← The Brett Cooper Show
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- [00:00]
Brett Cooper
Have you ever wanted to play a video game where the protagonist is a black Japanese samurai who has gay love affairs with non binary characters? Well if you have, then Assassin's Creed Shadows might just be the game for you. So one of the most anticipated games of the year just came out and gamers of the world simply are not happy. Apparently Assassin's Creed Shadows is just not good and it kind of ties into what we were talking about in regards to Snow White just at the beginning of the week because it seems like there are two huge issues here. Number one, the quality is supposedly just lackluster with a half baked story and half baked characters. And two, the DEI initiatives that Ubisoft shoved into this game are very much on display. So all of that means that there are two issues here and people that are simply just criticizing the quality of the game are getting lumped in with the anti woke culture War Fighters. It's this whole mess of people being upset. But this does beg a broader question of where is the gaming industry actually going and is it too far gone for most gamers? Now before we dive into this story, I want to remind you all that I am going on tour this spring. It is my first tour ever. I am so excited to come to cities near you and hopefully meet some of your beautiful faces. The links to buy tickets in all of the different cities are in the description below. I hope you guys can make it out. I am just super excited. I think it'll be a ton of fun. And also of course if you want ad free episodes of the Brett Cooper show and a weekly Dear Brett video and a subscriber only newsletter, you can check out my platform Cooper Confidential which is linked here. And of course don't forget to follow our podcast page and to rate the show if you are enjoying it. All right, so just a couple of weeks ago the new Assassin's Creed game called Shadows came out. It hit the market. Obvious an uproar of criticism, but also publicity. And basically if you guys have not heard about this game, it is the new Assassin's Creed game and it is set in Feudal Japan. And when the trailer of this came out last year I had just finished watching Shogun. So I was actually like in the. I was like the perfect demographic for this game. I don't even play video games. I was like oh my God, this would be so sick. I'm like in the Shogun mindset. And then I watched the trailer and I was like what the actual heck is going on now the game was said to follow two protagonists a black Japanese samurai, Yasuke, and a female shinobi or a Japanese spy named Nae. And like I said, the trailer came out last May and even last May in 2024. It made an insane splash because people were obviously confused about a black samurai leading a video game that is set in feudal Japan. However, at the time, Ubisoft confirmed that Yasuke was a real historical figure, so they weren't just pulling this out of their ass. Although when you actually look at his history, the time that this man spent in Japan as a samurai and his actual history is very, very murky. There is a book written about him, but again, we just don't really know a him. So because of all of this last year people were very quick to call out Ubisoft for political pandering, for just trying to dig up and search for a black character in order to basically check off a diversity box for this game. Which is ridiculous because they would basically be checking off every single box in the book if they had just focused on creating actual Japanese characters. And of course it didn't help that amidst all of this anger and chaos over the Black Samurai, the developers were simultaneously hinting at something else, which actually at the time back in May, the anti woke warriors didn't really sniff out yet, considering that the coverage was completely left wing. And I know this thanks to Ground News and my partners over at Ground News cut through the noise with an unbiased perspective and show both sides of every story in the news, prioritizing honesty over everything. Their unique technology even allows users to compare how different sides of the corporate media are reporting on a story, making sure that you see all sides and truly stay informed. And from my perspective as a creator, they make sure that I stay on top of the stories that I'm covering for you guys so that I can break you the latest and most honest updates and ensure that I am actually sharing all sides of the story. And in addition to that, Ground News's innovative technology with their Blind spot feed brings you the stories that have gotten little to no coverage on one side of the political aisle, making sure that you always stay informed regardless of your own biases, instead of letting big tech or their algorithms decide what you see, which honestly happens more than you would think. So if you are ready to truly break free from media bias and control and stay informed of transparent news consumption, now is the time to join Ground News. And when you go to groundnews.com Brett or scan the QR code that you see on screen, you can get the same Premium plan that I use on a daily basis, but for nearly half the price, that is. Groundnews.com Brett if you want to get unbiased news and hold the media accountable for only $5 a month. Now, I promise we will get into the queer gaming a little bit later. But back to the point. At the time when all of this was happening, I did an episode about this on my old channel. Basically talking through Yasuke, the black samurai, his history, what the uproar was about, all the comments, all of that good stuff that you guys know I used to do. And in that video, I featured a video by a gamer who kind of accidentally went viral after posting about the trailer and his response and the controversy. And since then I have been following him. I've watched him explode onto the scene and just grow on YouTube and on X. And I am so excited to have him on the show today to give his insight as a gamer into this entire controversy and what it actually means for the industry. And in case you guys did not see that old episode, this is his video and it will provide some extra context for what is all going on.
