Podcasts about Scopely

Lauren Kleinman is the founder of Dreamday and co-founder of Quality Media and The Quality Edit. She coined the term "performance PR," built two agencies without raising a dollar, and today leads more than a hundred people.Before any of this, Lauren spent almost a decade as an employee. First employee at StartEngine. Sixteenth at Scopely, which sold for billions. Then first employee at Ritual. She knew she wanted to build something of her own, she just didn't know what yet. When she finally left, she named her company Dreamday, because she'd pictured the day she actually wanted. A hike, a swim, a couple of client calls, and time with her kids. Seven years later, she'll tell you it has never happened. What happened instead was having two young kids during COVID, no maternity leave, and burning herself out so badly she had panic attacks for the first time in her life.In this episode, Lauren gives you the actual playbook, from how to know when you're ready to leave your job, to how to line up your first client before you even quit. She breaks down how to get press when you can't afford PR, and what makes an editor open your email out of the four hundred sitting in her inbox that day. And she's just as honest about the rest of it, from what burnout really looked like for her, to what she'd tell you to watch out for, to how she finally stopped believing she had to carry all of it alone. If you want to build something of your own one day, and you also want to still like your life while you build it, this one is for you. In this episode, we'll talk to Lauren about:* Why overworking became tied to worthiness and success. [02:20]* Learning to shift from constant doing toward simply being. [03:16]* Unlearning the hustle mentality after years of proving her worth through work. [04:38]* Why perfect balance is unrealistic—and one ball will always drop. [09:20]* Why profitability and sustainable margins matter from day one. [14:11] * Knowing when the entrepreneurial itch is strong enough to make the leap. [16:08]* Spotting gaps in PR and coining the idea of performance PR. [18:00]* How whitelisting gives brands the credibility of creators and publishers. [19:35]* Turning real brand pain points into The Quality Edit and Quality Media. [20:00]* Using a network and early clients to validate the leap into entrepreneurship. [21:00]* Recognizing when business momentum starts looking dangerously like burnout. [23:20]* The burnout breaking point and learning to build boundaries around work. [24:59]* Why public speaking is a muscle for founders. [30:16]* How smaller brands can build PR relationships and use AI to pitch smarter. [35:02]* What makes a pitch cut through: cultural relevance, strong numbers, and making the editor's job easier. [36:58]* Why affiliate links matter—and when publications actually use them. [42:58]* Learning to delegate, release perfectionism, and decide which fires can burn. [47:18]* The reminder that even successful leaders are still figuring it out. [50:28]This episode is brought to you by Beeya:* If you or anyone you know have been struggling with hormonal imbalances and bad periods, go to https://beeyawellness.com/free to download the free guide to tackling hormonal imbalances* Plus, get $10 off your order by using promo code BEHINDHEREMPIRE10Follow Yasmin:* Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/yasminknouri/* Website: https://www.behindherempire.com/Follow Lauren:* Website: https://www.dreamday.la/* Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/dreamday.la/* Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lauren.kleinman/ Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Talking Trek is LIVE from Dublin, Ireland!  Griffin joins DJz straight from the European Content Creator Summit at Digit/Scopely with an enormous behind-the-scenes report on the future of Star Trek Fleet Command. We dig into what happened inside the studio following the Alliance Tournament launch disaster, how STFC engineering responds to a “Code Red,” why communication failed players, and the major internal culture changes Griffin says he witnessed firsthand. We also discuss Scopely's new willingness to delay content rather than ship something unfinished, closer cooperation between Game Design, LiveOps, Engineering and Narrative, and a new relationship forming between Scopely and the community developers building many of the tools players use every day. And then there's the Guilded Shackle. After testing from Jules Verne, Lightbull, DJz and the Talking Trek Lab demonstrated that the Shackle wasn't operating the way its description suggested, Griffin carried the data directly to Dublin. The response? Scopely intends to honor the advertised functionality and “unshackle the Shackle.” Griffin explains why that decision became a major test of Cameron Stewart's “player first” philosophy and why it could represent something much larger than a single Grade 7 artifact. But after years of broken launches, questionable economic decisions and damaged player trust, is this actual change or another temporary burst of optimism? DJz and Griffin tackle that debate head-on, including skeptical reactions from the community, the Ra'ul Reaver redesign, upcoming roadmap delays, direct creator access to decision makers, and what Scopely must do next if it expects players to believe again. This isn't a victory lap. It's a report from inside the room. And now we get to see what happens next.   00:00 – Opening & Satellite Telemetry From Dublin 03:17 – LIVE From Dublin With Griffin at 3AM 06:02 – GoWheel Updates & $2,000 STFC Giveaway 08:46 – Inside the European Content Creator Summit 14:36 – Breaking Update for Server 11 20:00 – Inside an STFC “Code Red” With Engineering 27:44 – A Dramatic Culture Shift at Digit/Scopely 29:57 – Why Alliance Tournaments Are Running During Anthology 31:10 – Major Content Could Be Delayed to Get It Right 37:39 – Alliance Tournament Failure: What Changed Overnight 39:33 – Promotion/Relegation Disabled, Store Extended & Rewards Boosted 44:03 – Engineering's Live Alliance Tournament Fix 51:29 – Breaking Down STFC's Internal Development Silos 55:34 – The Gilded Shackle Problem 57:49 – “UNSHACKLE THE SHACKLE!” 58:33 – Scopely Makes the Player-First Decision 1:05:17 – Three Hours of Silence: Alliance Tournament Comms Critiqued 1:15:59 – Creators Challenging Decisions Face-to-Face 1:21:49 – Digit Wants Player Feedback Like Never Before 1:29:11 – Third-Party Tools, Narrative Debt & Working With Scopely 1:36:13 – Is This Real Change or Just More Talk? 1:43:00 – Why Creator Access to Scopely Matters 1:49:07 – Can STFC Actually Recover Player Trust? 1:50:24 – Griffin's Final Report From Dublin & The Neelix Surprise

Alliance Tournaments were supposed to return improved. Instead, Star Trek Fleet Command got another disaster. In this episode of Talking Trek, DJz reconstructs exactly what happened during the August 10 Alliance Tournament rerun, beginning with the conversations that happened before launch and the problems Scopely believed it had fixed. Within minutes of the event beginning, severe lag returned and players discovered an entirely new issue where Alliance Tournament task groups began blending together. High-value tasks disappeared, rerolls appeared to progressively downgrade task options, and some alliances were eventually left staring at boards filled almost entirely with low-value tasks. But the biggest failure of the day may not have been technical. We examine the lack of official communication while the problem unfolded, Scopely's eventual declaration that the issue had been fixed, the mid-event tournament reset, and the discovery that the “fix” hadn't actually fixed the underlying problem. DJz explains what happened to player scores during the reset, which players were potentially hurt the most, and what compensation should look like after such a disruptive event. Then we get into the larger question: how does STFC prevent this from happening again? If Alliance Tournaments function correctly in a development environment but collapse when thousands of real players hit the system simultaneously, should Scopely create a dedicated live test server? DJz proposes cloning player alt accounts onto a server operating 72 hours ahead of the rest of the game, allowing real players to stress-test events before they reach the entire galaxy. We also tackle the bizarre Player Council voting rollout and open the microphones to members of the community and alliance leadership to hear how the day affected their players. And yes, there actually IS some good news: the Gilded Shackle is being fixed so its G7 cost efficiency applies to resources, materials, AND ship parts. The larger question after August 10 isn't whether bugs will ever happen again. It's whether Scopely can learn from them, communicate when they happen, and rebuild the trust that each failure costs. Tell us below: What would Scopely need to do to make Alliance Tournaments right?   00:00 - Gilded Shackle Gets a Major Fix 04:14 - Alliance Tournaments: What Happened? 05:13 - The Decision to Rerun Alliance Tournaments 06:03 - The Four Problems That Needed Fixing 07:00 - Why DJz Supported Running It Again 11:39 - Testing Looked Ready Before Launch 11:56 - 11AM Launch & The Lag Returns 14:41 - A Brand-New Task Bucket Bug Appears 16:15 - Task Groups Begin Blending Together 17:25 - Rerolls Push Alliances Toward Smaller Tasks 17:59 - Cam, Connor & The Product Team Get Involved 18:34 - The Communication Failure Begins 20:39 - Nine Words of Official Communication 23:39 - Hours Pass Without a Real Update 25:18 - DJz Writes the Announcement Scopely Should Have Sent 27:07 - Five Things Every Crisis Communication Needs 28:07 - The Official Update Falls Short 29:17 - “Mission Accomplished”: Scopely Says It's Fixed 30:15 - What Happens to Players During the Reset? 33:06 - Why Your Old Score May Look Missing 37:09 - The 3:45PM Alliance Tournament Reset 40:11 - The Fix Starts Breaking Again 41:13 - Communication Becomes the Bigger Failure 42:00 - Why Didn't Testing Catch This? 47:37 - “Bundle Cohesion” Breaks Under Live Load 48:50 - The Reset Was Only a Stopgap 49:23 - Scopely Needs More Engineering Help 49:49 - DJz Says: Pull the Event 56:21 - What Should Compensation Look Like? 56:51 - No Promotions or Relegations This Run? 1:10:24 - The Damage to Player Trust 1:13:51 - Testing Under Real Player Load 1:15:25 - Proposal: A 72-Hour Early Live Test Server 1:25:09 - Can This Disaster Become a Catalyst for Change? 1:26:41 - The Player Council Voting Disaster 1:31:30 - The Community Calls In 1:45:19 - Alliance Leadership Reacts to the Reset 1:49:54 - Fisty Joins: “Players Were Just Mad” 1:53:22 - Did This Damage Cameron Stewart's Agenda? 1:56:03 - The Tech Is Forgivable. The Communication Isn't. 1:57:09 - “Today Was a Reality Check”

Lured Up Podcast 403: Back to Basics Live Streamed on - 8/5/2026 Publish Date - 8/7/2026 Listen to this episode ad free on Patreon! https://www.patreon.com/PokemonProfessor  The last few weeks have been non-stop ups and downs over events, tickets, and the need for a break. This week we take a step back from that conversation to discuss some important topics about what made us originally fall in love with this game. It was likely NOT buying every event ticket, having every weekend consumed with events, and min-maxing every single mechanic in the game. It likely had to do with exploration, having fun exploring to catch Pokémon and spending time with fiends. We look into how important those basics are to keep your personal motivation and excitement over the game alive. We get back to basics with conversations about the not so exciting but exceptionally essential to your success. Things like managing Pokémon storage, item inventory, and goal setting are important crucial to maximizing the time you do get to play. Our talk helps navigate some things to keep your eye on to make dedicated gameplay sessions as efficient as possible. There are two in-game events to unpack this week, first the Spring Marathon and then the XP/Worlds event. Taking a look at the Marathon event, we are sure that Scopely has learned a lot about how the online community feels about Research with walking tasks. Spoiler alert, they don't like it. Not surprisingly, we love it, and hope more Trainers can see how Walking is not only a core part of the game, but a mechanic that improves our experience by suggesting healthy choices. The XP and Worlds event is still three weeks away, there are some dates to put on your calendar. There will be 4 different Twitch drops during the Worlds weekend including a Timed Research exclusively available from co-streamers like us! Stay tuned for a date and time that we will be co-streaming during Worlds! We wrap up with our Professor's Principle of the week in a discussion about how when you lose your way, it's best to get back to basics. The onslaught of events has burned a ton of Trainers out, and with it comes less motivation and drive to even open the game. Putting effort into finding what brings you joy and rediscovering it can help you get your groove back in our current post, GO Fest burnout phase. In life, things are a bit less tangible. We lose motivation to do the small things, which can be getting good sleep, eating right, drinking water. Returning to those basics will undoubtedly have a positive impact on other parts of your life. The little things are vital. Little Things make big things happen. Summer Marathon: Arctic Embers Pokémon XP & 2026 Worlds Event LuredUp@PokemonProfessor.com | Voicemail and SMS: 732-835-8639  Grab some merch: https://crowdmade.com/collections/professornetwork  Connect with us on multiple platforms! https://linktr.ee/LuredUp  Hosts Ken Pescatore Adam Tuttle Writer and Producer Ken Pescatore Executive Producer  Xander Show music provided by GameChops and licensed through Creative Commons ▾ FOLLOW GAMECHOPS ▾ http://instagram.com/GameChops http://twitter.com/GameChops http://soundcloud.com/GameChops http://facebook.com/GameChops http://youtube.com/GameChops http://www.gamechops.com Intro Music Lake Verity (Drum & Bass Remix)  Tetracase GameChops - Ultraball http://gamechops.com/ultraball/ https://soundcloud.com/tetracase  https://soundcloud.com/MegaFlare0 Break Music National Park Mikel & GameChops GameChops - Poké & Chill http://smarturl.it/pokechill https://twitter.com/mikel_beats Outro Music Vast Poni Canyon CG5 & GlitchxCity (Future Bass Remix) GameChops - Ultraball http://gamechops.com/ultraball/  http://soundcloud.com/cg5-beats https://soundcloud.com/glitchxcity Pokémon And All Respective Names are Trademark and © of Nintendo 1996-2026Pokémon GO is Trademark and © of Scopely ExploreLured Up and the Pokémon Professor Network are not affiliated with The Pokémon Company, Game Freak or Nintendo. #pokemon #pokemongo #podcast Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Something feels different in Star Trek Fleet Command. Talking Trek is LIVE from San Diego Comic-Con after several days of meetings, interviews, dinners and conversations with Scopely leadership, including SVP Cameron Stewart, GM Conor and members of the STFC development team. DJz and Griffin sit down to unpack what they learned, what is already changing, and why this weekend may represent one of the clearest signs yet of a cultural shift inside the team running STFC. We break down the decision to STOP the Ra'ul Reaver before launch, the major economic changes being made to the ship, the return of Battle Pass Choice Tokens, changes to officer acquisition and long-term sourcing, Transporter Patterns, Vengeance sourcing, G6/G7 progression and economy inflation, Multiphase Credits, Galactic Anomalies and new puzzle-style events. And then things get wild. We also talk about fleet presets becoming event rewards, specialty ship half-packs, cheaper cosmetics and player titles, bulk research, automatic alliance helps, reducing unnecessary clicks, Deep Space Nine station skins, an event involving an entire bridge full of Spocks, and the campaign to finally make Neelix the morale officer he was always destined to be. This isn't a victory lap, and it doesn't mean every problem in STFC has suddenly been fixed. But after years of hearing why things couldn't change, San Diego Comic-Con produced a very different kind of conversation: How do we make them change? Join DJz and Griffin for a packed Talking Trek LIVE from San Diego Comic-Con. #StarTrekFleetCommand #STFC #StarTrek #SanDiegoComicCon #SDCC #TalkingTrek   01:00 – LIVE From San Diego Comic-Con! 03:47 – Our Massive Interview With Cameron Stewart 07:11 – What Happened AFTER the Interview 08:35 – Officer Acquisition Changes Already Arrive 09:53 – Inside the STFC Comic-Con Experience 14:12 – The Ra'ul Reaver Was STOPPED Before Launch 17:52 – Why Didn't Playtesting Catch the Reaver Problems? 20:33 – The Reaver Was Off by a Factor of TEN 22:09 – Major Reaver Refinery Changes 24:05 – Battle Pass Choice Tokens Are Back 26:19 – Officer Acquisition, Paragon & Economy Changes 27:33 – Transporter Patterns & Long-Term Officer Sourcing 29:02 – Cam's Three-Phase Officer Sourcing Strategy 31:05 – Fleet Presets & More Generous Convenience Rewards 35:00 – Galactic Anomalies, Rep Grinding & New Puzzles 39:53 – The All-Spock Event?! New Event Design Ideas 42:39 – Vengeance Sourcing Is Getting a Significant Boost 48:12 – STFC Inflation Returns & G7 Progression Problems 51:17 – Multiphase Credits & Better Player Value 54:52 – Connor, Neelix & One Absolutely Ridiculous Change 57:09 – Could We FINALLY Get a Deep Space Nine Station Skin? 1:06:21 – “Low-Hanging Fruit” & a Different Scopely Culture 1:08:29 – Half-Packs, Cheaper Cosmetics & More Player Choice 1:10:58 – Bulk Research & Fixing Broken Progression Triggers 1:12:35 – Automatically Request Alliance Helps? 1:18:57 – Less Chores, Fewer Clicks & QoL Improvements 1:20:44 – New Deep-Linking Features Explained 1:24:06 – Auto-Join Bug & Client Fixes 1:25:31 – SDCC Rewards, Store Value & Comic-Con Code 1:27:29 – Hanging Out With Connor & Final Thoughts 1:29:37 – Closing LIVE From San Diego Comic-Con

