Podcast Summary: The WAN Show – "You Should Own Your Games" (July 4, 2025)

Release Date: July 5, 2025
Hosts: Linus Sebastian and Luke Lafreniere
Description: Every week Linus and Luke discuss the most current happenings in the technology universe.

Introduction to "Stop Killing Games"

[00:00 - 05:00]

The episode kicks off with Linus Sebastian introducing the central topic: "Stop Killing Games", an initiative aimed at preventing the premature shutdown of online game servers by developers.

• Linus Sebastian highlights the movement's purpose: "Stop Killing Games is the initiative to save games from dying at the hands of their makers."

• Luke Lafreniere underscores the controversy surrounding the topic: "Controversial."

The "Stop Killing Games" Movement

[05:00 - 08:34]

Linus delves deeper into the Stop Killing Games petition, which has amassed over 1 million signatures, surpassing the EU Commission's requirements.

• Linus Sebastien explains the challenges developers face, such as "third-party licensing of music or other media," and emphasizes the need for games to be architected for longevity.

• Luke Lafreniere expresses skepticism about the origins of the signatures: "There’s a big push for, for questioning. Not only may they not be from the EU..."

EA Announces Server Shutdown for "Anthem"

[05:14 - 06:35]

The hosts discuss Electronic Arts' decision to shut down servers for "Anthem" on August 15, 2025, a move that aligns with the Stop Killing Games initiative.

• Linus Sebastian remarks: "EA has announced that Anthem's servers will be shutting down on 1-12-2026..."

Microsoft's Extended Security Updates for Windows 10

[22:18 - 25:15]

Linus and Luke explore Microsoft's new Extended Security Updates (ESU) for Windows 10, particularly the free option introduced to extend security support beyond October 2025.

• Linus Sebastian critiques Apple’s marketing practices, drawing parallels to Microsoft’s integration of services like OneDrive: "...Apple criticizes their competitors for being ad platforms... Apple would criticise anyone else for doing on any other timeline."

• Luke Lafreniere questions the efficacy and intentions behind the free ESU option: "Why does it say free? It's definitely not free, isn't it?"

Cloudflare's AI Crawler Regulations

[113:00 - 119:05]

The conversation shifts to Cloudflare's new regulations aimed at AI crawlers, introducing a pay-per-crawl model to manage internet bandwidth costs.

• Linus Sebastian notes the impact: "More than 50% of Internet traffic is AI bot driven in 2025, with projections anticipating a rise to 90% by the end of the decade."

• Luke Lafreniere expresses concerns over potential searchability impacts: "It's very likely that can impact page rank."

Lime Day: Merch Contest and Promotions

[33:30 - 87:00]

A significant portion of the episode is dedicated to Lime Day, a promotional event where listeners participate in a game to win discounts and merchandise.

• The hosts engage in a guessing game, identifying products based on zoomed-in images. Notable moments include:

  • Linus Sebastian invites listeners: "You have one guess to figure out what each item is... And if you don't get at least three out of five, you have to take a bite out of this lime." [51:30]

  • Luke Lafreniere successfully guesses a precision multi-bit screwdriver: "Yes, I did." [56:53]

• Sponsors Featured:

  • DeleteMe: Protecting personal information online. "Have no fear. Deleteme is here..." [35:10]

  • Zero Bounce: Email validation services. "They can take your existing list of email addresses and validate them." [100:35]

  • AMD: Highlighting the latest tech upgrades and a GPU giveaway. "AMD are the ones making it possible... They're giving away Radeon RX9070 XT GPUs." [101:38]

Aviation and Technology Integration

[100:25 - 132:03]

The hosts discuss the intriguing trend of aircraft sales on Facebook Marketplace and the integration of Starlink in aviation.

• Linus Sebastian observes: "I trained my Facebook Marketplace to just show me the wildest stuff... there's so many aircraft on Facebook Marketplace." [95:33]

• Luke Lafreniere expresses fascination with the affordability and accessibility of kit airplanes like the Vans RV7: "You can get a functioning airplane for US$65,000, like literally less than a cyber truck." [161:57]

Current Legislation Impacting Technology

[123:00 - 147:01]

The duo covers recent legislative changes, notably the Texas law requiring ID to access certain websites, and its implications on privacy and First Amendment rights.

• Linus Sebastian summarizes the issue: "The Supreme Court upheld a Texas law aimed at blocking minors from accessing online adult content... This is a bad look." [142:24]

• Luke Lafreniere discusses the practicality and potential loopholes: "There isn't a solution that already exists... People are going to attempt to game this." [147:18]

Community and Archiving the Internet

[126:03 - 132:03]

The conversation highlights community efforts to archive the internet using projects like Archive Team Warrior.

• Luke Lafreniere praises the initiative: "It's really intelligently built... you get to pick." [130:44]

• Linus Sebastian reflects on the sustainability and challenges: "It might just be too little too late... most of the clean training data is already out there." [126:52]

Personal Reflections and Wrap-Up

[170:32 - 196:17]

In the final segments, Linus and Luke discuss the future of their company as it scales, the aging of their viewer demographics, and personal anecdotes about tough goodbyes and career reflections.

• Linus Sebastian contemplates the "curve" of popularity over time: "I think the audience is aging up with me a fair bit, it's not as bad as I assumed." [171:12]

• Luke Lafreniere shares experiences from sports and team dynamics, drawing parallels to professional growth and community interaction: "How do you handle team goodbyes?" [175:28]

• The episode concludes with a brief mention of upcoming content and a light-hearted interaction about hockey and personal plans.

Notable Quotes

• Linus Sebastian on "Stop Killing Games":
  "Stop Killing Games is the initiative to save games from dying at the hands of their makers." [00:00]

• Luke Lafreniere on AI bots and internet traffic:
  "It's very likely that can impact page rank." [118:54]

• Linus Sebastian criticizing Apple's practices:
  "Apple would criticize anyone else for doing on any other timeline." [22:27]

• Luke Lafreniere on viewer demographics:
  "There’s a lot of socioeconomic factors that are contributing to this." [172:26]

Conclusion

In this episode of The WAN Show, Linus and Luke tackle pressing issues in the gaming industry, including the imperative to preserve online games, legislative challenges affecting digital privacy, and the evolving landscape of internet technology with AI integration. They engage their audience through interactive segments like Lime Day and provide insightful critiques on corporate practices and technological advancements. The hosts also share personal reflections on company growth and community dynamics, offering a comprehensive look into the intersection of technology, legislation, and personal experiences.

Note: This summary focuses solely on the substantive content discussed during the episode, omitting advertisements, intros, outros, and non-content sections as per the request.