- [05:02]
Keda
Now I'm annoyed because they're using Yasuke and I'm going to tell you why. Yasuke is what they want to say is the first black Japanese samurai, when all actuality he was not even a samurai, he was a retainer. So he wasn't even a full blown samurai. And for all of the characters they could have used for Japan, all these kind of different people they could have picked from, they picked Yasuke. Why do they pick Yasuke? Because he's black. So instead of using a Japanese man in a game based in Japan, like they did with the other Assassin's Creed games, Altair, he was an Arab, obviously one of my favorites. Connor, In Assassin's Creed 3, he was native American. That was fine. And the most famous of them all, Ezio Auditore, who is Italian. So why in all those games would you have a character representative of the region they're from? But in this game, you want to demote a Japanese man and then use Yasuke.
- [05:55]
Brett Cooper
I mean, seriously, I couldn't have said it better myself. And this video, I mean, it amassed 9.2 million impressions after he posted it. Which makes sense because all of this was common sense. He wasn't saying anything revolutionary. He was simply saying what we all were thinking when we watched the trailer. And it was just so amazing hearing that from somebody who has been playing the game for years and is obviously so invested in this franchise. And because of all of these feelings, Ubisoft absolutely got destroyed on social media. Fans were so confused by what they were doing. And it dulled a lot of excitement that people had had about this game. Because, as Keita says later in that video, people had wanted an Assassin's Creed based in Japan. For years, they had been begging for this. And so to then see that trailer and it just be a black guy, obviously, for social justice warrior reasons, it was like a slap in the face to so many people who had wanted this for so long. And Keda, the gamer that you just saw in that video, had some incredibly important context to add, because guess when Assassin's Creed Shadows went into development. Take a listen.
- [06:51]
Keda
That decision was made in 2020, you know, 2020, 2021. What was going on around that time frame? You had the. The height of the George Floyd stuff, the DEI initiatives. During that time frame, a lot of things were racially charged. So of course they were like, yeah, let's put Yasuke in it. And it's like, when you do that, you make people think, oh, whether you're doing it or not, you make people think, oh, you're just trying to virtue out somebody's skin color. They wanted him to be that focal point, that virtue, but they knew that it's not that kind of time anymore. It probably would have got by like, you know, 2020, 2021. Now people are not with that shit. They see it, they're like, no, I'm out. I'm not doing it.
- [07:30]
Brett Cooper
So there you have it. This game went into development in 2020. Here is the prime example of what BLM did. They save the world. Thank you, Patrice Cullors, or whatever the heck your name is, I'm trying to, you know, eliminate you from my brain. So, guys, amidst George Floyd and the race riots and, you know, white people crying in the streets because they hated the color of their skin, all of us being told that black Americans were the most oppressed individuals in the entire world. This game was created. So, of course, at that time in history, Ubisoft was going to be clamoring for some kind of way to capture the moment and show that they were an ally. But, you know, video games, they take a long time to create. And five years later, the culture has radically changed. The moment is long gone, BLM has lost its power, and Ubisoft is now suffering the consequences. But this whole situation is about so much more than just the grifting. Because when I asked K, who is now my new resident Assassin's Creed expert, about the game, and how he's feeling after playing it for the last week. The first thing he said was not the DEI or I can't believe I'm playing as a black samurai. It was actually about the quality of the game itself. This is what he said.
- [08:34]
Keda
It is not a very good game. Like, there's bugs out of the. Out of the ass on it. There's glitches in it where it's not working properly. You know, like textures aren't loading in properly. Facial animations, they just look so stiff. The dialogue and voice acting is the worst I've ever experienced in a video game. Like, not even just the hate. It's. It's very bad. Like the main actress that's playing the Japanese character in the game now way when she delivers her lines, it. I can't get invested because she sounds like an AI robot.
- [09:07]
Brett Cooper
I mean, at every turn, he and other gamers on X, on YouTube, in their publications, they have had critiques about the gameplay, the dialogue, the music being completely out of touch. I mean, who wants to listen to cyberpunk music when you are playing a game in feudal Japan?
- [09:23]
Keda
It's set in feudal Japan. So the music that they have for a lot of these scenes does not fit at all. Like, it'll be like some pop, like Japanese stuff in the background or like some rock or they like, they still have hip hop, like infused with Japanese stuff for like fight scenes. It sounds like cyberpunk music when you're fighting. And I'm like, why are we just doing this? After this emotional moment, the music doesn't fit. And I'm like, nothing fits.
- [09:51]
Brett Cooper
I mean, that entire situation just sounds like finding tofu at a steakhouse, which would never happen to me because I eat at home thanks to good ranchers. And as you all know, good ranchers puts American values first, just like we do. Their meat is born, raised and harvested right here in the US from local family farms so you know exactly where your meat is coming from. All of their products are free from hidden additives. No antibiotics ever, no added hormones, no seed oils in their amazing chicken nuggets, which we eat on a weekly basis. Just simple, trustworthy ingredients that you can feel good about feeding to your family. And to make it even better, these products are delivered straight to your door. So you are supporting local ranchers and American farmers without the hassle of going to the grocery store. And@goodranchers.com, everything that you need to create delicious meals is just a click away. And@goodranchers.com you can also check out my exclusive Brett Cooper box. You can try out my handpicked selections that Alex and I eat on a weekly basis and directly support American Ranchers while doing so. Just go to goodranchers.com, to check it out. And right now Good Ranchers is running their Spring into Action deal where if you subscribe to any of their boxes, but obviously preferably the Brett Cooper box, you will get free bacon or ground beef or seed oil, free nuggets or salmon in every order for a year and you'll get to pick which one you want. Plus you will get $40 off when you use my code Brett at checkout. That is high quality clean protein in every order delivered to your door for free for an entire year. Again guys, visit goodranchers.com today and don't forget to use my code Brett to claim your free meat and $40 off. Now one of the interesting things about this story is that allegedly Ubisoft knew that the game had problems, which is allegedly why they delayed the release from November of 2024 to now, March of 2025. I mean, these were the types of articles that were being written about them in November. This headline reads Ubisoft Boss says it knows players think it has an inconsistency in quality so it delayed Assassin's Creed Shadows to flip that script. Well, apparently that did nothing because people have still been disappointed. So I do not think you flipped the script at all. Now, echoing everything that Caeda said in our interview when we were chatting about this new game, another gamer named Legacy killahd made a 30 minute video about how this game was a complete mess from start to finish. He tweeted this about his video saying, I did not enjoy Assassin's Creed Shadows combat and exploration. It felt restrictive and unbalanced story, mostly boring. The duo protagonist never clicked for me as one is far more enjoyable to play but is hamstrung by baffling design. I mean guys, the comments underneath his video were just rich. Everyone was calling them Ubislop. They were saying that they were non binary binary for this game. It was just pretty hysterical. Like nobody is enjoying this in the slightest. They're all playing this game to figure out what's going on. They're playing this game because they love Assassin's Creed, but they know that this is not the quality that they should be getting. In another review, this one from dualshockers, the hits just kept coming. These writers said Assassin's Creed Shadows is a bloated collection of uninspired quests that quickly turn into a repetitive, boring grind. While the art and history teams deserve recognition for their efforts, it is unfortunately wasted on a narrative that goes nowhere, is poorly explained, and has no satisfying resolutions. I mean, people are not pulling punches in the slightest. So we have to ask, like, how did all of this happen? How did Assassin's Creed go from being a beloved and revered game, one that Keita has literally been playing since 2007 when he was 11 years old, to the laughing stock of the gaming world, which right now it kind of is now in Cada's mind and in a lot of gamers minds right now, this is because they fell into a very common yet very dangerous trap, putting messaging over quality and virtue signaling over creativity.
