Kinda Funny Games Daily – October 9, 2025

Episode Summary:

Main Hosts: Blessing Adeoye Jr. & Tim Gettys
Main Theme:
A packed episode tackling Ubisoft’s cancellation of a post–Civil War Assassin’s Creed game over political concerns, indie heartbreak with layoffs at Heart Machine, speculation on Fallout Day, Fortnite's bizarre social media snafu, and more industry news.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Ubisoft Cancels Post–Civil War Assassin’s Creed

Main Story: Ubisoft canceled a planned Assassin’s Creed game set during the US Civil War/Reconstruction, featuring a Black protagonist fighting the Ku Klux Klan, citing fears over political backlash and recent culture wars about Assassin’s Creed: Shadows.

• Context:
  Ubisoft’s decision to use Yasuke, a Black historical figure, in Shadows led to controversy and online “culture war” debates, influencing their caution:

  “Ubisoft reportedly also looked at what was happening in the US and decided not to risk it. ‘Too political in a country too unstable to make it short,’ one source told [Stephen] Totilo.” — [05:56]

• Hosts’ Reactions:

  • Tim: Frustration at Ubisoft choosing “coward shit” to avoid controversy.

    “[Ubisoft] just makes more rakes to step on… projects come and go… but to take such a dramatic turn and be like ‘no, we can’t do this because we’re scared’ — that’s a bit shit.” [06:49]

  • Blessing: Unapologetic criticism of Ubisoft for bowing to bigoted backlash.

    “When you go, hey, we’re not going to move forward with this big thing because we want to appease the racists, my reaction is, oh, so you’re racist.” [08:47]

  • Highlights weaponized “historical accuracy” arguments and points out other games (Red Dead, Wolfenstein) that let you fight bigots.

• Super Chat Highlights [11:36]:

  • “The franchise about fighting against the man and had us fight the Pope as the final boss is too chicken shit to get too political.”
  • Noting games like Red Dead and Wolfenstein let you kill KKK/Nazis, but this is “a bridge too far.”

• Nuance Debate:
  Discussion on whether Ubisoft had the talent to tell the story well:

  “How nuanced do we have to be when the premise is ‘Black man kills KKK’? You put the right people in the writers’ room, you can figure all that shit out.” — Blessing [14:38]

• Tone: Blunt, unapologetic, frustrated at industry cowardice.

2. Heart Machine Ends Hyper Light Breaker, Lays Off Staff

Story: Indie studio Heart Machine is laying off staff and ending work on Hyper Light Breaker (early access).

• Broader Issue: Ongoing struggles for indies, despite big hit sequels succeeding elsewhere (Hades 2, etc.).
• Speculation: Blessing wonders if the shift from the single-player, mysterious magic of Hyper Light Drifter to a new 3D multiplayer roguelite might have left the original audience behind.

  “Are the people that like the single player version... going to be the same audience that wants to play and enjoy a multiplayer version?... How much do you change a game before you just don’t have that audience anymore?” [24:07]

• Theme: It’s hard to follow up a classic; sometimes, all you can do is get lucky.
• Hosts express empathy for the team and sadness at another indie closure.

3. Fallout Day – October 23 Predictions

Story: Bethesda announces a Fallout Day livestream with info about current titles, community content, and likely TV series news.

• Speculation Highlights:
  • Season 2 of Fallout TV show is definitely coming, possibly with a new trailer or date. [33:50]
  • Rumors of Fallout 3 Remake feel stronger after Oblivion Remake’s release.

  “At some point, Fallout 3 Remake is going to happen. And you know what, Bless? I say, why not?” — Tim [34:25]

  • Blessing: Remasters could give a perfect “jumping-in” point for new fans introduced via the Amazon show.

    “If you remake Fallout 3, immediately that’s the right Fallout to play.” [40:01]

4. Fortnite’s Halloween Event & Doja Cat Rose Toy Snafu

Headline:

“Fortnite’s Halloween plans start messy after a social media snafu involving Doja Cat and a sex toy.” [40:32]

• Incident Recap: Doja Cat did a “takeover” on the official Fortnite Twitter/X, which posted a reference to “Rose Toys” (a sex toy). Doja later said she’d told Epic not to post it, called it “cringe,” and the post was deleted.
• Hosts’ Exchange:
  Tim: “What’s wrong with a vibrator?”
  Blessing: “It’s a kids game… I don’t want Fortnite to teach them about vibrators.”
  — [43:43–46:44]
  • Spirited debate about violence vs. sex in kids’ media, where to “draw the line,” and societal double standards.
  • Tim argues for normalizing sex and sex positivity, points out how normalized violence is.
  • Blessing acknowledges the contradiction but feels the cultural standard is already set — “we just gotta do what we can to protect the kids.” [46:34]
• Takeaway:
  Quirky, offbeat, and a surprisingly deep debate about sex positivity, media standards, and American taboos.

5. Industry Quick Hits – WE News

[50:01+]

• Skate Story launches December 8th on PC, PS5, Switch.
• Absalom review roundup: Metacritic 86, IGN “excellent beat ‘em up let down by roguelite structure.”
• SNES classics added to Nintendo Online: Bubsy, Fatal Fury Special, Mario & Wario.
• Fields of Mistria’s next update roadmap for early 2026.
• Indika launches November 17 (Switch). Keeper by Double Fine “has gone gold.”
• Sega files trademark for Shadow the Hedgehog, sparking speculation about a new or remade Shadow game.

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

On Ubisoft’s AC Cancellation:

“When you go, hey, we're not going to move forward with this big thing because we want to appease the racists, my reaction is, oh, so you're racist.”
— Blessing [08:47]

“We're literally talking here about protagonist, antagonist: a Black man, the KKK. There's no question. And if you're questioning that, you're racist. That's it.”
— Tim [09:48]

“Players can kill KKK members in Red Dead Redemption. Players can kill Nazis in Wolfenstein. But Assassin’s Creed set post–Civil War is a bridge too far, I guess.”
— Blessing, quoting a Super Chat [12:06]

On Hyper Light Breaker’s End:

“Sometimes, you just have to get lucky, which is the hardest thing.”
— Blessing [26:44]

On Fallout Remakes:

“At some point, Fallout 3 Remake is going to happen. And you know what, Bless? I say, why not?”
— Tim [34:25]

“If you remake Fallout 3, immediately that’s the right Fallout to play.”
— Blessing [40:01]

On Fortnite & Doja Cat:

“I’m old school. I’m more about the Magic Wand.”
— Tim, on sex toys [42:41]

“What’s wrong with the rose toy?”
— Tim [43:41]

“There’s nothing wrong with sex… but at a certain age, we should… You should be protected.”
— Blessing [44:16]

“You’re cool with them shooting other people, but you… can’t get your vibe on?”
— Tim, calling out cultural double standards [44:34]

Timestamps for Key Segments

• 00:00 – 05:00: Banter, show intro, hosts’ week, and Gamescast preview
• 05:45 – 19:30: Assassin’s Creed Civil War cancellation – Main discussion and reactions
• 19:16 – 26:51: Heart Machine layoffs/Hyper Light Breaker cancellation – What went wrong?
• 28:13 – 41:01: Fallout Day predictions, industry remakes, Fallout TV tie-in speculation
• 41:32 – 49:25: Fortnite/Doja Cat Rose Toy social media debacle, violence vs. sex in games
• 50:01 – 53:21: WE News: indie releases, Nintendo news, Shadow the Hedgehog trademark
• 54:19 – end: Super chat debates: sex positivity, why violence is normalized, closing banter

Episode Tone & Takeaways

• Tone: Outspoken, unfiltered, often comedic, sometimes furious—especially regarding industry cowardice on social issues.
• Recurring Themes:
  • Frustration with publisher risk aversion and regression on inclusion
  • The difficulty of following up indie classics
  • The weirdness of modern game marketing and crossover pop culture
  • The ongoing American struggle with sex vs. violence in media standards

Useful For:

Anyone wanting to understand critic and gamer reactions to current industry decisions, the intersection of culture and gaming, and off-the-cuff gaming podcast humor.

Note: This summary omits ads and non-content filler as requested.