Real Time Strategy

Kaitlyn, Sam, and special guest Trisha Hershberger exit the vault this week to review Prime Video’s Fallout. They discuss how well it adapts Bethesda’s beloved game franchise, spoilers from the first two episodes, and what other game adaptations can learn from the series.

Timecodes:

00:00:00 – Intro

00:01:45 – Trisha’s Favorite Fallout Games

00:13:50 – Life in a Fallout Vault

00:19:51 – Trisha’s Fallout Premiere Experience

00:22:...

IGN’s creative staff formed the IGN Creators Guild this year to collectively work toward a stronger, more equitable workplace. IGN video editor and guild member Chelsea Miller joins Kaitlyn and Sam to explain why the IGN Creators Guild was founded, how it’s brought the staff closer together, and what the union hopes to accomplish next.

Timecodes:

00:00:00 – Intro

00:08:37 – Chelsea’s Cults, Cryptids and Conspiracies podcast

00:30...

Larian Studios isn’t making a Baldur’s Gate 3 sequel or expansion, Rockstar may miss Grand Theft Auto’s “early 2025” launch window, and Dragon’s Dogma 2 launched with a surprising, and to some upsetting, range of microtransactions. Sam and Kaitlyn discuss these headlines, as well as their favorite (and least favorite) April Fool’s gags this year.

Timecodes:

00:00:00 – Intro

00:06:03 – Best and Worst of April Fools' Day 2024

00:20...

Entertainment journalists Lin Codega and Chase Carter launched Rascal News, an independent outlet covering tabletop roleplaying games, in February. One month later, they join Sam to discuss why they launched the reader-supported, worker-owned outlet, their love for tabletop, and why passionate journalists tell the best stories.

Timecodes:

00:00:00 – Intro

00:02:03 – Lin’s Movie, Book, and TV Recommendations

00:04:54 – Chase’s Gam...

World of Darkness – a connected story universe including Vampire: The Masquerade, Werewolf: The Apocalypse, and more – is coming off its most successful year ever in 2023. Jason Carl, brand marketing manager for World of Darkness and storyteller for the “By Night” actual play series, joins Sam and Kaitlyn to dive deep into the universe, what makes it different from other transmedia brands, and why World of Darkness succeeds as a li...

It’s finally time for Kaitlyn and Sam to flex their love for movies. This week, they discuss the 2024 Academy Awards and how Hollywood’s biggest night compares to gaming’s awards slate. They break down where The Game Awards, DICE Awards, and BAFTA Games Awards stand in the gaming industry, how a video game adaptation could be recognized at the Oscars, and what upcoming adaptation stands the best shot at a nomination.

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0...

PlayStation and EA laid off hundreds of people last week, adding to the thousands of people affected by layoffs in the games industry in 2024. Sam and Kaitlyn discuss why layoffs are sweeping the industry, what they mean for the state of AAA game development, and how PlayStation and EA’s cuts signal major changes for their content strategies.

Timecodes:

00:00:00 – Intro

00:02:27 – The Games Industry’s Layoff Epidemic 

00:04:24 – ...

Lysfanga: The Time Shift Warrior reinvents the hack ‘n’ slash genre by empowering players to rewind time and fight with an army of their past selves. Thibault Legouet, game director and lead game designer at Sand Door Studio, joins Sam to discuss Lysfanga’s innovative combat, its origins as a student project, and the challenges of making a game where you can play co-op with yourself.

Timecodes:

00:00:00 – Intro

00:01:44 – Thibaul...

Xbox is staying in the hardware and exclusives business, PlayStation has no “major existing franchise titles” this year, and Nintendo’s next console is reportedly delayed to 2025. Sam and Kaitlyn break down the state of the first parties and what their strategies mean for major gaming franchises, as well as share their favorite (and least favorite) media from the Presidents' Day weekend.

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00:01:33 – Kaitlyn Discovers EA...

A record-breaking Super Bowl, Disney’s $1.5 billion Fortnite deal, and rampant speculation about Xbox’s multiplatform future dominated this week in pop culture, so Kaitlyn and Sam break it all down on this week’s episode.

Timecodes:

00:00:00 – Intro (Super Bowl Chat)

00:04:07 – Favorite Super Bowl Commercials

00:10:10 – Deadpool & Wolverine Trailer

00:19:51 – Disney and Epic Games Partner for Massive Fortnite Deal

00:40:10 – ...

Spawn On Me founder Kahlief Adams joins Sam to discuss The Spawnies, his annual awards show celebrating game developers. This year marks the third annual Spawnies, airing February 29, and Kahlief breaks down the making of the show and its mission to recognize underrepresented artists.

Timecodes:

00:00:00 – Intro (Kahlief’s Dream Co-Host for The Spawnies)

00:03:54 – What Are The Spawnies?

00:14:47 – How Kahlief Plans The Spawnies

...

IGN executive editor Tom Marks joins Sam and Kaitlyn to discuss his new position leading game reviews at IGN and how the outlet approaches reviews of remasters like The Last of Us Part II Remastered, Early Access games like Palworld, and titles with staggered launches like Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League.

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00:00:00 – Intro (Tom’s Most Anticipated Indie Games of 2024)

00:07:49 – Becoming Executive Editor of Review...

Kinda Funny Xcast host Mike “SnowBikeMike” Howard joins Sam and Kaitlyn to preview Xbox’s year ahead. The trio reviews Xbox’s Developer Direct presentation, discusses the platform’s big 2024 releases (Indiana Jones and the Great Circle, Senua's Saga: Hellblade II, Avowed), and predicts what we’ll see from Xbox’s summer showcase.

Note: This episode was recorded and published before Microsoft announced its gaming layoffs, so we wer...

Artificial intelligence was the hot tech topic of 2023, and 2024 will be no different. Kaitlyn Red Wing and Sam Mosher dig into the industry’s evolving relationship with AI, how legislation and workers’ groups will affect AI usage, and how AI does (or does not) relate to the Switch 2’s launch. Then the duo closes out with their impressions of Prince of Persia: The Lost Crown and HBO’s The Last of Us season two casting news.

Timec...

Two months ago, Nick Calandra and The Escapist’s former video team launched Second Wind after Nick was fired. Today, Second Wind has over 400,000 YouTube subscribers and over 14,000 Patreon supporters. Nick joins Sam Mosher and Kaitlyn Red Wing to discuss Second Wind’s success, the business of independent content creation, the failings of corporate ownership, and more.

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00:00:00 – Intro (Nick’s Most-Anticipated Games of...

A new year means new games, so Kaitlyn Red Wing, Mel Gazazian, and Sam Mosher share their most anticipated releases and predictions for 2024. Topics include Hades II, Nintendo’s next console, and the big game adaptations coming to TV and film this year. Then the trio closes out the episode with their favorite media from the holiday break.

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00:00:00 – Intro

00:01:13 – Gifts we gave and received this holiday

00:14:54 – 20...

It’s the most wonderful time of the year — Game of the Year season — so PC Gamer global editor-in-chief Evan Lahti joins us to break down how PC Gamer picks the best games of every year. He also pulls back the curtain on other PC Gamer projects, including game adaptation coverage, the PC Gaming Show: Most Wanted showcase, and the Top 100 PC games list.

Timecodes:

00:00:00 – Intro (Evan’s Holiday Backlog)

00:07:55 – PC Gamer’s Gam...

The Game Awards 2023 was jam-packed with trailers (Light No Fire!), surprises (Blade!), and celebrities (Jordan Peele!), but did it give enough time to the awards themselves? Kaitlyn Red Wing, Mel Gazazian, and Sam Mosher review this year’s show, discuss how it can better celebrate developers, and share their favorite announcements.

Timecodes:

00:00:00 – Intro

00:04:57 – The Game Awards 2023 Review

00:17:27 – Awards vs. Announcem...

The Grand Theft Auto VI trailer is finally here, so Kaitlyn Red Wing and Sam Mosher break it down, discuss its leak, and predict how Rockstar will show the game next. As if that trailer wasn’t enough, Fortnite and Amazon Prime’s Fallout series released huge trailers this week, so the duo also digs into Fortnite’s new experiences (Lego Fortnite, Rocket Racing, Fortnite Festival) and whether Amazon’s game adaptation is shaping up to ...