UNBOXING: Play & Profit for the Gaming Curious.

EA, Take-Two & Krafton earnings decoded. Updates on this summer’s top stories. PLUS: Find out who is throwing dildos at WNBA games and why!

Roblox quarterly earnings broken down. Updates in the Epic v Google lawsuit. PLUS: Raven Software locks in a historic union contract!

Steam and Itch.io pulled thousands of NSFW games. PLUS, find out how payment processors became censors and how the UK’s Online Safety Act isn’t helping.

UPDATE: UNBOXING is coming to you… well.. pre-recorded but hey, we're on video now! Apple delists a classic while Stop Killing Games campaign returns. PLUS: Laine talks with Phil Salvador from the Video Game History Foundation.

Laine & Joost go full professor mode with a mid-summer syllabi swap. PLUS: buy now, pay later comes to gaming and Nintendo announces casting choices for live-action Zelda movie.

Another round of Microsoft layoffs spark consolidation questions, then what the ESA’s Essential Facts report tells us about gaming in the US. PLUS: your hosts recap the Games for Change conference and more!

Embracer gets serious about restructuring. PLUS: Microsoft ratifies the first-ever U.S. game worker union contract and your hosts discuss new and exciting things coming out in the world of games.

This week, Laine and Joost wade through the glittering but sometimes shallow waters of summer games season, breaking down what the Xbox Showcase, Summer Game Fest, and Sony’s State of Play actually tell us about the future of games (spoiler: not much). They reflect on the post-E3 showcase sprawl, the flattening effect of digital-only reveals, and the quiet collapse of industry pageantry into trail...

Laine and Joost return from hiatus older, wiser, and slightly more disillusioned. After swapping life updates (burnout, sabbatical travel, bike repair, Belgian sauce gossip), they dive into the state of the games industry: mass layoffs, market decline, and the collapse of the forever-growth fantasy. Plus: Apple loses in court, Steam gets sued (again), GTA VI becomes the industry’s last great hope,...

Unboxing is back with a fresh summer season! Hosts Joost and Laine catch up and discuss the top four stories they missed: Sony's new CEO duo, Disney's investment in Epic Games, GDC 2023, and the hosts' experience at the U.S. Copyright Office video game hearings. They also cover the latest GameStop stock price antics and share thoughts on Chaim Gingold's new book "Building SimC...

Another Unboxing exclusive. We interview Minecraft's Kayla Kinnunen on Mojang's vision on user-generated content. Plus, why The Game Awards can't win

The worst of Florida as a canvas for the best in gaming. Join team UNBOXING breaking down the long-awaited trailer. We discuss female protagonist Lucia, the nostalgic return to Vice City, and the evolution of boundary pushing blockbuster franchise.

Why Emmett Shear's stint was short-lived. PC Gamer's history issue causes Twitter fury over sexism, but did critics get it right? Plus: lighthouse tech, Dune fandom, and why historical narratives matter when it comes to diversity in tech.

Amazon Games layoffs lead Laine and Joost to consider what it might signal about the economy at large. Roblox beats expectations and Take-Two drops the announcement of the trailer for GTA6 for a 6% share price bump. We also welcome to the show games researcher David Nieborg and talk about his newly released, co-authored book Mainstreaming and Games Journalism, written with Maxwell Foxman.

Laine and Joost give you the highlights on FaZe's Icarus-like fall from grace, as it recently got picked up by GameSquare for a fraction of its IPO price. Bungie is laying off workers and disappoints its player community. And lastly, what to make of Netflix converting less than 1% of its subscribers to play games on its platform.

Another Unboxing exclusive. We interview Roblox's VP of Economy, Enrico D'Angelo, on where one of the most popular games for kids is headed next. Plus, our view on the Microsoft/Activision Blizzard saga coming to a close.

What's next for engine maker Unity post-Riccitiello, Poland gets its first game union, and fossil fuels are fun in Fortnite says Big Oil. We discuss the tyranny of the pumpkin spice flavor palette, Laine shares a long-held secret, and Joost finally opens up about his fear of straws.

Joost phones it in from an investor summit in Las Vegas, while Laine regales with tales of a weekend spent at the New York Renaissance Festival. Tune in as they discuss Epic's extensive layoffs, EA's triumph over FIFA following their split, and the frontier of haptics tech with insights from expert David Parisi.

It's a week of gaming shakeups--SAG-AFTRA performers vote to authorize a strike, Unity rolls back its revenue plans, and there were some glaring discrepancies in last week's leaked Xbox documents.

Unity has always been a cornerstone for game developers, but their recent price alteration has sent shockwaves throughout the industry. In this episode, Laine and Joost dive deep into the heart of the controversy and dissect the motivations, potential outcomes, and broader impact on the gaming ecosystem.

Laine and Joost debate the relative responsibilities of corporate actors vs. distracted parents. Microsoft's new release Starfield may not be its Game Pass killer app, but it could still hold the key to Xbox's future.

In this solo episode, Joost talks to Shan Shan, a partner at Light Speed Venture Partners, to discuss the difference between being a strategic investor and "tourist capital." He also takes an early look at Gamescom 2023, and lays out the latest on Microsoft endgame to earn the UK's approval and finally buy Activision Blizzard.

Joost unravels the financial struggle of Southeast Asian tech giant, Sea Limited, and its ripple effects on the regional market. Laine unpacks what it means now that we know who walked away from Embracer to the tune of $2 billion. And does Nicki Minaj as a playable character in Call of Duty make tactical sense?

This week, Laine and Joost disagree on Roblox’s strained financial situation and explore what makes Take-Two such a favorite among Wall Street investors instead. And who's at fault for the chaos that followed Twitch streamer Kai Cenat's botched PS5 giveaway?

This week, Joost and Laine explore the second quarter earnings of gaming giants Activision and Ubisoft before diving head first into the viral sensation of NPC Streaming to discuss implications and provide context around this cultural phenomenon. Finally, Laine and Joost gawk at ESA's annual Essential Facts Report––no punches barred.