This week, Chris and Jamal get into one of the biggest philosophical questions Wayfarer has faced since the transition to Scopely Explore: should gameplay finally have a seat at the table? They debate whether legitimate location edits that improve the gameboard should still be considered abuse, discuss if Scopely should be more transparent about S2 cells and inclusion rules, and imagine what Wayfarer would look like if it were built from scratch by a gaming company instead of a mapping company. Before diving into the topics, Chris responds to a lively Reddit discussion surrounding last week's episode and clarifies his thoughts on Wayfarer, player data, and Niantic's original mission. Chris responds to last week's Reddit debate and clears up the context behind his comments. A major Wayfarer update now lets you finish draft submissions from anywhere without returning to the nomination location. Should gameplay optimization still be considered abuse if the final pin location remains accurate? If Scopely built Wayfarer from scratch today, what rules would stay, what would change, and what would disappear? One's Gotta Go: Pizza Toppings Edition (Pepperoni, Sausage, Bacon, or Mushrooms?) Wayspots of the Week feature a stunning dog park mural and a beautifully designed boardwalk entrance. Coal of the Week highlights why Little Free Libraries on K–12 school property should never be nominated. A thought-provoking discussion about the future of Wayfarer under Scopely, Chris' Reddit rebuttal, another community debate sparked by One's Gotta Go, and a pair of fantastic community-submitted Wayspots that showcase exactly what makes exploring so much fun. Show Credits Hosts: Jamal Harvey & Chris Bell Writer: Jamal Harvey Producer: Jamal Harvey Executive Producer: Kate Konz Show Historian: Matty G Recorded: 30 July 2026 Published: 2 August 2026 Season 5, Episode 29 Contact Us⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠wayspotters@pokemonprofessor.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠  Voicemail / SMS: 704-426-3710  Support the Show  Patreon:⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠patreon.com/PokemonProfessor⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠  Website:⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠wayspotters.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠  Follow! Instagram:⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@wayspotterspodcast⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Twitter/X:⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@wayspotters⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ TikTok:⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@imakewayspots⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ YouTube:⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@WayspottersPodcast⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Twitch:⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠twitch.tv/pokemonprofessornetwork⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Community & Friends Wayfarer Discord:⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠discord.gg/niawayfarer⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ German Wayfarer Discord:⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠discord.gg/ThTZCZH5⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Facebook Group:⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠facebook.com/groups/2241761169257836⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Solstice:

Players on Server 11 discovered a development account with its shield down and approximately one trillion Sigma Tritanium sitting inside. They cracked the base, raided it for days, and walked away with what may have been nearly $18 million worth of resources based on pack values. In this episode of Talking Trek Live, DJz breaks down exactly how the raid happened, why the players could never spend the entire haul, and how Scopely plans to repair the economy without punishing the commanders who found the target. Scopely will reclaim much of the unspent resource surplus, but the raiders will keep anything they already used, a meaningful amount of Sigma resources, their historic raiding totals, and an exclusive Legendary Looter title created specifically to commemorate the incident. The show also examines new restrictions being placed on development accounts to prevent another trillion-resource piñata from appearing on a live server. Later, the crew looks ahead to M94, discusses the expanded G4 Ascension Tree and its role in guiding developing accounts, and reviews potential Alliance Tournament rewards. Professor Puttz and Tarpitude analyze the return of Battle Pass choice tokens, including the differences between the free and Elite tracks and the effect of the daily login calendar. Finally, Mad Scientist Jules Verne presents the full Ra'ul Reaver breakdown. The discussion covers refinery conversion efficiency, estimated progression time, cargo capacity, raiding percentages, realistic hourly yields, and whether commanders should use the Amalgam to clear traditional resources before switching to the Reaver for Sigma resources.   01:31 - Welcome to Talking Trek 06:20 - The Secret Server 11 Raid Leaks 07:39 - A Dev Base With One Trillion Sigma Tritanium 09:15 - The Raiders Did It Without the Reaver 11:18 - Calculating the Resource Pack Value 15:46 - How Much Was Injected Into the Economy? 17:02 - A Nearly $18 Million Mistake 18:27 - Could the Raiders Spend the Resources? 23:56 - Scopely's Official Response 24:36 - Resources Will Be Reclaimed 24:56 - The Exclusive Legendary Looter Title 28:16 - What the Raiders Will Get to Keep 34:40 - Cameron Stewart Learns About the Incident 35:37 - New Rules for Development Accounts 49:34 - Why Scopely's Response Worked 58:29 - Is M94 the Real Anthology Arc? 1:00:29 - The New G4 Ascension Tree 1:05:10 - Cameron's Experience With Early Progression 1:18:45 - Alliance Tournament Rewards and Ship Skins 1:39:20 - M93 Battle Pass Choice Token Math 1:45:11 - Free Track Versus Elite Track Value 1:48:15 - Adding the Daily Login Calendar 2:00:07 - Ra'ul Reaver Refinery Breakdown 2:02:13 - How Long Will the Reaver Take to Max? 2:03:39 - The Reaver's Improved Raiding Ability 2:09:19 - How Much Can the Reaver Steal? 2:14:20 - Amalgam Versus Reaver Raiding Strategy 2:15:57 - The Reaver's Best Use Cases

This week, Chris and Jamal get into Scopely Explore's recent Pokémon GO survey and what it could mean for the future of gyms, PokéCoins, and Wayfarer. They discuss whether more gyms could be coming, if free coins might move beyond the current gym system, and how those changes could impact the Wayfarer community. The conversation then shifts to a spirited debate about the value of Wayfarer contributions, as they respond to the claim that Wayfinders are simply providing "free labor" and explain why helping build better communities is its own reward. Plus, Chris shares another hilarious Tales from Canada, Agent X celebrates an incredible milestone of 3,000 accepted Wayspots, and the guys expose a fake playground that somehow appeared in two different locations on the map. Stick around for: Dad Jokes Tales from Canada Wayspots of the Week Coal of the Week A look at what Scopely's latest survey could mean for the future of Pokémon GO and Wayfarer. Show Credits Hosts: Jamal Harvey & Chris Bell Writer: Chris Bell Producer: Jamal Harvey Executive Producer: Kate Konz Show Historian: Matty G Recorded: 23 July 2026 Published: 26 July 2026 Season 5, Episode 28 Contact Us ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠wayspotters@pokemonprofessor.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠  Voicemail / SMS: 704-426-3710  Support the Show  Patreon: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠patreon.com/PokemonProfessor⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠  Website: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠wayspotters.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠  Follow! Instagram: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@wayspotterspodcast⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Twitter/X: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@wayspotters⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ TikTok: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@imakewayspots⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ YouTube: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@WayspottersPodcast⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Twitch: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠twitch.tv/pokemonprofessornetwork⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Community & Friends Wayfarer Discord: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠discord.gg/niawayfarer⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ German Wayfarer Discord: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠discord.gg/ThTZCZH5⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Facebook Group: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠facebook.com/groups/2241761169257836⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Solstice:

M93 is almost here, and apparently nobody remembered to lock the classified filing cabinet. In this episode of Talking Trek, DJz, Griffin, Tarpy and the crew break down a mountain of upcoming Star Trek Fleet Command information. Choice tokens are officially returning, the Mythic Battle Pass is disappearing, the 20-day Battle Pass format is coming back and Scopely appears to be reconsidering how it approaches progression, monetization and the game's troubled economy. We also dig into major Alliance Tournament changes, including partial packs for every specialty ship and upcoming $50 sourcing options for Athena and Borg Sphere parts. Is the Legendary Store rewarding enough? Should the caps on Primes and ship skins be removed? Are the rewards progressing quickly enough to remain relevant? The panel takes apart the current tournament structure and offers several ways it could improve. Finally, we preview M93's new Galactic Anomalies system. These rotating daily buffs and debuffs will appear across multiple systems, changing hostile combat conditions and encouraging players to experiment with crews, mitigation, barrier and damage strategies. M93 may be an Anthology arc built around returning content, but there are still several new mechanics and at least one ominous reason to keep your station shielded. Subscribe for more Star Trek Fleet Command news, strategy, community discussion and irresponsible quantities of breaking information. #StarTrekFleetCommand #STFC #TalkingTrek #M93 #AllianceTournaments   00:00 Talking Trek Returns 03:44 Ghost Energy and Taco Bell Chaos 09:03 Community Thank-Yous and Stream Updates 12:29 The GoWheel Is Getting Closer 15:07 San Diego Comic-Con Plans 19:46 M93 Launching During Comic-Con 22:43 The Unofficial M93 Preview Begins 23:37 Choice Tokens Are Returning 26:08 How the Battle Pass Was Changed 32:20 Revisiting the M91 Economy Disaster 38:17 Better Access to Scopely Leadership 40:24 Alliance Tournament Breaking News 41:15 Partial Specialty Ship Packs Confirmed 44:07 Targeted Pack Problems 52:34 Scopely's Economy Philosophy Is Changing 1:01:57 Cameron Stewart Interview and Media Tour 1:03:22 Why Choice Tokens Came Back 1:13:46 Community Feedback and Accountability 1:27:18 Can Scopely Actually Rebuild Player Trust? 1:39:40 Economy Fixes, Primes and Progression 1:52:19 M93 Battle Pass Math Explained 1:55:40 The Mythic Battle Pass Is Gone 1:56:06 The 20-Day Battle Pass Returns 1:57:24 What Happens During the Fourth Week? 1:59:46 Moving Away From $100-Only Monetization 2:01:29 $50 Athena and Borg Sphere Packs 2:06:12 Alliance Tournament Rewards Discussion 2:18:44 Current Tournament Structure and Task Balance 2:28:13 Should Legendary Store Caps Be Removed? 2:35:21 Is the Legendary Store Actually Valuable? 2:38:09 Comparing Tournament Currency Earnings 2:45:36 Alliance Tournament Feedback and Improvements 2:57:03 Galactic Anomalies Explained 2:58:19 Daily Buffs and Debuffs Across the Galaxy 3:02:03 Crewing Around Galactic Anomalies 3:04:06 Borg Sphere Anomaly Example 3:04:50 Anomaly Schedules and Rotating Systems 3:08:01 M93 Anthology Events and One Final Leak 3:09:10 Remember to Shield Your Base

Send us Fan MailThis week,We are joined by Ayyylexa & admin Sue, and we kick things off by sharing how we tackled Pokémon GO Fest Global 2026. Did we go all-in on Remote Raids? Was the event worth the hype? And perhaps the biggest question of all… did it actually feel like a GO Fest? We compare our experiences, biggest wins, shiny luck and whether this year's flagship event delivered.After catching up with your latest WhatsApp voice messages, we dive into The News, covering the newly announced GO Wild Area 2026 events in Sendai, Mexico City and Global, discussing whether any of us are planning to attend. We also break down the First Partner & Costumed Pokémon Ultra Unlock, including event bonuses, wild encounters, raids, Masterwork Research and the debut of Willow's Birthday Research.Following another unforgettable AI Arnie Interlude, we turn our attention to the Pokémon GO 10th Anniversary celebration in Times Square. After sharing our thoughts from afar, and admin at the event Sue, who gives us an exclusive first-hand account of what it was really like to be there.Finally, Ian hosts Name That Pokémon, before we wrap up with #ShiniesOfTheWeekSupport the showFind us on Niantic Campfire: CLICK MESend us a voice message on WhatsApp:  +44 7592695696Email us: contact@incensedpodcast.comIf you'd like to buy merch, you can find us by clicking HERE for U.K. store, HERE for U.S. Oceana store or copy this link: https://incensedpodcast.myspreadshop.net/ for U.K. store or this link: https://incensed-podcast.myspreadshop.com/ for U.S. Oceana store!Hosted By: PoGoMiloUK, Ian Waterfall & Masterful 27. Produced & Edited By:  Ian Waterfall & PoGoMiloUK. Administrators: HermesNinja & IAMP1RU5.Pokémon is Copyright Gamefreak, Nintendo and The Pokémon Company 2001-2016All names owned and trademarked by Nintendo, Niantic, The Pokémon Company, and Gamefreak are property of their respective owners.

In this special episode of the Naavik Gaming Podcast, recorded live from the Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity, host Kalie Moore sits down with fellow Cannes Lions Gaming Jury member Cheryl Platz, author of The Game Development Strategy Guide, and former UX leader at Riot Games, Scopely, Microsoft, and Amazon. Together, they pull back the curtain on what it was actually like judging one of the world's most prestigious creative awards programs, from the multi-stage evaluation process to the debates that shaped the final winners. They discuss the challenges of evaluating gaming campaigns across vastly different audiences, genres, and markets, and share lessons for brands, agencies, and developers looking to create work that genuinely resonates with players.The conversation explores some of the most memorable campaigns from this year's competition, including a deep dive into Supercell's big year. Kalie and Cheryl unpack why Copycat's Welcome earned the coveted Grand Prix, how Pocket-Sized Halftime Show won Gold and dominated the conversation across all entertainment conversations, and what these campaigns reveal about creativity, player insight, and measurable impact. They also discuss Skittles' viral gaming flute, Silent Clean's horror game for a century-old cleaning brand, and campaigns that used gaming to tackle organ donation, wildfire prevention, and medical education. The episode offers a rare inside look at how creative excellence is judged at the highest level and what the future of brand integration in games might look like.We'd also like to thank Dive for making this episode possible! With its fully managed analytics and LiveOps platform built for game studios, 95% of their clients grow revenue in one year. All of that without having to hire an in-house data team. Learn more here: dive.games/scale..If you like the episode, please help others find us by leaving a 5-star rating or review! And if you have any comments, requests, or feedback shoot us a note at podcast@naavik.co.Who's On:Guest - Cheryl Platz: https://www.linkedin.com/in/cherylplatz/Host - Kalie Moore: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kaliemoore/ Watch the episode: YouTube ChannelFor more episodes and details: Podcast WebsiteFree newsletter: Naavik DigestFollow us: Twitter | LinkedIn | WebsiteSound design by Gavin Mc CabeLinks mentioned:https://www.cherylplatz.com/https://www.gamedevelopmentstrategyguide.com/https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/enduring-play-a-game-development-podcast/id1826460395?l=es-MXhttps://www.lovethework.com/en/awards/winners-shortlists/cannes-lions/entertainment-lions-for-gaming?tag=publication+dates%40%40year%40%402026

Scopley's New GamePromo Code of the WeekFree OrbsAmazing Avengers RevealNew Raids & Tower ComingBattleworld Rewards IncreasedFear TowerToxin in GameFarmable Champion CharactersCheck Out My RAID Channel: https://www.youtube.com/@ValleyFlyinRAIDDownload RAID today➡️https://t2m.io/ValleyFlyinRaid_Jun26 to get exclusive bonuses available through this link only ✅ 1 - Right Away: Narma, At Level 10: Tagoar, At Level 20: Venomage, At Level 30: Uugo✅ 2 - Legendary ALICE via promo code GETALICE ⚡️OR Legendary TURVOLD via promo code BIGDAWG ⚡️ OR Legendary RAZELVARG via promo code GOFAST ⚡️OR Legendary CHESHIRE CAT via promo code KITTYCUT⚡️OR Legendary PELOPS THE VICTOR via promo code RAID7 ⚡️OR Legendary GRAND OAK PADRAIG via promo code WRATH⚡️(You can redeem only 1 promo code of your choice as a new player)Check out the BEST Graphic Tees from INTOTHEAM!Get 10% off site-wide when you click the link below:http://intotheam.com/ValleyFlyin#MarvelStrikeForceOther Sponsors:LD Player: https://bit.ly/LDPMFRBluestacks 5: http://bit.ly/VFBlueMore ValleyFlyin:Valleyflyin Merch: http://bit.ly/VFMerchDiscord: http://bit.ly/valleyflyinTwitter: https://twitter.com/valleyflyinInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/valleyflyin/Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Valleyflyin/Twitch: http://bit.ly/vftwitchPatreon: http://bit.ly/VFPatreonSupport the show

Territory Capture is getting its biggest shake-up in years, and this Talking Trek live stream dives deep into everything we know so far from the Update 92 arc preview. DJz, Tarpy, and the live community break down Q's new Origin Sector chaos, including Isogenite mining, Quantum Hostiles, Quantum Guardian loot goblins, Tesseract Armadas, new services, new rewards, schedule changes, and what alliances need to start thinking about before the map turns spicy again. We also discuss what is not changing in Territory Capture, how new cargo-based rewards create piracy opportunities, why alliances will have to choose their services carefully, and how Scopely may be trying to breathe life back into a feature that many servers had quietly allowed to fossilize. Plus, we get into the larger state of STFC under Cameron Stewart, including tech fixes, culture shifts, economy pain points, David Eckleberry's advisory role, and whether the game is finally trying to move from “push ops forever” back toward actual player experience. Live long and prosper, commanders. Territory Capture is back on the board, and Q brought a wrench.   0:58 Welcome to Arcfall Eve Eve 6:01 The show begins, sort of 7:05 Pantry cleaning, expired cans, and life choices 12:47 Nesting, midlife crisis, and the new Explorer 18:43 Territory Capture refresh preview begins 20:26 Battle Pass officer choice token reminder 23:51 Scopely's Territory Capture video watchalong 28:49 First reactions to services and buffs 33:06 Quantum Adjudicators and new hostile structure 35:39 Mining, hostiles, loot goblins, and Isogenite 37:26 What is not changing in Territory Capture 40:32 Old Isogen, new Isogenite, and consolidated systems 43:24 Piracy, cargo risk, and stealable rewards 47:17 Isogenite mining, faction miners, and Meridian retirement 50:30 Quantum Hostiles, Isolitic mechanics, and ship restrictions 55:35 Quantum Guardian surveys and refined Isogenite 58:50 Services become alliance choice instead of autopilot 1:01:48 Quantum Tesseract Armadas explained 1:06:15 Armada scoring during territory fights 1:10:29 Poaching Armadas and defensive strategy 1:15:19 Old currencies, new currencies, and system costs 1:20:00 New territory zone, services, and seasonal value 1:30:45 Takeover calendar and time changes 1:38:00 Four-star territory pathing and alliance planning 1:47:30 Why Territory Capture needed a refresh 2:00:00 Kingmakers, map politics, and possible combat logic changes 2:12:39 Cam's pillars: culture, tech, and economy 2:20:13 Why the economy changes feel painful 2:27:02 David Eckleberry's advisory role and economy repair 2:31:58 Progression speed, player experience, and account balance 2:35:04 M94, slower arcs, and changing player expectations 2:42:21 Closing notes, summer bingo, merch, and cow video tease

Big changes are being discussed for Star Trek Fleet Command, and this episode breaks down what players need to know after the latest conversations with Cameron Stewart and the creator community. We talk through Scopely's new focus on tech stability, culture, economy, regular players, seven-day streaks, bulk claim, and why “happy players spend money” might finally be more than a slogan. We also dig into upcoming arc direction, including M92, M93 Anthology, M94's slower experience-driven approach, and the introduction of seasons beginning around M95. Plus, we cover the creator program's changing role, min-maxer feedback, economy repair, officer design, community mod support, and why player feedback may be more important right now than it has been in years.   0:50 Welcome to Talking Trek Live 5:39 Stupid News and opening chaos 13:01 Bundle claim improvements explained 17:14 Multi-claim and faster store interactions 22:00 Backend tech changes and server communication 25:21 Boost mode for high-traffic systems 28:18 Cam's three pillars: tech, economy, and culture 31:48 “Happy players spend money” returns 32:20 Regular Players become the key KPI 37:04 Seven-day streaks and why Cam values them 39:20 Why quality of life should not be a reward 41:19 Community homework: what should the seven-day bonus be? 46:01 Cam's 50+ one-on-one meetings with the STFC team 48:16 Failure, learning, and changing Scopely's internal culture 55:34 David Eckleberry is back in an advisory role 58:13 Engineering council and better technical feedback 1:02:30 M92, playtests, and the culture shift around shipping content 1:03:59 M93 Anthology confirmed as the content pause 1:04:21 M94 described as slower and more experience-driven 1:24:14 Why the creator program is becoming more important 1:31:23 How creator feedback is being routed back to Scopely 1:41:34 M92, M93, M94, and the road to seasons 1:42:04 Seasons begin with M95 1:46:39 Why Scopely wants feedback from hyper-engaged players 1:50:04 The economy problem and why min-maxers matter 1:56:11 Two-way communication and the changing creator program 2:02:25 Officer systems and captain maneuver concerns 2:07:16 Making officers more accessible while monetizing upgrades 2:12:01 Seven-day rewards: efficiency vs quality of life 2:22:01 Recap of the biggest open questions for players 2:24:12 Official community mod is now supported by STFC 2:37:00 Final plugs and closing chaos

This week Jamal and Chris dive into the rise of what Jamal calls "spaghetti nominations" Wayspot submissions that live in the gray area between obvious slam dunks and outright rejections. The duo takes a nostalgic trip back to the early days of Wayfarer, when submitters had only seven nominations and every submission had to count. Comparing those days to today's abundance of nomination slots, they discuss how player behavior has changed, whether nomination quality has dipped, and if Niantic and Scopely have unintentionally encouraged Wayfinders to test the boundaries of eligibility. Along the way, Chris and Jamal review a variety of real-world nomination examples, including neighborhood entrance signs, apartment pergolas, decorative benches, utility box art, fountains, trail markers, business murals, community mailboxes, and even dumpster art. The conversation explores the difference between reviewing to approve versus reviewing to deny, the growing divide between map purists and gameplay-focused submitters, and whether Wayfarer communities are at risk of "going rogue" as nomination opportunities continue to expand. The episode also features Dad Jokes, Mom Jokes, a discussion about Go Fest, and a pair of fascinating Wayspots of the Week, including a Purdue University cyclotron model tied to J. Robert Oppenheimer. Stick Around For... ✅ The rise of "Spaghetti Nominations" and how hundreds of available submissions may be changing Wayfarer behavior. ✅ Chris and Jamal debate neighborhood signs, pergolas, benches, utility box art, trail markers, murals, and other gray-area nominations. ✅ A discussion on Scopely's impact on the Pokémon GO map and whether Wayfarer should stay out of game-specific decisions. ✅ Dad Jokes, Mom Jokes, Wayspots of the Week, and a preview of an upcoming discussion on what happens when a Wayfarer community goes rogue. Show Credits Hosts: Jamal Harvey & Chris Bell Writer: Jamal Harvey Producer: Jamal Harvey Executive Producer: Kate Konz Show Historian: Matty G Recorded: 03 June 2026 Published: 07 June 2026 Season 5, Episode 21 Contact Us ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠wayspotters@pokemonprofessor.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠  Voicemail / SMS: 704-426-3710  Support the Show  Patreon: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠patreon.com/PokemonProfessor⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠  Website: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠wayspotters.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠  Follow! Instagram: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@wayspotterspodcast⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Twitter/X: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@wayspotters⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ TikTok: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@imakewayspots⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ YouTube: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@WayspottersPodcast⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Twitch: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠twitch.tv/pokemonprofessornetwork⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Community & Friends Wayfarer Discord: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠discord.gg/niawayfarer⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ German Wayfarer Discord: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠discord.gg/ThTZCZH5⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Facebook Group: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠facebook.com/groups/2241761169257836⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Solstice:

Liftoff finally went public this week — at a valuation that tells you exactly what the public market thinks mobile ad networks are worth. That's just one of four stories this week that genuinely matter if you run UA.Matej Lančarič flies solo for the breaking news segment, ranked from biggest to most practical. Liftoff listed on Nasdaq as LFT after a second attempt, raising $437M at a $3.83B valuation — a 25% haircut from the $5B it wanted in January, and below the private valuation General Atlantic paid in 2025. A Niko Partners report buried a number most Western publishers still aren't modeling: minigames are now almost 20% of mobile game spending in China. Akin launched AMF Capital with Makers Fund, opening with a $28M UA financing facility for Birhack. And the throughline of the week — mobile has officially shifted from core-first to event-first, with Monopoly Go's Simpsons crossover, Rovio's own admission, and Supercell's MoCo reboot all pointing the same direction.The bar keeps moving up. The industry is consolidating around scale, capital, and live-ops.━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━⏱️ TIMESTAMPS00:00 Supercell reboots MoCo's live-ops00:30 Liftoff goes public at $3.83B — the IPO breakdown03:00 China minigames are now 20% of mobile spend05:30 AMF Capital launches with a $28M UA financing deal07:00 Mobile shifts from core-first to event-first09:00 What event-first actually means for your UA

Voodoo wasn't supposed to be making this kind of money. For years their entire portfolio sat at sub-$100K/day games — Mob Control, Cap Heroes, the usual hyper-casual treadmill. Then something switched in early 2026 and now they're suddenly running at $1M/day in IAP across the portfolio. The flag-bearer for the new era is Marble Sort.We dig into Marble Sort by Voodoo — a sort-category puzzler that scaled from launch in February to $200K/day in IAP plus $52K/day in ad revenue by March. The conversation covers the sorter-category explosion (Pixel Flow's Scopely acquisition for close to $1B set the precedent), the 800-1,100 creatives running on AppLovin and what they tell us about Voodoo's creative production discipline, the level-design and APS-curve methodology that Tripledot-style studios actually use, why this game could be just a mini-game inside Royal Match (and why that matters), and the bigger story underneath: Voodoo just launched a mid-core PvP studio led by ex-Kameli Games French founders, signaling a serious IPO push in the next 1-2 years.If you want to understand the Voodoo renaissance — or just figure out why Jakub keeps insisting "the sort category is the new hot shit" — this is the episode.━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━⏱️ TIMESTAMPS00:00 Cold open — Voodoo is suddenly doing $1M/day in IAP02:24 The sorter category is the new hot shit (and why)05:36 The Voodoo portfolio renaissance — Castle Clashers + Marble Sort08:56 Walking the game — sorting mechanics, level curve, no live-ops yet13:40 The level design metrics — APS curve, booster win ratio17:38 32% ad revenue + $52K/day = roughly $250K/day total19:59 800-1,100 creatives in 30 days — AI + gameplay + AppLovin altered videos28:33 Voodoo's new mid-core PvP studio + the IPO setup--------------------------------------PVX Partners offers non-dilutive funding for game developers.Go to: https://pvxpartners.com/They can help you access the most effective form of growth capital once you have the metrics to back it.- Scale fast- Keep your shares- Drawdown only as needed- Have PvX take downside risk alongside you+ Work with a team entirely made up of ex-gaming operators and investors---------------------------------------For an ever-growing number of game developers, this means that now is the perfect time to invest in monetizing direct-to-consumer at scale.Our sponsor FastSpring:Has delivered D2C at scale for over 20 yearsThey power top mobile publishers around the worldLaunch a new webstore, replace an existing D2C vendor, or add a redundant D2C vendor at fastspring.gg.---------------------------------------This is no BS gaming podcast 2.5 gamers session. Sharing actionable insights, dropping knowledge from our day-to-day User Acquisition, Game Design, and Ad monetization jobs. We are definitely not discussing the latest industry news, but having so much fun! Let's not forget this is a 4 a.m. conference discussion vibe, so let's not take it too seriously.Panelists: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Jakub Remia⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠r,⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Felix Braberg, Matej Lancaric⁠Podcast: Join our slack channel here: https://join.slack.com/t/two-and-half-gamers/shared_invite/zt-3bckldvr8-8PXvzciMWdheOzED9hq0SAChapters---------------------------------------Matej LancaricUser Acquisition & Creatives Consultant⁠https://lancaric.meFelix BrabergAd monetization consultant⁠https://www.felixbraberg.comJakub RemiarGame design consultant⁠https://www.linkedin.com/in/jakubremiar---------------------------------------Please share the podcast with your industry friends, dogs & cats. Especially cats! They love it!Hit the Subscribe button on YouTube, Spotify, and Apple!Please share feedback and comments - matej@lancaric.me

This episode covers the Naavik Digest newsletter published on Sunday, May 31st. In today's issue, we dive deep into Scopely and the three titles which generate close to 95% of the company's monthly in-app revenue, examining their current states and future prospects. You can read the newsletter (with even more sections and visual detail) here: https://www.naavik.co/digest/dissecting-scopelys-mobile-empire Want to explore working with Naavik? Shoot us a note: https://naavik.co/contact-us/ Let us know what you think by sending us a note at podcast@naavik.co.Watch our episodes: YouTube ChannelFor more episodes and details: Podcast WebsiteFree newsletter: Naavik DigestFollow us: Twitter | LinkedIn | WebsiteSound design by Gavin Mc Cabe.

