Sacred Symbols, Episode 83: Mao Money, Mao Problems (Patreon)

When money flows from companies that call communist dictatorships home, those funds typically come with strings attached. Activision-Blizzard learned this the hard way just months ago, but it hasn't stopped western teams from accepting this cash with reckless abandon. The next business about to get gobbled up by Chinese conglomerate Tencent is the Norwegian MMO dev-slash-pub Funcom, and Tencent is even willing to pay a staggering 30% over market value for the honor. The big question is: Why? When bizarre corporate cultures and diverging governments collide, it can make for some choppy waters. So let's chat about this recent acquisition-to-be, and what it might mean. Also: Housemarque makes another sharp left turn, the Uncharted movie no one wants gets delayed again, Daybreak is splitting into three separate teams, and much more. Plus: Could Xbox ever win Colin over? Should Sony purchase Kojima Productions? Is our new cross-gen reality about to create some unexpected problems? Can you capture a person in a Pokéball?

Timestamps:

0:00:17 - Intro.
0:03:24 - Sacred Symbols+ talk.
0:06:05 - Silent Hill/KOTOR rumors abound.
0:09:37 - A "correction" on the Ready At Dawn rumor from last week.
0:10:31 - Recalling an old PS5-related bet.
0:12:22 - A story about a man named Carl.
0:12:55 - Is it acceptable for men to pee sitting down?
0:13:58 - Can a human be sucked into a Pokéball?
0:17:44 - One listener destroys Chris' scooter/bicycle argument.
0:19:39 - Have we ever been asked to spare a square?
0:22:37 - Denny’s or Norm’s?
0:24:45 - Poopy Pants Saga, Part V.
0:26:46 - What have we been playing?
0:28:38 - Tencent is preparing to purchase Funcom.
0:31:50 - Housemarque shelves Stormdivers; is working on something else.
0:37:27 - Will Sony show indies more love on PlayStation 5?
0:42:00 - The Uncharted movie has been delayed again.
0:47:06 - Patapon 2's PS4 port is imminent.
0:51:10 - Daybreak is splitting into three separate parts.
0:56:20 - Nioh 2's DLC plans have been revealed.
1:00:35 - Quick update on Twin Breaker: A Sacred Symbols Adventure.
1:01:19 - More fantastic Kingdom Hearts games are on the way. :(
1:02:53 - Stardew Valley has sold more than 10 million copies.
1:06:41 - Minor game announcements and release date information.
1:08:14 - This week's new releases for PS4, PS Vita, and PSVR.
1:22:20 - Why does Sony (et al) hate Sacred Symbols?
1:28:07 - Will PS4/PS5 cross-gen games present unexpected problems?
1:37:12 - Should Sony acquire Kojima Productions?
1:46:19 - What happened to the second Dark Pictures Anthology game?
1:49:37 - Is character design a lost art?
1:58:49 - What could Xbox do to win over Colin?