More Layoffs at PlayStation - Kinda Funny Games Daily 06.11.25

Summary

Kinda Funny Games Daily: Video Games News Podcast Episode: More Layoffs at PlayStation
Release Date: June 11, 2025
Hosts: Greg “GameOverGreggy” Miller, Tim Gettys, and Blessing Adeoye Jr.

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Introduction and Personal Banter

The episode kicks off with the hosts engaging in light-hearted banter about personal experiences with Nintendo avatars. Tim Gettys shares his humorous ordeal of losing his original Nintendo avatar and attempting to recreate it on the Nintendo Switch 2. This segment sets a casual and relatable tone for the podcast.

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1. Layoffs at Sony Bend Studio

Timestamp: [00:00] – [20:17]

Overview:
The primary focus of the episode is the recent layoffs at Sony Bend Studio and Ben Studio. Following the cancellation of a live service project, Sony has laid off approximately 30-40 staff members at Bend Studio. Additionally, Ben Studio, known for developing "Days Gone," has also reduced its workforce by about a third.

Key Points:

• Cancellation of Live Service Projects: Bend Studio initially worked on a live service game, which was later canceled, prompting layoffs.
• Impact on Studios: The layoffs are seen as a direct consequence of Sony’s shift away from live service models under CEO Jim Ryan’s leadership.
• Future Projects Uncertainty: There is skepticism about Sony’s ability to successfully pivot Bend Studio towards new projects, given the reduced workforce and past performance issues.

Notable Quotes:

• Greg Miller: “[...] Sony Bend is dealing with the ramifications of their misguided decision to pursue too many live service projects.”
• Tim Gettys: “[...] This is another time they were saying the same old thing about live service games not working out for them.”

Analysis:
The hosts express disappointment and frustration with Sony’s strategic direction, highlighting the negative impact on employees and the overall quality of game development. They argue that the focus on live service games has led to the neglect of innovative and quality-driven projects, resulting in layoffs and a potential decline in studio morale and creativity.

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2. Nintendo Switch 2 Sales Record

Timestamp: [32:51] – [45:51]

Overview:
Nintendo has reported that the Switch 2 sold over 3.5 million units globally within the first four days of its June 5 launch, making it the fastest-selling video game console of all time, surpassing the PS4, PS5, and Xbox series.

Key Points:

• Record-Breaking Sales: The Switch 2’s impressive sales figures indicate strong consumer demand and effective supply chain management.
• Bundled Success: A significant portion of the sales is attributed to the bundled "Mario Kart World," which is a major selling point similar to how "Mario Kart 8 Deluxe" boosted the original Switch’s sales.
• Strategic Timing: The launch coincided with high-demand game releases and effective marketing, contributing to its rapid sales.
• Future Projections: Nintendo projects sales to reach 20 million units within the first year, leveraging ongoing releases like "Kirby and the Forgotten Land" and "Mario Party Jamboree."

Notable Quotes:

• Tim Gettys: “Nintendo was able to take the time and prepare and have it ready and that resulted in such great early numbers.”
• Greg Miller: “[...] It is probably insane. This might be the most tied that we've ever seen software to hardware that isn't actually bundled in.”

Analysis:
The hosts commend Nintendo for their strategic approach in launching the Switch 2, emphasizing the importance of aligning high-quality game releases with console availability. They contrast Nintendo’s success with Sony’s struggles, suggesting that effective supply chain and game bundling are key factors in Nintendo’s achievements.

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3. Resident Evil Requiem Preview

Timestamp: [46:34] – [50:19]

Overview:
The podcast delves into the upcoming "Resident Evil Requiem," detailing its gameplay mechanics and narrative direction. Paris from the team offers preview impressions based on hands-on sessions.

Key Points:

• Perspective Mechanics: Players can switch between first-person and third-person perspectives, enhancing the gameplay experience.
• Protagonist Features: The new protagonist, Grace Ashcroft, is portrayed as a powerless FBI technical analyst, adding a fresh dynamic to the series.
• Monster Design: Introduction of a new monster that stalks players, reminiscent of classic Resident Evil antagonists like Mr. X and Lady Dimitrescu.
• Narrative Depth: The game is set to explore a more cinematic and high-stakes action-driven narrative, departing slightly from traditional survival horror elements.

Notable Quotes:

• Tim Gettys: “Grace finds a lighter that helps her navigate these previously unlit areas.”
• Greg Miller: “It's a really nice story in terms of capitalism. [...] being rewarded with, hey, we've done this and it's not radically different.”

Analysis:
The hosts express excitement about the innovative features in "Requiem," particularly the dual-perspective gameplay and character development. They anticipate that these elements will breathe new life into the Resident Evil franchise while maintaining its iconic horror roots.

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4. Mind's Eye Debacle

Timestamp: [50:19] – [58:38]

Overview:
The discussion shifts to the poor reception of "Mind's Eye," a debut game from Mind's Eye Studio founded by former GTA producer Leslie Benzies. The game has received predominantly negative reviews due to performance issues and questionable AI behavior.

Key Points:

• Negative Reception: Out of 854 Steam reviews, 484 are negative, citing bugs, glitches, and poor AI.
• Developer Response: Mind's Eye Studio acknowledges the issues and promises performance improvements through upcoming patches.
• Controversial Claims: The co-CEO accused external entities, possibly Rockstar, of influencing negative reviews through paid bot farms, a claim he later partially retracted.

Notable Quotes:

• Co-CEO of Mind's Eye: “[...] people who reacted negatively to the game were quote 100 paid by someone adding it doesn't take much to guess who.”
• Greg Miller: “You hate to see it collusion on the inside.”

Analysis:
The hosts express frustration over the state of new game releases, particularly when high expectations are not met. They critique the lack of transparency and accountability from the developers, further exacerbating player dissatisfaction.

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5. Dune Awakening's Console Release

Timestamp: [58:38] – [56:26]

Overview:
Dune Awakening, initially released on PC, is confirmed to be heading to console platforms in 2026. The game has enjoyed a successful PC launch with over 135,000 concurrent players on Steam.

Key Points:

• Upcoming Console Launch: Funcom has announced that Dune Awakening will be available on consoles, though specific platforms and release dates are yet to be determined.
• Successful PC Performance: The game’s strong performance on Steam reflects solid demand and positive player engagement.
• Build a Rocket Boy’s Involvement: Greg mentions interest in seeing how the game evolves and anticipates future streams covering the console release.

Notable Quotes:

• Tim Gettys: “Dune Awakening is available on PC as part of a classic business model where you buy once and own it. This is the full 1.0 launch, not early access.”
• Greg Miller: “I can't believe we're going back to Raccoon City. This is exactly what I would want.”

Analysis:
The hosts highlight Dune Awakening’s successful transition from PC to consoles as a positive example of cross-platform game releases. They emphasize the game’s adherence to traditional purchasing models, appealing to players who prefer ownership without microtransactions.

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Additional Highlights

• Monster Hunter Update: New updates and collaborations are enhancing gameplay experiences, though some games may have limited replay value.
• Tron Catalyst Demo: Mike Bithell promotes the upcoming demo, encouraging listeners to support indie developers.
• Dragon Age Debacle: Bloomberg reports on the troubled development and reception of recent Dragon Age titles, pointing to inconsistent writing and shallow player choices.

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Conclusion

The episode of Kinda Funny Games Daily offers a comprehensive overview of significant developments in the gaming industry, from Sony's recent layoffs to Nintendo's record-breaking console sales. The hosts provide insightful analysis, backed by notable quotes and detailed discussions, making the summary valuable for listeners seeking an in-depth understanding of current gaming news. Despite some lighter moments and humorous exchanges, the podcast maintains a focus on critical industry issues, offering both critique and anticipation for future releases.

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Notable Quotes:

• Tim Gettys: “[...] Sony is pulling back on their live service projects, and it’s the studio employees who are paying the price.” ([19:40] – [20:17])
• Greg Miller: “[...] PlayStation is no longer about experimenting and taking chances. They are focusing on big AAA story games.” ([22:38] – [22:52])

Transcript

[Tim Gettys]

Today's stories include layoffs at Sony Bend big numbers for the Nintendo Switch 2, and console reassurance from Dune Awakening. I've been hoping for that, Greg. We'll have all this and more because this is Kind of Funny Games Daily. What's up? And welcome to Kind of Funny Games Daily for Thursday, June. Wednesday, June 11th. I got thrown off. This is what happened. I see the dock, it says Wednesday, June 10. And I was like, well, I'm clearly, this is wrong. I'm going to get ahead of it. I looked up in my little calendar up here. I got got by the time gods, everybody. Welcome to Kind of Funny Games daily for Wednesday, June 11, 2025. Of course. I'm your host, Tim Gettys. I'm joined today by Greg Miller.

[Greg Miller]

Hello, Timothy.

[Tim Gettys]

How are you doing?

[Greg Miller]

I'm excellent. How are you?

[Tim Gettys]

I'm doing very well because I was scared that a friend of mine was lost forever and we may have found him. We may be able to save him.

[Greg Miller]

James Burke.

[Tim Gettys]

In 2006, I made a little me a Nintendo me of this face. Greg. All right. I mean, I've seen it.

[Greg Miller]

You share the. When you were looking for him, it didn't look that much like you.

[Tim Gettys]

I mean, me and all of my.

[Greg Miller]

Friends doesn't look that much like you. Well, it's like if you're like a pirate, but you're limit.

[Tim Gettys]

You're limited with. With me.

[Greg Miller]

Mine looks great to me.

[Tim Gettys]

Well, yeah, because you have the glasses. You have this defining feature, what you give me baby blues and like kind of a beard, you know, because of the full beard option. They have way too much. And in 2006, my hair a little spikier than it is.

[Greg Miller]

Just as blonde, though.

[Tim Gettys]

Yeah, yeah. No, it's kind of in that, in between. I'd still call this brunette, you know, because I'm a man of taste and class.

[Greg Miller]

I want to curse like that.

[Tim Gettys]

You know, I can see. I have color, see ability.

[Barrett Courtney]

It's like a golden brown, you know, strong brown, though.

[Tim Gettys]

Brown's where we want to emphasize here. But I had to make a new me on my switch two because my, my original me from 2000, 2006 was lost. And I was very sad about that. We were trying to find him.

[Greg Miller]

Yeah, yeah.

[Tim Gettys]

Of course he's traveled.

[Greg Miller]

There's a lot of concern about him.

[Tim Gettys]

Yeah. Because him and all of his friends, I have him and all of my, like, middle school, high school friends. Yeah, they're all gone. I don't know. I haven't seen them in years.

[Greg Miller]

Okay. Yeah.

[Tim Gettys]

But like, this guy, I mean, I swear he's hung out with you at some point. Sure.

[Greg Miller]

Oh, yeah.

[Tim Gettys]

But I. I just want him back. And again, like.

[Greg Miller]

So can I get it? I know you're doing the fun synopsis here. I need the more in the weed synopsis, because for me, my Greggy me is still my icon and all that jazz. But when I went into some switch 2 sub menu, it did say, create a me again. It had nobody there. I was like, oh, so is this. But it's just my image.

[Tim Gettys]

So that's the big problem is it was just a picture of him. It's a memory of what used to be.

[Greg Miller]

Okay.

[Tim Gettys]

And so I went to change it, and then I. They added all these, like, old consoles as your icons.

[Greg Miller]

Yeah.

[Tim Gettys]

And I was excited about that because they had my. The Game Boy pocket that I first had. I was like, I'm going to make that. So I did. And then my me was just gone. My me was gone forever. I couldn't find him. And I was like, wait, there's no trace of this beautiful face anymore. I'm very sad about that. So I went on a spiritual journey first to find myself. Then after that, I went on a Internet journey to find my me. And lo and behold, I found him on the old Nintendo Network site. It's not the Nintendo account site is the Nintendo Network ID site. All right.

[Greg Miller]

Okay.

[Tim Gettys]

And I found it. And, yeah, Barrett, if you bring it up one more time, imagine the shock, the surprise and delight that I had.

[Greg Miller]

Sure.

[Tim Gettys]

When the question popped up, do you want to save this? Me?

[Greg Miller]

Yeah, you were given a choice there.

[Tim Gettys]

And. Of course I do. And then I hit save.

[Greg Miller]

And then it didn't do anything on Nintendo.

[Tim Gettys]

It just. It copied him. So now there's two of him on my account. But the problem is my actual account. And the only me that I have in my system is the new one that I made. Bear. Can you bring that up?

[Greg Miller]

Bear's working on it. Technology's working.

[Tim Gettys]

I don't want this, man.

[Greg Miller]

This is fucking horror show shit. Like, did you make this? Thinking this look like you?

[Tim Gettys]

This is. This is how I see myself.

[Greg Miller]

Tim, you gotta fucking go to therapy. This is. You don't look like this, man.

[Tim Gettys]

Here's the problem telling me I'm not quite. I need an.

[Greg Miller]

This is an anamorph. This is Tim half going into hog form.

[Tim Gettys]

Like, you know what I mean?

[Greg Miller]

Like, you're in the middle of the.

[Tim Gettys]

Picture, but, like, I get it. Like, the pose is. I can change sexual. I like my problem I like it. What is the problem? Name one. What's your.

[Greg Miller]

The black eyes, the pig nose. This beard's way worse than what you had before.

[Tim Gettys]

I'm telling you, I don't want this one. How did you make.

[Greg Miller]

Why did you make him?

[Tim Gettys]

I just. I was living.

[Greg Miller]

This looks like you went to Twitter and asked Gronk to make you one.

[Tim Gettys]

I didn't want it. I don't like it. I want. We're all on the same page. That this one's not good. Okay.

[Greg Miller]

Okay.

[Tim Gettys]

I'm trying to save my OG one and I don't know how to figure it out.

[Greg Miller]

So you haven't saved so well?

[Tim Gettys]

Well, no, that's the thing is I got close enough to the option of Nintendo asked me do I want to save him. So at least they are prompting me to do what I want to do.

[Greg Miller]

And where did you. You made this on the switch too?

[Tim Gettys]

I made this on the switch.

[Greg Miller]

Can you throw up? Greggy, I put him into assets like this again. Is just. I don't know what is the functionality of MIIs in 2025. So the fact that my little Greggy is still just. He's rocking it. There he is. That's my guy. He my image.

[Tim Gettys]

But it's just your picture.

[Greg Miller]

Yeah, but I don't. What? I don't know what else the M would do. I hate the fact I take all these coins from Nintendo and they're like, cool. Trade them in for cool pictures from Majora's mask. I'm like, fuck, yeah. I'm like, wait, what am I gonna do with this? Let's change my icon.

[Tim Gettys]

Well, I don't want to.

[Greg Miller]

I like Greggy. I don't want to be anybody.

[Tim Gettys]

But if you want him in the old Mario Kart games or the old Smash Brothers games, which I do, I want to be able to fight as my me if I wanted to.

[Barrett Courtney]

Yeah.

[Tim Gettys]

I want to be able to put all of kind of funny into a eight player smash game and see who wins.

[Barrett Courtney]

Have us dress up in little costumes pretending to be other characters.

[Greg Miller]

So where are we at? Have we found him? So where we're at, we haven't found him.

[Tim Gettys]

Is he exists. He's not gone forever. That's all I know he's somewhere. But the problem is, even after I hit save like this face is all that looks back at me.

[Greg Miller]

Yeah.

[Tim Gettys]

All right. So what I think I need to do is I need to unbox my Wii U, which is not going to be fun for me. I know where it is, but I also know that it is underneath many, many other boxes.

[Greg Miller]

All right?

[Tim Gettys]

I need to get the Wii U. I need to get all the accoutrements to plug it in, okay? Including the goddamn tablet. I then need to get an Amiibo, and I need to transfer my MII from the Wii U to an amiibo.

[Greg Miller]

So let me stop you right there and bring it. Yeah. Ian says in a super chat, if you scan an old amiibo, it'll have your MII info, so.

[Tim Gettys]

Oh.

[Greg Miller]

Cause you transferred your switch, which wiped your switch. I'm sorry. Now I'm caught up. More to the problems, too. Okay, thank you. Yes, thank you.

[Tim Gettys]

And I also have never transferred my MI to an amiibo. Can I still do that? Is my MII still on my Wii U? These are the questions and more that we'll have to answer together.

[Greg Miller]

Is there any chance you just remake them? Because it just doesn't matter.

[Tim Gettys]

So there's.

[Greg Miller]

He doesn't have to come out. He doesn't have to come out like pigment.

[Barrett Courtney]

I mean, I like. I like Tim looking like he just came off of a bender, you know? And I like the idea of bender Tim dressing up. A son's in Smash.

[Tim Gettys]

I like it, too. But I would like it better if I can get my baby boy back, because thing number one. Yes, we can make it. This is what happens when I try.

[Greg Miller]

Jesus.

[Tim Gettys]

Number two, I want Andy to make all of us.

[Greg Miller]

Oh, sure.

[Tim Gettys]

I want to do a stream. Randy makes all of us, but focuses most on me. Okay. Because we need to save me.

[Greg Miller]

We do.

[Tim Gettys]

And then the third thing is, I don't even remember what it was, but, like, I need you to help me here, Greg. All right. Yeah.

[Greg Miller]

Oh, I hope you.

[Tim Gettys]

I've had. I guess we can recreate it from scratch, but it's not the same. I want Miami from 2006.

[Greg Miller]

Sure.

[Tim Gettys]

All right. He's traveled. He's done so much. He's been on multiple systems. You know, he's helped me.

[Greg Miller]

I don't know if he's helped you.

[Tim Gettys]

He has helped me. I've won a lot of games.

[Greg Miller]

This looks like in Gremlins, when the other Mogwai's spawn off of Gizmo, and they're. They get in the paint and they're all a little bit crazy, and they. None of them work right. And Kate brings home the wrong gizmo. Remember, she thinks it's Gizmo, but he's got the crazy eyes. I love Gremlins, too.

[Tim Gettys]

Yeah. I hope you don't have to learn.

[Greg Miller]

To love this face first off, again, I'll never see him so it just doesn't matter. You know what I mean?

[Tim Gettys]

But like, yes, you'll see him every time that you're that Ben's playing Mario Kart World and you see me playing Mario Kart World, I'm going to that face is going to pop up in the corner.

[Greg Miller]

That was scared, Ben. I don't like that. I don't like that one bit.

[Tim Gettys]

We got to figure this out. Everybody. If you know how to help bind and save my knee, recover him.

