#435 | Why'd It Turn From Sweet to Bitter?

In its first month on the market last fall, PlayStation 5's Ghost of Yotei sold more than three million copies. Now that we're a year out from that date, it wouldn't be surprising if that number was at least double. Yet, first party developer Sucker Punch, the team that gave us not only Ghost, but also Sly Cooper and Infamous, has laid off a couple dozen people. How can a modest-sized AAA team that easily turned a healthy profit with its last project still be the subject of downsizing? Should we expect more upheaval in the first party family, whether or not future games sell well? Could it be that this is a mere case of rightsizing, and not at all something more existential? There's much to discuss. Plus: Grand Theft Auto VI's file size on PS5 is humongous, Wolverine's controversial release demonstrably helped sell hardware, Arrowhead talks about the potential (or lack thereof) of a Helldivers 3, Silent Hill 1's remake is apparently more imminent than we thought, and more. Then: Listener inquiries! Would Naughty Dog be wise to not have a review cycle for Intergalactic? Why can't players let Mass Effect go? How many disastrous fiscal quarters can Xbox withstand before it becomes clear there's no turning the brand around? Does Chris resemble Jan Cope from Ace Combat, or is this simply another case of Man in Glasses Syndrome? Get 10% off your first month at https://www.betterhelp.com/symbols Download Cash App today and make your money work for you. Click here to get started: https://capl.onelink.me/vFut/ty57yree #CashAppPartner Cash App is a financial services platform, not a bank. Banking services provided by Cash App’s bank partner(s). Prepaid debit cards issued by Sutton Bank, Member FDIC. Cash App Visa® Debit Flex Cards issued by Sutton Bank, Member FDIC, and The Bancorp Bank, N.A., pursuant to a license from Visa U.S.A. Inc. See terms and conditions for the Sutton prepaid card (https://cash.app/legal/us/en-us/card-agreement), Sutton debit flex card (https://cash.app/legal/us/en-us/debit-flex-card-agreement-sutton), and Bancorp debit flex card (https://cash.app/legal/us/en-us/debit-flex-card-agreement-bancorp). Discounts and promotions provided by Cash App, a Block, Inc. brand. Visit cash.app/legal/podcast for full disclosures. Please keep in mind that our timestamps are approximate, and will often be slightly off due to dynamic ad placement. 0:00:00 - Intro0:26:53 - Shout out William0:28:29 - Chris honored with a segment?0:36:09 - Dustin's expired food0:52:09 - Jan Cope Ray Gun0:55:13 - GTA VI has the biggest file size of any PS5 game1:01:46 - Wolverine helped sell PS5s1:06:04 - PS5 is still outselling PS4 time-adjusted1:12:33 - Xbox's PR plays1:27:18 - Suckerpunch lays off 24 employees1:49:11 - Arrowhead on Helldivers 32:02:32 - Will PS6's handheld's power surprise us?2:06:29 - Silent Hill 1 Remake could come out in 20272:14:37 - Capcom's physical games stat2:18:09 - Prism Dualsense controllers2:31:40 - New PS+ Essential2:35:36 - PSN September top downloads2:37:03 - A couple PSAs2:38:01 - What We've Been Playing (Castlevania: Belmont’s Curse, Tape to Tape, Phantom Blade Zero, Alien Isolation)3:01:21 - How would we show off Intergalactic?3:13:08 - The Save Mass Effect petition3:30:43 - Why should Valve make games?3:40:14 - Will game companies accommodate aging gamers? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices