ACG - The Best Gaming Podcast

Forza Horizon Reviews Breakdown, Directive 8020 Breakdown The best Gaming Podcast # 589

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Each Friday ACG and some pals Silver, Rej, Abssi, and Jonny from https://www.twitch.tv/jonnyplayslive get together to discuss games, life, books, movies and everything else. New home of the ACG Best Gaming Podcast
Follow me on Twitter for reviews and info @jeremypenter-JOIN the ACG Reddit https://www.reddit.com/r/ACGVids/ https://www.patreon.com/AngryCentaurGaming

Xbox changes nothing, Valve walks into 2026, Nintendo Price Hike The best Gaming Podcast # 588

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Each Friday ACG and some pals Silver, Rej, Abssi, and Jonny from https://www.twitch.tv/jonnyplayslive get together to discuss games, life, books, movies and everything else. New home of the ACG Best Gaming Podcast
Follow me on Twitter for reviews and info @jeremypenter-JOIN the ACG Reddit https://www.reddit.com/r/ACGVids/ https://www.patreon.com/AngryCentaurGaming

How Do New MMO's Work?, Marathon has a story, The best Gaming Podcast # 587

Busy week we leap into handhelds, steam sales, consoles, and even more in todays podcast

This is an "Inside Baseball" podcast episode covering:
Marathon (Bungie) - Years-long story plan announced, sold ~1 million copies, which is low for Bungie but better than expected. Nobody's really talking about the story though, it's all about gameplay.

Smooth Motion vs DLSS - Smooth Motion is system-level frame interpolation that doesn't require game support. DLSS requires game support or an injector. Smooth Motion can actually have lower latency in some cases.

Subnautica 2 - Early access date announced. Lots of legal drama between Krafton and Unknown Worlds. Legal distractions can pull developer focus away from creative energy.

A Plague Tale: Resonance/Legacy - Asobo working on a prequel with character Sofia.

Mind's Eye (Build a Rocket Boy) - DLC containing names of people who "sabotaged" the game. Devs claiming they were spied on. Comparison to Days Gone's blame game. The game probably wasn't good enough to sabotage in the first place.

Directive 8020 - Alien Isolation vibes, Supermassive Games, excited for the space horror feel.

Lego Batman Legacy - PC specs controversy, recommended specs seemed high for a Lego game, director clarified they had to put something up for preorders.

GameStop trying to buy eBay - Fascinating, weird business move.

Devil Wears Prada 2 poster - Artist paid to mimic AI art. Trojan horse for normalizing AI in entertainment.

Xbox record monthly active users despite not selling much hardware.

Denuvo DRM crack - Hypervisor bypass, but turning off hypervisor makes your system less secure.

Exodus - Smart marketing strategy with short gameplay trailers on their own YouTube channel.

Outer Worlds Spacer's Choice update - Some graphical issues.

Microsoft handheld / ROG Xbox Ally - Handheld market is actually very small.

Project Blackbird cancellation - MMO genre is expensive and risky.

Fortnite/Roblox player drops - Even small percentage drops could mean huge money redistribution to other game

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Each Friday ACG and some pals Silver, Rej, Abssi, and Jonny from https://www.twitch.tv/jonnyplayslive get together to discuss games, life, books, movies and everything else. New home of the ACG Best Gaming Podcast
Follow me on Twitter for reviews and info @jeremypenter-JOIN the ACG Reddit https://www.reddit.com/r/ACGVids/ https://www.patreon.com/AngryCentaurGaming

Xbox Division changes, Black Flag Resynced, Game Development The best Gaming Podcast # 586

Key Updates & Announcements

Topics
Replaced: Hard crash bug at ~2-3 hours; unresolved after extensive troubleshooting 01:43
Cosmic Abyss (Cthulhu game): Critical save file corruption bug; 8 hours of progress lost 07:19
Soros: Played 35 hours; repetition issues despite procedural generation claims 13:46
Impact: 3 planned video reviews cancelled; significant revenue loss 11:16
Ubisoft Hexe: Director departure linked to creative direction conflicts (witchcraft tone, influencer input) 18:58
Black Flag Resync: Removing DLC/futuristic elements; potential tonal shift for future AC titles 26:00
Xbox strategy: No fixed exclusivity standard; flexibility is intentional, not evasion 45:48
Steam wishlists: Weak correlation to actual sales; metric is largely meaningless 37:47
Strategic Observations
Competitive Pressure & Market Dynamics 48:10
Nintendo Switch 2 will shift developer porting priorities
Microsoft's "new avenues" strategy is sustainable long-term positioning
Sony's PC port strategy will remain reactive, game-by-game
Creator Sustainability 01:11:40
Advises against full-time creator pivot without financial runway
YouTube algorithmic surfacing is unreliable; organic growth is slow
Authenticity and enjoyment are the only defensible long-term assets

Saros Soars, Black Flag Resynched De-syncs, and more, The The best Gaming Podcast # 585
Saros scores are amazing, we break them down. Black Flag Resync disconnects from the future plot, and tons of gaming news. We break down the new reviews, gaming news the neo Geo huge cost hugely wanted console and more.
https://youtube.com/live/XhW3aLopgC4

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Each Friday ACG and some pals Silver, Rej, Abssi, and Jonny from https://www.twitch.tv/jonnyplayslive get together to discuss games, life, books, movies and everything else. New home of the ACG Best Gaming Podcast
Follow me on Twitter for reviews and info @jeremypenter-JOIN the ACG Reddit https://www.reddit.com/r/ACGVids/ https://www.patreon.com/AngryCentaurGaming