[Greg Miller]

Yang Fam says we need a we need a Tim please find me shirt with the old and the new me. I wanted one wanted dead or alive this me. I like that. And then also Jenny super chats. This is Send Nuggies says this reminds me, today's the last day to get the first wave of Mario Kart world icon thingies in the Nintendo online mission Slash Rewards. If I could do anything else with them, I'd be excited about them.

[Tim Gettys]

Yeah, get him out of here. I don't want to lose your me.

[Greg Miller]

Sleep paralysis demon over.

[Tim Gettys]

Yeah. Let's remind everybody what's happened. The life that we have to live. Because this is kind of Funny Games Daily each and every weekday we run you through the video game news you need to know about live on YouTube, Twitch and podcast services around the damn globe. If you love what we do, please support us with the kind of funny membership on Patreon, YouTube, Spotify or Apple podcast to get all of our shows ad free and a daily exclusive show for a chance to be part of this show, YouTube Super Chat in please. I really would appreciate that. Just like JMZ B47.

[Greg Miller]

Did you?

[Tim Gettys]

Oh my God. I'm beautiful. I hope you guys like Leviathan Wakes. Between 2000 hours of audiobooks since 2022 and regular reading for decades, the Expanse is my fave sci fi series. Been getting a lot of love, a lot of hype about this Expanse that.

[Greg Miller]

You are reading one chapter for the book club and going for one chapter. One chapter is all we committed to. Is it? Does it arrive today?

[Tim Gettys]

I had to order it with other things so I did one of those.

[Greg Miller]

Like you know, come with your deodorant. Save the razors for Gia. Got it. Okay.

[Tim Gettys]

Remember everyone, we're an 11 person business. All about live talk show today after kinda funny games Daily you'll get Resident Evil Requiem, Animusha and Pragmata Summer game fest previews today's gamescast with Paris and Gray.

[Greg Miller]

I played Pragmata. Harris played Pragmata Harris went behind closed doors with Resident Evil and Onimusha. You want to come back on the Gamescast? You want to come back with us?

[Tim Gettys]

I don't think I can.

[Greg Miller]

Okay, fair enough. I'm letting Mike host. It'll be fun.

[Tim Gettys]

I don't know where. I know my shouldn't guide my anger towards you. It's not your fault in any way, shape or form. But if I knew fucking Resident Evil 9 and on a mushroom gonna be at Summer Game Fest, my ass would have been in la.

[Greg Miller]

The fun thing about it is nobody knew.

[Tim Gettys]

Yeah.

[Greg Miller]

No, I gotta go see these indie games I book. Sorry.

[Tim Gettys]

Shout out to Capcom though. They always do this of like if they announce some crazy games, it's oh yeah, it's playable or it's behind closed doors. You actually get to see more. Like, I'll never forget when they announced Resident Evil 2 remake and we went to E3. And at that E3, they're just like, oh yeah, it's playable.

[Greg Miller]

See, I knew you'd be excited about this.

[Tim Gettys]

Yeah.

[Greg Miller]

And so even though we're doing Paris and I's previews after this on Gamescast, I gave you a preview breakdown of Resident Evil 9 in this episode of Kind of Funny Games Daily Stream. Thank you.

[Tim Gettys]

I appreciate that. I need to know what's going on.

[Greg Miller]

Except for when I forget the date.

[Tim Gettys]

I'm really sorry. And then the stream is going to be Dune Awakening with Mike, Andy and Nick. If you're a Kind of Funny member, Today's Greg Way is all about how it's one month until Superman hits theaters this week. Superman in review begins tomorrow.

[Greg Miller]

Watched it last night. Can't wait.

[Tim Gettys]

Yeah, watch a couple days ago right there.

[Greg Miller]

Jonathan stabbing the chat. Superman trailer review. We there's a new trailer. I say we get into it after Gamescast. I haven't seen it yet. We could do something fun. Get it up. We can make it short. It's enough to be an eye.

[Tim Gettys]

Yeah, I'm super.

[Greg Miller]

We can make it a kind of funny highlight.

[Tim Gettys]

I like. I like where your head's at.

[Greg Miller]

But you know Superman tickets are on sale. That's big news, Tim.

[Tim Gettys]

It is. But if I wanted to know.

[Greg Miller]

No, no.

[Tim Gettys]

What? Why? Why is that the like Segway prompt? No.

[Greg Miller]

Now, everybody, this is dungeon. You already know that I am the Game Showdown season three champion. Back to back to back team Blue victories. You know that the championship parade where we will walk on the Embarcadero sidewalk together and have a good time before we go to Square Pie, guys, is in fact Saturday, June 28th here in San Francisco. But as you also know, tickets for Superman are on sale right now. And as I don't own Stars in the bank anymore. No, we all know that.

[Tim Gettys]

Yeah.

[Greg Miller]

But as you know, when Stars in the bank became the hottest bit ever. Kind of funny, it was me celebrating things and celebrating and giving gift. Tim Giving Tim gifts.

[Tim Gettys]

Okay.

[Greg Miller]

So there you go. This is your gift. Thank you, Tim. I bought you and me 40x tickets to go see Superman on and blocked out our calendar on Friday.

[Tim Gettys]

Okay.

[Greg Miller]

It will be on the Friday, July 11th. This is my first time ever going to 40x and I bring. I wanted you to be there, so I got us tickets.

[Tim Gettys]

Let's fucking go.

[Greg Miller]

You got us tickets this morning. We're all set.

[Tim Gettys]

We're gonna do a straight out of the theater review.

[Greg Miller]

Love that a lot. Love that. It'll be like our fifth review of the movie hopefully at that point.

[Tim Gettys]

Grand.

[Greg Miller]

But I'm looking forward to. Now here's the question about it, actually. Cuz I. I ran into here to ask Barrett about it when he was live.

[Tim Gettys]

I love.

[Greg Miller]

You can see I highlighted things on it.

[Tim Gettys]

Yeah.

[Greg Miller]

It said that means we're in 40x. Yeah. Because it is also 3D which I hate. But they didn't have a non. This is the only showing that said.

[Tim Gettys]

40 auditorium one is 40x.

[Greg Miller]

Perfect. We nailed everybody.

[Tim Gettys]

Yeah, man. I'm excited. That's going to be great.

[Greg Miller]

Me too, brother.

[Tim Gettys]

How many times do you think you're going to see Superman in theaters?

[Greg Miller]

So I've. Oh, I. Today my early count right now not being crazy and bullish is 5.

[Tim Gettys]

Because you figure not being crazy and.

[Greg Miller]

Bullish, hopefully we have the press screener of some kind. I'm not even going to say premiere. I don't. I think it's not going to happen. I don't think I was going to be able to get away. That doesn't matter. So hopefully we get a press screener then. I already bought tickets for the eighth for that Amazon prime showing. Right. Then I need to go see it opening night for sure. And I want to take Jen on a little date night for that one. Granted, she might be the date on the 8th, so maybe I take somebody else out as a date night on Friday. But I need to see with an audience full of people ready to rock. Then of course you and I are the fourth showing that which will be before I go to opening night screen. Unless I go to a midnight showing on Thursday. But we'll get to that eventually. So then we do 40x. And then the hope would be the fifth one is the Ben show where it is that hey this is a movie that I know he can handle and I'll be able to tell him when the scary parts coming up and da da da and I take him like a Monday like no he's the loves baby Joey. He's a big baby Joey fan. Sometimes baby Joey has to be a bad guy. Sometimes baby Joey's got to be a bad guy when he plays. But it's fine.

[Tim Gettys]

Got it.

[Greg Miller]

And yeah, maybe like a Monday 11 o' clock showing on that.

[Tim Gettys]

You know I love this for you.

[Greg Miller]

Yeah, me too.

[Tim Gettys]

You sound like me rubbing off on you.

[Greg Miller]

No, I mean this is very much akin to Superman Returns as well how I went for that one. So I hope that I don't have to trick myself into liking this one like I did Superman Returns a bit there.

[Tim Gettys]

I think you're going to be a lot better at this one but we'll see. Let's get into what isn't forever. Actually, we know I got a couple of things I need to do. Thank you to our Patreon producers, Carl Jacobs Megabuster and Delaney Twining. Today we're brought to you by X Real and Factor. But we'll tell you about that later for D with what is and forever will be the Roper Report. We have six stories today. Baker dozen. I want to let you know right now, Greg, that there's no level of hyping up for 40x that could prepare you like well, you know, I like.

[Greg Miller]

R so kind of scared.

[Tim Gettys]

No matter how intense you think it.

[Greg Miller]

Is, it's in more intense.

[Tim Gettys]

It is more. It's the whole time.

[Greg Miller]

Is it previews too?

[Tim Gettys]

Very rarely.

[Greg Miller]

Okay.

[Tim Gettys]

My favorite is when it's not. My favorite is when it is one random one because there's always that moment where you're just sitting there and when it first starts, there's the first shake and then it giggles. Everyone's giggling because it's that uncomfortable giggle of life. Oh, it's gonna be great. Speaking of not great though, story number one, layoffs at Sony Bend. Jason Schreier on Blue sky says Sony's Bend Studio, which canceled a live service game earlier this year, is laying off 30 staff. Today it's around 40 people. Bloomberg News has learned the studio has been spinning up a new project following the cancellation. And then Ethan over at Kotaku with more saying days gone maker Ben Studio has been hit with layoffs. Roughly a third of the first party PlayStation team was cut following the recent cancellation Cancellation of an announced live service project. But Sony confirmed the studio is working on a new project now and it remains confident in its future and creative direction. Earlier this year, Ben Studio wrapped development on a live service concept. After careful consideration, we chose not to move forward with it, a spokesperson for Sony confirmed to Kotaku in an email. As the team shifts focus to its next project, we've made strategic changes to better position the studio for long term success. As part of this transition, a workforce reduction has taken place at the studio. This decision was not made lightly and we're extremely grateful for the meaningful contributions of all those impacted. Bend Studio has been a valued part of PlayStation Studios for decades and we remain confident in its future and creative direction. About 40 developers at the Oregon based studio were laid laid off today. It just. Ethan didn't have it off, so it just said about 40 developers at the studio were laid today. So sorry about that.

[Greg Miller]

As first reported, unless that really happened, then great, good job.

[Tim Gettys]

Good for you. The project they were previously working on was canceled after this year amid a purge of some internal live service projects, including an online God of War spinoff at bluepoint Games. God. Ben Studio laid off a bunch of people today. Senior animator Robert Morrison said. On X, I was part of the layoffs. I did my best. Hopefully I can find a new team to join. This sucks. This continues to suck. And it's also one of those things where we look at this and go, God damn it, Sony, did you not see this coming again? This is another time they were saying the same old thing about live service games not working out for them.

[Greg Miller]

Well, that's the thing is like, it's sad to say that, but it's another time where, you know, it's all from the same decision. It's all from this misguided decision of this Jim Ryan era, right? To have 13 live service projects going and that be the future and get everybody hyped for that. When they showed that to us and we were not hyped and anybody when they were planning that could have told you, no, you can't jump on this trend with that many games. And then obviously after the fact, or even to the fact of we're Putting on a PlayStation showcase, this is just going to be about this. We're all like, no, that'll be terrible. And so now they're still dealing with those ramifications and you're still seeing the chips fall and the other shoes drop. You know what I mean? Like I, I take no pleasure in since shortly after the showcase being like, haven Studios is not going to put up fair games. Fair games is not going to happen. They'll probably close, Jade will leave. And so far that's happened. Jane left. The game has been apparently not doing so well. This was the same thing of it's not rocket science or advanced arithmetic here. When we hear PlayStation's investing in live service, oh shit, they're pulling back. But oh, these people were working on a live service game. Now that game's canceled, this is what happens next. And then the only thing we can hope for here is that this rights the ship and that, you know, this isn't the usual lip service we get in everything right where they talk about, man, they are still excited about what they're working on. Right. Confident in its future and its creative direction. Says PlayStation. Right. Are you going to give this studio these hundreds of people? Well, actually might not be right. What it was 40%. How many people were? Or is it. Do we just know the percentage doesn't matter. I'm getting caught up. Give these dozens of people the ability to get going, get out of pre production, get to this, get to a milestone, get like, you know, depending on. This is all behind closed doors, off the record, this on background Jason's getting and what we kind of know but don't know, who knows where their next idea and project is and how far along that is. As we continue to see PlayStation reckon with this bad decision, terrible, misguided decision to go down this path, we are then left with watching real people with real jobs have to sort through this and see if they get enough chances, enough time to grow a game that they can then get out to justify their studio's perception, justify their studio's position, justify all these jobs and all this money and millions of dollars going into them. It is a shitty situation that is completely the top level of PlayStation's fault. But they're not the ones feeling it. It's these folks down here that are the boots on the ground that are in Bend just trying to make fucking video games.

[Tim Gettys]

Yeah, absolutely. So the Same laying off 30%, that's around 40 people. So you assume there's about 80ish people left there. Which, yeah, is definitely a sliver of what they might need for a new project, especially what a new project post the live service game that they were working on could look like where we already know what the roadmap for development for a game takes these days, specifically on the PlayStation Studio side of how long that can take and how many people are required.

[Greg Miller]

Yeah.

[Tim Gettys]

And if a direction they're going is not working to have to then start something else up and get it out the door and have it be good.

[Greg Miller]

That's the thing, right?

[Tim Gettys]

That's the challenge.

[Greg Miller]

I go two different ways with this, right? Well, okay, cool. It's a smaller team, you know, 100 or sub 100 people, which is tiny in the grand scheme of AAA and what, blah, blah. So what do you do? Let's pivot. Let's make something small, let's make something fresh. Let's make a cool idea. Cool. Will that idea sell? Number one, Even if it does sell, is it going to sell enough that PlayStation looks at it and goes, wow, that was a successful endeavor for us. Like are they damned before they even do on this one? Because the thing they're going to go and try to make quick, like let's get something out quickly. Let's again and again, let's get something out. Sony, Ben's last game was Days Gone, right? A game that didn't do well critically, did well fine financially and definitely has a fan base. Like let's. It's been a while since that game. So let's just get something out. Let's publish something. Right? And so if you're just gonna publish something, are we going to get something that resonates and people go oh my God, that was great. I'm thinking of any housemark, original IP or is it gonna be something they get out that does fine, doesn't do well, isn't what, you know.

[Tim Gettys]

And then none of that, none of.

[Greg Miller]

The things I'm saying right there lead to a successful, healthy Sony bend. No, that leads to PlayStation for being like cool. We are justified in closing this.

[Tim Gettys]

Yeah, absolutely. And, and that's. It reminds me of even the, the level of games of like Pixel Opus, right? With like concrete genie. It's like PlayStation has when you look at them the last decade tried a lot of different things and have found success in certain places. But in chasing the live service, I feel like there's been so many casualties and they weren't even necessarily the ones that or yet aren't the ones that are working on those games. It's even the people around them that because they're not working on those games, it's like, well, there's not value in these smaller titles.

[Greg Miller]

Yeah, you seem. You know what I. One of the reasons it was very awesome to be a PlayStation reporter and a podcast beyond founder and yada Yada during the PS3 era was that Sony was really, let's make weird shit. We'll we'll help people. Japan Studio, you do this. We're getting smaller teams are making this. You talk about Pixelopus and to me, you know again, Pixel opus, concrete genie. They always were that like oh man like you're in the modern day. What that was back in the day of we're just going to do something artsy fartsy and we don't a media Molecule. We don't care if it sells. We're just making cool shit. And I feel like that day is definitively done at PlayStation. You look at them getting rid of Japan Studio. Look at them getting rid of Pixelopus. You look at them. Whatever's going to happen to Media Molecules.

[Tim Gettys]

I mean Media molecule, London Studio VR.

[Greg Miller]

Like PlayStation is no longer like let's experiment and take chances. They are. Let's make Last of Us. Let's make Horizon, let's make this. Let's make big triple A story games.

[Tim Gettys]

But that's. That's where this is I think most fascinating this conversation is.

[Greg Miller]

I love a fascinating conversation with you. You say we'll have after Superman on July 11th.

[Tim Gettys]

It's true. 40x baby. You say that. But then we don't get the Last of Us multiplayer game. We don't get the Spider man multiplayer game. Like those are the again I think that the two biggest slam dunks. But there's reasons for both of them that I totally understand. Last of Us too valuable an IP to fuck up to Sony. They can't put out an okay product. They can't put out something that even if it makes money, it needs to make insane money or else it's not worth them putting something out that they don't stand by on the Spider man side of things. As we've seen the licensing costs through the freaking roof. So the I feel like Spider man there's way more wiggle room where they can put out just more Spider Man. It doesn't need to be the best thing ever.

[Greg Miller]

So. So just to put a break on my conversation, I'm not saying that PlayStation and Herman and PlayStation studios are all about the dollars. Art doesn't matter. Quality doesn't matter. Right. Like I still think they have that vibe but I think they are in the lane of let's do it with our big studios, our big games. Let's. Let's shore up again with tentpole single player, yada yada. So back to this conversation of Last of Us was too big to fuck up for them. I think Spider man is too where Insomniac and PlayStation doesn't want to Put out just a shitty Spider man multiplayer game.

[Tim Gettys]

Yeah. And, and I, I get that, but I feel like if they don't have the confidence to allow that and to make it happen, like to just get it done with Spider man from Insomniac and like the, the leaked trailer we saw, if they can't make that product work.

[Greg Miller]

Yeah.

[Tim Gettys]

It's like, all right, cool, we're in a really bad place. Fair Games, like we're. And you know, and then we've already seen what happened to Concord. We're seeing what's happening to Marathon, and. Yeah. So adding up all those things, it just gets, I think, extra tough to look at a Sony Bend and have any level of faith in them existing five years from now based on this story we just read with the context of everything else that we know. Because this next project they're talking about, what could it possibly be? This sounds like they are one step away from being a support studio to the other teams that are working on the projects that are probably going to fail. That sucks.

[Greg Miller]

Well, see, I would like to think we are almost out of the tunnel of failure where all these live service things are being killed in the crib. It's only a matter of time before we hear that either Haven Studios has closed down and Fair Games is canceled, or the Fair Games is just straight up canceled. Right. And when we're done with that, Marathon probably will be out. We'll know. Or maybe not actually, based on some of the rumors, but we'll know what's going on. I think we're done with the live service push. And now it's just this question of how long have the seeds been planted at these studios for traditional, in quotes, PlayStation games? And so when do I see Cory Barlog's project from Sony Santa Monica? Right. When do we see the next Gran Turismo? Where do. And when do we see what we've seen? Intergalactic. When we get a date on Intergalactic, like, it's that kind of stuff where, you know, people are always like, oh, man, the PlayStation 5 generation. There hasn't been that much output from Sony Studios, yada, yada. And it's true. And it's because of this, where they should have been if everything had gone in the, you know, everything gone the way that they wanted to, just like they wanted the DC Extended Cinematic Universe to go. The DCEU, right? You should be rolling in PlayStation games that you're playing all the time and buying battle passes for and da da da da da. But by the time they fucking Heard us screaming. We don't want that garbage. It was too late. So now all those games are blinked out of existence. But you can't bring something in to fill that void. So it is just this void as we wait for Ghost. Right. As Ghost of Yote.

[Tim Gettys]

Yeah. I don't. I don't fully vibe with this and I never have.

[Greg Miller]

Sure.

[Tim Gettys]

With the like I just compare the output of the PS4's entire life and the PS5 entire life. It just flipped a little bit and there was that cross gen stuff. But even we can't just not count Astro Bot and Helldivers just because it's convenient for the argument. Not necessarily your argument. I'm just saying it's like there are games that are coming out and hitting that are like PlayStation Studios branded. Right.

[Greg Miller]

Sure.

[Tim Gettys]

And we do have Ghost coming out which is one of the. Not big three, but what Big five at this point I would say like sucker Punch.

[Greg Miller]

I mean this generation I think is going to be a big three.

[Tim Gettys]

Yeah, exactly. So whatever. We'll see how this shakes out. Bulk Dasher says if we like it or not. PlayStation needs live service games. But they have trained a consumer base not to like it. Same way Xbox have trained theirs not to buy games. It's unfortunate and can't be reversed in my opinion. I'm 100% with volk right there.

[Greg Miller]

You think they need live service games?

[Tim Gettys]

I mean I think that they. Things like Helldivers. Like I do think that they need games that can make money in different ways than just selling the. The one time purchase like because it's PlayStation. Like they have that but they need other avenues to be able to get revenue. This is Gaming in 2025. I do think that that is a requirement if you want to be number one. If you want to be in that conversation of really pushing everything forward and being able to get the money to fund the pixel opuses and actually have things work in a way that it should where it's. You try a little bit of a bunch of different things to diversify the revenue streams that then allow different creative endeavors to not need to be the most successful thing ever in order to get a sequel, let alone be produced the first time.

[Greg Miller]

Yeah. And I just think that's dead at these big places maybe. And I know there's exceptions here or there but. And I think the exception, honestly one of them would be Xbox and Game Pass and all right. Double fine make a weird lighthouse game. Right.

[Tim Gettys]

You do it though. Right.

[Greg Miller]

They're the exception. Whereas I think PlayStation like I don't. Yeah, but I hear you and I hear you and I'm not trying to throw out Astrobot at all, but I'm saying I think the level of success of Astrobot would have been the question. But we act sometimes we have this conversation like Astrobot came out of nowhere, right. This is Astrobot's third game and like it's his first full fledged. It's a game play with a controller, pay for it. You know, it's a real game. It's not a pack in, it's not a VR thing. But it was like they knew the PlayStation audience, the hardcore gamer wanted that Again, does that lead to sales? Does that lead to success? No, not necessarily. But I think the fact that like when we start talking about there's Astro Bot, it's like, yeah, but there used to be the Last Guy and there used to be Pixelpeas and there used to like there used to be all these other things that were small like that. I don't think the success you see with Last of Us anymore is then turning to PlayStation Studios going, now let's make some weird indie shit that doesn't have to sell. I think the days of it doesn't have to sell. Like Peter Moore on our E3 stage in 2015 with GameSpot where he's like, because of FIFA and because of Madden, we can go and do the EA access. That's not what it's called.

[Tim Gettys]

EA Originals.

[Greg Miller]

Originals, right. And he was referencing Unraveled. Right. He's like, we know that's not going to make a gazillion dollars. I think in 2025 as everybody's so fucking worried about staying alive literally and figuratively as a business like, I just don't think people think that way anymore.

[Tim Gettys]

Yeah, I get that. But I still think that the proof's in the pudding. And I still see PlayStation, Xbox and Nintendo, but keeping Nintendo out of this for now. Still making these weird games, like still doing smaller projects and it's. I just feel like we always like just look at things with the rose colored glasses of just like, oh, the PS3 was so weird. It had all. And yeah, sure, maybe had the most of the weird. Yeah. But I also feel like just because it also didn't have the expectations of having the biggest hits for generation did. But like even looking at the last state of play, like getting the PlayStation Marvel fighting game like that sure is really being backed by PlayStation. So there's going to be more marketing for it. It's Marvel. So there is an IP that People can glob onto. There's good and bad there though. But it's a fighting game like that, that is a niche conversation as well, right? Like they are backing weird decisions that aren't guaranteed hits by any means.

[Greg Miller]

I agree. But I think even there, there's more DNA to it. If we own EVO now and hey, this same state of play, we're going to release this fight stick. And again, yes, fighting, the fighting game community is passionate and crazy and in the grand scheme of things, small or smaller, right? But I do think there's money to be made in a reputation to uphold and put that into evo. So that's what they're playing. So you sell it, you make the thing like there's a whole system there just to double act on one of the things you're saying. Again, I personally, and this is just an argument, right, would keep Xbox out of this conversation, Keep their name out of your fucking mouth. Because I think they do let their studios do something like Pentiment do something like any of the other weird shit double finders where I was going. But on top of that, which I think is the most important, is that in the way PlayStation will work with a second party studio, right? And then put on the PlayStation Studios logo which makes it first party technically even they don't own that team. Right. I think what you see from Xbox and Game Pass is so fucking important right now when we're talking about keeping a pipeline of weird shit coming where it is. Again, if you see your favorite indie or your new indie or whoever else, it doesn't need to be indie. Say that they are on Game Pass. Xbox wrote them a check. Xbox wrote them a check. And I know there was just a conversation yesterday, it should have been required reading, but I wasn't that fleshed out. It doesn't matter from the Revenge of the Savage Planet guy being like, yeah, don't go on Game Pass. And it was a similar thing of like we were on Game Pass and we hope that would lead to people buying our dlc, but it hasn't. So like blah, blah, there's different takes on it for sure. But these Game Pass checks are keeping these smaller games coming. And like developers are I think one of the things we lose sight of, especially coming off of sgf. If you want to go back and go through everything you're seeing, you see a lot of people come out and be like, hey, here's our game. We're the studio. It's great. And it says like publisher on Steam. It'll say the developer's name and then their name is publisher. Very rarely are they self publishing. What that is, is that they are showing their game, hoping they can get enough wish lists, get enough traction, get enough previews so that they can go to an Xbox or a PlayStation or Annapurna or anybody else that's publishing games. Six, one indie. Well, I guess they don't put money into it, but you know what I'm saying, Go there and say, hey, look at how popular we are. Can we please get a better deal? A deal, whatever. Like it's a public demo of what they're working on, on the hopes they're going to get the money to fund the project so that this project doesn't kill the studio, put them out of business, yada yada yada. Like there's a making the weird stuff isn't the same as it used to be. And I feel like I see Xbox game pass making more deals like that than PlayStation plus, which I do see making deals. I'm not saying they aren't being a part of it, but I feel like Xbox is very great at saying, look at all these crazy indies we're funding to some degree.

[Tim Gettys]

Yeah. I mean, either way, my point is all the weird games still exist and I think they exist more now than they ever have, whether it's Xbox, PlayStation, anything in between. So there we go, everybody. Last super chat before we move on. Is BG2580 saying, should Bungie have been the arbiter on Whether or not Factions 2 was released? With all that's known now, should Sony reexamine the project?

[Greg Miller]

I don't like this line. I don't like this narrative. Like, I don't. Again, I do not think Bungie, they walked out in front like fucking gladiator. And Bungie went and it was like, oh, no, you know what I mean? Like, there's part of Bungie's opinion on that. I bet the Naughty Dog people knew as well. And then also there's a statement from Naughty Dog that they said this would just change the DNA of the studio and what we're gonna do. I think there's all of that mixed together. My personal belief still is that the game just wasn't that great. I know every time I say that people like, no, but developers have said off the record and that it was amazing, I'm like, cool. If it was amazing, I think Herman would have moved heaven and fucking earth to be like, get it out the door and then we will make Sony bend. Be the people who are doing this or we will get you X, Y and Z. I'm not saying it was bad, I just think that probably all of them sat down and played it and said this isn't Naughty Dog. This isn't a nine. This isn't a game of the Year. This isn't something we want to put out and besmirch our reputation. Number one. More importantly, change the DNA of how we make games. We want to go fucking make Intergalactic and Uncharted and Last of Us and whatever other goofy single player one idea we got.

[Tim Gettys]

Yeah, we're going to be fired up today.

[Greg Miller]

I'm having a great time. It's Superman Day. New trailer. Let's fucking go.

[Tim Gettys]

Superman day everybody. We're going to keep the fire going. The fire will still burn after it. Word from Our Sponsors this episode's brought to you by xreal Y' all know that a few months ago my life changed forever when I brought a pair of Xreal 1AR glasses on a long flight to New York. I legit could not believe how easy it is to use and high quality. My experience was playing games, watching movies, TV shows on the plane without just too much extra stuff around me or especially not a giant goofy headset around around my head. No joke. This is my favorite new tech product in years and it has earned a permanent spot in my travel bag. It is only hard to believe that it works as well as I'm saying until you try xreal1ar glasses for yourself and then you will see that the future is now. The tech is here. Connect xreal1 glasses to wherever you are playing, whether it's a handheld console, a PC phone, home console. You just get a massive 150 inch virtual screen anywhere anytime. For any game gaming on the go like a long haul flight, you need the xreal One next. Starting to hurt from staring down at your handheld. We've all been there. You need an xreal one A screen as big as your wall. Instant plug and play with all of your devices via usbc Built in audio with sound by Bose anchoring your screen anywhere in space. It's awesome. It just works. Zero latency at 1080p full h hd. These are what make Xreal One a must have and we hear Xreal One Pro is coming soon with an even bigger virtual screen. Hit our link below to get your xreal glasses today. There's nothing better than when a sponsor of Kinda funny is something that we are legitimately obsessed with and that is exactly the case here with xreal. You're gonna hear me talking about these forever. Go to kindafunny.com xreal that's kindafunny.com I promise you, you are going to love these things. This episode's brought to you by Factor Summer Game Fest is here. The Switch 2 is here. The sun is here. So many summer things are here. And the number one thing you don't want to be doing all summer? Spending hours cooking inside. That's where Factor comes in. Factor's chef crafted dietitian approved meals are ready in just two minutes. Taking the hassle out of eating. Well, we love Factor here at Kinda Funny and Greg's often making and enjoying meals quick in between shows here in the studio. I just had a roasted garlic chicken and I'm telling you, you would have loved it. Factory meals arrived fresh and ready to eat. Perfect for any active lifestyle over summer and beyond. With 45 weekly menu options, you can pick gourmet meals that fit your summer gains and goals. Choose from options like calorie, smart, protein plus keto and more. Get started at Factor Meals.com kinda funny 50 off and use code kinda funny 50 off to get 50% off plus free shipping on your first box. That's kinda funny 50 off at Factor Meals.com KindaFunny 50 off for 50% off plus free shipping. Back to meals.com kindafunny 50 off and we're back with story number two here. Nintendo Switch 2 sets record selling over 3.5 million units globally in its first four days in the four days following its June 5 launch, the Nintendo Switch 2 game system sold more than 3.5 million units worldwide, becoming the fastest selling Nintendo game system ever. This is what Nintendo itself reports via its business wire. But in addition to that, there is the context of it's not just the fastest selling Nintendo game system ever, it is the fastest selling video game system ever, beating out the PS4 and PS5 Xboxes as well. You know, yesterday we were talking about sales numbers and right.

[Greg Miller]

We have the UK stuff and I.

[Tim Gettys]

Was always like it's all. They're always first and it's rare that that is a. Sometimes it tells you the direction things are going but I feel like you can't really glean too much from that because it's missing a lot of information and small island. It's, it's not even that. It's just, it's like I feel weird people often we get a story there that isn't at the end of the day fully followed through on A game could be selling incredibly well There. And then when we actually get the numbers, it's like, all right, cool. It's number eight on the top ten. It was number one there. Yeah, that type of thing. So I wanted to wait until we actually heard from Nintendo and is going to be very interested in when that happened. The fact that they're reporting in its first four days, that is like they didn't want to wait till 5. They didn't want to wait for the like first week, first whatever because they're just like, yo, we're breaking records so quickly that we want to say it in a non traditional time frame. You get what I'm saying?

[Greg Miller]

100%, yeah.

[Tim Gettys]

3.5 million first four days. Yeah, we're going to be hearing about this.

[Greg Miller]

I was going to say let's see what happens at a week, two weeks, a month. You know, I mean they're going to continue to tout this number and be all over it.

[Tim Gettys]

And it's a very important number to talk about because this is one of, if not the first time that the demand was met by the supply.

[Greg Miller]

Right, right.

[Tim Gettys]

We're able to actually keep these things on the shelves. I've known a lot of people that have been able to just buy them now and it sounds like it's Nintendo's restocking today on their own website.

[Greg Miller]

Crazy.

[Tim Gettys]

So yeah, they're able to continue to get these systems into the hands of people that want them, which is a rarity for many, many different reasons over the years. Right. But when we last look at the PS4 and like PS5 specifically is what I'm meant to talk about during the pandemic, the Xbox series X and PlayStation 5 were dealt no favors at the time that they came out and creating getting the supply together for those was incredibly difficult and wasn't able to be matched for a year after. Right. Contrast that with like the story of the Wii which was different because they just never could have known that they would need this much. This is one of the first time.

[Greg Miller]

You live through the wee man, you don't know.

[Tim Gettys]

Yeah. But Nintendo was able to take the time and prepare and have it ready and that resulted in such great early numbers.

[Greg Miller]

And this is back to Piscatella right from yesterday on Blue sky talking about, remember that launch unit sales are really dependent on how much product you had available. Like this is a great number now taking away from the achievement obviously, but it is the fact that Nintendo was fucking ready. We used to talk all the time about forced scarcity from Nintendo.

[Tim Gettys]

Right.

[Greg Miller]

Where yeah, they just didn't have enough or didn't make enough or you know what I mean? Like part of the narrative. And now, hey, here you are.

[Tim Gettys]

So the question is, when does this initial rush end, right? Like if game consoles sell out at launch, because that's what they do if there is no out to sell. You get what I'm saying? What infinite supply of actual demand. Like, where does that end? And I, you know, I don't imagine that it is much higher than this just because we are talking about a very expensive product.

[Greg Miller]

But again, their timing is so clutch on this.

[Tim Gettys]

Yeah.

[Greg Miller]

Like, and I, you know, I think of just a snowball rolling down the hill. Ebbs and flows, sure, whatever. But you have that launch hype and then you should have it come down a little bit, right? And then you're going to have Donkey Kong come out, Bonanza split. Hopefully it's as good as we all want it to be, right? It jumps up again and then you're going to come down and then it is this, okay? Are we getting Metroid? Are we getting an Animal Crossing update? Like, again, we talk about this every day because I'm obsessed and I'm on the show the past two days, but for real, a very successful Switch game. And when it is, hey, we are putting out the updated version in this new activity or whatever the fuck it'll be, or if it's just an update, whatever. There's a reason for all of you Animal Crossing crazies to come buy this thing. A little spike there and then you're into holidays where it is going to be kids who parents wouldn't buy this at launch and wouldn't buy in the summer. Suddenly do you break for Christmas? Hanukkah, whatever.

[Tim Gettys]

I don't think that it necessarily makes for the most exciting console launch of all time, but I do think that it might end up being the most strategically well placed console launch of all time. The timing of this coming out now, people being excited, wanting to play it, launching with the Mario Kart. So 3.5 million units globally, how many of them have Mario Kart? In the same way that Zelda was out selling the actual system for a while, you got to imagine that what less than 3% of the people buying a Switch to didn't buy Mario Kart.

[Greg Miller]

World, something like that.

[Tim Gettys]

It's probably insane. This might be the most tied that we've ever seen software to hardware that isn't actually bundled in. And in fact one of the main skus they have it is bundled.

[Greg Miller]

Right.

[Tim Gettys]

So that number is probably insane. And that's the starting place for Mario Kart World, which it being a day one game for Switch 2. In the same way that we saw Mario Kart 8 Deluxe soar to being one of the highest selling games of all time, you got to imagine Mario Kart World is just going to continue to sell forever alongside the Switch 2's life. And then in addition to that, just getting these like, you know, kind of like shocks of life. Whether it is the Donkey Kongs you get in the Metroid for the more hardcore people that it might hold off a little bit. But then there's a new Pokemon game coming later.

[Greg Miller]

I forgot all about that.

[Tim Gettys]

It's also on Switch.

[Greg Miller]

I can't wait to review it.

[Tim Gettys]

Everybody people are going to want to. I feel like that is another fork at the road of people being like, I want to play the new Pokemon. I have a Switch. I want to play it with the better thing. Now's my time to jump on. They'll jump onto the Switch then. I also think that these Switch to Edition games, while I know a lot of people can look at it and be like this is a money grab or this is X, Y, Z, whatever. Nintendo has proven themselves that unlike a lot of the other times of making people buy games again from the Wii to the Wii U and the Wii U to the switch and etc. Etc. Where we're at now, them adding the extra content, it's an excuse for them to market amazing games again. Kirby and the Forgotten Land is going to get a second marketing push. That game deserves it. It needs it. It'll sell a lot better having that. And are we still great compared to other Kirby games? I think a big factor here that we're not talking about is Mario Party Mario Party coming out next month. Sure I am. I know for a fact a lot of people don't know that Mario Party jamboree happened that would want a new Mario Party. Yeah, like they probably got the Super Mario Party, whatever the first one was on Switch because everyone was all fervorous about the Switch one for the first couple of years, but then haven't bought a Switch game since. And one the people that are buying a Switch to because it's new and it's a new Nintendo and they have Mario Kart. Their question to be where's the Mario Party? And if Nintendo's like, hey, here's a brand new Mario Party with a new mode, they're not going to know it's not a brand new game. You know what I mean? 100% so I just think that like we're in a great place where this year there's going to be so many entry points for people that are questioning should I buy a Switch to or not, would their answer be, you know what, now's my time and if it's not that one, it'll be the next one. So yeah, these numbers are going to be wild but man, I. They projected 20 million within a year. That feels like easy peasy.

[Greg Miller]

100%. I think so. Yeah. I think the number is going to be insane on this. I think it's well earned. I think it's also the success of the Switch to and I know we can talk about money, grubs or this or blah, blah. The success of the Switch to is well earned by the fact of how many people love their Switch one. Right. The idea that we. I know it's not exactly and it's little apples and oranges, but it is to a degree the upgrade from your phone. Right. We talk about this PlayStation 5 to PlayStation 5 Pro and etc. But like the fact that people enjoy their Switch so much that yes, they're buying a Switch to. To get the games they already have and love to run better and then maybe get a Mario Kart. Probably get a Mario. Like they know they're going to do this. They believe in Nintendo, has this goodwill for him. It's a really nice story in terms of capitalism. I know what. But a nice story in terms of a company that did right by a generation of gamers here and now is being rewarded with, hey, we've done this and it's not radically different. It is, it is what you love. Already running better, doing better, easier. Everybody's like, okay, cool, I'll go do that.

[Tim Gettys]

Yeah, yeah, man. Exactly. And I saw Ali in the chat was saying that, that, that I'm wrong because Kirby's not getting marketed, that it's only been the direct and they haven't even mentioned it since it's coming out in August.

[Greg Miller]

We got plenty.

[Tim Gettys]

It's going to come like we're going Nintendo today and the Nintendo Social accounts are going to market these out of Kirby in the forgotten land. And that. That's kind of my point. It's like they have such a nice month to. Month to month through line that we already know is happening based on games that are proven entities and they're just going to run better now and be able to be promoted as, hey, this game that was critically beloved, this Mario Party that everybody that played it loved, some would say is the best Mario party ever. It's going to be slam dunks for them left and right. Story number three.

[Greg Miller]

Those are slam dunks.

[Tim Gettys]

Resident Evil Requiem Preview Roundup God, the more I sit with it, the more I love that damn name.

[Greg Miller]

Yeah. Oh, it's a pretty good name.

[Tim Gettys]

I can't wait for this one, man. Paris will be giving Raccoon City Greg.

[Greg Miller]

Paris will be giving his preview impressions from the Behind Closed Door session. But again, I wanted to give you something to tantalize.

[Tim Gettys]

I surprise and delight the first question for everyone's likely this comes from IGN's Matt Kim. The first question is for everyone is likely to be Whether or not Re Requiem will be in the first person perspective like Past Mainline, Game 7 and Village, or if it'll be playable in third person Resident Evil remake games. The answer is both. Grace is pretty powerless from the get go. She's only able to pick up makeshift weapons like glass bottles to use as projectiles. The narrow hallways are sometimes bathed in blinking red emergency lights or no lights at all, while some doors only lead to pure darkness. At some point, Grace finds a lighter that helps her navigate these previously unlit areas.

[Greg Miller]

I did bullet point parts of Matt's preview, so just if you're wondering why there's no narrative tissue between these paragraphs, it was just I'm pulling out things for Tim to get excited about you to understand, and then hear about Paris and the gamescast.

[Tim Gettys]

Eventually, Grace will encounter a horrifying new monster that kind of reminds me of the creature from the 2022 horror film Barbarian. This monster will stalk Grace through the dark corridors much in the same way Mr. X or Lady Demetri did. Combined with Grace's palpable fear, running away from this mysterious new monster feels even more terrifying and reminds me almost of the first time I played Amnesia the Dark Descent. However, the Sphere described is mostly present if you play the game in first person perspective, and as Capcom revealed during the preview, you can switch perspectives at any time. When I played the demo, I did extensive testing in third person, including while running away from Requiem's new monster. In third person, I found that the tension of hiding and running is still there, but the fear factor was replaced by a more action like feel. In third person, running away from the monster felt a little more tactical than survival horror, though given Grace's limited arsenal, it was no less stressful. GameSpot's Kurt Indonesia Indovina says, while it induced controller gripping stress, it all felt very familiar to me. A deja vu effect bringing me back to Resident Evil Vill his house Abeniviento like in the incredible moment from Village, I was stripped of weapons with no way to defend myself and forced to navigate dark, narrow hallways while trying to outsmart a terrifying beast. This familiar feeling I've been there, done that before felt like a contrast from how Capcom has been angling the game during Summer Game Fest. Host Jeff Keeley said the game marks a bold shift for the franchise, both in tone and gameplay, and today's reveal isn't just about survival horror. Expect high stakes cinematic action too. None of that was displayed in my hands on preview. However, I understand that this is a sliver of the game and not and does not represent the full experience. But as a gameplay reveal, this brief hands on left me neither surprised nor underwhelmed, but rather unfazed. There wasn't enough there for me to have a clear idea of the bold new direction it's claimed to be heading in. Even with the new protagonist Grace Ashcroft, there wasn't enough there to get a grasp on what kind of character she is. As an FBI technical analyst, it's unclear whether she is field training to defend herself with guns, potentially making this a more grounded, stealth focused experience. That is, unless there are other playable protagonists. After all. That wouldn't be a first for game director Koshi Naka Nakanishi, who also helmed Resident Evil Revelations, which saw you switching between protagonists throughout the game. Furthermore, there's a line in Requiem's trail that sounds very much like Leon Kennedy, voiced by Nick Apostolitis. But of course this isn't confirmed. Time will tell.

[Greg Miller]

Yeah, it seems like a lot of previews are hinting at multiple characters to play as.

[Tim Gettys]

Yeah, I mean, I don't think there's ever been a Resident Evil game that hasn't had at least two playable characters at some point throughout the game. But yeah.

[Greg Miller]

People in Code Veronica. I thought I played as one person, but I was in college.

[Tim Gettys]

I don't remember maybe that. You might be right about that. I actually don't know that I've ever beat Code Veronica.

[Greg Miller]

I did.

[Tim Gettys]

I didn't have a Dreamcast.

[Greg Miller]

Biebs was in my room drunk, watched me play, and when the big guy showed up, he goes, this guy's gonna fuck up your universe. And I still think it's the funniest thing I ever heard.

[Tim Gettys]

But all the rumors are, I mean, you're gonna be playing as Leon on this game. If what Dusk Gollum is saying is correct and he was nailing so far where this is going to be announced and all that stuff that it sounds like Leon is going to be the majority protagonist of this game. That Grace is a smaller part of it. Everything I've seen from this game I am incredibly excited for. I watched the trailer like five times this weekend, watch a ton of people, like, break it down, and I'm just. I can't believe we're going back to Raccoon City. This is exactly what I would want. And I also feel like adding the. The Grace side to it and like, giving it a different kind of, like, perspective of having the angle not just be the familiar characters that we have, but also having her tied to the PS2. Resident Evil, like, multiplayer games. Yeah, I rented and played a couple times. I don't know shit about the lore or whatever. You know, the fact that all those games, the out it was Resident Evil Outbreak was in Raccoon City. And having the trailer show us, like, all these, like, core parts of what made R2 and 3 so special. Like, I'm just here for it. Like, I never thought we'd actually get back to the Blast site.

[Greg Miller]

Yeah, super cool.

[Tim Gettys]

Yeah.

[Greg Miller]

Yeah. I'm excited to hear more. I'm excited to see more. This is one of the things where I read all these previews and I'm like, okay, cool. I'm glad I didn't take this demo at sgf. You know, I mean, I was only there the one day because of getting back and doing the Xbox stuff and yada, yada, yada. So there was some stuff that got left in the cutting room floor. And when Capcom was like, hey, we got on and out stuff. You want come see? Like, I do, but I can't, you know. And so like, the fact that Every. I read VGC's preview and I went to put stuff in from them and it was like, oh, Andy was saying the exact same stuff. Is it first or third? It's both. It's like, okay, like, that was the news out of this for sure.

[Tim Gettys]

Which is big news. I love it.

[Greg Miller]

I'm not taking away from it, but.

[Tim Gettys]

The fact that you can switch back and forth, I love that. I. I feel like that is that that is Resident Evil is going to be a game that I actually want to do both perspectives at different times for different things. And yeah, what they're talking about here, like, third person feeling more actiony. Like the, like, specifically RE3 remake. I like that. And then if you want a bit more of that, like, re7, certain moments of re8 style fucking fear being in first person. Yeah, sounds awesome. Story number four Mind's Eye debacle this comes from Chris Scully and FBGC Mind's Eye Studio Build a Rocket Boy says its developers are working around the clock to address the numerous issues being reported by players. Mind's Eye, the debut game from the Edinburgh based studio founded by former GTA producer Leslie Benzies, was released on Tuesday and so far has no reviews from any major publication, with seemingly no outlets receiving review code. Steam user reviews have been mixed. However, of the 854 reviews posted on the platform so far, 484 have been negative, meaning it has an approval rating of around 43 on the platform. Most of the criticism has been levied at the game's performance, stability and AI behavior, with players sharing numerous bugs and glitches online. Now, on the game's Reddit page, the studio has posted a statement saying it's working on improving the game's performance. Thank you kindly to all of you who joined us as pioneers on Day one. We understand that the current minimum spec requirements are very high, but our engineering team are working around the clock to improve performance on mainstream hardware as well as consoles by integrating the performance improvements in Unreal Engine v5.6. We will provide Patch 3 update timing, including these improvements within the next 24 hours. Some YouTube channels were able to preview Mind's Eye in last month and their first impressions were also mixed at best. This was followed by Build a Rocket Boy co CEO claiming on the game's official discord that people who reacted negatively to the game were quote 100 paid by someone adding it doesn't take much to guess who.

[Barrett Courtney]

Implying Rockstar yeah, I I also hear that, you know, maybe a certain company paid for review codes not to go out to everybody.

[Greg Miller]

Wow. Yeah, wow. Yeah, you hate to see it collusion on the inside.

[Tim Gettys]

Gerhard later backtracked somewhat on his comments, claiming he never said that individuals had been paid to criticize the game, stating he only meant that there are bot farms posting negative comments and dislikes.

[Greg Miller]

Of course, of course, of course.

[Tim Gettys]

It's always the boss.

[Greg Miller]

It's always fun when some snake oil game comes out. You know what I mean? We it doesn't happen all that often but it does where these things come around and take over and everybody's like what is this? Why does it happen? No review codes, nothing. They like casual brush off. I got that I read yesterday on air from it's awesome and then yeah, Mike and Nick streamed it and I think they beat the two hour. You can only refund on Steam for two hours by like two minutes or something where they played it and they're like, we have to refund because they. Nobody said codes. They spent our own money on it. So they went and got it just at the buzzer there to get it back.

[Barrett Courtney]

My big question is. Yeah, you read this message that they sent out loud yesterday?

[Greg Miller]

I did. I left off the person's name. Okay. Yeah.

[Barrett Courtney]

Due to the limited allocation of codes available for review.

[Greg Miller]

Zero.

[Barrett Courtney]

Yeah. Was it one?

[Tim Gettys]

There's a limit, you know, Zero is the limit. God. Wild stuff, everybody.

[Greg Miller]

God bless video games.

[Barrett Courtney]

I. I love Mafia 3, but I. I will be the first to admit Mafia 3, not the best game. And I just feel bad for this actor, this lead actor.

[Greg Miller]

Oh, this is him.

[Barrett Courtney]

This is the lead guy from mafia 3. And all he does is be the lead.

[Tim Gettys]

And really big games, man.

[Barrett Courtney]

Mafia three story, fucking great though. And he kills it. And y' all should absolutely play through that story or watch it on YouTube.

[Tim Gettys]

Oh, man. Story number five. Yes. Dune Awakening is still coming to consoles. This comes from Eddie at GameSpot Fun Comms. Dune Awakening is finally out on PC, but you might be wondering if it's also headed to consoles now that the game is launched on PC. Funcom reaffirmed that Awakening is indeed headed to console platforms, but not until 2026. There's no specific release date, however, nor is there a set of confirmed console platforms. But Xbox and PlayStation systems seem like a safe bet. Whether or not switch 2 may be in the mix is unknown.

[Greg Miller]

Not a chance.

[Tim Gettys]

Awakening blasted off on Steam to big results as the 50 game is currently in the number one best selling game and is inside Steam's top 10 played most played games, clocking more than 135,000 concurrent players. Good for them. Highlighted the fact that Awakening is available on PC as part of a classic business model where you buy once and own it. This is the full 1.0 launch, not early access. And there are no subscription fees or microtransactions. Hell yeah. Very cool on that.

[Greg Miller]

Yeah, very cool. And the previews or reviews in progress seem positive. Over at ign, Travis Northup is doing a review in progress and I found myself that I, me and Travis enjoy the same games. He's the one who turned me on to fantasy life. When I saw the things, I went and read his review progress like, okay, cool, let alone we were on the Diablo stuff together back in the day. So I have my eye on this one and I'm gonna watch Nick, Andy and Mike stream it today.

[Tim Gettys]

Man, the three of them streaming, dude.

[Greg Miller]

I wonder if they'll get out of character Creator, you know, will they ever even link up? Like, what's gonna happen?

[Tim Gettys]

It would be big if they did, Greg. Huge big if they did. But I don't think they're going to. If I wanted to find something a lot smaller, if I wanted to have to look at my eyes like this.

[Greg Miller]

I have to squint because it's so small, so small.

[Tim Gettys]

Where would I look?

[Greg Miller]

You go to the last news story, the WE News channel, where we cover all the tidbits you need to know about.

[Tim Gettys]

WE News, y' all. Monster Hunter Tweets out hunters free title update 2 will release at the end of this month. We're excited to share with you that TU2 will release at the end of June, bringing new monsters to the hunt. Plus layered weapons and other adjustments and improvements announced in the director's letter. Cool.

[Greg Miller]

Yeah, I'm, you know, I love Monster Hunter. I'm down for more stuff, more things to do. Always excited to go back. Monster Hunter. This isn't. I even probably fair because I think I would still not still be playing because I was like, you know. But I hit 100 on my birthday. I had finished off the Spring Blossom stuff on my birthday on the stream here. Had a great time with that. And they've done the Street Fighter collab, which isn't my jam. I just want to buy the stuff because I want to support and I want all the different outfits for Alma, but this is something I'd come back for. Okay, New monsters, new this, new whatever it's going to be. But again, I think it'll be pop in, play for a couple nights and then pop off until the next thing happens.

[Tim Gettys]

Yeah. Mike Bithell, the homie. The homie says the Tron Catalyst. First hour demo's out now on Steam. It's less than a week till launch. Everybody go play the demo support Mike Bithell.

[Greg Miller]

Wishlist.

[Tim Gettys]

Wishlist the game. Get the demo support the man. A required reading for you from Jason at Bloomberg. A new story. What went wrong with Dragon Age? The Veil Guard. Why was the writing so tonally engage inconsistent? Why did it feel so shallow? Why were there so few choices? After 10 years of turbulence, it was a miracle that anything came out at all. This is the story.

[Greg Miller]

Yeah. Go read inside the Dragon Age debacle that gutted EA's BioWare studio over at Bloomberg right now. Great reporting from Jason.

[Tim Gettys]

Check it out, everybody. That's it for WE News. Let's see what we got wrong in a section called you're wrong.

[Greg Miller]

Okay, he's Looking, he's searching. He's deciding.

[Tim Gettys]

Tundra Boy says you mainly play as Claire and Chris Redfield in Code Veronica with a small segment controlling Steve Burnside.

[Greg Miller]

I'm Steve Burnside.

[Tim Gettys]

The battle mode lets you play as Albert. Oh, yeah. So that's right. You do play as the. The siblings, the Redfields, if you will. And gr. I will, I will. Oh, a couple super chats left to close out the show today. Machine XP says the same guy from the Savage Planet was interviewed on the Iron Lords podcast. Over an hour long details game pass and how it works.

[Greg Miller]

Go get it.

[Tim Gettys]

Go check it out. Felipe BT says. Just wanted to support you guys and tell everyone to support you and go watch last Friday's Gregory with Cool Greg. It's absolute cinema cool.

[Greg Miller]

Greg's the best. His trip to Ireland, there's one from higher up. Optimistic. 92 says with. With of course Superman in Review starting tomorrow. What are all the movies in Superman in Review? I want to plan my time accordingly.

[Tim Gettys]

So, yeah, In Review is very complicated right now, schedule wise just because there's a lot going on and we're trying to make sure that we at whenever possible have me, Greg, Nick and Andy all on the show. So scheduling around that with dates and stuff has been troublesome. So the plan right now is the movies for Superman that we will be doing and this will not change the movies we're doing. We know Superman, Superman 2, Superman 3.

[Greg Miller]

Yep.

[Tim Gettys]

Superman for the quest for peace.

[Greg Miller]

Peace.

[Tim Gettys]

Superman returns and Superman 2025.

[Greg Miller]

James Gunn.

[Tim Gettys]

Right, yeah. So we're doing those. How it's shaking out right now. Right now.

[Greg Miller]

Right now. Everybody, don't panic.

[Tim Gettys]

Where we're at this week, Superman then Superman 2, then 3, then 4, then the new one coming back to Returns after that. It's a little out of order of how I'd like it to be, but that's just how the cookie is crumbling. And then Fantastic Four, we're gonna do a reverse in review where we start with the new one and then we're gonna go back to where it all started.

[Greg Miller]

Yeah.

[Tim Gettys]

Jessica Alba. Yeah. Fun stuff, everyone. And then Jurassic World. Somewhere in there. I don't know. I don't know. I just. I don't know.

[Greg Miller]

Do I go to that screener that.

[Tim Gettys]

It'S a lot of Jurassic World depends on Greg Miller and his ability to go to a screen. We'll see, though. We'll see. Anyway, that's the update on In Review and that's kind of funny. Games Daily. Stay tuned. Gamescast sounds like it's going to be a banger. I want to hear about Animusha. Ah.

[Barrett Courtney]

A lot of people are asking no man of Steel. What the fuck? Well, that was. That exists in dceu in review, correct?

[Tim Gettys]

Yes. Man of Steel already exists in dceu. We're moving on from that. This is a new thing kicking off. DCU people ask about Alien versus Predator. We are over halfway done with that. But we're going to return to it later in the year once we get through all the Superman, Fantastic Superman and other summer blockbuster stuff. And there's two new Predator movies that we're gonna be adding this year. Predator, Badlands later and the new one that just came out on Hulu that everyone's loving.

[Barrett Courtney]

The animated one.

[Tim Gettys]

Yeah. Killer or something like that.

[Greg Miller]

Yeah.

[Tim Gettys]

People are ecstatic about it. People talk about it the way they talk about Puss in Boots. Now, Greg, I don't know if you watch Puss and Boots.

[Greg Miller]

I did not watch Puss and Boots.

[Tim Gettys]

You and Ben need to watch Puss and Boots. Oh, yeah. Might be a little scary for tell. Anyways, about to do Gamescast. That's going to be awesome. Then we're playing some Dune. Hang out today. It's going to be great game daily. Bye.