Sacred Symbols: A PlayStation Podcast

PlayStation's dueling State of Play presentations -- one for western audiences and the other for its native Japanese territory -- hasn't quelled the ever-increasing animus for the brand in some corners. Though widely considered a weak showing (we rank it somewhere between a C and F, depending on which one of us you ask), there were still some great games worth discussing, and we'll do just that. New announcements included shark-eating sequel Maneater 2, an eastern take on New York City with Konami's Rhapsody in Scarlet, old-school bona fides in SlashZero, and the uniquely liminal World Phasebound Control Authority. Plus, release dates flowed for the likes of Final Fantasy VII Revelation, Until Dawn 2, and Metro 2039, all excellent-looking titles. But underneath the surface, the same issues remain. Is Sony disconnected from the reality on the ground, or are we too busy misinterpreting the noise while dodging the signal? We discuss at length. Other news this week includes some Grand Theft Auto VI updates, the exit of Housemarque's co-founder, faux rumors of Square Enix going private, and more. Then, we wrap things up (as we always do) with listener inquiries. Do we believe the scuttlebutt out of Gamescom that Sony's development and publishing partners are upset with them? What do we think of the new website Video Games Critic? Does developer Bit Reactor furloughing staff indicate a future trend for sustainable game dev? Is Sacred Symbols the absolutely perfect podcast for the manic depressive? Visit ⁠https://www.prizepicks.onelink.me/LME0/SACRED ⁠and use code SACRED and get $150 if you win your first $5 lineup! Download Cash App Today: ⁠https://capl.onelink.me/vFut/ty57yree⁠ #CashAppPod  Cash App is a financial services platform, not a bank. Banking services provided by Cash App’s bank partner(s). Prepaid debit cards issued by Sutton Bank, Member FDIC. Cash App Visa® Debit Flex Cards issued by Sutton Bank, Member FDIC, and The Bancorp Bank, N.A., pursuant to a license from Visa U.S.A. Inc. See terms and conditions for the ⁠Sutton prepaid card⁠, ⁠Sutton debit flex card⁠, and ⁠Bancorp debit flex card⁠.  Discounts and promotions provided by Cash App, a Block, Inc. brand. Visit ⁠cash.app/legal/podcast⁠ for full disclosures. Please keep in mind that our timestamps are approximate, and will often be slightly off due to dynamic ad placement.0:00:00 - Intro0:16:34 - Pre-Sacred ritual0:28:26 - Chris Ray Goon0:31:09 - Bathroom paper towels0:33:04 - Podcast etiquette0:40:44 - Wendy's encounter0:52:21 - Money flow follow-up0:54:57 - State of Play1:46:37 - Netflix's GTAVI breaks records1:49:41 - Sony's comments on "digital ownership"2:03:08 - Housemarque co-founder leaves2:07:52 - Square Enix denies going private2:10:38 - Sony Music buys 24% stake in Gung Ho Entertainment2:13:06 - Sony brings live TV to PlayStation2:15:48 - Iron Man game leaked2:18:38 - What We’re Playing (Alan Wake 2, Mortal Shell 2, Halloween: The Game, Onimusha: Way of the Sword)2:29:30 - PlayStation getting cold feet?2:38:54 - Naughty Dog’s new reality2:50:52 - Video Games Critic2:59:12 - Physical games replacement3:07:32 - Mega Man’s future3:13:26 - Star Wars: Zero Company furlough Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Sony's mishandling of its games-as-a-service initiative is well-worn territory here on Sacred Symbols, but that doesn't mean the fallout doesn't persist. This time around, Guerrilla's new multiplayer title Horizon: Hunters Gathering is the focal point. Based on recent reporting, it appears Sony is having the dev team rework the game to remove live service and other persistent elements, and its fate will be decided by December, with cancellation still very much on the table. Bungie and Marathon, Haven and Fairgames, Firewalk and Concord, Naughty Dog and The Last of Us Online, the Deviation-turned-Dark Outlaw project, Bluepoint and God of War Online, a cancelled multiplayer Spider-Man game at Insomniac, Twisted Metal never getting far off the ground at Lucid... Truly, it's enough already. Plus: Until Dawn star Hayden Panettiere sadly passes away at 37 years old, Grand Theft Auto VI suffers a catastrophic leak, Hiroko Totoki talks to the Wall Street Journal about Sony's move away from tech and towards entertainment, Square Enix swears Kingdom Hearts IV will launch in 2027, and more. Then: Listener inquiries! Is Naughty Dog's high-caliber approach ultimately unsustainable? Have we lost sight of the reality of how bad the experience of using physical media actually is? How can we both run Sacred Symbols effectively while ignoring the endless, persistent, and unrealistic negativity? Will Colin ultimately push Dustin over the line by insisting he's Japanese? Timestamps: Please keep in mind that our timestamps are approximate, and will often be slightly off due to dynamic ad placement. 0:00 - Intro39:18 - Shoutout to Chris and Porter50:08 - "Dustin is Japanese"52:26 - Drinking in the pool1:03:09 - Digital ownership brother in arms1:09:27 - RIP Hayden Panettiere1:15:08 - GTAVI Leaks1:44:20 - Horizon: Hunters Gathering is being reworked2:28:31 - Hiroki Totoki Literature Club interview2:42:15 - Sony's shovelware purge gone wrong?2:55:21 - Kingdom Hearts IV releases late 20273:01:28 - Terranigma port3:05:32 - Pulse Elevate speakers coming in November3:07:53 - Call of Duty beta includes campaign level3:09:44 - Simpsons Hit and Run returns?3:14:25 - July US sales data3:18:42 - What We're Playing (Beast of Reincarnation, Spider-Man 2, Mortal Shell 2)3:40:39 - Toxic fandoms3:56:42 - Enshittification across media4:06:53 - Curbing your expectations4:20:17 - Is Naughty Dog unsustainable?4:24:14 - Is America AAA game dev dead?4:30:34 - Was physical media a nightmare? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

After roughly half-a-dozen episodes of unfortunate absence, we're pleased to welcome Dustin back to the fold, and just in the nick of time at that. A trio of interesting stories have bubbled to the surface over the past week worth examining, and they require further inquiry from the whole cast. For starters, Sony's financials show a stagnant (albeit perfectly healthy) PlayStation brand, as PS5 marches ever-slower towards 100 million units sold. And then there's Electronic Arts, the pioneering American publisher that sold-out to a wealthy foreign interest, with untold ramifications on the other side of the biggest-ever leveraged buyout in human history. Finally, we come to Netflix and Rockstar, who have teamed-up for what can only be described as a unique approach towards showcasing Grand Theft Auto VI, one (perhaps not surprisingly) some people aren't thrilled about. Among other news (and other nonsense), we also get into your listener submissions, as we do each week. How will MLB: The Show 27 be affected next year by what appears to be an inevitable work stoppage in professional baseball? Is there any workable idea for a framework surrounding the second-hand buying, selling, and trading of digital games? Could Sony blunt PlayStation 6's inevitably-high cost by taking a page from Xbox's book and offering hardware on long-term payment plans? Has Colin been saying "beaucoup bucks" wrong, or does one listener simply not know his French? This episode is sponsored by BetterHelp. Sign up and get 10% off at https://www.betterhelp.com/symbols Sign up for your $1 per month trial at https://www.shopify.com/sacred Get 365-day returns and free shipping at https://www.quince.com/sacred Timestamps: Please keep in mind that our timestamps are approximate, and will often be slightly off due to dynamic ad placement.0:00 - Intro21:28 - Beaucoup bucks23:15 - Has Colin gone woke?30:57 - Betting on Dustin's return35:44 - Last games during Dustin's leave51:19 - Balancing work, life, and kids58:32 - GTA VI premieres on Netflix1:16:24 - Sony Q1 26 financials1:56:48 - EA's sale to the Saudis is done2:11:37 - Shift Up's AI music video2:21:50 - Dave Bautista as Kratos?2:26:59 - New PlayStation LEGO2:27:31 - Black Ops on PS5 sales2:28:34 - What We're Playing (Halo, GTA SA, Big Walk, Splatoon Raiders)2:55:43 - AI Moderation3:13:54 - MLB Lockout3:17:47 - Optimizing games too much3:24:30 - Buying and selling digital games3:34:09 - Lack of real games media3:41:07 - Buying PS6 via contract Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

PlayStation's self-inflicted physical games fiasco is nearing a month deep, and it seems fairly obvious at this point that nothing's going to change. The good news is that -- amongst all the chatter, arguing, and prognostication -- comes more info from the American market that indicates that Sony is pissing people off, yes, but also making a seemingly rational commercial decision from their perspective. Thus, we find ourselves in a continued bind: Through all of the screaming and insulting is salient data, should one be willing to look with sober eyes. We discuss. Plus: Marathon loses its game director, Bethesda vows to deliver a lot more Fallout, Rebel Wolves promises Mass Effect-like save migration for its nascent Blood of Dawnwalker series, NBA 2K27 skips PlayStation 4, Kratos gets recast in Amazon's God of War series, and more. We then wrap things up, as we always do, with listener inquiries from our audience. What are our expectations for Until Dawn 2? Did the elimination of crunch culture in some corners of the industry have unexpected downstream effects? Should Grand Theft Auto be held to account for the real-world violence it potentially inspires? Has Colin created a new mosquito bite-obliterating trend? Timestamps: Please keep in mind that our timestamps are approximate, and will often be slightly off due to dynamic ad placement. 0:00 - Intro17:43 - Del Walker has great insight21:03 - Marathon's PVE mode31:45 - Feel better, Brent32:32 - Moriarty X Jaffe summer camp44:43 - More sports talk please48:52 - Dexter can't dance53:24 - Mosquito's suck57:22 - Physical game sales on PS5 are struggling + June US sales data1:59:31 - Marathon's director quits2:17:10 - Bethesda confirms Fallout 3 and New Vegas remasters2:33:22 - Blood of the Dawnwalker will carry its saves over into future games2:38:06 - NBA 2K27’s cover athletes revealed, skips PS42:42:34 - Jonathan Blow’s new game confirmed for launch on PS52:45:37 - God of War’s Amazon show is recasting Kratos after on-set injury2:49:45 - The first Call of Duty film is less than a year out2:52:18 - What We're Playing (Onimusha, Onimusha 2, Powerwash Simulator 2 Star Wars DLC, Marathon, Halo Campaign Evolved)3:08:38 - Can Until Dawn 2 live up to its predecessor?3:13:29 - Is the elimination of crunch the cause of ballooning budgets?3:19:34 - The phasing out of trilogies3:24:42 - Will retro hardware prices skyrocket?3:30:38 - Does GTA cause violence?3:40:51 - Should Sony fund smaller single player games? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices