Skip to content
Log in Join free
Gamified cover art

Samuel J Steffanina

Gamified

A Video Games and Leisure podcast Explicit

#160 in Video Games · 🇦🇪
Good podcast? Give it some love!

About the show

Gamified is a weekly gaming-industry panel show, played as a game. Host Sam Steffanina and a panel of industry operators, builders and founders take on the week's biggest gaming stories: the deals, the layoffs, the launches and the hot takes. Every topic is a round. Everyone answers first, then we go around the horn and argue it out. New episode every week. Watch the full show on YouTube (https://www.youtube.com/@SamSteffanina), and get the weekly breakdown in the Gamified newsletter at gamified.beehiiv.com.

Newest episodes

Big Walk gets Review Bombed | is Bethesda the next BioWare? | Jensen Resigns | Gamified 184

1 hr 42 min

Who's the biggest winner: Ocarina of Time or WoW: Forever? Block Blast's "lethal hand": smart design or the opposite of a game? Quickfire: Jensen's alleged honeytrap Big Walk's AI backlash: sheep or standards? Elder Scrolls VI: Sentinel. When does it actually ship? Who's the next BioWare? Is Bethesda closer than we think? CHAPTERS: 3:14 - Ocarina of Time vs WoW: Forever 15:45 - Block Blast’s Lethal Puzzle | Red / Green Flag 35:06 - Jensen’s Affair | What’s the Word? 41:35 - Big Walk’s AI Backlash | Agree or Disagree 1:04:58 - Elder Scrolls VI in Q3 2028 | Over / Under 1:14:36 - Who is the next BioWare? | Autopsy 1:29:49 - Love or Hate in Gaming | Hype or Gripe Watch instead of listen on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=otj90sbgoU0 Get the weekly breakdown in the Gamified newsletter at gamified.beehiiv.com HOST: Sam Steffanina - https://www.linkedin.com/in/samsteffanina/ PANEL: Chris Heatherly - Ex-Disney / Ex-NBCUniversal - https://www.linkedin.com/in/chrisheatherly/ Robin Boyar - thinktank / Ex-EA - https://www.linkedin.com/in/robin-boyar/ Jacob Navok (CEO & Emmy-Award Winner, Genvid) - https://x.com/JNavok Gnoc - Digital Collectors Club - https://x.com/itsGnoc Tony Valcarcel - Makko.ai - https://x.com/Tvalc Kohji Nagata - Parallel - https://x.com/ParallelTCGpod

Xbox says no to Netflix's $500m offer | Roblox going Private? | Games sell to AI Labs | Gamified 183

1 hr 26 min

Should Roblox go Private? Xbox turned down Netflix's $500m offer for IP. Wardogs is stepping away from its game for a month due to GTA VI. Selling your dead game to an AI lab? Change My Mind: Never hire a head of AI! CHAPTERS: 2:51 - Should Roblox Go Private? | Buy or Sell? 20:08 - Xbox Rejects Netflix $500M | Over/Under 44:09 - Taking a Month Off for GTA VI | Buy or Sell? 52:14 - AI Labs Buy Dead Games | What’s the Word? 1:02:26 - Never Hire a Head of AI | Change My Mind 1:11:51 - Love or Hate in Gaming | Hype or Gripe Watch instead of listen on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d5CD01Chym0 Get the weekly breakdown in the Gamified newsletter at gamified.beehiiv.com HOST: Sam Steffanina - https://www.linkedin.com/in/samsteffanina/ PANEL: Chris Heatherly - Ex-Disney / Ex-NBCUniversal - https://www.linkedin.com/in/chrisheatherly/ Wills Spangler - GameCred - https://www.linkedin.com/in/wills-spangler/ Gnoc - Digital Collectors Club - https://x.com/itsGnoc Tony Valcarcel - Makko.ai - https://x.com/Tvalc Kohji Nagata - Parallel - https://x.com/ParallelTCGpod

Steam & AI Game Clones | Games Industry Hiring Scandal | Xbox Cloud | Gamified 182

1 hr 9 min

Tim Sweeney is going after Valve again over Steam's rule that developers disclose generative AI use Indie developers say AI has made cloning a game fast enough to become a racket What's the word you'd use to describe a studio screening job applicants by what they've liked on social media? What’s your sentiment score on a scale of 1-10 on Xbox charging by the hour to stream games you already own? Wardogs banned Summit1G by mistake, and the CEO put the employee on blast What are you loving or hating about the games industry right now? CHAPTERS: 2:37 - Steam’s AI Label is BS | Change My Mind 14:31 - Valve’s Answer to AI Clones | Red / Green Flag 31:36 - Screened by LinkedIn Likes | What’s the Word? 44:30 - Fair Cloud Gaming Price | Sentiment Score 53:11 - Wardogs CEO Crash Out | What’s the Word? 1:00:05 - Get On Your Soapbox | Gamer Rants Watch instead of listen on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3qOorLJfKVs Get the weekly breakdown in the Gamified newsletter at gamified.beehiiv.com HOST: Sam Steffanina - https://www.linkedin.com/in/samsteffanina/ PANEL: Chris Heatherly - Ex-Disney / Ex-NBCUniversal - https://www.linkedin.com/in/chrisheatherly/ Joe Ferencz - Gamefam Founder - https://www.linkedin.com/in/joeferencz/ Tony Valcarcel - Makko.ai - https://x.com/Tvalc Kohji Nagata - Parallel - https://x.com/ParallelTCGpod

Similar podcasts

All episodes

The newest 50 of 264 episodes

Big Walk gets Review Bombed | is Bethesda the next BioWare? | Jensen Resigns | Gamified 184

1 hr 42 min

Who's the biggest winner: Ocarina of Time or WoW: Forever? Block Blast's "lethal hand": smart design or the opposite of a game? Quickfire: Jensen's alleged honeytrap Big Walk's AI backlash: sheep or standards? Elder Scrolls VI: Sentinel. When does it actually ship? Who's the next BioWare? Is Bethesda closer than we think? CHAPTERS: 3:14 - Ocarina of Time vs WoW: Forever 15:45 - Block Blast’s Lethal Puzzle | Red / Green Flag 35:06 - Jensen’s Affair | What’s the Word? 41:35 - Big Walk’s AI Backlash | Agree or Disagree 1:04:58 - Elder Scrolls VI in Q3 2028 | Over / Under 1:14:36 - Who is the next BioWare? | Autopsy 1:29:49 - Love or Hate in Gaming | Hype or Gripe Watch instead of listen on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=otj90sbgoU0 Get the weekly breakdown in the Gamified newsletter at gamified.beehiiv.com HOST: Sam Steffanina - https://www.linkedin.com/in/samsteffanina/ PANEL: Chris Heatherly - Ex-Disney / Ex-NBCUniversal - https://www.linkedin.com/in/chrisheatherly/ Robin Boyar - thinktank / Ex-EA - https://www.linkedin.com/in/robin-boyar/ Jacob Navok (CEO & Emmy-Award Winner, Genvid) - https://x.com/JNavok Gnoc - Digital Collectors Club - https://x.com/itsGnoc Tony Valcarcel - Makko.ai - https://x.com/Tvalc Kohji Nagata - Parallel - https://x.com/ParallelTCGpod

Xbox says no to Netflix's $500m offer | Roblox going Private? | Games sell to AI Labs | Gamified 183

1 hr 26 min

Should Roblox go Private? Xbox turned down Netflix's $500m offer for IP. Wardogs is stepping away from its game for a month due to GTA VI. Selling your dead game to an AI lab? Change My Mind: Never hire a head of AI! CHAPTERS: 2:51 - Should Roblox Go Private? | Buy or Sell? 20:08 - Xbox Rejects Netflix $500M | Over/Under 44:09 - Taking a Month Off for GTA VI | Buy or Sell? 52:14 - AI Labs Buy Dead Games | What’s the Word? 1:02:26 - Never Hire a Head of AI | Change My Mind 1:11:51 - Love or Hate in Gaming | Hype or Gripe Watch instead of listen on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d5CD01Chym0 Get the weekly breakdown in the Gamified newsletter at gamified.beehiiv.com HOST: Sam Steffanina - https://www.linkedin.com/in/samsteffanina/ PANEL: Chris Heatherly - Ex-Disney / Ex-NBCUniversal - https://www.linkedin.com/in/chrisheatherly/ Wills Spangler - GameCred - https://www.linkedin.com/in/wills-spangler/ Gnoc - Digital Collectors Club - https://x.com/itsGnoc Tony Valcarcel - Makko.ai - https://x.com/Tvalc Kohji Nagata - Parallel - https://x.com/ParallelTCGpod

Steam & AI Game Clones | Games Industry Hiring Scandal | Xbox Cloud | Gamified 182

1 hr 9 min

Tim Sweeney is going after Valve again over Steam's rule that developers disclose generative AI use Indie developers say AI has made cloning a game fast enough to become a racket What's the word you'd use to describe a studio screening job applicants by what they've liked on social media? What’s your sentiment score on a scale of 1-10 on Xbox charging by the hour to stream games you already own? Wardogs banned Summit1G by mistake, and the CEO put the employee on blast What are you loving or hating about the games industry right now? CHAPTERS: 2:37 - Steam’s AI Label is BS | Change My Mind 14:31 - Valve’s Answer to AI Clones | Red / Green Flag 31:36 - Screened by LinkedIn Likes | What’s the Word? 44:30 - Fair Cloud Gaming Price | Sentiment Score 53:11 - Wardogs CEO Crash Out | What’s the Word? 1:00:05 - Get On Your Soapbox | Gamer Rants Watch instead of listen on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3qOorLJfKVs Get the weekly breakdown in the Gamified newsletter at gamified.beehiiv.com HOST: Sam Steffanina - https://www.linkedin.com/in/samsteffanina/ PANEL: Chris Heatherly - Ex-Disney / Ex-NBCUniversal - https://www.linkedin.com/in/chrisheatherly/ Joe Ferencz - Gamefam Founder - https://www.linkedin.com/in/joeferencz/ Tony Valcarcel - Makko.ai - https://x.com/Tvalc Kohji Nagata - Parallel - https://x.com/ParallelTCGpod

BioWare shuts down & cancels Mass Effect | $1,800 Xbox | Gamified 181

1 hr 40 min

EA closes BioWare and cancels the next Mass Effect How many successful games will AI 2027 produce in 2027? Can Xbox sell a $1,200–$1,800 next-gen console? Is Supercell finally showing signs of mortality? Street Fighter and the good, bad, and ugly of video game movies CHAPTERS: 3:07 - EA Shuts Down Bioware | Autopsy 30:13 - 2027 Successful Games | Finish the Sentence 49:56 - Xbox $1200/$1800 Console | Bullish or B******t? 1:11:09 - Supercell’s Future | Buy or Sell? 1:27:44 - Video Game Movies | GOATs vs WOATs Watch instead of listen on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AVIyQpvVr-0&t=2s Get the weekly breakdown in the Gamified newsletter at gamified.beehiiv.com HOST: Sam Steffanina - https://www.linkedin.com/in/samsteffanina/ PANEL: Chris Heatherly - Ex-Disney / Ex-NBCUniversal - https://www.linkedin.com/in/chrisheatherly/ Robin Boyar - thinktank / Ex-EA - https://www.linkedin.com/in/robin-boyar/ Colan Neese - Screen Engine / mindGAME Data - https://www.linkedin.com/in/colanneese/ Gnoc - Digital Collectors Club - https://x.com/itsGnoc Tony Valcarcel - Makko.ai - https://x.com/Tvalc Kohji Nagata - Parallel - https://x.com/ParallelTCGpod

Tim Sweeney Goes ALL IN on AI Game Dev | Xbox XP | Gamified 180

1 hr 10 min

Cross-game mashups: Pokémon football, World of Warcraft with Vampire Survivors, Minecraft systems inside Skyrim...are these game projects a green flag for game creativity, or a red flag for creators and rights holders? Tim Sweeney demands his company go all-AI... is it the right call? What are you loving / what are you hating in gaming right now? What’s your one-word reaction to Xbox XP that was announced on Oct 8? Will browser gaming take a meaningfully larger share of gaming revenue over the next five years? CHAPTERS: 2:23 - Cross-game Mashups | Red or Green Flag? 18:08 - Tim Sweeney’s AI Strategy | Sentiment Score 29:08 - Get On Your Soapbox | Gamer Rants 45:27 - Xbox XP | What’s the Word? 54:08 - Browser Gaming Breakout | Bullish or B******t? 1:04:48 - The Future of VR + MVP Watch instead of listen on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dQoL7FesidE Get the weekly breakdown in the Gamified newsletter at gamified.beehiiv.com HOST: Sam Steffanina - https://www.linkedin.com/in/samsteffanina/ PANEL: Chris Heatherly - Ex-Disney / Ex-NBCUniversal - https://www.linkedin.com/in/chrisheatherly/ Kohji Nagata - Parallel - https://x.com/ParallelTCGpod Oliver Maroney - OpenSea - https://x.com/OliverMaroney

Gaming on iPhone Duo? | Wizards of the Coast Unionizes | Gears of Woke | Gamified 179

1 hr 44 min

Will the iPhone Duo do anything meaningful for gaming? Is Xbox turning around, or just getting better at Public Relations, and Gears of War backlash. Would China's $7.65 billion mini-game boom work in America? Is it reasonable for a game company to sell a player's competitive behavior data if the player knowingly opts in and receives a meaningfully cheaper game? Wizards of the Coast are unionizing - will this lead to the outcome the workers are looking for, or just speed up layoffs? THIS ONE GOT SPICY CHAPTERS: 3:03 - Is iPhone Duo a Gaming Device? 22:36 - Gears of Woke | Sentiment Score 45:18 - China’s Game Strategy | Would This Work? 57:05 - Sell Data for Cheaper Games? | Buy or Sell? 1:08:56 - Game Devs Unionizing | Sentiment Score Watch instead of listen on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OtipggD97p8 Get the weekly breakdown in the Gamified newsletter at gamified.beehiiv.com HOST: Sam Steffanina - https://www.linkedin.com/in/samsteffanina/ PANEL: Chris Heatherly - Ex-Disney / Ex-NBCUniversal - https://www.linkedin.com/in/chrisheatherly/ Robin Boyar - thinktank / Ex-EA - https://www.linkedin.com/in/robin-boyar/ Wills Spangler - GameCred - https://www.linkedin.com/in/wills-spangler/ Oliver Maroney - OpenSea - https://x.com/OliverMaroney Gnoc - Digital Collectors Club - https://x.com/itsGnoc Tony Valcarcel - Makko.ai - https://x.com/Tvalc

WoW Forever Bans Everyone | Minecraft Expands 14 Years Later | Gamified 178

1 hr 32 min

What's the biggest deal in WoW Forever currently? And how important is it for games to listen to streamers being that streamers are not technically normal players? Will it be over or under $200 billion for global games revenue in 2027? Minecraft waited 14 years for a new dimension, was Mojang's restraint strategic discipline, or failure to invest in the game's biggest opportunity? Is November going to be the greatest month in gaming history with WoW Forever, Ocarina of Time, and GTA 6? What's the word that you'd use to describe enjoying a game until you find out it uses AI? CHAPTERS: 3:27 - WoW Forever | What’s the Biggest Deal? 23:50 - Devs Listening to Streamers | Red or Green Flag 30:41 - Gaming’s Growth in 2027 | Over/Under 47:49 - Minecraft: The Sift Dimension | Board Room 58:30 - WoW, Zelda, GTA VI | Dump, Date, Marry 1:08:58 - Aniimo Triggers AI Haters | What’s the Word? Watch instead of listen on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ukyA4JoMfQI Get the weekly breakdown in the Gamified newsletter at gamified.beehiiv.com HOST: Sam Steffanina - https://www.linkedin.com/in/samsteffanina/ PANEL: Chris Heatherly - Ex-Disney / Ex-NBCUniversal - https://www.linkedin.com/in/chrisheatherly/ Craig Allen - CEO @ Snackshop - https://www.linkedin.com/in/4craigallen/ Colan Neese - Screen Engine / mindGAME Data - https://www.linkedin.com/in/colanneese/ Kohji Nagata - Parallel - https://x.com/ParallelTCGpod Gnoc - Digital Collectors Club - https://x.com/itsGnoc Kate Irwin - writer/journalist - https://x.com/kateirwin

Bungie's Apology | Xbox's Ads Patent | Halo's New Home | Resident Evil Movie 10/10? | Gamified 177

1 hr 9 min

After so many failed attempts, can a new MMO offer enough financial upside to justify the risk again, or does the business case only work for established companies like Blizzard and Riot? How confident are you that Bungie's apology puts the studio on a sustainable path back, and how long do we have to wait? Red flag or green flag: watching an advertisement to earn your next block of uninterrupted gameplay? AI letting players choose a game's visual style? Is this a use case that will gain lasting traction, or a filter people try once? Is Resident Evil a 10/10 video game movie? Is Halo getting better leadership, or is Xbox admitting its previous structure failed? CHAPTERS: 3:16 - MMO Comeback | Bullish or B******t? 17:31 - Bungie Redemption? | Sentiment Score 30:37 - Microsoft Ads | Red or Green Flag? 42:30 - Choose Your Art Style | What’s the Word? 52:03 - Halo + Activision | Buy or Sell? Watch instead of listen on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HbafRdQNAAU Get the weekly breakdown in the Gamified newsletter at gamified.beehiiv.com HOST: Sam Steffanina - https://www.linkedin.com/in/samsteffanina/ PANEL: Chris Heatherly - Ex-Disney / Ex-NBCUniversal - https://www.linkedin.com/in/chrisheatherly/ Wills Spangler - GameCred - https://www.linkedin.com/in/wills-spangler/ Colan Neese - Screen Engine / mindGAME Data - https://www.linkedin.com/in/colanneese/ Kohji Nagata - Parallel - https://x.com/ParallelTCGpod Tony Valcarcel - Makko.ai - https://x.com/Tvalc

Kojima to Xbox | Blizzcon | Roblox Dev Conference | Wolverine's Gaffs | Gamified 176

1 hr 20 min

A review telling people not to buy the new Wolverine game got more views than the official trailer What was the biggest announcement from BlizzCon 2026? Is Blizzard so back? Highlights of the Roblox Developer Conference PlayStation tried to cancel Kojima, but Xbox picked him up - did Xbox steal a system-selling creator, or rescue an expensive project Sony was right to abandon? CHAPTERS: 1:48 - Wolverine Launch | What’s the Word? 21:12 - The Best Blizzcon Announcement was… 33:58 - Is Blizzard So Back? | Buy or Sell? 41:15 - Highlights of Roblox Developer Conference 54:24 - Kojima leaves Sony | Big, Little, No Deal Watch instead of listen on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YUB6pbdbMdM Get the weekly breakdown in the Gamified newsletter at gamified.beehiiv.com HOST: Sam Steffanina - https://www.linkedin.com/in/samsteffanina/ PANEL: Chris Heatherly - Ex-Disney / Ex-NBCUniversal - https://www.linkedin.com/in/chrisheatherly/ Wills Spangler - GameCred - https://www.linkedin.com/in/wills-spangler/ Joe Ferencz - Gamefam Founder - https://www.linkedin.com/in/joeferencz/ Gnoc - Digital Collectors Club - https://x.com/itsGnoc Kohji Nagata - Parallel - https://x.com/ParallelTCGpod

Halo’s Remake Credited 12x More People Than the Original | Xbox Removes Discs | Gamified 175

1 hr 26 min

The new Halo had 2100+ names credited to it's development. Has AAA development become catastrophically complicated? Xbox is testing a system that lets players insert a supported Xbox One or Series X disc and claim a digital entitlement for that game. Paddle Paddle Paddle is a $2.99 co-op rage game made by solo developer Mateo Covic, known as Zoroarts. It has a 90% positive Steam rating and more than 55,000 total refunds. Does grading create meaningful digital collectability, or just multiply artificial scarcity? CHAPTERS: 3:35 - Halo Remake Needing 500 People | Over/Under 28:09 - Xbox Disc to Digital | Sentiment Score 39:25 - Beat it, love it, refund it | What’s the Word? 46:57 - PSA Grades for Digital Cards | Bullish or B******t? 1:09:06 - The Day Players Proved You Wrong | Storytime Watch instead of listen on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BmATaGqojww Get the weekly breakdown in the Gamified newsletter at gamified.beehiiv.com HOST: Sam Steffanina - https://www.linkedin.com/in/samsteffanina/ PANEL: Chris Heatherly (Ex-Disney / Ex-NBCUniversal) - https://www.linkedin.com/in/chrisheatherly/ Oliver Maroney (OpenSea) - https://x.com/OliverMaroney Kohji Nagata (Parallel) - https://x.com/ParallelTCGpod Tony (Makko.ai) - https://x.com/Tvalc

Is Call of Duty Cooked? | Ubisoft's Hilarious Launch | Gamified 174

1 hr 48 min

Is this year’s Gamescom a bust and is the entire industry on hold until GTA VI? Is the sour sentiment on gaming really just the XBOX implosion? Ubisoft's $10 Heroes of Might and Magic Complete Edition shadowdrop shipped a broken 23KB dummy exe instead of the game, souring Steam reviews before the real files appeared 11 hours later Are we witnessing the death of a dynasty and the end of CoD’s reign as the king of console? How do you make the Epic Games Store stop sucking? CHAPTERS: 2:42 - Gamescom Showcase | Sentiment Score 24:11 - Gamespocalypse Finally Over? | Buy or Sell? 57:07 - Ubisoft’s Big Oops | What’s the Word 1:07:37 - Call of Duty’s Shooter Dominance | Sentiment Score 1:31:48 - How Does Epic Games Win? | Board Room Watch instead of listen on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UJSzLrSYA5A Get the weekly breakdown in the Gamified newsletter at gamified.beehiiv.com HOST: Chris Heatherly - Ex-Disney / Ex-NBCUniversal - https://www.linkedin.com/in/chrisheatherly/ PANEL: Joe Ferencz — Gamefam Founder - https://www.linkedin.com/in/joeferencz/ Colan Neese - Screen Engine / mindGAME Data - https://www.linkedin.com/in/colanneese/ Robin Boyar - thinktank / Ex-EA - https://www.linkedin.com/in/robin-boyar/ Kohji Nagata -Parallel - https://x.com/ParallelTCGpod Gnoc - Digital Collectors Club - https://x.com/itsGnoc Tony Valcarcel - Makko.ai - https://x.com/Tvalc

GTA VI Leaks | Wolverine Backlash | Gamified 173

1 hr 35 min

GTA VI leak dropped mid-August 2026, about a week before Rockstar’s scheduled official “Extended Look.” Take-Two’s fast DMCA strikes are being read as a signal the footage is real GTA VI is ALSO Turning $100 Games Into the Standard - is this pricing power, a superfan tax, GTA exceptionalism, or proof that the biggest games have been underpriced? Former lead writer Stella Sacco says Saber Interactive removed her from Rideshare "Stimulator" so ChatGPT could write the remaining content Insomniac’s long-awaited Wolverine just had its preview embargo lifted. Hands-on impressions were mostly positive. But when clips hit X, the game became the internet’s preferred punching bag Are we are witnessing a collective "mid-life crisis" among gamers 30 and above? Younger players largely don’t care about physical discs, long-dormant franchises, or the prestige single-player exclusives that defined the PS3/PS4 era CHAPTERS: 4:25 - GTA VI Leaks (+ Memecoin) | What’s the Word? 25:46 - 90% Pre-Orders $100 GTA VI | Big, Little, or No Deal 44:11 - Writer Replaced with AI? | What’s the Word? 1:01:19 - Wolverine Backlash | Signal or Noise? 1:12:15 - Gamer Outrage = Midlife Crisis | Buy or Sell? Watch instead of listen on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5vprN_wO1gY Get the weekly breakdown in the Gamified newsletter at gamified.beehiiv.com HOST: Chris Heatherly - Ex-Disney / Ex-NBCUniversal - https://www.linkedin.com/in/chrisheatherly/ PANEL: Craig Allen (CEO @ Snackshop) - https://www.linkedin.com/in/4craigallen/ Jacob Navok (CEO & Emmy-Award Winner, Genvid) - https://x.com/JNavok Kohji Nagata (Parallel) - https://x.com/ParallelTCGpod Oliver Maroney (OpenSea) - https://x.com/OliverMaroney Gnoc (Digital Collectors Club) - https://x.com/itsGnoc Tony Valcarcel (Makko.ai) - https://x.com/Tvalc

AI Mario and the New Parody Line | ANOTHER TCG? | Gamified 172

1 hr 25 min

Should Nintendo be able to stop a potentially offensive AI parody of Mario depicting real-life war scenarios? Would you invest in the future of gaming being Streaming? Does Every Major IP Need a TCG? If you run Resident Evil, Assassin's Creed, or Forza, is launching a physical collectible counterpart a green flag or a red flag? After 10 years, No Man's Sky players have explored less than 1% of its planets - is the game too big? Should the fan decompilation of games be regarded as preservation or piracy? CHAPTERS: 2:28 - AI Mario Parody is Fair Use | Change My Mind 26:08 - Future of Gaming = Streaming - Would You Invest? 41:15 - Every IP Needs a TCG? Red or Green Flag? 57:18 - No Man’s Sky is Too Big | Bullish or B******t? 1:17:28 - Decompiling Games = Preservation? | Sentiment Score Watch instead of listen on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VDn1WKiMHNo Get the weekly breakdown in the Gamified newsletter at gamified.beehiiv.com HOST: Sam Steffanina - https://www.linkedin.com/in/samsteffanina/ PANEL: Chris Heatherly (Ex-Disney / Ex-NBCUniversal) - https://www.linkedin.com/in/chrisheatherly/ Jordan Feinstein (Reply Corp) - https://www.linkedin.com/in/jordanfeinstein/ Tony Valcarcel (Makko.ai) - https://x.com/Tvalc Michael Christine (Andrometa) - https://x.com/MichaelSatoshiKohji Nagata (Parallel) - https://x.com/ParallelTCGpod Kohji Nagata (Parallel) - https://x.com/ParallelTCGpod

Roblox Stock Down 70% | Nintendo Buy or Sell | Gamified 171

1 hr 40 min

Is the Roblox selloff a temporary monetization reset, or proof that the platform's growth model is breaking? What is the one word for putting prediction and pick-to-win mechanics into games that have nothing to do with sports? Should you buy Nintendo ahead of Thursday's earnings, or is the Switch 2 story already priced in? Steam released roughly twice as many games as it did four years ago. Is that a green flag for creative abundance or a red flag for market saturation? CHAPTERS: 2:43 - Roblox thesis broken? | Sentiment Score 26:39 - Predictions Infected Everything | What’s the Word? 50:45 - Nintendo Stock Pre-Earnings | Buy or Sell? 1:08:57 - Steam Releases Rising | Red or Green Flag? Watch instead of listen on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8T83lpHmcpU Get the weekly breakdown in the Gamified newsletter at gamified.beehiiv.com HOST: Sam Steffanina - / samsteffanina PANEL: Joe Ferencz — Gamefam Founder - / joeferencz Chris Heatherly — Ex-Disney / Ex-NBCUniversal - / chrisheatherly Colan Neese — Screen Engine / mindGAME Data - / colanneese Kohji Nagata (Parallel) - https://x.com/ParallelTCGpod dub (Battletrade) - https://x.com/uhhdub Tony (Makko.ai) - https://x.com/Tvalc

EA Goes Private | AI in WoW | Atari's Movie | Gamified 170

1 hr 32 min

EA promises "creative freedom" under its new Saudi sovereign-fund owners Is DLSS 5 / neural rendering a genuine "GPT moment" for gaming, or NVIDIA hype? Atari turning its arcade catalog into a movie? Capcom wants to release a Resident Evil every year, and it sees remakes as the way to make that cadence work Someone rebuilt World of Warcraft as a single-player experience populated with roughly 1,700 AI-driven companions and NPCs, and r/videogames actually loved it Drop the ban hammer on one gaming-industry norm CHAPTERS: 2:45 - EA Buyout + Creative Freedom | Bullish or B******t? 18:49 - AI Graphics Enhancer | Sentiment Score 52:42 - Atari Classics Movie | Red or Green Flag? 1:08:22 - Capcom’s Annual Resident Evil | Buy or Sell? 1:15:06 - WoW AI Companions | What Can We Learn? 1:22:22 - Industry Norm to Ban Forever | Ban Hammer Watch instead of listen on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IESJ6qn2e40 Get the weekly breakdown in the Gamified newsletter at gamified.beehiiv.com HOST: Sam Steffanina - https://www.linkedin.com/in/samsteffanina/ PANEL: Chris Heatherly - Ex-Disney / Ex-NBCUniversal - https://www.linkedin.com/in/chrisheatherly/ Josh Hassen - Ex-Playstation - https://www.linkedin.com/in/josh-hassin-9a21806/ Kohji Nagata (Parallel) - https://x.com/ParallelTCGpod Oliver Maroney (OpenSea) - https://x.com/OliverMaroney Gnoc (Digital Collectors Club) - https://x.com/itsGnoc Tony Valcarcel (Makko.ai) - https://x.com/Tvalc

Unity 7 is all AI | Gamescom's first sell out | Gamified 169

1 hr 39 min

Unity is building its next-gen engine around AI agents. MindsEye's Meltdown - A GTA legend's comeback studio flops, lays off 400+, blames corporate sabotage, and throws an all-expenses fan party the same day workers protest outside Palworld borrowed Pokemon's whole playbook, got sued by Nintendo, and made ~$700M anyway Gamescom Sells Out for the First Time Ever - is this genuinely bullish for the gaming industy? CHAPTERS: 2:53 - Mindseye Playtest & Layoffs | What’s the Word? 32:50 - Palworld Stealing Mechanics | Buy or Sell? 59:42 - Gamescom Sells Out | Bullish or B******t? 1:20:05 - Unity Bets on Coding Agents | Devil’s Advocate Watch instead of listen on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8NvO5QsZuZI Get the weekly breakdown in the Gamified newsletter at gamified.beehiiv.com HOST: Sam Steffanina - https://www.linkedin.com/in/samsteffanina/ PANEL: Chris Heatherly — Ex-Disney / Ex-NBCUniversal - https://www.linkedin.com/in/chrisheatherly/ Joe Ferencz — Gamefam Founder - https://www.linkedin.com/in/joeferencz/ Oliver Maroney (OpenSea) - https://x.com/OliverMaroney Gnoc (Digital Collectors Club) - https://x.com/itsGnoc Payton Kaleiwahea (Wolves Co / Kizuna) - https://x.com/paytkaleiwahea Tony Valcarcel (Makko.ai) - https://x.com/Tvalc

Games Industry CRASHING? | Sony Returns to Physical If...? | Gamified 168

1 hr 27 min

EA put paid progression into College Football 27's single-player modes, then pulls it days later in launch week? What Would It Actually Take for Sony to Walk Back the Disc Shutdown? 84% of Game Attention Goes to Games Older Than Two Years - is this a crisis for new games? Tim Sweeney Says Steam's Fees Are Leaving Billions on the Table Is the games industry crashing? What does it look like in 2030? CHAPTERS: 2:40 - College Football P2W - What’s the Word? 20:00 - Sony Returns to Physical if… | Finish the Sentence 33:00 - 84% Attention on Older Games | Advise Me 47:54 - Steam Fees Cost them Billions | Board Room 1:09:10 - Games Industry Crashing? Bullish or B******t Watch instead of listen on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nx4bzyLOH2o Get the weekly breakdown in the Gamified newsletter at gamified.beehiiv.com Host: Sam Steffanina - https://www.linkedin.com/in/samsteffanina/ PANEL: Chris Heatherly — Ex-Disney / Ex-NBCUniversal - https://www.linkedin.com/in/chrisheatherly/ Kohji Nagata (Parallel) - https://x.com/ParallelTCGpod Robin Boyar - thinktank / Ex-EA - https://www.linkedin.com/in/robin-boyar/ Gnoc (Digital Collectors Club) - https://x.com/itsGnoc Payton Kaleiwahea (Wolves Co / Kizuna) - https://x.com/paytkaleiwahea

MASSIVE Job cuts from Xbox | Ads come to Console & PC | Gamified 167

1 hr 29 min

Is Asha Sharma's reset actually making Xbox a healthy business? What the **** was Phil Spencer doing, and how did he survive 38 years at Microsoft to walk out with Xbox losing 64 cents on every dollar? On a scale of 0 to 10, how do you feel about ads becoming standard on console and PC? Funds moving from equity to project financing: bullish or b******t? Is this the death of gaming VC, or a necessary evolution? CHAPTERS: 2:22 - Xbox Cuts Jobs & Studios | Buy or Sell 21:30 - Xbox loses 64c on Every Dollar | Autopsy 48:56 - Ads on Console | Buy or Sell 1:09:46 - Equity vs Project Financing | Bullish or B******t Watch instead of listen on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TYlGzPx45Rw Get the weekly breakdown in the Gamified newsletter at gamified.beehiiv.com Host: Sam Steffanina - https://www.linkedin.com/in/samsteffanina/ PANEL: Chris Heatherly — Ex-Disney / Ex-NBCUniversal - https://www.linkedin.com/in/chrisheatherly/ Kohji Nagata (Parallel) - https://x.com/ParallelTCGpod Wills Spangler — GameCred - https://www.linkedin.com/in/wills-spangler/ Tony Valcarcel (Makko.ai) - https://x.com/Tvalc Colan Neese — Screen Engine / mindGAME Data - https://www.linkedin.com/in/colanneese/ Matthew Buxton - Warp Chain (ex-Rovio, Jagex) - https://x.com/BuxtonMatthew

PlayStation Cuts Discs | GTA 6's Full Social Network | Gamified 166

1 hr 28 min

Is the market right to torch AI games, or is this punishing the people doing it well? Physical game discs die January 2028. Big deal, little deal, or no deal - for ownership, the used-game market, preservation, and the players who still care? What's the word on the average gamer being 37, not 17 - does the industry's picture of its own audience need to change, and does it actually change what you build or how you sell it? GTA 6 is building a full social network inside the game, and it is more than set dressing - it changes how you find content. Is the in-game social feed a real shift that spreads to Roblox, Fortnite, and the rest, or a gimmick that fades after the novelty? Meccha Chameleon - Over or under 20 million copies before year end - and is this a model studios can actually copy, or lightning in a bottle? CHAPTERS: 3:14 - AI Stigma | Pick A Side: Consumer or Creator 18:41 - Discs Are Dead | Big Deal, Little Deal, No Deal 41:44 - Avg Gamer = 37 White Male | What’s the Word? 51:14 - GTA VI Social Network | Bullish or B******t 1:06:27 - Meccha Chameleon | Over/Under 25M Sales Watch instead of listen on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6mQlHgtiNSg Get the weekly breakdown in the Gamified newsletter at gamified.beehiiv.com Host: Sam Steffanina - / samsteffanina PANEL: Chris Heatherly — Ex-Disney / Ex-NBCUniversal / / chrisheatherly Wills Spangler — GameCred / / wills-spangler Robin Boyar - thinktank / Ex-EA / / robin-boyar Joe Ferencz — Gamefam Founder / / joeferencz Gnoc (Digital Collectors Club) - https://x.com/itsGnoc dub (Battletrade) - https://x.com/uhhdub

REDEMPTION for God of War: Laufey? | GTA is $80 | UE6 Destroys Blueprints | Gamified 165

