Sacred Symbols, Episode 32: The Apex Theory (Patreon)

Ready or not, a brand new battle royale adventure has joined the fray. It's called Apex Legends, and it's a free-to-play Titanfall spinoff from EA's Respawn Entertainment, launched on PS4 as a complete surprise to everyone. That's all well and good, but can the market sustain another one of these types of games? And why does it seem like Electronic Arts is competing with itself? We sort through it all. Then: Sony's recent financial report shows a healthy company and a very healthy PlayStation 4, but what does the future hold for the Japanese behemoth, what with a serious threat from Microsoft's Xbox brand on the horizon? Plus: Quantic Dream officially leaves Sony's second party family, GameStop could be in serious financial jeopardy, 2K announces a brand new studio, and more. And for dessert, your inquiries and thoughts, including on PlayStation 5's hypothetical launch library, the wisdom behind buying a PS4 late in its lifecycle, and the possibility of a new middle market emerging for A (not AAA!) games.

Timestamps:

0:00:17 - Intro.
0:02:26 - Episode 35 (three episodes from now) will be recorded and go live one day later than usual (free feeds unaffected).
0:03:13 - Why does Chris hate Imagine Dragons so much?
0:05:07 - Sacred Symbols Let's Plays start this week! Patrons will soon get to vote on some of the games we cover.
0:07:23 - How about that excellent Xbox Super Bowl ad?
0:09:10 - What are we playing?
0:13:08 - One listener takes us for task for missing "last week's biggest news story."
0:15:18 - Sony reveals new financials, PS4 sales numbers, other interesting data.
0:17:45 - EA and Respawn announce and launch new F2P battle royale game called Apex Legends, out on PS4 now.
0:27:40 - Sony reveals February's free PS+ games; last month PS3 and Vita games will be given.
0:34:49 - Quantic Dream officially leaves the Sony second party; will now be multi-platform developer.
0:39:08 - New trademark filings indicate deep backwards compatibility possibilities for PlayStation 5.
0:42:45 - The final episode of (ex-)Telltale Games Walking Dead's last season revealed and dated.
0:43:45 - 2K announces new fully-owned studio headed by ex-Sledgehammer Games co-founder.
0:44:27 - GameStop fails to find a buyer, is in increasing financial peril.
0:46:49 - Sony reveals sequel to the 1993 film Groundhog Day, and it's a PSVR game.
0:48:51 - Minor game announcements and release date information.
0:49:53 - Where should Capcom take Resident Evil from here, and what games should get the RE2 treatment?
0:52:00 - This week's new releases for PS4, PS Vita, and PSVR.
0:59:26 - What games were we outrageously excited to play the first time?
1:02:24 - Is Resident Evil 2 Remake a good reminder how short, tight games can still be fantastic?
1:04:38 - Is it still a good idea to buy a PlayStation 4 now that its lifecycle is drawing to an end?
1:06:46 - Should Sony start investing in mobile gaming like Nintendo has?
1:10:13 - Could PS5 (hypothetically) have the best launch lineup ever?
1:14:01 - One listener doesn't understand they backwards compatibility hype train (and other Xbox rantings).
1:22:14 - Would Sony ever make a AAA game like Resident Evil 7, something "standard" playable entirely in VR?
1:24:13 - Does the pricing of a game like Far Cry: New Dawn suggest a new middle market is emerging?
1:27:43 - Should pubs and devs do more to celebrate regional or local communities of gamers?
1:30:28 - What happened to codes and cheats, and will they ever make a comeback?
1:33:30 - Outro.