Episode #101: The Papier-Mâché Computer

AVoCADo GamesCast

Featuring:
Merve
The Kappa

Editor:
The Kappa

Timestamps:
0:10 – Introduction
0:50 – Fallout Series on Prime Video
25:15 – The Prytania Media Snafu
47:40 – Recent Industry Data
1:11:05 – Children of the Sun
1:17:50 – Princess Peach: Showtime!
1:32:25 – Dragon’s Dogma 2
1:45:45 – ReCore
1:57:05 – Conclusion

Download Link: https://archive.org/details/avocadogamescast_ep101

Podcast header image from Children of the Sun. Linkdump and spoiler warnings after the jump.

Introduction (0:10)

No links here.

Fallout Series on Prime Video (0:50)

• Prime Video page for Fallout.
• Wikipedia article on the Warcraft film.
• Official site for the Halo streaming series. (Source: Paramount+)
• Report on Fallout’s renewal for a second season. (Source: Variety)
• Confirmation, correction, and update: Roundhouse Studios was indeed formed from the ashes of Human Head Studios, but it is located in Madison, Wisconsin, not Halifax, Nova Scotia. ZeniMax’s Halifax studio was called Alpha Dog Games, and they focused on mobile games. A couple of weeks after we recorded this episode, on May 7^th, 2024, it was announced that Roundhouse Studios would be folded into ZeniMax Online Studios, and Alpha Dog Games would be shut down. (Source: Wikipedia)
• Steam store page for Fallout 76.

The Prytania Media Snafu (25:15)

• Confirmation and update: Prytania’s mobile-first, India-based studio was indeed called Dawon Entertainment. It was still operating at the time of recording, but it was shut down on May 10^th, 2024. (Source: Game Developer)
• Reports on the shutdown of Crop Circle Games and Possibility Space. (Source: GamesIndustry.biz)
• Annie Strain’s statement on the closure on Crop Circle Games. (Source: @imranzomg on Twitter)
• Ethan Gach’s previous article on Undead Labs. (Source: Kotaku)
• Jeff Strain’s pre-emptive response to Gach’s article on Undead Labs. (Source: @jeffstrain on Medium, archived at the Internet Archive’s Wayback Machine, April 3^rd, 2022)
• Report on Ascendant Studios furloughing the majority of the remainder of its staff. (Source: Game Developer)
• Jeff Strain’s internal email to Possibility Space employees about the studio’s closure. (Source: @sweetpotatoes on Twitter)
• Report on Possibility Space’s shutdown and Project Vonnegut’s links to Microsoft. (Source: WCCF Tech)
• Report on Kotaku EIC Jen Glennon’s resignation over a corporate dictate to focus on guides writing. (Source: GamesIndustry.biz)

Recent Industry Data (47:40)

• Report on Mat Piscatella’s analysis showing that the U.S. console market has peaked. (Source: Metro Game Central)
• Discussion of Daniel Ahmad’s mention of Final Fantasy VII Rebirth’s relative lack of sales success. (Source: ResetEra)
• Wikipedia article on Can’t Hardly Wait.
• Sleeping Dogs sold 1.5 million copies by the end of September 2012. Tomb Raider sold 3.4 million copies in the three weeks following its release. Hitman: Absolution sold 3.6 million copies at retail from November 2012 to March 2013. (Source: Wikipedia)
• Steam store page for The Portopia Serial Murder Case.

Children of the Sun (1:11:05)

• Steam store page for Children of the Sun.
• Wikipedia article on the Marvel character Yondu.
• A piece on the dotted-line comics in Family Circus. (Source: NPR)
• The Avocado’s Comic Strip Club feature.

Princess Peach: Showtime! (1:17:50)

• Nintendo store page for Princess Peach: Showtime!
• Correction: The main collectible items in Princess Peach: Showtime! are called Sparkle Gems, not Stars. (Source: Super Mario Wiki)
• Steam store page for Dead Rising.
• Steam store page for Warhammer Age of Sigmar: Realms of Ruin.

Dragon’s Dogma 2 (1:32:25)

MILD SPOILERS: Dragon’s Dogma 2

• Steam store page for Dragon’s Dogma 2.
• An article about Dragon’s Dogma 2’s microtransactions. (Source: PC Gamer)
• Steam store page for Pato Box.
• Steam store page for Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice.
• Steam store page for Immortals of Aveum.

ReCore (1:45:45)

• Steam store page for ReCore.
• Wikipedia article on Kameo: Elements of Power.

Conclusion (1:57:05)

• The Google Graveyard. (Source: Killed by Google)
• Apple’s VR headset is called the Vision Pro. (Source: Apple)