Sacred Symbols: A PlayStation Podcast

We've long-wondered what Sony's plans were with its dormant SOCOM franchise (or if it even had plans at all). After all, we can't just ignore the success the likes of Ubisoft have found with titles like Rainbow Six: Siege, and even in a post-Zipper Interactive world, it always felt like PlayStation's tactical shooter never really got a fair shake at success after its PS2 heyday. So color us both pleased and surprised when information from the resumé of a deceased actor pointed towards a SOCOM game that no one had ever even heard of: SOCOM 111. While it's fairly clear this project never got off the ground (or did it?), its existence gives us a fleeting glimpse into Sony's potential plans, and frankly, we can help but wonder if Zipper's defunct series may yet see the light of day in the future. Other news this week includes a release date for Star Wars: Outlaws, Vampire Survivors finally migrating to PlayStation platforms, Stellar Blade going gold, potential hiring for a new God of War game at Santa Monica studio, copious Destiny 3 and Dead Space 2 Remake rumors, and more. Then: Listener inquiries! Will PlayStation's colorful old logo ever make a return? Do we ever rename the characters in our digital adventures? What's our worst 'losing progress in a game' experience? Should one listener extract his stolen garbage bin from his neighbor, no matter the cost? Please keep in mind that our timestamps are approximate, and will often be slightly off due to dynamic ad placement. 0:00:00 - Intro 0:42:47 - Do you know what we look like? 0:46:42 - Colin's internet problems 0:55:01 - The return of Hector 0:57:14 - Micah Stan 1:00:19 - "clowns, the good kind" 1:07:05 - Plane worries 1:12:45 - Garbage can situation 1:21:36 - Portal hack correction 1:23:55- Stellar Blade has gone gold. 1:29:25 - Santa Monica Studio gearing up for a new God of War 1:37:47 - Dead Space 2 Remake drama 1:54:14 - Sea of Thieves PS5 closed beta 1:59:48 - Is Destiny 3 in development? 2:15:30 - Yuji Naka returns 2:19:41 - Fallout 4 next gen update 2:29:37 - What we've been playing 3:16:44 - New SOCOM rumors 3:32:42 - Star Wars Outlaws has a release date. 3:45:56 - Vampire Survivors is coming to PS5 3:53:25 - New PS Plus games 4:00:37 - Cozy games 4:09:08 - Will the original PlayStation logo come back? 4:15:23 - How do we name characters in games? 4:20:59 - Why do games keep getting greenlit? 4:28:00 - Game crash woes 4:33:38 - Ubisoft hate Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

It was just a couple of weeks ago that we were discussing the newest PlayStation 5 Pro rumors, and now we have fresh scuttlebutt to parse through, particularly concerning our precious framerates and the potential of the still-unannounced console. But we can't help but also wonder what PS5's market potential will be. Will it spread the field or, as it's recently been suggested, merely sell to existing PS5 players? Heck, is there any saving console gaming at all in the long-term? Let's take some time to chat about all of that, plus other news: Helldivers 2's new patch, day-one games coming to PS+ Extra, Silent Hill 2 Remake's ESRB rating, revised PlayStation 2 sales numbers, and so much more. Then: Listener inquiries! How much to we absorb a given game's internal lore, codices, documentation, and so on? Are we ever going to figure out what a 'Soulsborne' actually is? Could a new Shark Tank-like show aimed at indie games help exciting products find their audience? Is Dustin hiding anything else from Colin and Chris that he'd like to talk about? Start building credit at https://www.chime.com/sacred Please keep in mind that our timestamps are approximate, and will often be slightly off due to dynamic ad placement. 0:00:00 - Intro 0:27:41 - Is game drama exclusive on Twitter? 0:44:39 - Universal LSM fans 0:59:49 - Retro PlayStation Magazine 1:04:05 - Chris's Red Pants 1:12:37 - Tips for moving in together 1:18:10 - IGN's Zelda April Fools 1:21:19 - PlayStation Store Spring Sale 1:27:56 - New PS5 Pro news 1:41:51 - Helldivers 2 update 1:44:42 - PS+ Game Catalogue Day One games 1:50:55 - New PS2 sales data 1:57:16 - Portal hack reported to Sony 2:01:38 - Silent Hill 2 rated 2:19:10 - KOTOR Remake is alive 2:29:03 - Dragon's Dogman 2 Sales 2:29:59 - Unicorn Overlord 500k Copies sold 2:31:47 - Hollow Knight: Silksong incoming? 2:37:33 - PS5 Minecraft port 2:40:12 - What are we playing? 3:33:30 - Do we read collectibles and lore? 3:44:51 - "this will make me sound like a hater" 3:54:20 - Updated thoughts on the Portal 4:08:48 - What does SoulsBorne really mean? 4:20:54 - Pixel Pitch 4:31:20 - Post-game emptiness Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Somehow, some way, we've made it to our 300th episode, and we did so without missing a single, solitary week between the first show in 2018 and today. We celebrated our milestone this past weekend with 500 listeners at a sold-out live show in New York City, and we're eager to reflect on what the experience meant to us. But the news marches on, too, albeit somewhat softly, and we'd be loath to ignore it. So let's delve in. The once-leaked Stellar Blade demo is set to be properly released on PSN by the time we publish, Embracer took a $800 million loss in selling Gearbox to Take Two, legendary game dev Shinji Mikami has founded a new team, Sony's Bend Studio seems to be going down the live service route, and more. Listener inquiries help us wrap things up, touching on topics like the golden era of RPGs, Dragon's Dogma 2's microtransaction drama, Nintendo's status as the ultimate gateway drug, and a listener too sick to come to Sacred 300 in NYC. Start the Good Habit at https://www.tryfum.com/SACRED to save 10% off the Journey Pack today. Please keep in mind that our timestamps are approximate, and will often be slightly off due to dynamic ad placement. 0:00:00 - Intro 0:31:13 - Live show video? 0:36:01 - Sacred friends on the train 0:38:39 - Too sick for Sacred 300 0:41:05 - RIP 0:46:23 - YouTube Premium 0:52:39 - Stellar Blade demo incoming 0:55:51 - Embracer sells Gearbox to Take-Two 1:02:46 - Community Game Help 1:04:11 - Final Fantasy IX teased? 1:08:50 - It Takes Two sales 1:15:32 - Shinji Mikami is back 1:21:20 - What Are We Playing 1:42:44 - Sony Bend’s Live Service Project 1:56:33 - Final Fantasy XVI's DLC 2:02:10 - PS Plus Games 2:08:11 - The rise of RPGs 2:22:50 - Dragon's Dogma 2 discourse 2:38:29 - The power of $40-50 games 2:47:48 - The future of GameStop 3:00:21 - What's wrong with comic book games? 3:14:56 - Nintendo, the gateway console Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Various leaks (and our own sources) have long-indicated the arrival of a so-called PlayStation 5 Pro console this calendar year, and now new reports have given us a great idea of what this yet-unannounced machine can do. Similar to 2016's PlayStation 4 Pro, PS5's Pro model largely keeps its CPU functionality in place, instead focusing on GPU-centric graphical boosts that promise to please the discerning eye. Combined with mysterious proprietary upscaling technologies and AI-related features, it sounds like PlayStation 5 Pro will be a beastly machine when it comes to aesthetics. But what about the all-important framerate? The news may be less stellar. And the price? Well, that remains to be seen. We discuss. Other news this week includes continuing and seemingly never-ending drama at Sony's great unforced acquisition error Bungie, stalled sales numbers for Sony's struggling PSVR2 hardware, exceptional performance for Helldivers 2 on the US market, the beginning of the end (or maybe more like the end of the end) of Kotaku, and more. Then: Listener inquiries! Between multiple cancellations on one end and Helldivers 2 on the other, what is our current assessment of PlayStation's embryonic games-as-a-service initiative? Does Resident Evil 5's setting and antagonists make the game truly un-remakable? Has 2024's schedule of strong releases unabashedly picked up right where 2023 left off? Has our show successfully infiltrated Fort Leavenworth, Kansas, corrupting its personnel? Please keep in mind that our timestamps are approximate, and will often be slightly off due to dynamic ad placement. 0:00:00 - Intro 0:18:17 - Sacred Symbols Military Base 0:20:27 - Use Sacred to make people think you're busy 0:27:44 - Boars Heads superiority 0:36:25 - Chris Chan catch-up 0:42:06 - concerning notification? 0:51:22 - Connie Booth goes to EA 0:59:09 - New Helldivers developments 1:03:09 - Palworld looking to release on PlayStation 1:09:07 - Marvel 1943: Rise of Hydra 1:18:18 - Halo co-creator's thoughts on EA 1:24:50 - Callisto Protocol spin-off 1:29:01 - Tales series character artist has pass away 1:30:22 - What We've Been Playing 1:41:50 - PS5 Pro leaks 2:14:17 - PSVR2 stops production 2:43:33 - Trouble at Bungie 3:06:32 - Monthly sales data 3:07:56 - Kotaku EIC resigns 3:15:17 - Community Managers 3:23:37 - What's the best handheld console? 3:36:28 - Should Resident Evil 5 be re-written? 3:47:28 - 2024 best year ever for games? 3:53:25 - Gut check on Sony live service games 4:01:21 - What games need to go? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

From this show's perspective, there simply aren't that many rational targets of acquisition in PlayStation's sphere, especially with a tightening economy all around us. But there are two teams in particular -- Helldivers' Arrowhead and Stellar Blade's Shift Up -- that seemed like obvious potential marks based on Sony's historical activity. But with Shift Up about to go public in South Korea and Arrowhead's CEO publicly stating they aren't being courted, are we overestimating these teams' want to join the family? Or maybe it's on Sony? Or perhaps it's something else... So let's discuss. Plus: Ex-second party partner Deviation closes its doors, Embracer continues its sell-off, a trailer leaks for Insomniac's cancelled Spider-Man multiplayer game, Final Fantasy XVI's PC port draws near, and more. Then: What do we think of Sea of Thieves' success in pre-order on PSN? What does a "community manager" do? Are Trophies worth protecting? Did Colin's undying love of Long Island unite two star-crossed listeners? Please keep in mind that our timestamps are approximate, and will often be slightly off due to dynamic ad placement. 0:00:00 - Intro 0:30:55 - Shoutout Ray 0:35:30 - Pride of Long Island brings Sacred fans together 0:39:57 - Sacred's Point of No Return 0:42:14 - Vice President Aaron Rodgers 0:47:58 - RIP In Peace 0:49:53 - Goth Girls 0:53:12 - Colin's Beyond 200 Promise 0:55:48 - Are new studios a good idea? 1:01:42 - Why is every game a lightning rod? 1:13:37 - New PS5 firmware 1:18:16 - Spider-Man: The Great Web 1:24:51 - PSN most-downloaded games 1:29:53 - Embracer jettisons Saber, 4A Games and Zen 1:31:18 - Helldivers 2 introduces flying bugs 1:35:26 - FF16 is coming to PC 1:38:12 - Mega Man tease? 1:40:58 - RE4 Remake surpasses 7 million sold 1:41:39 - System Shock Remake comes to PS4 and PS5 1:43:13 - MultiVersus returns 1:45:17 - What Are We Playing? 2:04:26 - Deviation closes 2:13:27 - Shift Up's evaluation 2:23:38 - Grandia 1 and 2 are coming to PlayStation 4 2:29:27 - PS Plus new games 2:37:48 - More games made for less money? 2:44:55 - Sea of Thieves is the most pre-ordered game on PS5 2:57:20 - Instruments over games 3:04:43 - Are community managers needed? 3:10:17 - Why does games media turn a blind eye to racism? 3:35:34 - AITA for protecting trophies? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The last week in gaming has been a bit of a downer, no doubt. But we don't dodge the news; we lean into it. And frankly, it's not all bad. Quite the contrary: Ghost of Tsushima is coming to PC, Spider-Man 2 has finally received a major update, and the STALKER Trilogy is migrating to console for the first time ever. But then there's drama surrounding a random DEI-slanted consultancy called Sweet Baby Inc., the closure of the storied media brand Rooster Teeth after more than a decade of running in the red, and word that the publisher behind 2023's biggest commercial hit wants to abandon the model it followed for greener pastures. Listener inquiries help us round-out a strange seven days, focusing on topics like crossover fighters, Marty O'Donnell entering the political realm, Helldivers 2's newest patch, and one listener who was 'caught' playing an anime game, and had a lot of explaining to do at the dinner table. Please keep in mind that our timestamps are approximate, and will often be slightly off due to dynamic ad placement. 0:00:00 - Intro 0:31:15 - Gaming’s Three-Fifths Compromise 0:33:07 - Arby’s x LSM 0:35:31 - Copium around laxative-gate 0:43:06 - Games to take to space 0:51:05 - Doordash disgust 0:57:35 - META 0:59:14 - Helldivers 2 patch 1:02:30 - Horizon Forbidden West PC specs 1:04:49 - Balatro age rating issues 1:11:41 - Persona 3 Reload DLC 1:16:04 - Rooster Teeth closed 1:40:27 - What Are We Playing? 1:57:05 - Ghost of Tsushima is coming to PC 2:08:14 - India Hero Project 2:11:52 - STALKER re-releases 2:17:26 - Spider-Man 2 update 2:20:04 - A counter-argument on 1st Party 2:33:34 - What developers should collaborate? 2:42:54 - Warner Bros. Live service comments 2:49:53 - Sweet Baby Inc controversy 3:11:34 - Marty O’Donnel is running for Congress 3:16:18 - When your kid exposes you as a weeb  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

There's no doubt that the console games space at large is predicated on some shaky economics, and recent layoffs are just the beginning of what will likely be a substantial purging of talent from the ranks of teams around the world. Late last year, we caught wind (via the Insomniac leaks) that Sony was planning layoffs, and would close one of its teams, too. This turned out to be true: 8% of PlayStation's workforce has been released, London Studio is no more, and multiple games have been cancelled, including a Twisted Metal project. Will these drastic moves help buttress the PlayStation brand's ever-narrowing profit margin, and allow the world-class brand to operate from a point of renewed strength? Or is the pain only beginning? Plus: Neil Druckmann may be burning out, footage of a never-released LittleBigPlanet product emerges on the net, cheaters begin ruining Helldivers 2, and more. At the end of our show, we field audience questions, as usual. Where do we fall on the recently-brewing localization fiasco surrounding games like Unicorn Overlord? How come Stellar Blade got such trouble for its fanservice while Final Fantasy VII Rebirth's blatant fanservice is celebrated? Should everyone be a little nicer to Geoff Keighley? Has Dustin's opinions on Aldi changed one listener's life forever? Start the Good Habit at https://www.tryfum.com/SACRED to save 10% off the Journey Pack today. Start building credit at https://www.chime.com/sacred Please keep in mind that our timestamps are approximate, and will often be slightly off due to dynamic ad placement. 0:00:00 - Intro 0:24:24 - RIP Richard Lewis 0:31:03 - Annals of manifested wishes 0:34:39 - Laxative-gate 0:39:55 - First apartment advice 0:45:09 - Aldi is awesome 0:54:01 - Potential baby names 0:55:05 - Best Podcast award 1:00:18 - Peloton LSM crew 1:02:13 - FFVII Rebirth discs are messed up in Asia 1:06:42 - Helldivers 2 cheaters 1:12:18 - LittleBigPlanet Hub leaks 1:14:55 - Remedy regains control of Control 1:20:39 - Supermassive Games layoffs 1:21:46 - NCAA Football is offering $600 to players 1:25:09 - What Are We Playing? 2:00:39 - Sony layoffs 3:22:41 - EA layoffs 3:31:36 - Neil Druckmann says he only has a few games left in him 3:41:00 - January 2024 Game Sales 3:43:44 - March PS+ Games 3:45:03 - Localization issues 3:55:17 - Stop attacking Geoff Keighley 3:58:39 - Proportional hypocrisy 4:02:18 - Multiple playthrough trophies 4:04:24 - Bloodborne leak woes 4:07:56 - Two-path system Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The dam has broken. After paving the way just last week, Microsoft has confirmed its four games that are coming to PlayStation platforms, and they're arriving a lot sooner than any of us thought. One of them -- Pentiment -- is available on PS4 and PS5 alike right now, while Hi-Fi Rush isn't far behind. Multiplayer titles Grounded and Sea of Thieves will round things out, but certainly, this is just the beginning of the migration, right? Other news this week includes the release date for Elden Ring's long-awaited expansion, percolating PS5 Pro rumors suggesting a fall release, the beginning of Jim Ryan's goodbye tour, PSVR2's PC future, and much more. Listener inquiries help us round things out, as usual. Did Hiroki Totoki successfully diagnose Bungie's issues? Does Sony suffer and Nintendo benefit from a double-standard when it comes to porting and otherwise re-releasing their respective games? Could Resistance: Retribution's reemergence indicate a future for the dormant franchise? Is Brad saying "Colin" wrong on all of his shows? This episode is sponsored by BetterHelp. Give online therapy a try at https://www.betterhelp.com/symbols and get on your way to being your best self Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

