Kinda Funny Games Daily: Xbox is Launching Cloud Gaming With Ads?!

Date: October 3, 2025
Hosts: Blessing Adeoye Jr. & Tim Gettys

Episode Overview

Today's episode of Kinda Funny Games Daily dives deep into Microsoft's controversial move to introduce an ad-supported, free version of Xbox Cloud Gaming, discusses subscription bloat, the latest Golden Joystick nominees, and touches on broader industry trends like subscription tier confusion. The hosts also riff on Final Fantasy VII Remake Part 3's multiplatform development, notable indie and AAA games, and share personal anecdotes about working in games media and impending parenthood.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Xbox Cloud Gaming With Ads - Breaking Down the News

Segment Start: [05:00]

• Summary of the News:

  • Microsoft is preparing to launch a free, ad-supported Xbox Cloud Gaming tier, according to The Verge (Tom Warren).
  • This allows users to stream select games (titles you own, Free Play Days, and some XBox Retro Classics) without a Game Pass subscription.
  • Internal tests: users see around 2 minutes of pre-roll ads before playing, with a limit of 1 hour per session and up to 5 free hours/month.
  • Available on PC, consoles, handhelds, and web browsers. Public beta soon, full launch "in coming months."

• Hosts’ Initial Reactions:

  • Blessing notes Xbox news "gets worse by the day," referencing recent company controversies and confusion.
  • Tim pushes for optimism:

    “This is good, this is a good thing... It’s literally free to you. Look at this as a demo to play games. ...The ads, two minutes of ads. You’re watching, whatever.” [06:52]

  • They question the user experience: After the two-minute ad, is gameplay uninterrupted? Will the hour session have an on-screen countdown? Does gameplay halt mid-boss fight?

• Concerns Raised:

  • Messaging Complexity:
    Both hosts lament how increasingly convoluted Xbox subscription tiers have become, echoing frustrations with PlayStation's PS Plus tier system.

    “The more messy and clunky your messaging is around the packages that you’re delivering, the less enticing it becomes.” – Blessing [09:08]

  • Ad Fatigue & Consumer Choice:

    • "If I’m into an ecosystem, ads drive me fucking crazy. So I pay for the get rid of the ads version." – Tim [08:26]
    • Both admit they're choosing either the highest or lowest subscription tier, rarely the middle tier.

• Industry Comparison:

  • Parallels drawn to streaming TV—users used to know exactly what they paid for, but now face overwhelming bloat and indecipherable offerings.

    “Ten years ago, you look at any of the streaming services and you understand exactly what every tier looks like... Now everything feels like PlayStation Plus. Every single thing feels like the cable networks used to..." – Tim [15:51]

2. Game Pass Price Hike & Feature Removal

Segment Start: [17:36]

• Breaking News:

  • Game Pass Ultimate price hiked to $30/month (a 50% increase).
  • 10% DLC discounts—a previously touted perk—are being removed.

    “That is a weak bullet point. That’s Fortnite Crew levels of bullshit.” – Tim [19:29]

• Host Analysis:

  • The value of perks and add-ons is questioned. DLC discounts or minor bonuses are considered insubstantial value props at this scope and price point.
  • Blessing observes:

    “This... by itself, I’d have been like... I don’t really care... but it’s just another bullet point added to all the other bullshit. It’s like, yo, fuck off, dude...” [19:41]

• Perspective as Content Creators:

  • Tim compares Kinda Funny’s approach to Patreon tiers, emphasizing a focus on true value over meaningless bloat.

    “Don’t just add a bunch of shit to have a bunch of shit. ...We don’t want those better things dangling over everyone else as like, man, you’re missing out on the real content.” [20:12]

3. Golden Joystick Awards 2025 - First Game of the Year Nominees

Segment Start: [23:29]

• Nominees Covered:

  • Extensive rundown of categories (Best Storytelling, Multiplayer, Indie, Still Playing, Remake/Remaster, etc.).
  • Major Games Discussed: Death Stranding 2, Ghost of Yotei, Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2, Battlefield 6, Hollow Knight: Silksong, Hades II, and more.

• Hosts’ Critiques:

  • Surprised at omissions (eg. “Where’s Blueprints?”), or strange inclusions in the Game of the Year categories (Sonic Racing, Mario Kart World).
  • Tim’s Running Gag:

    “Mario Kart World is the soundtrack of the year. ...Not even talking about the fact that 50% of the soundtrack is original songs that are fucking bangers.” [33:37]

  • Game of the Year Musical Chairs:
    Both hosts predict a wild GOTY discussion season given the number of “tens” and strong contenders this year.

4. Final Fantasy VII Remake Part 3: Multi-Platform Development

Segment Start: [35:54]

• News Recap:

  • Director Naoki Hamaguchi says a multi-platform approach for part 3 (PS5, Switch 2, Xbox) “won’t impact development whatsoever”—dedicated teams per platform.
  • Xbox Series S “lack of memory” cited as a challenge, but Switch 2 praised for specs.

• Industry Optimism:

  • Tim:

    “I truly believe... Hamaguchi is going to go down as one of the GOATs. ...When you look at the work he and the teams have done..." [38:23]

  • Hosts predict simultaneous launches across platforms, which they see as positive for fans and the trilogy’s legacy.

5. Indie Spotlight & Miscellaneous Nuggets

Segment Start: [41:20]

• Aggro Crab (of “Peak” and “Another Crab’s Treasure”) announces Crash Out Crew, a co-op, physics-driven forklift game, born from a game jam.
• The team’s wild ride from canceling a big project to creating a surprise hit is celebrated as an indie success story.

6. Mini-News (Wii News) & Listener Interactions

Segment Start: [42:18]

• Quickfire headlines:

  • Lucid Games opens new Liverpool office
  • Dragon Ball Sparking Zero DLC teased
  • App Store games come to Apple Arcade
  • Notable releases/dates (Yuuka Replay, Hunter x Hunter mobile game, etc.)

• Super Chats & Community Banter:

  • Listeners share Xbox loyalty woes, birthday shoutouts, and thoughts on the Ad-tier debate.
  • Blessing and Tim empathize with longtime Xbox fans feeling burned by corporate decisions:

    “Xbox nailed it for a while and, like, in a lot of ways continues to. ...They are redefining how games are delivered and all this stuff—it’s just also simultaneously fucking up the entire industry. ...Now it’s $30 a month. That’s the inevitable end to this.” – Tim [45:38]

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

On Cloud Gaming With Ads

• “What’s bad about it? ...It’s the context of this week’s news and it’s how complicated all of this is getting.” – Tim [07:40]

On Subscription Bloat

• “It’s like the cable vacation of it is really hitting in a way that sucks.” – Tim [15:51]

On Gaming Value

• "The $30 tier also feels like at the same time, their bread and butter... But a lot of these things don’t speak to a lot of people." – Blessing [16:10]

On Perks and Add-ons

• “That [DLC discount] is a weak bullet point. That’s Fortnite Crew levels of bullshit.” – Tim [19:29]

On Multiplatform Final Fantasy

• “The words being said here, these are words from a man that cares.” – Tim [38:23]

On “Game of the Year” Debates

• “This year we don’t got room for eights.” – Tim [33:15]

On the Future of In-game Ads

• “Here’s the thing. I’m not scared of it because it’s already happening. ...You turn on your Xbox, there’s ads.” – Tim [51:17]

Personal & Funny Moments:

• The “Game of the Year Bingo Card”—each host’s recurring talking point (e.g., Tim’s for Mario Kart World’s soundtrack).
• Jokes about raising “Nintendo kids”, failed hardware allegiances, and Blessing trolling Tim over forgotten birthdays.
• Discussion of “Peak” as a happy accident of indie dev creativity.

Important Timestamps

• [05:00] — News: Xbox’s ad-supported free cloud gaming tier explained
• [06:52] — Hosts' initial impressions & questions about implementation
• [09:08] — Discussion: Messaging complexity, subscription bloat
• [17:36] — Game Pass Ultimate price hike and perk removal
• [23:29] — Review/discussion of Golden Joystick Nominees
• [33:37] — Tim Gettys' Mario Kart World soundtrack crusade
• [35:54] — Final Fantasy VII Remake Part 3 multiplatform development
• [41:20] — Indie news: Aggro Crab’s new game “Crash Out Crew”
• [42:18] — Wii News rapid-fire segment
• [45:38] — Xbox as disruptor and disappointment, price hikes analyzed
• [51:17] — Listener Q: Is this the slippery slope to ads in all games?
• [55:08] — Hardcore vs. casual audiences for Cloud Gaming
• [60:11+] — Personal reflections, Kinda Funny family birthdays, show closing

Conclusion

The episode is a candid, thoughtful, and humorous look at the current turbulence in Xbox’s subscription strategy—what’s good (accessibility!), what’s frustrating (messy tiers, price hikes), and the broader “cable-ification” of gaming services. The hosts use wit, camaraderie, and real industry perspective to break down why even “good” ideas can feel sour when bundled into an over-complicated ecosystem, vowing to watch how Xbox and competitors market their “real” value tiers going forward. All the while, they balance industry critique with celebration of indie wins, award debates, and some good-natured ribbing, making this a lively and essential roundup for anyone invested in the modern gaming landscape.