Sacred Symbols, Episode 226 | London Calling (Patreon)

For two decades, Sony's London Studio has been known almost exclusively for its casual fare, usually driven by a peripheral, whether it's a camera, microphone, or even Move. But a recent conversation the team's two co-leads conducted with an industry publication indicates definitively that recent rumors were true: London Studio is pursuing a more hardcore course, specifically with an online co-op game-as-a-service that's set in a fantasy-themed London. (How fitting.) Is PlayStation's most inconsequential team about to run up the pecking order as part of a new, multiplayer-centered initiative? We discuss. Other news this week includes the construction of a new first party team allied closely with Naughty Dog, confirmation of an Unreal Engine 5-run Witcher remake from CD Projekt, the exit of studio Rocksteady's talented co-founders, the potential return of Square Enix's Parasite Eve, and more. Then: Listener inquiries. Will AAA PSVR2 games cost $70, too? How can we get back to the three year dev cycle? Did patching ruin game launches forevermore? Does Dustin know what "Oingo Boingo" means?

Timestamps:

0:00:00 - Intro

0:05:17 - What cabinet positions would LSM members fill?

0:08:43 - Does Chris know basic geography?

0:17:17 - What is the best Halloween song?

0:21:09 - Did Colin finally move the Pledge?

0:22:11 - Is the coach of the Dolphins related to Chris?

0:26:30 - Daddy needs his alone time

0:28:10 - Do we need a soundboard?

0:33:03 - God of War: Ragnarok spoilers are in the wild

0:39:03 - You can now pre-order the DualSense Edge

0:41:30 - Tom Henderson is wrong about our Eclipse leak

0:45:18 - Every PS2 manual has been scanned in 4K

0:48:02 - A new study suggest gamers are bigots

1:03:38 - Kojima’s new interview is fascinating

1:03:59 - The Callisto Protocol won’t get a Japanese release

1:09:19 - Bloober is four years deep into the Silent Hill 2 Remake

1:10:11 - The new Dragon Age game is in alpha

1:11:03 - What have we been playing?

1:38:18 - London Studio is undergoing a transformation

1:51:56 - Sony is building a new internal development team

2:01:56 - PS5s are finally hitting store shelves

2:08:13 - The Witcher Remake is on the way

2:19:01 - Rocksteady has lost its co-founders

2:29:05 - The Parasite Eve franchise may be returning

2:38:54 - November’s PlayStation Plus games have been revealed

2:41:40 - Wo Long is coming in 2023

2:48:02 - Fallout 4 is getting an update next year

2:55:01 - Guns Up points to an interesting past for Sony

2:57:14 - Do we complete games before starting a new one?

3:07:29 - How much should PSVR games cost?

3:14:06 - Could we see a Metal Gear Solid event soon?

3:21:03 - What is the business of making games like?

3:25:29 - Are five year development cycles the norm now?

3:32:49 - Could we ever see game launches go smoothly again?