Sacred Symbols: A PlayStation Podcast

This week, Sacred Symbols is a Kojima Fanboy Podcast... for a little while, anyway. Finally -- finally! -- we have a release date for Death Stranding 2: On the Beach, and it's fairly close, arriving on PlayStation 5 in late June. And as a deep love for Kojima is perhaps the biggest gaming stance all three Sacred hosts share, we thought we'd spend some time getting hyped up following an all-new 10 minute trailer, collector's edition and pre-order details, and so on. Other news this week includes word of major forthcoming updates to PS5 Pro, the leak of a mysterious PSP game called STAMP that was never greenlit into production, the announcement of PowerWash Simulator 2 (!) from FuturLab, rumors of imminent PS5 releases for Indiana Jones and an Oblivion Remake, and much more. Then: Listener inquiries! What do we think of the reveal that Naughty Dog's Intergalactic will deal with religion as a central theme? Do we have any thoughts about the copious leaks from the recent Battlefield playtests? How will MLB: The Show 25 shape-up in its first current-gen-only PlayStation outing? Does Dustin have a serious misconception of what some people actually do when listening to our shows? Please keep in mind that our timestamps are approximate, and will often be slightly off due to dynamic ad placement. Timestamps: 0:00:00 - Intro 0:25:53 - The audience divided 0:38:15 - PJ the Boston Terrier <3 0:47:36 - Dustin's Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy 0:49:41 - FSR 4 on PS5 Pro 0:58:53 - Lost PSP game pitch found 1:04:55 - PowerWash Simulator 2 announced 1:15:44 - Indiana Jones coming to PS5 on April 17 1:18:32 - Oblivion remake coming soon? 1:23:36 - Forza Horizon 5 will require a Microsoft log in 1:32:26 - RoboCop: Rogue City expansion incoming 1:35:22 - Chrono Trigger's 30th anniversary 1:42:06 - Split Fiction sells two million copies 1:42:46 - What Are We Playing? 2:00:56 - Death Stranding 2 2:42:07 - New PS Plus Games 2:46:12 - Ubisoft selling IP 2:52:40 - New MLB: The Show 2:58:08 - Will GTA VI make fun of the right? 3:11:07 - Intergalactic and religion 3:18:56 - Battlefield leaks 3:26:15 - Path of Exile 2's economy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

We're on the verge of the second season of HBO's The Last of Us, and yet new questions percolate about whether we'll ever see another game in Naughty Dog's vaunted series. In a recent interview, Neil Druckmann told fans "don't bet on there being more," which is both alluringly ominous and obviously vague. That's good news for us, though, since it gives us plenty to discuss. Do we need more? Do we want more? Should we get more? Plus: Rumors are ramping up about one-time Xbox titan Gears of War migrating to PlayStation 5 later this year, while details related to Firesprite's cancelled Twisted Metal project have leaked. Also: PlayStation 2 turns 25 years old in Japan, Until Dawn Remake studio Ballistic Moon goes belly-up, a key Bungie designer joins Guerrilla, Monster Hunter Wilds smashes Capcom sales records, and more. Finally: Listener inquiries! Is it possible that Grand Theft Auto VI fails to meet either critical or commercial expectations, or perhaps both? What are our reflections on PS5 Pro now that we've had our own for some months? Should Canadians stop buying games from American publishers and developers in retaliation of US tariffs? Will Colin ever forgive his brother for continuously referring to himself as "The Dagster"? Please keep in mind that our timestamps are approximate, and will often be slightly off due to dynamic ad placement. Timestamps: 0:00:00 - Intro 0:14:43 - Get well soon Bishop! 0:19:09 - Squeaking chair 0:22:12 - 5 thing we achieved this past week 0:30:45 - Last show's debauchery 0:39:57 - "The Dagster" 0:42:56 - Wonder Woman 0:49:23 - Twin Breaker is now on PS5! 0:51:32 - Terminator 2D: No Fate 0:52:58 - Happy Birthday PS2 1:01:52 - Layoffs at PlayStation 1:06:40 - Until Dawn Remake dev shut down 1:15:19 - PS3 update 1:17:21 - Variety's interview with Druckmann and Mazin 1:23:43 - New TLoU controller 1:25:46 - Cancelled Twisted Metal game details leak 1:31:28 - Ex-Bungie designer joins Guerilla 1:35:50 - Forza Horizon 5 releases April 29 on PS5 1:39:29 - Call of Duty 2025 will remain on PS4 1:44:32 - Tony Hawk Pro Skater 3+4 is real 1:49:35 - Monster Hunter Wilds sells 8 million 1:50:21 - La Quimera 1:54:56 - What Are We Playing? 2:16:51 - Gears of War coming to PS5 2:33:53 - New India Hero Project games 2:38:53 - PlayStation beta program 2:45:28 - Acclaim is back 2:57:56 - What if GTA VI disappoints? 3:04:08 - Boycotting American games 3:13:23 - PS5 Pro check in 3:21:37 - Portal's lack of bluetooth 3:26:31 - Auto popping trophies 3:30:48 - Capcom and Mega Man Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

In 2022, approximately 8,500 people lost their jobs in the games industry. In 2023, that number rose to 10,500, and just last year it ballooned to an unfathomable 14,600. Will it be worse this year? That's currently unknowable, but one thing's certain: Industry playing and spending habits are radically changing, and the newest victim of the environment (and loads of really bad choices along the way) is Warner Bros. Games, which shut down three studios (including the vaunted team Monolith Productions, cancelling its Wonder Woman project in the process) while declaring it's all-in on very specific IP, but nothing more. Is WB Games' meltdown a cautionary tale? Or is it a simple example of more-of-the-same? With seven out of 10 PlayStation 5 players playing at least one of the 10 most popular games on the platform -- and with an astonishing 40% of playtime on PS4 and PS5 spent with those 10 games, and those 10 games alone -- we are nearing an inflection point. There are too many people making too many games alongside too little interest in much of what's being released, and frankly, the bloodletting is nowhere near finished. We discuss. Plus: PSVR2 gets a major price cut, THPS 3+4 Remastered leaks via ratings, Black Myth: Wukong sells huge on PlayStation 5, Sony-published Midnight Murder Club gets a release date, and more. Then: Inquiries from our beloved listeners. How hyped are we for Death Stranding 2? What do we make of the rumors of a God of War-related announcement slated for March? Could we define the term "Eurojank"? Will Chris ever get another haircut again in his entire life? Please keep in mind that our timestamps are approximate, and will often be slightly off due to dynamic ad placement. Timestamps: 0:00:00 - Intro 0:28:36 - Colin's lower octave 0:36:39 - Does Chris need a haircut? 0:42:10 - Imagine Dragons in space 0:46:06 - Colonoscopy customer service 0:51:59 - Ohio slander 0:59:20 - PSVR2 price cut 1:10:43 - Sony stashing PS5s in US 1:23:43 - 40% of playtime is on 10 live service games 1:34:52 - Sony sued over digital monopoly 1:43:11 - THPS 3+4 1:48:40 - Konami and Bloober sign a new deal 1:54:44 - Black Myth: Wukong sold 5 million copies on PS5 1:57:27 - Midnight Murder Club is coming to early access 2:05:18 - What Are We Playing? 2:21:52 - Chaos at WB Games 3:14:25 - PS Plus Essentials 3:27:43 - Circana January stats 3:33:00 - Death Stranding 2 Special Edition extras 3:37:06 - God of War returning 3:40:40 - Did Quantic Dream get away? 3:47:11 - Everything is a meta-verse 3:54:07 - Addicted to maps 3:58:30 - Eurojank Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

This has been an exciting week in Sacred Symbols World. We're riding high off of our two hour interview with ex-Sony executive Shuhei Yoshida, and we're eager to reminisce and reflect on it. (You can watch or listen for yourself on Sacred Symbols+.) But as far as news is concerned? Well, this week is a little slower than most, which is why we packed extra listener inquiries into the show, and still covered what was there: Fresh rumors of a Tony Hawk 3+4 Remastered Collection, leaker updates concerning Square Enix's remakes of Final Fantasy IX and Final Fantasy Tactics, clarity on HBO's seasonal plans with The Last of Us, the potential emergence of a major Rainbow Six Siege update, and much more. As usual, we then round things out with listener inquiries on a variety of subjects. What are our thoughts about the recent layoffs on the Marvel Rivals team? Does SEGA and Ryu Ga Gotoku run the risk of overexposing the Yakuza/Like A Dragon franchise? Why are many creators so eager to politically and socially alienate their audiences? Is Colin on the verge of converting to Islam? Please keep in mind that our timestamps are approximate, and will often be slightly off due to dynamic ad placement. Timestamps: 0:00:00 - Intro 0:12:23 - Clipping our show 0:22:25 - Status of TLOU2 Season 2 spoilercasts and Side Quest 0:31:29 - Patreon RSS changes 0:48:00 - Gaming full circle moment 0:50:08 - RIP Bullet 0:56:21 - Husky problems 1:13:50 - Colin's secret identity 1:17:37 - Colin's Italian citizenship 1:31:38 - Last week's stolen idea 1:34:47 - Roger Clark meeting 1:42:46 - Creating stories in Civilization 1:51:01 - Colin got Radec'ed 1:59:01 - Lost Soul Aside is getting a physical release 2:03:29 - Final Fantasy IX remake rumors 2:08:24 - Xbox will start including PS5 logos during events 2:15:39 - THPS 3+4 remake is real 2:23:15 - System Shock 2 remake is coming 2:28:43 - Rainbow Six Siege X 2:36:51 - TLOU will be four seasons long 2:40:00 - KCD2 and Dynasty Warriors sales 2:41:20 - What Are We Playing? 3:25:05 - Stick deadzone 3:30:15 - Marvel Rivals layoffs 3:37:20 - Like a Dragon's continued success 3:45:01 - Strong competition in the console market 3:52:14 - Dice Awards drama 4:01:44 - Amazon's failure to disrupt Steam Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

A recent presentation showcased a diverse array of some 35 games coming to PlayStation 5 over the next couple of years. But -- perhaps unsurprisingly -- that hasn't stopped boo-birds from raining down upon Sony yet again, at least from some particularly loud corners. It seems that some people will literally never be satisfied, no matter what. But for those who are looking forward to new games to play, there was much to be excited about in the form of Lost Soul Aside, Metal Eden, Borderlands 4, Onimusha: Way of the Sword, Hell Is Us, Metal Gear Solid Delta: Snake Eater, Days Gone Remastered, Tides of Annihilation, and even a brand new Housemarque PS5-exclusive called Saros, amongst much more. This week, we take time to delve into everything discussed during the newest State of Play, and dive into a bunch of other news too. Sony's quarterly financials are out, and PS5 sales are booming, reaching 75 million sold and counting. Meanwhile, Astro Bot is getting even more free DLC, God of War may be reverting to its Greek roots, Resistance and The Order are likely permanently dead, Twisted Metal returns to Peacock this summer, and so on. Then: Listener inquiries! Is Kendrick Lamar a PlayStation nerd? Does HDR even do anything? Why aren't more old folks playing games? Should Colin just retire? 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. Please keep in mind that our timestamps are approximate, and will often be slightly off due to dynamic ad placement. Timestamps: 0:00:00 - Intro 0:18:20 - Super Bowl stories 0:39:47 - Bellota <3 0:47:32 - 2x Speed 0:52:27 - In some sense 0:54:56 - Napoleon's penis 0:59:25 - PSN outage 1:17:20 - PS5 sells over 75 million 1:29:11 - Astro Bot bundle incoming 1:38:02 - Death Stranding 2 stream at SXSW 1:41:27 - Elden Ring: Nightreign release date 1:46:04 - The Order 1886 could have had a sequel 1:50:54 - 100% new information about Resistance 4 2:00:01 - God of War in Greece? 2:07:30 - Twisted Metal Season 2 coming this summer 2:10:35 - Koei Tecmo's CEO steps down 2:13:52 - Layoffs at Crytek 2:17:07 - DQXII is still in development 2:18:53 - PUBG is more lucrative than ever 2:23:36 - What Are We Playing? 2:53:24 - State of Play general thoughts 3:18:42 - Monster Hunter WIlds 3:19:57 - Shinobi 3:23:35 - Sonic Racing Cross Worlds 3:25:15 - Digimon Story Time Stranger 3:29:18 - Lost Soul Aside 3:32:55 - Small updates/games 3:36:47 - Borderlands 4 3:41:39 - Split Fiction 3:43:41 - Directive 8020 3:48:38 - The Midnight Walk 3:50:43 - Darwin's Paradox 3:52:28 - Warriors Abyss 3:53:50 - Onimusha 3:56:42 - Metal Gear Solid Delta 3:57:47 - Hell is Us 4:01:33 - Lies of P Overture 4:03:07 - Dreams of Another 4:08:16 - Days Gone Remastered 4:17:43 - Stellar Blade DLC 4:20:16 - Lost Records 4:21:54 - PS Plus games 4:24:28 - Tides of Annihilation 4:30:00 - Metal Eden 4:33:54 - MindsEye 4:40:11 - Saros 4:45:24 - Sony cleaning out AI games 4:50:34 - HDR woes 4:55:12 - IGN's Twitter antics 4:58:43 - Earthblade cancellation 5:03:34 - Too old for video games? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

When truly great games are delivered, players tend to respond. The industry's newest sales success is the long-awaited Kingdom Come: Deliverance sequel, which immediately sold a million copies upon release. But it's hardly alone. And the rest of this long year is already shaping up to be something special, with Metal Gear Solid Delta's release date leaking, Death Stranding 2's newest trailer drawing nearer, and EA's Battlefield finally toying with a real comeback. Other news this week includes the potential of a discless PlayStation 6, the arrival of more Xbox games on PS5 in the form of Age of Empires and Age of Mythology, Capcom's announcement of a port of PS2's Onimusha 2 for PlayStation 4, and more. Let's then round things out with listener inquiries, as is our tradition. What are our thoughts on the return of games media brand Rooster Teeth? Is Sony putting its own games on sale too quickly and too steeply, to its own detriment? Did EA executives really claim Dragon Age: The Veilguard failed because it wasn't live service? Will Colin ever recover from tendinitis, or are his weightlifting days over? Please keep in mind that our timestamps are approximate, and will often be slightly off due to dynamic ad placement. Timestamps: 0:00:00 - Intro 0:23:28 - Side Quest is back! 0:29:11 - Colin's tendinitis 0:32:14 - George's bush 0:48:41 - Career switching advice 0:57:39 - Why is Abby tiny? 1:06:19 - Shawn Layden thinks PlayStation will keep physical for PS6 1:12:25 - Metal Gear Solid Delta release date leaked 1:17:31 - Death Stranding 2 is rated in South Korea 1:21:42 - KCD2 sells one million in one day 1:27:25 - New Battlefield game by early 2026 1:34:43 - MultiVersus is going offline 1:42:13 - Devil May Cry remake coming? 1:49:04 - Prince of Persia The Lost Crown sold 1.3 million copies 1:50:02 - Konami churned $500 million in profit over 9 months 1:51:06 - Sony integrates SN Systems 1:52:11 - What Are We Playing? 2:31:06 - Age of Mythology is coming to PS5 2:38:03 - Onimusha 2 is being remastered 2:46:00 - Rooster Teeth's return 2:57:37 - Should PlayStation stop putting their games on sale? 3:06:17 - Will Sony stop releasing on PC? 3:13:42 - Sony's live service push concerning for the industry? 3:16:28 - Is EA crazy? 3:23:38 - Is new IP overvalued? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Just last year, Sony had grand designs of a new PlayStation leadership structure executing on an exciting multi-pronged strategy, but only three fiscal quarters later, the plan has come undone. Hideaki Nishino and Hermen Hulst were bestowed co-CEO roles -- the former looking after hardware and services, the latter after software -- but now, Nishino will hold the CEO role alone, with Hulst demoted and now reporting directly to him. While Sony Corporation itself made some other changes as well, including installing Hiroki Totoki as the larger entity's CEO, changes to PlayStation's executive structure so soon after alterations were first made says something rather clear: Bad choices were made, and rectifying them as quickly as possible is the best idea. We discuss. Other news this week includes Xbox quickly becoming PlayStation's biggest publisher, with yet another Xbox game -- Forza Horizon 5 -- en route to PS5, rumblings of new films for Resident Evil and Beyond: Two Souls, PlayStation 5 continuing to outsell the PS4 in the US when adjusted for time, layoffs at BioWare following Dragon Age's tumultuous end, MLB: The Show 25 skipping PS4 for the first time since the console launched, and more. Listener inquiries wrap things up. Is NCSoft's Horizon MMO cancelled? How does a game's budget actually get determined? Should future Dragon Quest games abandon Akira Toriyama's art style? Will Colin's Herman Miller chair ever arrive? Please keep in mind that our timestamps are approximate, and will often be slightly off due to dynamic ad placement. Timestamps: 0:00:00 - Intro 0:10:14 - Gooneral 0:25:29 - Punching Up rising up 0:27:14 - Herman-Miller woes 0:30:13 - Raymond 0:40:52 - PS5 is outselling PS4, time-adjusted 0:52:26 - PSN logins on PC are now optional for single player games 0:59:23 - 30th Anniversary themes are gone (but coming back) 1:21:16 - MLB The Show 25 coming on Match 18 1:35:38 - Spider-Man 2 is out now on PC 1:43:51 - BioWare downsizes 1:56:44 - Helldivers 2's director is taking a sabbatical 2:04:44 - Silent Hill 2 Remake surpasses two million copies sold 2:05:03 - Sega renews the trademark for Skies of Arcadia 2:09:00 - Berserk Boy 2:11:44 - What Are We Playing? 