Sacred Symbols, Episode 178: BioWhere? (Patreon)

What happened to Electronic Arts-owned studio BioWare? Once the crown jewel of EA's family of devs, BioWare has experienced nearly a decade of consistent struggle, and now it's been hit with yet another punch: The loss of Dragon Age's Creative Director, seemingly on not-great terms, injuring a game that's already been in development for some six years. Needless to say, BioWare is a shadow of its former self with no true identity, begging the question: Is it even worth saving at all? Plus: Other news! Chrono Cross Remastered is apparently on the verge of being announced, while Sony is the newest company to be sued by its own employees, this time a female accusing the corporation of gender bias. Meanwhile, some dedicated and talented fans are in the midst of salvaging the online functionality of some of PlayStation 3's most important exclusives, while Hideo Kojima is finally getting into the movie industry, though we're unsure if that's where he belongs. After all of this (and more), we get into some listener inquiries to wrap things up. What in God's name is going on with Battlefield 2042? Are there rules that determine who's included in the credits of video games? Is scalping consoles really a worthwhile financial endeavor? Should Colin, Chris, and Dustin name their new child Drilin or Crustin (or both)?

Timestamps:

0:00:00 - Intro

0:09:29 - Questions, concerns, and corrections.

0:22:04 - PlayStation is being sued for gender discrimination.

0:26:57 - Will small details be a defining feature of the generation?

0:30:46 - A Chrono Cross remaster is incoming.

0:37:43 - Bobby Kotick has agreed to leave Activision under certain conditions.

0:44:26 - Cricket 22 has been delayed.

0:50:27 - PlayStation’s exclusive Avenger’s content, Spider-Man, is bunk.

0:55:12 - There’s a mystery surrounding a screenshot of a house, potentially from GTA 6.

0:59:34 - The Grand Theft Auto remasters are in shambles.

1:03:04 - Sony has patented the PS5 covers and skins.

1:03:50 - WB Montreal is quietly working on a second game.

1:08:41 - Atari may buy MobyGames.

1:09:46 - What have we been playing?

1:26:26 - Something is brewing at BioWare amongst multiple staff change-ups.

1:44:32 - December’s PlayStation Plus games have leaked.

1:48:16 - A group of homebrewers and hackers are reviving PS3 online functionality.

1:58:07 - Twelve Minutes is PlayStation bound.

2:03:37 - PS5 owners are holding on to physical releases.

2:11:31 - Hideo Kojima is moving into the world of film.

2:19:44 - Epic Games has acquired Harmonix.

2:30:05 - Hitman 3 is getting a Year Two update.

2:34:43 - Amazon and Electronic Arts may be working on a Mass Effect show.

2:41:43 - News Wrap-Up

2:43:13 - Does console specific advertising work?

2:47:02 - Why do games do well when everything else is bad?

2:49:25 - Is it even worth it to scalp consoles?

2:54:43 - What is our favorite space-based game?

2:58:55 - What can Dice do to come back from Battlefield 2042?

3:06:56 - Why is credits omission so common in video games?