The Easy Allies Podcast

Xbox was busy buying up Bethesda this week while its community was trying to buy up the remainder of Series X|S pre-orders. Amazon also made a big move by announcing their own streaming platform, Rayman-creator Michel Ancel leaves game development entirely, and at the drop of a shadow Kirby is fighting himself again on the Switch. 00:00:00 - Opening 00:01:24 - Corrections 00:03:58 - Silver Lining 00:05:41 - Microsoft buys ZeniMax Media 00:27:14 - Xbox Series X|S Preorders 00:50:51 - A Word From Our Sponsors 00:56:30 - Amazon's Luna Announced 01:09:11 - Michel Ancel quits Game Dev 01:16:11 - Kirby Fighters 2 Shadow Drop 01:21:02 - Also This Week... 01:29:19 - L&R - Game: Skyrim's the Limit! 01:33:10 - L&R - A Gaming Quantum Leap 01:34:28 - L&R - Microsoft's Smash Bros? 01:35:53 - L&R - Konami/PlayStation partnership? 01:39:15 - Time for Bets 01:45:10 - Closing 01:47:01 - Producer Credits For a limited time, Logitech G is offering our listeners 10% off select products at logitechg.com when they use code EASY

Microsoft just made a surprising deal, and we have to talk about what it means for the future of Xbox. News sources referenced: https://news.xbox.com/en-us/2020/09/21/welcoming-bethesda-to-the-xbox-family/ https://www.gamesindustry.biz/articles/2020-09-21-xbox-buys-bethesda-parent-zenimax Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The PlayStation 5 Showcase had so many updates this week, we spend more time covering those than the actual games. Nintendo shares another round of new Partners on Switch and finally discontinues the 3DS, Facebook premieres the Oculus Quest 2, and August is another record-breaking month for the NPDs. 00:01:11 - Corrections 00:03:28 - Silver Lining 00:05:36 - PlayStation 5 Showcase 00:37:03 - Nintendo Partner Showcase 00:45:33 - A Word From Our Sponsors 00:49:58 - August NPDs 01:03:55 - Oculus Quest 2 Announced 01:17:51 - Nintendo 3DS Discontinued 01:22:52 - Also This Week... 01:27:01 - L&R - Ian lost a bet 01:28:33 - L&R - Hoops jumped for a console? 01:33:33 - L&R - Game: Know Your Platinum 01:37:58 - L&R - Weird old cross-gen games 01:40:03 - Time for Bets 01:46:17 - Closing Logitech G is offering our listeners 10% off select products at logitechg.com for a limited time. Use code EASYA for 10% off today. See why Upstart has a 4.9 out of 5 rating on Trustpilot and hurry to upstart.com/easyallies to find

Xbox had a week of price and launch date announcements they didn’t plan for, but somehow managed to still pull off with impressive results. In the midst of this historic week in the battle for next-gen supremacy, Ubisoft tries to steer the focus away from their internal mistakes and on to a few big end-of-year releases, and Nintendo drops some musou news worth celebrating. 00:00:58 - Corrections 00:03:23 - Silver Lining 00:04:32 - Ubisoft Forward 00:21:40 - Hyrule Warriors Age of Calamity 00:33:07 - A Word From Our Sponsor 00:36:17 - Xbox Series S Announcements 00:48:37 - Xbox Series X Announcements 01:00:07 - EA Play Coming to Game Pass 01:04:47 - Also This Week... 01:09:56 - L&R - Too Good at Tony Hawk 01:16:38 - L&R - Game: Guess That Gaming Engine 01:20:24 - L&R - What games need random dice rolls? 01:24:17 - L&R - What gaming memoirs do we want? 01:29:05 - Time for Bets 01:34:31 - Closing Get $100 of free delivery credit for your first SEVEN days when you download the Postmates app and use code EASYAL

Nintendo wants you to buy more Mario games on the Switch (in the next 6 months, specifically), Sony hopes you’ll pick up more PS4 games on PC, and Nvidia has new graphics cards to put on your shopping list. To celebrate the prospect of these new purchases we revisit Press Release Me and the language we use to make a quick buck. 00:01:01 - Corrections 00:03:43 - Silver Lining 00:05:01 - Mario's 35th Annivesary Direct 00:41:22 - A Word From Our Sponsor 00:47:20 - Nvidia's new graphics cards 01:06:30 - Sony wants more PS4 games on PC 01:13:47 - Press Release Me 01:21:39 - Also This Week... 01:27:49 - L&R - Ever had accessibility issues in a game? 01:36:17 - L&R - Game: Avenger or Not-us League? 01:41:12 - L&R - Obscure memories, literally 01:43:02 - Time for Bets  01:49:00 - Closing Go to http://logitechg.com and use code EASYA for 10% off today! Go to http://amazon.com/allies to get 20% off your Amazon Smart Lighting Bundle! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

gamescom Opening Night Live kicks off a big week of gaming updates while also sun-setting the Summer Game Fest. We run through most of the 40+ games of the show while still reeling from finally seeing the 2 big Batman announcements, coping with Rocksteady’s ongoing allegations, and understanding Nintendo’s sneaky Directs. 00:00:48 - Corrections 00:02:11 - Silver Lining 00:03:28 - gamescom Opening Night Live 00:54:48 - A Word From Our Sponsor 00:59:55 - Suicide Squad and Gotham Knights 01:14:21 - Rocksteady Studios harassment accusations 01:24:37 - Nintendo Direct August Partner Showcase 01:37:06 - Also This Week... 01:45:27 - L&R - Opinions on damage numbers 01:51:26 - L&R - What IPs would you want to buy? 01:53:49 - L&R - What do you watch in the background? 01:56:06 - Time for Bets 02:03:18 - Closing 02:04:50 - Producer Credits Go to http://logitechg.com and use code EASYA for 10% off today! Go to http://att.com/galaxynote20ultra5g to learn how you can get the Samsung Galaxy Note 20 5G for free and go to ma

Some of our favorite franchises are in danger as Bloodlines 2 lets go of its Lead Writer and Forza Horizon 3 gets de-listed. After learning we’ll someday have to turn our Oculus accounts in for Facebook profiles, we have to cheer ourselves up with some jolly Nintendo Indies and an extra helping of Love & Respect. 00:00:41 - Corrections 00:03:51 - Silver Lining 00:06:42 - Bloodlines 2 Lead Writer Fired 00:19:00 - Facebook required for Oculus 00:29:49 - A Word From Our Sponsor 00:32:03 - Forza Horizon 3 to be de-listed 00:42:57 - Nintendo Indie World 00:56:00 - Also This Week... 01:04:09 - L&R - Flight Simulator mapping in other games? 01:11:45 - L&R - Pitch It or Ditch It? Hardware Edition! 01:16:26 - L&R - Your last 2 games fused into one 01:19:34 - L&R - Furthest you've gone to play a game? 01:25:26 - Time for Bets 01:30:57 - Closing 01:34:14 - Battletoads Bet Get 15% off your order at http://buyraycon.com/allies Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

This week we weigh the financial impact of some big plays in the industry. Epic Games goes to war with Apple, Halo Infinite sets a new course for 2021, EA Executives ask for way too much money in raises, and Control shows us how not to announce a next-gen version of a current-gen game. 00:00:43 - Corrections 00:03:25 - Gaming Gladiators 00:08:46 - Epic Games vs Apple 00:30:23 - Halo Infinite Delayed to 2021 00:46:20 - A Word From Our Sponsor 00:48:56 - Control Ultimate Edition 01:02:51 - EA Execs voted out of getting raises 01:11:08 - The Story of The Weddle Grab 01:16:07 - Also This Week... 01:24:23 - L&R - What's up with Monster Hunter? 01:27:53 - L&R - What demos made the wait harder? 01:30:03 - L&R - Game: Eventually Great? Or Just Real Late? 01:33:06 - Time for Bets 01:39:04 - Closing Go to http://luminskin.com/allies to get a one-month free trial of everything you need to start your skincare journey at home! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Sony had a wild week, pulling our attention between Spider-man, PS4 controllers, and a fully-stacked August State of Play. Also GDC goes online, xCloud goes offline on iOS, and Nintendo reports more record hardware and software sales. 00:00:42 - Corrections 00:03:22 - Gaming Gladiators 00:05:08 - August State of Play 00:24:03 - Spider-man's Avengers Exclusivity 00:38:55 - PS4 controllers won't play PS5 games 00:48:30 - xCloud won't work with iOS 00:57:02 - Game Developer Conference 2020 01:03:45 - Also This Week... 01:12:36 - L&R - How do you practice music? 01:15:24 - L&R - Game: Timesplitters 2 01:20:14 - Time for Bets 01:25:25 - Closing Get $100 of free delivery credit for your first SEVEN days when you download the Postmates app and use code EASYALLIES. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

This week was full of success stories to celebrate: Eiyuden Chronicle’s breakthrough Kickstarter, Ghost of Tsushima’s record-breaking sales, the mesmerizing chaos of Fall Guys, and the entirely unpredictable return of G4. 00:01:11 - Corrections 00:03:52 - Gaming Gladiators 00:06:14 - Eiyuden Chronicle Kickstarter 00:21:38 - Ghost of Tsushima Sales 00:33:21 - G4 is back in 2021 00:57:56 - Grounded 01:09:06 - Fall Guys 01:15:34 - Also This Week... 01:26:28 - L&R - Difficulty vs Load Times 01:30:20 - L&R - Game: Which Game Currency? 01:34:07 - Time for Bets 01:39:39 - Closing 01:41:32 - Producer Credits Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Halo Infinite gameplay has finally been revealed, leaving goofy memes and jumbled expectations in its wake. We parse through the last of the summer’s E3 events including the rest of the Xbox Games Showcase, the first Nintendo Partner Direct Mini, and a second Day of the Devs. 00:00:51 - Corrections 00:02:14 - Gaming Gladiators 00:04:40 - Xbox Games Showcase 00:45:27 - A Word From Our Sponsors 00:49:07 - Day of the Devs July 01:03:33 - Nintendo Partner Direct Mini 01:22:50 - Also This Week... 01:19:14 - L&R - Let's talk scotch 01:21:15 - L&R - Tsushima NPC walking pace 01:22:37 - L&R - Ben's purchased games update 01:24:24 - L&R - Game: DOOM Trophy or Rock Song? 01:27:32 - Time for Bets 01:31:52 - Closing Get 15% off your order at http://buyraycon.com/allies Get 20% off your first monthly box when you sign up at http://boxofawesome.com and enter the code ALLIES at checkout! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Ubisoft had a busy week, letting go of a few executives and leaking some announcements. Devolver, Valve, and Stadia all showed us what projects they have on the horizon, and there are plenty of updates from Xbox for xCloud, the Xbox One console production timeline, and a “couple of years” of cross-console promises. 00:00:42 - Corrections 00:04:31 - Gaming Gladiators 00:07:26 - Ubisoft Executives Resign 00:14:18 - Ubisoft Forward Games 00:25:32 - Devolver Direct 2020 00:35:43 - Xbox Series X Updates 00:50:43 - What's Next for Valve 01:00:12 - Stadia Connect Games 01:11:47 - Also This Week... 01:21:21 - L&R - Candy eating habits? 01:25:12 - L&R - Game: July 2020 Predictions 01:30:06 - L&R - Old Conference Reactions 01:31:50 - Time for Bets 01:37:22 - Closing Go to http://luminskin.com/allies to get a one-month free trial of everything you need to start your skincare journey at home! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Sony is investing millions in Epic Games, and Microsoft is hoping the hype surrounding their next Xbox Game Showcase pays off. Also, is it our fate to be purchasing $70, digital-only, games in the near future according to recent decisions made by 2K and Capcom, or are these just signs of further change coming to the industry? 00:00:40 - Corrections 00:02:17 - Gaming Gladiators 00:05:03 - Sony invests $250m in Epic 00:12:47 - Xbox Games Showcase dated 00:28:06 - The prospect of $70 games 00:40:39 - Capcom's Game Sales are 80% digital 00:52:59 - Also This Week... 01:07:54 - L&R - How important are new assets? 01:12:52 - L&R - Game: Real or Fake Wonders 01:15:22 - L&R - What games will make you cry? 01:16:45 - L&R - A 100% dynamic future? 01:22:14 - Time for Bets 01:28:10 - Closing Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The news that Xbox is going to let us try out 60 or more upcoming games from the comfort of our own homes, and Sony is re-investing in independent games with a new initiative for the PlayStation, helps brighten our spirits after Evo 2020 is canceled following yet another allegation of sexual misconduct in the games industry. 00:00:50 - Corrections 00:02:34 - Gaming Gladiators 00:05:30 - Xbox Summer Game Fest Announced 00:26:30 - PlayStation Indies initiative 00:50:02 - New Video Game to TV Adaptations 01:11:35 - EVO 2020 Canceled 01:29:31 - Also This Week... 01:37:03 - L&R - Message to Publishers/Developers? 01:39:17 - L&R - Game: Timesplitters 01:44:17 - L&R - What game would make a good musical? 01:46:40 - Time for Bets 01:51:45 - Closing Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

It’s a season of big change. Xbox ditches Mixer for Facebook Gaming, a wave of abuse accusations rattle the industry, and more events introduce more games coming in 2020. 00:00:50 - Corrections 00:02:14 - Gaming Gladiators 00:03:56 - Mixer dissolves into Facebook Gaming 00:24:39 - Abuse allegations across the industry 00:35:58 - A Word From Our Sponsor 00:40:04 - Q3 2020 Preview - July 00:55:28 - Q3 2020 Preview - August 01:08:58 - Q3 2020 Preview - September 01:16:12 - Summer Game Fest 6/22 01:22:44 - New Game Plus Expo 01:29:20 - Also This Week... 01:32:34 - L&R - Still wearing pants? 01:34:32 - L&R - How much game is too much? 01:40:32 - Time for Bets 01:46:59 - Closing 01:50:58 - Sponsor Credits Get 20% off your first monthly box when you sign up at http://boxofawesome.com and enter the code ALLIES at checkout! Get 15% off your order at http://buyraycon.com/allies Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The last 7 days it finally felt a little like E3. Guerrilla Collective, PC Gaming Show, Future Games Show, and EA Play Live show us more games than we can count. We look at each event and try to figure out what worked and what didn’t, before asking how many billions we’d spend on WB Games. 00:00:56 - Corrections 00:02:54 - Gaming Gladiators 00:04:08 - EA Play Live 00:18:40 - Guerrilla Collective 00:32:16 - PC Gaming Show 00:49:53 - A Word From Our Sponsor 00:54:01 - Future Games Show 01:01:59 - AT&T Plans to Sell Warner Bros Interactive 01:14:00 - Also This Week... 01:24:48 - L&R - Other Sony IP to get smaller games? 01:28:13 - L&R - Do Wishlists help Developers? 01:33:35 - Time for Bets 01:38:36 - Closing Get 20% Off and Free Shipping with the code ALLIES20 at Manscaped.com. That’s 20% off with free shipping at manscaped.com, and use code ALLIES20. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Discussing the 26 games recently showcased in the PlayStation Future of Gaming nearly takes up this week’s entire, extended Episode of Gaming, but we also manage to squeeze in a rundown of IGN’s Summer of Gaming lineup so far. 00:00:45 - Corrections 00:02:33 - Gaming Gladiators 00:05:42 - PS5 Future of Gaming - Console 00:14:06 - PS5 Future of Gaming - 2020 Games 00:40:46 - PS5 Future of Gaming - 2021 Games 01:09:49 - PS5 Future of Gaming - TBD Games 01:43:49 - A Word From Our Sponsor 01:47:32 - IGN's Summer of Gaming Highlights 01:52:51 - Also This Week... 01:56:57 - L&R - Sacrifice Something for your Dreams 02:00:00 - L&R - Game: Matching E3 Ally Quotes 02:06:24 - Time for Bets 02:11:11 - Closing Go to http://luminskin.com/allies to get a one-month free trial of everything you need to start your skincare journey at home! Get $100 of free delivery credit for your first SEVEN days when you download the Postmates app and use code EASYALLIES. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoice

There are ways our industry has been recently affected by protests against racial inequality and we need to discuss it and what it means for our future. But after that we also need to talk about why the Game Gear Mini is so mini, where Skelattack came from and why Konami’s publishing it, and what DONTNOD could do with a brand new studio. 00:00:43 - Corrections 00:03:19 - Gaming Gladiators 00:05:25 - PS5 Reveal and other Events Delayed 00:37:33 - Game Gear Micro Announced 00:53:35 - Skelattack Launch 01:01:12 - DONTNOD's New Montreal Studio 01:08:39 - Also This Week... 01:18:06 - L&R - Game: Higher Platinum Percentage? 01:23:19 - L&R - Preset Purchasing Conditions 01:26:16 - L&R - Game: Not So Subtle Subtitles 01:32:01 - Time for Bets 00:38:19 - Closing Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

We discuss how April turned out to be one of the wildest NPDs of all time, what surprised addition is being added to Samurai Shodown, and whether or not we’re hyped about Silent Hill coming to Dead by Daylight - all while basking in the wholesome glow of a recent indie-direct. 00:01:08 - Corrections 00:05:31 - Gaming Gladiators 00:09:16 - April NPDs - Highlights 00:17:08 - April NPDs - Top 20 Games 00:37:12 - Samurai Shodown Collection 00:51:41 - Wholesome Games Direct 01:15:36 - Silent Hill in Dead by Daylight 01:30:20 - Also This Week... 01:37:23 - L&R - Are we nervous about the Switch 2? 01:44:03 - L&R - Game: Pitch it or Ditch it? 01:47:04 - L&R - The Importance of a 7 01:48:47 - Time for Bets 01:56:08 - Closing 01:59:21 - Producer Credits Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

We recently got more details about the Mafia III trilogy and Valorant's impending launch date. Both of these are ignoring marketing conventions, but will they both find success? We also ponder what could become of a Code Veronica Remake and a System Shock 3 made by Tencent. 00:00:00 - Opening 00:00:52 - Corrections 00:02:11 - Gaming Gladiators 00:06:49 - Mafia Trilogy Details 00:17:34 - Remake, Remaster, or Re-Introduction? 00:21:00 - EVO Online Schedule Updates 00:27:10 - Code Veronica Remake Rumors 00:38:47 - Tencent Handling System Shock 3 00:45:24 - Valorant Release Date Revealed 00:56:56 - Also This Week... 01:06:22 - L&R - Do we miss player's guides? 01:11:35 - L&R - Game - PSN Game or Romance Novel 01:15:27 - L&R - Do we ever feel like geniuses? 01:20:34 - L&R - Game 'n Dasher Friend 01:22:55 - Time for Bets 01:29:30 - Closing Get 20% off and free shipping with the code ALLIES20 at http:// manscaped.com. If you need support, you can reach out to NAMI, the nation’s largest grassroots mental health