Is XBOX Officially Over | CFG Game Cast
Download MP3Welcome to the CFG Gamecast, a weekly podcast prepared by gamers and streamers who like like to discuss the latest gaming topics from the previous week. We stream a new episode every week, a release on all podcast services, so do us a favor and show us some love by liking, following, subscribing, commenting on our Twitch page, twitch.tv/cfggames, or on our YouTube at the c f g, or go to our main website confreaksandgeeks.com to not miss an episode. I am mister CFG games himself, Davis Green. And with me today, I got my one awesome cohost today. I got pop in the second seat.
Davies:What is going on, pop? How are you doing?
Pop:I mean, he's gonna crash out at the one awesome cohost. I was gonna say he's gonna come back like, wow. I miss one day, and I'm not awesome anymore.
Davies:He's not here. So you know what? The people that show up get get rewarded. There you
Pop:go. Simple as simple
Davies:as that.
Pop:I've been doing good, though.
Davies:I've
Pop:been going through neo three and q one three, trying to plan out things for these upcoming speedrunning events. And next Sunday, I have the GDQ block party where I'll be doing warriors abyss once again. But with the 1.6 update or 1.06, however they do it, it'll it'll be update number six that gets done because, you know, I can't play on update five when the game's been updated to to six. Almost at 400 subs. If I can roll back, I definitely don't know how.
Pop:I've never tried.
Davies:Okay. Interesting. I didn't know that.
Pop:Plus there have been some character balances that have happened in the recent patch that I would not want to roll back cause they've been really good, about how they do character balances and buffs and things. No one's been nerfed to my knowledge. If they nerf someone, then I'll try and find a way to go back. But oh, yeah. I almost have 400 subs on on YouTube after a good week of streaming.
Pop:Mhmm. I think I'm, like, four subs away.
Davies:Nice.
Pop:No. I've probably just been a good week of of gaming. Spring break is on the horizon and after spring break is a home run. It's final the final home stretch of the last
Davies:hometown. Yeah.
Pop:It's like the last five weeks.
Davies:I bet you but who's counting, really? But still
Pop:I am.
Davies:Oh, man. You know
Pop:what Starting tomorrow.
Davies:Yeah. It's funny. So wait. But Kiwami three, though, how are you liking it?
Pop:It's probably around a seven out of 10 for me only because so the combat's good. There are some things that are a little bit questionable. And by questionable, you know how I feel about the getting upgrades in the games and how I'm like, I hate zero because you had dumped so much money into upgrading and unlocking skills. Mhmm. Kiwami three is similar in dark, with, you know, getting the health and attack up, and then you have dojo points, dark ties.
Pop:It's all nothing but money. So freaking Nene is just broke every time I decide to unlock or, like, upgrade one of his his things, I'm just like, it costs it costs money to be strong. I I will say the combat, it is definitely fun. Story, I it's some stuff that got cut from three, like, the orphanage part that was the main part of the story ends up being side ish stuff, and then they add, like, another side thing to be a part of the story. I'm like, they kind of could have kept the orphanage stuff, but that's that's just me.
Pop:I I just feel like it flowed a lot better. It would have flowed a lot better if they would have kept the orphanage stuff. But Mhmm.
Davies:I see.
Pop:But would you say being, that like, the strongest part of the story or the the strongest in the series when it came to the story is now, like, do you want me to read it's definitely I mean, they obviously, it's a remake. Like, so they're we're redoing a lot of things, but it's definitely for me, it's definitely the weaker of the remake.
Davies:But then again,
Pop:they'll still be though.
Davies:Yeah. Was gonna say, three was well, you weren't fans of Kiwami in general or or you just weren't fan of three of the three re just three
Pop:I never liked Kiwami in general. Kiwami one, Kiwami two, I did not like them. They're fun to play, but, like, there were some things that and this isn't like a nostalgia thing or it's not like a, oh, back in my day, it was much better when no. It's it's just one of those things where it's just like there were some things that felt a lot better or made a lot more sense in the original than than just, you know, be like, we're gonna do this now.
Davies:Interesting. That's that's funny. But that no. Well, I I don't know. I I liked Zero.
Davies:I was a fan of Zero. I I've been trying to to finish up Kawami one, but every time I, like, I always put it in the back burner because there's always something else that comes out. So and I do have all of them. I just except for the newest one, the the Pirate Yakuza one.
Pop:I will say Kiwami three and Dark Ties is definitely something that needs to be played after touching infinite wealth because there are some, like, major changes because they announced that they were working on, like, a new because there's gonna be a main timeline and a new timeline. Kiwami three does not make the later games not canon. It's just literally they're they're making a whole universe thing and I'm like, just because Sonic did it, doesn't mean y'all have to. Let these people retire or die. They can't.
Pop:TM.
Davies:It's their catch it's their cash cow, so you know it's not gonna happen.
Pop:Yeah. Yeah. I know.
Davies:So there you go. It's Yeah.
Pop:I feel I feel like we're getting the Persona treatment in a way.
Davies:Well, I don't know. See, but see, Persona's a little different though. Because Persona, they take whatever time they need to finish whatever they need to finish. Like that's why the game always feels kinda or there's always a secondary version of it. But it does it's not like it's manufactured the way like I mean, when's the last Persona?
Davies:Persona five was in five years ago. So maybe six? So it's been a while. Although they have been making
Pop:Strikers is canon but completely different in terms of mechanics.
Davies:Strikers was a spring break trip instead of the whole thing was that's what that was. So it was still a side story. I mean, that's one thing I will say about Persona. They love doing these weird like, you know, the
Pop:the The nautical side stories.
Davies:Yes. Outside the box like Persona five Tactica and like, you know, the dancing one and then and then some other stuff. But like the but when it comes to their core story, they take their sweet their sweet sweet time. And I'm there's no problem with it. I have no problem.
Davies:Hence, I mean, they made Metaphor too, the same group. So I'm like, you know what? Do what you gotta do. You do you boo boo. So so no.
Davies:No. But no. Okay. I was just wanting to get your 2¢ on it because I know we haven't
Pop:really talked It's anything about not a it's not a bad game. Just the I you know how I am about stories. Like and and one of the things that drew me to the franchise was the story itself. That and it's just hilarious how Kiryu is just like, I'm gonna go and live my life. And life itself is like, no.
Pop:No. You're not. You're gonna take everyone's beef and make it your beef.
Davies:Kiryu is just a funny guy. He's like, well Yeah. Like, his just his life in general is just a funny guy. Like, when you really seriously think about all the stuff that he does, like the box car the the what's it called? Not the box car racing.
Davies:The
Pop:Pocket pocket racer?
Davies:Yeah. The pocket racer and, like, going to the disco and doing all these different things. Mean, like Yeah. There's just so many different things that he just it's just the his life you know what? He could possibly be the Japanese version of George Costanza from from from Seinfeld, essentially, when it comes to the Oh my god.
Davies:Because, I mean, no one just is is is in tune with so many random series of unfortunate events and stuff just as much as Kiryu has.
Pop:You're not wrong.
Davies:History. Yeah. So yeah.
Pop:How have you been?
Davies:Oh, man. I've been doing good. I've been I've been preoccupied with releasing our our the first podcast episode of Anime No Kori which is officially out now. Which you can get on any podcast services out there. So go to you can go to animenokori.com.
Davies:We talked about Gatsu Yakuta, and it was a it was a really funny fun discussion. So definitely check that out on podcast services or on YouTube as well. So there you go. Shameless plug. And then also I was going to, you know, this weekend, I just was looking at the walls and I was looking at these my rooms and I was like, I really I really don't like WiFi or wireless especially for, you know, computers and especially when you're streaming, you don't usually wanna put put your stuff on wireless anyways.
Davies:You want hardwire connections. So I was like, you know what? I really wanna get hardwire connections so I decided to start wiring my house like with cat five or cat six connections in the walls to make outlets. And so originally I was like, oh, how much is this gonna cost from a person to do this? And it's like they they were gonna charge like $300 for a total.
Davies:It's like, just put a wall wires down the wall. Wow. And so I was like, no, I I think I could do it myself. So that's what I did. Took me four hours yesterday but I did it.
Davies:I even made my own cables. So like I had to like, I did all of it. So I was just like, okay, cool. So, so just got a spindle, a spool, and then just, had some, just wired the the thing myself. Took a while, but it's definitely worth I still need to make more cables though, because now because I decided to have two ethernet ports in each room.
Davies:So
Pop:it's How did it feel like doing that on your own? Like, was it the like I like, a yeah, I did it kind of like a a gas yourself up kind of moment.
Davies:Not really because I'm a network engineer and that's what I do. Because I know So I I know how to do it. It's just like it's just a matter of being lazy. You know? Mean, because it's a lot of work.
Davies:It is a lot of work regardless because you're going into your attic, you're you're lining the things, you're making sure you're not near any power connections, you're making sure you're going the right way and all that stuff. It's just a lot of things that's just that that that you have to go through, you know. And so so, I mean, I I think in general, if you wanna if you if you always choose DIY, you should always put a pat pat yourself on the back regardless of what you do because you're saving yourself a lot of money and and time and stuff. Just pray to God that it's working. It works the way you're wanting it to.
Davies:That's all. That's all. Yeah. Like my next son the next thing I'm gonna do myself is I'm gonna flush out my own radiator or my own, my water heater. So like that that is gonna be something that I'm gonna be like, am gonna be worried about.
Davies:But still but it's it it saves, like, $500. You know?
Pop:Oh, absolutely. Like Yeah. I actually have a friend that's three d printing what's called this underwire set so I can do my custom cable management under my desk without having to spend, you know, hundreds of dollars getting all these cable management set, cable management kit. I can just, you know, drill a couple of holes on there underneath my tabletop. Mhmm.
Pop:Stick the stick and clip the cables then be be put under there the proper way and be done.
Davies:Yeah. Yeah. So I mean yeah. See, that that's great. That's exact that's what I definitely love, you know.
Davies:That's just some freaking it's freaking nice. It's like you're right. It does make you feel satisfied when you do all that stuff. So But as for gaming though, I've been playing some I've been playing a lot in the I've been playing Neo three a little bit. I know we played a little bit earlier this week and you play some more.
Davies:I'm still far far behind but
Pop:If you end up streaming it tomorrow because I know you're trying to stream again.
Davies:Yeah. That is
Pop:I'll be down for a couple of missions.
Davies:I'm definitely down to stream it. Well, definitely well, if if everything goes straight the way I need it to be, then I then we'll see. But yeah, I'll let you know. But yeah, definitely playing Neo three, finishing up on Trails of Cold Steel four, so finally be able to go to Trails of Reverie so I could start finally doing Trails through Daybreak. So I'm two I'm three like, I am so far behind.
Davies:It's so it's so ridiculous. And you know what's funny? I kinda came to a realization that I might need to put Marvel Rivals on hold on an indefinite wait. Wow. Because I realized after playing Trails and playing some Nioh and stuff, I've been coming to the realization that I haven't really been playing straight up story based games for a long period of time.
Davies:And then like, I've been just wanting to kinda get back in on that again because I enjoy Any day of the week, will always prefer story driven. Always.
Pop:Oh, yeah. Absolutely.
Davies:Yeah. So I think that it's just so now I've been since there was there was a very few and far between that I was even interested in in the first place, I was like, you know, I'm not I'm good, man. I just don't I don't want it, you know, until until recently, as of late. So I've been on this kick on just wanting to finish up these RPGs that are on my list and and stuff and then go from there, you know. So like, still think
Pop:that's probably why, like, I've had this strange wanting to replay some of the RPGs that I do have in my library, like a weird kid that just do that. And it's nothing against, you know, Worry's Biz. I absolutely love that game. But, like, when I really sat down and I thought about last year Mhmm. There weren't really any story driven games that a 100% caught my attention.
Davies:Yeah. The only story driven game that I played last year was was was Expedition 33. That was it. And, like, all the other stuff, I didn't care. And, that just says a lot.
Davies:That just says volumes. And I was just like, yeah. I can't do this. I need to I need to start playing playing back into it again.
Pop:It was a fantastic year for gaming last year.
Davies:It was. It was.
Pop:When I thought about even, like, looking at my I think it was my Steam recap, it was just like, yeah. You bought this many new games and here's how your play how here's how you played your library. It was 50% everything I had already owned and 50% new games.
Davies:Yeah. I know. It's a it was it was I will say last year was a very interesting it's a very very interesting year. Well, I mean, overall. Like, I think it it was a very strong year of gaming.
Davies:But when it came to like, you know, like overall, like, my interest of like, you know, what was coming on, I was I was kind of meh throughout that. I like, I wasn't didn't have any expectations on anything that that was that was that's very very rare. Trinidad Larue says, try Banishers. I don't know what Banishers is, I will definitely look that up. So that's good.
Pop:I don't know what that is either.
Davies:Okay. Cool. But no. But thank you. I think it was I know you don't wanna talk about our whole I don't even know what that what we're talking about, but our whole thing about
Pop:gaming Blues.
Davies:Yeah. Gaming Blues or gaming lols. Yeah.
Pop:I don't know.
Davies:Perfect. Perfect way. Gaming gaming lol. That's a good way. Yeah.
Davies:So there you go. Yeah. So let's go to the normal rig and roll that we like to do each and every week. So each of us chooses a topic of discussion in the world of video games. The topic would or could be a game itself or something that happened in the gaming industry, and we do not wanna talk it about, talk about this about amongst ourselves.
Davies:We want you, the listeners and viewers on Twitch on, at CFG Games. Am I right? Jeez. I am all over the place. CFG Games on Twitch.
Pop:Smitty isn't here to Or steer
Davies:on YouTube at the CFG. So if there is something you wanted to chime in on whatever we talk about, we encourage you to type it inside the chat. We would love to talk with you and go from there. So this week has been, like, has been a barn burner of just different things that were happening. Like, just like, they they all didn't connect with each other, but then but somehow, there were big impacts in just in general, just just regularly in general.
Davies:So on Friday evening, like Friday late evening, there the news got broke out that Phil Spencer, the, head of x well, Xbox and, Sarah Bond, who was the president of Xbox, are are are leaving the company. Phil Spencer is retiring and Sarah Bond, just put in her her her thing to leave. So she's she's leaving. And so the reason and then so then they and then Xbox announced that's Matt Booty is gonna be promoted as and the AI exec Asha Sharma, is named the new Xbox, bosses now. So what the heck happened?
Davies:So basically, I'm reading this post from IGN itself and, this is this is what they said. Microsoft Gaming CEO Phil Spencer, has been in, Microsoft since he joined as an intern in 1988, which I had no idea was that long, with Xbox since the software giant launched its first console in 2001 is retiring. Sources familiar with the matter who are not authorized to speak publicly confirmed to IGN Spencer's retirement is effective on Monday, February 23. Meanwhile, Xbox president Sarah Bond, long thought, by many both on both sides and outside of Microsoft to Spencer's heir apparent has resigned. The new CEO of Microsoft Gaming will be Asha Sharma, currently the president of of Microsoft's core AI product.
Davies:Finally, Xbox Game Studios head, Matt Booty, is being promoted chief content officer and will work closely with Sharma. Oh my god. Okay. So first off, we already knew that Xbox is already going on the downhill slide because of like, you know, console increases, the increase of Xbox Game Pass, the removal of certain things of Xbox Game Pass and such. Yeah.
Davies:But but the fact that like the big two people that have been pushing that that that's been like basically reigning over Xbox is now gone, is now leaving. And then now the new regime is going to be Matt Booty who's been there, now in the now in the official c suite role and the brand new person, what's her name? Ash Ashasharma, who I have no idea who she is, but she is, like, is currently an AI exec kind of man. I don't even know the direction that this is going to go but it just just by just the normal statements of this doesn't sound good. Know?
Davies:At all. This does not sound good. I like to want to keep an open mind because I mean eventually people get old. I mean Phil Spencer's I did not know Spencer's been there since 1988. That's crazy.
Davies:He's there.
Pop:Yes. There. He as an intern
Davies:Yeah.
Pop:And then just crawled up the ladder. Listen, if you're an intern out there, you can be the CEO someday.
Davies:Right. But what's worse I
Pop:hate that. Yeah.
Davies:He was there, like, thirteen years before consoles. Know? Yeah. It was like it's it's crazy. And then then when it when it finally came that he was gonna be working on it, then that's when so he's been he was there since day zero, negative day zero at Microsoft and let alone, I'm assuming, that he was still, like, some sort of part of Xbox when it when it first came out in, like, two
Pop:over Him and Vans are responsible for, you know, make making Xbox take off during the March era.
Davies:Oh, that is true. That is true.
Pop:That's why They're they're responsible for getting Microsoft all of that cash and kinda just, you know, Xbox three sixty, Xbox one. Like, that whole era of Xbox, they are they're responsible for that.
Davies:Yeah. That that that is true. But but the thing that okay. So I guess, I mean, I I I can't say that I'm sad to see Spencer to leave or or Sarah Bomb. I think they really kind of fumbled it as of late, you know, when it came to it because like they're
Pop:I feel like they did what they could.
Davies:Well, the ticketing no. The marketing was very confusing. Like, the the big the biggest one I think was the most recent one when they were saying everything's an Xbox. It's kinda like
Pop:Oh, yeah.
Davies:Kind of
Pop:But I don't I don't know if that's on them or like the higher ups.
Davies:No. It was them. They were the ones that made that idea up to to try to show that dispersement. So, I mean, I will see. I understand why they would want to do like, why they wanna see change.
Davies:And I and I and I think it's very fair for anyone who wants to see the level of change that that they're wanting to see Microsoft. Because like, I don't want Microsoft to fail or Xbox to fail because Oh
Pop:no, at all.
Davies:You don't you want to have competition in this kind of field. You don't want one strong person like company like Sony or something to be there or Nintendo. But Nintendo does whatever Nintendo does so they'll do whatever the hell they wanna do. But but I but the the thing that kinda that really concerns me is the fact that they the person that they thought that was gonna be the head of this company, the the direction they're wanting to go is, is gonna be someone that has been working with AI or is or has been an exec for AI. A big push for AI now into this, is now the the head of their their gaming division.
Davies:I
Pop:mean Yeah. And no background in gaming at all. Like, at least say you you're a gamer, like, what games you played, like, prove yourself before you, you know now the only thing I could see benefiting putting them there, we cannot forget that the Kinect era of Xbox was ahead of its time. And this would be a good time for it to make some sort of comeback, and I could see AI technology working with that, The non generative time before, you know, people start, gen AI or, oh, AI is bad AI. Okay.
Pop:Tell that to your Twitch stats whenever you go look up your stats on Twitch about your last stream and say AI sucks then.
Davies:Well
Pop:But I could I could I could see that direction, and I know I'm being, like, super imaginative and optimistic and know that Microsoft is never gonna take that idea. If you do pay me my money, send me the bag. Send CFG half because I wouldn't even be on this podcast if it wasn't for him. Pay us for the idea of bringing the Kinect back with some sort of AI. Like, I think it would it would bring new competition back, especially, like, you know, PlayStation's always promoting their stupid VR games and the VR headset.
Pop:I don't mean to call it stupid. It's just whenever I see like a new game get announced, it's just like, for VR, I'm like, alright. I'm the one.
Davies:Yeah. There's a little bit of a twitch. There's a little bit of a twinge when that happens. Yeah. I don't think it's just you.
Davies:But I will say, I don't know if I if I'm saying your name correctly, but Abda Abdawan Rahim says, that Microsoft needs cache. And micro dash soft needs cache. This is funny. Yep. I don't think that they're needing cash.
Davies:I think what it is is that they they don't care about their gaming their gaming division anymore. They don't. Because their biggest their biggest focus, especially when you see the moves that they're doing, especially when they're bringing their president, The president that's coming in is gonna be that has a a strong background on Microsoft AI, and you know for a fact that Microsoft is pushing their AI, their AI stuff even more, actually doubling down and now to a point that it's it's causing friction to their partner OpenAI to to to they're wanting to do something even more than what they were planning on, more than what they were planning on. I just think that their focus is just completely is completely away from their gaming side and I think the what made it worse was when Phil Spencer did that deal with Activision Blizzard that caused Microsoft to kinda get into that blip of likes being more controlling over that side. Because, I mean, they're not going to just give 80 or 60 something billion dollars to a different division within Microsoft and not wonder wonder what they're going to do and what's their return profit back on that.
Davies:Yeah. Because, like, if if if they wanted to do anything, if Microsoft wanted to do anything, get out of the console gaming business completely. Then just focus on focus on being a 100% publisher.
Pop:Like, if they if they if they really were that down bad for money, they would have given up on consoles a long time ago.
Davies:Yeah. Yeah. I I I so I don't know. I mean, like, it's it's really weird. Like, I just think that we don't know what direction they're gonna go.
Davies:I mean, I think their direction is gonna be heavily strong strongly to the side of artificial intelligence. Mhmm. But and and then and I think the I think the thing because the the way that they're like, they're they're putting the the narrative that Phil Spencer is retiring and they're not saying anything about Sarah Bond is because I think they knew they weren't gonna have Sarah Bond wasn't gonna be taken over a long time ago. I think what they were
Pop:Oh, yeah. I think I think she I think even she knew she wasn't gonna stay.
Davies:Well, that's why she left because like I bet you she got she got someone they said, we're gonna go this direction. This is the direction that we're wanting to go and then she's like, I'm not gonna stay on board on this. I think that's exactly what happened. But but
Pop:Like her like her leaving is is either I don't wanna say it's like a a doom signal, but if and this is a very big if. If her leaving is a sign that Microsoft is about to take the leftest turn I have ever seen in my life, then, yeah, I wouldn't blame her for leaving either. Mhmm. But if it's actually good and she felt that she would not, you know, felt kinda out of place with bringing that charge forward, then I could understand her leaving. But I feel like her leaving means that we're about to see Microsoft fumble hard and I don't want them to.
Pop:I feel like I feel like the fumbling is coming.
Davies:Yeah. And the fumbling is definitely gonna be coming. And the and I think it's just gonna I think I think a move like this makes it feels worse. And then it just feels like it just came out of nowhere. When when a person retires this abruptly to, like, you know because usually
Pop:because they're not even done with their fiscal year yet. Right?
Davies:No. The fiscal year isn't even won't end until the end of this month, actually. So, like, yeah.
Pop:Yeah.
Davies:So so I think that, like, when a person when a company when a person that high up decides to retire and only gives like two days of notice to show to show the official announcement, something went down. Something something clearly something went down to a point for them to to for him to abruptly announce this because like I
Pop:need someone who got laid off to come out and say something unless y'all are under NDA, which I highly doubt.
Davies:Oh, I bet you. Well, even even now. I mean, because like I just the way all this happened because this happened late Friday night. Then they announced it, then they're saying, oh, on Monday, this is gonna be his last day and all this stuff. Sarah Bond is gone.
Davies:He's just like we don't even know what what like where she was or like, we went to her office and her stuff is all gone. It's all boxed up already. I don't know. But it seems kinda it just seems so weird that that that all this happened in just like an amount of three days though. So like Monday is gonna he's gonna have to say something.
Davies:I mean or something eventually. I don't know, man. But it's crazy. Abda one says, I think the few the fumble is Windows 11 and gamers like me whom are moving away, the issues are controlling your information. That is one part of it.
Davies:I will agree. And I'm I I mean, Windows 11 is for me personally, it's been one of the most atrocious atrocious operating systems I have ever used because it's so invasive, thanks to Copilot as well as a lot of things. It's forcing me to learn WinLinux, essentially. That's the one thing I that's one good thing I guess I'll give up for Windows 11 is in fact it's teaching me to do a different operating system. So and they didn't see the community switch.
Davies:Yeah. Which is true too. But like, it's weird. Like, I just think that their vision I think the direction that Spencer was going to the the division of what Microsoft was going is so polar opposite that they needed to have a change so to be, to get to that point, you know. Like, they needed to get to the point where something's gotta give.
Davies:Clearly, Spencer would be the one that's gonna be the most that would be the one that would would lose that a 100% of the time because like you because there's no reason for the perk for a company to decide to spend billions of dollars on buying so many different studios and then you're going through all these different processes to kinda, you know, to become to become competitive to your, you know, your rival with with Sony and Nintendo and stuff. And then all of a sudden at the end of the day because your your your idea of to be successful was Xbox Game Pass and y'all were doubling down, tripling down to to make it to make it, like, you know, convenient. And then when they when when it wasn't, they were doing all these different kinds of, things to be like, oh, we need to recoup the benefits the the recoup the losses that we did on Call of Duty six by like 200,000,000,000 200 something million dollars. So I don't know like, when you have these like regulate like, regulation and stuff that that that that, big papa Microsoft is giving on you, something's gotta give.
Davies:And then and I think that that's what it was. Like, the the the vision of of Spencer did not mat does not match the vision of Microsoft. So
Pop:Yeah. Yeah. I think we're just about to see, like, the PS three era of Microsoft where, you know, people always say, you know, the PS three was a weird time for Sony. Mhmm. Great games, but a weird console.
Pop:And I think we're about to see the same thing at Microsoft where it's just like solid ish company but some weird moves.
Davies:You know what I think? I think it's gonna be worse than that. I think it's gonna be when Atari thought
Pop:Are you thinking like the Atari crash?
Davies:I'm thinking about the Atari crash. That's what I'm thinking.
Pop:It's not that I hope it's not that bad.
Davies:Yeah. Because Atari was the one that thought that they were the big the big dog and then they were they like, I I just feel like this is gonna be this is where it's where that's heading. I don't wanna be pessimistic about it but I don't you you you can't I I just I just don't see any way to sell the public about AI, let alone in gaming. And then Oh, yeah. On top of that, trying to sell it and then try to tell them that the the the gains for you to for them to to to keep control of like, you know, your games or your access or or or I mean, all this stuff with it's just a lot of different bad stuff to me.
Davies:And I just don't see how you're gonna win win the public over to any of this. That and, and now you're getting you're adding additional pieces of the I forgot what she like, Asha Asha did a quote about being becoming the the the head of Microsoft. Let me see if I can find that. But
Pop:Oh, would you would you like the the fool thing?
Davies:Yes, please. Because this thing like, at first, I was thinking, oh, well, it could turn ahead, and then she just kind of lost me on it when I saw it. Do you have it?
Pop:Yeah. I can I'm gonna go ahead and read it.
Davies:Okay. You go yeah. You can go for it. Yeah. Go read it.
Pop:You always gotta look at Mhmm. The Reddit files.
Davies:The Reddit files. Uh-oh. If the source is the Reddit. I don't know.
Pop:No. It's just the screen the screenshot of the statement on
Davies:on the Okay. Yeah. Because never here's a here's a here's a here's a lesson of the day. Don't use Reddit as a source. Alright?
Davies:Just don't. Okay,
Pop:continue. Funny.
Davies:Okay. Whenever you're ready.
Pop:Me. Oh, did someone blip the oh, wow. I wonder why find it. To get that post ticket. Don't make me go on the verge.
Davies:Ugh. Wait. I'm not found
Pop:the verge.
Davies:It's the verge. The verge likes you.
Pop:They make you subscribe. I'm not paying to read an article. Journal should be free with the option of showing me ads in exchange for being free. Like
Davies:But how do they how do how will they make money, though?
Pop:Off the ads.
Davies:Yeah. But that that's chump change. They want they want that they want that $5 from you.
Pop:Yeah. That that $5 subscription that nobody's gonna pay for.
Davies:Yep. There we go. Let's see. Okay. Here it is.
Davies:I found it. I got it.
Pop:Okay.
Davies:Okay. Alright. So here we go. Asha Sharma's message to, Microsoft being Microsoft Gaming CEO. Today, I begin my role as CEO of Microsoft Gaming.
Davies:I feel two things at once, humility and urgency. Humility because this team has built something extraordinary over decades, urgency because gaming is in a period of rapid change and we need we need to move with clarity and conviction. I am stepping into work, to work shaped by generations of artists, engineers, designers, writers, musicians, operators and more who create words, worlds that have brought joy and deep personal meaning but to hundreds of millions of players. The level of craft here is exceptional and it amplified by Xbox which is founded the belief that power of games connects people and pushes industries forward. You know what?
Davies:Okay. I'm gonna skip all of this this fluffiness.
Pop:Now you gotta get to the the the good part. Yeah. But we will celebrate our roots.
Davies:Hold
Pop:on. I'm sorry. When I read that, I I screamed.
Davies:Okay. Here we go. Okay. So we will recommit to our core Xbox fans and players, those who have invested with us for the last twenty five years and, the developers who build the expansive universes and experiences with, that are embraced by players across the world. We will celebrate our roots with a renewed commitment to Xbox starting with console which has shaped who we are.
Davies:It connects us to the players and fans who invest in Xbox and to the developers who build ambitious experiences for it. Gaming now lives across devices, not within the limits of any single piece of hardware as we expand across PC, mobile, and cloud. Xbox should feel seamless, instant, and worthy of communities we serve. We will break down barriers so developers can build one reach play can build once and reach players everywhere without compromise. Okay.
Davies:The future of play. Okay. Here we go. To meet the moment to meet the moment oh, sorry. There was a typo.
Davies:To meet the moment, we will invent new business models and new ways to play by leaning into what we already have, iconic teams, characters and worlds that people love but we will not treat those worlds as static IP or milk and monetize which is bullshit. We will build a shared platform and tools that empower developers and players to create and share those stories. As monetization and AI evolve and influence this future, we will not chase short term efficiency or flood our ecosystem with soulless AI slop, which is also bullshit. Games are and always will be art crafted by humans and created with the most innovative technology provided by us. The next twenty five years belong to the teams who dare to build something surprising, something no one else is willing to try and have the patience to see it through.
Davies:We have done this before and I'm here to help to do it again. I want to return the renegade spirit that built Xbox in the first place. It will, require l, it it will require us to relentlessly question everything, revisit processes, protect that work, and be brave enough to change what does not. Thank you for welcoming me into the journey, Asha. You know what be funny?
Davies:If there is a a a PS, what is an Xbox? Would be would be perfect. Would have been the perfect ending for this. Oh, okay. So, yep.
Davies:So there you have it. This is pretty much what you would expect for, you know, being a top brass person, but some of the things that really kinda got me is the last one about AI. As monetization AI evolve in the influence of the future, we will not chase short term efficiency or flood our ecosystem with soulless AI slop. You already did. Call of Duty seven is is already listed on top of one of the craziest ones.
Davies:So what are you talking about?
Pop:Here's the thing that got me about gaming living across devices, like, as we expand across PC, expand where? Because Steam is still dominating the PC market.
Davies:Yes. Yes. I
Pop:know. There's like, that's pretty ambitious to say, oh, you know, we're gonna expand across and and then do what?
Davies:I don't know what that means. None of it really to be honest with you, it really doesn't make it doesn't, like, satisfy confidence that the what what what your plan is for for Xbox or Yeah. The for the market for the Xbox brand.
Pop:She did not state what Xbox plan actually is. This what this letter is just full blown Yeah. Crowd control.
Davies:It is. To be fair though, it is day one for her. It's just now like, you could say she could have said the right things, but I still wouldn't trust wouldn't believe it. So, I mean and to be honest with
Pop:you because it's just Yeah.
Davies:The direction that Microsoft is right now, it just is it's a mess. So we don't know where it's gonna go. And and plus mixture with everyone's hatred for, you know, like my profound hatred for Copilot and then the fact that their AI is just just a like, just going through the AI deal. It's like it they're they're saying, hey, no, you'll like it. You'll like it.
Davies:They're trying to force it to the public, which is who who has been unsoundly saying, we don't want this, but you keep on pushing as if we do that we're that we will. So I don't know. I don't know, dude. They I like I said, it's it's glad to I mean, I'm sorry to see Phil Spencer and Sarah Bond leave, but at the same time, I I I think I'm, I think I'm at a point where there's no there's I'll be not I will not be surprised if anything if it gets worse with Microsoft itself, let alone Xbox. So we'll see.
Pop:And I feel bad feeling this way because, you know, she is a woman of color. I kinda hope that if something goes left, this does not make that specific crowd go wild.
Davies:Yeah. That's true. But, like, you know what? I'm not saying I hate Xbox. I will openly play a game from Microsoft if it's a good game, but it
Pop:Oh, Absolutely.
Davies:I don't have any, like like, I don't have any expectations for that to happen. Not anytime soon. I mean, so Yeah.
Pop:My expect my expectations are very, very low for anything claiming to be my an Xbox IP
Davies:Right.
Pop:Meant to bring gaming to the next level.
Davies:Yeah. And you say AI, people think layoffs. That's very true. And now AI is now like the the word AI already constitutes is a is a is a negative con like, connotation of anything you say at this point. It's nothing good that ever really comes out from anyone saying, oh, the, the AI did this.
Davies:People will be on pitchforks and fire just saying, someone's job just got lost because you used it, which is not which is not false.
Pop:It's not always the case.
Davies:But still, it's just like, come on. But it it's it's it's a it's a troubling time. That's all I'm saying. So, anyways, so there you go. Microsoft is making some moves.
Davies:Good or not, we don't know. We'll see. We'll see here in the next near future to see if anything changes. Okay. Pop.
Davies:We're doing something a little different, so this is gonna be very interesting. Let's see if this is gonna be
Pop:I'm just gonna go in the order that they were pooled.
Davies:Okay. So, so there were so many topics that happened this week that we decided, you know what, and Smitty isn't here. We decided to just go do a randomizer of what we should talk about on the next two. So, so Pop did a randomizer and we are so she knows what the topics are. I have no idea what they what they are.
Davies:So we're gonna see if I can respond correctly or if I have any idea or if I'm just a dumb dumb and not know at all. So let's go with it. Pop, why don't you bring it what's the second topic?
Pop:Alright. It's funny that you mentioned Halei since PlayStation just came out with their most recent acquisition of Horror Story where Blue Point Studios is shut down. For those that aren't familiar with Blue Point Studio, they have pretty much became masters at making some of the greatest remasters and even remakes for some of the PS five exclusives. One notable one being the Demon Souls remakes that came out and a couple of other games as well. I I think what's interesting about this is that their most recent work was five years ago, and I'm I'm like, what what what have they been doing within these past five years?
Pop:And if they were working on something, what did we lose? And this comes out just after PlayStation announces the remake of the original God of War trilogy at their state of play, which you'll find out we talked about that last in the last podcast Mhmm. Meeting that we had. It's interesting because you you have a company that literally dominated the remake scene for a little while. And and by dominated, I mean, I don't think any other company has received that much praise for doing remakes and remasters in the way that Blue Point Studio has.
Pop:I could be wrong. I just know whenever they've done something, they've always, you know Yeah. They always receive nothing but praise, good works, etcetera. I I I don't wanna be the one to say it, but I would not be surprised if PlayStation's live service blips is the reason for the closure of the studio.
Davies:It's funny
Pop:that she follows the closure of Firewalk Studio back in 2024. Whenever Concord, like, launched and they were like, oh, you know, studio's closing. And and and the Concord thing, it still feels fresh. Mean It was almost two years ago. It's it's crazy.
Pop:It's fresh in our minds. Mhmm.
Davies:Probably because it failed so so so massively. That's why.
Pop:Yeah. Probably. I don't mean to laugh, but it's just just thinking about it. It's like, wow. This this going on two years and it feels almost feels like it happened a couple of months ago, honestly.
Davies:It's funny that you mentioned about that because that's exactly why it shut down, is because of it. Yeah. It's it's shut down because the game that they were working on was a God of God of War live service game. And what sucks this is because there's two factors of this. Blue Point Games is May is known to make remakes.
Davies:They're known to make story story driven games, and they're they've known that's what they that's what their history of their of Blue Point is. Like, prior to them, I think they got bought by Sony five years ago, five or six years ago, if my memory serves correctly. I could be wrong. But like
Pop:And it would have to be like right before the PS five because they did the Demon Soul. Yes. I mean, yeah. They did the Demon Soul remake. It So would have to be, like, what, 2019?
Davies:Yeah. 2019.
Pop:'20 when they got bought? Yeah. 2019. Somewhere around there.
Davies:Around that age. Around that era. You're right. So but, like, look at the lit okay. So here's a list of games that Blue Point Bay game Blue Point Games has done in throughout their history.
Davies:There was the the most popular one was their Demon's Souls. That that came out in 2020. But then you also got Shadows of the Colossus, the remake, Uncharted, the Nathan Drake collection, Gravity Rush, the Melt Your Solid HD collection that happened on the PS three a long time ago, Ico and the Shadow of Colossus, God of War collection. They made Flower, I mean, if you remember that. Yeah.
Davies:Yeah. And then they also did the port the port for Titanfall for the Xbox three sixty as well as, the PlayStation All Stars Battle Royale. Where in this whole list does it show that they've known that they that they do live service games? Like, period. For one.
Davies:Secondly, what's worse is the fact that, like, this because of this focus that PlayStation had, and this is probably because of the, the original person that was pushing the the what was it? Seven or eight different that they're play different live service projects because they thought that.
Pop:Yeah.
Davies:All like, they don't I mean, they were kinda going in a scorched earth kind of policy, which is basically not all of them have to, have to succeed. We just need that one golden, golden nugget to, to succeed and that's all and it's worth all those other failures. And so far, the only one that succeeded was Helldivers two, which were the which basically their studio was designed for that. You know? They were design it was designed to do to to keep that kind of load and and and stuff.
Davies:Not trying to get another studio who doesn't know or or or isn't familiar with this live service kind of feel, let alone seeing the the graveyard history of all live service games which goes the same way, all go the same way. Then there there isn't one that just says, you know, we made enough money. We're just gonna shut this down. None of them do that. It's, until they get to a point where they it's not profitable to open to leave it open and keep on going.
Davies:And you got rid of a amazing studio that does so many good things on remasters and remakes and then mixed with your library, Sony's library of old IPs that could have been remastered or remade and have professionals. And the studio is not that big. It's only 70 people, which is worse. Yeah. So I just like, it is dumbfounded.
Davies:I am dumbfounded by this because I was just like, this is so awfully messed up. This is like this this shutdown is probably the worst shutdown for a studio that has done that has done so much crazy stuff, like, has done so much crazy stuff for other brands and and shows time after time after time again that they are very good at what they do. But then, but but y'all are but y'all since y'all were going focusing on, live service games, their history is irrelevant, and you're gonna just wipe them off, wipe them off the face of the plan because stupid God of War live service is now canceled. Then you still have another one. You have fair play that's still going, and this game is still like, we have nothing about this game.
Davies:We know this game is gonna be done. Is is this this this game I will not be surprised this game is gonna get canned. I don't even know why that they're they're still they're still going under this this, this false pretense that, oh, well, we're still working on it. We got the the creator of the studio that was originally for it is now gone because we let that we basically let her go, and then now we're just we're just starting from scratch. I don't know, man.
Davies:It just it really pisses me off. This one really did hurt. And
Pop:Yeah. And it's it's not just PlayStation that does it. It's there's this weird trend where they are acquiring studios Mhmm. Before doing something innovative. And it's been an ongoing pattern and the collateral damage isn't the failing game, isn't the players that gotta deal with the game that failed.
Pop:It's the developers and the companies that, you know, get acquired under these these companies that have to take the full brunt of it.
Davies:Right. Right. And it's and then the developer yeah. You're right. The developers, the programmers, and stuff that are underneath this thing of like praying to God that this this praying to God that they have a job at the end of the day even though they the game is successful but they didn't make enough to the money their expectations that they're gonna they they'll still shut down the studio.
Davies:It's like, what's the point of even having being a part of a triple a studio at this point? There's no gain for you anymore at this point for it.
Pop:It's it's almost like there wasn't there like a a Prince of Persia game that Ubisoft had come out and then they, like, let this they they let the studio go. The game did well.
Davies:The game did well, but it they didn't hit the expectations that they're wanting to
Pop:Yeah.
Davies:That they that this that, Ubisoft needed to make, to say, quote unquote, make up quote unquote profit from it. So, like, it's, dude, it's just so it's at the point that it's tail as old as time, it's like like, the thing that's gonna keep game the gaming up and relevant is indies. This is I mean, Smitty has always said it like for a long time, but now it's so much more prevalent now than it ever is that we know that that that the that the big big companies like like like with Sony or any other studios, their time could be coming. Like, I will not be surprised if Ben's studio may just disappear one day because that they because it's not it's not profitable to them even though they make banger story based driven games. It's so freaking
Pop:Right.
