Deconstructor of Fun

A lot happened this week in games. Kids are outsmarting Roblox's age verification, Xbox is cracking under its own pricing, and Pokémon is running laps around everyone else's marketing. Topics Covered:
● Roblox age tiers: Three new segments, parental controls, and why lawsuits from 8 states still aren't the biggest threat● AAA dominance debate: Is the top 20 really losing ground, or is Newzoo misleading everyone?● Xbox Game Pass: A leaked memo, two price hikes in 15 months, and ad-supported tiers on the horizon● Borderlands Mobile: A surprise US stealth launch with no monetization and onboarding straight out of 2018● Pokémon's 30th: Five games in nine months, a Super Bowl ad, Tiffany collabs, and a masterclass in franchise marketing● Destiny Rising: NetEase guts its monetization after an 80% revenue drop - too little too late?

CHAPTERS:
02:26 Boss Mode Nomination
04:49 Twig Jr Roblox Shill
09:04 AAA Dominance Debate
15:47 Roblox Age Tiers
18:21 Roblox Safety and Workarounds
22:45 Roblox Stock and Regulation Risk
28:50 AI Tools and Kids Next
32:01 Xbox Internal Memo Leak
37:57 Borderlands Mobile Stealth Drop
42:21 Gameplay Praise Franchise Doubts
46:29 Pokemon Champions Cross Platform Push
51:20 Pokemon 30th Marketing Blitz
55:57 Destiny Rising Monetization Pivot
58:14 Wrap Up Life Updates Florida

We sit down with Ben Porter, Director of Consulting at Newzoo, to go through their 80-page 2026 PC & Console report page by page.Topics Covered:● Newzoo calls it an Inflection Point, but we call it winner-takes-all on a flat engagement base● Roblox is the #1 most played franchise on PC & Console with 50%+ playtime growth YoY, but is it even a game?● The Roblox generation actively avoids AAA narrative games, and what that means for traditional developers● Free-to-play is dying on consoles while premium live service titles like Arc Raiders and Helldivers steal the spotlight● Game Pass is great for playtime, terrible for premium revenue, and the data proves it● The $30-$50 mid-price sweet spot is quietly becoming the most interesting battleground in gaming● 43% of PC growth came from China, which wasn't even in the report

We sit down with Ben Porter, Director of Consulting at Newzoo, to go through their 80-page 2026 PC & Console report page by page.Topics Covered:● Newzoo calls it an Inflection Point but we call it winner-takes-more on a flat engagement base● Roblox is the #1 most played franchise on PC & Console with 50%+ playtime growth YoY but is it even a game?● The Roblox generation actively avoids AAA narrative games and what that means for traditional developers● Free-to-play is dying on consoles while premium live service titles like Arc Raiders and Helldivers steal the spotlight● Game Pass is great for playtime, terrible for premium revenue and the data proves it● The $30-$50 mid-price sweet spot is quietly becoming the most interesting battleground in gaming● 43% of PC growth came from China which wasn't even in the report

We sit down with Ben Porter, Director of Consulting at Newzoo, to go through their 80-page 2026 PC & Console report page by page.Topics Covered:
● Newzoo calls it an Inflection Point but we call it winner-takes-more on a flat engagement base● Roblox is the #1 most played franchise on PC & Console with 50%+ playtime growth YoY but is it even a game?● The Roblox generation actively avoids AAA narrative games and what that means for traditional developers● Free-to-play is dying on consoles while premium live service titles like Arc Raiders and Helldivers steal the spotlight● Game Pass is great for playtime, terrible for premium revenue and the data proves it● The $30-$50 mid-price sweet spot is quietly becoming the most interesting battleground in gaming● 43% of PC growth came from China which wasn't even in the report

This week, we go two-on-two for a lighter, looser TWIG, but there’s nothing light about the topics.We break down the biggest shifts across film, platforms, AI, and where attention is really going. Topics Covered:● Don’t ever put Mario in the corner; he crushed it at the Box Office● Aream and Investgame report ● Take Two takes an Axe to its AI team and lets them go in advance of GTA6● Monopoly Go launches a chat App and it wasn’t an April Fools Day joke as it hits #2 in top social downloads in the US+Bonus: The life of a consultant vs. the life of a corporate employee