1 hr 38 min

Two weeks ago this room mostly buried Laufey through Bullish or B******t. Is the no-Kratos pivot looking like a win, or is the mindshare just negative sentiment piling up? What does GTA 6's release actually mean for the games industry? Is it just one company making money, or will this rising tide actually lift all boats and create another industry boom off the back of it’s success? 24 of 25 were Sequels at Summer Games Fest. Red flag or green flag on the industry's reliance on familiar IP: a real problem the industry has to fix, or just how discovery works now? Every console maker is moving on price at the same time, and the one thing that sidesteps a $1,000 box is streaming. Is Cloud gaming bullish or bullsh1t as a result of this hardware spike? Is phasing out Blueprints a self-inflicted wound that guts the accessibility that made Unreal dominant, or a necessary modernization for a unified future? What are the odds Immutable's pivot actually works, that a collapsed Web3 company becomes a real competitor to AppLovin? CHAPTERS: 2:30 - GoW: Laufey Revisited | Sentiment Score 20:41 - Over/Under $2B GTA VI Sales After 72hrs 3:56 - Summer Games Fest 95% Sequels | Red / Green Flag 57:50 - Console vs Cloud | Bullish or Bullsh1t 1:10:47 - Unreal Blueprints Deprecation | Buy or Sell 1:20:49 - Immutable = AppLovin Games | What are the Odds Watch instead of listen on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ERGSPAD9XYw Get the weekly breakdown in the Gamified newsletter at gamified.beehiiv.com Host: Sam Steffanina -   / samsteffanina   PANEL: Payton Kaleiwahea (Wolves Co / Kizuna) - https://x.com/paytkaleiwahea Kohji Nagata (Parallel) - https://x.com/ParallelTCGpod dub (Battletrade) - https://x.com/uhhdub Chris Heatherly — Ex-Disney / Ex-NBCUniversal /   / chrisheatherly   Wills Spangler — GameCred /   / wills-spangler   Tony (Makko.ai) - https://x.com/Tvalc

Xbox Just Restarted the Console War | Gamified 164

1 hr 35 min

Sharma took over from Spencer last month and is already torching every major decision Xbox made. Employees are surprised. Retailers are confused. Layoffs incoming. Future Halo on PlayStation? Nobody knows. Single-player cinematic games are the new prestige format. The shift already happened — prestige migrated from multiplayer/live-service to authored, story-driven experiences, just like it migrated from film to TV. Live-service is becoming the direct-to-video of gaming: cheap, formulaic, and increasingly abandoned. Change my mind. Sealed Super Mario Bros. just sold for $3 million. A Superman comic fetched $6 million. But whose nostalgia is actually winning? Is there a ceiling? Is it 10 / 20 / 30 years out? Does Gen Z compress the model so hard they break it entirely? Whose nostalgia wins? Change my mind: YouTubers make great movies because filmmaking is adjacent to what they already do. Gamers can't make great games because game development is nothing like playing them. The skill transfer is one-directional. Is this right, or does it oversell how easy filmmaking is and undersell game development? CHAPTERS: 3:22 - Asha's Xbox Exclusive Program 18:19 - Live Service Games are Dead - Change My Mind 45:46 - $3M Sale for Mario Bros in 5 Years? 1:06:04 - YouTubers Are Better Than Hollywood? Watch instead of listen on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CMu4oqkffDs Get the weekly breakdown in the Gamified newsletter at gamified.beehiiv.com Host: Payton Kaleiwahea - https://x.com/paytkaleiwahea (Sam is on his honeymoon) PANEL: Oliver Maroney (OpenSea) - https://x.com/OliverMaroney Kohji Nagata (Parallel) - https://x.com/ParallelTCGpod Gnoc (Digital Collectors Club) - https://x.com/itsGnoc Chris Heatherly — Ex-Disney / Ex-NBCUniversal / / chrisheatherly Wills Spangler — GameCred / / wills-spangler Tony (Makko.ai) - https://x.com/Tvalc

God of War: NO Kratos | Steam Wishlists are BS | Roblox AI | What Killed Destiny? | Gamified 162

1 hr 37 min

Have Steam wishlists become a vanity metric that no longer measures what people think it measures? The market just split on AI, and gaming is the clearest example. Nintendo has no AI features and no AI roadmap - and investors rewarded them for it. Roblox is doing the exact opposite: going all-in, building its own generative foundation models and baking agentic tools into the core of how games get made. The new God of War: Laufey makes you play as Kratos' wife. Is this bullish or bullsh!t? After a ~12-year run, Bungie is ending active development on Destiny 2 with one final content update. There is no Destiny 3. The studio's future is Marathon. Watch instead of listen on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i-m6e8ZHu_Y Get the weekly breakdown in the Gamified newsletter at gamified.beehiiv.com CHAPTERS: 0:00 - Intro 2:42 - Steam Wishlists = B******t | Change My Mind 22:41 - Roblox All-In On AI | Sentiment Score 47:57 - God-dess of War? | Bullish or B******t? 1:10:28 - What Killed Destiny? | Autopsy PANEL: Michael Christine (Andrometa) - https://x.com/MichaelSatoshi Jerry Singer (ex- Upptic) - https://x.com/JerrySinger Joe Ferencz — Gamefam Founder / / joeferencz Chris Heatherly — Ex-Disney / Ex-NBCUniversal / / chrisheatherly Wills Spangler — GameCred / / wills-spangler Colan Neese — Screen Engine / mindGAME Data linkedin.com/in/colanneese Host: Sam Steffanina - https://x.com/SamSteffanina

Forza Leaked and Broke Every Record | Sony Kills PC Ports | $38B Saudi Gaming Bet | Gamified #161

1 hr 37 min

THIS WEEK ON GAMIFIED: Forza Horizon 6 leaked before launch - then broke every franchise record. 172K concurrent on early access alone. 302K by end of week. Nearly 4x FH5's all-time peak. Sony held a staff town hall: single-player first-party games are PS5 exclusive going forward. No more Steam ports. A direct reversal of a six-year trend. Nintendo stock jumped 6.8% in three days. The reason? Investors rotating out of AI stocks into companies that aren't burning money on it. Saudi Arabia deployed $38 billion into gaming through Savvy Gaming Group. The acquisition phase is done. Now what? Amazon cancelled its Lord of the Rings MMO for the second time. Six days later, Warhorse Studios announced an open-world Middle-earth RPG. Xbox hired Matthew Ball as Chief Strategy Officer. The most analytics-driven hire the console space has ever made. But can strategy decks fix Xbox? Also... sorry for no episode last week - I got married! CHAPTERS: 0:00 - Intro 2:42 - Forza Horizon 6: Did the Leak Actually Help? | Buy or Sell 16:26 - Saudi Arabia Spent $38B on Gaming | Sentiment Score 34:08 - LOTR Goes to Warhorse | What's the Word 49:53 - Can Matthew Ball Save Xbox? | What Are the Odds 1:04:27 - Sony Goes Full PS5 Exclusive, Kills PC Ports | Buy or Sell Watch instead of listen on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VswZ5WNNJKo Get the weekly breakdown in the Gamified newsletter at gamified.beehiiv.com PANEL: Kate Irwin (Veda) - https://x.com/kateirwin Payton Kaleiwahea (Wolves Co / Kizuna) - https://x.com/paytkaleiwahea Michael Christine (Andrometa) - https://x.com/MichaelSatoshi Kohji Nagata (Parallel) - https://x.com/ParallelTCGpod Gnoc (Digital Collectors Club) - https://x.com/itsGnoc Omar Ghanem (Games.gg) https://x.com/yoitsOG Host: Sam Steffanina - https://x.com/SamSteffanina

Is the $200b Games Industry Collapsing? | Gamified Debate #160

1 hr 25 min

We score the health of the gaming industry 1 to 10. Gaming VC dropped 95% from its 2021 peak. 10,000+ jobs cut in 2024. Contraction or correction? Sony paid $3.6 billion for Bungie in 2022. Both Marathon and Destiny 2 are at 10K players on Steam. The panel votes buy or sell. Double Fine unionizes with 42 employees while studios shut down around them. Sam rates Mortal Kombat 2 a 1.5 out of 10. Chris tries to defend it. GTA 6 reportedly cost $1B to $1.5B. Take-Two's CEO said Rockstar gets "unlimited resources." Is there a number that's too much? CHAPTERS (update timestamps before publishing): 0:00 - Intro 2:12 - Sony's $3.6B Bungie Bet | Buy or Sell 20:55 - Is the $200B Gaming Industry Contracting? | Sentiment Score 42:09 - Double Fine Unionizes While Studios Die | What Are the Odds 1:00:29 - Mortal Kombat 2 Review | Quickfire 1:10:37 - GTA 6 Unlimited Budget | Over/Under Watch instead of listen on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=02n2n7h5PVI Get the weekly breakdown in the Gamified newsletter at gamified.beehiiv.com PANEL: Jonah Blake (LiveFrame) - https://x.com/JonahBlake Kohji Nagata (Parallel) - https://x.com/ParallelTCGpod Gnoc (Digital Collectors Club) - https://x.com/itsGnoc Chris Heatherly (Ex-Disney, Ex-NBC Universal) - https://x.com/chrisheatherly Jerry Singer (ex- Upptic) - https://x.com/JerrySinger dub (Battletrade) - https://x.com/uhhdub Host: Sam Steffanina - https://x.com/SamSteffanina

Why Epic Can't Fix Fortnite | GameStop's Bid for eBay | Gamified Debate #159

1 hr 44 min

Ryan Cohen's GameStop makes an unsolicited $55.5B bid for eBay. Is this a legitimate M&A play or a $9.4B cash pile under pressure? The panel assigns odds from 2% to 50%+. Gaming VC hit $627M in H1 2025 — down from $12.5B at the 2021 peak. The panel argues the bullish case and identifies which categories can still generate returns Microsoft is reportedly exploring a free, ad-supported Xbox Game Pass tier. Star Wars dropped a UEFN-focused Fortnite activation with flat concurrency. Who would you hire for a Head of Product: 20-year Riot/Blizzard vet or 24-year-old Roblox builder with 250 million lifetime players? CHAPTERS: 0:00 - Intro 2:50 - GameStop Bids $55.5B for eBay | What Are the Odds 22:45 - Gaming VC Is Dead. Or Is It? | Devil's Advocate 46:58 - Free Xbox Game Pass — Right Move? | Red Flag or Green Flag 1:03:56 - Star Wars in Fortnite — Buy or Sell? | Buy or Sell 1:26:05 - AAA Vet vs. Roblox Builder | Would You Rather Watch instead of listen on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h8XapwgE7xw Get the weekly breakdown in the Gamified newsletter at gamified.beehiiv.com *This week's panel:* Sam Steffanina — Remix.gg / Gamified Events / samsteffanina kohji Nagata — Parallel https://x.com/ParallelTCGpod Gnoc — Digital Collectors Club / Ex-Magic Eden https://x.com/itsGnoc Chris Heatherly — Ex-Disney / Ex-NBCUniversal / chrisheatherly Colan Neese — Screen Engine / mindGAME Data linkedin.com/in/colanneese Joe Ferencz — Gamefam Founder / joeferencz Wills Spangler — GameCred / wills-spangler

Replace 30% of a Game Studio With AI? | Gamified Debate #158

1 hr 29 min

If you were running a studio, would you automate over or under 30% of it with AI? After comments suggesting many studios are already using AI tools but are afraid to admit it publicly, the conversation turns into a fight over what AI should actually replace, whether studios are quietly cutting humans out faster than they admit, and what happens when the industry starts trading headcount for tooling. The episode also breaks down the shutdown of Wildcard / Thousands and what another major web3 gaming collapse says about overfunding, overbuilding, and trying to force an ecosystem before the game itself sticks. From there, the crew gets into the resurfaced Peter Berg quotes calling war video games “pathetic” and whether that makes him a red flag or green flag choice to direct the upcoming Call of Duty movie, plus Sony’s reported 30-day PS5 digital license check and what it says about digital ownership. Chapters 2:06 - Wildcard Shutdown | Autopsy 28:14 - Game Studio = 30% AI | Over / Under? 1:00:42 - Peter Berg CoD Movie | Red or Green Flag? 1:19:02 - PS5 License Checks | What’s the Word? Watch instead of listen on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JxgjOUdFm90 Get the weekly breakdown in the Gamified newsletter at gamified.beehiiv.com Host: Sam Steffanina - Remix.gg Panelists: Kohji Nagata - Parallel https://x.com/ParallelTCGpod Chris Heatherley - Griffin Gaming Partners (Ex-Disney, Ex-NBC Universal) https://x.com/chrisheatherly Matt "Gnoc" Biamonte - Digital Collectors Club (Ex-Magic Eden, Soar Esports) https://x.com/itsGnoc Michael Christine - Andrometa (Ex-SEC Lawyer) https://x.com/MichaelSatoshi Tony Valcarcel - Makko.ai (Ex-Twitch) https://x.com/Tvalc Jerry Singer - (Ex-Upptic) https://x.com/JerrySinger

Gamified #157 | Stop Killing Games | Roblox Stock | Game Career Advice

1 hr 40 min

This week on Gamified, the panel breaks down Stop Killing Games and whether it’s a real consumer protection issue or a bad precedent for the industry, Roblox’s new age-based safety changes and what they mean for the company’s future, and the State of Decay 3 reveal controversy after the game was announced long before it was actually ready to show. 2:29 - Stop Killing Games | What’s the Word? 36:18 - Roblox Safety Pivot | Buy or Sell? 54:50 - State of Decay Reveal | Fair or Foul? 1:12:23 - Working in Games | Advise Me 1:25:50 - Street Fighter vs Mortal Kombat | Who Ya Got? Subscribe to the Gamified newsletter: https://gamified.beehiiv.com/ Watch instead of listen on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x2TB2tkknlU Host - Sam Steffanina - Remix.gg, Gamified Events https://x.com/SamSteffanina Panelists: Kohji Nagata - Parallel https://x.com/ParallelTCGpod Chris Heatherly - Griffin Gaming Partners (Ex-Disney, Ex-NBC Universal) https://x.com/chrisheatherly Matt "Gnoc" Biamonte - Digital Collectors Club (Ex-Magic Eden, Soar Esports) https://x.com/itsGnoc Matthew Buxton - Warp Chain (ex-Rovio, Jagex) Wills Spangler - GameCred (ex-Avalanche) https://x.com/WillsSpangler Tony Valcarcel - Makko.ai (ex-Twitch) https://x.com/Tvalc

Gamified #156 | SteamGPT | Disney’s Extraction Shooter

1 hr 28 min

The strange rollout of Borderlands Mobile, reports that Disney and Epic want to launch their gaming universe with an extraction shooter, the allegations surrounding Gunzilla Games + Ashes of Creation, and why Roblox games are getting movie deals. 2:51 - Steam’s AI Leak | What’s the Word? 19:26 - Borderlands Surprise Launch | Red or Green Flag? 30:22 - Disney Extraction Shooter | Sentiment Score 58:51 - Ashes vs Gunzilla | Bigger Deal? 1:13:39 - Roblox UGC Movie | What’s the Word? Subscribe to the Gamified newsletter: https://gamified.beehiiv.com/ Watch instead of Listen on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4D51MM7jFAA Host - Sam Steffanina https://x.com/SamSteffanina Panelists: Kohji Nagata - Parallel https://x.com/ParallelTCGpod Chris Heatherley - Griffin Gaming Partners (Ex-Disney, Ex-NBC Universal) https://x.com/chrisheatherly Kate Irwin - Veda (Ex-Blockworks Ex-PCMag https://x.com/kateirwin Michael Christine - Andrometa (Ex-SEC Lawyer) https://x.com/MichaelSatoshi Matt "Gnoc" Biamonte - Digital Collectors Club (Ex-Magic Eden, Soar Esports) https://x.com/itsGnoc Colan Neese - Screen Engine & mindGAME Data LinkedIn / colanneese Info on the Gunzilla and Ashes of Creation topic: https://navarti.in.ua/1048774-vlad-korolev-alexander-zoll-and-gunzilla-games-russian-mafia-assets-laundered.html https://www.dexerto.com/gaming/failed-mmo-devs-reportedly-used-3-2m-kickstarter-funds-on-trading-cards-more-3350692/

Gamified #155 | Would You Rather Invest 10 Indies or 1 AAA? (DEBATE)

1 hr 38 min

The panel debates Take-Two (GTA6) cutting its AI team, whether game adaptations should be made for core fans or mainstream audiences, if PC is really about to overtake console, and if AAA is still the safer bet than indies. We also get into , AI’s role in preserving game history, and whether a curated indie subscription service can actually work. 2:08 - Fan Service in Game Adaptations | Bullish or B******t 12:37 - Would you rather 10 indies or 1 AAA? 39:34 - PC vs Console Revenue | Over/Under 57:28 - Take-Two Cuts AI Team | Red Flag or Green Flag? 1:05:05 - AI Game Preservation | What’s the Word? 1:15:39 - Indie Game Pass | Sentiment Score 1:33:29 - MVP of the Show Subscribe to the Gamified newsletter: https://gamified.beehiiv.com/ Watch instead of listen on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eKDmIzdV1Lg Host - Sam Steffanina - https://x.com/SamSteffanina Panelists: Kohji Nagata - Parallel - https://x.com/ParallelTCGpod Chris Heatherley - Griffin Gaming (Ex-Disney, Ex-NBC Universal) - https://x.com/chrisheatherly Tony Valcercel Makko AI (Ex-Twitch Prime) - https://x.com/Tvalc Payton Kaleiwahea (Wolves Co, Kizuna) - https://x.com/paytkaleiwahea Jonah Blake (LiveFrame) - https://x.com/JonahBlake Jerry Singer (Exit Liquidity show) - https://x.com/JerrySinger

Gamified #154 | Disney's "Playable TV" | Marathon Loses 85% of Players | Sony Hikes PS5 Prices

1 hr 33 min

Is Marathon already dead? Sony just raised PS5 prices for the second time in a year. The CEO of an $11 billion company used ChatGPT to try dodging a $250M payout. Plus Chris Heatherly serves up a rumor about Disney. CHAPTERS: 2:55 Is Marathon Already Cooked? 19:20 PS5's are 30% More Expensive 36:48 Metacritic's Top 10 Publishers 48:08 Disney is Working on "Playable TV" 1:01:29 How Much Did Nintendo Pay for Hades 2 (Exclusive) 1:14:12 Krafton's $250m Disaster + CEO Embarassment 1:31:00 MVP Voting Watch instead of listen on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RYAAnN4fTy4 Get the weekly breakdown in the Gamified newsletter at gamified.beehiiv.com Host - Sam Steffanina https://x.com/SamSteffanina Panelists: Kohji Nagata - Parallel https://x.com/ParallelTCGpod Chris Heatherley - Griffin Gaming (Ex-Disney, Ex-NBC Universal) https://x.com/chrisheatherly Kevin Lambert - Origins TCG (Ex-Microsoft) https://x.com/kevinlambert Wills Spangler GameCred https://x.com/WillsSpangler Tony Valcercel Makko AI (Ex-Twitch Prime) https://x.com/Tvalc Gnoc - Digital Collectibles Club (Ex-Soar Gaming/Eleven Esports) https://x.com/itsGnoc