- [13:20]
Keda
It's so lazy to me. I'm sitting here, you know, six hours, you know, playing a video game. I don't want to be lectured to, I don't want to be pandered to. I don't want none of that. I just want to enjoy myself. Now if you're telling a story and you know that's a part of the story organic, I don't have an issue. I have an issue when it's obviously forced.
- [13:38]
Brett Cooper
I mean, Cada absolutely hit the nail on the head. I think that we are all just exhausted by years of being lectured at. And the funny thing is I'm pretty sure that Ubisoft felt the heat, which could be in my mind just speculating and in Cada's mind could be another reason why they delayed the game like five months. They obviously had to see the response online after they debuted the trailer, they noticed the culture changing, especially after the election, and they went back and they tried to steer the game in a completely different direction because why on God's green earth after making such a big deal over this, you know, important historical black samurai, would Yasuke not actually be a relevant part of the entire game? Why would he only have 15 minutes of game time and then just disappear for the majority of the game? And yes, people have noticed from writers at Forbes that said, Assassin's Creed Shadows has a Yasuke problem. Calling him a puzzle piece that just doesn't quite fit to actual players online, saying things like it's decent, but it has some issues. Yasuke is essentially an afterthought. Pointless being him when he isn't an assassin. The more you play it, the more you wonder why there is no point to his character in the game. Another person said, I am really convinced that Yasuke is an actual token because at best he really doesn't add much to the story. He's really just there. And if Naoe was the sole protagonist, nothing in the story would really change. Many have this sentiment, so why even bother making him an mc? Boom. That is what happens when you are message first, story last. It doesn't work. He seems like a token. He seems like an afterthought. Because the only thought that Ubisoft has was, I know we told people we would have a Japanese Assassin's Creed, but also, BLM, it's 2020. We need to have a black guy. And he might have become even more of an afterthought, even more of a token, if they did actually go back and cut down his storyline, which, ironically, if they did, that would have just made him seem like more of an intersectionality box to check. And of course, again, if they had really wanted to be authentically diverse, they could have leaned into Japan, leaned into historical Japanese history, and tried to make that a real, genuine, integral part of the story. But apparently when they tried to do that, that even fell flat.
- [15:44]
Keda
It sounds like, you know, Americans pretending to be Japanese. So, like, you know, like in the movies, they'd be like, you dishonor your family and family and shit, they use the R in it. That's how it sounds in this game. Like, it sounds very racially stereotypical.
- [15:58]
Brett Cooper
But, you know, guys, I am not even surprised at this point, because last year, the game developers literally said the quiet part out loud. Take a look at this headline. Assassin's Creed Shadows Dev says it's not a documentary. And Ubisoft is not trying to show Japan from a very clinical or an overriding stereotypical view. Hmm. And then this one. Assassin's Creed Shadow's Japanese setting has been, quote, very, very tricky because Ubisoft wants to be respectful and avoid telling a culture about their own culture. Okay, well, Ubisoft, in your efforts to be so sensitive, to not tell a culture about their own culture, to, you know, not make a documentary, you just turn to stereotypes. You turn to stereotypes and historical characters that honestly kind of exist in a weird gray area of, like, we don't actually know if they were a samurai. Doesn't really sound like they were. So instead, you just made a mockery of an entire region and point in history. I don't really think that was your goal, but you missed an entire opportunity to celebrate a culture, and instead you avoided it and kind of mocked it altogether. And, of course, I'm literally getting out of breath at this point. But it does not help that on top of all of that they left in all of the gay storylines that they promised last year, which just makes the entire situation in storyline weirder. And this was Keita's take after playing through all of that.
