UNBOXING: Play and Profit for the Gaming Curious

Apple and Epic Games both allow the sale of NFTs on their platform. Does that mean crypto gaming is on its way back to haunt developers? Guest star legal expert Tim Hwang explains why Take-Two lost a lawsuit around tattoos. And we answer a listener's question on the balance between inflation, Covid, and a new hardware cycle.

Google discontinuing its cloud gaming service Stadia is disappointing but was entirely predictable. Laine and Joost discuss what it means for the future of the celestial arcade. Razer and Logitech decide the world needs more handhelds but do we though. And Netflix Games is starting a studio in Helsinki.

GTA6 springs a leak, Twitch slows its (dice) roll on gambling streams, and the hosts weigh in on online games being used for extremist recruitment. Plus: a little love for Trombone Champ.

Nintendo and Sony announce their big deal title line-up, we explore the justification of a $70 price tag for premium games, and why the world needs more farm simulators. Wonky editing courtesy of Joost traveling.

Tencent's purchase of yet another piece of Ubisoft opens a deep dive into the origins of the games industry. Laine shares data on the devices that students own, and we discuss the changing demographic makeup of people interested in the field.

Laine and Joost introduce the UNBOXING podcast, discuss the start of the fall semester, the perils of teaching video games, and respond to the news from the UK where lawmakers are threatening to block the Microsoft acquisition of Activision Blizzard.