This week, Chris and Jamal celebrate one full year since the Scopely/Niantic deal officially closed and ask the big question: Is this the greatest 12-month stretch in Wayfarer history? The guys break down nearly every major Wayfarer change from the past year, including: Web submissions The Wayfarer map Draft mode Upgraded nomination caps The new Wayfinder rating system Appeals cooldown reductions Ambassador announcements Roadmap updates Rural gameplay improvements and more. Chris and Jamal discuss how the Wayfarer team has handled community feedback, why Scopely's approach has surprised many players, and how modern Wayfarer may actually be entering its “good old days.” Also this week: Chris shares the forgotten Wayfarer tracking spreadsheet with Patreon members Portland officially remains weird Bigfoot apparently lives in the Pacific Northwest Old Gmail, AOL, MySpace, and Friendster nostalgia Hockey playoff talk Jackson's incredible 53-save lacrosse performance and a deep dive into how photo thumbs actually determine Wayspot images in Pokémon GO. Plus: Wayspots of the Week Coal of the Week Dad jokes for new dad Hank and classic Wayspotters banter throughout. Stick around for: ✅ Spatial / Scopely News ✅ Wayspots / Coal of the Week ✅ Dad Jokes (of course!) Show Credits Hosts: Jamal Harvey & Chris Bell Writer: Chris Bell Producer: Jamal Harvey Executive Producer: Kate Konz Show Historian: Matty G Recorded: 29 May 2026 Published: 31 May 2026 Season 5, Episode 20 Contact Us ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠wayspotters@pokemonprofessor.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠  Voicemail / SMS: 704-426-3710  Support the Show  Patreon: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠patreon.com/PokemonProfessor⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠  Website: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠wayspotters.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠  Follow! Instagram: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@wayspotterspodcast⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Twitter/X: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@wayspotters⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ TikTok: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@imakewayspots⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ YouTube: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@WayspottersPodcast⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Twitch: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠twitch.tv/pokemonprofessornetwork⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Community & Friends Wayfarer Discord: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠discord.gg/niawayfarer⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ German Wayfarer Discord: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠discord.gg/ThTZCZH5⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Facebook Group: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠facebook.com/groups/2241761169257836⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Solstice:

Lured Up Podcast 395: Forward Progress Live Streamed on - 5/27/2026 Publish Date - 5/28/2026 We are less than 2 weeks away from GO Fest Chicago! This window of time is the funky period where some are getting ready to travel to GO Fest, while the majority of others are still ready to play and grind at home! We break down some of the details of the Chicago event as well as the Team Leader Summer Quests that we will have globally over the next few weeks. Being a live service game, Pokémon GO definitely doesn't have time to rest on its laurels, as Season 23 of the game has been unveiled. Forever Forward will be our next season, and by the look of the promotional video, Niantic is doubling down on their core value of exploration. From Trainers walking an adventuring, to images of remote Pokéstops, the game has positioned itself as a key motivator in keeping Trainers moving forward. We unpack what we know so far, and how GO Fest season will drive the first few weeks of the season, leading right into Global in mid-July. We also have our June Content Update, bringing back some Raid favorites like Necrozma and some Ultra Beasts. Frigibax has been announced as the June Community Day Pokémon, and we have a few events called out for the month. If IRL GO Fests are not in your future, there is still plenty to do in game and from home, which can be considered a long, winding road to GO Fest Global. We cover some random notes like the Pokémon Fossil Museum in Chicago and the release of Excavator Pikachu. This will likely be on all Chicago Trainer's bingo cards for the weekend. Pokémon GO has once again partnered with 100 Thieves to release some killer Mewtwo merch. We are hoping to get our hands on it, and ultimately give it away to the community.  We also run through our announced Chicago plans so far, including our Podcast Community Mixer with the GO Cast Podcast and our Pokémon Pop Punk night. We hope to have even more news to share by next week, and GO Fest will be here before you know it! Finally we reflect on how it has already been a year since the Scopely acquisition. We discuss our experiences working with Niantic and how our confidence in their goals has only increased since Scopely came in. If their 1 year promotional video doesn't get you going, I am not sure what will! GO Fest Chicago Team Leader Summer Quests Forever Forward Forever Forward GBL June Content Update Frigibax Community Day Pokémon Fossil Museum 100 Thieves Lured Up at Chicago GO Fest Scopely - 1 Year Later Stay up to date by adding our Google Calendar to your account! Listen to this episode ad free on Patreon! https://www.patreon.com/PokemonProfessor  LuredUp@PokemonProfessor.com | Voicemail and SMS: 732-835-8639  Grab some merch: https://crowdmade.com/collections/professornetwork  Connect with us on multiple platforms! https://linktr.ee/LuredUp  Hosts Ken Pescatore Adam Tuttle Writer and Producer Ken Pescatore Executive Producer  Xander Show music provided by GameChops and licensed through Creative Commons ▾ FOLLOW GAMECHOPS ▾ http://instagram.com/GameChops http://twitter.com/GameChops http://soundcloud.com/GameChops http://facebook.com/GameChops http://youtube.com/GameChops http://www.gamechops.com Intro Music Lake Verity (Drum & Bass Remix)  Tetracase GameChops - Ultraball http://gamechops.com/ultraball/ https://soundcloud.com/tetracase  https://soundcloud.com/MegaFlare0 Break Music National Park Mikel & GameChops GameChops - Poké & Chill http://smarturl.it/pokechill https://twitter.com/mikel_beats Outro Music Vast Poni Canyon CG5 & GlitchxCity (Future Bass Remix) GameChops - Ultraball http://gamechops.com/ultraball/  http://soundcloud.com/cg5-beats https://soundcloud.com/glitchxcity Pokémon And All Respective Names are Trademark and © of Nintendo 1996-2025 Pokémon GO is Trademark and © of Niantic, Inc.Lured Up and the Pokémon Professor Network are not affiliated with Niantic Inc., The Pokémon Company, Game Freak or Nintendo. #pokemon #pokemongo #podcast Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

A top-5 mobile game with 60-70 million daily active users just disappeared from Google Play for 24 hours and came back. Nobody from Hungry Studios is saying anything. That's the headline.Jakub Remiar flies solo this week with nine stories from the May 23-29 news cycle. The Block Blast Android outage is the biggest shock — a game that big going dark on a major platform for an entire day with zero public explanation. The Monopoly Go licensing story is the most quietly important: Scopely paid Hasbro $41M last quarter alone, confirming the $168M/year run-rate that puts Monopoly Go in genuinely different stratosphere from everything else in social casino. And Valve raised the Steam Deck OLED 1TB from $649 to $949 — a 40% hike that prompted Tim Sweeney to publicly joke about Gabe Newell's $500M super-yacht.Plus: Playtika layoffs as social casino keeps declining, Unreal Engine 6 teased via Rocket League, NetEase posts 7% YoY growth, CD Projekt Red announces a new Witcher 3 expansion called Songs of the Past, IO Interactive's James Bond game hits 1.5M copies in 24 hours, Fortnite returns to iOS to a 3.4M download spike, and the GDC 2026 trend report confirms generative AI is the only thing anyone in the industry is talking about.━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━⏱️ TIMESTAMPS00:00 Cold open — the Steam Deck mega-yacht joke00:30 Block Blast vanished from Google Play (and came back)02:00 Playtika layoffs + Monopoly Go's $41M Hasbro license fee03:30 Unreal Engine 6, NetEase Q1, Witcher 3 + James Bond05:24 Sponsor — Potensus06:32 GDC 2026 trend report — generative AI dominates07:30 Fortnite iOS return drives 3.4M downloads in 8 years08:30 Steam Deck +40% price hike + the mega-yacht punchline

Griffin just handed $100M to indie developers, Lilith is back with a pachinko creature collector that's turning heads, and Toon Blast hired Gus Fring for reasons that actually make sense.In this episode, we break down:● Griffin Gaming Partners' $100M indie fund and why project financing beats VC math for games● Why the tourists are gon,e and the OG gaming VCs are back● Embracer's endless restructuring and the Fellowship Entertainment spin-off● The full Embracer collapse timeline, 44 studios closed, 80 projects canceled● Google Play's AI-powered game discovery and what it means for your ASO strategy● Why keyword stuffing is dead and how to write for Gemini● Clash of Critters: Lilith's pachinko-core creature collector and the casualization of mid-core● Why Chinese studios didn't invent advanced casual — they just perfected it● Monopoly Go's decline and what levers Scopely has left● Coin Master Board Adventure vs Monopoly Go, is there any real competition?● Toon Blast's Gus Fring campaign and whether celebrity UA still moves the needle● Why re-onboarding lapsed players matters as much as acquiring new onesCHAPTERS:01:39 Banter Roblox and Xbox Takes02:47 Roundtable Events and Consulting Talk05:14 Quick Correction It Takes Two07:20 Google I O Play Updates10:58 ASO SEO for AI Debate14:01 Griffin Fund for Indies17:57 Why VC Math Broke21:10 Embracer Splits Again24:13 Embracer Fallout and Asset Timeline29:02 Mobile Game Data Setup29:30 Lilith Clash of Critters Deep Dive30:25 Portfolio Reality Check30:49 Grim Metrics Decline31:33 Pachinko Creature Collector32:35 Gacha And Meta Layers35:27 Why It Works Now38:01 Advanced Casual Debate41:19 Graphics And Monetization44:25 Coin Master Vs Monopoly Go48:08 Franchising And Growth Levers55:38 Toon Blast Celebrity UA01:00:21 Wrap Up And Next Week

Scribbler joins Talking Trek for a full creator showcase episode packed with Star Trek history, Hollywood stories, Star Trek: Prodigy memories, STFC discussion, and a whole lot of Epcot planning chaos. Shauna Benson talks about her journey from Disney cast member and IT work to Hollywood writing, her time on shows like The 100 and Star Trek: Prodigy, favorite Easter eggs, “Murder Planet,” Planet Larry, and what made Prodigy such a special on-ramp for new and lifelong Trek fans alike. Then we shift into Star Trek Fleet Command with a detailed conversation about Alliance Tournaments, rerolls, store strategy, monetized tasks, catch-up mechanics, mid-ops changes, G6/G7 progression, and what Scopely may need to rethink before Alliance Tournaments return. Finally, Scribbler helps the Talking Trek crew plan the upcoming Disney / Epcot IRL stream, including drinking around the world, park logistics, checkpoints, streaming rules, sunscreen survival, and what could possibly go wrong. Spoiler: probably everything, but beautifully. 01:01 Welcome to Talking Trek Live 04:01 Scribbler joins the show 05:30 Scribbler's Hollywood background 07:27 Growing up with Star Trek 11:17 Disney College Program stories 14:28 From Disney IT to writing 17:00 The long road into Hollywood 21:30 Landing Star Trek: Prodigy 24:46 Nickelodeon nostalgia and slime dreams 29:02 Writing Prodigy episodes 31:13 “Murder Planet” and Planet Larry 32:30 Is there hope for Prodigy season 3? 35:21 Writing Trek for kids and adults 41:39 Favorite Prodigy Easter eggs 46:11 Scribbler becomes a streamer 51:10 From strike-line streaming to ScribblerSB 55:08 STFC, missions, and narrative love 59:18 Alliance Tournament talk begins 01:06:00 Alliance Tournament store strategy 01:11:26 Alliance Tournaments get tabled 01:13:09 Scribbler's suggested fixes 01:16:00 Mid-ops changes and feeling “free” 01:21:00 Catch-up mechanics and new-player pressure 01:26:00 Catch-up versus “mustard” mechanics 01:30:00 G6, G7, and why players are not pushing 01:33:00 Epcot planning begins 01:38:00 Drinking around the world strategy 01:46:00 Rope drop, rides, and park logistics 01:51:00 Checkpoints, streaming, and community meetup plans 01:56:00 The mobile broadcast backpack plan 02:01:00 Park survival tips: water, fans, sunscreen 02:03:39 Thanking Scribbler and Comic-Con plans 02:05:24 Closing announcements and upcoming streams

