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Laura Fryer's previous Halo development comparison was WRONG... but not in the way you might expect. According to Fryer, Marcus Lehto and Marty O'Donnell corrected the original Halo CE figure: it wasn't roughly 185 people making the game. It was closer to 45, with ZERO producers for the first two years. Her latest video explains what good producers actually do and why throwing more people at development isn't necessarily the answer. Somehow, the correction makes her argument about modern AAA development and production bloat look even worse. Source: - https://youtu.be/Sf2GwOrwTTo?si=mbN8Xf3suK_Js6BG

Sony's strategy for PlayStation is changing, and I don't like where this is heading. Sony CEO Hiroki Totoki says PlayStation no longer needs to aggressively push PS5 hardware as the console moves through the latter half of its lifecycle. Instead, Sony is increasingly focused on generating recurring revenue from roughly 125 million monthly active PlayStation users. In other words: Sony already has the customers. Now the goal is making more money from each of them. I'm reacting to Totoki's interview and what this strategy could mean for the future of PS. Sources: - https://x.com/Pirat_Nation/status/2094455925394526218 - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=obR5p5AzR_s - https://x.com/Genki_JPN/status/2094383548539244734 - https://x.com/Levonaxper/status/2094868066546946272 - https://x.com/Pirat_Nation/status/2091028339863564351 - https://x.com/levonaxper/status/2094567098114592895 - https://x.com/mog_mediaa/status/2094665639336231064 - https://x.com/Pirat_Nation/status/2089351793209684223

Neil Druckmann says Naughty Dog is NOT finished with The Last of Us. In a new interview, Druckmann revealed that “a couple projects” connected to the franchise are currently in the works and that he's excited to discuss them when the time is right. But what exactly ARE they? The Last of Us Part III? A spin-off? Something completely different? Nothing confirmed yet, but after years of mixed messages about the franchise's future, one thing finally seems certain: Naughty Dog isn't ready to let The Last of Us go. Sources: - https://x.com/Pirat_Nation/status/2095600832918012080 - https://x.com/SmashJT/status/2095601948028535043 - https://x.com/GenePark/status/2095568329964453901 - https://x.com/DomTheBomb/status/2095575131586265463 - https://x.com/GenePark/status/2095560313194119381 - https://x.com/Gazz_54/status/2095606093841928238 - https://x.com/Naughty_Dog/status/2094462799560810866 - https://x.com/Grummz/status/1867623063703236916 - https://x.com/SmashJT/status/2088066930183991608

NO DISC, NO BUY! Square Enix is facing fan backlash after confirming that Final Fantasy VII Revelation's physical release will STILL require an internet download to play. PS5 and Xbox owners need additional game data despite buying a disc, while Switch 2 gets a Game-Key Card requiring a massive 130GB download. After Remake and Rebirth shipped on multiple discs, physical collectors expected Square Enix to finish the trilogy properly. Instead, they're getting a physical product that still depends on downloaded data. What exactly are we paying for? Sources: - https://x.com/Pirat_Nation/status/2095595653812425144 - https://x.com/Pirat_Nation/status/2095520739679948823 - https://x.com/reidood/status/2095612559957098612 - https://x.com/finalfantasyvii/status/2095511357454188669 - https://x.com/Pirat_Nation/status/2095678984164122845 - https://x.com/Wario64/status/2095515375677157469 - https://x.com/SpawnWaveMedia/status/2095574953034727647 - https://x.com/nhamaguc/status/2095531785170067859

AndyPants Gaming just declared “GTA 6 is feminist slop,” and while his video goes WAY further than I would, some of the comparisons he makes between old Rockstar and GTA 6 are genuinely interesting. GTA used to relentlessly mock everyone, including many of the exact character and relationship dynamics that GTA 6 now appears to be taking much more seriously. Jason and Lucia, the increased focus on their relationship, Rockstar's changing tone and the people behind the modern studio all raise a bigger question: is this really the same GTA anymore? Source: - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xmn8UFDxcV4

Sweet Baby Inc.'s fingerprints have been associated with Marvel's Wolverine since early in development, and after seeing more of Insomniac's female character designs, I have some serious questions about the creative philosophy behind this game. To me, this represents a much bigger problem in modern gaming: activism and ideological concerns taking priority over simply creating appealing characters and great entertainment. SBI itself also appears dramatically smaller publicly than it once was, which raises another question: where did everybody go? Today we're looking at Wolverine, SBI's involvement, and what happened to the people who seemingly moved on. Sources: - https://x.com/EndymionYT/status/2095520856781029606 - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G62QQ42Ewwg - https://x.com/Art3misEntr3ri/status/2095587885831631178 - https://x.com/GriftGod_/status/2095545544869376151 - https://x.com/PaulTassi/status/2095632160694681651 - https://x.com/marvel_updat3s/status/2095502624921461016

What timeline are we living in?! Trump and the White House have announced a collection of browser-based games clearly inspired by retro classics like Tetris, Snake, Flappy Bird and more... and the internet reaction is absolute GOLD. Some people are having fun with the absurdity. Others are completely crashing out over the fact that the White House is apparently making VIDEO GAMES now. Forget flying cars. We got White House Tetris. Sources: - https://www.whitehouse.gov/arcade/ - https://x.com/WhiteHouse/status/2095669582526546252 - https://x.com/Grummz/status/2095688525580812318 - https://x.com/SmashJT/status/2095648485232226490 - https://x.com/UnclePhillthy/status/2095675901057085926 - https://x.com/gallintry/status/2095631396609896864 - https://x.com/WhiteHouse/status/2095615734567100766