Longtime friends and games media colleagues Vinny Caravella, Brad Shoemaker, and Alex Navarro share their combined decades of knowledge, expertise, and passion for games with weekly discussions about what they're playing, what's happening in the industry, and whatever else they're up to.
https://audioboom.com/channels/5116059-the-nextlander-podcast
episode 136: Secret Swifties
Will Smith (of game development and Fortnite-streaming fame) joins us this week to unpack the mass Xbox/Activision/Blizzard layoffs and the general state of the games business, plus Tekken 8, more with Prince of Persia and Like a Dragon: Infinite Wealth, the secret language of grade schoolers, Taylor Swift's nation-state status, and more.
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CHAPTERS
(00:00:00) NOTE: Some timecodes may be inaccurate for versions other than the ad-free Patreon version due to dynamic ad insertions. Please use caution if skipping around to avoid spoilers. Thanks for listening.
(00:00:10) Intro
(00:00:56) Welcome Will Smith to the show!
(00:03:09) What is Taylor's Version?
(00:13:37) Tekken 8 [PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S] on Jan 26, 2024
(00:34:33) Fortnite and Lego Fortnite
(00:39:43) Tunic [Xbox Series X|S, PC (Microsoft Windows), Mac, Xbox One] on Mar 16, 2022
(00:44:07) Rounds [PC (Microsoft Windows)] on Apr 01, 2021
(00:48:20) Palworld [PC (Microsoft Windows), Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S] on Jan 19, 2024
(00:59:37) Sea of Stars [Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S] on Aug 29, 2023
(01:02:49) Like a Dragon: Infinite Wealth [PC (Microsoft Windows), PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S] on Jan 26, 2024
(01:07:05) [SPOILERS] Prince of Persia: The Lost Crown [PC (Microsoft Windows), Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5] on Jan 18, 2024
(01:25:18) The state of video games
(01:25:50) Microsoft layoffs and cancellations
(02:05:50) Is the end near for physical releases?
(02:12:02) Eidos layoffs and cancellations
(02:12:50) Sega also has layoffs
(02:17:54) Suicide Squad giving in-game currency to early access players
(02:25:26) Switch 2 updates
(02:39:37) Emails
(02:43:27) Wrapping up and thanks
(02:44:24) Mysterious Benefactor Shoutouts
(02:46:04) Thanks Will Smith!
(02:47:37) See ya!