A State of Play stream was announced right before this week's episode, so naturally we watched it, and our thoughts are within. Topics of interest from Sony's showing include release dates for Helldivers II and Final Fantasy VII Rebirth, new PS5 and DualSense colors, an open beta for Foamstars, Resident Evil 4 Remake DLC, and more. However, all of that news is covered in a pickup, because we recorded a huge show for you without all of that. Have you heard what's going on with the popular engine Unity? You should familiarize yourself with the situation, because it's a fascinating one that best represents the strained nexus between creating games and paying for them. Plus: Roblox is finally coming to PlayStation, Square Enix is 'in trouble,' but not really, PS5 gets new firmware while fresh PS+ games come to the Extra and Premium tiers, and more. Then: Listener inquiries! Should Colin finally break down and play Skyrim? Are artists really more important than the suits that often oversee them? Have cinematic trailers gone too far? Will Dustin be kidnapped by the Yakuza in Japan, forcing a hefty cash payment? Join us for an unusually old-school episode of Sacred Symbols. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Hollywood's labor problem may not be an isolated event in the entertainment industry for much longer. A recent press release from actors union SAG-AFTRA indicates that their members will vote to authorize a strike upon further negotiations with 10 major entities in gaming, including the likes of EA, Take Two, and even Sony-owned developer Insomniac. After all, the guild represent voice and performance actors in many of our favorite games. Yes, the consequences for not getting a deal done could extend far and wide. But it's also important to make note of an important fact: Otherwise-soulless mega corporations that exist entirely to propagate creative content should appropriately pay the creative people that fuel them. And yes, AI plays an inevitable -- but dangerous! -- role in the future of the humanities, and needs to be accounted for. Other news this week hinges on Final Fantasy XVI DLC chatter, tons of Starfield-related talk (since Chris is obsessed), and some new announcements, release dates, and so on. We wrap things up with listener inquiries touching a myriad of topics, including hoarding items in RPGs, the importance of playing a game right when it launches, the preposterous GTAVI/$150 rumors, and fighting back against a neighbor who won't leave your lawnmower alone no matter how much you may want him to. Go to https://www.hellofresh.com/50sacred and use code 50sacred for 50% off plus 15% off the next 2 months Download DraftKings with code SACRED and get $200 in bonus bets Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

For the first time since 2016, Sony has increased the price of its PlayStation Plus subscription, and the torches and pitchforks are out en masse. See, there's no doubt the increases are large -- $20 a year more at minimum is nothing to sneeze at -- but it's also important to assess what the service was when it launched in 2010 at $50, and what it's become today at $80 and above. Now's a better time than ever to truly assess what you even get out of PS+ to begin with; the answers people arrive at will be vastly different, as you'll witness during our extensive conversation. We also touch on other big news this week -- PlayStation Portal gets dated, Volition closes its doors after three decades, Sea of Stars does big numbers, and more -- and we wrap things up with a litany of listener inquiries, as is our tradition. What are our current thoughts on PlayStation Stars? Is the console gaming gender gap officially closed? Could big sites and creators do more to avoid spoiling products? Will Colin ever recover from Dustin and Chris not understanding his Can't Hardly Wait reference? This episode is sponsored by BetterHelp. Give online therapy a try at https://www.betterhelp.com/symbols and get on your way to being your best self Download DraftKings with code Sacred and get $200 in bonus bets Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The long-awaited Project Q is officially called PlayStation Portal, and the reaction to it has been surprisingly divisive. Priced at $200 and intended purely as a remote play option for PS5, some potential players see obvious use cases while others think this entire initiative is a waste of time and money. Here on Sacred, we have three different opinions to present you with about the future of Portal, and why it might be a mightier machine than some think. Plus: Sony announces new high-end audio devices for PlayStation while gobbling up a boutique headphone company, release dates have been revealed for games like Granblue Fantasy: Relink and Persona 3, BioWare lays off 50 employees, Geoff Keighley finds himself under siege on-stage at Gamescom, and more news followed -- as always -- by listener inquiries. Has game writing hit an all-time low? Which game world (if any) would we like to visit? Will we ever escape the era of the sequel? Is Colin a secret glizzy gobbler? Start building your credit at https://www.chime.com/sacred Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

In early September, prominent CRPG Baldur's Gate III migrates from PC to PlayStation 5, and it sounds like it may just be what the doctor ordered. A deep role-playing experience chock-full of choice and consequence -- and layered with a thick patina of polish -- could potentially sell millions of copies on PS5. Will the critically acclaimed, purportedly amazing experience successfully catapult from computer to console? And should we expect it to stem the tide until Spider-Man 2 arrives? Other items this week include fresh release dates for Assassin's Creed: Mirage and Alan Wake II, the reveal of new TMNT and South Park games, a horrible-looking Walking Dead title arriving this fall, and an inopportune quote from Square Enix executive producer Yoshi-P that unintentionally fed eager fanboys. Listener inquiries round things out, per usual. Why do people encumber themselves with a backlog? How do we navigate our personal relationships when it comes to making the time necessary to play games? Is Sony's silence starting to become conspicuous, and even worrying? Will Colin strike back on Dustin's bad take-calling? Get 50% off plus free shipping at https://www.hellofresh.com/50sacred Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices