Game Mess Mornings

Jason Fanelli joins Grubb on this Thursday morning to chat about his Hellraiser: Revival review, what the video game market looked like in August 2026, Xbox is starting a film and TV division, Sony selling VR patents to Meta, and more!

0:00 - Intro
5:10 - HELLRAISER REVIVAL REVIEWS
12:00 - Dragon's Dogma 2: Dark Arisen reviews
15:36 - August 2026 US Video Game Market Highlights
26:00 - BREAK
26:10 - Sony sales updates
28:40 - Xbox has a new film and television division
34:57 - Sony sells VR patents to Meta
41:05 - Star Wars Zero Company staff ‘returning to work’ afte...

Jeff Grubb is joined by Danreb Victorio to jumpstart your Wednesday with video game news! Today we're clarifying game streaming on the Xbox with GTA VI, GameStop charing out the wazoo for a used PS5 Pro, a reorg happening with Halo, a NEW Ape Escape game in the works, and more! 

Follow Danreb:
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0:00 - Intro
6:00 - Xbox isn’t going to stream GTA VI to PC at launch 
13:00 - GameStop is charging $1,399.99 for a used PS5 Pro
21:10 - As...

Jeff Grubb and Jan Ochoa start your week with video game news! We're talking about PlayStation taking pitches to go back into their vault of IP, Rockstar explaining the density of details in GTA VI, a whole slew of AI related stories, and more! 

00:00 - Intro
5:16 - Rockstar explains GTA VI’s characters, politics, NPCs, and absurd level of world detail
14:10 - GTA 6 rating pulled after revealing sex scenes and drug use
19:55 - Sony reportedly opens the PlayStation vault
29:00 - BREAK
29:20 - AI game mashup videos on social media spark debate and backlash amo...

Jeff Grubb and TurboShawn take you into the weekend by chatting about Star Wars: Galactic Racer reviews, PlayStation bringing a slimmed-down version of PSSR to base PS5 with QSSR, and more!

Check out that list of no-AI recompilations of retro games Shawn was talking about here: https://backloggd.com/u/WumpaGem/list/game-decompsrecomps-that-arent-vibe-coded/

Support us directly and get new episodes ad-free by signing up for Giant Bomb Premium at https://www.giantbomb.com/join

Timestamps (note, timestamps on this free version may vary greatly depending on how many ads you receive):
0:00:00 Intro
0:07:09 S...

It's spooky season! Jeff Grubb is joined by Will Crosby to give you the news. Today we're chatting about Gears of War: E-Day reviews and how the devs are worried about layoffs, Naughty Dog's newest mystery project, Capcom's plans for the other remakes, and more! 

0:00 - Intro
4:40 - Gears of War E-day reviews
12:34 - Gears E-Day staff reportedly fear post-launch layoffs (and losing their bonuses)
21:45 - Naughty Dog’s mystery project reportedly is a new Uncharted
29:00 - BREAK
31:10 - Ubisoft puts Splinter Cell, Ghost Recon and The Division under an expanded Massive
38:10 - D...

Jeff Grubb and Jan Ochoa are here for you Wednesday news needs! We're talking about Valve is making Steam sales algorithmic to users, Xbox's disc-to-digital goes live, Suda 51's Grasshopper going fully independant, and more! 

0:00 - Intro
7:57 - Toem 2 reviews
11:50 - Valve is making Steam sales algorithmic and personalized
25:50 - After being tested by Insider members, Xbox’s disc-to-digital feature is now rolling out to all players
31:55 - BREAK
32:10 - Suda 51’s Grasshopper officially regains independence from NetEase, avoiding studio cull
37:06 - Shuhei Yoshida says Sony and Nintendo should ‘keep the current generat...

Jeff Grubb is joined by Lex Luddy to start your week with the news! We do a quick review roundup for Minecraft Dungeons II, Disgaea Dev CEO is having discussions with Sony about the end of physical discs, Physint's budget, and more! 

0:00 - Intro
5:40 - Minecraft Dungeons II reviews
18:40 - Disgaea Dev CEO Says Company Is Having ‘Discussions’ With Sony About The End Of Physical Discs
31:20 - BREAK
31:30 - Physint probably isn’t going to cost $400 million
39:00 - GTA VI gets a 14-page Game Informer cover story tomorrow
41:20 - Naughty Dog day … uh, festi...

Jeff Grubb and Jason Fanelli are here to end the week with a whole bunch of video game news! Today we're chatting about Warzone letting you turn off other players' skins soon, Ace Combat 8 reviews, what lead to the end of Ubisoft and Nintendo's partnership, the status of the Wild Arms spiritual successor, and more! 

0:00 - Intro
6:50 - Ace Combat 8: Wings of Theve reviews
11:05 - How Ubisoft and Nintendo’s Partnership Ended With a Canceled Zelda Title
19:20 - The Wild Arms spiritual successor is canceled
26:45 - BREAK
27:00 - Xbox Studio Rare Working On Var...

Jan Ochoa joins Jeff Grubb today to talk about the news! Today we talk about Sony polling game devs about killing discs and filing a patent that would let you use tap to pay on your PlayStation controller, Meta announcing new VR glasses, Quake Champions, Injustice 3, and Konami hitting the pitch with their own soccer game. 

0:00 - Intro
7:08 - Sony is reportedly polling PlayStation game devs about its disc-killing decision
18:32 - Meta announces new VR glasses
28:00 - Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney – Dual Destinies … VR announced
30:50 - BREAK
31:00 - Sony Patent Would Let You Tap Y...

We've got Seth Macy joining Grubb on the show today! Today we're talking about more developments coming out of the layoffs happening at Xbox, Undead labs having to make some "significant" layoffs after their split from Xbox, Counter-Strike 2 adding pet chickens, a new Sonic game in development, and more! 

0:00 - Intro
9:30 - Any more thoughts about the future of Xbox/Halo under Activision?
16:46 - Undead Labs makes 'significant' layoffs after splitting from Xbox
20:00 - Counter-Strike 2 has a big update, but everybody only cares about the Tamagotchi chickens
26:45 - Sonic boss Says The New Sonic G...

Jeff Grubb is joined by Adriana Rodriguez to jump start your week with the news! We chat about Silent Hill Townfall reviews and Jan jumps in to share his impressions, Kojima shares his fears over Physint and what that could have meant for the studio, Wolverine selling well, FF7 Revelation helping you skip grinding, and more! 

0:00 - Intro
6:00 - Silent Hill Townfall reviews
14:25 - Kojima feared Physint cancellation would sink his studio
22:40 - BREAK
22:50 - Wolverine seems to be selling well
30:50 - Final Fantasy 7 Revelation can automatically fix your level
38:05 - Take-Two s...

Jeff Grubb is joined by Tamoor Hussain to end the week with a bunch of game news! Today we do a review round up of Control Resonant, Twitch's CEO might know when GTA 6's multiplayer is coming, Denuvo is suing crackers, insight into the Japanese gaming market, and more! 

0:00 - Intro
4:00 - Control Resonant reviews
16:35 - Twitch CEO says Grand Theft Auto 6’s multiplayer mode will launch next year
25:30 - BREAK
25:50 - Denuvo has sued the cracker behind DRM removals for at least 26 games
33:15 - The Witcher 4 Studio Switch to Unreal Engine 5 to Spe...

Jeff Grubb and Jan Ochoa are here to give you the news! Today we're talking about updates from Xbox coming out of the Tokyo Game Show like casting getting revealed for Kojima's Physint, PlayStation games disappearing from Steam in the UK, GTA 6 getting and original music album, and more! 

0:00 - Intro
3:33 - Xbox’s TGS showcase was mostly updates … and Kojima
19:10 - Sony’s PC games mysteriously disappeared from Steam in the UK
24:00 - Break
24:10 - GTA 6 is getting a 34-song album of original music
31:30 - Xbox advertising patent
38:30 - Media Molecule’s New Gam...

Jeff Grubb is joined by Dean Dobbs today to chat about Fire Emblem: Fortune's Weave and Trails in the Sky 2nd reviews, Wardogs continuing to sell very well, layoffs happening at Mindseye, and more! 

0:00 - Intro
4:25 - Fire Emblem reviews
17:17 - Trails in the Sky 2nd Chapter reviews
20:30 - Wardogs sells 2 million
27:35 - Layoffs at Mindseye Studio
34:20 - BREAK
34:40 - 007 First Light on Switch 2 slips to March 2027
38:40 - Steam Deck 2 remains in development despite the RAM crisis
42:30 - GTA 6’s musicians are starting a coordinated-looking tease campaign 
46:50 - Nightdive’s boss...

Jeff Grubb is joined by Lex Luddy to jump start your week with news! Today we're catching up on some of the bigger announcements coming out of Blizzcon, Wardogs selling a million copies in 24 hours, Polyarc shutting down, and more! 

0:00 - Intro
5:00 - Blizzard announced Diablo and StarCraft games that are years away ‘to show confidence’
19:50 - WoW Forever is basically Blizzard making its own alternate-history World of Warcraft
23:40 - Wardogs sold 1.25 million copies in 24 hours
28:50 - BREAK
30:13 - Moss series developer Polyarc shuts down
33:30 - SOMEBODY GOT YELLED AT: Level-5 CEO had t...

HAPPY FANELLI FRIDAY! We've got Jason Fanelli joining Grubb today to talk about updates with Kojima's Physint, Ubisoft and Steam, the upcoming EA merger, and more!

0:00 - Intro
4:24 - Saudi wealth fund weighs EA-Savvy merger, Bloomberg News reports
13:20 - PlayStation cancelled Hideo Kojima’s Physint because Death Stranding and its sequel did meet revenue expectations
22:50 - BREAK
23:07 - Ubisoft is 'testing' making its games far less annoying to launch on Steam
30:09 - That Zelda Direct was absolutely enormous
38:40 - Guess what was the biggest Nintendo Direct trailer in Japan
42:35 - VR he...

We've got TurboShawn joining Grubb today for the news. We're talking Wolverine reviews, Sony trying to cancel Physint and Kojima finding a new publishing partner, a "Customer Appreciation Sale" at Nintendo, Matt Berry is in a Skyrim mod, and many more! 

0:00 - Intro
3:15 - Wolverine reviews
18:20 - Sony tried to cancel PHYSINT, and Xbox is now publishing it
33:33 - BREAK
33:50 - Nearly 1,900 Blizzard employees get a major union contract — including AI rules
38:40 - Nintendo announces a ‘Customer Appreciation Sale’ in America, says its tariff refunds made it possible
43:40 - Steam now requires Austral...

We've got Taylor Cocke joining Grubb today to chat about virtually EVERYTHING from today's Nintendo Direct and we're getting ports, a new Kirby, AND A NEW METROID GAME! We also chat about the massive Steam leaks, EA using generative AI, and more for your Wednesday morning.

0:00 - INTRO
4:00 - Nintendo Direct
29:30 - Break
29:40 - Steam may have just suffered one of the biggest videogame leaks in years
35:20 - Xbox disc-to-digital: reports of publishers "opting out" were premature
39:10 - EA is reportedly using generative AI for NHL 27 commentary
45:35 - Riot is considering making...

Jeff Grubb and Chuck Zimmerheld are ending the week with video game news! We're talking about Nintendo dropping two Directs on us next week, Sony's State of Play getting bombarded with negative comments, Xbox capping cloud gaming sessions, and more! 

00:00 - Intro
5:00 - Nintendo just announced TWO Directs for next week 
19:50 - Sony's State of Play got hijacked by “NO DISC NO BUY” and “DESTINY 3”
24:30 - Xbox is capping cloud gaming to 15 hours and charging for extra playtime
34:30 - break
34:45 - The physical edition of Final Fantasy 7 Revelation needs to download extra game data on al...

Jeff Grubb and TurboShawn roll right into news and recap all of the highlights (and lowlights) of both State of Plays that happened today! We also get into a new Disney game, skings heading to Battlefield 6, Rhythm Heaven doing well in Japan, and more for your Thursday! 

00:00 - Intro
5:15 - STATES OF PLAY RECAP
32:20 - BREAK
32:50 - Sony Is Making 59% More Revenue Per PlayStation User Since PS4 Generation, Says Analyst
40:20 - FRONTIER ANNOUNCES DISNEY AGREEMENT FOR A NEW GAME 
43:00 - BATTLEFIELD 6 MAY ALREADY BE BREAKING ITS "GROUNDED SKINS" PROMISE
46:10 - Rhythm Heaven is...

We've got Lexi Luddy on the show today to join Grubb to discuss Mario Kart 8 Deluxe getting new DLC, Pikmin 3 getting a surprise upgrade, Sony making assumptions on what consumers believe, Double Fine having a lofty goal with their Kickstarter, and more! 

00:00 - Intro
5:00 - Nintendo just updated Mario Kart – no, the other Mario Kart
10:15 - Pikmin 3 Deluxe also gets a surprise Switch 2 upgrade
17:05 - Nintendo Switch Online Nintendo Classics gets a new drop of old games
23:00 - Nintendo Direct rumors
28:40 - Mini Grubb Guesser
31:50 - Break
32:05 - Sony says ‘reasonable consu...

Jeff Grubb is joined by Jan Ochoa to jumpstart your week with news! We chat about multiple State of Play showcases planned for September 3rd, rumblings that Sony may be reconsidering ending disc production, an Onimusha review roundup, and more for your Monday! 

0:00 - Intro
4:50 - States of Play on Thursday
15:04 - Onimusha: Way of the Sword Review Roundup
23:50 - BREAK
24:00 - Word out of Gamescom is that Sony might postpone its all-digital future, but nothing is official
34:20 - Just Dance accidentally leaks a Nintendo Direct?
39:15 - “Aggressively” Selling PS5s Isn’t Neede...

It's a Fanelli Friday everybody! Jason Fanelli joins Grubb to end the week with news about the White House and more tariffs on semiconductors, DLSS 5 coming out for everyone, Metal Gear Solid 4 players, and a whole slew of GTA VI news!

0:00 - Intro
4:40 - The White House is considering another semiconductor tariff plan 
12:30 - Looks like you can try DLSS 5 out today yourself
21:00 - BREAK
22:20 - Grand Theft Auto 6 details
39:41 - Cyberleek's GTA 6 leak flood looks to have ended in the most unsurprising way possible: a $250,000 crypto grift
43:15 - Elden Ring on S...

Jon Martin joins us today to chat about more updates on GTA VI before their big gameplay reveal today, physical Switch 2 games getting progressively worse, Konami wanting to release more Silent Hill Games, Metal Gear Solid 4 finally escaping the PS3, Panic and the Playdate actually giving people refunds from tariffs, and more! 

00:00 - Intro
7:13 - GTA 6 Netflix Trailer’s Beefy Runtime Revealed, Footage Captured On PS5
12:10 - GTA VI gets a ton of new official details before today’s big gameplay reveal
19:50 - Physical games on Switch 2 somehow keep getting worse
30:00 - BREAK
31:06 - Kon...

Jeff Grubb is joined by Jan Ochoa to jump start your Wednesday with news! We talk about our early impressions and a review round up of Star Wars: Zero Company, Rockstar addressing the GTA VI leaks, recapping Opening Night Live, and more!
#gmm #gamemessmornings #giantbomb 

0:00 - Intro
8:50 - Star Wars: Zero Company Reviews
17:17 - Rockstar Games addresses Grand Theft Auto VI gameplay leaks
25:00 - 
26:40 - Xbox Reveals Plan To Save Fans’ Physical Game Collections In A Digital Future
30:50 - Persona 6 will have PS5 Physical Release
35:30 - Opening Night Live happened
45:10 - Ub...

Grubb is joined by Chuck Zimmerheld to jump start your week with video game news! We're talking about the mystery game at Gamescom MAYBE being a new Ori, Sony reminding users that they do not own their digital games, Nintendo going after emulators, Call of Duty on the Switch 2, and more! 
00:00 - Intro
4:25 - The mystery Xbox sequel was apparently Ori — but Ori’s creator says the rumor is “nonsense”
12:12 - Sony sends PlayStation users a reminder they don't own their digital games just as a fan boycott over ending discs kicks off
20:40 - break
22:20 - Blood o...

Jeff Grubb is joined by Josh Coulson from TheGamer to chat about Riot ending active development for fighting game 2XKO, Take-Two issuing subpoenas to Microsoft and Discord over GTA VI leaks, FromSoftware's network test for The Duskbloods ending early, and more!

00:00 - Intro
04:20 - FromSoftware Gives Up On Today’s The Duskbloods Network Test After Two Hours Of Failed Logins
13:00 - Riot is effectively putting 2XKO into maintenance mode 
19:40 - Take-Two Subpoenas Trove Of Records From Microsoft And Discord As It Hunts For GTA 6 Leaker
29:30 - Break
29:50 - Microsoft has stopped giving Circana its...

Jeff Grubb is joined by Mat Piscatella on the show today to chat about July's Circana Report and how the market is doing overall! We also get into a new Sony patent that makes AI play games for you, low physical sales on the Xbox, Duskbloods previews, and more! 

Follow Mat Piscatella on Bluesky at
https://bsky.app/profile/matpiscatella.bsky.social 

00:00 - Intro
5:55 - July 2026 U.S. Video Game Market Highlights
20:30 - Nobody’s Buying New Physical Games On Xbox In The U.S.
31:26 - Break
31:40 - New Sony Patent Disc...

Jeff Grubb is joined by Jan Ochoa to chat about PlayStation going back to the drawing board with Horizon Hunters Gathering, Xbox announcing a new game at Gamescom, Control Resonant not getting a physical release until October, and more news for hump day! 

00:00 - Intro
04:30 - PlayStation co-op spin-off Horizon Hunters Gathering is reportedly being overhauled after poor testing feedback
23:30 - Surprise Xbox Game To Be Announced At Gamescom, Insider Says
26:37 - break
26:45 - GTA 6 has already generated an estimated $395 million in preorders
30:19 - Notice that Control Resonant isn’t getting a physical ver...

It's MONDAY! We've got Mike Minotti joining Grubb today to talk about a grip of news coming out of D23 like Kingdom Hearts IV finally resurfacing and aiming for a 2027 release date, Mortal Shell II, online outrage at Marvel's Wolverine, and more to start your week!

00:00 - Intro
5:50 - Kingdom Hearts IV finally resurfaces: late 2027, Coco, and Square says it absolutely won't slip
10:40 - Saber CEO Apologizes To Rideshare Writer Involved In AI Controversy
16:10 - PlayStation 6 release date still hasn’t been decided, Sony CEO Hiroki Totoki says
23:00 - break - 
24:30 - Mortal She...

Jeff Grubb is joined by Rhiannon Bevan to end the week with a whole slew of news! Wolverine previews are in and we take a look at what the general temperature is with Insomniac's new game, Netflix continues to close studios, Pokémon Pokopia is still making noise with sales, and more news stories to end the week. 

00:00 - Intro
3:30 - Wolverine previews are out
11:10 - Netflix is closing the Oxenfree studio
20: 30 - 2K unveils ‘ambitious’ new sports studio stuffed with EA Sports FIFA talent
26:50 - break
27:00 - Extended Look At GTA 6 To Span M...

Grubb is joined by Jan Ochoa to celebrate Boy Salad Summer as we talk about Streamers' content being used to train generative AI at Twitch, the CEO of Saber lashing out against a former writer, Mario Kart World competing with 8 still, and more for your Thursday morning news needs!

00:00 - Intro
04:40 - Twitch is using streamers’ content to train generative AI by default
16:16 - Saber CEO Would Have Been “Happy to Replace” Former Writer With AI, In Retrospect
26:20 - BREAK
26:40 - Physical games are selling like crazy on Switch 2
33:40 - Mario Kart World may be...

Jeff Grubb and TurboShawn run you through the biggest news stories of the day, including Asha Sharma's hints about The Elder Scrolls VI, an analysis of Halo: Campaign Evolved's underwhelming sales, more info on Phantom Blade Zero, and more!

Support us directly and get new episodes ad-free by signing up for Giant Bomb Premium at https://www.giantbomb.com/join

Timestamps (note, timestamps on this free version may vary greatly depending on how many ads you receive):
00:00 Intro
04:27 More jangling keys – Xbox CEO ignored a giant rat to talk up Elder Scrolls VI
12:47 Ha...

Lex Luddy joins Jeff Grubb to talk about Blizzard reportedly being Xbox's "Top-Performing" studio thanks to Overwatch and Diablo, Valve hardware customers being hit by a shipping-partner data breach, and more.

Support us directly and get new episodes ad-free by signing up for Giant Bomb Premium at https://www.giantbomb.com/join

Timestamps (note, timestamps on this free version may vary greatly depending on how many ads you receive):
00:00 Intro
05:26 Valve hardware customers hit by shipping-partner data breach
13:58 Blizzard Reportedly Leads Xbox as 'Top-Performing' Studio Thanks to Overwatch and Diablo
25:14 Doom developer...

We've got a Fanelli Friday today! Jason Fanelli joins Jeff Grubb to end the week to chat about Marvel Tōkon launching with "Mixed" Steam reviews, Quake's 30th Anniversary, a whole block of Take-Two and GTA VI news, and more to end your week! 

0:00 - Intro
4:10 - Marvel Tōkon Launches To Abysmal 44% Rating On Steam
17:39 - MachineGames and id Software celebrate Quake’s 30th Anniversary with a brand-new episode
22:35 - Break
22:40 - Devolver Digital Wants To Go Private Again Following A 95 Percent Collapse In Its Share Price
32:55 - The Legend Of Zelda Live...

Jeff Grubb is joined by Chuck Zimmerheld to give you the news! We're talking about GTA VI and Netflix's special preview event, Tomodachi Life hitting BIG, Switch 2 is still Nintendo's fastest selling system, Diablo 4 and FF XIV on the Switch 2, and more! 

0:00 - Intro
4:40 - GTA VI’s next presentation is a Netflix timed exclusive
11:10 - Switch 2 remains Nintendo’s fastest-selling system
22:40 - Tomodachi Life is officially a megahit
26:40 - Space Ace Updates
27:00 - Break
27:50 - Sony is reportedly putting warning labels on PS5s about decision to ditch discs
36:53 - Capco...

Jeff Grubb is joined by Jan Ochoa to chat about the repercussions of EA getting acquired by Saudi Arabia, Beast of Reincarnation reviews, the director of Assassin's Creed Valhalla returning to Ubisoft, Marvel Rivals shrinking, and more! 

0:00 - Intro
5:20 - EA could be set for ‘mass layoffs’ as it aims to cut costs following Saudi acquisition
16:20 - Beast of Reincarnation reviews
20:30 - Game Freak is planning regular Beast of Reincarnation updates, starting next week
27:15 - BREAK
27:30 - Assassin's Creed Valhalla director makes sudden return to Ubisoft, and will lead the series moving forward
...

Jeff Grubb is joined by Jeff Bakalar to start your week with news! We're talking about Big Walk reviews, a new Nintendo Direct dropping tomorrow, we might see Wolverine's butt in the upcoming game, and more! 

0:00 - Intro
6:40 - Big Walk reviews
14:57 - New Nintendo Direct dropping tomorrow dedicated to Fire Emblem Fortune’s Weave
21:50 - Wolverine’s Going To Get His Butt Out In Insomniac’s New Game
29:25 - break 
29:30 - Xbox console price increases in Europe and UK fully revealed, with Series X now costing €200 more
38:40 - No, Xbox isn't quitting S...

Jeff Grubb and Jason Fanelli end the week with video game news! Today we chat about how PlayStation's profits are jumping despite lack of games, Jason's time at MagicCon, another statement from Asha Sharma about the goals of XBOX, Sony continuing forward despite the disc backlash, and more! 

0:00 Intro
4:02 - PlayStation’s profits jumps despite declining PS5 shipments and playtime
16:02 - Sony says it hears PlayStation disc backlash but will continue its plans
25:00- break
26:10 - MagicCon
29:20 - Xbox boss Asha Sharma says console is the core of its strength
38:00 - Assassin’s Cre...

Jeff Grubb is joined by Rachel Kaser to chat about NVIDIA raising the prices again of some of their products, Capcom feeling very positive about the chances of a Pragmata sequel, Splatoon Raiders doing big numbers in Japan, and Croc 2?

0:00 - Intro
4:20 - GTA VI marketing may finally ramp back up in August
14:00 - FF7 Revelation director says he’s working on arranging ‘some kind of physical edition’, but can’t confirm details
21:00 - Splatoon Raiders launches huge in Japan
25:00 - BREAK
26:00 - NVIDIA Price Hikes
37:50 - Xbox’s audience grew, but its busine...