True Avatars - A Queer Video Game Podcast

• Episode 41 - Deltarune Deep Dive + Xbox Layoffs Shake the Industry

  Devona (Heldevo) and Amy-Lynn are back this week for the big gay Deltarune chat! We talk about our thoughts, if it’s a good time for a newbie to jump in, and even carve out some time for spoilers (don’t worry, we kept the spoilers separate so they’re easy to skip). We also discuss a bunch of headlines, including Cyberpunk: Edgerunners’ second season renewal, Baldur’s Gate 3 actors haven’t seen more success since the game’s release, Naughty Dog creative leads are departing The Last of Us Season 3, the #StopKillingGames campaign is gaining momentum, and those disgusting, disappointing Xbox layoffs just keep getting worse with each new article. Plus some good news: Queer Game of the Week is finally back!   00:00:00 - Intro 00:05:48 - News 00:59:09 - Deltarune 01:22:10 - Deltarune - Spoiler Talk 01:50:41 - Queer Game of the Week: A Normal Lost Phone   This episode was recorded on July 5 2025.   Sources: https://www.videogameschronicle.com/news/cyberpunk-edgerunners-is-officially-getting-a-second-season/ https://www.videogameschronicle.com/news/there-isnt-much-sway-held-by-past-success-baldurs-gate-3-actors-reveal-it-hasnt-boosted-their-careers/ https://www.stopkillinggames.com/ https://x.com/accursedfarms/status/1940290324884332812?s=46&t=sVUrhNeL5EXDMRDpzdemfQ https://x.com/naughty_dog/status/1940465773639880781?s=46&t=sVUrhNeL5EXDMRDpzdemfQ https://collider.com/the-last-of-us-season-3-halley-gross-exit-not-returning/ https://www.imdb.com/name/nm1429723/?ref_=nv_sr_srsg_1_tt_0_nm_8_in_0_q_halley%2520 https://www.nintendo.co.jp/ir/pdf/2025/qa2506e.pdf https://mynintendonews.com/2025/07/02/brazil-nintendo-is-now-facing-legal-action-over-ability-to-brick-switch-2-console/ https://www.videogameschronicle.com/news/playstation-hit-helldivers-2-is-officially-coming-xbox-with-crossplay/ https://www.videogameschronicle.com/news/xbox-confirms-layoffs-we-will-end-or-decrease-work-in-certain-areas-of-the-business/ https://www.videogameschronicle.com/news/sources-everwild-has-been-cancelled-as-xbox-layoffs-hit-rare/ https://www.windowscentral.com/gaming/xbox/microsoft-is-closing-down-xbox-studio-the-initiative https://variety.com/2025/gaming/news/perfect-dark-everwild-game-canceled-microsoft-initiative-1236446212/ https://news.xbox.com/en-us/2025/06/08/xbox-games-showcase-2025-recap-everything-announced/ https://x.com/beskinfinity/status/1940504572759548177?s=46&t=sVUrhNeL5EXDMRDpzdemfQ https://www.videogameschronicle.com/news/john-romeros-next-fps-has-lost-funding-in-the-wake-of-the-microsoft-cuts/ https://www.videogameschronicle.com/news/romero-games-now-completely-closed-following-microsoft-cuts-its-claimed/ https://www.videogameschronicle.com/news/xbox-insists-boss-phil-spencer-is-not-retiring-anytime-soon/ https://www.videogameschronicle.com/news/xbox-producer-criticised-for-suggesting-laid-off-devs-should-use-ai-for-career-planning-and-emotional-clarity/ https://www.windowscentral.com/microsoft/report-microsofts-2025-layoffs-revolve-around-its-desperate-usd80-billion-ai-infrastructure-investment

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• Episode 40 - Quantum Witch Review, ‘Press Gay to Play’ Showcase

  This week it’s just me, Zoey, as I cover three main segments! I start with the headlines, as usual, and it’s thankfully a lighter week (even if not all the news is good). Deltarune got a big patch, Drag x Drive and Chained Echoes: Ashes of Elrant DLC finally got release dates, Microsoft is doing yet another round of layoffs (a month after doing a major round of them), and Netflix is delisting several games (one or more might be queer!). I also cover the ‘Press Gay to Play’ Showcase. This was an hour-long showcase focused entirely on queer games, which is perfect for this podcast! But there were so many games highlighted, that I had to narrow down a small list to cover on the show. Finally, I was given the wonderful opportunity to review the recent indie darling, Quantum Witch! I’ve highlighted this game on the show several times, and even interviewed the developer, Nikki Jay — so I was beyond honoured when I received the first ever review code for True Avatars. Spoiler alert for my thoughts: the game is amazing!!   00:00:00 - Intro 00:06:01 - News 00:24:37 - ‘Press Gay to Play’ Showcase 00:27:59 - Hungry Horrors 00:29:49 - Don’t Wake the Beast 00:31:10 - Parcel Dash 00:32:13 - Scriptorium: Master of Manuscripts 00:33:31 - Lady Dracula 00:35:27 - Light of Atlantis 00:37:02 - Find this Pixel Anomaly 00:38:47 - Whistle Pig 00:40:48 - The Well’s Blessing 00:42:18 - Banned Together 00:44:15 - High Times 00:45:48 - Reality Break 00:47:07 - Until Oblivion 00:48:38 - Winter Burrow 00:49:59 - Xochi’s Apothecary 00:51:28 - Honourable Re-mentions 00:52:38 - Quantum Witch REVIEW   The first half of this episode was recorded on June 29 2025. The review was recorded on June 27 2025.   ‘Press Gay to Play’ Showcase: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7pjyhnns-l0 Hungry Horrors: https://store.steampowered.com/app/3048840/Hungry_Horrors/ Don’t Wake the Beast: https://store.steampowered.com/app/3258580/Dont_Wake_the_Beast/ Scriptorium: Master of Manuscripts: https://store.steampowered.com/app/3119540/Scriptorium_Master_of_Manuscripts/ Lady Dracula: https://store.steampowered.com/app/3624840/Lady_Dracula/ Light of Atlantis: https://store.steampowered.com/app/2387740/Light_of_Atlantis/ Find this Pixel Anomaly: https://store.steampowered.com/app/3290400/Find_This_Pixel_Anomaly/ Whistle Pig: https://store.steampowered.com/app/3655760/Whistle_Pig/ The Well’s Blessing: https://store.steampowered.com/app/3637250/The_Wells_Blessing/ Banned Together: https://store.steampowered.com/app/3551960/Banned_Together/ High Times: https://store.steampowered.com/app/2251220/High_Times__DatingCooking_Sim/ Reality Break: https://store.steampowered.com/app/1473060/Reality_Break/ Until Oblivion: https://store.steampowered.com/app/3106660/Until_Oblivion/ Winter Burrow: https://store.steampowered.com/app/3008740/Winter_Burrow/ Xochi’s Apothecary: https://store.steampowered.com/app/2379750/Xochis_Apothecary/   Sources: https://x.com/UnderTale/status/1937113664886304822?ref_src=twsrc%5Egoogle%7Ctwcamp%5Eserp%7Ctwgr%5Etweet https://www.videogameschronicle.com/news/netflix-is-delisting-20-mobile-games-next-month-including-hades-braid-and-monument-valley/ https://www.videogameschronicle.com/news/xbox-is-reportedly-planning-another-round-of-major-layoffs-next-week/ https://www.videogameschronicle.com/news/microsoft-announces-plans-to-lay-off-thousands-more-workers/ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=itAbXDWTbqQ https://www.videogameschronicle.com/news/xbox-confirms-hellblade-2-enhanceds-new-features-release-date-and-ps5-upgrade-for-the-first-game/ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v18WVA3NMJ8 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7pjyhnns-l0 https://forum.rpg.net/index.php?threads/chained-echoes-90s-jrpg-love-letter-with-queer-rep.906125/ https://store.epicgames.com/en-US/p/sable https://gaymingmag.com/2025/05/rainbow-tech-fest-2025-a-pride-month-hack-a-thon-comes-to-twitch/ https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/yangyangmobile/high-times https://www.reddit.com/r/Games/comments/1ilf15n/reality_break_element_games_diablo_with/ https://nomron.itch.io/until-oblivion

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• Episode 39 - Interview with Nikki Jay (Quantum Witch): From Escaping a Cult to Killing Digital Gods

  The first half of this episode is just me as I speedrun through the news. Queer headlines include a major update on Hades II, a release year for Deltarune’s next chapter, Misc. A Tiny Tale has some upgraded Switch 2 visuals, and information on a canceled Dungeons & Dragons game. In other news, Xbox has started to ramp up their next-gen plans while Nintendo gives us a better look at Donkey Kong Bananza! I also found 3 more queer games in the Green Games Showcase. In the second half, I have an exciting interview for you! Nikki Jay is here to talk about her brand new, hilarious, queer plot-former Quantum Witch! Quantum Witch is a game all about unpacking and processing Nikki’s life experiences, including escaping a cult…? She talks in-depth on her thoughts, inspirations, life stories, all through an unfiltered lesbian lens.   CONTENT WARNING: During the interview, we briefly discuss the topic of suicide. It lasts about 25 seconds. If you'd like to skip this discussion, Nikki flags it just before speaking about it.   00:00:00 - Intro 00:02:39 - News 00:22:01 - Green Games Showcase 00:23:56 - Ritual of Raven 00:25:52 - FLICK SOLITAIRE 00:27:26 - Hawthorne 00:34:53 - Interview with Nikki Jay (Quantum Witch)   The first half of this episode was recorded on June 22 2025. The interview was recorded on May 22 2025.   Green Games Showcase: https://store.steampowered.com/sale/GreenGamesShowcase Ritual of Raven: https://store.steampowered.com/app/2066520/Ritual_of_Raven/ FLICK SOLITAIRE: https://store.steampowered.com/app/3690460/FLICK_SOLITAIRE/ Hawthorn: https://store.steampowered.com/app/3078150/Hawthorn/   Sources: https://www.nintendolife.com/news/2025/06/hades-2-full-release-is-getting-close-as-development-enters-final-phase https://www.nintendolife.com/news/2025/06/deltarune-chapter-5-locks-in-2026-release-window https://www.nintendolife.com/news/2025/06/misc-a-tiny-tale-looks-super-smooth-on-switch-2-thanks-to-a-dev-hunch https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VOCtRanwXrA https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YVUidGTR8xg https://www.videogameschronicle.com/news/footage-of-a-cancelled-dungeons-dragons-rpg-has-appeared-online/ https://www.tweaktown.com/news/105802/the-witcher-4-is-built-for-console-first-cdpr-confirms-60fps-not-guaranteed/index.html https://gaymingmag.com/2025/05/queer-tarot-comes-to-flick-solitaire-on-june-1st/ https://kotaku.com/hawthorne-stardew-valley-skyrim-cozy-sim-rpg-trailer-1851668143 https://www.bloomberg.com/news/newsletters/2024-10-18/viral-new-indie-video-game-hawthorn-has-a-tragic-backstory https://www.pcgamer.com/games/survival-crafting/former-bethesda-and-bioware-devs-are-making-a-stardew-like-with-redwall-animals-and-oh-my-god-look-at-this-little-mouse-farmer-carry-a-pumpkin/ https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/nearstudios/hawthorn

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• Episode 38 - Nintendo Switch 2 Launch, Queer Game Controversies, Women-Led Games Showcase

