Sacred Symbols, Episode 239 | Forgetting Bruce Straley (Patreon)

Think back a ways, to the lead-up to The Last of Us' launch on PlayStation 3. There wasn't one name -- but two! -- oft-invoked in media: Neil Druckmann and Bruce Straley. The duo's work was well-established in the Uncharted series, and they would later rescue Uncharted 4 from development tribulations as a team. But the team split apart, and these days, Druckmann is the focal point of PlayStation's internal development efforts while Straley is a ghost of times past. A recent LA Times piece allowed Straley to elaborate on the situation, which led us to a Sacred Symbols-style deep discussion on Naughty Dog, credit, Neil and Bruce's seeming divorce, and what's fair and isn't when it comes to game development. Of course, news also plays a central role in this week's episode, as it always does. Square Enix is finally squashing its questionable Avengers game, BioWare loses arguably its most prolific writer, Spider-Man 2 rumblings have everyone excited, Forspoken launches into a questionable environment, and more. Then: Listener inquiries! Have we ever managed to score a game at retail before its street date? What would a modern Nintendo and PlayStation collaboration look like? Would Colin ever interview Adam Sessler on Sacred+? Are people making up tall tales specifically to be included on our show?

Timestamps:

0:00:00 - Intro

0:20:33 - LIVE SHOW

0:22:37 - Stop making stuff up for attention

0:28:49 - Could Colin listen to the Harry Potter audiobooks at 5x speed?

0:31:27 - A foul lesson from an Englishman

0:38:38 - Has Colin ever been too high for a show?

0:41:51 - Dustin = Thirst Trap?

0:44:52 - What house do we want to be a part of in Hog Leg?

0:48:10 - What’s with the controversy over Forspoken?

0:57:57 - Microsoft has subpoenaed Sony

0:59:47 - We have new Spider-Man 2 details

1:06:17 - The Washington Post has shut down its gaming vertical

1:18:15 - Skull and Bones pre-orders are being refunded

1:22:50 - Super Stardust Portable has gotten Trophy support

1:24:19 - Atomic Heart has gone gold

1:27:24 - Detroit: Become Human has surpassed 8 million copies sold

1:31:30 - Jim Ryan keeps crying

1:32:4 - Guerrilla gets more help with Horizon

1:33:32 - What have we been playing?

1:50:50 - The future of The Last of Us?

2:06:31 - Marvel’s Avengers is shutting down

2:16:26 - Mac Walters is leaving BioWare

2:24:53 - Why didn’t Bruce Straley get credited in HBO’s TLoU?

2:37:53 - Which SIE studios would be a good fit for Nintendo’s IP?

2:43:56 - What would Colin do if he actually bought Beyond?

2:54:38 - Have we gotten games early at retail?

3:12:35 - Would Colin have Sessler on SS+?

3:23:13 - Should you ship a PS5 to Japan?