The Indie Game Awards just handed themselves a massive credibility problem. Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 was disqualified over alleged “Gen AI usage,” despite no clear standards, no transparency, and no prior enforcement of these rules. Moments later, the award was given to C. Bedford, a presenter at the very same awards show and co-founder of a la mode games, the studio behind Sorry, We're Closed. That is not a good look. In this video, I break down: Why the AI excuse feels selectively enforced How this creates a blatant conflict of interest Why the Indie Game Awards should have simply done nothing And how moments like this erode trust in indie showcases altogether This is exactly how you turn a celebration of indie games into a controversy overnight. YIKES. Sources: - https://www.indiegameawards.gg/faq - https://www.indiegameawards.gg/ - https://insider-gaming.com/indie-game-awards-disqualifies-clair-obscur-expedition-33-gen-ai/ - https://store.steampowered.com/app/1796580/Sorry_Were_Closed/ - https://www.smashjt.com/post/laura-kate-dale-a-troubling-creature-in-the-video-game-industry - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VtcoLvm95lY

David Jaffe, creator of God of War and Twisted Metal, publicly threatened to sue me over my opinion about him online. Not for false statements. Not for defamation. Simply for criticism. Things got awkward fast when an actual lawyer, Hoeg Law, stepped into his comments and shut the entire idea down. Almost immediately after, Jaffe claimed it was “just a joke.” In this video, I walk through what was said, why lawsuit threats over opinions are dangerous, and why this kind of behavior only makes things worse. You can decide for yourself what this says about him. Sources: - https://x.com/SmashJT/status/2001703442738483671 - https://x.com/JayViperTV/status/2001739769701691444 - https://x.com/mrphillipchan/status/2001773224586285212 - https://x.com/Rep_McBride/status/2001427693070430595 - https://x.com/bennyjohnson/status/2001755294393565382 - https://x.com/EricLDaugh/status/2001746539157307456 - https://www.youtube.com/live/vJPrQq9Dw-w

Kotaku broke the story on the Marathon art theft controversy, and credit where it’s due, that reporting mattered. But things went sideways fast when Kotaku writer Ethan Gach lost his mind on X, lashing out as independent creators continue to outperform legacy games media. Then comes the real development. Bungie’s Marathon Art Director, Joseph Cross, is now out of the company following the plagiarism scandal. Bungie claims it was his decision, but given the timing, it’s hard not to read between the lines. Let’s break down what happened and why this matters. Sources: - https://x.com/SmashJT/status/2001844372783157313 - https://x.com/ethangach/status/2001873352231961074 - https://kotaku.com/marathon-art-director-joseph-cross-leaves-bungie-2000654665 - https://x.com/SmashJT/status/2001293130239270963 - https://www.reddit.com/r/Marathon/comments/1kobqqx/art_director_joseph_cross_statement_on_stolen/

Asmongold exposes Highguard as just a Concord 2.0

According to Jason Schreier at Bloomberg, Naughty Dog has entered mandatory overtime to prepare an Intergalactic: The Heretic Prophet demo for review by its parent company, Sony. Developers are reportedly working long hours, returning to the office full-time, and racing to meet expectations more than 18 months before launch. Given the fallout from The Last of Us Part II and the shifting industry mood away from the “woke era,” it raises an obvious question: does Sony Japan actually trust Neil Druckmann anymore? This looks less like confidence and more like oversight. Let’s break down what’s really going on. Sources: - https://x.com/xMBGx/status/2001742676195226105 - https://x.com/_Tom_Henderson_/status/2001747466694140024 - https://insider-gaming.com/naughty-dog-making-overtime-mandatory-for-intergalactic-developers/ - https://x.com/Grummz/status/2001848763581895087 - https://x.com/Naughty_Dog/status/1867418170144993618

The final announcement at the 2025 Game Awards was a new title called Highguard, and gamers immediately felt a sense of déjà vu. The art style, tone, and overall vibe look eerily similar to Concord, a game that famously collapsed before it ever found an audience. Digging deeper reveals that multiple developers at Wildlight Studios previously worked at Firewalk Studios on Concord itself. Even Asmongold has weighed in, saying this game looks doomed before it even launches. Is this a fresh start, or Concord 2.0 wearing a new coat of paint? Let’s break it down. Sources: - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=twK-acOec9o - https://x.com/Pirat_Nation/status/2001685854721622427 - https://x.com/Pirat_Nation/status/2001653679309623499 - https://x.com/SmashJT/status/2001862001820356737 - https://www.wildlight.gg/our-team - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hzyNRr4HvBg

An indie developer called "TeamKill Media" just showed everyone exactly what NOT to do before launching their game "Code Violet". Instead of focusing on gameplay, marketing, or winning over skeptical players, they blamed “haters,” accused critics of harassment, and announced they will block anyone who questions them. This video breaks down their own public statement, how preemptively attacking gamers destroys trust, why blocking criticism is a terrible business move, and how indie devs can avoid making the same mistake. If you want your game to succeed, do the opposite of this. Sources: - https://x.com/TeamKillMedia/status/2001851801251766633 - https://www.linkedin.com/in/micah-jones-6105a7137/ - https://www.teamkillmedia.com/ - https://x.com/Grummz/status/2001814042793644478 - https://x.com/TeamKillMedia/status/2001370137761300732 - https://x.com/DAKKADAKKA1/status/2001714693321199617

AI has advanced far in the gaming industry and there are a lot of employees that are untalented hacks coasting on woke ideologies. That needs to stop. NOW!