The GamesIndustry.biz Microcast

In an absolutely packed episode, the team discusses the biggest stories of the week -- starting, of course, with the postponement of GDC 2020. Matt, Chris and James talk about the fallout of the event's cancellation, the tough decisions that would have been made behind the scenes, and how the organisers' optimistic plan for a summer event might manifest. We also delve into the impact the event's cancellation will have had on those who invested heavily in this trip, from developers and publishers to speakers and job-seekers. The industry has rallied around its colleagues to provide a number of relief initiatives, but with the coronavirus continuing to spread around the globe, what other events may be affected? We're then joined by Brendan to elaborate on his thoughts about TIGA's principles for protecting players and discuss what more trade bodies and the rest of the industry can do to demonstrate responsibility when it comes to the audience's finances and personal data. Finally, Rebekah takes a few moments away from PAX East to tell us more about her recent trip to GameStop's concept stores in Tulsa, Oklahoma, where the troubled retailer is testing new models to drive footfall and sales. As always, you can get your daily dose of news, insight and analysis into the world behind video games at www.gamesindustry.biz. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Matthew, Brendan, Rebekah and James discuss the latest headlines, predominantly focusing on the ongoing impact of the COVID-19 outbreak. With Sony and Facebook -- and, since recording, Kojima Productions -- withdrawing from GDC 2020 and the cancellation of Mobile World Congress, the consequences for the event space are perhaps the most obviously felt. But there are also continuing reports of delays and disruptions to manufacturing, which could potentially see one or both next-generation consoles delayed into next year. We discuss how the industry has been coping with these developments so far, and speculate as to how plans for launching PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X (among other things) might change as efforts to combat the virus continue. We also discuss the recent news that Kickstarter has unionised, and reflect on what it took for this decision to be made so soon after the tech firm was accused of union busting. As always, you can get your daily dose of news, insight and analysis into the world behind video games at www.gamesindustry.biz. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This week Haydn, Matt, Brendan, Chris, and Marie gather around the old GamesIndustry.biz Podcast campfire to discuss the keynote speech Tim Sweeney offered up at DICE recently.  Although mainly focused on things like open platforms, the Epic Games CEO took a confusing and ill-advised detour into the world of politics and games.  Crammed into the final few minutes of a half-hour speech, Sweeny made several conflicting and vague remarks, leaving the GamesIndustry.biz staff more than a little baffled.  The other big news up for discussion is the state of E3, which many pundits believe is in an increasingly precarious position since Sony announced it would skip the conference for a second year running.  This was compounded by the announcement that media personality Geoff Keiley will not produce the E3 Coliseum this year -- the first time he has not participated in E3 in 25 years.  Finally, Disney said it was looking for developers to reimagine its IP for games, following the success of Marvel's Spider-Man and Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order. What iconic Disney properties would the staff like to see reimagined? You can download the podcast here to find out.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Haydn, Brendan and Chris discuss the biggest stories of the past week, starting with Microsoft's bold claims as to who its biggest competitors are. Phil Spencer recently claimed Xbox's future will see it stand up against the likes of Amazon and Google, rather than its historical rival PlayStation. We unpack this statement, and take a closer look at Microsoft's position in the wider tech and games industry, as well as ponder the crossover between the platform holders and the infrastructure they use. We also discuss the surprise departure of Rockstar Games co-founder Dan Houser and debate whether this will have as significant an impact on the company as some might think. On a similar note, we take a look at Rod Fergusson's departure from the Gears of War team and what his reputation as 'the fixer' might mean for Diablo 4. Finally, we reflect on Cliff Bleszinski's suggestions for why LawBreakers failed and the role his politics played in the games design. You can get your daily dose of news, insight and analysis into the world behind video games at www.gamesindustry.biz. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

As we barrel through yet another financial season, Rebekah, Brendan, and Chris ask the all important question: do numbers matter? With Microsoft posting a 21% decline in game revenue while celebrating an increase in subscriptions, the traditional metrics for success aren’t as straightforward as they used to be.  Nintendo’s success last year comes with fewer caveats, however, hitting or exceeding all of its targets; Pokémon Sword and Pokémon Shield sold over 16 million units, while Luigi’s Mansion 3 sold over five million copies to become the fastest-selling game of the series.  Finally, the recent release of Warcraft 3: Reforged has sparked a fun new mess of problems for Blizzard, after it was revealed the company holds total ownership of all custom games built with the system. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

James, Marie and Haydn are on hand to discuss the biggest topics of the past week, including crunch, class-action lawsuits and coins tossed to Witchers. The big topic of the week is Doom Eternal executive producer Marty Stratton's comments that the team "crunched pretty hard" for most of 2019 and, despite the four-month delay, continued to do so in the run-up to the game's completion.  We once again discuss the potentially harmful attitudes towards crunch across the industry and potential solutions by which studios can reduce the pressure on their staff. Before that, we delve into the latest developments of the gender discrimination class-action lawsuit against Riot Games, and the allegations that the League of Legends developer may have been trying to minimise the amount it has to pay out (potentially up to $400 million). We also discuss Paradox Interactive's trial for a subscription to Europa Universalis 4, addressing the ongoing criticism against the studio's DLC strategy, and speculate as to whether other games and franchises could benefit from such a model. Finally, we touch on the success of Netflix's The Witcher series and weigh in contributing editor Rob Fahey's prediction that more streaming services will be tapping into games IP for future productions. As always, you can get your daily dose of news, insight and analysis into the world behind video games at www.gamesindustry.biz. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Matt, Marie and James discuss the biggest topics of the week, starting with Microsoft's plans for Xbox Series X. The platform holder recently revealed that the next-generation console will have no exclusive titles to begin with, instead allowing games to play across both Series X and the Xbox One family of devices. While this inevitably raised questions as to how the platform holder hopes to shift units without system-selling games, our contributing editor Rob Fahey observed that this is the next natural step in Microsoft's bid to create an 'evergreeen games platform.' We discuss our own thoughts on Xbox's plans for the next generation, and the potential stumbling blocks the platform holder faces as it asks the entire games industry -- and the games-buying public -- to embrace a new business model. Then we turn our attention to a little news of our own: the launch of the GamesIndustry.biz Academy. We share more about its origins, its goals and how you can get involved in expanding this ongoing and free resource. If you want to reach out, you can email academy@gamesindustry.biz. As always, you can get your daily dose of news, insight and analysis into the world behind video games at www.gamesindustry.biz. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Rebekah, Chris and Brendan come together for a special edition of the podcast, discussing this week's biggest news: Sony will not be attending E3 for the second year in a row. While the platform holder has other plans to get the PlayStation 5 in front of the masses ahead of its launch this Christmas, including attendance at "hundreds" of other consumers events throughout the year, we ponder some of the reasons the company has opted out of the industry's biggest annual showcase. We also discuss why so many major publishers, such as EA, have diminished or removed their E3 presence over the past few years, and speculate as to how the ESA can transform the event in a way that wins them back. As always, you can get your daily dose of news, analysis and insight into the world behind video games at www.gamesindustry.biz. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Matt, Chris, Rebekah and James gather round their mics to discuss the biggest stories of the past week. First up, we discuss the revived conversation around Battlestate Games' Escape From Tarkov and the developer's various excuses for the lack of playable women in the game. Six years on from the Assassin's Creed Unity debacle, we explore whether reasoning such as the "huge amount of work needed with animations" still stand up (if they ever did).  Next, we continue the conversation about the rumoured Switch Pro and the ongoing rumours that Nintendo will release one this year. Our contributing editor Rob Fahey questions whether such a strategy would be prudent, and the rest of the team is somewhat divided. Finally, we talk about Nintendo and Game Freak's plans to drop the traditional third/alternative/Ultra edition and follow up Sword & Shield with DLC that introduces brand new regions. We discuss why this is a step in the right direction for the future of the series, and try to understand why first content pack is modeled on the Isle of Man (of all places). As usual, you can get your daily dose of news, insight and analysis into the world behind video games at www.gamesindustry.biz. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Brendan, Rebekah, Chris and James kick off the year with a roundtable discussing our hopes, predictions, expectations and utter pipe dreams for the year ahead. Following our roundup of analyst predictions for 2020, we offer our own thoughts on what might be the biggest topics and trends of the year -- almost inevitably centring around the arrival of new consoles next Christmas. We also touch on what Nintendo's plans might be in a year were Sony and Microsoft will likely dominate much of the discussion, how Google Stadia can hope to improve its standing following a shaky launch, whether we'll seen any major developments in the VR space, and the potential (or perhaps lack thereof) for a new disruptive subscription service. Woven into the conversation are thoughts on some of the biggest games already announced or teased for the year, the ones we're looking forward and how we believe the launch of the next generation might affect them. As always you can find your daily dose of news, analysis and insight into the world behind video games at www.gamesindustry.biz Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices