Sacred Symbols, Episode 121: Gearing Up (Patreon)

When Kojima careened from Konami's cocoon (that's called alliteration!), he was left to his own devices for the first time in basically his entire career. The result was his unusual Sony-funded project Death Stranding, an interesting (if divisive) game that left us curious what he may pursue next. We don't yet know a specific answer, but thanks to a salvo of job listings out of Kojima Productions' Tokyo office, we know he and his team are revving up. And we're intrigued. So let's chat about it. We'll also touch on some other news, too, for KojiPro ain't the only ones hiring. Sucker Punch, too, is openly hiring for more Ghost of Tsushima, all but confirming the continuation of the franchise. And did you know Phil Spencer has spoken even more about the Bethesda situation, saying whatever anyone wants to hear? We'll get into all of that, and more, buttressed by your many inquiries. Will persistent gaming drag PlayStation 5's attach rate down? What's going on with PS5 launch titles The Pathless and Bugsnax? All of that and more on the other side of play.

Timestamps:

0:00:17 - Intro.
0:05:38 - A Godfall-related updated.
0:08:35 - What's with Stadia's Creative Director's weird Tweets?
0:14:58 - AOC had a huge debut on Twitch. Politicians take notice?
0:15:58 - We've gotten our first look at Tom Holland as Nathan Drake.
0:19:13 - Why is Sony releasing PS5 accessories early?
0:23:15 - Sony has commented on last week's party recording drama.
0:31:49 - Are we confident the PS5 will actually be quiet?
0:35:55 - If we could take a pill and never need to sleep again, would we?
0:39:23 - What does "isometric" gaming mean?
0:44:29 - What have we been playing?
0:54:21 - Will the upcoming generation provide a renaissance for AA games?
1:01:37 - Vague details emerge about a possibly frightening PSN EULA for Hong Kong
players.
1:05:18 - Sucker Punch is hiring for more Ghost of Tsushima.
1:09:17 - Kojima Productions is hiring for its next project.
1:15:13 - Phil Spencer talks more (but says little) about the Bethesda deal.
1:22:25 - Sony confirms its slate of streaming services for PS5's launch.
1:23:19 - Assassin's Creed: Valhalla has gone gold.
1:27:03 - Uplay is being folded into Ubisoft Connect.
1:28:34 - The NPDs for September 2020 have been released.
1:32:22 - Crystal Dynamics talks Avengers, delays PS5 port.
1:37:13 - Devolver Digital has purchased Croteam.
1:39:43 - Minor game announcements and release date information.
1:41:42 - This week's selected releases for PS4, PS Vita, and PSVR.
1:45:14 - Will persistent gaming injure PS5's attach rate?
1:49:06 - Could PlayStation 5's game help features hurt content creators?
1:55:02 - Do microtransaction and in-game ads help offset the cost of game dev?
1:58:51 - Should we be more patient with late games and devs than ever?
2:01:28 - What's up with Bugsnax?
2:05:52 - Are we interested in The Pathless?