Ubisoft's XDefiant Shutdown, Indiana Jones Review Roundup, and Switch 2 Leaks
December 6th, 2024 Podcast Recap
Ubisoft's XDefiant: The Surprise Shutdown
Lord kicked off this week’s episode of Good Playing With You with shocking news: Ubisoft’s shooter, XDefiant, is shutting down. Despite being labeled a "COD Killer," the free-to-play FPS failed to hit sales targets, even with a stable player base of over 1 million concurrent users.
Executive Producer Mark Rubin shared a heartfelt farewell message, emphasizing the importance of transparency between developers and players. XDefiant’s servers will stay live until June 3, 2025, but no new downloads or player registrations are allowed as of December 3, 2024.
The news raises a broader question about whether visible player counts impact a game's success. While Maulding and Lord agreed that low player numbers make matchmaking frustrating and discourage players, Dan argued that player counts don’t always deter him, citing games like Dead by Daylight and Outlast Trials.
Could Ubisoft’s rumored effort to remove player count visibility on Steam last week be connected to this? Time will tell.
Indiana Jones: Review Roundup
Excitement is building for Indiana Jones and the Great Circle, MachineGames’ highly anticipated adventure title. Early access has earned the game a respectable 86 on Metacritic (at the time of broadcast), with critics split between high praise and minor critiques. Here's the roundup:
Eurogamer (5/5): Called it the best Indiana Jones adventure in 30 years, rivaling Tomb Raider and Uncharted.
Noisy Pixel (7/10): Praised the nostalgia but criticized the clunky AI and item management.
GamesRadar (5/5): Highlighted the game’s immersive first-person approach, comparing it favorably to Dishonored and Hitman.
Maulding, previously skeptical of the title, was swayed by comparisons to stealth classics like the Hitman franchise and Dishonored. Lord, who had speculated players might control a sidekick rather than Indy himself, was relieved to learn Indy takes center stage the entire time and thought it could look like Chronicles of Riddick: Escape from Butcher Bay.
Call of Duty Black Ops 6: Prestige Controversy
Maulding then delved into a Call of Duty scandal: Black Ops 6 player "Aldred" became the first in the world to hit Prestige Master level 1000—thanks to exploiting AFK (away-from-keyboard) glitches in Zombies mode.
Other players, including the Nuke Squad streaming group, were outraged. They had been grinding legitimately—or semi-legitimately, as Activision allowed them to share accounts under specific restrictions. Aldred dismissed the backlash, saying, “I’m just doing zombies glitches, mate.”
The debate highlighted questions about fairness in gaming: Is exploiting glitches cheating, or is it just playing the game as designed? The pod crew agreed that while glitches are technically the developers' fault, achieving milestones via exploits diminishes the sense of accomplishment.
Switch 2: New Leaks Confirm Rumors
The Switch 2 is back in the news, this time with blurry photos and accessory leaks. Images of sleeker Joy-Cons surfaced online, aligning with earlier CAD designs. Accessories, including larger 8-inch screen protectors, also appeared for sale on Alibaba, lending further credibility to speculation about a larger display and improved hardware.
Despite the leaks, Lord expressed skepticism, suggesting the console might feel more like a "Switch Pro" than a true next-gen experience. Maulding, ever the optimist, hoped Nintendo has a killer feature up its sleeve. Dan, however, voiced concern about the potential for Switch 2 to repeat the Wii-to-Wii U mistake: incremental upgrades with little to differentiate it.
Will we see an official announcement soon? With the Game Awards around the corner, Dan predicted a big reveal during the event.
Gamers Watching More Than Playing?
Lord shared a surprising stat from a new study by Media Research: Gamers spend more time watching videos about gaming (8.5 hours weekly) than actually playing games (7.4 hours weekly).
The report suggested publishers are losing revenue opportunities to platforms like YouTube and Twitch. Its solution? Bringing video content into game ecosystems.
The crew debated the idea, with Dan strongly opposing in-game video hubs, preferring to keep gameplay separate from video content. Maulding pointed out that gamers often watch gameplay videos for lore or strategy, while Lord noted the rise of YouTube creators who dive deep into games like Elden Ring.
AAA Studios Playing It Safe
Wrapping up the news, Maulding highlighted an interview with Paul Sage (former director of Borderlands 3 and Elder Scrolls Online), who criticized AAA studios for being too risk-averse. Sage argued that executives’ fear of losing money stifles innovation and creativity.
The discussion turned to examples like Spider-Man 2 and Ubisoft’s cookie-cutter approach to franchises like Far Cry. Dan noted that while playing it safe can sometimes work, stagnation leads to gamer fatigue. The crew agreed that indie developers are now the ones pushing boundaries.
Listener Questions: Characters and Addictive Games
In the listener email segment, Maulding asked which video game characters the hosts would trade places with. Highlights included:
Maulding: Nathan Drake (Uncharted) for his suave, adventurous lifestyle.
Lord: Master Chief (Halo) for his badass alien-smashing abilities.
Dan: Tommy Vercetti (GTA: Vice City), for his rise to power in 1980s Miami.
Next, Lord asked about games as addictive as "crack." The crew listed:
Maulding: Ark: Survival Evolved for its time-sink nature.
Lord: Rainbow Six Siege during its prime.
Dan: Planet Coaster and City Skylines for their endlessly satisfying city-building gameplay.
What’s Next?
With the Game Awards looming, the crew is eager to see big announcements, including a possible Borderlands 4 trailer. Be sure to catch next week’s episode for a full recap of the event!