Game Mess Mornings

Jeff Grubb and Jan Ochoa make a meal out of all the gaming news! We chat about our excitement over the upcoming Duskbloods network tests happening in the coming weeks, drama with the Avatar Legends game, Denshattack reviews, AI usage in Japan, and more! 
00:00 - Intro
3:20 - FromSoftware’s The Duskbloods confirms Network Test dates
11:27 - Refunds for Dying Light 2 PS4 Users as The Beast Is Cancelled for Last-Gen System
19:28 - Paramount confirms Mike Zaimont is employed by Avatar Legends dev
25:00 - BREAK
25:20 - Ratchet and Clank Ranger Rumble
28:30 - Denshattack Reviews
33:25 - Compulsion Games posts call for business partners after Xbox spinoff
38:35 - Xbox has removed Tony Hawk 1+2 from its upcoming Game Pass releases
43:00 - GOG Wants You To Make Your Own Physical Games
47:45 - Sony Staring Down $457 Million Lawsuit As Disc Deletion Decision Lingers
50:00 - New survey claims 100% of Japanese online game developers use generative AI tools
53:00 - Dragon's Dogma 2 Dark Arisen already running at '30fps and higher' on Nintendo handheld

Jeff Grubb is back and back with Jason Fanelli to chat about Games Done Quick hitting a major milestone for charity donations along with quickly dealing with a sponsor snafu, a UK group condemning PlayStation's decision for disc production, Rhythm Heaven Groove's sales, and more! 

00:00 - Intro
3:25 - Games Done Quick Raises $2.4 Million – Then Cancels an SNK Sponsorship After Community Backlash 
14:10 - UK retail group condemns PlayStation decision to stop making discs
21:10 - Xbox could reveal disc-to-digital this week
28:35 - God of War studio confirms Laufey will have a disc version, revealing its release window
34:05 - BREAK
34:20 - Rhythm Heaven Groove opens at nearly 400,000 retail copies sold in Japan
39:38 - Palworld 1.0 explodes to more than 855,000 concurrent Steam players
42:08 - Koei Tecmo CEO says it grew from 2,500 staff to over 3,000 in two years, is aiming for 5,000
48:10 - Black Ops 1 and 2 Port Player Counts Dominating Black Ops 7, It’s Claimed
51:00 - Today and Tomorrow

It's a Fanelli Friday to close out a week of Game Mike Mornings, as Mike & Jason walk you through (surprise!) more Xbox news, Ubisoft responding to the Black Flag Resynced microtransactions backlash, and more!

Support us directly and get new episodes ad-free by signing up for Giant Bomb Premium at https://www.giantbomb.com/join

Timestamps (note, timestamps on this free version may vary greatly depending on how many ads you receive):
00:00 Intro
04:38 Xbox CEO Asha Sharma named as adviser to US Federal Reserve on ‘Jobs and Productivity’
07:44 Ubisoft Responds to Assassin's Creed Black Flag Resynced Microtransactions Backlash, as $60 Game Arrives With $85 of DLC
17:13 John Carmack responds to Id Software layoffs, admits Microsoft stewardship claim aging badly
24:15 Layoffs Hit GameSpot Again
29:04 Bethesda Union Workers Will Hold Rallies Next Week Protesting Mass Layoffs
34:25 Mewtwo takes over Times Square as Pokémon recreates original Pokémon Go trailer
40:19 'This Is a Deeply Odd State of Affairs' — Tech Experts Slam Activision's 'Low Effort' Call of Duty: Black Ops PS5 Port
45:51 Poll results
47:56 The Bomb 12
52:16 Outro

Mike Minotti is joined by Lex Luddy to talk about further layoffs from Xbox, further layoffs from Ubisoft, further concern about Bethesda RPGs, and more.

Support us directly and get new episodes ad-free by signing up for Giant Bomb Premium at https://www.giantbomb.com/join

Timestamps (note, timestamps on this free version may vary greatly depending on how many ads you receive):
00:00 Intro
05:06 Big questions for Microsoft’s intentions for id Software
18:36 Obsidian ‘cancels Avowed 2 to focus on new Fallout’
26:34 The Elder Scrolls 6 Will Suffer Because of Xbox Layoffs, Bethesda Staff Say, Fearing Delays, Crunch, and Generational Talent Being Replaced by Contractors
31:30 Fired Marathon director says he’s settled a lawsuit with Sony and been inserted into the credits
33:00 Ubisoft Barcelona Celebrates Successful Assassin’s Creed Black Flag Resynced Launch With Layoffs
40:08 You can now try one of Nintendo’s best Switch 2 games for free
42:39 Persona 4 Revival Producer Confirms Some Noteworthy Character Changes Are Coming
45:41 Former VG247 editors launch new publication, Respec
46:48 Polls & outro

Giant Bomb's father & son duo of Mike and Jeff Bakalar break down news of Mario Kart Tour shut down with no offline version planned, Xbox Game Pass reportedly losing millions of users since 2024, and more!

Support us directly and get new episodes ad-free by signing up for Giant Bomb Premium at https://www.giantbomb.com/join

Timestamps (note, timestamps on this free version may vary greatly depending on how many ads you receive):
00:00 Intro
03:46 Mario Kart Tour is being shut down and no offline version is planned
09:56 Xbox Game Pass has reportedly lost millions of users since 2024
16:24 College Football 27 Is Pissing Everyone Off
24:33 Assassin's Creed: Black Flag Resynced reviews
35:25 Toys for Bob still wants to work on Banjo-Kazooie: ‘We’re huge fans’
39:21 Final Fantasy VII: Ever Crisis to end service on October 7
43:17 Nintendo Expands Switch Online's Game Boy & GBA Library With Four More Titles
49:35 Polls & outro