It's been an unusual week in the PlayStation ecosystem, especially in recent years, where the exclusives and heavy-hitters from Sony primarily resided in the single-player sphere. But then a game like Helldivers 2 drops out of orbit, and suddenly we're brought back to the days of SOCOM, Killzone, and others, when PlayStation had an actual online identity, albeit a fledgling one. Could this be the beginning of a great new trend? Or does pessimism reign supreme? Other news this week includes the most vague, circular PR from Xbox that confirms -- yes, indeed -- Xbox games are en route to PlayStation beginning with four titles, while Sony releases a financial report that shows promising revenue and meteoric PS5 sales, but with serious financial warnings on the horizon. Plus: What the hell is Intergalactic: The Heretic Prophet? Is there a rift between Konami and Bloober Team? Are people overreacting to the Tomb Raider Remaster's content warning label? Then: Listener inquiries! Where do we fall in the raging 'yellow paint' debate? What's our favorite JRPG battle system? Which order should the Castlevania games be played in? Was Colin's and Micah's recent visit to Cracker Barrel everything they hoped it'd be? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

We know that Xbox games are migrating to PlayStation, and by the next episode of this very show, we'll have a much better idea of what a future slate of Microsoft products on Sony's console may look like. In the meantime, however, we're left to wonder how we got here in the first place. One could easily argue that PlayStation's and Xbox's rivalry essentially concluded with the end of the 360/PS3 era (Microsoft has been nowhere near Sony in terms of quality, mindshare, or revenue ever since), but we may very well be on the cusp of a true sea change not seen since the decline of SEGA. While we wait for answers, let's speculate and analyze to our hearts' content. Let's also delve into some other news -- Stellar Blade protagonist complaints, Disney's marriage with Epic, The Last of Us: Part III rumblings, and more -- and conclude with listener inquiries, like we always do. Are we amped for Banishers: Ghosts of New Eden? Is IGN's staff unionization drive a wise move in this environment? Do we overestimate the importance of the Uncharted franchise to gaming? Could we maybe tone it down a bit on the nearly-six hour episodes? Get 10% off your entire order at https://www.thefreezepipe.com and use code SACRED Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

A new State of Play presentation -- arguably the best Sony has ever executed -- has given us a plethora of items to discuss on this week's all-new episode of Sacred Symbols. For starters, we finally have a release date for the amazing-looking second party PS5 exclusive action-RPG Stellar Blade, which we cannot wait to play. We also got a lengthy glimpse at Team Ninja's Rise of the Ronin, confirmation of a near-remake of Until Dawn from Ballistic Moon, a fresh look at Death Stranding 2 en route to PS5 in 2025, and the confirmation of a new, MGS-like Kojima series, presumably on PlayStation 6 (!). And there's lots of other news, too, including the first details concerning Firesprite's upcoming title, Project Heartbreak. Likewise, MLB: The Show 24 and Horizon: Forbidden West's PC port have both been dated, obscure PlayStation vehicular combat game Hardware Rivals may be returning, classic shooter Spec Ops: The Line has been delisted, Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League is driving people insane, leaks indicate we'll be playing Xbox 'exclusives' on PlayStation very soon, and much more. Finally: Listener inquiries! Are recent rumors of a new Sony handheld to be believed? Have Battle Passes ruined online gaming forever? Is cross-media the future no matter how much it's resisted? Can we please stop with the double-spacing, once and for all? Start the Good Habit at https://www.tryfum.com/SACRED to save 10% off the Journey Pack today. Start building credit at https://www.chime.com/sacred Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Our beloved games industry is currently mired in an economic crisis of its own creation. By rapidly expanding corporate headcounts during the pandemic -- and by foolishly forecasting 2020-era gaming habits would persist into future years -- many publishers and developers have found themselves dramatically overextended. In 2022, some 8,500 people lost their jobs in gaming; that number grew appreciably to 10,500 last year. Here in 2024, though? Not even a month into the calendar, we're sitting at around 6,000 job losses. And it's going to get way worse. How did pubs and devs get this so wrong? And how come the human cost falls upon the people who were hired, but not those that did the hiring? Plus: A reliable rumor indicates Until Dawn is PS5-and-PC-bound, Death Stranding 2's re-reveal may be right around the corner, Focus Entertainment foolishly rebrands itself, and more. Then: Let's wrap things up with listener inquiries, as usual. How do we balance multiple games at once? Could the harm leaks do to studios actually be overstated? Is paywalling New Game+ a step too far? When is the appropriate time in the day to shower? This episode is sponsored by BetterHelp. Give online therapy a try at https://www.betterhelp.com/symbols and get on your way to being your best self Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

As we wade through the mundanity of the turn-of-the-year -- when very few new games come to market and we work through our respective backlogs -- hope sits on the horizon. After all, the drab is about to turn into the delightful with the release or near-release of the likes of Prince of Persia: The Lost Crown, The Last of Us: Part II Remastered, Granblue Fantasy Relink, Persona 3 Remake, and Helldivers 2, among others. And as we look forward to all of that, we have news galore to cover, too. Square Enix's Splatoon-like Foamstars is coming to PlayStation+ day-and-date, but is its mild use of AI art egregious? (And what about its strange proximity to Helldivers 2?) Ubisoft+ is being reformed as a more value-rich proposition for consumers, so why did so many outlets blatantly take one of their executives out of context following a recent interview? PlayStation Productions is pursuing an Until Dawn film based on the cult-hit PS4-exclusive horror game, but are we starting to beat a dead horse? Plus: Listener inquiries! Are we getting too fast and loose with the term 'live service'? Why do some developers and publishers choose to hire diversity consultants? Should we expect an exorbitant number of Steamboat Willie games in the near-to-mid future? Will Chris continue to be bullied over his love of Julia Louis-Dreyfus? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The most infamous character in The Last of Us franchise is undoubtedly Abby, and with her casting in the HBO rendition of the famous Naughty Dog series now set (along with a couple of other key roles), we're starting to get more clarity about just what her on-screen vendetta with Ellie will look like come 2025. Are we about to relive 2020 all over again, or will fans be pleased? And then there's Xbox, a conspicuous subject that seems to keep coming up on Sacred Symbols for one simple reason: Smoke indicates fire. Fresh on the back of denouncements about GamePass on PlayStation comes compelling industry rumors of multiple first party Xbox games en route to the PlayStation ecosystem, potentially in the form of Sea of Thieves and Hi-Fi Rush. Does this move represent the opening frames of a coup de grace? Other news this week includes Helldivers 2 PC details, a DualSense model with a better battery, disastrous Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League previews, rampant corporate layoffs, the confusing reemergence of Gravity Rush and Patapon, and more. Then: Listener inquiries! Is gaming experiencing a dangerous economic bubble? Could Horizon's rumored MMO skip PlayStation 5? Have we been too hard on Spider-Man 2? Can Chris raise the spirits of a listener merely by changing his usual podcast outro ever-so-slightly? Start the Good Habit at https://www.tryfum.com/SACRED to save 10% off the Journey Pack today. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Sony-owned Insomniac Games suffered a major hack in late 2023, and seemingly infinite leaks made their way to various corners of the internet mere days after we went away for break. We're not going to shy away from the subject matter -- the news is the news, after all -- but we do want to talk about the situation holistically. Yes, Insomniac is a money-printing machine, but it's also now almost completely indentured to a licensor to keep the supply of cash flowing, and may be unable to stop if it wants to survive. Meanwhile, many of our peers and competitors shied away from covering the topic at all, in perhaps one of the rarest and most pristine examples of media bias seen in recent memory. Let's delve into all of it, shall we? Since we haven't recorded in some time, there's obviously other news to get through as well, including a new sales milestone for PS5, tantalizing details about NCSoft's mysterious Horizon MMO, the quiet return of CoD veteran Jason Blundell to the PlayStation fold, the closure of a key PSVR second party partner, and more. Listener inquiries help us round things out, touching on topics like NCAA Football's return, PS5 Pro's potential, GTAVI's potential price, and an admission that -- yes, indeed -- sleeping without underwear but in a t-shirt is the optimal way for one to rest. This episode is sponsored by BetterHelp. Give online therapy a try at https://www.betterhelp.com/symbols and get on your way to being your best self Start building credit at https://www.chime.com/sacred Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

2023 is done (or just about, depending on when you listen to or watch this), and it was an undeniably awesome year for our industry, and for all of us as enthusiasts. But now we can begin to safely -- and even earnestly -- look into 2024, and figure out just what we're most excited to play in this new calendar year. Each cast member brought five games to discuss, making 15 total. Of course, our selections don't nearly represent the full spectrum of available titles people are stoked about, but we're confident we'll have pointed you in a few fruitful directions by the end of our brief recording. Our only rule? The game in question has to be dated for 2024 on PlayStation 5. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The holiday season is here, and it's thus time to employ the first of our traditional yearly wrap-up episodes. Let's take a gander back at the year that was, not only in PlayStation, but in the gaming world surrounding the brand, too. Each Sacred cast member brings five 'moments' to the table, and naturally, they're of a wide array. Jim Ryan's retirement, PlayStation 5's domination, PSVR2's irrelevance, Bungie's problems, Unity's meltdown, Yuij Naka's prosecution, Baldur's Gate 3's success, PS5 Pro's inevitability, and more are on the board. Let's get to each topic -- and more! -- as we wind our way through 2023 with a keen eye toward 2024. Start the Good Habit at https://www.tryfum.com/ SACRED to save 10% off the Journey Pack today. Get 20% off your first order plus free shipping at https://www.meundies.com/sacred Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

We recorded a full episode of the show -- originally called Deader Than Dead because of the demise of E3 -- but we had no idea how apt that title would actually become. In the hours after we hit stop, word broke of Naughty Dog's cancellation of The Last of Us' standalone Factions mode, which they call The Last of Us Online (as first reported right here on Sacred Symbols). Naturally, we had to record a lengthy pickup to discuss the unfortunate news. And yes: E3 is dead, as mentioned above. From 1995 through 2019, E3 ran each and every year in LA (except for those two random Atlanta shows in the '90s), and it was a gathering point for games professionals, the media, and others. But as the magazine era gave way to web 1.0, and then to 2.0, and now to wherever we are now, the once mighty convention has no place in an environment where devs, publishers, and consumers can reach each other directly. In short: Let's give E3 the viking funeral it deserves. Plus: Insomniac purportedly gets hacked, Spider-Man 2's updates have been delayed, film production house A24 teams up with Kojima, fresh Resident Evil remakes are en route, and more. Then: Listener inquiries! If Blade is an Xbox console exclusive, why won't Microsoft just say so? Should we expect a State of Play early in the new year? How did FNTASTIC take their customers for a ride with The Day Before? Is Colin's "please look forward to that" saying simply an alteration of Jeb Bush's "please clap" debacle? Start the Good Habit at https://www.tryfum.com/ SACRED to save 10% off the Journey Pack today. Get 20% off your first order plus free shipping at https://www.meundies.com/sacred Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

After a long wait, PlayStation utilized Geoff Keighley's Game Awards to reveal new information about its upcoming slate of first party games. Psych! While TGA's three-hour runtime was ample -- and while a litany of quality games were announced and explored -- PlayStation's complete lack of first party presence (outside of free God of War: Ragnarok DLC) is notable. Will the company ever talk again? Or will we continue to be stuck in this pincer, with promising second and third party games coming down the pike, but precious little information about what matters most to Sony's more hardcore and devoted fans? Nonetheless, we break down The Game Awards' announcements one-by-one, getting deep into the likes of Exodus, Kemuri, Visions of Mana, Last Sentinel, Exoborne, and more. And there's a heck of a lot to talk about outside of the event, too, including the release of Grand Theft Auto VI's first official trailer and serious trouble brewing at Sony-owned Bungie. As is typical, we wrap things up with listener inquiries from the audience. Is Fortnite primed to take over the world? Do we simply have to spend more time with PSVR2? How long do retro enthusiasts expect their hardware to last? Can we get our hands on one of those "Thank You Jim" cookies from Jim Ryan's retirement party? Get 20% off your first order and a free gram of THCa flower at https://www.hellomood.com and use code SACRED This episode is sponsored by BetterHelp. Give online therapy a try at https://www.betterhelp.com/symbols and get on your way to being your best self  Start the Good Habit at https://www.tryfum.com/ SACRED to save 10% off the Journey Pack today. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

For years on this show, we've put forth the logic that Game Pass would ultimately find its way to PlayStation, fulfilling Microsoft's goal of ubiquitous access to its popular subscription service. And you may recall that -- during the FTC hullabaloo with Activision -- Xbox executives all-but-confirmed these intentions, adding fuel to the fire. But now that Microsoft CFO Tim Stuart has explicitly and publicly spoken about Xbox's desire to get Game Pass on PlayStation by name, we're no longer in the realm of hypotheticals. Perhaps not surprisingly (and as you may imagine), this gives us plenty to discuss on today's episode. But there's more! An ex-Rockstar North employee spilled the beans on just what happened to vaporware PS3 exclusive The Agent, Sony signs agreements with two key South Korean partners, Dragon's Dogma 2's release date is official, The Game Awards' Future Class doesn't realize no one cares what they think, and more. Then: Listener inquiries! What are our memories of our respective first experiences with the original Metal Gear Solid? Is it possible to deliver a war game with true reverence? Has the games industry been too consumed with subjects that are decidedly not fun? Can the pronunciation of GIF ever truly be settled, even amongst civilized people? Head to https://www.tryfum.com/SACRED and use code SACRED to save an additional 10% off your order today. Get 25% off your first order, plus free shipping at https://www.meundies.com/sacred Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices