Colette & Matt Have Entered the Chat

So, did you secure a Switch 2 pre-order? Neither did we.

Matt shares his quest (both online and IRL) to procure one. And if you thought Nintendo games got more expensive, wait until you hear what Microsoft has planned. The good news is: Colette has a solution.

Plus, Apple messed up big time in its fight with Epic over app store payments, and corporate hammers come down hard on Polygon and Giant Bomb.

Meanwhile, Matt shares the magic of co-op tabletop tactics adventure of "Sunderfolk," and Colette craps her pants over the brilliance of "...

After a week of tariff confusion, exceptions, backpedaling, and wait-and-seeism, Nintendo announced that Switch 2 pre-orders are back on the table with no price increase for the console itself. Peripherals are another story.

So, given the uncertainty, economic climate, and lack of Switch 2 launch games, will you be pre-ordering?

Plus, we tackle the breaking news of Discord's CEO stepping aside in favor of an Activision-Blizzard money man, with an IPO looming in the near future. The Internet is bracing for "enshittification," but given Discord's current business model, how worried should we be? And what could Discord...

Will U.S. tariffs affect the price of phones, computers, and most importantly, the Switch 2? Well, it depends what hour of the day you're asking. 

We discuss the proposals, postponements, and now exceptions that could affect games.

Also: What if Factorio and Stardew Valley had a baby?

Thanks for hanging out with us for 200 episodes!

Check out the playtest of Little Rocket Lab: https://store.steampowered.com/app/2451100/Little_Rocket_Lab/

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Nintendo unveiled the specs, features, and games for the Nintendo Switch 2, and hype was had for all.

And then the pricing was announced, and online sentiment went from excitement to concern, and even anger.

So what is the value proposition of the Switch 2? What would you pay to upgrade your Switch 1 games? And how does this all factor in to a marketplace where thousands of Steam games are still $10-$15, and unhinged tariffs are just starting to hit?

We break down everything announced in the Switch 2 Direct, our feelings about it, and the...

Nintendo had a Direct right before their OTHER Direct, which will reveal more details about the upcoming Switch 2.

What could possibly be in the latest Switch 1 Direct? Well, a whole damn lot!

New Metroid Prime 4 footage, a return to some funky weird franchises, and a brand new way to share digital games with family and friends.

And if you can't get enough Nintendo news Direct-ly, there's now an app for that.

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Hey, you. Have you heard of the Future Games Show?

Neither have we. But it sure did reveal some bangers this week. From AAA epics and indie darlings, we pluck out the trailers and demos that caught our attention.

Plus, Netflix revealed it's creating a cozy MMO called "Spirit Crossing," which sure does have some Studio Ghibli vibes. We discuss what this means for the streamer, which has typically only licensed mobile games from app stores, rather than create original IP.

And Colette shares her first impressions of the co-op friend-em-up "Split Fiction."<...

Niantic, makers of such hits as "Pokémon GO" and...the rest...has sold the location-based creature-enslaving walk-em-up for $3.5 billion.

One catch: The buyer is Saudi Arabia's sovereign wealth fund, a portfolio that's increasingly invested in tech and games. The Saudi government doesn't have the best track record on human rights, and its new access to millions of Pokémon Trainers' IRL location data has some players freaked out. We discuss the geopolitical ramifications (cuz we r eXpErTs).

Plus: A classic Bethesda RPG is probably being reborn in Unreal Engine 5, what if Link had a ke...

Our exploration of outstanding Steam demos and upcoming indies continues. Colette kicks the tires on three more excellent games.

Also, what will the Internet do with "Command & Conquer's" source code? And will Discord become "enshittified" if it files for IPO?

Meanwhile, "Monster Hunter Wilds" is Capcom's fastest selling game ever (8 million copies in 3 days). There's only one problem: It runs like ass and looks like a PS3 game. Matt explains the technical drama, Capcom's unwillingness to acknowledge the issues, and why despite all this, he can't stop playing.

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Happy Steam Next Fest to all who celebrate! We break down the free demos that have been keeping us WELL-entertained over the past week.

Also, the fine line between Homage and Rip-Off, and a fascinating look at cozy indie game that was changed after players discovered it wasn't so cozy after all.

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The free-to-play hero arena battler "Marvel Rivals" has hit hard since its release in December, scooping up 40 million players and almost $3 billion in net revenue. So it's totally logical and not weird at all that its Chinese publisher NetEase just laid off the entire U.S. design team. We discuss the weird geopolitical landscape, and why the relatively young games industry still lacks labor protection amid massive profits.

Also, Colette goes hard on "Sworn," a new roguelike that borrows heavily from "Hades" in all the right ways.

https://www.videogameschronicle.com/news/despite-its-big-success-marvel-rivals-director-and-others-have-been-laid-off/

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