  Amy-Lynn is back and we’ve got the juiciest, hottest queer game gossip on this side of the internet! Runescape is canceling their Pride events — kind of, it’s messy, we have a followup on the Dragon Age 4 development issues story from Episode 33, The Last of Us Season 3 will neither be starring Ellie nor Joel but a secret third character, and Amy-Lynn accurately predicted the existence and reveal of a Splatoon spin-off! Plus a lot more. We also have another showcase from last weekend: Women-Led Games Showcase. As you’d happily expect, it was also loaded with queer games. To top it all off, Amy-Lynn and I discuss our thoughts on the Nintendo Switch 2, its launch, and even some spoiler-free Deltarune impressions!   00:00:00 - Intro 00:03:38 - News 00:57:57 - Women-Led Games Showcase 00:58:47 - Angeline Era 00:59:46 - KreatureKind 01:02:13 - DOWNHILL 01:03:35 - Kokoro Kitchen 01:05:52 - Prison of Husks 01:09:08 - Death & Faeology 01:12:26 - Longstory 2 01:14:57 - Re:Fresh 01:19:19 - Nintendo Switch 2 Launch 01:30:20 - Deltarune 01:35:57 - Nintendo Switch 2 Launch (Cont’d)   This episode was recorded on June 14 2025.   Women-Led Games Showcase: Angeline Era: https://store.steampowered.com/app/2393920/Angeline_Era/ KreatureKind: https://store.steampowered.com/app/1428090/KreatureKind/ DOWNHILL: https://store.steampowered.com/app/3433000/DOWNHILL/ Kokoro Kitchen: https://store.steampowered.com/app/3079770/Kokoro_Kitchen/ Prison of Husks: https://store.steampowered.com/app/2975260/PRISON_OF_HUSKS/ Death & Faeology: https://store.steampowered.com/app/3369020/Death__Faeology/ Longstory 2: https://store.steampowered.com/app/2427820/LongStory_2/ Re:Fresh: https://store.steampowered.com/app/2297650/ReFresh/   Sources: TANUKI: Pon’s Summer: https://store.steampowered.com/app/3218570/TANUKI_Pons_Summer/ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d7ve2zWmkEA https://x.com/nintendo/status/1932075231885382103?s=46&t=sVUrhNeL5EXDMRDpzdemfQ https://www.theverge.com/news/673265/marvel-studios-avengers-doomsday-secret-wars-delayed https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/tv/tv-news/the-last-of-us-season-3-kaitlyn-dever-abby-creators-confirm-1236261056/ https://www.videogameschronicle.com/news/sonys-bend-studio-hit-with-massive-layoffs-after-live-service-game-cancelled/ https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2025-06-11/inside-the-dragon-age-debacle-that-gutted-ea-s-bioware-studio?accessToken=eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiIsInR5cCI6IkpXVCJ9.eyJzb3VyY2UiOiJTdWJzY3JpYmVyR2lmdGVkQXJ0aWNsZSIsImlhdCI6MTc0OTY0ODYyOCwiZXhwIjoxNzUwMjUzNDI4LCJhcnRpY2xlSWQiOiJTWFAxSUZUMVVNMFcwMCIsImJjb25uZWN0SWQiOiJCMUVBQkI5NjQ2QUM0REZFQTJBRkI4MjI1MzgyQTJFQSJ9.0D0urTjRUJqH0oOP38TpvlX4HOdjPQ-V_tc8l2kNFWg https://www.gamespot.com/articles/video-game-actor-strike-ends-today/1100-6532363/ https://www.sagaftra.org/sag-aftra-national-board-approves-interactive-media-agreement https://www.videogameschronicle.com/news/konami-announces-its-working-with-bloober-team-on-another-silent-hill-project/ https://www.thegamer.com/mindseye-players-refunds-playstation-5-ps5-like-cyberpunk-2077/ https://www.dexerto.com/gaming/sony-confirms-theyre-now-focused-on-playstation-6-3214566/ https://www.thepinknews.com/2025/06/10/runescape-pride-2025/

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• Episode 37.5 - BONUS - Steam Next Fest: 10 LGBTQ+ Demos We’re REALLY Excited About

  Ekamy, Lloyd_Lloydster and I played 10 exciting LGBTQ+ demos from the June 2025 Steam Next Fest — and they were even better than we already expected them to be! From super-powered queer people, to reimagined gay Dracula, roguelike-Pokémon, and gay clouds — there’s so much to play and discuss. Plus, Lloyd joins Ekamy and I as a member of the ‘Quantum Witch’ fan club, and we might even have news on ‘Quality Dreams, Reasonably Priced’ as well… As always, please don’t forget to wishlist all your favourite games! :)   00:00:00 - Intro 00:04:17 - Date Everything! 00:08:33 - Rainbow Cloud: A GAY RPG 00:12:57 - UNBEATABLE 00:18:05 - Frame of Mind: A game of thoughts. 00:21:34 - summer haze/glory days 00:29:32 - Soulblaze 00:35:22 - Nova Hearts 00:44:57 - Quantum Witch 00:50:04 - Drăculești 00:54:23 - Quality Dreams, Reasonably Priced   This episode was recorded on June 12 2025.   Demos: Date Everything!: https://store.steampowered.com/app/2201320/Date_Everything/ Rainbow Cloud: A GAY RPG: https://store.steampowered.com/app/3214400/Rainbow_Cloud_A_GAY_RPG/ UNBEATABLE: https://store.steampowered.com/app/2240620/UNBEATABLE/ Frame of Mind: A game of thoughts.: https://store.steampowered.com/app/2515480/Frame_of_Mind__A_game_of_thoughts/ summer haze/glory days: https://store.steampowered.com/app/2960800/summer_hazeglory_days/ Soulblaze: https://store.steampowered.com/app/3505230/Soulblaze/ Nova Hearts: https://store.steampowered.com/app/2506290/Nova_Hearts/ Quantum Witch: https://store.steampowered.com/app/3100650/Quantum_Witch/ Drăculești: https://store.steampowered.com/app/2537980/Drculeti/ Quality Dreams, Reasonably Priced: https://store.steampowered.com/app/3164710/Quality_Dreams_Reasonably_Priced/   Sources: Steam Next Fest - June 2025: https://store.steampowered.com/sale/nextfest https://store.playstation.com/en-us/product/JP3681-PPSA26669_00-0632996973596833 https://www.screenhub.com.au/news/news/draculesti-kickstarter-2668698/

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