About this episode

The episode discusses the Xbox crisis, Fortnite's collectible sprites, and various trends in the gaming industry.

Gies #96. Emmanuel, Casey and David break down the Xbox crisis (layoffs and the margin crush), Fortnite's Pokemon-style collectible sprites, Black Myth Wukong's China numbers, EA's move into in-game advertising, and why so many game names blur together. Get the weekly GIES newsletter free at giesweekly.comMentioned: Xbox, Microsoft, Game Pass, Fortnite, Black Myth Wukong, EA, Tekken 8, Street Fighter 6, Super Smash Bros Ultimate.

People in this episode

Hosts: Emmanuel, Casey, David

Topics covered

• Xbox crisis
• Fortnite collectibles
• Black Myth Wukong
• in-game advertising
• game naming trends

Keywords

• Xbox
• Fortnite
• Black Myth Wukong
• EA
• in-game advertising
• gaming trends
• Game Pass

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: Xbox, Microsoft, EA

Products: Game Pass, Fortnite, Tekken 8, Street Fighter 6, Super Smash Bros Ultimate

Books & works: Black Myth Wukong

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• Xbox Hikes Prices, PlayStation Ends Discs, and a $6 Game Sells 10 Million | Gies #98 · July 10, 2026 · 54 min
• Steam Machine's Price Problem, GTA 6 Goes Premium, and Gaming's $201.6B Paradox | Gies #97 · June 26, 2026 · 55 min
• The Return of the Console Wars? | Gies #95 · June 22, 2026 · 56 min

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