Episode 588: Microsoft Buys ZeniMax

September 23, 2020| Jonah Falcon| 0 Comment| 11:35 pm

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So, a day before the Xbox Series X preorder launch (which after the podcast was a complete shitshow), Microsoft drops the mic by announcing they just essentially purchased The Elder Scrolls, Fallout, Prey, DOOM, and other major properties. Not much else to talk about, really.

The game news includes:

Microsoft purchases ZeniMax for $7.5B
Bethesda’s overhauling its engine for Starfield and The Elder Scrolls 6
Former Skullgirls developers have launched a new studio called Future Club
Hades has sold 1m copies
Blizzard confirms BlizzCon 2021 dates

Let us know what you think.

EA Feels The 310 Million Dollar DaggerEA Feels The 310 Million Dollar Dagger

Halloween is a scary time of year, no less when you’re posting a $310 million net loss. EA CEO John Riccitiello sees “weakness” at retail in October and we’re betting this isn’t the end of the road of sorrow for game publishers around the globe.

Electronic Arts isn’t unfamiliar with bad times and we’re sure to see them make constant adjustments to their headcount, game releases and press as the economy goes into a bit of a slump. Although the game industry won’t see as big a hit as the financial market, everyone is going to watch their spending during slower economic times.

That slowness is a red flag for the mega-publisher, which says it’s “proactively making cost adjustments now.” One of those adjustments is the axing of some 600 EA employees across the globe. (Kotaku)

Last year Electronic Arts lost a “small” $195 million during the same time, not exactly a gold star on the financial records but it sure looks better than this loss. A few games may crumble under the economic pressures, Tiberium for example, but let us not forget the good times! EA posted some nice figures for Spore, Madden NFL 09, Warhammer: Age of Reckoning and Mercenaries 2: World in Flames.

So, they mixed a few sequels with a few new franchise hits and gave gamers some pretty hot titles for the year. Of course, hot titles in our hand do not always translate to positive revenue in theirs.

Episode 362: Getting PoliticalEpisode 362: Getting Political

This week’s episode gets a little political as certain factions get into the videogame discussion and have some interesting ideas about them, which is enough to get Paul a little angry and a lot disappointed.

This week’s news includes:

Rust creator: “I’d have done the same thing” on Mojang deal
Conservative group issues video lambasting gaming’s feminist critics
Trade your violent games in for ice cream in California
Xbox games may soon be streamed to PC

This episode also features the Question of the Week discussion about preorders and bonus content.

Episode 574: Naked People On BikesEpisode 574: Naked People On Bikes

The podcast returns after a week off, and Scott also returns. The Gaming Flashback is another imfamous title, Acclaim’s BMX XXX, something Dave Mirra definitely did not approve of. The news features all sorts of Nintendo Switch items, too.