Alliance Tournaments V3 are here, and the community has questions. A lot of questions. In this episode of Talking Trek, DJz, Matters, Putz, Jules Verne, and the live audience dig into the new Alliance Tournament structure, task segmentation, reroll strategy, 10k and 20k task value, legendary currency, and the updated store. Is this an economy reset? A necessary rebalance? A cold-turkey clawback? Or all of the above wrapped in a spreadsheet burrito with mild emotional damage? Jules brings the data hammer as we look at free-to-play options, long-shot tasks, ops-based segmentation, invisible task slots, and how alliances should communicate before rerolling valuable tasks away. We also discuss the legendary store, whether the new currency payouts help, when 20k tasks might actually make sense, and which store items may be worth prioritizing. Plus: Stupid News, community frustration, high-level player sentiment, Cam Cam's birthday, and a reminder that even when the game feels rough, Talking Trek is still here to teach, laugh, analyze, and occasionally poke the burning console with a stick. 01:02 - Welcome, server sound off, and setting up the night's chaos 05:21 - Stupid News returns with chips, Samsung, Avatar lawsuits, dogs, and McDonald's soda crimes 12:24 - Alliance Tournament task segmentation enters the chat 17:02 - Scopely's “institutional memory” problem and the Incursions comparison 24:02 - High-level players quitting and the emotional state of the community 33:07 - Is this a cash grab, an economy reset, or something else entirely? 41:02 - DJ's satirical “you beat the game” letter to the community 49:00 - Why rerolls broke the old Alliance Tournament economy 57:07 - Legendary currency, 20,000-point tasks, and whether any are truly free-to-play 1:03:02 - Jules breaks down known 10k free-to-play tasks and long-shot options 1:10:07 - Task pool confusion, weird data, and server-specific tournament oddities 1:17:15 - How Alliance Tournaments could have been rebalanced without feeling like a clawback 1:25:03 - Legendary alliance payout: the good idea buried under rough execution 1:34:50 - Too much taken away, not enough given back 1:40:03 - Legendary currency pricing, direct-buy comparisons, and store psychology 1:48:00 - When a 20k task might make sense for spenders 1:58:24 - Comparing legendary currency to multiphasic value and added-spend incentives 2:04:14 - Reroll strategy, task groups, and why one reroll does not refresh everything 2:12:05 - Legendary store review: reputation, artifacts, tech, primes, and priority pulls 2:35:00 - Cam Cam's birthday, Jules' community challenge, and closing schedule notes

On this week's episode of the podcast, I am joined by Phil Black, one of the co-hosts of the Game Economist Cast, a podcast dedicated to game economy design, and a consultant with Game Economist Consulting. Previously, Phil held game economist and analytics roles at Amazon Games, DICE, and Scopely. Phil is also a panelist on the This Week in Games (TWIG) podcast. Phil joins me on this episode to examine the shifting dynamics of the mobile gaming economy, from the consolidation of high-revenue genres to the strategic adoption of AI and direct-to-consumer models. Among other things, we discuss:How the concentration of mobile gaming revenue into puzzle and 4X genres reshapes the competitive landscape for independent developersWhether the integration of hyper-casual mechanics into core loops represents a fundamental evolution of the modern mobile gaming economyWhy the transition from visual AI outputs to deep personalization remains the primary value proposition for future game monetizationWhat the divergence between Android and iOS installation gates reveals about the health of the global mobile marketing ecosystemIf the rise of third-party web shops and direct-to-consumer models can effectively counteract the platform fees of major storesHow the emergence of warbonds and sampling-based monetization strategies signals a shift away from traditional battle pass reward structuresWhen the mobile gaming industry will move beyond post-ATT recovery strategiesThanks to the sponsors of this week's episode of the Mobile Dev Memo podcast:⁠⁠⁠⁠INCRMNTAL⁠⁠⁠. True attribution measures incrementality, always on.Xsolla⁠. With the Xsolla Web Shop, you can create a direct storefront, cut fees down to as low as 5%, and keep players engaged with bundles, rewards, and analytics.⁠Branch⁠. Branch is an AI-powered MMP, connecting every paid, owned, and organic touchpoint so growth teams can see exactly where to put their dollars to bring users in the door and keep them coming backInterested in sponsoring the Mobile Dev Memo podcast? Contact Mobile Dev Memo advertising.The Mobile Dev Memo podcast is available on:YouTubeApple PodcastsSpotify

The April 30th arc day in Star Trek Fleet Command was… a lot. Battle passes went down, came back up, reset, went down again, players got compensation promises, research rollbacks hit 1,719 accounts, and the community started asking whether this was just a bug day or a full systems parade of gremlins in the Jeffries tubes. In this episode of Talking Trek Live, DJz, Griffin, Tarpy, Jules Verne, and the community break down what happened with the battle pass, why the research rollback mattered, whether Digit vs. Scopely responsibility changes the conversation, and what players should know about duo wave defense. Jules also brings the classroom energy with real duo wave defense testing, hypothermic decay math, repair drone mechanics, bugs found in the mode, and a deep dive into the new Paragon recruit math and value concerns.   01:03 Show open: the arc disaster begins 08:16 Stupid News returns to the chaos desk 16:28 DJz's missing Junkers and customer service comedy 23:40 Battle Pass Update: the sequel nobody ordered 31:01 Research rollback, 1,719 accounts, and why it had to happen 38:59 Were buildings and ships affected too? 46:00 “Oopsie poopsie,” exploit correction, and the missing undo button 52:04 Did the rollback break the battle pass? 57:18 70,000 battle pass points and the second relaunch problem 01:04:37 Why DJz is saying Digit instead of just Scopely 01:12:49 Scopely responsibility vs. Digit execution 01:19:00 Jules Verne enters with duo wave defense testing 01:27:00 Venari Ral, hypothermic decay, and repair drone mechanics 01:35:00 Duo wave maps, allowed hostiles, and carry-a-friend strategy 01:43:10 Duo wave defense takeaways and video intro chaos 01:51:00 Crew tweaks, impulse speed, and Griffin's squishy science lab 01:59:06 Paragon recruit value math begins 02:07:32 “Chance of nothing” and the $600 comparison 02:16:05 Paragon pools, rerolls, and the “guarantee” explained 02:24:01 Changing math, confusing sourcing, and final arc frustration 02:29:10 Closing thoughts, margarita math, and the end of the doozy

Update 90 is here, and Talking Trek is diving headfirst into the May 2026 Starfleet Academy arc preview. DJz, Tarpy, and the community break down Duo Wave Defense, the new Ops 61+ cooperative mode featuring training drones, combat drones, repair drones, Venari Rall hostiles, new currencies, new mitigation concerns, and a whole lot of “wait, does that actually work?” energy. We also dig into the major battle pass changes coming this arc, including the new Mythic track, the 27-day battle pass structure, Flash Pass changes, Broken Desealing Rod sourcing, the end of overflow events, the loss of choice rewards, and the new temporary build queue included with battle pass purchases. Plus, we wrap up the previous arc, talk officer bugs, outpost issues, content creator playtesting, and spend a few heated minutes on the latest Incursions format. Whether you're Ops 61+, sitting at Ops 60 and debating the jump, or just trying to figure out what Scopely is cooking this month, this episode breaks down the good, the weird, and the “somebody please check the math” of Update 90.   00:59 Show open and server sound off 03:33 Tarpy joins, Griffin update, and cow video progress 06:10 Twitch updates, PPP push, and tier three chat chaos 09:52 Arc wrap-up begins: how bad was the last month? 11:43 Performance, lag, officer bugs, and outpost frustration 14:09 Scopely's officer bug communication and no ETA 16:24 Progression tax, broken loops, and why DJz keeps pushing anyway 18:32 Nostril waxing, headaches, and stream aftermath 19:20 What playtesting actually looks like for content creators 21:36 Existing wave defense bugs and the “arcfall is the second test” joke 25:15 Previewing the May 2026 Update 90 arc 26:00 Official Duo Wave Defense video begins 31:18 DJz reacts: what looks good and what feels weird 33:12 Junker confusion and why solo wave defense research matters 34:23 Duo Wave Defense central entity health and Prime carryover 36:39 Broken cube behavior shows up in the preview video 37:29 Shield icons, hostile threat levels, and damage priority 39:38 Repair drones as a “choice hostile” mechanic 40:41 New currencies: Engineering, Science, and Command credits 42:10 Critical Training, massive crit damage, and mitigation concerns 45:37 True critical mitigation returns in a new form 50:41 Combat drones, guaranteed damage, and strategy choices 1:00:32 Tooltip confusion and repair drone healing clarification 1:10:01 Engineering credits, simulation codes, and Starfleet Academy rewards 1:11:21 Class Honors, Remote Campus upgrades, and “what are laurels?” 1:20:08 Why this arc is Ops 61+ and what that means for G6/G7 players 1:22:17 Mid-ops expands up to Ops 60 1:22:45 Battle pass changes, overflow removal, and desealing rod sourcing 1:25:13 Mythic track pricing and pass purchase options 1:29:04 The 27-day battle pass and Flash Pass merger explained 1:32:48 No more choice rewards, at least for this month 1:37:06 Why choice tokens may have been removed 1:43:16 Battle pass math, value concerns, and what still needs proof 1:50:03 Why the $100 option may become the best value 1:56:27 Rentable build queue debate begins 1:59:17 How the temporary builder should actually work 2:02:11 Extra builder as a progression accelerator 2:10:00 New officer discussion and niche wave defense value 2:16:18 Incursions segment begins, brief but spicy 2:20:05 DJz calls this the weakest version of Incursions yet 2:23:02 Tarpy explains why the new format helped alliance leadership 2:30:02 Should Ops 60 players go to Ops 61 before the battle pass? 2:37:25 Final questions and show wrap-up 2:38:33 Website, YouTube shorts, Patreon, and closing plugs 2:40:26 Meow for now

Scopely dropped a new Alliance Tournament blog, and Talking Trek went deep into what it actually means for players. Tonight we break down the Emerald Chain expansion, new milestones, Jerali, repair speed cascade, Sigma reroll caps, heroic task changes, legendary tasks, legendary currency, and whether the new Alliance Tournament structure is a healthy evolution or another monetization landmine. Then we dive into Field Rations: the new emergency field ration compensation chests versus the old March chips. Tarpy brings the math, Jules' sheets enter the chat, and DJz walks through whether players should spend old currency now, wait for the new chests, or make the call based on what their account actually needs. Plus: live base raid chaos, shield bug frustration, event value drama, and a full panel debate on trust, timing, and Scopely's economy decisions. 00:58 Welcome to Talking Trek Live 01:32 Tonight's topics: Alliance Tournament blog + compensation currency math 02:04 Server Sound Off begins 07:43 Twitch sound alerts, chaos, and live audience shenanigans 11:20 Oliver's baseball update and proud dad moment 15:17 DJz gets raided live and can't shield 17:18 The “pending battle” shield bug becomes a teaching moment 20:27 Alliance Tournament blog breakdown begins 22:23 Emerald Chain expansion: 30 new milestones 23:25 “Exclusive source for new content?” DJz calls out unclear wording 25:33 New epic officer Jerali and Borg Cube abilities 29:41 Repair Speed Cascade explained 34:16 G7 repair sticker shock and the Aphelion debate 45:04 Emerald Chain XP cap and player fairness concerns 51:37 Why Scopely needed Sigma reroll tokens 58:42 Alliance Tournaments becoming a reroll fest 1:07:09 Store expansion across all leagues 1:08:15 Heroic task frequency and cost changes 1:12:43 Legendary tasks, legendary currency, and monetization concerns 1:20:02 Why currency caps can protect long-term game economy 1:35:29 DJz summarizes his Alliance Tournament reaction 1:45:55 The mid-day event value change controversy 1:50:12 Why changing milestones after players spent money is a problem 2:05:06 Hidden/local event changes and trust issues 2:10:01 “Cash grab” debate: value vs. ethics 2:20:20 Field Ration math begins: old March chips vs. new chests 2:23:06 Tarpy compares old and new compensation rewards 2:25:04 New chest choice rewards: parsteel, tritanium/crystal, or dilithium/gas 2:27:29 The catch: individual gains but total material decrease 2:29:17 Where did the Latinum go? 2:33:52 Overlap window confusion and spending strategy 2:35:20 How much old currency you can still spend 2:40:01 Show close, socials, Patreon, and final thanks

New Promo CodePromos of the WeekClaim Free OrbsFavorite Big HeadsDorky to ScopleyShadow Conclave Kit RevealCC return for real this time.CHAD Event wk2Annihiuls Kit Redacted Dimension & Eclipse Events extendedBattleworld BackQuasar Event ReturnEnvoy Twitch DropsCheck Out My RAID Channel: https://www.youtube.com/@ValleyFlyinRAIDDownload RAID today➡️https://t2m.io/ValleyFlyinRaid_Mar26 to get exclusive bonuses available through this link only ✅ 1 - Right Away: Narma, At Level 10: Uugo, At Level 20: Fayne, At Level 30: Venomage✅ 2 - Legendary SUN WUKONG via promo code MONKEYKING ⚡️OR Legendary ALICE via promo code GETALICE ⚡️OR Legendary TURVOLD via promo code BIGDAWG ⚡️ OR Legendary RAZELVARG via promo code GOFAST ⚡️OR Legendary CHESHIRE CAT via promo code KITTYCUT⚡️OR Legendary ULTIMATE DEATH KNIGHT via promo code UDKING ⚡️OR Legendary PELOPS THE VICTOR via promo code RAID7 ⚡️(You can redeem only 1 promo code of your choice as a new player)Check out the BEST Graphic Tees from INTOTHEAM!Get 10% off site-wide when you click the link below:http://intotheam.com/ValleyFlyin#MarvelStrikeForceOther Sponsors:LD Player: https://bit.ly/LDPMFRBluestacks 5: http://bit.ly/VFBlueMore ValleyFlyin:Valleyflyin Merch: http://bit.ly/VFMerchDiscord: http://bit.ly/valleyflyinTwitter: https://twitter.com/valleyflyinInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/valleyflyin/Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Valleyflyin/Twitch: http://bit.ly/vftwitchPatreon: http://bit.ly/VFPatreonSupport the show

Tonight's Talking Trek takes a different shape with a true fireside chat cast takeover as the crew steps in for a relaxed, wide-ranging conversation without DJz and Griffin at the helm. What starts as a casual hangout quickly turns into a deep dive on PVP banding changes, incursions, alliance support, and whether STFC's current combat structure actually rewards the right kind of gameplay. The panel explores everything from possible instanced PVP systems and event redesign ideas to War Room progression, warmonger research, and how players at different ops levels experience the game very differently. As the conversation evolves, the episode shifts into strategy mode with practical talk around battle logs, Apex Barrier, Apex Shred, officer choices, and progression planning for players trying to squeeze more value out of their account decisions. This one has the feel of a late-night Trek lounge mixed with a mechanics workshop: funny, thoughtful, occasionally chaotic, and full of the kind of player-driven discussion that makes the Talking Trek community special. #StarTrekFleetCommand #STFC #TalkingTrek #Incursions #PVP #StarTrekGaming #MobileGaming   00:00 Cast takeover begins without DJz and Griffin 05:00 Maintenance update and when the PVP banding change actually starts 13:05 Debating whether tighter PVP ranges would help or hurt the game 18:17 Thunderdome-style instanced PVP systems for incursions 24:20 Alliance support, ship imbalance, and the reality of high-end combat 30:00 War Room progression, tactical warmonger research, and limited-life primes 39:00 Why players believe Scopely is still adjusting incursions and watching feedback 49:26 Solo armada meta predictions and cloaked hit-and-run strategies 55:17 A Kobayashi Maru-style event idea with brutal but meaningful rewards 01:03:00 One last warning before maintenance locks in the new banding rules 01:14:25 Why raw ops level alone does not tell the full PVP story 01:24:49 Game design chaos, account progression, and rebuilding systems over time 01:34:04 Mobile lag, touch controls, and why phone players feel pain faster 01:45:06 Apex Shred explained: what it is and why it matters 01:53:57 Why Apex Barrier scaling makes long fights dramatically harder 02:00:00 Reading battle logs correctly when officer abilities do not display cleanly 02:09:56 Picard vs. Harrison for long-term account growth 02:19:29 Why stopping at tier four can be smarter than maxing officers early 02:29:28 Relativity, hostile scaling, and practical ship advice for ops 67 players 02:44:23 Final officer recommendations and choosing immediate gains vs long-term value

Lured Up Podcast 387 - Clutch Your Pearls Live Streamed on - 3/17/2026 Publish Date - 3/19/2026 We switched up the show format this week as the community news was too good to hold off on discussing. Social media was on fire thanks to a hit piece style tweet from a non-credible source was viewed over 20 million times. It shared the horrors of Niantic building a network to train automated pizza delivery robots using data collected through Pokémon GO. The pearl clutching and fauxrage was rampant with so many feigned gasps of air coming mainly from X. We look at the actual article that sparked interest in Niantic Spatial's dealings from the MIT Technology Review. We discuss how Niantic's vision for a complete 1:1 digital to IRL map of the world has always been the goal. Could we have known that pizza delivery robots would be amongst the fist to benefit from the map? Of course not but it is amazing to see Niantic's vision start to be realized. The VPS is an amazing tool and LLM that Pokémon GO, Ingress, and Wayfarer have always been a part of. Wayfinders and keepers of the Gameboard have been enthusiastic about being a part of this process. Anyone saying they had no idea that this GPS based game is tracking our GPS data is simply feigned ignorance.  We run through some wishlist ideas that we have for the game, where the gameboard and environment is the focus. From persistent AR instances to the introduction of HMs allowing you to traverse different terrains, the gameboard truly is paramount to our experience. The question is, with Niantic Spacial separating from the Niantic brand which was acquired by Scopely, will we ever see the technology behind the VPS be utilized in PGO going forward. Finally we recap the last week of gameplay including the Pokopia Event and Scorbunny Community Day. We have some new Event announcements and nao everything out on our Google Calendar.  Newsforce Hit Piece MIT Technology Review Dexerto Article Niantic Spatial VPS Pokopia Event Scorbunny Community Day Fashion Raid Day April Community Day Stay up to date by adding our Google Calendar to your account! LuredUp@PokemonProfessor.com     Voicemail and SMS: 732-835-8639  Grab some merch: https://crowdmade.com/collections/professornetwork  Connect with us on multiple platforms! https://linktr.ee/PokemonProfessorNetwork  Hosts Ken Pescatore Adam Tuttle Writer and Producer Ken Pescatore Executive Producer  Xander Show music provided by GameChops and licensed through Creative Commons ▾ FOLLOW GAMECHOPS ▾ http://instagram.com/GameChops http://twitter.com/GameChops http://soundcloud.com/GameChops http://facebook.com/GameChops http://youtube.com/GameChops http://www.gamechops.com Intro Music Lake Verity (Drum & Bass Remix)  Tetracase GameChops - Ultraball http://gamechops.com/ultraball/ https://soundcloud.com/tetracase  https://soundcloud.com/MegaFlare0 Break Music National Park Mikel & GameChops GameChops - Poké & Chill http://smarturl.it/pokechill https://twitter.com/mikel_beats Outro Music Vast Poni Canyon CG5 & GlitchxCity (Future Bass Remix) GameChops - Ultraball http://gamechops.com/ultraball/  http://soundcloud.com/cg5-beats https://soundcloud.com/glitchxcity Pokémon And All Respective Names are Trademark and © of Nintendo 1996-2025 Pokémon GO is Trademark and © of Niantic, Inc.Lured Up and the Pokémon Professor Network are not affiliated with Niantic Inc., The Pokémon Company, Game Freak or Nintendo. #pokemon #pokemongo #podcast Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

This podcast was recorded as a live video twitch stream, however, there's a lot of good conversation AND important arc information contained, especially starting at 1 hour, so we wanted to share all of the shenanigans. Enjoy!   The stream opens with big “we're back on land” energy and immediately turns into a warm roll call of familiar names, cruise survivors, and chat antics. DJs and Griffin rehash the Star Trek cruise week and the post-cruise meetup, painting it as equal parts community-hug-fest and comedy show, with food, drinks, darts, merch, and a steady drip of lovingly roasted memories. A huge chunk of the early show is basically a victory lap for the community: how many people showed up, how organically Fleet Command seemed to be everywhere on the ship, and how meaningful it was seeing alliance mates traveling together like it's a family reunion with warp cores. There's also peak “DJz life” content in the form of shield-check chaperones (plural), banana-hat signatures, and the reminder that mining plus PvP habits create… opportunities… for raids. They also spend time shouting out behind-the-scenes production and community helpers, including how much one-on-one coaching and tool-sharing happened onboard (the vibe is “Fleet Command office hours… but on a ship”). It's an affectionate nod to the playerbase being the real engine room: people teaching, sharing, solving, and generally keeping the galaxy spinning even when the game tries to throw a wrench into the replicator. Then the stream shifts into “Arcfall Eve briefing” mode: the arc launches tomorrow, maintenance is coming, and the goal is to get viewers pointed in the right direction before reset. They outline how the upcoming loop is structured around rotating tasks and progression gates, with rewards tied to building upgrades and faction-style advancement. In particular, the show highlights that tasks rotate (weekly cadence implied) and that some tasks require specific building levels to even unlock. A key theme in the mid-to-late segment is the “feelings of value” conversation: why rewards may look smaller or more fragmented now, how currencies are spread across systems, and how that impacts player satisfaction even if the total value is “supposed” to be there. They frame it as an intentional design direction, but also validate the frustration and keep the focus on how to navigate the loop efficiently rather than emotionally faceplanting into it. Finally, the stream gets very tactical about the Conqueror Borg Solo Armadas component: they call out specific research nodes that are described as critical for success (including isolated defense, apex shred, and critical damage reduction versus those armadas), and they clarify how the currency path works: earn via the Maverick track, exchange in a faction store flow, and use the resulting particles to unlock the needed research. They close with rapid-fire reminders, a little merch-and-meme spice, and a clean handoff/raid into the overnight coverage pipeline leading into maintenance. 00:00 – Cold open, vibes, “show starts soon” energy and the crew rolls in 10:18 – Post-cruise glow: shoutouts, meetup love, and the chat parade begins 20:36 – Fleet Command community on the ship: how big it felt this year, and why it mattered 30:54 – Shield babysitters, banana hats, and “why not just pop a week-long shield?” 41:12 – Meet-up wrap: crowd surge, venue heat, swag, engravings, and chaos (the fun kind) 51:30 – Bar stories and “Cheaters” lore; the Friday-night detour saga 01:01:48 – Back to business: pivot from cruise stories toward Arcfall Eve “we've got leaks” mode 01:12:06 – Early Arcfall breakdown: what's coming, what to focus, what to ignore (for now) 01:22:24 – Systems/tasks overview: what rotates, what's weekly, and how the loop is expected to behave 01:32:42 – Specialty buildings + progression talk (including early “this should be reachable” math) 01:43:00 – “Feelings of value” discussion: reward spread across currencies and why it feels different 01:53:18 – More arc loop specifics: currencies, shops, and how the grind is meant to translate into upgrades 02:03:36 – The task/research pipeline starts to crystallize: what gates what, and what to prep tonight 02:13:54 – Conqueror Borg Solo Armadas: the must-have research callouts begin 02:24:12 – Currency flow explained: Maverick track → faction store exchange → research particles → nodes 02:34:30 – Practical warnings: don't faceplant into new content without the right research setup 02:44:48 – Continued “how to not waste directives” guidance and tomorrow-proofing your first-day choices 02:55:06 – Final Arcfall Eve reminders: what to watch at maintenance, what to do immediately after reset 03:05:24 – Closing stretch: meme-making, merch chatter, and “Scopely please fix this in the next 3 hours” 03:15:40 – Sign-off + raid plan: handing off to Warp Drive Five and teeing up next-day coverage

Lured Up Podcast 384 - The Scopely Effect Live Streamed on -2/24/26 Publish Date - 2/27/26 Happy Pokémon Day! This episode is releasing on a very important day, and we hope everyone has an excellent time. Niantic has given us an incredible amount of information, not just about events, but about the new Season and some significant changes that are coming! We start with a recap of the last week of gameplay including The Lunar New Year Event and the kickoff to the Road to Kalos. If you have been feeling like things have been building towards something, you have been feeling correctly. We will be seeing major changes to event and scheduling structures, a move away from event tickets to GO Passes, and some fun QOL updates like the ability to catch evolved form Shinies in the wild. Memories In Motion will be the potential dawn of a new era, with all of the announcements kicking off with the start of the new season. ITL Kalos Tour gave us a preview of the new Mega System. Link Charges have caused a stir online, however we feel strongly that they are a massive win for Trainers as a no cost option to Raid.  The March Content Update has been met with mixed reviews. Niantic's new strategy seems to give us even less news than before, which was already a sore spot. With the top secret debut of Mega Dragonite, it does feel good to be pleasantly surprised.This all feels very calculated, and we will keep a close eye on it over the Season. Our final discussion takes a macro look at the upcoming changes. For better or worse, the Scopely Effect is beginning to take shape. Is the Community ready to embrace the change, or will they form a resistance? Time will tell, and we are exceptionally here for it all. Lunar New Year Road To Kalos Early Bonus Road To Kalos New Mega System Memories In Motion March Content Update Scorbunny Community Day Stay up to date by adding our Google Calendar to your account! LuredUp@PokemonProfessor.com     Voicemail and SMS: 732-835-8639  Grab some merch: https://crowdmade.com/collections/professornetwork  Connect with us on multiple platforms! https://linktr.ee/PokemonProfessorNetwork  Hosts Ken Pescatore Adam Tuttle Writer and Producer Ken Pescatore Executive Producer  Xander Show music provided by GameChops and licensed through Creative Commons ▾ FOLLOW GAMECHOPS ▾ http://instagram.com/GameChops http://twitter.com/GameChops http://soundcloud.com/GameChops http://facebook.com/GameChops http://youtube.com/GameChops http://www.gamechops.com Intro Music Lake Verity (Drum & Bass Remix)  Tetracase GameChops - Ultraball http://gamechops.com/ultraball/ https://soundcloud.com/tetracase  https://soundcloud.com/MegaFlare0 Break Music National Park Mikel & GameChops GameChops - Poké & Chill http://smarturl.it/pokechill https://twitter.com/mikel_beats Outro Music Vast Poni Canyon CG5 & GlitchxCity (Future Bass Remix) GameChops - Ultraball http://gamechops.com/ultraball/  http://soundcloud.com/cg5-beats https://soundcloud.com/glitchxcity Pokémon And All Respective Names are Trademark and © of Nintendo 1996-2025 Pokémon GO is Trademark and © of Niantic, Inc.Lured Up and the Pokémon Professor Network are not affiliated with Niantic Inc., The Pokémon Company, Game Freak or Nintendo. #pokemon #pokemongo #podcast Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

On today's MadTech Daily we look at eBay acquiring Depop for USD$1.2bn, Amazon overtaking Walmart in annual revenue, and Scopely agreeing a $1bn deal for a Turkish game developer.

Scopely has acquired a majority stake in Loom, the Istanbul-based studio behind the mobile game Pixel Flow!. The acquisition is structured as a multi-year, performance-based agreement, valuing Loom at over $1 billion. Pixel Flow! has been played by more than 10 million people worldwide since its launch in late 2025 and is the only casual game in the past year to enter the top-20 grossing charts in the United States. The partnership aims to leverage Scopely's ecosystem to support Loom's creative autonomy and expand Scopely's development capacity in Turkey, a region known for its gaming talent.Learn more on this news by visiting us at: https://greyjournal.net/news/ Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

We recap the Clash Royale creator controversy and CEO apology, dig into what's broken with evolutions, heroes, and pay-to-win, and debate whether streamers can actually drive a comeback. We also cover Savvy's rumored MoonTon deal, Blizzard's updates across Overwatch, Diablo, and WoW, the slowdown in mobile games, the frozen state of M&A, and a reality check on AI in games - from hype to hard limits.00:25 Welcome & Episode Lineup (No More Car Talk)01:52 Rumor Mill + Why We're Skipping Matthew Ball (For Now)03:10 GDC Plans, Events, and Content Plug Roundup06:00 Ad Break: Sensor Tower Pitch06:20 Clash Royale Creator Controversy Recap + CEO Apology09:44 What's Actually Broken in Clash Royale: Evolutions, Heroes & Pay-to-Win11:45 Do Streamers Drive the Revival? Twitch Data, Correlation vs Causation13:02 PR Playbook Debate: Groveling vs Proactive Creator Celebration21:53 Savvy's Buying Spree: $6–7B MoonTon Rumor (Mobile Legends)27:15 Overwatch Drops the “2”: DAU Surge, Live Ops, and Monetization Revamp32:43 Blizzard's comeback tour: Diablo drops, WoW housing & Overwatch's 10-year arc35:49 Mobile check-in: Habi's 2026 slump and the post-Survivor.io reality38:16 The real engine behind Habi: Gorilla Games and the “publisher outgrown” problem40:36 M&A hypotheticals: Scopely, Savvy, and why deals feel frozen right now42:36 AI in games debate: calling out the hype and what actually changes the medium44:50 Why AI won't make games cheaper: IP moats, attention scarcity, and AI-native platforms49:17 East vs West AI reality check: layoffs, pipeline bottlenecks, and player backlash risk57:03 Embark as an AI efficiency poster child? The smoke, mirrors, and AAA cost skepticism01:01:43 Closing thoughts: mobile growth is over, share-of-time wars, and next week's plug

Cheryl Platz, Cheryl Platz, former UX Director for Riot Games, Scopely and Author of "The Game Development Strategy Guide," returns to The Product Experience to explore how video game design principles can transform product development. From her time at Riot Games and Marvel Strike Force to teaching at Carnegie Mellon, Cheryl shares hard-won lessons about player motivation, onboarding, and building products that thrive. Discover why competition is no longer the primary driver of modern gaming, how a children's game taught her about gendered design assumptions, and how she turned a catastrophic server outage into a UX win that made Reddit happy.Chapters06:03 Game development is cloud services plus filmmaking07:08 The problem with silos in game studios08:24 “Modern” games: live service, messy business models, shifting tastes09:58 Defining a game: players decide if you got it right11:41 Motivators of play and why they matter to product people12:26 Disney Friends: the moment a playtest rewrote the design17:19 Classic vs modern motivators: what technology changed20:41 The research that challenged the “games are competition” assumption22:36 Why game lessons translate to enterprise software (and where gamification goes wrong)25:19 Pro-social design: trust, safety and communities at scale28:33 Designing for companionship and shared experiences34:43 Onboarding as growth strategy, not a “nice to have”37:38 Journey mapping 100 levels: making invisible drop-off visible39:25 On-demand learning beats one-and-done tutorials41:58 Advice for people trying to break into games during layoffs44:36 Turning a sixth anniversary outage into a UX win Our HostsLily Smith enjoys working as a consultant product manager with early-stage and growing startups and as a mentor to other product managers. She's currently Chief Product Officer at BBC Maestro, and has spent 13 years in the tech industry working with startups in the SaaS and mobile space. She's worked on a diverse range of products – leading the product teams through discovery, prototyping, testing and delivery. Lily also founded ProductTank Bristol and runs ProductCamp in Bristol and Bath. Randy Silver is a Leadership & Product Coach and Consultant. He gets teams unstuck, helping you to supercharge your results. Randy's held interim CPO and Leadership roles at scale-ups and SMEs, advised start-ups, and been Head of Product at HSBC and Sainsbury's. He participated in Silicon Valley Product Group's Coaching the Coaches forum, and speaks frequently at conferences and events. You can join one of communities he runs for CPOs (CPO Circles), Product Managers (Product In the {A}ether) and Product Coaches. He's the author of What Do We Do Now? A Product Manager's Guide to Strategy in the Time of COVID-19. A recovering music journalist and editor, Randy also launched Amazon's music stores in the US & UK.

Send us a textThis week,We kick things off with a bumper batch of WhatsApp voice messages, as listeners weigh in on everything from recent events to hot takes that definitely spark debate. Then it's time for a full Pokémon GO catch-up, covering Into the Depths, Dynamax Ho-Oh, and Vulpix Community Day, including how we played, what worked, and what left us a bit… incensed!Next up, the results of the latest Incensed! Poll are revealed: Is Gengar actually over-rated? Milo brings the verdict, and yes, opinions are slightly divided.In The News, we break down a stacked run of upcoming events including Road to Kalos, Lunar New Year 2026, and Valentine's Day 2026, plus the return of Pokécoins in the February GO Pass. What's worth your time, what's skippable, and how should trainers prepare?There's also an AI Arnie interlude, because… of course there is, before Milo hosts another round of Shiny Happy Pokémon, where bragging rights are on the line.We wrap up with #ShiniesOfTheWeek, celebrating the best catches from the Incensed! community.We'd like to say a massive thank you to all of our Patrons for your support, with credited Patrons from featured tiers below:#GOLDJB, Kerry & Zachary, Barside2, Mandy Croft, Mr Mossom, DeanDHL, Masterlaxus42, DamonMac08 & MissSummerOf69 and BigBoyBaz.#SILVERKLXVI, Dell Hazard, Spindiana, Lori Beck, Steve In Norway, CeeCeeismad, Macfloof, Saul Haberfield, Lizzie George, Sander Van Den Dreiesche, Neonnet, Ellen Rushton, James Alexander, Northern Soph, Tom Cattle, Charley Todd, Robert Wilson, Malcolm Grinter, Jordi Castel, Thehotweasel, shinyikeamom, TonyOfPride, Joohno, Malcolm Burgess, mrj4ck4l, littlestsparkle, Zontok, Allex & DJMeadyMead.  #BRONZEWe'd like to thank everyone on this tier for you support.Support the showFind us on Niantic Campfire: CLICK MESend us a voice message on WhatsApp: +44 7592695696Email us: contact@incensedpodcast.comIf you'd like to buy merch, you can find us by clicking HERE for U.K. store, HERE for U.S. Oceana store or copy this link: https://incensedpodcast.myspreadshop.net/ for U.K. store or this link: https://incensed-podcast.myspreadshop.com/ for U.S. Oceana store!Hosted By: PoGoMiloUK, Ian Waterfall & Masterful 27. Produced & Edited By: Ian Waterfall & PoGoMiloUK. Administrators: HermesNinja & IAMP1RU5.Pokémon is Copyright Gamefreak, Nintendo and The Pokémon Company 2001-2016All names owned and trademarked by Nintendo, Niantic, The Pokémon Company, and Gamefreak are property of their respective owners.

00:01 – Welcome to Arcfall Eve, live show kickoff, hosts settle in 07:45 – Arcfall timing confusion, maintenance expectations, missing teaser discussion 15:30 – Travel chaos, snowed-in stories, real-life logistics before content week 23:10 – February arc expectations and “January-level difficulty” framing 30:55 – Early speculation: dailies pressure and player preparedness concerns 38:40 – Resource bottlenecks introduced: Sigma Tritanium vs parts 46:25 – Generator debate begins: usefulness, vault caps, and misconceptions 54:10 – Escalating disagreement on generators, storage, and production logic 01:02:00 – Transition to deeper systems talk and market/building implications 01:09:45 – New buildings, empty pads, and unspoken February mechanics 01:17:30 – Critical release humor and emotional damage expectations 01:25:15 – What won't save you this arc: packs, shortcuts, and prep myths 01:33:00 – Player behavior patterns and how Scopely designs friction 01:40:45 – Long-term progression philosophy vs short-term efficiency 01:48:30 – Battle simulator tease and future discussion planning 01:56:10 – Community reactions, chat engagement, and live clarifications 02:03:45 – Wrapping February expectations and content scheduling 02:11:20 – Final thoughts on Arcfall Eve and readiness mindset 02:18:30 – Show close, upcoming streams, and sign-off

00:01 – Cold open, welcomes, server shout-outs, and setting the tone for the Jan Arc wrap-up 07:15 – Introduction of guest MJ Hat and overview of the Rebirth / V'ger arc discussion goals 14:10 – Early Challenge Track impressions and ops-level difficulty spikes 21:45 – Community innovation, officer “debuff list” mechanics, and unintended solutions 28:55 – MJ Hat's personal arc: streaming growth, new baby, and community support 36:10 – Dailies as the true progression barometer and ops-level readiness discussion 43:25 – Mid-ops vs high-ops experience and how progression speed has changed over time 01:00:40 – Call-ins begin: player sentiment on Challenge Track pacing and difficulty 01:09:30 – Excelsior value debate: utility, sourcing, and long-term relevance 01:18:45 – V'ger hostiles, Apex Barrier mechanics, and ops 68–70 danger zone 01:28:20 – Research, artifacts, and overlooked systems impacting survivability 01:37:55 – PvE vs PvP priorities, territory warfare, and armada culture 01:47:10 – Community benchmarks vs FOMO and Scopely's progression signaling 01:56:30 – Mid-game acceleration, passes, and whether the “mid-ops problem” is fixed 02:05:45 – Additional call-ins and regional server perspectives 02:15:10 – What Rebirth got right: experimentation, challenge, and engagement 02:24:35 – What missed the mark: clarity, scaling, and communication gaps 02:33:20 – Final community ratings and improvement recommendations 02:42:15 – Closing thoughts, future arc expectations, and sign-off

00:01 – Cold open, weather check-in, community roll call, and show setup 05:30 – Griffin's absence, early banter, and server chatter 10:45 – Veil raid story, resource losses, and “for the kids” war humor 16:30 – Early arc framing and what tonight's wrap-up will (and won't) cover 22:00 – Snowstorm stories, real-life chaos, and delayed show context 28:30 – Official transition into arc wrap-up discussion 00:34:15 – Challenge Track overview and first impressions 00:40:10 – Critiques of Challenge Track perfection requirements 00:46:00 – Historical comparisons: Silence, Freebooters, Zindi, and Separatists 00:52:30 – Difficulty expectations vs modern player tolerance 01:00:45 – Officer performance discussion and shard value 01:10:20 – Ship utility talk, Excelsior expectations vs reality 01:20:10 – Event pacing, timers, and missed-day penalties 01:30:00 – Monetization discussion and “battle pass fatigue” debate 01:40:30 – Community feedback trends and survey planning 01:50:15 – Arc highlights: what worked and what didn't 02:00:30 – Server disparity, ops scaling, and accessibility concerns 02:10:45 – Lessons learned from the arc and Scopely design signals 02:22:30 – Forward-looking speculation and upcoming system hints 02:35:00 – Final thoughts, community appreciation, and show close-out

Send us a textThis week,We kick things off with a full Grookey Community Day wrap-up, comparing how we played the event across very different locations — with Mark chilling in his home town with bestie Ash, while Ian, Milo and Francesco took Pokémon GO to Diddly Squat Farm. Expect flexes, highlights and honest thoughts on the event.Next, we revisit last week's Incensed! Poll, diving into the debate around the most underwhelming Pokémon — who won, who lost, and why some answers caused serious discussion. Ian then leads us through WhatsApp voice messages from listeners before we hit the news.Into the Depths gets the spotlight in News Part 1, followed by our full High Zaptitude Event review, sharing how we played, what worked, what didn't, and any spicy catches worth flexing.In News Part 2, we break down February Community Day featuring Vulpix and Alolan Vulpix, the wider February content update, and a big Kalos Tour update, including newly announced Megas and the Mega Night experience for in-person events.We wrap up with a quick-fire round of The Generation Game, hosted by Ian, before closing with everyone's Shinies of the Week.We'd like to say a massive thank you to all of our Patrons for your support, with credited Patrons from featured tiers below:#GOLDJB, Kerry & Zachary, Barside2, Mandy Croft, Mr Mossom, DeanDHL, Masterlaxus42, DamonMac08 & MissSummerOf69.#SILVERKLXVI, Dell Hazard, Spindiana, Lori Beck, Steve In Norway, CeeCeeismad, Macfloof, Saul Haberfield, Lizzie George, Sander Van Den Dreiesche, Neonnet, Ellen Rushton, James Alexander, Northern Soph, Tom Cattle, Charley Todd, Robert Wilson, Malcolm Grinter, Jordi Castel, Thehotweasel, shinyikeamom, TonyOfPride, Joohno, Malcolm Burgess, mrj4ck4l, littlestsparkle, Zontok, Allex & Nick Mead.  #BRONZEWe'd like to thank everyone on this tier for you support.Support the showFind us on Niantic Campfire: CLICK MESend us a voice message on WhatsApp: +44 7592695696Email us: contact@incensedpodcast.comIf you'd like to buy merch, you can find us by clicking HERE for U.K. store, HERE for U.S. Oceana store or copy this link: https://incensedpodcast.myspreadshop.net/ for U.K. store or this link: https://incensed-podcast.myspreadshop.com/ for U.S. Oceana store!Hosted By: PoGoMiloUK, Ian Waterfall & Masterful 27. Produced & Edited By: Ian Waterfall & PoGoMiloUK. Administrators: HermesNinja & IAMP1RU5.Pokémon is Copyright Gamefreak, Nintendo and The Pokémon Company 2001-2016All names owned and trademarked by Nintendo, Niantic, The Pokémon Company, and Gamefreak are property of their respective owners.

00:01 – Cold open, welcome back, Season 7 kickoff, and server shout-outs 06:45 – Technical chaos, camera setup banter, and live-stream realities 13:30 – Sponsor spots, giveaways, and community appreciation 20:05 – Cheesecake giveaways, shipping stories, and community reactions 27:10 – Arc timing clarification and “final weekend” discussion 33:00 – Starfleet Academy talk, Trek fandom reactions, and internet discourse 39:20 – Transition to STFC focus and interim schedule discussion 46:10 – January progress check: what players focused on this arc 52:40 – Prep mindset for Galactic Rush and future content pacing 01:00:30 – How January choices impact February efficiency 01:07:45 – Spending styles: whales vs grinders vs planners 01:15:20 – Community goal-setting across ops levels 01:23:10 – What “finishing a loop” really means in modern STFC 01:31:40 – Alliance tournaments, repair tokens, and resource drains 01:39:15 – Player burnout, pacing issues, and expectation management 01:47:05 – Interim events as a strategic reset window 01:55:30 – Trust, communication, and Scopely's recent improvements 02:03:50 – Community feedback, long-term planning, and realism checks 02:12:40 – Final thoughts on preparation, flexibility, and adaptation 02:21:10 – Wrap-up, reminders, shout-outs, and sign-off

Lured Up Podcast 377 Live Streamed on - 1/6/26 Publish Date - 1/9/26 We are back from our holiday break and ready to get back on the grind! We hope everyone had a great end to 2025 and a positive outlook on 2026. From everyone at the Pokémon Professor Network, we hope you have the Happiest of New Years. Trainers woke up this week to a major spawn point shuffle, with reports of house spawns updating from 10 to as few as 2. Keep in mind you will hear more about the bad stuff than the good, but there have also been reports of spawns increasing in other areas. Our best hunch is this could either have been influenced by an update to the game's feed from Open Street Map or it is Niantic slash Scopely trying to influence where we play the game. We will have to pay attention to the community to find out if increases are to be found in parks and rural areas.Unfortunately, Niantic Support has been spreading some seemingly incorrect reasoning for the updates, which will only add to confusion and upset Trainers. This week brings a new Dex entry with Klauf and a new Shiny with Dhelmise during the Pinch Perfect event. Field Research should keep you busy looking for the Win a Raid task which could bring you either of the two of the event's featured Pokémon. This weekend is going to be great with Kyurem Fusion Raid Day. Thanks to GO Hub, we will run through the best counters for each of the four Raids from the event, with four separate Battle Parties, as well as a single party you can use for all of the Raids during the event. The January GO Pass is here with the major reward being a Lucky Trinket. End Game Trainers may think it has a little less value, as the post 70 Lucky Friend grind is bringing Trainers multiple Lucky Friends a week. The total rewards as a whole still give the GO Pass great value, with the free version still providing some fun and consistent and daily gameplay. We wrap up with a chat about some of our plans for the new year, including some IRL short form video and some travel for events. We can't wait to roll things out soon! Spawn Point Shuffle New Year's Event 2026 Piplup Community Day Pinch Perfect Kyurem Fusion Raid Day Black Kyurem GO Hub White Kyurem GO Hub Reshiram GO Hub Zekrom GO Hub January GO Pass Stay up to date by adding our Google Calendar to your account! LuredUp@PokemonProfessor.com     Voicemail and SMS: 732-835-8639  Connect with us on multiple platforms! https://linktr.ee/PokemonProfessorNetwork  Hosts Ken Pescatore Adam Tuttle Writer and Producer Ken Pescatore Executive Producer  Xander Show music provided by GameChops and licensed through Creative Commons ▾ FOLLOW GAMECHOPS ▾ http://instagram.com/GameChops http://twitter.com/GameChops http://soundcloud.com/GameChops http://facebook.com/GameChops http://youtube.com/GameChops http://www.gamechops.com Intro Music Lake Verity (Drum & Bass Remix)  Tetracase GameChops - Ultraball http://gamechops.com/ultraball/ https://soundcloud.com/tetracase  https://soundcloud.com/MegaFlare0 Break Music National Park Mikel & GameChops GameChops - Poké & Chill http://smarturl.it/pokechill https://twitter.com/mikel_beats Outro Music Vast Poni Canyon CG5 & GlitchxCity (Future Bass Remix) GameChops - Ultraball http://gamechops.com/ultraball/  http://soundcloud.com/cg5-beats https://soundcloud.com/glitchxcity Pokémon And All Respective Names are Trademark and © of Nintendo 1996-2025 Pokémon GO is Trademark and © of Niantic, Inc.Lured Up and the Pokémon Professor Network are not affiliated with Niantic Inc., The Pokémon Company, Game Freak or Nintendo. #pokemon #pokemongo #podcast Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

On this week's episode of the Wayspotters Podcast, Jamal and Chris hit rewind on 2025 and take a month-by-month look at how Wayfarer really changed — not just through updates and announcements, but through reviewer behavior, community strategy, and shifting trust in the system. This isn't a “Niantic did this” or “Scopely did that” episode. It's about us — the reviewers, nominators, veterans, and newcomers who adapted as the rules stayed mostly the same, but the reality around them didn't. In Part 1, we cover January through June 2025, including: Reviewer fatigue and growing inconsistency early in the year How supporting info, upgrades, and edits quietly lost trust The moment skepticism replaced benefit-of-the-doubt Community adaptation through Discords, strategy sharing, and mentorship The impact of Niantic's games business being acquired by Scopely Think of this episode as the Wayfarer yearbook — fewer signatures, more opinions. Here's what we're talking about: Why 2025 felt different in Wayfarer — even before anything officially changed Reviewer fatigue, inconsistency, and the rise of “will this pass?” thinking How supporting information became the real battleground The growing distrust in edits, upgrades, and appeals When skepticism replaced benefit-of-the-doubt How the community adapted through strategy, Discords, and peer leadership The ripple effects of Niantic's games business being acquired by Scopely Show Credits Hosts: Jamal Harvey & Chris Bell Writer: Jamal Harvey Producer: Jamal Harvey Executive Producer: Kate Konz Show Historian: Matty G Recorded: December 23, 2025 Published: December 28, 2025 Season 4, Episode 51 Contact Us ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠wayspotters@pokemonprofessor.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠  Voicemail / SMS: 704-426-3710  Support the Show  Patreon: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠patreon.com/PokemonProfessor⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠  Website: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠wayspotters.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠  Follow! Instagram: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@wayspotterspodcast⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Twitter/X: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@wayspotters⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ TikTok: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@imakewayspots⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ YouTube: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@WayspottersPodcast⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Twitch: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠twitch.tv/pokemonprofessornetwork⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Community & Friends Wayfarer Discord: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠discord.gg/niawayfarer⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ German Wayfarer Discord: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠discord.gg/ThTZCZH5⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Facebook Group: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠facebook.com/groups/2241761169257836⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Solstice:

Carkol and Coalossal are about to make a splash into PvP, Winter Holiday Part 2 is coming, EUIC 2026 breaks registration records, and the listeners provide a ton of good suggestions for Scopely... Get The Battle Catz Podcast merchandise here: https://the-battle-catz-podcast-shop.fourthwall.com/ Where to find us! YouTube - https://youtube.com/@thebattlecatzpodcast X - https://twitter.com/BattleCatzPod Caleb Peng YouTube - https://youtube.com/calebpeng  X - https://twitter.com/CalebPeng Twitch - https://twitch.tv/calebpeng  HurricaneKaz X - https://x.com/thehurricanekaz Steve YouTube - https://www.youtube.com/PvPSteve X - https://x.com/PvPSteve1 Twitch - https://twitch.tv/PvPSteve7 Podcast - https://www.youtube.com/@GdayBattlers Twastell X - https://x.com/pogoTwastell 0:00:00 - Intro & In Game Events 0:20:27 - GO Battle League 0:48:06 - Championship Series 1:05:54 - YouTube Comments

00:49 – Show open, holiday greetings, and massive live server sound-off 06:29 – Festivus, Diwali, Yule, and “everyone is included” holiday chaos 09:55 – Return of Stupid News and podcast throwback energy 10:40 – Christopher Nolan's The Odyssey and pop-culture headlines 12:40 – Cruise culture jokes, Disney controversy, and odd news reactions 15:32 – Audience reactions and grading the return of Stupid News 16:45 – Jules Verne joins the stage for a major community announcement 18:12 – Jules Verne officially announced for Star Trek Cruise IX (face reveal!) 19:40 – Talking Trek creator lineup revealed for the 2026 cruise 21:12 – Cape Canaveral meetup details, free tickets, and community plans 23:59 – Cruise meetups, swag, giveaways, and Scopely proximity jokes 25:00 – Cruise production upgrades, multi-camera streaming, and backpack tech discussion 27:15 – Streaming quality upgrades: 1080p60, bitrate increases, and Twitch limits 28:02 – Cruise panel restrictions, permissions, and appeal process explained 30:02 – Jules Verne impact on the community and long-term influence discussion 31:55 – Griffin exits; transition from announcements into year-end reflection 32:45 – Setting the tone for the 2025 retrospective and honest assessment 34:55 – Framing the discussion: best features, officers, and QoL of 2025 36:35 – G7 launch and regional/Veil space as a major gameplay shift 38:55 – Claim-All refinery button praised as top QoL improvement 41:05 – Squall ship impact across G5–G7 progression and loop value 44:40 – Evergreen officer discussion: Joaquin (Wrath of Khan) breakdown 48:30 – Regional chat, server interaction, and MMO identity finally realized 53:10 – Panel consensus, chat feedback, and comparative perspective vs 2024 58:20 – Wrapping the first hour: momentum, lessons learned, and tone shift 01:02:00 – Transition into 2025 year-in-review discussion 01:08:30 – Honest reflection: was 2025 better than 2024 for STFC? 01:15:20 – G7 launch, Veil space, and regional chat impact 01:21:45 – Joaquin (Wrath of Khan) and evergreen officer design discussion 01:28:40 – Claim-All button praised as best QoL improvement of the year 01:36:10 – Squall ship breakdown and why the loop still matters 01:52:30 – Regional gameplay, Veil chat interactions, and community scale 02:18:40 – Panel feedback, chat consensus, and feature prioritization 02:47:55 – Final thoughts on 2025 progress, lessons learned, and momentum

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 delivers the full stat-packed breakdown of Monopoly GO! in this essential Notorious Mass Effect segment. Scopely's free-to-play mobile Monopoly phenomenon since April 2023 has surpassed 150M+ downloads, maintains ~10M daily active users, and shattered records with $5B+ lifetime revenue – the fastest casual mobile game ever to $1B (7 months), $2B (10 months), and $3B (15 months). October 2025 revenue hit $69M while November estimates reach $151M, keeping it in the global top 5 grossing apps. Analytic Dreamz dives into the addictive core loop of dice rolls, property building, and rent collection, plus Shutdown and Bank Heist minigames, nonstop live ops events, sticker trading, and dice-driven monetization. Current Thanksgiving Partners event (Nov 25-30) rewards the Festive Pumpkin Token, 5K dice, and Wild Sticker for completing four friend builds, while the recent Fall Feast (62 levels, 20K+ dice) fueled Harvest Racers. Full reward tables, Hasbro's $112M 2024 earnings share, and ARPDAU of ~$0.50 all covered. Support this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/analytic-dreamz-notorious-mass-effect/donationsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

Lured Up Podcast 369 Live Streamed on -10/29/25 Publish Date - 10/31/25 The two-part Halloween Event is just about a wrap, and we're sure everyone's storage is packed with costume Pokémon that need to be transferred. This year brought a nice blend of new and previously released costumes, the Shiny Hunt played perfectly into the Halloween spirit. Sinister Spotlight Hour was one of the most exciting in a long time, and it was a blast looking for Antique forms on top of the grind. After having the rare weekend off last week, this weekend brings GMAX Garbodor which we will get you prepared for thanks to a Max Battle Guide and Battle Party. We take a look at GO Hub and Pokebattler and lay out our teams, with Ken going for defense and Adam on the attack. Let us know who you will be bringing to take on GMAX Garbodor and how you do with the event! Looking out into November we have the Enchanted Hollow and Into the Wild Events on the calendar. November's GO Pass brings back the Lucky Trinket, which seems to be the most popular reward to the Community. We suggest planning to do a lot of raids during Into the Wild, so you should start looking into boxes of passes now, and stay away from the impulse buys in the moment during the event.  The hot Community topic of the week is brought to you by all the silly Trainers online that are flexing their clearly manipulated Level 80 screenshots. Not only was the internet not impressed, but they were also foaming at the mouth with anger! We discuss the impact of how cheaters can influence motivation of even the most diehard content creators, and the trickle down effect it has on their audience. It's a slippery slope but we love to see the passion. Here's to hoping Niantic slash Scopely's anti-cheat measures do their job! Halloween Part 1 Halloween Part 2 Sinistea Spotlight Hour GMAX Garbodor GO Hub GMAX Garbodor Pokebattler November Content Update Enchanted Hollow Into The Wild GO Pass November New Wild Area Info Level 80 Grind Stay up to date by adding our Google Calendar to your account! LuredUp@PokemonProfessor.com     Voicemail and SMS: 732-835-8639  Connect with us on multiple platforms! https://linktr.ee/PokemonProfessorNetwork  Hosts Ken Pescatore Adam Tuttle Writer and Producer Ken Pescatore Executive Producer  Xander Show music provided by GameChops and licensed through Creative Commons ▾ FOLLOW GAMECHOPS ▾ http://instagram.com/GameChops http://twitter.com/GameChops http://soundcloud.com/GameChops http://facebook.com/GameChops http://youtube.com/GameChops http://www.gamechops.com Intro Music Lake Verity (Drum & Bass Remix)  Tetracase GameChops - Ultraball http://gamechops.com/ultraball/ https://soundcloud.com/tetracase  https://soundcloud.com/MegaFlare0 Break Music National Park Mikel & GameChops GameChops - Poké & Chill http://smarturl.it/pokechill https://twitter.com/mikel_beats Outro Music Vast Poni Canyon CG5 & GlitchxCity (Future Bass Remix) GameChops - Ultraball http://gamechops.com/ultraball/  http://soundcloud.com/cg5-beats https://soundcloud.com/glitchxcity Pokémon And All Respective Names are Trademark and © of Nintendo 1996-2025 Pokémon GO is Trademark and © of Niantic, Inc.Lured Up and the Pokémon Professor Network are not affiliated with Niantic Inc., The Pokémon Company, Game Freak or Nintendo. #pokemon #pokemongo #podcast Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

In this episode of The Story of a Brand Show, I sit down with Lauren Kleinman, Founder of Dreamday and Co-founder of Quality Media. Lauren shares her journey from working at Ritual and Scopely to building not just one, but two thriving agencies that are reshaping how brands approach PR, affiliate, and paid media. Her story is rooted in curiosity, courage, and a clear vision for how the media landscape is evolving. What stood out to me is how Lauren built Dreamday around the idea of “performance PR,” combining traditional press with measurable ROI through affiliate links. Then, she and her partners created Quality Media to bring media buying, creative, and paid amplification under one roof.  Together, the agencies form a closed loop where press, content, and paid all fuel each other, driving growth and brand equity in ways most agencies can't match. Here are some highlights from our conversation: * How Dreamday coined the concept of “performance PR” and why it's more relevant than ever.   * The origin story of Quality Media and its unique performance publishing model powered by The Quality Edit.   * Why the media landscape is shifting to diversified channels, such as TikTok, Substack, and even ChatGPT search.   * How AI is reshaping agency work and why Lauren calls Dreamday and Quality Media “people-first, AI-enabled agencies.”   * Lauren's personal journey as a mom, yoga teacher, and leader striving to create workplaces that become the highlight of her team's careers.   Join me, Ramon Vela, as I listen to the full episode to hear how Lauren is building intentional, future-ready agencies while staying grounded as a leader. This is a must-listen for founders, marketers, and anyone curious about the future of brand storytelling and performance marketing.   For more on Dreamday, visit: https://www.dreamday.la/ For more on Quality Media, visit:  https://www.qualitymedia.com/ If you enjoyed this episode, please leave The Story of a Brand Show a rating and review.  Plus, don't forget to follow us on Apple and Spotify.  Your support helps us bring you more content like this! * Today's Sponsors: Saral - The Influencer OS: https://www.getsaral.com/demo SARAL is the all-in-one influencer platform that finds brand-aligned creators, automates outreach, and manages everything in one place. Request a live demo today. Let the SARAL team know you're a The Story of a Brand Show podcast listener to get an extended free trial! Visit the link above.