Sacred Symbols: A PlayStation Podcast

What a week! On the back of Colin's PSN account being temporarily hijacked by nefarious forces, we have an enormous amount to get through for our ever-eager audience. We dissect what happened, why it happened, how we've been communicating with Sony to try and convince them to fix the major issues plaguing their online service, and what we feel you should do to protect yourself. But understand this, and understand it well: PSN's security is a complete joke. All an outsider needs to get access to your account is an email address and mundane information like the date you made a random purchase, and they'll give your account to basically anyone. Your password doesn't matter, your 2FA doesn't matter, and your passkey doesn't matter. To repeat: Your password doesn't matter, your 2FA doesn't matter, and your passkey doesn't matter. And if you want more proof, someone in our audience reset two of his own accounts back-to-back with PlayStation's hilariously-deficient (and potentially-compromised) third world customer service call centers, just to make the point. Sony must make serious changes and reunite people with their stolen PSN accounts, and we intend on pressing until they do. We are your loyal and dedicated customers. Remember? Other news this week includes the announcement of a fresh State of Play in early June, confirmation that PlayStation will no longer release its single-player games on PC, the official end of Destiny 2, the renaming of Fairgames, rumors of a return of Infamous, an increase in PS+ pricing, and more. Then: Listener inquiries! Could Shuhei Yoshida ever return to PlayStation? Why have mergers and acquisitions dramatically slowed down in the games industry? Will Sony pull PS5s from shelves shortly after PS6 launches due to pricing tensions? Which members of Cobra would Chris and Dustin be?

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Timestamps:Please keep in mind that our timestamps are approximate, and will often be slightly off due to dynamic ad placement.

0:00:00 - Intro0:22:05 - To Grace and Leo0:26:05 - Reverse Jesus0:28:25 - Children of wealth0:38:55 - Chris and Dustin in Cobra0:42:18 - Candle compromise0:43:09 - The Great Hack2:30:04 - State of Play incoming2:41:09 - Sony single player games are no longer coming to PC2:55:10 - Destiny 2 is ending3:15:58 - Fairgames renamed?3:27:38 - PS Plus price increase3:34:26 - Is Infamous coming back?3:43:00 - Warhorse Studios is working on two games3:52:07 - Embracer reorganizes4:00:14 - Circana data for April4:05:33 - What We're Playing (Mouse: PI For Hire, Pragmata, Saros, Marathon)4:14:40 - Shuhei spotted4:16:47 - PSN keys4:29:46 - What happened to consolidation?4:33:45 - Player analytics4:39:01 - PS5 after PS64:46:48 - Difficulty tuning
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It's mid-May, which can mean only one thing: We're at the point in the calendar when most companies release their financials for the previous fiscal year. Sony is one such organization, reporting a relatively flat year-on-year picture both generally, and with PlayStation in particular. With PS5 sales slowing down all the while the console is becoming more expensive, and with recent Housemarque exclusive Saros seemingly selling softly, does Sony have an uphill battle to keep PlayStation relevant? Or will the inevitable PlayStation 6 -- not to mention PS5's likely-strong swan song next year -- be enough to keep the ever-distracted masses engaged with the ecosystem? We discuss. Plus: Sony's second and third party lead gives a candid interview, 007: First Light goes gold, a new externally-manufactured DualSense controller has hit the market, PlayStation Plus Game Catalog receives a refresh, and more. Then: Listener inquiries! Why did so many people believe Game Informer was teasing a Grand Theft Auto VI cover? Do we think the rumors indicating that FromSoft is working on a pirate-themed game are true? Is Dragon Quest XII finally going to be properly revealed in a couple of weeks? Could Chris contest Brad's status as the guy who cares the most about Last Stand Media?Please keep in mind that our timestamps are approximate, and will often be slightly off due to dynamic ad placement.0:00:00 - Intro0:55:19 - Stand down Jeff0:56:27 - Daxter the pup1:02:39 - Chris on Saint Slayer1:03:59 - Sacred polls1:06:07 - PSN Settlement update1:07:28 - The "original" Uncharted 41:17:07 - Fiscal year financials2:11:35 - Saros sales numbers2:36:15 - Stellar Blade 2 goes multiplatform2:43:42 - Playstation 3rd party lead interview2:50:44 - 007 First Light has gone gold2:55:40 - New Scuf controller2:58:29 - New PS+ Plus catalog games3:03:46 - What Are We Playing? (Saros, Vampire Survivors, Mixtape, Steam Controller)3:26:59 - Breaking point with social media3:46:33 - Obsessed GTA fans3:51:31 - Fromsoft "leaks"3:58:55 - Marathon Season 24:09:29 - New Dragon Quest4:14:58 - Day and night cycle
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If the release calendar holds as currently constructed, Grand Theft Auto VI will launch into the waiting arms of millions upon millions of day-one players. And since it's likely to be the highest-grossing entertainment event in the history of mankind, it's fair to assume that the marketing push will be substantial. As we get ever-closer to the fall, Take Two's CEO has been giving revealing interviews about the insane money, expectations, and consequences behind Rockstar's much-anticipated project (and word on these digital streets is that Sony has secured the marketing rights to the game, which is absolutely massive for PlayStation 5). Are you ready to withstand a hype machine the likes of which you've never seen before? Plus: Strauss Zelnick expresses disappointment over Civilization VII and laments the lack of a new BioShock, a majority of consumers polled report never buying games at full price, Call of Duty is finally skipping PlayStation 4 moving forward, Yacht Club's Mina the Hollower gets a release date, and more. Then: Listener inquiries! Should Sony reform its existing refund system on PSN? Is there an alternate reality where Sony kept the 007 film license in the '90s, thus opening up PlayStation to a series of James Bond games? Should PlayStation explore surprise reveals a la the new Star Fox? Does Colin have a potential business opportunity in the works naming other people's children?

This episode is sponsored by BetterHelp. Get 10% off at https://www.betterhelp.com/sacred

Timestamps:Please keep in mind that our timestamps are approximate, and will often be slightly off due to dynamic ad placement.0:00:00 - Intro0:21:22 - Sacred missed connection UPDATE0:27:12 - Naming ceremony0:43:18 - Magnanimous Colin0:46:21 - DRM thoughts0:56:27 - New PSN settlement1:18:17 - Sony seemingly has the marketing rights to GTA VI1:45:27 - Zelnick on Bioshock and Civ VII2:09:08 - 62% of gamers don't buy full price2:25:56 - Call of Duty is done with PS42:28:36 - Sega reveals Stranger Than Heaven2:30:55 - Mina the Hollower has a release date2:48:45 - PSN April 2026 Sales2:52:24 - What We’re Playing (Saros, Vampire Crawlers, Saint Slayer)3:21:28 - Better ways for DRM3:26:17 - Fix the refund system3:30:51 - Alternate 007 timeline3:37:40 - Easy modes3:44:10 - Surprise announcements3:50:49 - Marketing for Marathon
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Sometimes, PlayStation's userbase gets upset over nothing, and this past week was a great example of that. Rumors and uninformed conjecture rapidly circulated about Sony unleashing a stringent DRM regimen on PlayStation that would force players to check-in with the PSN every 30 days, or lose their digital licenses. That (of course) was complete nonsense, obviously so -- Sony is instead attempting to throttle dishonest people from taking advantage of a quirk in their refund system -- but it didn't stop many talking points from taking hold. And really, isn't it Sony's fault, ultimately? All they had to do was communicate, good or bad. But they didn't, and so the ne'er-do-wells filled the vacuum. Then again, maybe players should be a little more mad at the actual villains: The losers and degenerates who take advantage of loopholes, steal games, and pirate anything they can get their hands on. We discuss at length. Plus: MLB: The Show Mobile slowly expands around the world, Rebel Wolves' extremely promising vampire title The Dawn of Bloodwalker gets a release date, classic NickToon Rugrats gets a games compilation, Star Wars comes to PowerWash Simulator 2, and more. Then: Listener inquiries! With Xbox's incessant will they/won't they going on, should we expect Microsoft-published games to continue to come to PS5? Is ARC Raiders and The Finals developer Embark guilty of overtuning their titles? What are the origins of "friendslop"-style games? Is Colin's wife quietly attempting to protect him from complete embarrassment by refusing to allow him to participate in the 100 Chicken Nugget Challenge?

This episode is sponsored by BetterHelp. Get 10% off at https://www.betterhelp.com/sacred

Please keep in mind that our timestamps are approximate, and will often be slightly off due to dynamic ad placement.0:00:00 - Intro0:22:19 - Sacred missed connection0:30:03 - Group podcast listening0:39:24 - Last Stand gambling ring0:47:17 - Micah saving Colin0:49:56 - Repropoised0:51:16 - Old IGN scores0:59:40 - PlayStation DRM story1:34:17 - MLB: The Show Mobile pre-register1:42:13 - Blood of Dawnwalker gets a release date and new info1:48:57 - Rugrats: Retro Rewind collection1:58:46 - Star Wars DLC for Power Wash Simulator 22:05:19 - May PS+ games2:09:05 - What We’re Playing2:47:04 - Xbox's future on PlayStation3:04:20 - Investing in video game companies3:13:23 - Overfixing a game3:26:55 - Halo 3 = Friendslop?3:32:00 - Steam Controller and next gen controllers3:41:58 - Proud dad story
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A duo of interesting stories quietly circulated around the PlayStation ecosystem over the last few days, with potential clarity shone on some lingering, years-long issues. For starters, beloved ex-Sony exec Shuhei Yoshida recently spoke at a gaming event in Australia, where he revealed more precious information on his departure from first party, noting that ex-CEO Jim Ryan ultimately fired him from his role for not acceding to his demands. Meanwhile, an ex-Naughty Dog lighting artist seemed to spill the beans on some of the behind-the-scenes drama surrounding Uncharted 4, which -- as you may recall -- was a tortured project. But no one knew things were as bad as they seemingly were, until now. Plus: Age verification is coming to PlayStation hardware near you in the UK and elsewhere, Assassin's Creed IV's remake has finally officially emerged, SEGA's classic Ecco the Dolphin franchise is being revived, and more. Then: Listener inquiries! With Kotaku making aggressive new hires while touting increasing traffic, can the once-storied media brand be saved? Do any of us mess with motion aiming on DualSense? Is there a feeling of melancholy when deleting an old online friend from your PSN list? Would you believe that Colin never even one time suffered from "imposter syndrome"?Please keep in mind that our timestamps are approximate, and will often be slightly off due to dynamic ad placement.0:00:00 - Intro0:18:01 - Saint Slayer is here!0:34:43 - Gaming with a new baby0:46:30 - Imposter syndrome0:54:21 - Colin power0:55:07 - More details on Shuhei's exit from Sony1:21:11 - Uncharted 4 drama1:38:29 - PlayStation age verification1:42:25 - Assassin's Creed Black Flag Resynced1:49:51 - Ecco the Dolphin returns1:54:56 - March 2026 Circana2:01:29 - What We’re Playing (Saint Slayer: Spear of Sacrilege, Pragmata, Mouse PI for Hire, Tomodachi Life,Vampire Crawlers)2:31:12 - Communism and Tetris2:35:44 - Fired for a review?2:48:44 - Can Kotaku be saved?3:00:35 - Motion aiming3:05:37 - Learning from video games3:22:33 - Deleting PSN friends
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