Plus Netflix axes it's in-house Triple A studio and video game preservations lose fight to lend out digital games for research
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SIFTER is produced by Kyle Pauletto, Fiona Bartholomaeus, Courtney Smith, Adam Christou and Chris Button. Mitch Loh is Senior Producer and Gianni Di Giovanni is our Executive Producer. Thanks to Audio Technica Australia for their support of SIFTER.
KYLE: Hi I’m Kyle Pauletto
GIANNI: and I’m Gianni Di Giovanni
KYLE: Welcome to Walkthrough, SIFTER’s weekly recap on the biggest news in video games.
GIANNI: This week Netflix killed it’s Triple A studio before it had released anything, Overwatch 2 brings back fan favourite 6v6 mode, and embrace the sweet touch of death in the upcoming Sims 4 expansion… you can bang the grim reaper now.
Here is the news for Sunday 27th of October. Let’s go!
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KYLE: In case you weren’t aware, Netflix has in-house games studios.
That’s right, that app you use to scroll for something to watch for 15 minutes before giving up and putting on the sitcom you’ve seen 100 times has gone all in on gaming in the last few years.
And in true major corporations with gaming studio subsidiary style, they’re shutting them down. Not all of them, but reports suggest this was going to be the big one.
GIANNI: The studio was known only as Blue, and was reportedly working on Netflix’s first AAA original IP game.
This week it was confirmed that the streamer has just straight up shut it down, with no word on whether the team working on the title will be moved to one of the smaller studios or be let go.
KYLE: It’s just so like Netflix to pump what I can only assume is millions of dollars into a project, before just scrapping it altogether.
But given its recent stock market success off the back of price hikes and password sharing crackdown, I don’t think anyone at Netflix is losing sleep over this.
We’ll keep you updated as more information is revealed.
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GIANNI: After a flop of a launch, and many attempts at convincing players to come back, Overwatch 2 has given in and brought back what fans wanted all along. 6V6 matches.
Coming in season 14 which drops in December, Blizzard will be reinstating the 6V6 mode for the first in a series of tests. This first test will run a new model where each team will need to include at least one of each role, and roles can be switched throughout the match.
Then in January they will roll out the second test, which will be a copy paste of the OG overwatch 6V6 mode.
KYLE: At this stage 5V5 matches will continue alongside the new modes throughout the testing periods, but Blizzard hasn’t confirmed what the future will hold for the game.
But there has been so much back peddling with this game since launch, it’s likely they will stick with 6V6 come mid 2025.
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KYLE: Gianni the cool thing about libraries is that you can have one copy of something an lend it out to multiple people right?
That’s great if there are really limited copies of that item as well
Well video games museums and preservationists have just lost a battle with the US copyright office in which they requested to lend out some of those super rare games digitally, yeah nah soz mate you can’t do that.
GIANNI: Kendra Albert who represents the Software Preservation Alliance said hang on you let other libraries lend out digital software, why can’t we do that with games too?
The rule being that as long as you don’t lend out more copies than you own, generally you’re gravy.
Strong lobbying from the Entertainment Software Alliance (ESA) the peak body for publishers, meant that this was dead in the water, concerned that it'd harm the future viability of new games.
There are plenty of games that are accessible still, but so many more that will effectively be lost forever to culture and to players.
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GIANNI: And finally, The Sims update that every weird little goth and Kyle have been waiting for is here, because you can now have sex with death.
As part of the new Life and Death expansion, players can woo the grim reaper themself, potentially head to the bone zone, and even procreate.
Steph Panecasio I’m looking at you.
KYLE: This may seem out of left field, but weirdly enough sleeping with the grim reaper has been an ongoing subject in the community.
You’ve always been able to flirt with him, but never seal the deal, unless you’ve used mods.
So there ya go Sims fans, our weird freaky little fantasies are now a grim reality.
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KYLE: That’s it for the big headlines, here are the games coming out this week
GIANNI: The latest entry in the Life is Strange series is out this week, Life is Strange: Double Exposure. You play as Max ten years on from the events in Arcadia Bay, tasked with uncovering the secrets of a new mystery. It’s out on PC, PlayStation 5, Xbox Series S and X and Switch on the 29th.
KYLE: After nine years of development issues, team changes, and a cancellation scare, Dragon Age: The Veilguard is finally here. This direct sequel to Inquisition looks great, and is set to sound great too thanks to a score by Hans Zimmer himself. Grab it on PC, PlayStation 5, and Xbox Series S and X on the 31st.
GIANNI: Also out on the 31st is the PC and PS5 remake of Horizon Zero Dawn. Same game, but looks prettier, you get the idea.
KYLE: And out November 1st is Farmagia, a new action RPG featuring character design by legendary manga artist Hiro Mashima. Command an army of monsters in epic battles when Farmagia comes to PC, PlayStation 5 and Switch this Friday.
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KYLE: This has been Walkthrough by SIFTER, my name is Kyle Pauletto.
GIANNI: And my name is Gianni Di Giovanni, thank you so much for listening.
KYLE: Checking out Bluesky, Threads or Mastodon? SIFTER is there, we have been regularly posting to those little microblogging sites for yonks and we’d love to see you. It’s easy. Search for sifterHQ on all those platforms and you’ll find us. That address is sifterHQ on Bluesky, Threads, and Mastodon. We'd love to chat to you there!!
GIANNI: SIFTER is produced by myself, Fiona Bartholomaeus, Adam Christou, Courtney Smith and Chris Button. The episode is edited by both Senior Producer Mitch Loh and Executive Producer Gianni Di Giovanni, who is also Walkthrough’s script editor.
KYLE: Thanks to Brian Fairbanks from Salty Dog Sounds for composing the Walkthrough theme tune, and Audio Technica Australia and Apple for their support of SIFTER’s podcasts.
GIANNI: We’ll be back with more news next Sunday. See you then.
