The VGBees Podcast

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This week's show was packed to the gills with discussion-worthy topics and that was before Phil Spencer announced his retirement, Sarah Bond resigned, and Asha Sharma ascended the Xbox throne. From there, Lotus, Niki, and John discussed:
Sony shutting down Bluepoint
Tencent allegedly funded Highguard
Castlevania franchise and Metal Gear Solid V dev Shutaro Ida passed away at 52
Hideki Sato, "Father of Sega Hardware," passed away at 77
Open-source engine Godot overwhelmed by AI-generated change requests
Call of Duty: Black Ops 7 ad banned in the UK

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Folks, this week was VERY jam-packed with discussion-worthy games news and that was BEFORE we even welcomed Game Informer's Charles Harte to the show. Together, Lotus, Niki, John, and Charles discussed:
Mewgenics' blend of deep, enjoyable tactical combat and off-putting breeding mechanics
The, let's call them rancid, vibes of Mewgenics' central thesis
Mewgenics' commitment to not understanding a punchline
Mewgenics' bewildering cameo list

Sony's State of Play was very busy, as well, including:
A Return to PS2 Era of sorts
Kena: Scars of Kosmora
A new Dead or Alive game in a very different fighting game landscape
Is Control Resonant what we want? Does it matter? Are they even showing us much?
Star Wars Galactic Racer sure does look like a Burnout game (complimentary)
Marathon is actively lying about what it is, but maybe that's smart????
Metal Gear Solid 4 is breaking PS3 containment
God of War: Sons of Sparta looks kinda bad, but it's out now

And wow, the hits don't stop there:
Discord's age...

This week, the whole gang is back together to discuss the biggest games news of the week, which sometimes wasn't about games at all! Including:
Iron Lung opens #2 at domestic box office, paving the way for perhaps a new wave of independent film distribution
Ashes of Creation developer closes after clash between Creative Director and Board
Borderlands 4 Nintendo Switch 2 port "on pause" indefinitely
Poker Night at the Inventory is getting a new release after years of license limbo
Crunchyroll to produce original games

Plus, there was a Nintendo Partner Direct:
Orbitals was best in show (again)
Resident Evil Requiem actually looks great on Switch 2
Final Fantasy VII Rebirth coming to Switch 2 this summer
Lotus and Niki bully John about disliking Fallout 4
The entire panel is split about whether The Adventures of Elliot: The Millennium Tales is a good title
Turok: Origins looks like Monster Hunter with guns kinda

We played:
Ball x Pit
Tears of the Kingdom
Titanium Court
Hermit and Pig

Finally, we answer your burning HIVE QUESTIONS straight...

With Lotus on the International Space Station this week, John and Niki wasted no time discussing these completely relevant topics:
Moisturizer
Haircare
Peloton
Tchoukball

Okay but they did get down to the most important games news of the week, including:
The Highguard team quit their shadowdrop plans to take a slot at The Game Awards
Could Geoff not fill the last slot of the evening?
What does it mean for next year's pricing for trailer space?
Why Highguard's reworked launch strategy might not pay off
Why the Highguard preview event could've worked in their favor with a different strategy
Dr Disrespect lied about attending the Highguard preview event
Vampire: The Masquerade Bloodlines 2 missed expectations as Paradox is down year over year in operating profit
Jeffrey Epstein was banned from Xbox Live in 2013
Peloton lays off 11% of its staff amid AI failures
Should we kill the CEOs in our heads?

This week, Niki, John, and Lotus confront the biggest gaming stories of the week, including:
Ubisoft's major reorg, including game cancelations and new structures
Tencent getting into podcasts, which we're sure will go great
Marathon gets a release date and a surprising collector's edition
Capcom experiments with generative AI to stop being creative
Fable takes a baffling stance on morality in the year 2026
Highguard is out so very soon

We played:
Animal Crossing: New Horizons
Séance at Blake Manor
Poco
TR-49

Also, we answer your burning HIVE QUESTIONS from our lovely Discord.