#315 | Beta Energy

The next PlayStation Studios game in the pipeline is Concord, and we're all interested to see how it pans out. But by opening up its imminent beta weekend to all PS+ subscribers instead of those who pre-ordered the game, it's obvious that the pre-release energy for this title simply isn't there. Will a mass of people going hands-on change its trajectory? Or do things seem a little bit dire for Firewalk's maiden voyage? Plus: Bloodborne for PS5 appears on PlayStation Stars in a cruel tease, Zenless Zone Zero hits 50 million players in only a week, Arc System Works is toiling away on a 3D Double Dragon game, Sony gets into bed with PalWorld studio Pocketpair, and more. Then: Listener inquiries! What do we think of the extensive changes Microsoft made to Xbox's Game Pass program? We've talked a great deal about AI, but how do we feel about its distant cousin procedural generation? Which changes do we want to see instituted most in Firaxis' Civilization VII? Will Chris trade his PSVR2 to a listener for standing room concert tickets? Tickets to Sacred Vs Dukes live show: https://bit.ly/sacreddukes Please keep in mind that our timestamps are approximate, and will often be slightly off due to dynamic ad placement. 0:00:00 - Intro 0:22:41 - Happy Birthday Emily 0:28:45 - Lockmort's patronage 0:30:40 - Stretch our legs 0:34:00 - Heat 0:35:11 - Chingers 0:44:55 - Marriage advice 0:54:53 - New team name 0:57:02 - Trade offer 1:00:51 - Concord beta 1:16:55 - Bloodborne PS5 1:22:24 - Double Dragon reboot 1:26:18 - Zenless Zone Zero success 1:29:58 - Ys X release date 1:32:43 - What the Sigma Star Saga? 1:33:54 - What we're playing 2:02:07 - Pocketpair’s Sony Partnership 2:10:23 - Software and hardware sales data 2:19:55 - New PS Plus games 2:26:25 - Xbox Game Pass price increase 2:44:53 - Stigma to lower difficulties 2:52:15 - Legendary fights 2:56:01 - How much AI is ok? 3:12:56 - Civ VII dreams 3:20:09 - Right-wing grifters Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices