Septic Sauce - A Gaming Podcast

As Playstation announces (to its staff) that it is withdrawing from PC releases of single player games, the burning question regarding Xbox exclusivity rages on as Forza Horizon 6, the highest rated game of the year so far, that attains a massive 6 million players in just a matter of days, has people questioning whether Xbox even needs Playstation. Would you sacrifice Game Pass or day one games on Game Pass for Xbox exclusives? There is only one correct answer!

Well contrary to the rather alarming leap in logic made by some corners of the internet, Playstation too is susceptible to market forces and component prices. Anyone with a working brain knows this but many were in denial. Now Sony has said that the PS6's fate is determined by the component prices. Add to that, Bungie's value continues to plummet marking just how terrible an acquisition it really was for Sony, Sony talks about really going all in on AI which is funny considering the vitriol directed at Microsoft for it. However, in other news, Saros reviews well, Mixtape is another critical hit but very divisive for some reason, Nintendo surprise reveals a new Star Fox game, Xbox has a new boot up animation and Forza Horizon 6 goes gold.

Xbox Head Asha Sharma comes out to admit that Xbox Game Pass is too expensive, there are rumblings of fierce debates raging on about Xbox exclusivity at Xbox HQ, Replaced has finally released, Capcom scores another big win with Pragmata and more!Joining me is Fonz ► https://www.youtube.com/@Fonz_Gaming

Xbox is taking 2026 very seriously. It looks like Asha Sharma is off to a good start by bringing Xbox Fanfest back. Gears of War E Day surprises me by not only being revealed and having a deep dive this summer but is also slated for a release this year! State of Decay 3 is also not dead with alpha playthroughs available next month! There is all sorts going on at the moment including Halo Studios leadership coming under fire for mismanagement. Is Halo doomed again?!

Well, there it is! The doubters have been proven wrong as Microsoft shows its commitment to gaming by revealing that it will indeed be releasing a new console which has now been revealed as Project Helix! Bloomberg's Jason Schreier reveals that Sony is indeed pulling away from PC as far as its single player first party games are concerned. Marathon has released and Highguard is officially about to die.

What an insane week for gaming! So much turmoil and drama. Firstly, Sony suddenly kills Playstation studio Bluepoint, responsible for delivering great titles out of the blue which results in the Playstation community calling for Hermen Hulst to be fired and the very next day, industry legend and Head of Xbox Phil Spencer announces his retirement! And Sarah Bond then decides to resign with him! In comes in an AI exec Asha Sharma who has no prior experience in gaming at all! What a mess. Joining me to discuss all this as Tom Henderson of Insider Gaming ► https://www.youtube.com/@insider_gaming

The internet seems to suggest that Playstation's State of Play was actually a good show which is at odds with my impression of it and it suggests to me that Stockholm Syndrome has set in for many onlookers who have adjusted their expectations after successive bland Sony shows have now caused people to accept a lower standard from the market leader. But maybe I'm wrong? Playstation is getting more remakes and remasters of games and perhaps there is nothing wrong with that? Also God of War Sons of Sparda shadow-dropped and whilst this was a cause for much jubilation in the Playstation camp, perhaps the celebrations were premature? Well that's what the creator of God of War thinks. Join me to discuss all this and more!

We have entered a strange phase in the industry where PC parts have absolutely skyrocketed because of the AI crazy amongst the industry. Insider Gaming has reported about talks of next gen consoles being delayed. Where does this leave the console platforms, particularly Xbox which is set to release its new hybrid console sooner than Playstation? 2026 is a fundamentally important year for Xbox not only because of its 25th anniversary but also the software and hardware that will be revealed and released! Joining me will be Insider Gaming's Tom Henderson ► https://x.com/_Tom_Henderson_

Industry legend Vince Zampella sadly passed away this previous week in a car crash and he left behind an incredible gaming legacy that changed the modern landscape in gaming. We take a look back at what he contributed to the gaming space and what the industry has lost. Gaming in 2025 was incredible and 2026 looks even better. Is the gaming industry finally healing itself? Are we in gaming nirvana today?

It has been quiet on the news front the last couple of weeks but now things are really starting to pick up with a big blow to the PC gaming community with insane price hikes to RAM and Crucial shutting down because Micron wants to invest into AI....yeah. Metroid Prime 4 has been awaited for several years and its review reception has been quite lukewarm compared to the lofty heights of previous entries. The Game Awards 2025 are right around the corner; what surprises await and who will win the coveted GOTY award and why will it not be Arc Raiders...the game that deserves to win it?

The details of the next Xbox are starting to come out and there are some very intriguing details there that even detractors of Xbox are quite clearly silently intrigued. Halo Studios revealed Halo Campaign Evolved but we now hear that both Halo 2 and 3 are having remakes too. Meanwhile, the multiplayer space FINALLY gets a tetanus shot this generation with Battlefield 6, Battlefield RedSec and Arc Raiders making waves. Marathon has its work cut out if it wants to make a splash in the extraction shooter genre.

Last week Xbox completely self-sabotaged itself with its Xbox Game Pass price hike and this week rumours suddenly started swirling with some insiders suggesting Xbox might be cancelling its next gen hardware. Subsequent reports have poured cold water over that but can Microsoft really be trusted here? How committed is Xbox really to the next gen machine? Battlefield 6 is doing incredibly well, beating Call of Duty's all-time concurrent players on Steam. Halo is apparently in trouble with reported leadership issues. The Playstation 6 might be coming sooner than many thought as Mark Cerny teases what's next for Sony and more.Sign up for exclusive greatness at ► https://septicsauce.com/Get exclusive content on Patreon ► / septicsauce

Playstation is finally getting into its stride with its first party releases. Its recent State of Play wasn't exactly brilliant but it was saved by the showings of 2 first party Playstation games, Saros and Wolverine. Ghost of Yotei has also received great reviews, besting the original and apparently even benefits from a better visual upgrade than many anticipated. Meanwhile, Xbox had a tepid Tokyo Game Show but announced Forza Horizon 6 set in Japan. It is a timed console exclusive which also sparked some arguments as you can imagine. The Xbox Ally had its price revealed and the ROG Ally X has an eye watering price point in the US.