As expected, layoffs at Microsoft and Xbox did happen this week, and they were unbelievably brutal. Approximately 9,000 people reportedly got laid off, multiple games were canceled, and entire studios were shut down. We sort through the wreckage on this week's Unlocked.
00:00 - Intro
00:11:12 - Assessing Xbox’s Layoffs
00:24:33 - ZeniMax Online’s New MMOR ... Show More
Oct 1
Gears of War: E-Day Is Awesome (No Spoilers) – Unlocked 756
In a spoiler-free discussion, Ryan and Michael talk about how much they love Gears of War: E-Day, which Ryan reviewed for IGN. Plus: Halo's former Franchise Creative Director comments on the three probable paths to success that he thinks Halo might take under Activision, and more ... Show More
1h 10m
Sep 24
Halo Studios Is No Longer Making Halo – Unlocked 755
Xbox's "reset" continued this week, and we discussed and analyzed all of the newest changes, including the big one of Activision taking over on Halo from Halo Studios. Our thoughts on why we think this happened, whether or not it'll be a reboot, what engine it'll use, what studio ... Show More
1h 18m
Sep 11
Sony's Loss Is Xbox's Gain: Hideo Kojima Signs With Xbox for Physint – Unlocked 754
Our hiatus is over and we've got a LOT to talk about this week, starting with Sony's shocking decision to drop Hideo Kojima's next-gen tactical espionage game Physint, only for Xbox to pick it up. Plus: the big unreleased games we've been playing (Final Fantasy 7 Revelation, Exod ... Show More
1h 12m
Jan 2020
The (Doom) Eternal cycle of crunch - The GamesIndustry.biz
James, Marie and Haydn are on hand to discuss the biggest topics of the past week, including crunch, class-action lawsuits and coins tossed to Witchers. The big topic of the week is Doom Eternal executive producer Marty Stratton's comments that the team "crunched pretty hard" for ... Show More
54m 12s
Dec 2019
Toxicity, Nintendo, and Shovelware - The GamesIndustry.biz Podcast
It’s time for the GamesIndustry.biz Podcast, and this week James, Brendan, and Rebakah are on hand to discuss all the big news while still leaving plenty of room to reminisce about the GameCube. The industry is once again overflowing with complaints regarding toxic work environme ... Show More
48m 3s
Jul 2025
Switch 2 ban challenged, Microsoft lays off 9,000, NYT v. OpenAI + more!
Timestamps: 0:00 Brazil challenges Switch 2 ban clause 1:44 Microsoft layoffs, Perfect Dark cancelled 2:40 NYT v. OpenAI: who gets the data? 4:14 DeleteMe! 4:49 QUICK BITS INTRO 4:56 RX 9070 XT driver boost, RTX 5050 where? 5:44 Nothing Phone 3, Headphone 1, Honor Magic V5 6:31 A ... Show More
8m 45s
Sep 2023
Remap Radio 17 - Microsoft’s Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day
Rob returns to the podcast ready to talk about the latest and greatest in…uh, Empire: Total War mods? Before all that, though, we break down the massive set of Xbox leaks, use Microsoft’s misreading of Baldur’s Gate 3’s breakout potential as a way to discuss the state of Xbox sof ... Show More
2h 31m
Dec 2020
Esports Talk: Jail Time for Twitch DMCA, Halo Infinite Disaster, and What's wrong with CSGO?
This week on Esports Talk we look at a new bill that would make streaming copyrighted music on Twitch a felony, discuss why Halo Infinite has been such a disaster for Xbox before it even launched, and break down what is behind CSGO's major scandals and dying NA scene in 2020 Lear ... Show More
34m 4s
Oct 2024
Activision Blizzard: What Microsoft Got for $69 Billion
Last year, Microsoft closed its takeover of Activision Blizzard, the maker of Warcraft, Call of Duty, and Candy Crush. In the months that followed, interest rates rose, expectations changed, and Microsoft Gaming eliminated 8% of its workforce.
Jason Schreier is the author of Pla ... Show More
36m 47s