Day Zero Podcast

2025 was an incredible year for video games. And while it was an even better year for self-inflicted industry drama with lay-offs, genAI (and lack of disclosure for such) , platforms playing fast and loose with indie devs , and megacorps imploding , the games, were impeccable. With that in mind, we discuss the best of what the year had to offer. From the obvious such as Clair Obscur: Expedition 33...

As the title suggests, we didn’t include GTA 6 in this list of what to look forward to in 2026. The reason is obvious: we don’t know if it will really ship in 2026. Rather than waste your time on a game from a publisher with no concrete date which you’d buy anyway, we figured it would be a better use of our time and yours to highlight everything else that is set to make 2026 one of the bigger year...

In this episode Rahul and Rishi discuss Larian’s interview with Bloomberg’s Jason Schreier , what the Baldur’s Gate 3 hitmaker’s statement really means for the future of video game development and why CEO' Sven Vincke’s attempt at damage control just made everything so much worse. So much so that it appears that the company is on a generational speed run of ruining all the good will its garnered o...

This week, Rahul and Rishi discuss the decline of Xbox in the US, making room for a new contender — the NEX Playground. And while it might seem like just a slap in the face for the gaming division of one of the world’s biggest companies, there’s more to it. The market has decided on value-conscious offerings. We discuss why affordable gaming options are a necessity for the games industry to surviv...

The PS5 is the de facto winner of this generation’s console war if you even want to call it that. And despite its relative ubiquity in part due to Microsoft’s own bad decision-making and Nintendo’s lack of ambition in expanding beyond the confines of US and Europe (we still don’t have its consoles available officially in markets like India), it’s pretty obvious Sony hasn’t put its foot off the gas...

During the third episode of the Day Zero podcast, we tackle PC monopolist storefront Steam’s foray into censorship by striking down the release of indie studio Santa Ragione’s upcoming game Horses, and what it means for the platform. Given the chokehold Steam parent company Valve has on the digital distribution of video games, it isn’t just a retailer, but a kingmaker to boot. One that’s increasin...

Another year another Call of Duty. This year’s Call of Duty: Black Ops 7 is reviled for a host of reasons, though the one of interest to us is its use of AI. With the biggest games franchise in the world in terms of annual sales using generative AI tools to make its latest entry, we break down what it means for the games industry and consumers at large, along with cameos from Arc Raiders, Clair Ob...

Welcome to the first episode of Day Zero. Day Zero is a podcast on video games featuring Rahul Majumdar and Rishi Alwani breaking down the bytes and bits behind the decisions that make and break the world’s greatest entertainment industry. On our first episode we discuss Valve’s big hardware push with the new Steam Machine, Steam Frame headset, and revamped Steam controller — along with what to ex...