Gamified #153 | Epic & Fortnite Stumble | Crimson Desert CAUGHT | Nintendo vs Marvel

1 hr 28 min

The panel goes to war over Nintendo vs Marvel, dunks on Epic's disaster, dissects the $80B metaverse failure, and debates whether Crimson Desert's AI art scandal even matters. 4:00 Big Deal?: Crimson Desert AI Art Scandal 19:55 Buy or Sell: Cyberpunk TCG Kickstarter ($13M Raised) 35:49 Autopsy: What Killed the Metaverse? ($80B Lost) 46:45 Quickfire: GameStop Declares Xbox 360 "Retro" 53:06 Boardroom: Epic Games Lays Off 1,000 Employees 1:06:33 CEO: Nintendo vs Marvel - Who Owns the Next Decade? Subscribe to the Gamified news letter for summaries, quotes and extras: https://gamified.beehiiv.com/ Watch instead of listen on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eKSyYkeTvl8 Host - https://x.com/paytkaleiwahea Follow our panelists: Sam Steffanina https://x.com/SamSteffanina Chris Heatherly - https://x.com/chrisheatherly Jerry Singer - https://x.com/JerrySinger Oliver Maroney - https://x.com/OliverMaroney Michael Christine - https://x.com/MichaelSatoshi Gnoc (Matt Biamonte) - https://x.com/itsGnoc

Gamified #152 | NVIDIA's Most Hated Demo | Pokemon Go Harvested 30 BILLION Images | Slay the Spire 2?

1 hr 19 min

Topics on today's show - 143 million Pokemon Go players unknowingly built a 30 BILLION image AI dataset. Microsoft announced Gaming Copilot for Xbox - an AI that can play the game for you. NVIDIA showed DLSS 5 and the internet lost its mind (in a bad way). Slay the Spire 2 sold 3 million copies at $25 - did they leave millions on the table? GDC rebranded as a "Festival" and nobody cared or noticed. And Roblox accounted for 67% of ALL gaming growth outside China. CHAPTERS: 0:28 - Pokemon Go selling data 11:58 - Xbox is getting Microsoft Copilot 27:40 - Slay the Spire TOO CHEAP? 38:49 - GDC "festival" buy or sell?57:36 - Nvidia's DLSS 5 1:08:53 - Is Roblox the only stock worth buying in Gaming? Watch instead of listen on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4UJ3DB-zf2E Get the weekly breakdown in the Gamified newsletter at gamified.beehiiv.com Host - Sam Steffanina https://x.com/SamSteffanina PANELISTS: Chris Heatherly - https://x.com/chrisheatherly Jerry Singer - https://x.com/JerrySinger Oliver Maroney - https://x.com/OliverMaroney Wills Spangler - https://x.com/WillsSpangler Gnoc (Matt Biamonte) - https://x.com/itsGnoc

Gamified #151 | MARATHON'S COMEBACK | NY AG SUES VALVE | NETFLIX HATES GAMING

1 hr 37 min

Game Modes + Topics for this episode: 0:37 Netflix Valued Warner Bros Games at Zero 13:55 Marathon's Massive Sentiment Reversal 26:44 NY AG Sues Valve Over CS2 Loot Boxes 43:33 Where Does Gaming UGC Go From Here? 59:30 Pokemon Gen 10 Revealed 1:22:09 Should Celebrities Be Making Games? Red Flag or Green Flag — Paramount just acquired Warner Bros Discovery, including Mortal Kombat, Batman Arkham, and LEGO Games. Netflix walked away and said they attributed zero value to the game studios. Red flag or green flag for Warner Bros Games? Sentiment Score — Marathon had plagiarism accusations, a boring alpha, and an indefinite delay. Then Bungie ran the Server Slam and 143,000 people showed up on day one. Score it before and after. Both numbers before you explain. Big Deal, Little Deal, No Deal — The New York AG just sued Valve, calling CS2 loot boxes illegal gambling. The skins market is worth $4.3 billion. A single skin sold for over a million dollars. Big deal? Finish the Sentence — Roblox has 88 million daily active users and represents 67% of all net growth in gaming. In 5 years, gaming UGC will be ___? What's the Word — Pokemon Day just happened — the 30th anniversary. Generation 10 is officially Pokemon Winds and Waves. Switch 2 exclusive. Underwater exploration. What's the word? Bullish or B******t — Last Flag is a free-to-play hero shooter that had 100K Steam wishlists before Imagine Dragons ever got involved. Then the band signed on, the trailer hit 280K YouTube views in a week, and Tyler1 joined the party. Should celebrities be in games? Watch instead of listen on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AdASe58sCAk Get the weekly breakdown in the Gamified newsletter at gamified.beehiiv.com Follow our panelists: Host - Sam Steffanina https://x.com/SamSteffanina Kohji Nagata - https://x.com/ParallelTCGpod Jerry Singer - https://x.com/JerrySinger Oliver Maroney - https://x.com/OliverMaroney Michael Christine - https://x.com/MichaelSatoshi Gnoc (Matt Biamon...

Gamified #150 | XBOX'S NEW BOSS...HAS NEVER PLAYED XBOX

1 hr 33 min

Gamified is a weekly gaming-industry panel show, played as a game. Host Sam Steffanina and a panel of industry operators, builders and founders take on the week's biggest gaming stories: the deals, the layoffs, the launches and the hot takes. Every topic is a round. Everyone answers first, then we go around the horn and argue it out. New episode every week. Watch the full show on YouTube (https://www.youtube.com/@SamSteffanina), and get the weekly breakdown in the Gamified newsletter at gamified.beehiiv.com. 1. What's the Word -- Sony quietly shut down Bluepoint Games, the studio behind some of the most beloved remakes in gaming history. 70 people out. No warning. 2. Devil's Advocate -- Xbox just appointed an AI executive with zero gaming experience as its new head. 5.6 million people are not happy. We argue the other side. 3. Sentiment Score -- Blizzard announced Overwatch Rush, a brand new top-down hero shooter built from the ground up for mobile. Zero to ten, what's your number? 4. Change My Mind -- Friend Slop is oversaturated. Unicycling sausages, airport security simulators, Super Battle Golf. The genre has hit the wall. Change our mind. 5. Explain like I'm a Shareholder -- A new report says gaming is losing your Friday nights to gambling, OnlyFans, and online casinos. Why buy gaming stocks? 6. Red Flag or Green Flag -- Nintendo is charging $20 for Pokemon games outside their subscription. Microsoft is stuffing more into Game Pass and raising the price. Both are getting roasted. Red flag or green flag for gaming subscriptions? Get the weekly breakdown in the Gamified newsletter at gamified.beehiiv.com PANELISTS: Kevin Lambert - https://x.com/kevinlambert Kohji Nagata - https://x.com/ParallelTCGpod Wills Spangler - https://x.com/WillsSpangler Michael O'connor - / mjoc9 Gnoc (Matt Biamonte) - https://x.com/itsGnoc dub (Andrew Wian) - https://x.com/uhhdub

Gamified #149 | Overwatch Thrives & Highguard Dies | Diablo ships Warlock

1 hr 24 min

Gamified is a weekly gaming-industry panel show, played as a game. Host Sam Steffanina and a panel of industry operators, builders and founders take on the week's biggest gaming stories: the deals, the layoffs, the launches and the hot takes. Every topic is a round. Everyone answers first, then we go around the horn and argue it out. New episode every week. Watch the full show on YouTube (https://www.youtube.com/@SamSteffanina), and get the weekly breakdown in the Gamified newsletter at gamified.beehiiv.com. Game Modes + Topics for this episode: 1. What's the Word — Blizzard surprise-dropped a brand new class for a 25-year-old game, Diablo 2 Resurrected 2. Ship It or Rip It — Over half of game industry professionals think generative AI is hurting the industry. Is the backlash justified? 3. Sentiment Score - Overwatch 2 drops the 2 and becomes Overwatch... again? 4. Red Flag or Green Flag — Five, six, seven-year dev cycles are becoming the norm. Is that a sign of ambition or a broken industry? 5. Who's to Blame? — Highguard launched, got destroyed by the internet, and the devs hit back. We dig into who's actually responsible. PANELISTS: Kevin Lambert - https://x.com/kevinlambert Kohji Nagata - https://x.com/ParallelTCGpod Wills Spangler - https://x.com/WillsSpangler Jerry Singer - https://x.com/JerrySinger Gnoc (Matt Biamonte) - https://x.com/itsGnoc Michael Christine - https://x.com/MichaelSatoshi Behind the scenes - Lemz https://x.com/Lemz_42

Gamified #148 | Highguard Trailer | Steam Changes

2 hr 1 min

What’s the Word on Highguard trailer revealed at The Game Awards?Off the Grid launches ranked mode 1 year after launch - is it too little too late?Sentiment score for Steam’s new discovery systemWhich side is winning in 5 years - indie or AAA?2025 was the year of the ______?MVP of the Year Today’s Panelists: - Dub @uhhdub - Kohji @ParallelTCGpod - Chris @chrisheatherly - Jerry @TGIFresco - Sinjin @SinjinMAYG - Gnoc @itsGnoc - Kevin @kevinlambert - Wills @willsspangler - Matthew @BuxtonMatthew

Simplified #97 | Best & Worst of 2025

1 hr 18 min

Doodles mint stalls BEST AND WORST OF 2025 One thing to be excited about in 2026 Today’s Panelists: - Dub @uhhdub - Hantao @Hantao - Jonah @JonahBlake - Slayer @SlayerXgg - Charlie @0xChuckstock - Gorilla @CryptoGorilla - Oliver @OliverMaroney

Gamified #147 | Netflix | Trump Game | Fableborne

1 hr 54 min

What’s the word for Netflix trying to acquire Warner Bros? Keep or kill - should Steam drop the “made with AI” label? Bullish or b******t on Fableborne “buying back” token allocation from NFT holders and airdropping USDC? Sentiment Score on Trump game launching on Open Loot What’s the word for Cambria generating over 1m in just a couple of days? Today’s Panelists: - Dub @uhhdub - Jerry @TGIFresco - Sinjin @SinjinMAYG - Gnoc @itsGnoc - Kate @kateirwin - Kevin @kevinlambert - Chris @chrisheatherly - Wills @willsspangler - Michael @MichaelSatoshi - Voh @vohvohh

Simplified #96 | GAMING IS BACK?

1 hr 31 min

Is Gaming SO back? ZACH XBT Is Decentralized social media dead? Today’s Panelists: - Jordan @JordanEureka_ - Matthew @BuxtonMatthew - Iceyyy @iceyyy_gaming - Dub @uhhdub - Hantao @Hantao - Jonah @JonahBlake - Slayer @SlayerXgg - Charlie @0xChuckstock - Tony @Tvalc

Gamified #146 | Shrapnel Olympics??? | 2025 GOTY

1 hr 39 min

Bullish or B******t on Kill Bill short film being released in Fortnite? What's the Word for a web3 game framing themselves as an olympic esport? What’s the Word for Roblox CEO saying prediction markets in Roblox is a “brilliant idea”? Who’s side are you on: Square Enix who are replacing most of their QA team with AI, or Balder’s Gate 3 team member who says replacing human QA with AI is stupid? What will be GOTY? Marry 1, dump the rest: Clair Obscur: Expedition 33, Death Stranding 2: On The Beach, Donkey Kong Bananza, Hades II, Hollow Knight: Silksong, Kingdom Come: Deliverance II Sentiment Score on Wilder World N3o’s tweet response Today’s Panelists: - Dub @uhhdub - Wills @WillsSpangler - Kevin @kevinlambert - Chris @chrisheatherly - Gnoc @itsGnoc - Kohji @ParallelTCGpod - Michael @MichaelSatoshi - Jesus @JesusMartinez

Simplified #95 | $MSTR Genius or Collapsing? | Kabuto King

1 hr 22 min

WTF is a Kabuto King? Is $MSTR about to collapse? $JESSE launch Today’s Panelists: - Dub @uhhdub - Chris @chrisheatherly - Slayer @SlayerXgg - Jonah @JonahBlake - Payton @paytkaleiwahea - Matthew @BuxtonMatthew

Gamified #145 | 77bit | Husbando Games | Gabe Cube

2 hr 9 min

What’s the word for “husbando” dating sim with almost 1B in revenue? 77 bit founder putting personal funds on the line for 77 days of life for his company to succeed or else it dies - what are the odds he succeeds? What’s the word for Philippines being the #1 revenue generating country for Legend of YMIR over the last 30 days? Games with anticheat as well as non-steam games cant be played on the steam machine AKA gabe cube. Does this change your sentiment? Today’s Panelists: - Kohji @parallelTCGpod - Michael @MichaelSatoshi - Dub @uhhdub - Jerry @TGIFresco - Spang @WillsSpangler - Sinjin @SinjinMAYG - Jonah @JonahBlake - Gnoc @itsGnoc - Oliver @olivermaroney

Simplified #94 | MONAD

1 hr 33 min

Today's Panelists: - Matthew @BuxtonMatthew - Slayer @SlayerXgg - Jerry @TGIFresco - Dub @uhhdub - Jonah @JonahBlake - Tony @tvalc - Chris @chrisheatherly - Kate @kateirwin - Jordan @JordanEureka_

Gamified #144 | LIVE FROM MANILA!

1 hr 25 min

Football.Fun - is it a web3 game? Sentiment Score - Mystic Axie sells for 3 ETH What's the word? Web 3 gaming vs Crypto Gaming vs Blockchain Gaming vs Gaming Dump / Date / Marry - Parallel TCG, Parallel Colony, Parallel Sanctuary Gallaxia / Planet X - What are the odds of it's success? Play or Pass? - Atia's Legacy, Grand Arena, Pudgy Party With panelists: - Payton @paytkaleiwahea - Jerry @TGIFresco - Kohji @ParallelTCGPod - Oliver @OliverMaroney - Omar @yoitsOG - Matthew @BuxtonMatthew - Michael @MichaelSatoshi - Dub @uhhdub - Iceyyy @Iceyyy_gaming - Hantao @Hantao

Gamified #143 | STEAM 3x LAUNCH?!?!

1 hr 51 min

What's the word for Payday going back to focus on an older title? Bullish or B******t on Community Gaming sunsetting support for their token to focus on their other product Forkast? Dump, date, marry - Steam’s new hardware Bullish or Biased - Atia’s legacy feedback Sentiment Score - Animoca finding a way to get listed on the Nasdaq without an IPO GAM3S Awards - predictions for Game of the year Today’s Panelists: - Dub @uhhdub - Chris @chrisheatherly - Jerry @TGIFresco - Kevin @kevinlambert - Michael @MichaelSatoshi - Sinjin @SinjinMAYG - Gnoc @itsGnoc - Wills @WillsSpangler

Simplified #93 | ICO vs Mega | 2k Stimmy? | Azuki TCG

1 hr 27 min

Is Azuki’s IP expansion the right move? IcoBeast said that “airdrop farmers” are the single worst foundation for a community - was he wrong here? Potential dividend cheque - should we expect this to move the market? Today’s Panelists: Dub @uhhdub Chris @chrisheatherly Slayer @SlayerXgg Tony @tvalc Phin @PhinTotten Jonah @JonahBlake Jerry @TGIFresco Gorilla @CryptoGorillaYT Jon @jradoff

Gamified #142 | Kuroro/Moonfrost | Ymir

1 hr 58 min

Sentiment score on Legend of Ymir What’s the bigger deal - Kuroro Beast stealth launching their token on the Believe platform on Solana OR Moonfrost abruptly announcing they are leaving web3 to launch the game on Steam with no crypto or NFTs? Agree or disagree with Jonah - "All of entertainment competes with all of entertainment" Predictions for the GAM3S.GG rewards Today’s Panelists: - Jerry @TGIFresco - Dub @uhhdub - Chris @chrisheatherly - Gnoc @itsGnoc - Michael @MichaelSatoshi - Tony @tvalc - Kevin @kevinlambert - Jonah @JonahBlake - Kohji @ParallelTCGPod - Sinjin @SinjinMAYG

Simplified #92 | NFL FDF | ETHOS | YouTube vs Crypto

1 hr 25 min

YouTube is coming after Crypto? Is ETHOS the ultimate version of InfoFI? NFL on FDF is right around the corner…what do we expect? Today’s Panelists: - Charlie @0xChuckstock - Gorilla @CryptoGorillaYT - Chris @chrisheatherly - Dub @uhhdub - Jonah @JonahBlake - Slayer @SlayerXgg - Jordan @JordanEureka_ - Matthew @BuxtonMatthew - Hantao @Hantao

Gamified #141 | CS Marketplace | AIrev’s Purchase

1 hr 58 min

What’s the word for Halo releasing on PlayStation? What was Iceyyy talking about in his post? What’s the great marketing strategy no one is replicating? What’s the word for Counterstrike’s skin changes? ParagonsDAO Parallel assets all being acquired for $220k For or against microtransactions in games? In 2024, they accounted for 58% of revenue and Ubisoft claims it makes the games “more fun” Today’s Panelists: - Kohji @ParallelTCGpod - Dub @uhhdub - Kate @pixiekate13 - Jerry @TGIFresco - Spang @WillsSpangler - Kevin @kevinlambert - Gnoc @itsGnoc - Chris @chrisheatherly

Simplified #91 | MEGA | BAYC

1 hr 25 min

The MegaETH presale is finally open Can BAYC actually deliver on the hype they just created? Today’s Panelists: - Oliver @OliverMaroney - Charlie @0xChuckstock - Jonah @RealJonahBlake - Matt @BuxtonMatthew - Slayer @SlayerXgg - Dub @uhhdub - IcoBeast @beast_ico - Hantao @Hantao - Chris @chrisheatherly

See all 200 episodes

–

0 ratings from members

5
4
3
2
1

Rate this podcast

Log in to rate and review the shows you listen to.

No reviews yet — be the first member to rate "Gamified".

This podcast, its content and its artwork are not owned by, affiliated with, or endorsed by Castquire.

Keep listening

Discover more podcasts like this.

Browse podcasts See the charts

Up next

  1. Nothing queued. Use + Queue on any episode to line it up.

0:00 0:00

Cookies

We set only what the site needs to sign you in and remember your theme. No advertising, no analytics. Read more.