2:49:50 - Shakeup in Sony's leadership 3:10:58 - Xbox is the biggest publisher on PlayStation 3:33:13 - PlayStation Productions news 3:44:16 - New PS Plus games 3:50:12 - Horizon MMO canceled? 3:53:09 - Difficulty and trophies 3:59:43 - Best tip for aspiring journalists 4:19:05 - Why does game production cost so much? 4:23:22 - Should Dragon Quest's art style change with Toriyama's passing? 4:27:40 - What is the golden age of gaming? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Insomniac Games' co-founder Ted Price is retiring from the company after a storied 30 year career, but it's what he's leaving behind in his stead that's truly curious: A three-person CEO grouping, virtually unheard of in the corporate world, that hopes to leverage the unique skills of each person. When taken into account with PlayStation's new co-CEO structure, it makes us wonder if Sony seeks to spread the field instead of focus decision-making and responsibility on a single person. Is that such a good idea? We discuss. Meanwhile, Xbox had an exceptional press conference, and as Xbox games are now PlayStation games, we have a few titles of import to go over, including the reveal of the Microsoft-published Ninja Gaiden 4 and release dates for both Doom: The Dark Ages and third party RPG Clair Obscur. Other news this week includes chatter of a $100 pricetag for Grand Theft Auto VI, impressive new gameplay footage for Phantom Blade Zero, the commercial bombing of Dragon Age: The Veilguard, and more. We then wrap up with six inquiries from the audience, as is our tradition. Could tariffs on Mexico drive physical game prices higher? Are there more game cancellations than ever, or simply more transparency in the process? Did Xbox miss an opportunity to strike at a vulnerable and underperforming PlayStation? Is Colin over-reliant on email, rendering him an exceptionally old man? Please keep in mind that our timestamps are approximate, and will often be slightly off due to dynamic ad placement. Timestamps: 0:00:00 - Intro 0:15:28 - Staying strong during a breakup 0:23:51 - Colin and email 0:42:15 - Winnie the Pooh style forever sleep 0:53:36 - Colin's thesaurus 0:56:32 - Dustin at the symphony 1:00:53 - GTA VI costing $100? 1:24:17 - Phantom Blade Zero gameplay 1:31:00 - New Astro Bot content 1:33:42 - Dragon Age bombed 1:48:46 - Resident Evil 6 rated for Xbox 1:53:44 - Silent Hill F ESRB rating 1:57:35 - Balatro sells over 5 million 2:00:35 - Civ 7 has gone gold 2:02:11 - What Are We Playing? 2:31:48 - Xbox Developer Direct 2:57:35 - Ted Price is retiring 3:20:07 - New sales data 3:24:16 - Tariff check 3:28:35 - Game cancelations 3:34:27 - Do kids care about PlayStation? 3:41:50 - Is Sony relieved at the state of Xbox? 3:46:01 - "DEI-Woke" games selling softer 4:00:33 - Was Jim Ryan horrible for PlayStation? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

We had already finished this recording when surprising news broke in the world of PlayStation: Sony has cancelled two of its upcoming, unannounced games. And -- would you believe it? -- they were both live service titles, including a God of War spin-off. The really unfortunate news, however, is who was making these titles: Bend and Bluepoint, two smaller AAA teams that typically work on a single project at a time, thus wasting years of development, as well as time and resources that can never be recovered. What in the world is going on with PlayStation Studios, and how did the person who helmed the first party family during such a tumultuous period of greenlights and plug-pulling ascend to the top of PlayStation itself? It's time to start asking some really hard questions. Other news this week includes substantial rumors of more Xbox content en route to PlayStation which, if true, will make Microsoft the single most-prolific producer of content for a platform that was once its arch-rival, but no longer. Also: Reactions to the first Until Dawn film trailer, a surprising end to Rocksteady's Suicide Squad game, accolades for an exceptional-looking upcoming vampire RPG called The Blood of Dawnwalker, tantalizing news about Bungie's in-development Smash Bros.-inspired MOBA, and more. We wrap up our episode (as we always do) with listener inquiries. Now that Nintendo's Switch 2 has been revealed, what are our preliminary thoughts? Is 2025 the year we finally give PSVR2 the respect it deserves? Why is it so hard to make swimming control well? Is it just a weird coincidence that SEGA renewed its Ecco the Dolphin trademark on September 11, 2001, or is there something deeper at play? 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. Please keep in mind that our timestamps are approximate, and will often be slightly off due to dynamic ad placement. Timestamps: 0:00:00 - Intro 0:21:27 - Sacred car collision 0:25:01 - Ranking LSM autism 0:28:06 - Do Colin and Chris drink coffee? 0:47:45 - Phil Summers Mega Man book 0:49:52 - Sony and SoCal studios are donating to the wildfire recovery 0:51:47 - Until Dawn movie 1:00:11 - Rocksteady ends Suicide Squad 1:05:09 - The Blood of Dawnwalker 1:11:35 - Ubisoft + Tencent? 1:18:59 - Square Enix releases a Group Customer Harassment policy 1:23:27 - Ecco the Dolphin trademark 1:29:02 - Elden Ring Nightreign network test registration is up 1:30:28 - Lunar Remastered has a date 1:33:14 - What are we playing? 1:54:54 - Sony has shut down two live service projects 2:19:14 - More Xbox games on PlayStation 2:43:49 - Bungie's Gummy Bears 2:57:35 - New PS Plus Extra and Premium games 3:05:41 - Top downloads on PSN for December 3:09:52 - Our thoughts on Switch 2 3:30:35 - PSVR2 recommendations 3:36:29 - Gamifying our life 3:45:11 - Swimming in games 3:50:41 - PS4 living on 3:53:33 - Prestige system for platinums Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

