The Easy Allies Podcast

November’s NPDs give us a clearer picture of what everyone wanted and was able to buy when next-gen launched, before we also dig into reports of EA outbidding Take Two for Codemasters and evaluate the big 3’s big ideas on “Safer Gaming.” But the real breaking news is Cyberpunk’s continued launch woes, including a hot headline hitting while the podcast was rolling. 00:00:37 - Corrections 00:05:15 - Silver Lining 00:07:19 - November NPDs 00:27:13 - EA’s bid for Codemasters 00:41:39 - A Word From our Sponsors 00:49:23 - “Shared Commitment to Safer Gaming” 01:02:54 - Cyberpunk 2077 Updates 01:26:56 - Also This Week... 01:34:09 - L&R - Holiday break backlogs 01:36:03 - L&R - PS1 demake requests 01:37:51 - L&R - Game: Fastest Any% Speedrun 01:43:03 - L&R - Most broken game we’ve played 01:44:15 - Time for Bets 01:48:54 - Closing Go to http://logitechg.com to get the G923 TRUEFORCE Sim Racing Wheel today! Go to http://gabi.com/allies to find out how much Gabi can save you! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The Game Awards changes its format but still delivers plenty of surprising announcements and winners. We rattle off our favorite moments from the annual ceremony and share the early bugs, memories, records, and scandals of Cyberpunk 2077’s launch. 00:00:49 - Corrections 00:02:11 - Silver Lining 00:03:24 - Game Awards Top Headlines 00:41:55 - Game Awards Other News 01:04:26 - A Word From our Sponsors 01:08:30 - Game Awards Winners 01:23:07 - Cyberpunk 2077’s Launch 01:54:18 - Also This Week... 02:02:36 - L&R - Game: Huber Quote Quiz 02:07:10 - L&R - Least ideal gaming circumstances? 02:11:06 - Time for Bets 02:16:17 - Closing Use code EASYALLIES for $5 off your first 5 orders when you download the Postmates app or sign up online! Go to http://luminskin.com/allies to get a one-month free trial of everything you need to start your skincare journey at home! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

BioWare says goodbye to a pair of creative leads and faces an uncertain future, and 2020’s Black Friday weekend isn’t as lucrative as expected. Still, things are looking bright for Travis Scott’s bank account, Super Nintendo World’s impending launch, and Aardman Animations’ newest IP. 00:00:38 - Corrections 00:02:12 - Silver Lining 00:03:42 - Casey Hudson and Mark Darrah leave BioWare 00:24:27 - Super Nintendo World Sneak Peek 00:39:00 - A Word From Our Sponsor 00:41:57 - Black Friday 2020 digital decline 00:53:26 - Aardman and Bandai Namco's new IP 00:59:33 - Travis Scott's $20m Fortnite payout 01:04:53 - Also This Week... 01:11:10 - L&R - Black Friday gift card sales 01:13:58 - L&R - Why do bad side quests exist? 01:18:25 - L&R - Game: Worms or Frauds? 01:20:38 - L&R - Most memorable boss battle? 01:22:41 - L&R - Any hope for digital libraries? 01:27:10 - Time for Bets 01:31:44 - Closing Go to http://logitechg.com to get the G923 TRUEFORCE Sim Racing Wheel today! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Random glitches with our fancy new consoles continue including PS5 crashes and Xbox loading issues. While we wait for a fix, it’s therapeutic to celebrate a new sequel announcement, discuss the current state of gaming mental health, and share what we’re thankful for from this tumultuous year. 00:00:40 - Corrections 00:02:10 - Silver Lining 00:03:17 - Neo: The World Ends With You announced 00:15:19 - Next-Gen console jitters 00:41:58 - A Word From Our Sponsor 00:44:05 - Oxford mental health and games study 01:04:52 - What were thankful for from 2020 01:14:30 - Also This Week... 01:24:53 - L&R - How do you deal with FOMO? 01:27:41 - L&R - Bluepoint's next remake? 01:29:58 - L&R - Remember Overwatch 2? 01:31:16 - L&R - What MK 11 character would you replace? 01:33:24 - L&R - Game: Mash It or Trash It? 01:38:47 - Time for Bets 01:43:09 - Closing 01:44:32 - Producer Credits Go to HelloFresh.com/allies90 and use code allies90 to get $90 off including free shipping! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The Game Awards have been announced, so we have to discuss the inevitable shoe-ins and snubs. Also, IOI and 007 join forces, initial next-gen sales numbers come out of Japan, Twitch has a record October, and Embracer Group can’t stop buying companies. 00:00:35 - Corrections 00:04:38 - Silver Lining 00:05:30 - The Game Awards nominees announced 00:30:52 - Project 007 announced 00:38:47 - A Word From Our Sponsors 00:41:48 - Next-Gen sales numbers from Japan/UK 00:51:39 - Embracer Group buys 13 new studios 01:01:37 - Twitch sees record viewership in October 01:09:54 - Also This Week... 01:18:29 - L&R - Could Microsoft's DRM plan return? 01:23:59 - L&R - Game: New Faces in New Places 01:27:20 - L&R - Genres due for a departure? 01:30:58 - L&R - Australia is in a funky place 01:34:29 - Time for Bets 01:38:41 - Closing Go to http://buyraycon.com/allies today to get 20% off your Raycon order! Go to http://everyplate.com and enter code allies3 to get 3 weeks of EveryPlate meals for only $2.99 per meal! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Whether you bought them and they actually shipped or not, the launch of the PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X|S means the next-generation is now the current generation. We follow the updates and odd reports surrounding both consoles before guessing Q4’s total revenue and predicting Square Enix’s future based on their recent financial ups and downs. 00:00:51 - Corrections 00:02:00 - Silver Lining 00:02:51 - PlayStation 5 Launch 00:21:17 - Xbox Series X|S Launch 00:32:00 - A Word From Our Sponsor 00:34:59 - Q3 NPDs 00:45:03 - Square Enix 2021 Predictions 01:02:15 - Also This Week... 01:04:31 - Take-Two Buys Codemasters 01:09:18 - Dead by Daylight's New Villain 01:15:29 - L&R - What's your playground game? 01:17:30 - L&R - Language preference in games? 01:24:10 - L&R - Will we ever get a slim PS5? 01:25:35 - L&R - Why advertise consoles you can't buy? 01:26:55 - L&R - Easing European PS5 delay frustration 01:30:17 - L&R - What console would you be? 01:32:37 - Time for Bets 01:37:11 - Closing Go to http://hellotushy.com/easyallies to get 10% off! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Only one week remains until the PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X|S are upon us, so it’s time to grade the marketing, hardware, and games of both consoles. What wins and losses led us to where we are, and what expectations should we have for launch week? 00:00:59 - Corrections 00:02:31 - Silver Lining 00:03:43 - Xbox Series X Next-Gen Report Card 00:51:43 - A Word From Our Sponsor 00:55:11 - PlayStation 5 Next-Gen Report Card 01:28:34 - Also This Week... 01:35:11 - L&R - What'll be in the gen, after? 01:38:55 - L&R - Real or Fake: Town Edition 01:43:57 - L&R - What generation is the Switch? 01:45:28 - L&R - Launch titles with good vibes? 01:49:15 - Time for Bets 01:55:07 - Closing Use code EASYALLIES for $5 off your first 5 orders when you download the Postmates app or sign up online! Go to http://luminskin.com/allies to get a one-month free trial of everything you need to start your skincare journey at home! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