- [17:10]
Keda
From what I gather. I think Yasuke has like three where he could be gay now way has, I think like two or three. What makes it worse is the fact that Yasuke, whatever you feel about his history, he was a real guy. So put him into a game and then implying that, you know, I wouldn't want nobody to put me in a game 500 years from now. And they say, oh yeah, cater like to sleep with dudes. It's like, no, no, I didn't, don't, don't do that.
- [17:34]
Brett Cooper
And no, my friends, it is not just Keda pointing this out. It's not just one player here or there that is sniffing out these storylines. Publications like Pink News are blasting these wins for the queer gaming community far and wide. This was an article that came out just last week. They said you can have hot gay samurai flings in Assassin's Creed shadows. Thank you. Thank you so much. Ubisoft. That is just excellent. That is what we all want out of Assassin's Creed. Just clunky, half baked, gay and disliked. That is what you have created. And I hate to say it, but again, this is what happens when you chase brownie points and not quality. Now, of course, if we're gonna have this conversation about Assassin's Creed, we obviously have to, you know, take a step back, take a bird's eye view, and take a look at the entire gaming industry. Because this is not just happening with Assassin's Creed. This is far from being an isolated incident. And in general, the gaming industry has changed dramatically over the last decade or two. I think one thing that really stands out about all of that is how commercialized it has got. I mean, it went from being this more artistic, niche, independent industry into a $200 billion industry in 2025. And amidst all of that, you have these high quality developers and independent companies that are getting bought up. And the world just became far more corporate. And they chose to focus on mass appeal, AKA leaning into culture wars and trying to be as woke as possible. And a perfect example of how this all transpired is Ubisoft. I mean, in 2022, they released their annual sustainability report where they promised to embed DEI in every single one of their creative processes. So if you've been playing Ubisoft games over the last couple of years going, what has changed, my friends? I am about to show You. And yes, before you ask, this was put into place by their chief diversity, Inclusion, accessibility, and Social impact officer at Ubisoft. And her name is Rashi Sika, who was hired in 2020. Interesting timing for the development of Assassin's Creed Shadows. Here she is. This is Rashi. And according to this article that was published around the time she was hired, her role would be to implement more diverse and inclusive strategies and initiatives across all aspects of operations and business. And let me tell you, my friends, by 2022, she had certainly done that. By the time that sustainability report came out, she had implemented and publicized all of these strategies, which in turn impacted all gamers, especially the lovers of Assassin's Creed. Now, in this report, she wrote, we will create gaming experiences that push representation forward by embedding diversity and inclusion across all of our processes, increasing representation in our teams, and offering access to resources that help build teams to build more authentic, inclusive and accessible gaming experiences. Isn't that wonderful? Isn't that exactly what you want? And I'm reading this, I'm like, wow, that must be why you picked a black samurai. And I am sure that Yasuke is this woman's crowning joy. So, guys, if you want to know why Shadows has a black samurai, why it has gay love stories and non binary characters and a strong female lead that kind of comes out of nowhere when Yasuke was supposed to be the protagonist. Now you have your answer. And all of this is just so funny to me because in our interview, Keda was talking about how the entire gaming industry has just become overrun by women in the LGBTQ community. And I laughed when he said that, but holy crap. As I dove in, as I did my research for this episode, let me tell you, he was not wrong.
- [20:42]
Keda
All these writers are like, in no disrespect, a bunch of white women that don't really know anything and they're trying to virtue to other people because they don't have anything else going on in their lives. Oh, we got a bunch of gay people in here that only want to talk about being gay and nothing else. You look at the games and the people behind it, it's like, oh, all these people are about, you know, the pre. The puberty blockers. They're all about the, you know, social justice stuff. Wow, they hate Trump. And then you start noticing the pattern.
- [21:10]
Brett Cooper
I mean, guys, in Electronic Arts is 2023 report where they basically survey the entire gaming industry. They cited a 30% increase in women in leadership roles across the entire gaming industry between the years of 2020 and 2023. Like, I love you women, I am one of you, I support you, but I'm really not sure you are helping the gaming industry. Now. In addition to just women, they also took a look at the underrepresented talent category in general, which they increased by 46% which is just insane. That is a huge number. EA also launched their Diversity in gaming fund where they invested $10 million into underrepresented developers and they are actively tracking the percentage of games with non male, non straight protagonists. I mean guys, this is literally like the Oscars diversity quotas all over again. Where I don't know if you guys know this, but if you want to be nominated for an Academy Award for an Oscar, your film has to check certain boxes they are literally surveying. They need to be, mmm, sorry, too many white guys. Oh, you didn't have a female or a gay person as a lead. Oh, you can't. That is literally what they are doing now to the gaming industry. And all of this isn't just internal. It is also being driven by a huge cohort of consultants that these companies are bringing in, most notably or notoriously, whichever way you look at it, a Canadian company called Sweet Baby Inc. And guys, they do not hide what their goal is. In fact, when you Google Sweet Baby Inc. This is literally how Google AI describes them. Sweet Baby Inc. Is a narrative development and consulting firm that works with video game companies to promote diversity, equity and inclusion within game narratives and studios, but has faced criticism for allegedly pushing a woke agenda. Yet that is literally what they are doing. They are pushing DEI 247 that is the basis of their company. I wouldn't say that that is alleged, but Google AI goes on and, and here's their more detailed breakdown what they do. Sweet Baby Inc. Specializes in narrative development and consulting, offering services like cultural consultation, sensitivity, inclusivity readings, readings and risk and opportunity assessments. Their core services include working on projects ranging from script writing to narrative design and story reviews with a focus on ensuring authenticity. You didn't do that well in Assassin's Creed. And emotional resonance in stories. Well, I think the emotional resonance that people are having right now is anger and confusion. So I think you should reevaluate what you are doing. Sweet Baby Inc. And this anger and confusion is widespread because Sweet Baby's impact is everywhere. One article wrote. According to the firm's website, it is an inclusion focused narrative and consultation company building a team and a process in hopes of building a kinder, more sustainable industry at every scale. And then they say what is particularly Notable, however, is Sweet Baby Inc. S client list. It includes some of the biggest names in the industry, such as Valve, which runs the largest distribution service for video games, and Xbox One of the three main console manufacturers. Other companies that work with Sweet baby Inc. Include 2K, electronic arts, wow, Shocker, Shocking Me, Rocksteady, Santa Monica Studio, Square Inks, Ubisoft, Warner Bros. Games, and Wizards of the Coast. And as you have now seen repeated over and over, they are 100% message first, games second. They literally admit it themselves. And it is exactly the problem that Caeda and other gamers have been pointing to.
- [24:13]
Keda
You look at the people that work there and it's like these people don't care about games. They care about the messages that they can use the games for. Gamers don't care for that stuff. Like we don't care for the politics. Like I don't care for it. To be honest with you. The only reason I said something is because this is. I love games. Like I don't want it to be corrupted by people who don't care about it and only want to use it to platform themselves to be in like some kind of virtuous position to say that they're better than you.
- [24:40]
Brett Cooper
And I mean, Keita talks about this all the time. He is so chill about it at this point. He's like a classic streamer, just like hanging out. I'm riled up. This is literally like insane. And people have gotten so fed up that there is literally a Steam community that was created called Sweet Baby Inc. Detected that has over 200,000 members that literally just talk about Sweet Baby's impact on games. And they can like detect which game Sweet Baby has touched. And I am sure that they are not the only consultation company that is working in this capacity. There have been so many other recent games that have been impacted by these initiatives and ones that Kate have pointed out were, you know, The Last of Us 2, Suicide Squad, kill the Justice League. And with Last of Us 2, they basically 100% focused on LGBTQ empowerment. They were praised by outlets like Pink News. They were supported in GLAAD reports. Suicide, Flawed, Flawed. Suicide Squad was a massive flop for Warner Bros. Tainted by woke tropes and race swapping and more. So is there any hope for the gaming industry? And I feel like this is a question that we are asking a lot now. Cause we're kind of having a cultural shift. It's like a cultural reckoning. Everything is coming to a head. We're seeing, seeing who is going to sink and who's going to swim. We're looking at the gaming industry today right now in looking at the gaming landscape, I see no clear redirection. I mean they are still leaning in and Sweet Baby Inc's client list is still going strong. And even if they did start to take note of how players are responding like Caeda and try to change course, CADA pointed out that it would take a few years for us to even see this happening due to the way that games are actually created.
- [26:01]
Keda
There's obviously more games have to come out that have a lot of stuff in it, like because they take longer to make. You know, a lot of games that we got last year were in development during 2020 and 2021. That's why it was like back to back to back to back. So we still have more to have to come, but hopefully we stop getting that.
- [26:20]
Brett Cooper
But of course we always have to find the positive. You know, my mom when I was growing up, she would always say like, but the good thing is, didn't matter how terrible life got, she would always find the good thing in every situation. So today I'm telling you, the good thing is the KEDA actually did point to change that is actively happening. Like veteran writers, veteran developers who are jumping ship from these huge commercialized companies to build their own studios outside of the systems to try to get games back to what they were in their heyday. For example, speaking of Suicide Squad, the co founders of Rocksteady Sefton Hill and Jamie Walker literally left their own company before that game was released. And apparently it was because of the way that Warner Brothers was pushing them around and wanted the game to be be developed and released. And considering that the game was a $200 million loss for Warner Brothers, I would say that they made the right decision. And in a recent article from this year, their goal is cited as forming a new studio aiming for 100 industry veterans making quote, cutting edge games. Now another example of this is the creator of the Resident Evil franchise who again left his own company after Microsoft bought it in 2020. But his departure wasn't just about Microsoft. His independent company, which is called Tango Game Works, had been bought up by another company years prior, which then Microsoft acquired. Even then when it was just this parent company when Microsoft was not involved. Yet it made his work increasingly difficult. In a recent interview he said that he had only been the CEO at Tango for six months before ZeniMax bought it. And although it seemed like he was a representative of the company from the outside looking in, Mikami likened his position at Tango as one more akin to that of a rank and file employee rather than a higher up quote. I had producer attached to my name, but I wasn't even an executive or anything of the sort. And although he still managed to create several great games at Tango gameworks, this made it harder for him to work on the more unique, smaller scale passion projects that he had in mind. Since he went out on his own in 2023, he has been able to work on just that without the oversight, without the corporatism. And you know, just looking around the world right now, seems like there's a lot of that going on. You know, creators fed up with oversight, fed up with misaligned goals or values, whether it be in gaming or in Hollywood or legacy media or conservative media, and therefore branching out on their own so that they can have full control over their work and the messages that they are putting out into the world. And I mean, why would developers not want that? They are at the heart of what they do, storytellers and artists, their games are a part of them. Why would they want corporate gods telling them how to do that? And regardless of the industry, this whole departure, this transition, is 100% a good thing. Because if there is one thing that we are learning from this year that we are basically talking about on this show every single day, is that authenticity is king. Right now, authenticity is paramount. Creators and artists and builders crave it and audiences are starving for it. We are all starving for it. Literally, in every single creative industry. We want to consume content and art and films and support businesses that feel real and genuine, that are not lecturing us and don't feel like they're bought and corporate and paid for. And gamers are no different, obviously. So today I am cheering all of those developers on, anybody who is working on independent games who have left these big companies, I am cheering you on. And I hope that these new companies start winning. And for all the gamers out there, I hope that you guys get to immerse yourself in epic stories with quality gameplay and great dialogue, driven by characters that mean something more than just being an intersectionality box that developers need to check. And I promise you, we will all be better because of that.