Sacred Symbols: A PlayStation Podcast

• #370 | Guerrilla Warfare

  Earlier this year, Chinese publisher Tencent revealed a new project so shameless that it belies belief. It's called Light of Motiram, and it's no exaggeration to say that it's a pound-for-pound carbon copy of PlayStation's vaunted Horizon franchise. It crossed the line to such an extent that Sony is suing Tencent over it, packing fascinating evidence that this title was likely intended to be Horizon all along. Is Tencent dead-to-rights? Other news this week includes likely massive overreaction to PlayStation's hiring of a cross-platform manager, updates on Amazon's God of War TV project, Xbox's dominance of PS5 sales chart with rumors of more to come, Warner Bros. dipping its toes back in the games-as-a-service space, fresh PS+ offerings, and more. To round things out, we then go to listener inquiries, as always. Is the original Metal Gear Solid overrated? What's happening with Insomniac's Wolverine project? Have payment processors gone too far in seemingly bullying the likes of Steam? Will Colin ever understand that Bob Dylan is still alive? Please keep in mind that our timestamps are approximate, and will often be slightly off due to dynamic ad placement. 0:00:00 - Intro0:16:13 -  Bob Dylan is not dead0:33:00 - 401k Sacred boys0:35:03 - RIP in Peace0:35:58 - Remembering Tomvy0:41:38 - Katy, let the PS5 breathe0:44:23 - Section 8 clarification0:48:39 - Twisted Metal release schedule1:03:52 - Sony sues Tencent over Horizon clone1:26:40 - Sony hiring a multiplatform manager1:57:25 - Ronald D. Moore talks God of War2:11:52 - New China Hero Project games2:17:06 - Xbox games dominated Q2 PS5 software sales2:34:45 - WB is hiring for a live service game2:49:16 - Lies of P coming to PS+2:53:54 - Sony's fightstick is called FlexStrike3:01:17 - Nintendo Direct stuff3:14:43 - What Are We Playing? (Death Stranding 2, Deus Ex, Silent Hill 3)3:38:32 - Steam's credit card drama3:59:19 - Does Metal Gear Solid hold up?4:05:13 - What's up with Wolverine?4:14:11 - Is anti-crunch making game development longer?4:18:24 - PlayStation sequels are selling less?4:25:13 - SkillUp's gaming website Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

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• #369 | Selling Years of Their Smoke and Mirrors and Open Minds

  With leaks galore coming out of its closed testing period, it should come as no surprise that Battlefield 6 is real, and it's en route very soon. Electronic Arts and its quartet of fully-owned teams under the Battlefield Studios moniker promise a full multiplayer reveal in late July, and rumors indicate the full title is primed to launch in October. Can EA finally turn the ship around and fully deliver on the potential of its ailing franchise? Or has its lunch been permanently eaten? Plus: Sony invests $450 million into Bandai Namco in return for 2.5% of the publisher, FromSoft is reportedly working on a mystery game due out in 2026, the reasons for Final Fantasy Tactics: The Ivalice Chronicles' long development cycle suddenly become clearer, Microsoft backtracks on The Outer Worlds 2's aggressive pricing, Death Stranding 2 sells big, and more. Then: Listener inquiries! Did our parents ever play games with us while we were growing up? Is Colin an unadulterated and unhinged Nintendo hater? Will shorter and more reasonable development cycles ever return to the AAA space? Could one listener's ex now be dating another listener? Download Cash App Today: https://capl.onelink.me/vFut/ty57yree #CashAppPod. As a Cash App partner, Imay earn a commission when you sign up for a Cash App account. Cash App is a financial servicesplatform, not a bank. Banking services provided by Cash App’s bank partner(s). Prepaid debit cards issued by Sutton Bank, Member FDIC. Visit cash.app/legal/podcast for full disclosures. Please keep in mind that our timestamps are approximate, and will often be slightly off due to dynamic ad placement. 0:00:00 - Intro0:21:45 - Sacred Symbols lifts you up0:22:56 - Good news for a change0:23:49 - Loud yawning0:32:16 - Perfect Colin0:34:17 - Colin's allowance0:42:06 - Sony buys 2.5% of Bandai Namco0:53:29 - Battlefield 6 announced1:10:52 - What is FromSoft's Project FMC1:19:29 - New PS5 beta firmware1:29:49 - Why FF Tactics took so long1:36:53 - Outer Worlds 2 lowers its price1:48:30 - Splitgate 2 goes back to beta2:07:05 - June 2025 Circana2:16:32 - What We’ve Been Playing (Death Stranding 2, Donkey Kong: Bananza, Tony Hawk Remakes)2:38:07 - Playing video games with your parents2:51:03 - Is Colin jealous of his ex (Nintendo)?3:07:12 - Why does game development take so long?3:13:18 - The homogeneity of AAA gaming2:55:55 - New TV settings3:19:19 - Why do we care so much about news? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

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• #368 | Son of War

  Sony-owned Santa Monica Studio is one of PlayStation's first party powerhouses. Responsible for the God of War franchise -- and, other than Kinetica early in the PS2 era, only the God of War franchise -- there was some excitement building about what was next. But what if it's just more God of War... at least kinda? New rumors indicate that Santa Monica is working on something more familiar than we might have hoped, and from our perspective, that can only mean one thing. We discuss. Plus: Sucker Punch expresses interest in returning to Infamous, Ghost of Yotei gets special edition PS5 hardware and a DualSense, HBO's second season of The Last of Us earns a ton of Emmy nominations, concept art for Deviation's cancelled PlayStation exclusive emerges, Dragon Quest VII is apparently being remade at Square Enix, and more. Then: Listener inquiries! With the demise of Xbox's Turn 10 Studio, is it time for PlayStation to port Gran Turismo to its rival's machine? Is Colin totally off-base with his desire for Arc System Works to create a PlayStation fighter instead of a Marvel one? What's the worst example in our personal gaming lives of losing a save file? Should Dustin enter into an illicit relationship with an eager listener? Please keep in mind that our timestamps are approximate, and will often be slightly off due to dynamic ad placement. 0:00:00 - Intro0:44:52 - Dustin's cry for help0:52:56 - Sacred Streaming1:07:46 - Stand down Chrissy1:11:43 - What is Santa Monica working on?1:33:34 - Ghost of Yotei PS5 special edition1:38:23 - Restock of 30th Anniversary gear1:41:11 - 16 Emmys for TLOU season 2 + Season 32:00:46- Art from Deviation's canceled game2:08:21 - Dragon Quest VII remake rumors2:15:09 - Ubisoft announces new co-CEOs2:35:35 - Iron Galaxy's guitar hero joke2:52:39 - What We’re Playing3:30:11 - Favorite video game merch3:37:11 - Custom Powerwash simulator levels3:40:53 - GT7 on Xbox3:45:52 - Demands to Spider-Man on Xbox3:52:55 - PlayStation fighter vs Marvel Tokon4:01:18 - Accidentally deleting your save Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

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• #367 | Here We Go, Down That Same Old Road Again

  If you're tired of The Last of Us, well, it's really too bad. That's because Naughty Dog has updated The Last of Us: Part II yet again, this time with a so-called Chronological Mode that orders the game's chapters and subchapters sequentially. It's easy to mock this many updates, of course, but in reality, is Sony going above-and-beyond in keeping some of its older games alive? Shouldn't we applaud the years-long dedication to not only The Last of Us, but to God of War, Ghost of Tsushima, Days Gone, Horizon, and others? We discuss. Then: Twisted Metal's second season on Peacock gets a new trailer, STALKER 2 is finally confirmed for PlayStation 5, Final Fantasy IX Remake may be in trouble, Capcom acknowledges Mega Man, and more. Plus: Listener inquiries! If we could only play a single game-as-a-service, which would it be? Could gaming be entering a more serious phase, as the industry finds itself fused more with education? Is it crazy to play sequels without having experienced the original? What are the percentage odds Colin is on the precipice of becoming a Kingdom Hearts superfan? Please keep in mind that our timestamps are approximate, and will often be slightly off due to dynamic ad placement. 0:00:00 - Intro0:25:36 - Favorite color and number0:26:16 - Furries0:35:30 - Hot dog advice0:48:36 - Sacred vernacular0:53:57 - Fawn-ta0:58:34 - Kingdom Hearts Stockholm syndrome1:05:21 - Upcoming Games list1:07:14 - Last of us Part II Chronological mode1:18:00 - Twisted Metal Season 21:22:34 - STALKER 2 is coming to PS51:28:26 - Is FFIX Remake canceled?1:38:32 - Capcom comments on Mega Man1:48:25 - SAG-AFTRA strike is over1:57:14 - The industry's statement on Stop Killing Games2:13:08 - New PS+ Games2:23:42 - May Circana2:30:55 - May PSN sales2:37:01 - PS4 Firmware update2:42:39 - What Are We Playing? (Death Stranding 2, Peak)3:15:17 - Gaming attention span3:28:38 - Picking one live service game3:33:23 - Sequels that clicked3:39:15 - Does our jobs make us enjoy games less?3:51:11 - New concurrent player count record3:59:35 - Video games in education Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

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• #366 | And If Anything, Then There's Your Sign of the Times

  For the first time ever, PlayStation is publishing one of its own games on Xbox. The new port comes in the form of 2024's smash-hit multiplayer game Helldivers 2 from second party studio Arrowhead, and though Sony has a long-but-silent history of bringing games to other consoles -- there was a Wipeout game on N64, after all, and the likes of Death Stranding and MLB: The Show have already migrated to Xbox via intermediaries -- never before have they acted as publisher. Is this a one-off, or a move that could signify a new strategy? Will Xbox players conditioned to Game Pass put their money where their mouth is? Are single-player exclusives next? Then: Neil Druckmann announces he's done with The Last of Us on HBO, instead turning his full attention back to Naughty Dog, while it sure does sound like Sony-owned team Firesprite is openly hiring for a PlayStation 6 project. After some other news, we get into what we're playing before ending the show as we always do, with six questions, comments, concerns, thoughts, and ideas from our audience. What are our ruminations concerning Xbox's recent layoffs and cancellations? Will the PS5 era be looked back upon as a generation of wasted potential? How do we feel about the Stop Killing Games initiative in Europe? Are some listeners intentionally exposing their wives to Sacred Symbols in order to facilitate a divorce? Please keep in mind that our timestamps are approximate, and will often be slightly off due to dynamic ad placement. 0:00:00 - Intro0:23:03 - Patreon numbers0:29:17 - Benji0:36:16 - Don't show your wife Sacred0:43:47 - This week's situation0:47:51 - Happy Birthday Nick0:52:23 - Defending the PlayStation concert0:59:28 - Helldivers 2 coming to Xbox1:31:18 - Neil Druckmann is no longer working on TLOU on HBO1:40:45 - PSSR update in 20261:54:12 - Firesprite is hiring1:59:29 - Is College Basketball returning?2:02:56 - Street Fighter movie casting2:06:49 - What We’ve Been Playing (Death Stranding, Death Stranding 2, Peak)2:45:15 - Xbox's unraveling3:04:57 - Supporting layoffs3:15:19 - Studios moving to cheaper cities3:18:57 - What is going on this generation?3:30:10 - Journalism as a path into marketing or development3:33:38 - Stop Killing Games Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

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