We finally got to touch the PS5 and Xbox Series X with our bare hands, so how do we feel about next-gen now? We also cope with perhaps the nastiest Cyberpunk 2077 delay yet, contrast Sony’s latest quarter financials with its personal next-predictions, and say goodbye to the Nintendo Partner Showcase series of 2020. 00:00:38 - Corrections 00:02:22 - Silver Lining 00:03:29 - Next-gen consoles unboxed 00:17:57 - Cyberpunk 2077 delayed 21 days 00:35:32 - A Word From Our Sponsor 00:39:46 - Sony Q2 2020 Earnings 00:58:04 - The final Nintendo Partner Showcase of 2020 01:17:20 - Also This Week... 01:28:14 - L&R - Which horror game ranked higher? 01:35:40 - L&R - Not-scary horror game recommendations 01:37:38 - L&R - Do question marks incentivize exploration? 01:43:18 - L&R - What games used the Dualshock 4 touch pad? 01:45:43 - Time for Bets 01:52:06 - Closing 01:55:33 - Producer Credits Go to http://hellofresh.com/ALLIES80 and use code ALLIES80 to get a total of $80 off across 5 boxes, including free shipping on your first box! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Gaming’s bottom line is looking good, with another NPD that brings record-breaking results for multiple games. But your average streamer’s bottom line is in jeopardy, with Twitch purging video collections that use licensed music. Also, Ubisoft Connect follows a trend of service updates, and Devolver Digital buys Serious Sam. 00:00:00 - Opening 00:00:53 - Corrections 00:03:29 - Silver Lining 00:04:23 - September 2020 NPDs 00:28:59 - Twitch DMCA videos deleted 00:46:15 - A Word From Our Sponsor 00:48:32 - Ubisoft Connect 01:00:06 - Devolver Digital acquires Croteam 01:06:30 - Also This Week... 01:12:13 - L&R - How should Dead Space return? 01:16:26 - L&R - Game: K-pop or DS? 01:21:10 - L&R - Is Godfall the Knack of this generation? 01:23:04 - L&R - Is GoT Legends like other loot games? 01:25:35 - Time for Bets 01:29:37 - Closing Go to http://buyraycon.com/allies to get 15% off your order! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

To celebrate our Patron Party event, here's a bonus hour of questions from our $5 tier on Patreon. Moving past the week's headlines our panelists discuss the importance of back-of-the-box art, Sony fatigue versus saving Xbox's reputation, the future of the Ring Fit peripheral, and a few standout co-op releases from this year. 00:00:00 - Opening 00:01:15 - Does the back of the box matter anymore? 00:07:57 - Is there such a thing as "next-gen" for PC? 00:16:16 - Game: Deluxe Edition Doozie! 00:20:15 - Sony fatigue vs Xbox reputation 00:24:54 - Other uses for the Ring Fit peripheral? 00:28:49 - Should game casts get more recognition? 00:40:44 - Game: Dollar Duel 00:44:59 - Standout co-op releases of 2020 00:49:42 - Lengths to preserve your own head canon? 00:54:48 - Game: Find the anomaly Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices