Sacred Symbols, Episode 170: Getting to the Point (Patreon)

The inevitable has happened: Bluepoint Games has officially joined PlayStation Studios as its 16th team. You may recall that this news kinda-sorta leaked months ago, and either way, it's the most obvious acquisition Sony could have possibly made, so we're not exactly shocked. Yet, there's much to say, because it seems like Bluepoint may be breaking the mold when it comes to what they're best known for, potentially focusing on new projects rather than remakes and remasters. There's other first and second party news to consider, too. On the first party front, rumors strongly indicate Guerrilla's in-development multiplayer game may actually be Horizon-related, which frankly disappoints us. Meanwhile, over in second party, Destruction AllStars dev Lucid is apparently working on a Twisted Metal revival. Color us interested, though bummed Jaffe isn't consulting. There's other news, as well -- Firesprite's headcount has grown, GTA re-releases have been rated, etc. -- and we end (as we always do) with listener inquiries. What games did we turn our noses up at only to be pleasantly surprised when we actually gave them a chance? What licensed song do you most associate with a video game? Do we even care about Abandoned anymore? Is Colin being too harsh on bidets, and in turn European sensibilities?

Timestamps: 

0:00:00 - Intro

0:05:48 - Corrections, comments, and concerns.

0:39:32 - Some smaller news items.

1:22:42 - What have we been playing?

1:37:39 - Bluepoint Games has been purchased by Sony.

1:52:46 - Firesprite has acquired Fabrik Games.

2:09:40 - A Twisted Metal game is on its way to accompany the series.

2:20:26 - God of War: Ragnarok may have been further delayed due to an injury.

2:30:11 - New job postings may indicate what else Guerrilla has in the works.

2:39:34 - October’s PS+ games have been revealed.

2:41:45 - The GTA remasters have been rated by the South Korean game ratings board.

2:46:57 - Kepler Interactive has been formed as a new publishing model.

2:48:37 - News Wrap-Up

2:49:35 - What games have we hated, and then not hated?

2:55:46 - Do we have a process for getting Platinum trophies?

3:02:41 - Would we buy an M rated game for a minor?

3:07:55 - What’s the best use of a licensed song or soundtrack in a video game?

3:14:41 - Gut Check: Abandoned.

3:19:03 - Should developers sacrifice fun for realism?