Dropped Frames Episode 434

The use of GenAI continues to grow in game dev, viewbotting is increasing on Twitch, is streaming video games dying? Our thoughts on Stop Killing Games, Dune Awakening's end game, Death Stranding 2, Lies of P and of course the Horse Girl game. 0:00 - Intro1:20 - The Thon ends4:00 - Dune Awakening endgame29:00 - GenAI in The Alters57:00 - Viewbots1:21:30 - Is game streaming dead?1:29:00 - Stop Killing Games1:33:10 - Death Stranding 22:15:00 - Lies of P: Overture2:28:00 - Peak2:45:00 - Ruffy and the Riverside2:49:00 - Ume Musume: Pretty Derby3:01:00 - ShoutoutsSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

We're joined by Dan this week to give us the lowdown on The Alters and the tips/tricks for dating everything in the house in the new dating sim: Date Everything! But first Borderlands 4 had their deep dive reveal during their fanfest and for the first time we're actually excited to play it! Nexusmods gets sold, should we be worried (yes!) Splitgate 2 devs face layoffs after poor  launch, Marathon gets delayed indefinitely, Mr. Beast's AI thumbnails, Kojima doesn't want you to feel good after playing Death's Stranding 2, 32 race Mario Kart World and more! 0:00 - Intro4:00 - The Blood of Dawnwalker16:00 - Borderlands 432:35 - Borderlands 4 is now a $70 game49:25 - Donkey Kong Bonanza55:45 - Lies of P: Overture1:03:45 - Stellar Blade1:05:00 - Splitgate devs facing layoffs1:08:00 - Nexusmods gets sold1:12:20 - Hades 2 update1:15:20 - AI thumbnails1:20:40 - Marathon delayed indefinitely1:25:00 - Jukeboxes1:31:30 - Fantasy Life I gets a roguelike mode1:34:30 - SEGA leaks their sales info1:36:00 - FBC Firebreak1:45:40 - Kojima changed Death's Stranding 2 to be more polarizing2:01:10 - REMATCH2:26:00 - Mario Kart World2:30:50 - Date Everything2:54:10 - The Alters (no spoilers)3:03:10 - ShoutoutsSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This week we share our final thoughts on Summer Game Fest and check our post-SGF hype levels. We wonder if Marathon is still releasing this year. Sony quietly removing region-lock on their PC ports. GameStop removing the Game from Stop. Obsidian leads wonder about the industry. MindsEye... Dune: Awakening addiction and plenty of Steam NEXT Fest demos including Rue Valley, Baby Steps and Dispatch!   0:00 - Intro1:00 - Father's Day4:00 - Post-SGF10:00 - Arc Raiders21:00 - Marathon37:20 - Sony removing regional restrictions on Steam43:30 - Stellar Blade peaks CCU on Steam49:40 - Gamestop moving away from games54:00 - Obsidian on $80 games and the industry1:02:40 - Switch 2 sells over 3 mil in a day1:16:25 - MindsEye and Cohh1:34:00 - Dragon Age dev hell1:47:00 - Dune: Awakening2:24:00 - Ninja Gaiden Ragebound     2:26:30 - Baby Steps2:34:50 - Rue Valley2:37:00 - Dispatch2:49:00 - Zeke's favorite NEXT Fest demos3:03:40 - Path of Exile3:05:10 - Nancy Drew3:11:15 - ShoutoutsSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Our main topic this week is going over our Summer Game Fest coverage plans. Be sure to watch with us this Friday, June 6 5PM ET! We also go through all the TwitchCon news including increased streaming resolutions (but not the bitrate,) Twitch live rewind... That's behind a paywall, and more! We then discuss our time with Elden Ring: Nightreign a weirdly addicting game, Tainted Grail and round it all out with Zeke's indie recommendations! 0:00 - Intro1:40 - Nicknames5:10 - Twitch bitrate6.40 - Twitch rewind17:00 - The rest of Twitch Con EU news25:00 - Expedition 33 sells 3.3 million in 33 days26:40 - EA closes Cliffhanger Studios30:00 - COD ads34:40 - Elden Ring: Nightreign1:15:00 - Switch 21:31:10 - Summer Game Fest plans1:59:00 - Tainted Grail2:30:00 - The Last Golfer2:40:30 - Zeke's indie recommendations2:56:20 - ShoutoutsSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Is Marathon getting delayed? All signs point to yes with the latest Playstation rumors, meanwhile an Arc Raiders announcement seems imminent! We share our very official casting for the recently announced Elden Ring movie by A24 and Alex Garland. We have a battle over which game is better, we can't afford $80 and then we watch the OTK game showcase.   0:00 - Intro3:25 - Marathon delayed?16:50 - Lies of P Expansion preview21:40 - Arc Raiders ARG?25:15 - Elden Ring the movie38:55 - Warhammer52:25 - Games Workshop doing well53:30 - Witcher 3 celebrates 10 years1:01:10 - Star Wars Battlefront 2 returns1:10:00 - Pokémon1:12:30 - Carey Patel joins Night School1:19:00 - Can you afford $80?1:36:20 - TMNT1:45:10 - Tainted Grail1:46:15 - ShoutoutsSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

We're joined by Dan this week to into DOOM: The Dark Ages before we tear into Bungie for plagiarizing assets off an artist in their upcoming game Marathon. AI Darth Vader is a menace in Fortnite, Stellar Blade banned in 130 countries on PC, World of Tanks introduces tiered loot boxes, more ways to pay for Star Citizen and much more this week! 0:00 - Intro0:55 - Summer Game Fest is soon3:50 - Is DOOM: The Dark Ages not as good as the others?45:20 - Art plagiarism on Marathon1:04:40 - Darth Vader in Fortnite1:32:40 - Apple denies Fortnite on App Store1:33:50 - Nintendo patents gliding1:35:10 - Ubisoft down1:37:00 - Sony considering to increase prices1:38:00 - Stellar Blade banned in 130 countries1:43:50 - Star Citizen sells more stuff before game release1:47:00 - Tiered loot boxes1:52:50 - Call of Duty Warzone Mobile shutting down1:55:00 - Bandai Namco execs2:03:50 - Dragon's Dogma Online2:06:10 - Cash Cleaner Simulator2:15:45 - Quarantine Zone2:18:55 - Clair Obscur: Expedition 332:31:15 - The Precinct2:43:00 - Sleeping Dogs2:51:30 - ShoutoutsSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Sandfall Interactive co-founder and Game Director: Guillaume Broche joins us this week to talk about the crazy journey it's been getting their first game: Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 out the door. In the back half we share our enthusiasm for new extraction shooter Arc Raiders, surprised by the glowing previews of Death Stranding 2, breathe a sigh of relief at GTA6's delay and much more!    0:00 - Intro2:30 - Guillaume Broche from Sandfall Interactive is here!4:30 - Clair Obscur crushed all their expectations11:00 - The path to creating Expedition 3330:00 - Expedition 33's soundtrack33:00 - How the combat came to be1:00:00 - Rapid fire questions1:11:30 - Will there be DLC?1:26:30 - Arc Raiders Play Test1:43:20 - Death's Stranding 2 previews1:49:40 - GTA6 delayed to May 20261:53:20 - Tariffs and games2:00:00 - Borderlands 4 might be $80?2:04:20 - Diablo 4 x Berserk2:06:00 - Magic the Gathering x Final Fantasy2:12:40 - Ben Starr is everywhere2:22:45 - The Midnight Walk2:31:00 - Revenge of the Savage Planet2:42:10 - Dune: Awakening2:55:30 - Doooom2:58:10 - Elden Ring Nightreign3:00:20 - ShoutoutsSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Joining us for the LAST STREAM ever (in April 2025) is first-timer Criken to chat about his streaming journey that started almost 2 decades ago and gives us some sage advice on how to not burn out after so long. Then we get into a surprisingly banger week in video game releases starting with the Oblivion remaster, Clair Obscura: Expedition 33 and our continued adventures in Blue Prince. 0:00 - Intro1:00 - Criken is here4:00 - Horse girl6:00 - Are centaurs furries?5:50 - Marcus in VRChat15:00 - Streaming since Justin.tv37:30 - Japan40:00 - Avoiding burn out53:40 - The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion Remastered1:31:50 - Horse armor1:33:00 - Larian finds DLC boring1:38:00 - Runescape Dragonwilds1:43:00 - Dune: Awakening2:06:00 - Revenge of the Savage Planet2:15:30 - Blue Prince continues2:30:20 - Clair Obscura: Expedition 332:45:00 - Switch 2 Preorders2:49:40 - ShoutoutsSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Blue Prince has got us falling through layer after layer of puzzles and notes still. Luckily Rami Ismail is here to update us on the health of the games industry in 2025! Nintendo finally locks down it's Tariff induced pricing for the Switch 2 in the US. The worst kept secret: TES: Oblivion is dropping soon and  lots of Star Wars news plus much more! 0:00 - Intro1:00 - 4/203:40 - Lost in Blue Prince9:00 - Elder Scrolls: Oblivion remaster incoming13:25  - Dwarf Fortress sells over 1 million copies13:45 - The Switch 2 console will remain the same price (but not accessories)18:00 - The Marathon CBT will not be under NDA27:00 - Rami is here!32:30 - The state of the industry1:23:00 - Roblox did it first1:44:00 - The Last of Us season 21:50:00 - Star Wars: A New Hope1:56:20 - Star Wars Zero Company2:06:10 - Marvel Rivals adds chroma MTX2:11:00 - The EU on MTX2:24:10 - Overwatch 2 Season 162:25:50 -  Marvel Rivals swimsuits2:30:10 - Blades of Fire2:47:40 - Lost Skies2:55:40 - Shoutouts  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

We're joined by Path of Exile 2's Co-Founder and Game Director: Jonathan Rogers to talk about the last week of the new update, what's being addressed in the near and far future, and the future of the game. But first we get into the news of the week including the Marathon reveal and some of the games we've been playing this week including surprise GOTY contender Blue Prince!   0:00 - Intro0:50 - Taxes5:30 - Blue Prince25:25 - Marathon reveal59:00 - Sabrina Carpenter1:01:35 - Baldur's Gate 3 update 81:12:40 - Into the Dead: Our Darkest Days1:26:05 - Path of Exile 2's Jonathan Rogers joins us2:50:00 - The next week of POE222:58:15 - ShoutoutsSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.