We're back! 2024 is so last year; it's now time for us to dwell here in 2025... and perhaps even beyond. The holiday season was pretty quiet news-wise, but there were fairly substantial exceptions in the form of two lengthy interviews published by legendary Japanese games publication Famitsu, conducted with both of PlayStation's recently-installed co-CEOs. On the one hand, Hermen Hulst was peppered with questions about Helldivers 2 and Concord, the future of Sony's single-player initiatives, and whether PlayStation fans can expect more games to travel off-platform. On the other hand, Hideaki Nishino was prodded for answers on topics like the future of cloud gaming, the success of PS5 in the wake of PS4, and even when we might see a hypothetical PlayStation 6. Obviously, we're left with much to discuss. Other news of note includes another delay for Assassin's Creed: Shadows, early rumblings of a potential new emulation solution for PS3, compelling evidence of a forthcoming remake of The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion, a turned-down pitch for Dead Space 4, and much more. Then: Listener inquiries! Why were so many people convinced Black Myth: Wukong was a PS5 console-exclusive title? Is it necessary for a True Yakuza Fan to play all titles in the series? 10 years on, how has Colin enjoyed his decade of media independence? Can we convince one listener not to name his son Simon or Ronan, but Richter instead? Please keep in mind that our timestamps are approximate, and will often be slightly off due to dynamic ad placement. Timestamps: 0:00:00 - Intro 0:27:58 - How was our break? 0:52:11 - Ronan or Simon? 0:55:38 - Internet service guy marks territory 1:04:51 - Halo x Doom 1:13:37 - AC Shadows delayed 1:25:19 - PS3 emulation? 1:33:34 - Ex-Platinum game director joins Housemarque 1:38:35 - The Midnight Black collection 1:45:12 - Sony is reviving old IP 1:50:17 - Is an Oblivion remake coming? 2:04:16 - Dead Space 4 denied 2:15:44 - Sega is considering a subscription service 2:23:55 - Stardew Valley keep selling 2:30:57 - What Have We Been Playing? 3:13:22 - Herman Hulst's Interview with Famitsu 3:26:31 - Nishino's Interview 3:42:39 - Sony at CES 3:54:37 - New PS Plus games 4:00:49 - How to get into Yakuza 4:08:16 - Should we comment on other's commentary? 4:17:19 - Black Myth Wukong's exclusivity myth debunked 4:19:12 - Mouthwashing's trophies 4:22:20 - Reflections on Kinda Funny 4:26:25 - Does LSM reimburse game purchases Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

2024 is officially in the rearview mirror, which can only mean one thing: We're now in the exciting "next year" of video game releases on PlayStation 5 (and 4, too, to an extent). As is tradition here on Sacred Symbols, we cap-off our dueling annual end-of-year shows with a look ahead, each selecting five 2025 releases we're most amped about. This of course allows us to widely chat about 15 exciting upcoming games with only two rules in mind: Selections have to be slated for (or at least conceivably coming in) '25, and they must be on PlayStation hardware. Thus, we touch on just about everything you can imagine, from the biggest AAAs to our darling indies, and so much in between. Please enjoy, and Happy New Year to you and yours! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The holidays are upon us, and thus it's time to roll out an old Sacred Symbols tradition: Our list of the most remarkable, interesting, confounding, and notable moments in the world of PlayStation for the calendar year. As usual, each of us has chosen five 'moments' -- that's 15 total -- and they all involve the PlayStation ecosystem in some way, some literally and obviously, while others more loosely and casually. So let's chat about Helldivers 2's meteoric success, the collapse of Concord and Firewalk, Xbox's wide-ranging publishing capitulation to Sony, the lead-up to (and launch of) PS5 Pro, the PlayStation brand's uneven 30th anniversary celebration, Sony's decision to publish Horizon on Switch, the furor around Stellar Blade, confirmation of a new PlayStation handheld in the years to come, and much, much more. Happy Holidays; please enjoy. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The holidays draw ever-nearer, making this our final recording of 2024. (Fear not, though: As tradition dictates, episodes will continue uninterrupted throughout the break, and indeed, everything is already in the can!) Not surprisingly, the news is a little light this time of year, though there are some interesting tidbits to pick up on. For starters, we take a look at two titles shown at The Game Awards that we skipped over last week, in the form of Crimson Desert and Midnight Murder Club, the latter a second party, Sony-published offering. We also delve into Mark Cerny's recent PS5 Pro technical presentation, wade through the (now rectified) drama surrounding Helldivers 2's exciting Killzone crossover, analyze whether the upcoming sci-fi RPG Exodus has the potential to be the true next Mass Effect, and more. But at the end of our show, we replace our typical six questions about random topics with six questions about something more than 50 of you wrote in about on the most recent thread. The topic at hand is obviously Intergalactic: The Heretic Prophet, Naughty Dog's upcoming PS5 exclusive. So many wrote in, in fact, that it felt disingenuous to ignore all of the noise. So instead, let's dive way deeper. What should PlayStation's next move be when it comes to rolling out this new product? Could the game flop on the market, either outright or by Naughty Dog's lofty standards? Do the masses suffer from some combination of Naughty Dog and Neil Druckmann Derangement Syndrome? And what does all of this insanity mean for The Last of Us: Part III... if anything at all? Please keep in mind that our timestamps are approximate, and will often be slightly off due to dynamic ad placement. 0:00:00 - Intro 0:20:37 - Tri Breaker is out now! 0:33:46 - What gives us the right? 0:36:50 - Changes for LSM in 2025 0:46:09 - Gooning over the landlady 0:54:01 - Jurassic: The Hunted 0:56:00 - Chis = Smeargle 1:01:47 - New Astro Bot level 1:06:54 - Game Awards clarifications 1:15:28 - new Mark Cerny ASMR video 1:20:12 - Helldivers 2 x Killzone is real 1:31:18 - Exodus could be the next Mass Effect? 1:40:09 - Secret Level renewed 1:46:05 - Please don't make FF7 NSFW mods 1:49:06 - More Tales of remasters are coming 1:52:33 - What We're Playing 2:09:50 - Sony has bought an additional 8% of Kadokawa 2:21:18 - Circana November data 2:30:44 - Will Intergalactic flop due to the early reaction? 2:40:36 - Naughty Dog derangement 2:55:24 - Neil Druckmann derangement 3:11:16 - What will Sony's strategy be around the game? 3:20:41 - PlayStation and female characters 3:27:16 - When will we get The Last of Us Part 3? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Geoff Keighley's 'The Game Awards' festivities didn't disappoint this year. Quite the contrary, it was arguably the single strongest showing of new game announcements the industry has seen in seemingly forever, and it was capped-off with what many of us have long awaited: Naughty Dog's new game. For the first time since 2005's Jak X: Combat Racing on PlayStation 2, Sony's crown jewel studio is readying a product that's aligned neither with Uncharted nor The Last of Us. It's called Intergalactic: The Heretic Prophet, it's about a spacefaring bounty hunter and a mysterious alien planet, and it's coming to PlayStation 5 at an undetermined point in the future. Naturally, we have much to discuss. Other TGA announcements of note include a surprise update for Helldivers 2, Capcom reveals in the form of new games in the Onimusha and Okami series, a brand new multiplayer Elden Ring spin-off called Nightreign, our first look at Borderlands 4 and The Witcher IV, the long-awaited revival of the Turok IP, the first new 2D Ninja Gaiden in more than three decades, and much more. And there's a regular ol' episode of Sacred Symbols underneath all of that, too, focused on the purported leak of Bend Studio's new game, the death of Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League, a serious lawsuit filed against Bungie by a fired executive, final word on long-defunct vaporware PS4 project Wild, and more. We wrap things up with listener inquiries on topics like rumors of an upcoming Steam console, parasocial relationships in the creator space, the ability of dialogue to ruin a perfectly good user experience, and a conundrum surrounding perpetual hiccups and $100 million. Please keep in mind that our timestamps are approximate, and will often be slightly off due to dynamic ad placement. 0:00:00 - Intro 0:35:57 - Tri Breaker is out now! 0:40:41 - Colin and Charli XCX 0:43:38 - $100 million but hiccups 0:50:04 - PlayStation Wrap-up 1:05:33 - Sony shares are trading higher than any point since 2000 1:07:19 - Thoughts from employees about Sony x Kadokawa 1:14:02 - Ex-Bungie director is suing 1:22:44 - UI designer leaks Bend's next game 1:27:37 - Apple and Sony are partnering on PSVR2 controllers for Apple Vision Pro 1:35:09 - Publishers are worried about their releases around GTAVI 1:37:13 - Suicide Squad support is ending 1:41:39 - What Are We Playing? 2:15:08 - The Game Awards announcements 4:04:44 - New info on Wild 4:12:28 - New PS Plus games 4:15:23 - PSN top games 4:18:16 - Does Steam OS going everywhere affect Sony? 4:34:06 - Too many tutorials 4:41:05 - Our thoughts on parasocial bonds 4:52:25 - Realizing you've changed through media 4:59:36 - Are clips hurting the industry? 5:11:10 - Main Quest vs Side Quests Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

News is admittedly slow as the industry awaits major announcements at the imminent Game Awards. But a specific interview was recently released that still gives us plenty to discuss. The website Eurogamer sat down with ex-PlayStation executive Shawn Layden for a fascinating chat about the present and future of the console space, and he had tons to say. We spend a lot of time dissecting his thoughts on topics ranging from PlayStation 6 and console agnosticism to Sony publishing on Xbox and perhaps the most important issues of all: The cost to develop increasingly long and expensive games that few people even bother to beat. Other news this week includes the shuttering of Ubisoft's beleaguered shooter XDefiant, the announcement of a blatant ripoff of Guerrilla's Horizon series called Light of Motiram, FromSoft's puzzling claim that it's not working on an Elden Ring sequel, and more. Listener inquiries help us round things out, per usual. Is Sony quietly giving PSVR2 a new push? How can Square Enix still be publishing PS1 games? Will Sony's E3 2013 'game sharing video' truly resonate throughout time? When will the audience learn that -- yes, indeed! -- you should definitely listen to our rock-solid relationship advice? Try VIIA! https://bit.ly/viiasacredsymbols and use code 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 0:15:43 - Spotify Wrapped 0:32:06 - The chips in the microwave was a red flag 0:38:25 - Breakup advice 0:45:05 - Gooner rankings 0:55:07 - Joker 2 1:04:47 - The PlayStation startup returns 1:22:10 - BBC interview with Hulst and Nishino 1:43:59 - Horizon ripoff Light of Moritam 1:52:56 - Fromsoft on Elden Ring 2 2:01:17 - Xdefiant is shutting down 2:15:58 - Foamstars support ending 2:21:10 - What are we playing? 2:39:56 - Shawn Layden interview 3:41:16 - The famous "game sharing" video 3:52:10 - PSVR2's new push 4:03:07 - Picking a game for friends to play 4:11:18 - Square Enix is printing new PS1 games 4:13:12 - "Global Subscription Optimization Manager" 4:18:51 - "Take care guys" Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Over the past year or so, rumors have percolated surrounding a future PlayStation handheld, but in reality, no one knew what the exact nature of this hypothetical device would be. Could it be a successor to PSP and Vita? Or perhaps a portable PS4 or PS4 Pro? Well, it's neither of those things, if recent reporting is accurate. Instead, Sony is apparently building a fully portable PlayStation 5, which -- if accurate -- could completely upend not only the core gaming market, but the traditional cadence of console generations, full-stop. But perhaps the biggest question about a PS5 Portable is this: What does it mean for PlayStation 6? Other news this week includes an update to Sony's pursuit of Kadokawa Corporation, the retirement of legendary PlayStation executive Shuhei Yoshida after 31 years with the brand (and 38 years at Sony itself), a surprise upward revision of PlayStation 2's once-static sales number, and much more. We round things out with listener inquiries, as we always do. Do we have any preliminary "gaming plans" for 2025? Will the west's catastrophic demographic collapse have equally catastrophic ramifications for the gaming space? What does it mean when a game (or gamer) is called "sweaty"? Have we officially reached peak "Fantasy Slop Nerd" voice? Please keep in mind that our timestamps are approximate, and will often be slightly off due to dynamic ad placement. 0:00:00 - Intro 0:27:35 - Chris Chan's spawn 0:35:10 - Bluesky 0:55:19 - Sacred celebrity look-alikes 0:56:44 - Fantasy nerd slop voice 0:59:47 - PS5 selling faster than PS1 1:02:26 - Alan Wake corrections 1:04:35 - Updated PS2 sales numbers 1:10:17 - Troy Baker is in Naughty Dog's next game 1:20:43 - My First Gran Turismo 1:24:03 - Helldivers 2 Controller incoming 1:32:18 - Dino Crisis and RE: Directors Cut can be bought a la carte 1:34:49 - Cyberpunk 2077 surpasses 30 million, Witcher 4 is in production 1:37:34 - What Are We Playing? 2:19:39 - PlayStation is working on a new handheld 2:40:32 - Kadokawa updates 2:54:45 - Shuhei Yoshida is leaving PlayStation 3:17:48 - New PS Plus games coming 3:26:10 - Gaming mission statements for 2025 3:35:29 - Gaming needs new markets to grow 3:42:04 - What does being "sweaty" mean? 3:47:41 - AI gaming companies 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

The industry was recently set alight by a pair of articles from newswire Reuters indicating that Sony is interested in buying Japanese media conglomerate Kadokawa Corporation, and indeed, Kadokawa itself has since confirmed the reporting. Such a move has massive implications for Sony's increasing dominance in the anime and manga spaces, and it's likely this attempt at M&A is squarely focused on that first and foremost. But acquiring Kadokawa could be a huge boon for the PlayStation brand, too, considering it owns the likes of Spike Chunsoft and Acquire, and perhaps most importantly a controlling share in FromSoftware, too, the prolific studio behind Elden Ring, Bloodborne, Demon's Souls, Dark Souls, Armored Core, Sekiro, King's Field, and more. Should Sony nab Kadokawa, does that mean FromSoft would join PlayStation Studios as a proper first party team? Could further emphasizing Sony's Japanese identity provide a valuable path forward for PlayStation? Other news this week includes fresh PlayStation 6-related rumors, word out of Square Enix concerning Final Fantasy VII Remake: Part III and a potential 2D-HD version of Final Fantasy VI, PlayStation Portal's awesome upgrade to allow cloud gaming without PS5, and more. Per usual, we wrap things up with inquiries from our beloved audience. What are our thoughts on this year's iteration of Geoff Keighley's Game Awards? Which difficulty settings are most appealing to us in the titles we play? How does Colin deal with any negative feedback surrounding the games he writes? In one listener's quest to invite another to be his Best Man, could it be that their shared romance is the real story? Please keep in mind that our timestamps are approximate, and will often be slightly off due to dynamic ad placement. 0:00:00 - Intro 0:15:36 - New Chris video 0:25:23 - Why the Chris hate? 0:33:40 - This week in Situational Advice 0:45:12 - Best Man Bromance 0:47:52 - Sacred helps hearing loss! 1:07:55 - PlayStation Black Friday sales have started 1:11:42 - PlayStation 6 rumors have begun 1:14:50 - Shakeup at PlayStation mobile 1:23:36 - Final Fantasy VII Remake Part III is in full development 1:30:20 - SE producer sees FFVI as a logical target for HD-2D 1:37:36 - Remedy's financials 1:44:00 - Splinter Cell movie is dead 1:48:02 - What Are We Playing? 2:29:17 - Sony is trying to buy Kadokawa 2:58:36 - PlayStation Portal update with cloud gaming 3:11:14 - Black Myth Wukong's GOTY nomination 3:33:35 - Knockoff game on the PSN store 3:42:13 - Getting more from higher difficulty 3:54:16 - The design of PS5 and PS5 Pro 4:01:20 - Dealing with criticism of your own game 4:07:46 - Minimizing griefing in multiplayer Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

With profits falling and first party game releases scarce, it seemed like PlayStation's positive commercial situation may have been softening. But Sony's newest financial report illustrates a rosy picture, with ballooning sales, impressive margins, and a brighter software-driven future that promises more of the brand's bread-and-butter: First party, single-player AAA fare. With a temporary PS5 price cut now instituted, rumors of Guerrilla's Horizon Online targeting a 2025 release date, and so on, it appears PlayStation may be back-on-track and off to the races. Other news this week includes even more confirmation that Xbox games will continue to migrate to PlayStation in greater numbers, a potential tease of a Sony event commemorating PSone's 30th anniversary, Amazon finally getting a Mass Effect TV show off the ground, and more. Then, we wrap up with listener inquiries. Have we started thinking about what our respective "Game of the Year" might be? How come Game of Thrones never got an adequate (or even great) video game rendition? Is it possible to play the "biggest" and "best" games on a budget? Can we all agree that Christmas trees shouldn't be put out until November at the earliest? Please keep in mind that our timestamps are approximate, and will often be slightly off due to dynamic ad placement. 0:00:00 - Intro 0:26:20 - Secret pooper 0:40:15 - Christmas decorations in August 0:43:25 - Colin and Micah's 1 year anniversary 0:47:41 - Lillymo's next game 0:50:03 - PS5 Pro experience so far 1:06:13 - RIP Tony Tod 1:11:38 - A few PSAs 1:13:47 - Sony is teasing something for December 3rd 1:19:34 - Horizon Online in 2025? 1:26:32 - More Xbox games coming to PlayStation 1:46:46 - New Indiana Jones gameplay video 1:53:32 - Mass Effect TV show coming from Amazon 2:05:19 - What Are We Playing? 2:27:54 - Sony Financials 2:44:32 - New PS Plus games 2:53:06 - Best Selling PSN Games for October 3:01:29 - Are we ready to decide Game of the Year? 3:08:46 - Are FPS games losing their visual identity? 3:17:04 - Paywalled articles is theft? 3:30:07 - When will PlayStation make a handheld? 3:37:37 - Why isn't there a good Game of Thrones game? 3:42:39 - Is gaming a luxury hobby? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Barriers continue to erode in our industry, with the surprising news that one-time PlayStation exclusive Death Stranding would be migrating to Xbox platforms on the fifth anniversary (to the day) of its launch on PS4. Taken along with Sony publishing games like Rise of the Ronin and Stellar Blade that it never owned outright to begin with -- a truly marked change from prior behavior -- what does the brand's increasing flexibility mean for its traditionally robust and powerful exclusives catalog? Is openness a vital component of keeping the games flowing in the modern era? And with yet another Xbox game seemingly en route to PS5 in the form of Age of Empires II: Definitive Edition, how are things moving in the other direction? Other news this week includes fresh word of a Hogwarts Legacy sequel, confirmation of Grand Theft Auto VI's release season, Take Two's sale of AA label Private Division, and more. Listener inquiries help us round things out, per usual. How do we define "the modern audience?" Is gaming an important component of our respective relationships? Has replayability taken a nosedive this generation? How did the interaction between a listener's mother and Colin go when she encountered him walking his dogs? Try VIIA! https://bit.ly/viiasacredsymbols and use code 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 0:18:23 - Joseph's mom 0:21:16 - Daylight Savings time 0:27:48 - Time to put up Christmas decorations? 0:38:24 - Take Two confirms GTA VI next year and sells Private Division 0:52:18 - Alan Wake 2 is still not profitable 1:02:51 - List of PS5 Pro enabled games 1:06:46 - Bandai Namco trademarks two new games 1:12:40 - Death Stranding coming to Xbox 1:31:44 - What Are We Playing? 2:04:05 - HogLeg 2 is confirmed 2:15:11 - Age of Empires II coming to PlayStation 2:22:05 - Games media becoming more Political 2:44:29 - Who is the "modern audience"? 2:51:20 - Real world ads in EA games 2:54:48 - Can you have a long term relationship with someone who doesn't like games? 3:02:50 - Game replayability 3:09:43 - Time off playing games Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

It's not been a good week for PlayStation's vaunted first party studios. For starters, Insomniac's long-in-development licensed Marvel title Wolverine (first revealed to the public way back in 2021) has lost both its game and creative directors, an ominous sign that something has gone seriously wrong behind-the-scenes. Meanwhile, two Sony-owned teams -- Firewalk and Neon Koi -- have been shuttered outright, ending any glimpse of a return for the troubled service game Concord, and stymying mightily Sony's glacial mobile initiatives. Between blowing billions on Bungie, the disaster of the aforementioned Concord, the cancellation of a slate of fare (including The Last of Us Online), and a trickling first party pipeline, what exactly is going on at Sony? And who's responsible for this mess, anyway? We have an enormous amount to discuss. We wrap things up with listener inquiries, of course. What are some of our favorite defunct gaming websites? Should the Tales JRPG series be played in a certain order? Is Sonic experiencing a sales (and critical) renaissance? Can we stop with all the flagrant tipping, already? 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