Sacred Symbols, Episode 263 | Endless Horizons (Patreon)

Sony finds itself in a pickle, or so it seems from the outside. With ever-burgeoning development costs comes the reality that new IP is an increasingly-risky endeavor. The safer and more reliable route, it could be argued, is in doubling-down on what works. And let's be real: Guerrilla-developed Horizon works. The two core games have sold 33 million units combined across PS4, PS5, and PC. The question, though, is how much does Horizon work? Could a good thing become a bad thing through simple repetition? This week, we discuss the future of Horizon (not to mention the past of Killzone) via reporting from an enlightening panel conducted with the leadership of Guerrilla, and we're forced to confront a reality where Horizon never truly disappears. Other notable news this week includes the retirement of legendary Naughty Dog co-president Evan Wells, The Last of Us' ridiculously successful run of Emmy nominations, Sony's new investments into live service, and more. Inquiries from the audience end the show, as usual. What does SEGA's unionization mean for the future of industry labor? Can 2D games simply be too difficult for some people to handle? Is D&D more nerdy than anime? If you had to stop at a gas station right now, what would be your go-to snack and drink choices?

Timestamps:

0:00:00 - Intro

0:29:48 - Sacred Symbols will make you laugh

0:34:56 - Babies like Sacred Symbols

0:39:26 - What snacks are we getting for road trips?

0:45:23 - Why not have two TVs next to each other?

0:49:12 - AAA gaming is being taken over by furries

0:56:38 - How do we decide whether to make a leak public?

1:03:27 - KOBE 24

1:04:42 - Twisted Metal gets a new trailer

1:12:35 - The Access controller launches December 6th

1:18:05 - Final Fantasy XVI may be getting DLC after all

1:24:14 - Tomba is coming to PlayStation

1:46:33 - The Gex trilogy is coming to PlayStation

1:49:35 - Street Fighter 6 surpasses 2 million copies sold

1:50:42 - Yuji Naka gets a big fine

1:57:21 - Stranded Deep’s trophies are busted

1:58:42 - The Borderlands movie is a mess

2:02:31 - Check out the Survey of the Video Game Reissue Market

2:06:44 - What have we been playing?

2:33:47 - Naughty Dog’s Co-President is leaving

2:45:20 - HBO’s The Last of Us has received 24 Emmy nominations

2:56:03 - Guerilla is making its plans for Horizon known

3:27:48 - Sony is intending on sinking a bunch of money into live service

3:46:45 - July’s PlayStation Plus offerings have been detailed
3:51:24 - How will Trophies evolve?

3:53:44 - Why don’t more movies get adapted into video games?

4:02:41 - How long until unionization reaches the rest of the industry?

4:06:44 - What’s my problem with platformers?

4:18:37 - Are nasty D&D dorks or dirty Anime weebs bigger nerds?

4:26:05 - What perspective do we like most in games?