean for a sequel that  seems at least somewhat interested in exploring more diverse stories – despite the objections of an audience that's partially turned on it for that very reason? Finally, at listeners' request, Nathan gives everyone a special pre-release preview of a passage from his book, and he's not nervous about it at all.       Credits - Hosts: Nathan Grayson, Riley MacLeod, & special guest Rowan Zeoli - Podcast Production & Ads: Multitude - Subscribe to Aftermath! About The Show Aftermath Hours is the flagship podcast of Aftermath, a worker-owned, subscription-based website covering video games, the internet, and everything that comes after from journalists who previously worked at Kotaku, Vice, and The Washington Post. Each week, games journalism veterans Luke Plunkett, Nathan Grayson, Chris Person, Riley MacLeod, and Gita Jackson – though not always all at once, because that's too many people for a podcast – break down video game news, Remember Some Games, and learn about Chris' frankly incredible number of special interests. Sometimes we even bring on guests from both inside and outside the video game industry! I don't know what else to tell you; it's a great time. Simply by reading this description, you're already wasting time that you could be spending listening to the show. Head to aftermath.site for more info.

This week Nathan and Riley are joined by special guest Kat Bailey, former news director at IGN and current host of the Axe of the Blood God podcast, to discuss a news week that's certainly been… interesting. First we talk about the entire staff of long-running video game site God Is A Geek quitting after its now-ex-priest owner threw up a Nazi salute at a pro-life conference. Guess you can only get away with that shit if you're a billionaire. Then we dig into BioWare's recent post-Dragon Age woes, with EA reshuffling some developers into non-BioWare teams and laying off others. Is the next Mass Effect in trouble? And beyond that, does BioWare as we know it have a future? Lastly, in response to a variation on the age-old question of which Pokemon would taste best to eat, we pose another: Could Moltres die of avian flu?    Credits - Hosts: Nathan Grayson, Riley MacLeod, & special guest Kat Bailey - Podcast Production & Ads: Multitude - Subscribe to Aftermath! About The Show Aftermath Hours is the flagship podcast of Aftermath, a worker-owned, subscription-based website covering video games, the internet, and everything that comes after from journalists who previously worked at Kotaku, Vice, and The Washington Post. Each week, games journalism veterans Luke Plunkett, Nathan Grayson, Chris Person, Riley MacLeod, and Gita Jackson – though not always all at once, because that's too many people for a podcast – break down video game news, Remember Some Games, and learn about Chris' frankly incredible number of special interests. Sometimes we even bring on guests from both inside and outside the video game industry! I don't know what else to tell you; it's a great time. Simply by reading this description, you're already wasting time that you could be spending listening to the show. Head to aftermath.site for more info.

Is 2025 the official END of all the corporate-owned geek and gaming websites that have been demonizing fandoms for the past decade plus? Those left standing seem to be betting heavily on Trump outrage, but it's not 2017 anymore. It doesn't work like it used to. And this might be the actual END of all of the weird politics in geek spaces, and sites like The Mary Sue, Kotaku and Polygon.

This week Gita and Chris talk about the most exciting entertainment news of the day: the announcement of a new Ninja Gaiden game! Oh yeah, and the Oscars. For some reason, Emilia Perez has been nominated for a ton of awards and Chris and Gita fear that this dogshit movie may indeed sweep the Academy Awards. As they go through the nominations, they discuss the issues with the Oscars in general, how depressing Hollywood is, and why it's better to just watch the On Cinema At The Cinema Oscar Special instead. Also: Chris has opinions on what makes a good couch.   Credits - Hosts: Gita Jackson and Chris Person - Podcast Production & Ads: Multitude - Subscribe to Aftermath! About The Show Aftermath Hours is the flagship podcast of Aftermath, a worker-owned, subscription-based website covering video games, the internet, and everything that comes after from journalists who previously worked at Kotaku, Vice, and The Washington Post. Each week, games journalism veterans Luke Plunkett, Nathan Grayson, Chris Person, Riley MacLeod, and Gita Jackson – though not always all at once, because that's too many people for a podcast – break down video game news, Remember Some Games, and learn about Chris' frankly incredible number of special interests. Sometimes we even bring on guests from both inside and outside the video game industry! I don't know what else to tell you; it's a great time. Simply by reading this description, you're already wasting time that you could be spending listening to the show. Head to aftermath.site for more info.

This week Nathan, Chris, and Luke break down Nintendo's long-awaited reveal of the Switch 2 – although we use the term “reveal” loosely. After months of speculation, we now know… what it will look like. And it looks like a Nintendo Switch! Some people, Chris included, are disappointed by this. Nintendo used to swing for the fences with its hardware ideas, but now it's navigating a world of its own creation – one filled with Steam Decks and Asus Rog Allies. Can its Apple-like iteration strategy keep it at the head of the handheld pack, or is it already falling behind simply by conforming? Then we discuss the impending TikTok ban, which thanks to interventions from both outgoing president Joe Biden and incoming president Donald Trump, we don't think is actually going to happen, but which has produced the funniest possible outcome in a bunch of people migrating to a comparable Chinese app. After that, we turn Luke's brain to mush by discussing Elon Musk's gamer beef with a Twitch streamer. Finally, we wrap up by designing our own Switch 2.      Credits - Hosts: Nathan Grayson, Chris Person, and Luke Plunket - Podcast Production & Ads: Multitude - Subscribe to Aftermath! About The Show Aftermath Hours is the flagship podcast of Aftermath, a worker-owned, subscription-based website covering video games, the internet, and everything that comes after from journalists who previously worked at Kotaku, Vice, and The Washington Post. Each week, games journalism veterans Luke Plunkett, Nathan Grayson, Chris Person, Riley MacLeod, and Gita Jackson – though not always all at once, because that's too many people for a podcast – break down video game news, Remember Some Games, and learn about Chris' frankly incredible number of special interests. Sometimes we even bring on guests from both inside and outside the video game industry! I don't know what else to tell you; it's a great time. Simply by reading this description, you're already wasting time that you could be spending listening to the show. Head to aftermath.site for more info.

Adam Sessler (G4TV) slams Alyssa Mercante (Kotaku) on Bluesky. Wild. However, don't hold your breath for Sessler to "switch sides" -- he very clearly still hates the video game industry, and all the pesky gamers in it. But it is funny to see Mercante called out by "her own side." G4TV's Adam Sessler faces backlash for his insults towards gamers and gaming journalists amid ongoing tensions and rivalries within the gaming media landscape. 00:00 G4TV's Adam Sessler faces backlash for insulting gamers amid a lawsuit involving Smash JT and Kotaku journalist Melissa Marante, with support from Minecraft's Notch. 02:17 Adam Sessler's bitterness towards gaming journalists and the industry is evident as he lashes out, revealing a humorous yet petty rivalry among them. 03:35 G4 TV's failed esports venture highlights broader gaming media issues, while a host humorously anticipates drama on Blue Sky. 05:03 G4TV host criticizes leftist media figures for their pro-Palestine stance, highlighting the tension between their politics and Jewish identity. 05:59 A G4TV host slams a Kotaku journalist for misrepresenting statements about sex work, exposing broader issues in gaming and comic book journalism. 07:28 G4TV host clashes with Kotaku journalist over accusations of bias and arrogance, highlighting tensions in gaming discourse. 09:10 A G4TV host slams a Kotaku journalist for his arrogance and condescending attitude, highlighting the journalist's alienation from the gaming community. 11:21 A chaotic year ahead in pop culture promises entertainment as two rivals clash, leaving spectators to enjoy the spectacle.

This week the guys chat about a new DualSense-inspired controller for Xbox and PC, Steller Blades Devs giving out amazing gifts to the staff, The great Rest Mode/ Shut down debate, and much much more! Hyperkin Announces New DualSense-Inspired Controller For Xbox Consoles And PChttps://www.gamespot.com/articles/hyperkin-announces-new-dualsense-inspired-controller-for-xbox-consoles-and-pc/1100-6528645/?ftag=GSS-05-10aac1i Stellar Blade Dev Is Doing So Well It's Given All 311 Staff a PS5 Pro and $3,400 Bonushttps://www.ign.com/articles/stellar-blade-dev-is-doing-so-well-its-given-all-311-staff-a-ps5-pro-and-3400-bonus?utm_source=flipboard&utm_content=user/ign 50 Percent Of PS5 Owners Are Freaks And Actually Shut Their Console Down When They Stop Playinghttps://kotaku.com/ps5-unplug-turn-off-welcome-hub-sony-design-resume-1851733029?utm_source=flipboard&utm_content=user/Kotaku

This week the guys talk about the best-selling sports game in US history, Sony's new alliance with Kadokawa, and much much more! EA College Football 25 Is Now The Best-Selling Sports Game In US Historyhttps://kotaku.com/ea-college-football-25-best-selling-sports-game-us-ps2-1851724385?utm_source=flipboard&utm_content=Kotaku/magazine/Nintendo+News%C2%A0 SONY CORPORATION ANNOUNCES A BUSINESS ALLIANCE WITH KADOKAWAhttps://insider-gaming.com/sony-alliance-kadokawa/

This week the guys talk about Shuhei Yoshida leaving Sony, the game highly reminiscent of Horizon Zero Dawn, a possible Bloodeborne connection to Sony's 30th Anniversay, and much much more! Shuhei Yoshida is the soul of PlayStation. What does his departure mean for Sony?https://www.polygon.com/analysis/486140/shuhei-yoshida-leaves-playstation-sony?utm_source=flipboard&utm_content=user/polygon Horizon Rip-Off Light of Motiram Will Actually Come to PS5https://www.pushsquare.com/news/2024/11/horizon-rip-off-light-of-motiram-will-actually-come-to-ps5 Could PlayStation's Perfect Bloodborne Fan Troll Really Be Teasing Something New?https://kotaku.com/bloodborne-remake-ps5-60fps-sony-playstation-tga-2024-1851711314?utm_source=flipboard&utm_content=Kotaku/magazine/Culture

In this edition of Trend & M's, Jack and special guest co-host Jacquis Neal discuss Kotaku's Halloween candy ranking, UK parents being shocked by the Halloween decorations in a children's play center, a Trump update, LeBron and Bronny's first game together and much more!See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.