Transcript

Damon Hatfield (0:00)

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Nick Limone (1:18)

I'm back, baby.

Damon Hatfield (1:19)

We are also joined by Sam Claiborne.

Sam Claiborne (1:21)

Hey, it's good to be here on a sunny Thursday.

Damon Hatfield (1:23)

And hopefully Justin Davis will remain here for the rest of the episode. Will not be sucked out of his house by the tornado that an alarm

Justin Davis (1:32)

is currently going off for to Godspeed there like 99%. This is gonna stay really funny. There's like a 1% chance that that joke becomes super not funny.

Nick Limone (1:42)

Think of how viral this podcast would go though. Like if we just see you get ripped from the room. I don't, I don't want that to happen.

Sam Claiborne (1:49)

But I'm just saying Nick's like, I'm a conscious content guy and what I'd like to. What I'd like to see happen or what I'd like to have happen.

Nick Limone (1:58)

Try to bring the mic with you. That way we can get the last like scream, you know, recreate the Wilhelm stream.

Summary

Game Scoop! 851: Sony's Surprising Slump

Date: April 3, 2026
Host: Damon Hatfield
Guests: Nick Limone, Sam Claiborne, Justin Davis

Overview

This episode dives into the annual Metacritic publisher rankings—with a special focus on Sony's underwhelming performance—plus heated discussion about ballooning PS5 prices, retro gaming nostalgia, bizarre new industry headlines, listener Q&A, and a tricky round of 20 Questions. Damon and the IGN crew deliver expert commentary, playful banter, and keen industry insight throughout.

Main Discussion: Metacritic Publisher Rankings 2025

(Begins ~[03:54])

How Metacritic Ranks Publishers

Based on the average Metascore for all games released in 2025.
Bonus points for games with a score ≥75 (good), penalty for games ≤49 (bad).
Bonus for games scoring 90+ (“great”).
Only includes publishers with 5+ releases.

Surprise Results & Hot Takes

Major Highlights

Sony lands at #21, sparking the episode’s "slump" theme.
Atari (#20) and Konami (#15) make strong comebacks.
Square Enix takes the #1 spot with 100% “good” games, led by FFVII Rebirth (PC).

In-Depth Rankings (Select Entries)

28: Idea Factory
26: Nacon Daedalic — filed for bankruptcy, weak lineup.
24: Bandai Namco — 23 games, dragged down by poorly received titles despite Elden Ring expansion.
21: Sony — Best game is TLOU Part II Remaster; dragged down by Destiny 2 DLC flops and mid-tier new IPs.
- Sam Claiborne (11:17): “It’s so weird that they’re the publisher for Destiny.”
- Justin Davis (11:59): “Sony’s gonna win this console generation convincingly… without releasing any games. Where are all the games?”
20: Atari — Only “good” scores via remasters/compilations.
15: Konami — “They’re back, baby!” (Nick Limone, 16:10). Strong showing with a new Gradius and Silent Hill, Yu-Gi-Oh, Metal Gear Delta.
12: Nintendo — 18 games; best is TotK Switch 2 Edition (95). A surprise low for such a prolific year.
11: Ubisoft — Beats Nintendo in ranking; highlights include AC Shadows and Avatar expansion.
5: Microsoft — 21 games; highest-rated games include Forza Horizon 5 (PS5) and Indiana Jones.
- Justin Davis (29:15): “I think Xbox has put out much better games than PlayStation this generation.”
3: Capcom — Monster Hunter Wilds shines.
1: Square Enix — “Even its worst-scored game was still good.” (Damon Hatfield, 33:29).

Quotes & Memorable Moments

Damon (13:05): “Atari is back. None of [their games] were bad.”
Sam (21:16), on Devolver facing GTA head-to-head: “The only publisher brave enough to go up against Grand Theft Auto this year.”
Justin (29:15), on Microsoft’s generation: “How good was Forza? How good was Indiana Jones?”

Segment: The Shock of PS5 Price Hikes

(Begins ~[38:01])

Outrage Over Pricing

Standard PS5 now $650; Digital Edition $600; PS5 Pro a jaw-dropping $900.
- Justin (38:01): “Wait, Damon, we need to stop down because you made a mistake. You said $650. There’s no way that can be right... for the base console?”
- Sam (38:18): “And it doesn’t play games any better than it did five years ago.”
50% price increase on Digital Edition since launch.
Shift from traditional console pricing ($200-$400 historically) to luxury-tier.
- Damon (43:00): “Atari 2600 was $200 in 1977… PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X, [Switch 2] are $500. A family isn’t going to buy a $1000 PlayStation 6... Nothing but the hardest hardcore gamer would accept to pay.”

Why the Price Hikes?

Supply chain and RAM shortages, inflation, and component costs cited.
Nintendo’s Switch 2 holds at $450 despite tariffs, contrasting Sony’s increase.

Impact on Gamers and the Industry

The console market risks becoming a niche for “affluent hardcore gamers.”
Sam (44:38): “Nintendo knows they need to get those consoles in houses… more than Sony does.”
The risk: loss of younger consumers and the mainstream audience, driving kids to PC/mobile.
Justin (42:19): “If you’re a kid… you have to spend $650 or your family does… to buy in and play.”
Damon (47:37): “If consoles cost $1,000, they’ll sell 10 million. You’ll never have a 100 million-selling console ever again.”

Retro and Weird Headline Roundup

(Begins ~[48:35])

Bizarre Retro Revival

Jaleco’s old catalogue revived: multiple Bases Loaded baseball reissues (including VTuber mashups), and Goal 2 soccer collections.
- Damon (49:21): “A pixel art baseball game where you play as HoloLive VTubers…”
- Justin (50:06): “The second-best Vampire Survivors game is a HoloLive fan game that is free.”
Nostalgia for sprite-based sports games and NES-era arcadey gameplay discussed.

Listener Question: What Resident Evil Games to Play?

(Begins ~[54:50])

Best order: Resident Evil 2 Remake → RE4 Remake → Requiem.
RE1 Remake recommended for context, but better played after RE2 or RE4 to appreciate design evolution.
General consensus: skip RE5 & RE6 for newcomers.

Crimson Desert Discussion

(Begins ~[59:03])

Justin’s deep-dive into Crimson Desert: “31 hours in... I keep liking it more and more. The more time that goes on, the more I’m thinking about it.” ([59:26])
The game is compelling despite frustrating quest design and lack of polish.
Nick (61:27): “You can find stuff the game doesn’t communicate at all—you might miss whole systems.”
Both cast and listeners struggle to categorize it, but agree it’s weirdly addictive.

Movie Mini-Reviews

(Begins ~[69:13])

Sam gives the new Mario Galaxy movie a thumbs up: “It’s just Nintendo references the movie... nothing to spoil.” ([69:22])
Damon enjoyed “Project Hail Mary” film adaptation.

20 Questions: “Solar Striker”

(Begins ~[73:01])

The crew attempts to guess a Game Boy-era Nintendo-published vertical shoot ‘em up.
Damon (83:26 hint): “I owned this game, played it a lot, but today I would not have known Nintendo published it.”
Stumped until the end—answer revealed as Solar Striker (Game Boy, 1990), developed by Nintendo and Gunpei Yokoi.

Notable Quotes

On Sony:
- Justin (11:59): “They crushed Xbox, without releasing any games. I mean, where are all the games?”
On Pricing:
- Damon (43:23): "A family isn’t going to be like, oh sure, let’s just get a $1,000 PlayStation 6."
On Game Nostalgia:
- Sam (71:37): “There’s deep cuts that only Game Scoop people are gonna get.”
On Changing Console Demographics:
- Justin (44:49): “Sony is creating so much friction to get people into their ecosystem.”

Timestamps for Key Segments

Publisher Rankings Deep-Dive: 03:54 – 37:00
PS5 and Console Pricing Debate: 38:01 – 48:35
Weird Headlines & Retro Games: 48:35 – 54:50
Listener Q&A: Resident Evil: 54:50 – 59:03
Crimson Desert Impressions: 59:03 – 69:13
Movie Reactions: 69:13 – 73:01
20 Questions (Solar Striker): 73:01 – 89:31

Tone & Style

Chatty, playful, self-deprecating, and nostalgic—the hosts bounce from authoritative analysis to inside jokes and classic scoop antics.
Regular irreverent asides (tornado warnings, trivia, unboxing mishaps) keep things lively and unpredictable.

Closing Thought

This episode is a snapshot of a transitional moment for the games industry—with major publishers shifting, hardware pricing outpacing fan loyalty, and retro vibes stronger than ever. As always, the IGN Game Scoop! crew delivers insightful (and often hilarious) commentary for fans at every level.

Game Scoop! 851: Sony's Surprising Slump

Transcript

Summary

Game Scoop! 851: Sony's Surprising Slump

Date: April 3, 2026 Host: Damon Hatfield Guests: Nick Limone, Sam Claiborne, Justin Davis

Overview

Main Discussion: Metacritic Publisher Rankings 2025

How Metacritic Ranks Publishers

Surprise Results & Hot Takes

Major Highlights

In-Depth Rankings (Select Entries)

Quotes & Memorable Moments

Segment: The Shock of PS5 Price Hikes

Outrage Over Pricing

Why the Price Hikes?

Impact on Gamers and the Industry

Retro and Weird Headline Roundup

Bizarre Retro Revival

Listener Question: What Resident Evil Games to Play?

Crimson Desert Discussion

Movie Mini-Reviews

20 Questions: “Solar Striker”

Notable Quotes

Timestamps for Key Segments

Tone & Style

Closing Thought

Date: April 3, 2026
Host: Damon Hatfield
Guests: Nick Limone, Sam Claiborne, Justin Davis