The Game Deflators E402 | Mario Kart Tour Delisted and Xbox Layoffs Hit

Gaming pickups, Xbox employee concerns, Mario Kart Tour shutdown, Xbox layoffs, PlayStation backlash, SGDQ talk, and an A Short Hike review.

Chapters: 00:00 Introduction 01:28 Game Pickups and Miniatures Discussion 03:32 Current Games: Evil West and Short Hike 06:11 Physical Game Pickups and Onimusha 08:56 Summer Games Done Quick and Speedrunning Community 11:27 Xbox's Corporate Changes and Employee Sentiment 20:20 Mario Kart Tour Shutdown and Digital Game Concerns 23:21 Xbox's Restructuring and Layoffs 26:58 The Future of Game Studios 33:25 PlayStation's Digital Shift and Consumer Backlash 39:21 Game Review: A Short Hike 50:13 Outro Video

John and Ryan return with another packed week of gaming talk, starting with their recent pickups. John adds A Short Hike and new D&D miniature materials to his collection, while Ryan dives into The Adventures of Elliot. John continues sharing his experience with Evil West on PS5, and Ryan spends time watching SGDQ and talking about standout runs.

In the news, the guys break down reports that Xbox employees are unhappy with leadership, feeling the company is being run like a startup and prioritizing consumer sentiment over developer needs. They also discuss the shutdown of Mario Kart Tour this September, with no offline version planned.

The conversation continues with Microsoft’s latest shakeup as Xbox lays off 3,200 employees, followed by reactions to PlayStation’s first tweet since announcing plans to end physical discs — and how poorly it’s being received.

To wrap up the episode, the Inflation Deflation Game of the Week features a review of A Short Hike on PC, as John and Ryan evaluate the game’s charm, pacing, and current market value.

Find us on TheGameDeflators.com

Twitter - www.twitter.com/GameDeflators Facebook - www.facebook.com/TheGameDeflators Instagram - www.instagram.com/thegamedeflators

The views and opinions expressed on this channel are solely those of the author. The content within these recordings are property of their respective Designers, Writers, Creators, Owners, Organizations, Companies and Producers.

Copyright Disclaimer Under Section 107 of the Copyright Act 1976, allowance is made for "fair use" for purposes such as criticism, comment, news reporting, teaching, scholarship, and research. Fair use is a use permitted.

Permission for intro and outro music provided by Matthew Huffaker http://www.youtube.com/user/teknoaxe 2_25_18