It's clear: PlayStation's problems with Microsoft's in-motion purchase of Activision-Blizzard run deep. The financial implications are enormous, of course, but in going public with his dismay in potentially losing Call of Duty on PlayStation platforms beginning in 2028, CEO Jim Ryan illustrates Sony's concern is material enough that it's willing to take a PR beating to make its point. Our theory? They're simply trying to buy time as they continue to sort out their strategy and make sense of a growing consensus that doesn't necessarily cater to what they do best. Nonetheless, we discuss the wide-ranging, ongoing situation between Microsoft, Sony, Activision-Blizzard, and various global economic regulators that will make or break the deal. Other news this week includes the announcement of PSVR2 game Firewall: Ultra, Tencent's growing acquisition of Ubisoft, the mostly-missed confirmation that Returnal is indeed coming to PC, the reveal of Cyberpunk 2077's DLC, and more. Then: Listener inquiries! Can Sony gleam anything from Microsoft's mismanagement of Halo and 343? With Spider-Man 2 rumors percolating, what are we most looking forward to in the sequel? Have we reached a point of irreversible open-world fatigue? Did someone really try to make the case that 'Chicago-style' pizza is the 'real' pizza?
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Timestamps: 0:00:00 - Intro 0:10:14 - Piss pressure 0:13:20 - Did this person dream a Downton Abbey video game into existence? 0:14:25 - Does Chicago have superior pizza? 0:20:36 - Is Mac and Cheese a main dish or a side? 0:30:35 - Is TikTok more than booty shorts and sick griddys? 0:40:39 - New God of War footage is out 0:42:10 - Masayasu Ito is retiring 0:43:26 - New PS5 firmware is out 0:53:28 - PlaySation: Camo Edition 0:59:18 - The Firefly Edition condition is unacceptable 1:05:30 - Is Naughty Dog’s new game teased in TLoUP1? 1:10:45 - Callisto Protocol has ignited new drama around crunch 1:30:20 - Xbox Studios head wants AI-driven QA 1:40:31 - Atomic Heart has obtained a publisher 1:41:24 - A new PS5 model is out 1:42:30 - What have we been playing? 2:05:28 - Colin has to pee 2:08:48 - Sony and Microsoft continue to publicly duke it out 2:42:48 - Tencent makes a play for Ubisoft’s holding company 2:51:49 - A new Firewall game is in development for PSVR2 3:00:14 - Returnal is coming to PC, according to Digital Foundry 3:06:18 - CD Projekt has confirmed new DLC 3:15:42 - More rumors percolate interest in Bloober Team’s potential Silent Hill 2 remake 3:23:40 - Konami may be working on a new Suikoden game 3:33:10 - NIS is bringing GrimGrimoire to the west 3:39:27 - What is the way out of the gaming hellscape? 3:49:54 - Can PlayStation learn lessons from 343’s mistakes? 3:58:00 - What do we want to see in Spider-Man 2? 4:06:03 - How do we see open world games evolving? 4:15:19 - Is it okay that PlayStation doesn’t require demos until three months after release? 4:20:11- What is our favorite iconic level in a game?
