YoVG # 552 Irresponsible Hype (Blizzcon 2026)

Hyper dramatic title for fun. In reality, we're discussing Big Walk being disqualified from game of the year at IGF. They admitted to a very specific use of AI and the judges had a strict no AI policy. That's that. But... Is that going to be a thing moving forward? Is there anyone that thinks AI won't be involved in some way, shape, or form in every game moving forward? For Big Walk it was bug hunting - which in my opinion is the correct way to use tools like AI. It is uniquely suited to pour over a million lines of code hunting a typo. If that's all it was used for, I wouldn't have a problem with it at all. I'm curious how awards, and audiences will respond over time.

As of recording - Ocarina remake is releasing in a couple hours. The nostalgia bait was so strong I almost bought a Switch 2. Almost. I am holding out a little longer though. But it occurs to me that there may be quite a few Zelda fans that this will be their first time playing Ocarina of Time. So, we talk nostalgia, toy stores, and pricing. Then we get into what we think we'd like to see from the new mainline Zelda game that is sure to be coming. For those of you jumping into Ocarina remake, enjoy! And for the doods who will be playing Ocarina for the first time - I hope it is every bit as powerful and fun as it was when it originally came out.

So, what do we think the next twelve months looks like for gaming? Nintendo has a SOLID 2027 coming, but not necessarily any BIG games. Sony and Microsoft have potentially new consoles AND handhelds to show off, but does that mean they are finally locking in? Let's make a couple calls - see what we get right!

A couple things inspired this week's episode. First: an incredible 66 post thread from a Capcom developer who worked on RE7. It's since been deleted, but in it he goes over all sorts of BTS that shows how the game came together. The three way tug of war between the producer, the writer, and the developers actually building the game exemplifies the best and worst aspects of all creative work. You can in depth discussions on Reddit that have screen shots or transcripts of his posts. Second: Microsoft says next year their portable will launch, and then a year later (2028) Helix is due to release. Btw: Helix looks like it'll cost between $1200 and $1800. Uh, wut? Yep. We're staring down the barrel of game consoles hitting two grand next generation. This is due to hardware costs that will likely only increase over the next two years. Oh, and if you're hoping that Playstation will come in clutch with a cheaper console: Sony says the RAM alone will cost $600! All this to say that the industry is maybe a little out of touch. Matt thinks talent will be key to solving the problem, and the industry is sorely lacking in the talent of yore. Personally I like to phrase this as craftsmanship. Because that can be developed rather than some innate talent. The problem is businesses haven't put resources into developing their teams in decades. They just lay them off instead. Well, unless you're Nintendo... 

No. It's still a mixed bag. But it's nice to see the dirtbags in tech suddenly realize they've opened Pandora's box for themselves too. Decompiling is going to be basically impossible to prosecute with any consistency. Matt is still staunchly anti-AI, but he's come around to my thinking: AI is great for drudge-work. Do I think that is what tech is hoping to kill with it? No. Is it as powerful as they claim? No. Is it ever going to be as profitable as it needs to be, in order to justify the money they've spent to date? No. But there is cool stuff that it does and decompiling is a perfect example. So, let's talk about the internet hero of the hour, and new age piracy enabler: AI.

We cover a few things this episode. Asha soft confirming Xbox Portable. Gamestop price gouging their customers on PS5pro. The main topic, though, is the Paramount WB merger into SKYDANCE. Will anything good come of this? It's possible, but as we saw with Activision being acquired by Microsoft - it doesn't mean beloved IP making a return, and almost definitely means a lot of devs losing their jobs. It's hard not to be cynical and downer about it, but we do try to name possible good things.

Microsoft filed a patent for in-game advertising. Examples include: before or after a multiplayer match, after a major boss fight or story beat, or as a way to earn game time on cloud services. Suffice to say Xbox will not be recovering its reputation any time soon. And if this idea makes them money? Sony will follow soon after. In this one instance though, we may have a hero... Nintendo. Let's talk about why.

Technically the term is "sunsetting" but sundowning seems more appropriate given the confusion, anxiety, and madness of Xbox's behavior. In this week's episode we talk Capcom, PS5 cultural relevance and the biggest topic is Xbox's recent layoffs and consolidations. Consolidations that seem to point at Microsoft gearing up to sell or close Xbox game studios. As an aside, in the episode we are talking about Onimusha and I mention that I am doing the issikai maneuver (spelling?). I played some more after recording - and that is definitely not what I am doing the most of. Mostly I dodge - but for whatever reason: I pull off that move more reliably than the parry. My confusing adventures into being sh*t at action games continues lmao

For the third week in a row, I have been caught unawares. As with every Blizzcon - I have to acknowledge most of this is not for me. WoW, Overwatch, even Diablo are all games I enjoy here and there, but I am by no means a major fan. So, maybe it's not a surprise that I didn't see a StarCraft FPS coming. The trailer was HYPE. And then it shows the release... 2030? And probably late 2030... So, 4 years from now? Why do companies do this? Announcing something so early is a surefire way to wear out the audience's enthusiasm by release time. Is it job security? A way to keep the execs off their back and the finger off the layoff button?

We got a two-parter Nintendo Direct for the first time ever. One part dedicated entirely to Zelda 40 year anniversary and a second more traditional direct the very next day. Put together, we feel it's a solid direct. A couple surprises in Metroid Revenant and Kirby Forgotten World and a whole load of anticipated ports.