Month: March 2026

We took a week off and we wish we came back with good news but it’s still depressing week after week.

This seems likely to be the case going forward. Studio closures and lay offs. It’s just a question of how big each one is and which studio goes next.

We didn’t even cover the recent story about the money being spent with triple A studios. That reminds me – I need to remember to talk about the story next week.

Oh, and more bad news: Nintendo and Sony are raising their prices. Nintendo on their games and Sony on their consoles.

Listen, we’d love to just talk about the games we play and enjoy and we do get around to that, but this industry keeps shooting itself in the foot. And it isn’t the developers. It’s the studios, the corporates, the higher ups making the mistakes and the screw ups and everyone below paying the price for that. It’s the constant need to improve AI and replace people with it. It’s massively over spending and the consequence is laying off over 1000 people in a DAY.

It isn’t the nature of the beast. It isn’t just the way the world works. It can be changed and it NEEDS to be changed.

And if it ever does change we’ll talk about it, but until then we’ll keep pointing it out how it still hasn’t. Every week.

I don’t want to tie in the Splinter Cell clock into such a serious topic so I won’t. But here’s where we stand with waiting on Splinter Cell: 4,605 days.

Also, there’s been 2,883 job losses in the gaming industry since January 1, 2026.

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You’ll have to forgive me for getting completely sidetracked as we turn to someone who bought a pre-built PC. But not just ANY pre-built. Dude went ALL out with 64 gigs of RAM and a massive 5090 GPU.

So, yeah, that kinda grabbed my attention a bit there. Given the times we currently live in when we talk about RAM prices going way up and causing the prices of graphics cards to also increase.

All of this was after we started talking about what the next Xbox would likely cost. And what Valve’s Steam Machine might also cost. New tech is always exciting but no matter the thrills, the specs, the bells AND the whistles…it’ll all get kind of buried under the weight of whatever the price tag is. And that’s currently unknown for us. And may be for some time.

At any other point in time previous, we’d already know the price. We’d already have the details. But they’re taking their time on getting there and it’s because of the price of RAM. Full stop.

The Switch 2 got in under the gun and, for now, was able to avoid the spike in prices. But that won’t last much longer before they have to replenish stock and the price will likely affect that. But Valve’s new PC will be our first look at just how bad it has become. And give us a better idea of what to expect from the next Xbox and the PS6.

Start saving.

Ubisoft, it’s been 4,591 days since a new Splinter Cell game (non-animated series or guest spot in another game franchise, remake, BBC radio drama, or VR exclusive) was released.

Also, there’s been 1,626 job losses in the gaming industry since January 1, 2026.

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Listen, there is still bad news. More AI stuff and more studio closings and people losing their jobs. It’s still pretty bleak. And it isn’t likely to change for quite some time.

But, in an effort to not yet again sound like a broken record of just horrible news every week, I’d like to pose a question to you.

If you could wipe the memory of any game you’ve played, so that you could experience it again for the very first time, what would you pick?

What game made such an impression on you that going through it again, with a fresh mind and fresh eyes, would be your choice?

Half-Life 1/2 were amazing games with mechanics we’d never seen before at the time, but if only your memory of it was wiped, would it be what it was then by playing it today?

I had a few picks for myself. Mark Of The Ninja was one. It’s a game I’ve not played in a long time and would likely feel like playing it for the first time. Another was Bioshock Infinite (probably Bioshock 1, as well).

Those two games, while playing them wouldn’t seem at all much different than anything else out there…it’s their stories that I want to experience again for the first time. And it’s a bit hard for me to find something else like that – although I’m sure they exist. I just can’t think of them at the moment. Maybe Braid. Maybe.

So let us know what your picks are. And maybe for a little bit we aren’t thinking about job losses and AI running up the tab on all our fun stuff and everything else going on at the moment. At least for a little bit.

At this point playing ANY Splinter Cell game would feel like I’m playing it for the first time again. Ubisoft, it’s been 4,584 days since a new Splinter Cell game (non-animated series or guest spot in another game franchise, remake, BBC radio drama, or VR exclusive) was released.

Also, there’s been 1,626 job losses in the gaming industry since January 1, 2026.

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I’d love to be able to write one of these and NOT talk about how bleak things are, but that ain’t happening this week.
There’s more studio closures and people losing their jobs. More price increases or flat out shortages because of RAM due to AI – which is also a part of the job losses.

Microsoft just made a big shakeup in their leadership, which brings us back to AI again given who took over the Xbox side of things there was formally the head of AI for Microsoft.

Like I said, it’s not great news. And hasn’t been for a while.

On the less important side of things but adding a cherry on top of the news – we almost certainly now know we’ll likely never get that Bloodborne remake. But we came close.

I’d say it’s great to be back but I really wish things weren’t so bad right now – and that extends beyond the world of gaming at the moment given the recent news. I’d love to be able to have a show where we played something fun and didn’t feel guilty telling you about it without remembering how horrible things currently are. And normally I’m not this much of a Debbie Downer in my write up’s but THAT’S HOW BAD THINGS ARE!

Look, if you want a break away from the bad news, gaming isn’t a bad place to start, but at this point I’d recommend anything – hell, you got a good book sitting around? READ IT! A new demo from the next fest to try out? PLAY IT!

Whatever you need to do to keep you mentally healthy right now, just give it a go and fall into that world instead of this one at the moment.

Also, there’s still no Splinter Cell – because I have to keep the tradition going I guess.

Ubisoft, it’s been 4,577 days since a new Splinter Cell game (non-animated series or guest spot in another game franchise, remake, BBC radio drama, or VR exclusive) was released.

Also, there’s been 1,525 job losses in the gaming industry since January 1, 2026.

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