Davies:Oh my god. Yeah. It's so frustrating. So frustrating. Monolith Studios, like what Abda just said, like, yeah, it's another good another good example of it.
Davies:Just like they're not, they're they're they're they were really they were a really great studio until WB decided to shut that sucker down. So, like, I don't know. It's just wow. I I don't even know, man. Like it like, it's so it's so frustrating.
Davies:It's just so so frustrating, man. But anyways, I mean, I hope everyone else get get gets on go on their feet, get on their feet. Although, is Blue Point is it Korean or is it a Japanese? I can't remember.
Pop:I wanna say Korean, but let me double check.
Davies:Yeah. Because, like, I I don't know. It's just if you're like I mean, it's so it's so so evidently clear that people are just they're chasing the money, which is fine. You are chasing the money, but then you're
Pop:just Oh, no. It says it's in Austin, Texas. What the heck?
Davies:Oh, wow. Okay. Well, there you go. That is even worse. Jeez.
Davies:That's all yeah.
Pop:Yikes. That
Davies:is so so frustratingly, Matt. Like, angry. Like for all that service, it's like, oh, well, we're gonna shut your studio down. We're not a gain for it. It's like, okay, you can just f off at this point.
Davies:So, but anyways. Yeah. I I I cannot believe that. That is so wild. Anyways, okay.
Davies:So what's the last topic, Pop? What do you got?
Pop:It gets worse.
Davies:Oh, come on. Yeah. Yeah. Know.
Pop:When when I said I I should have known that these two were gonna get picked, I I was not joking.
Davies:Alright.
Pop:It is official. Saudi Arabia now has full control of EVO. If y'all don't know what EVO is, EVO, especially Las Vegas, is sort of like the Grammy event of the FGC. It it is the it's like the Super Bowl of the FGC, and and now it has been fully co opted by Saudi Arabia. Some of the oh, sorry.
Pop:Go ahead.
Davies:Oh, no. That's why I was looking at have this thing. Austin is dead. It's oh, we go I guess all that's left was all that's left that that I know of that's in Austin is Bioware, but we already know Bioware is on the pulse of, like, is is has their finger on the pulse right there. So
Pop:So even with the shift, organizers are saying that EVO's, quote, traditions, values, and identity will remain unchanged and that EVO has officially entered a new era. Since I think it's KIDIA now owns EVO, the event schedule is the same. So everything that they announced last year is the the same. I think it was Guilty Gear, Strive Mhmm. Tekken, Street Fighter, Under Night.
Davies:Beethlefury.
Pop:One of the multi like, they had, like, announced a bunch of different games, and we get to vote which games ends up on the main stage.
Davies:Wow.
Pop:Yeah. I it's I'm kinda speechless that this has happened because Sony puts in a lot into EVO, and you would have thought that Sony would have just bought it altogether since, you know, the PS five gets it's what gets used at EVO anyway.
Davies:I mean, Sony only recently picked it up maybe four three, four years ago. Right? And Yeah. Like, man, okay. It's kinda weird.
Davies:Okay. Oh, I'm sorry. Go for it.
Pop:For those wondering, this it gives Kiri a full control over EVO's global operations. So even EVO Japan and EVO France are subject to this broader push that Kiri wants to take with global gaming and their esports initiatives. And and
Davies:I okay.
Pop:So It's such a weird acquisition that that has happened. I'm I'm pretty much speechless because the leadership is saying that, you know, things will be stable. The traditions will remain the same. And I'm like, is it?
Davies:No. I don't believe it. One one bit.
Pop:I don't believe it all.
Davies:I I don't believe it one bit because of two things. One thing one thing is the fact that evil prices have gotten insane as of late.
Pop:So Oh, yeah. I think this is the highest they've been Yeah. In my lifetime.
Davies:There's not gonna be any deals. There's not gonna be any last minute specials. It like, you are gonna be dishing out a grip just to even even if you were interested in wanting to go to go to EVO this year. It is insanely expensive. It's not even like, back in the day, I don't know if anyone if anyone is part of the FGC or was a part of the FGC and I'm not and when I'm saying back in the day, I'm thinking like $20.10, 20 tens and stuff.
Davies:Evo was very cheap to go to. Like it was not to a point like you like it was it was like, I think you may have spent a $125 for three days for like ticket Yeah. Registration and all that stuff and everything. You're hitting closer close to two over 200 to $250 now, just on one game. Like and and the game pools are not even the problem.
Davies:The pool the thing is is the registration cost. The registration cost cost like over cost a hund over 100 and something dollars now, just on the registration alone. So let me actually, let
Pop:see. Then need
Davies:it up.
Pop:To register for the games, it's in, like $10. To 15 a p yeah.
Davies:$10 a dollars piece. Yeah. So it's like that has never changed. That has always been the same. But it's the
Pop:But it's it's the other prices. So, like, if you wanna go for all three days, I believe you have to pay, like, $200. And if you're competing, most people are competing in, like, three different games. You're paying two I didn't pay that much for TwitchCon last year.
Davies:Well, here's the thing though that makes it really annoying. See, they this is one of the biggest open bracket fighting games tournaments that's this is the biggest open bracket fighting game. So you'll need to be invited. You can if you're if you're a gamer and you're a fighting fighting game a gamer that plays in fighting games and not like sponsored, you can openly just walk in register and then go into the tournament and see it. Nine times out of 10 the people are gonna win, gonna be the they're gonna be the pros.
Davies:But like Yeah. But it's you're wanting to figure out how good you are. You can gauge to see if you're if you're like, you know, good or not. So okay. Here we go.
Davies:So right now, base price to go to EVO for a normal badge is $238. And then Yep. The the late registration is going to which is gonna be May 5 to May 25 is gonna be $269.
Pop:So
Davies:then then on top of that, they don't tell you this right now, Las Vegas has now has a a brand new tax that is an entertainment fee tax which costs Mhmm. $27 additional on that. So you're gonna be easily dishing out over $300 just to just to go to a tournament that you know you're going to lose. Like like, let's just be straight.
Pop:And not even not even not even if you're going to compete. If you're just going to watch, you're paying 300 and something dollars to go watch it, support whoever you wanna support. You gotta pay for your plane ticket and hotel? Yeah. That's too much money.
Davies:It's insane.
Pop:$300 to go to a place, I'm spending that $300 to go something to something huge like GDC con, like GDC over in
Davies:San Francisco?
Pop:San Francisco. Yeah.
Davies:Yeah. I mean, it's
Pop:I can't remember if it was San Diego or San Francisco.
Davies:Let's just say California.
Pop:Yeah. Is in over in Cal. Yeah.
