Episode 29: Game Prices on the Rise (News Show)

2K has signaled that game prices are going up in the new generation while also saying “no” to Smart Delivery and pricing its cross-gen version of NBA 2K21 at $100. Other topics include: Niantic’s team-up with Sleep No More creator Punchdrunk, the UN-release of Amazon Game Studio’s Crucible, an Xbox Game Pass success story, and more.

Content Warning: Discussion of sexual abuse and assault begins at 45:00 and ends at 1:04.

Note: According to an update to Kotaku’s June 2 report on Ubisoft that was updated following the recording of this show, Ubisoft’s Maxime Beland has resigned from the company. Tommy Francois has been placed on disciplinary leave. Another unnamed employee has been terminated from Ubisoft’s Toronto studio. (https://kotaku.com/head-of-ubisoft-announces-plans-to-shakeup-the-company-1844252024) Mike Rose (@RaveofRavendale) on Game Pass and Descenders success: https://twitter.com/RaveofRavendale/status/1277626877780332544?s=20  Niantic teams up with Sleep No More creators for new projects (Polygon): https://www.polygon.com/2020/6/30/21308049/niantic-punchdrunk-ar-immersive-theater-partnership  Starbreeze seeks $26m to fund ongoing development of Payday 3 (GamesIndustry): https://www.gamesindustry.biz/articles/2020-06-30-starbreeze-seeks-USD26m-to-fund-ongoing-development-of-payday-3  Paradox Interactive Acquires Paris-based Playrion Game Studio: https://www.paradoxinteractive.com/en/paradox-interactive-acquires-paris-based-playrion-game-studio/  PlayStation Indies: https://www.playstation.com/en-us/games/indies/  Change Starts Today (Ubisoft): https://news.ubisoft.com/en-us/article/7yV2TRI9Zj3G545bnoc3ub/change-starts-today Evo Online canceled after co-founder accused of sexual misconduct (The Verge): https://www.theverge.com/2020/7/3/21312385/evo-online-cancelled-sexual-misconduct-allegations  Several Smash Bros Pros Accused of Sexual Assault and Pedophilia: https://screenrant.com/smash-bros-pros-accused-sexual-assault-pedophilia/ Your Place to Talk (Discord): https://blog.discord.com/your-place-to-talk-a7ffa19b901b Amazon is yanking struggling free-to-play shooter Crucible back into closed beta (Eurogamer): https://www.eurogamer.net/articles/2020-06-30-amazon-is-yanking-struggling-free-to-play-shooter-crucible-back-into-closed-beta Fortnite Save the World Update | State of Development: https://www.epicgames.com/fortnite/en-US/news/fortnite-save-the-world-update-state-of-development Nintendo Scraps the Sale of Digital Game Download Codes at European Retailers (NintendoLife): https://www.nintendolife.com/news/2020/06/nintendo_scraps_the_sale_of_digital_game_download_codes_at_european_retailers Kongregate no longer accepting new titles, undergoing layoffs (GamesIndustry): https://www.gamesindustry.biz/articles/2020-07-01-kongregate-no-longer-accepting-new-titles-undergoing-layoffs Meghna Jayanth: https://twitter.com/betterthemask