Gamified

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

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

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 Bullshit?
1:09:06 - The Day Players Proved You Wrong | Storytime

Watch instead of listen on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BmATaGqojww

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 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

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 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

Watch instead of listen on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5vprN_wO1gY

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?

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

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 Bullshit?
1:17:28 - Decompiling Games = Preservation? | Sentiment Score

Watch instead of listen on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VDn1WKiMHNo

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