Gaming feels like it's at a crossroads.

This week, we react to another difficult week for the industry as Xbox announces more than 3,000 layoffs in what it calls a "reset". What does this mean for the future of gaming? Are publishers chasing impossible growth, and is the industry heading towards a wider correction?

Then we ask ourselves a very different question… If we could start our gaming lives all over again, what would we do differently?

Would we still buy games on day one? Would we build enormous backlogs? Would trophies, FOMO and social media still shape the way we play?

Joining Liam this week while Scott enjoys paternity leave is Alex from The Mimic's Veil, bringing another perspective to one of our most personal discussions yet.

In this episode:

• Final Fantasy VII Remake finally clicks
• Assassin's Creed Black Flag Resynced impressions
• PlayStation's reported move away from physical media
• Main topic: Gaming Reset… what we’d do differently
• Xbox layoffs and the future of the platform
• July's Pixel Replay reminder. Burnout 3: Takedown

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CHAPTERS

00:00 Gaming Has Hit Reset

00:48 Welcome Alex Back

03:39 LEGO & Middle-earth Chat

07:38 Housekeeping

08:33 What We've Been Playing

08:45 Final Fantasy VII Remake

09:36 The Adventures of Elliot: The Millennium Tales

15:12 Assassin's Creed Black Flag Resynced

20:14 PlayStation & The End Of Physical Games?

29:30 Xbox Layoffs & Industry Reset

39:35 Main Topic. If We Started Gaming Again...

40:57 Would We Still Buy Games Day One?

46:41 Would We Build A Backlog?

50:31 Online Opinions & Reviews

55:18 Do We Replay Enough Games?

59:33 Trophies & Achievements

01:00:37 Would We Buy Less Hardware?

01:03:24 Game Pass & Subscription Fatigue

01:06:16 The Biggest Lesson We've Learned

01:12:09 Pixel Replay. Burnout 3 Returns

01:14:21 Closing Thoughts

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Music & production by Sean Murray – barehandsdesigns.com

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