Davies:Yeah. So, like, yeah, it is just ridiculously stupidly crazy expensive. And on top of that, it's no surprise that React is was the I mean, we already knew that they were quote unquote partners for a short bit of time. And and it clearly means that Sony's just trying just don't wanna just get their hands completely off of it, which is Yeah. Which is fair.
Davies:I mean, that's fine. But the fact that now that they have a 100% full control, now the big two now they besides, because they're because Saudi's vision is they're wanting to make it the video game capital place for all the like, get gamer worlds, in its sense. So they needed the biggest thing to do it, to do it. Am I, like, I am not going to well, despite the fact that that the game it's not worth me even going to this anymore, unfortunately. Because like I like I was going there to for coverage and stuff but now it's not even worth it for me to do that.
Davies:And then now the fact that I've always been kind of fifty fifty with the like impartial about with with the Saudi's thing and my own personal feelings about it is I I I'm not a fan of it personally. I don't it makes me not it doesn't it really doesn't make me incentivize myself to go to ever to ever back back this event anymore. And and there's so many other better events to go around. So many events that are more local because it's now weird that you can now say that you have to go to a local tournament or or a championship tournament now and Eva's not a part of that name anymore. It's it's combo I mean, there's so many combo breakers,
Pop:CEO There's combo breakers, CEO.
Davies:Yeah. Of of
Pop:of I'll be a CEO.
Davies:Fausting. Yeah. I'm gonna be going to Texas showdown
Pop:here. Frosty. Yeah.
Davies:Fousting. Frosty Fousting. Yeah. So that's gonna be there's so many other better ones better ones that I'm gonna go with that are that are more reasonable to to to go around. The one in Texas, Texas showdown in Houston is coming up and I'm gonna probably I'm gonna go there First time I've ever been there.
Davies:Looking forward to that.
Pop:This makes me wonder how Arc World Tour is gonna go because EVO places you to be able to compete in that. It is one of the qualifying tournaments and I don't I I don't know how that's gonna
Davies:Well, you can skip that. Yeah. I mean, it's not like you have to go to EVO for the I mean, it's it's a place where
Pop:you can do the qualifying. It's it's a place where you do get you do the qualifying, but it's just like, that's such a tricky situation. Like, if you're a pro player and like, let's say you lose at all the other qualifying places and EVO is the only place you can go.
Davies:EVO would be the worst place to
Pop:go to for it.
Davies:Yeah. Not even for the price but the fact that just straight competition. I mean, EVO's gonna
Pop:be the
Davies:most rigorous one to go with besides the one in Japan, I would say. And maybe between the three of them, it would be well, actually, there's gonna be four. Right? Because Singapore is 27. Am I right?
Pop:Yeah. There's gonna be four now. Yeah.
Davies:So so yeah. So we got yeah. Yeah. So I mean, there are other other chances and stuff but I'd like I would hate. I would probably just skip the qualifier for Hipha.
Davies:If it's the last one that if it's the last one, I'd probably just say, you know what? No. Not worth it.
Pop:Maybe next year. Yeah. This this is not my year.
Davies:Because because not only that, that you're trying to get into the art system, the the the finals and that, the fact you're gonna be dishing out a grip, unless you're sponsored, that would under I would understand it. But if not, then there's no reason for you to do it. Because wow. Because you're dishing out, like, maybe, like, a easy easy g just to be just to be there for for a
Pop:little also makes me wonder how much is gonna be going forward.
Davies:Like like, what do you mean?
Pop:Because you know how, you know, TwitchCon has been steadily increasing in price. Like, this is a huge price spike for Evo. And if it's that if it's this bad this year, I wonder how it's gonna be in the years to come. Like, is it gonna be 2030 where it's gonna be like, Evo is the most expensive thing to go to because it's $500 just to get in?
Davies:Yeah. I mean, if it I mean, I don't know. Like, it's hard to say because like I like the it's to be fair, I think it's not EVO's fault for one of the things of EVO is that it's not their fault to increase what they what they're increasing for the registration fee. It's just that the prices for these venues and stuff are getting up there and it's not like you you're you're going to have to jack the prices up towards it. Because you don't you know how I the reason why I'm really thinking that it's not really their fault is look at the price pools.
Davies:The price pools have always been shitty. You know? Yeah. Yeah. So, like, they they're they're still trying to keep up and and stuff.
Davies:Comparatively to for, for a competitive esports kind of game not esports, but a competitive game like that and you're usually seeing like professionals and stuff to go around and and and things like that, you're expecting them to get like a a ton of money. Like, I think what what was it? Was it Sonic Fox that they showed how much money that they were just that how much he was getting paid monthly? It was like not even a fraction of what he was gonna what what he wanted at one of these big tourneys and stuff, you know? It's crazy like when it comes to that but I I don't know.
Davies:Like, I I honestly don't know. It's like I've hopefully, they'll find a way to curb that that cost to stop putting it over to the to the consumer because something's gotta give. I mean, because I went to EVO last year and EVO last year didn't feel like there was as many people as there was in in in record in in its history. It feels like it felt very empty relatively empty comparatively to to what it used to be like. Like, I'm not saying used to.
Davies:I'm not saying like maybe two or three years years before it, you know? It just seems like a little crazy. So yeah. But anyways, it sucks. Well hopefully, maybe you know what, maybe this thing maybe this buyout could possibly get the prices down, maybe that they would bite the registration costs and stuff a little bit better.
Davies:I don't know. It's hard to say. We won't find out until '27 on what their plans are for Evo. So so yeah. But anyways
Pop:Hopefully, we don't see games getting cut over, you know, political reasons but we won't know until it's time to cross that bridge.
Davies:Politically political wise, I feel like there might be games that also gonna be, like, you know like, for instance, like, I I don't see my mind if it like, if Fatal Fury if they're not making the sequel to Fatal Fury or something, I think I won't be surprised Fatal Fury is gonna be there next year, Like like at all because because of where where it's gonna be at. So we'll see. We'll see how it is. Although to be fair, high end Fatal Fury is fun to watch. I will say that.
Davies:It is a great thing to watch to to see people that know what they're doing. It's it's, actually hilarious. So and I am looking forward to the Nightmare Geese DLC. So there you go. I am a fan.
Davies:But but anyways but folks, thank you for listening to, the CFG GameCast. Thank you for being a part of the conversation as always. We will be back again next week with a whole new set of different kinds of series and topics. So if you did miss out on this episode, that is perfectly alright. We do release on all podcast services at the beginning of each and every week, so there is absolutely no reason to miss out on our sexy, sexy voices.
Davies:Oh. Since he's not here today, it's gonna be me. Oh. But guys, also check out our website, confreaksgeeks confreaksgeeks.com with some other awesome reviews and content like that. And also check out our anime podcast, Anime Nokori, our first episode about Gachi Akita.
Davies:Really good one. Go it's animenokori.com. So once again, this is Pop and Davis signing out. Y'all, take it easy.
Creators and Guests
