Today on Lets Play: Daily Gaming News -

• SAG-AFTRA national board approves tentative agreement
• Switch 2 breaks Nintendo records, sells 3.5m units globally in four days
• Ubisoft trial witnesses testify to "being tied to a chair, forced to do handstands, and subjected to constant comments about sex"

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Today on Lets Play: Daily Gaming News -

• Epic CEO Tim Sweeney takes yet another victory lap after Apple's latest appeal fails: 'The long national nightmare of the Apple tax is ended'
• Nintendo Switch 2 consoles arrive damaged as retailer staples receipts on outer packaging
• Crit Award Round 2 Voting

The Friday Re:Play -

• State of Play | June 4, 2025 [English]
• ESA: 64% of Americans play games for more than an hour a week
• Elden Ring Nightreign sells 2 million copies on day one, as a patch for easier solo play is announced

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Today on Lets Play: Daily Gaming News -

• State of Play | June 4, 2025
• ESA: 64% of Americans play games for more than an hour a week
• Elden Ring Nightreign sells 2 million copies on day one, as a patch for easier solo play is announced

Follow Nate on Twitter @NateBenderama

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Today on Lets Play: Daily Gaming News -

• FromSoftware and A24 to produce Elden Ring adaptation
• FTC drops case against Microsoft's acquisition of Activision Blizzard
• Summer Game Fest 2025: What new game announcements to expect and how to watch

Follow Nate on Twitter @NateBenderama

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Today on Lets Play: Daily Gaming News -

• Xbox Series X will now cost $600 as Microsoft increases console and game prices
• EA cuts another 200 jobs "in service of driving future growth", bringing total job losses to around 300
• Polygon has been sold to Valnet, with the majority of staff laid off

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Today on Lets Play: Daily Gaming News -

• IGN joins the fight to keep AI out of journalism…or are they?
• Fallout creator says he was "ordered to destroy" source code that the studio has since "lost"
• Tim Cain - Game Preservation
• Nexon wins the bidding war to make a new StarCraft as well as distribute a Blizzard mobile game that's being called 'Overwatch 3'

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Today on Lets Play: Daily Gaming News -

• NGO files complaint against Ubisoft for data protection concerns and forcing "always online" connections
• Apple and Meta have been fined a total of €700,000,000 for non-compliance with the EU Digital Markets Act. Which, in their billion-dollar world, is just chump change
• Steam to launch new tags to help disabled players "search for games based on accessibility features"

The Friday Re:Play -

• Bethesda has "no intention" to shut down fan-made Skyblivion mod
• Nintendo files request to subpoena Discord for Pokémon leaker identity
• Intel will reportedly fire fully 20% of its workforce and focus on 'engineering', a plan that sounds all too familiar at this point

Follow Nate on Twitter @NateBenderama

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Today on Lets Play: Daily Gaming News -

• Bethesda has "no intention" to shut down fan-made Skyblivion mod
• Nintendo files request to subpoena Discord for Pokémon leaker identity
• Intel will reportedly fire fully 20% of its workforce and focus on 'engineering', a plan that sounds all too familiar at this point

Follow Nate on Twitter @NateBenderama

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Today on Lets Play: Daily Gaming News -

• Some Discord users now need to scan their face or ID to view sensitive material
• The Elder Scrolls 4: Oblivion Remake is real
• Confirmed: Nintendo Switch 2 US pre-orders open next week, as accessories get a price hike

The Friday Re:Play -

• A Minecraft Movie surpasses $550m globally
• Video game M&A activity rises to $6.6 billion in Q1 2025, driven by mobile acquisitions
• Niantic is laying off 68 staff following the acquisition of its games business by Scopely

Follow Nate on Twitter @NateBenderama

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Today on Lets Play: Daily Gaming News -

• A Minecraft Movie surpasses $550m globally
• Video game M&A activity rises to $6.6 billion in Q1 2025, driven by mobile acquisitions
• Niantic is laying off 68 staff following the acquisition of its games business by Scopely

Follow Nate on Twitter @NateBenderama

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Today on Lets Play: Daily Gaming News -

• Influencer report highlights gender pay gap in sponsored content earnings
• Nintendo Chooses Human Creativity Over AI in Game Development
• PC Players Spend More On Microtransactions Than Actual Games

The Friday Re:Play -

• Nintendo says $449.99 price tag for Switch 2 was not affected by US tariffs
• A Minecraft Movie grosses $157m at US box office over opening weekend
• Michael Sarnoski reportedly attached to direct Death Stranding movie

Follow Nate on Twitter @NateBenderama

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Today on Lets Play: Daily Gaming News -

• Nintendo says $449.99 price tag for Switch 2 was not affected by US tariffs
• A Minecraft Movie grosses $157m at US box office over opening weekend
• Michael Sarnoski reportedly attached to direct Death Stranding movie

Follow Nate on Twitter @NateBenderama

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Today on Lets Play: Daily Gaming News -

• Nintendo Direct: Nintendo Switch 2 – 4.2.2025
• ZeniMax union "overwhelming" votes to authorise strike if Microsoft contract negotiations break down
• SAG-AFTRA issues new agreements to permit members to work with students and game jams
• CRIT Awards 2025
• Cloaks and Capes on Threads
• Tabletop Talespinners Network on Threads

Follow Nate on Twitter @NateBenderama

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Today on Lets Play: Daily Gaming News -

• User research workers at Activision unionize
• Tencent invests $1.25bn in new Ubisoft subsidiary focused on Assassin's Creed, Far Cry, and Rainbow Six
• Nintendo Direct 3.27.2025 – Nintendo Switch

The Friday Re:Play -

• Game Informer returns after being shut down by GameStop
• United Videogame Workers union launches at GDC 2025 in partnership with CWA
• UVW-CWA Website
• ESA launches Accessible Games Initiative to improve visibility of accessibility features

Follow Nate on Twitter @NateBenderama

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Today on Lets Play: Daily Gaming News -

• Game Informer returns after being shut down by GameStop
• United Videogame Workers union launches at GDC 2025 in partnership with CWA
• UVW-CWA Website
• ESA launches Accessible Games Initiative to improve visibility of accessibility features

Follow Nate on Twitter @NateBenderama

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Today on Lets Play: Daily Gaming News -

• SAG-AFTRA remains "frustratingly far apart" from major game companies
• Acclaim relaunches, led by CEO Alex Josef
• Scopely acquires Pokémon Go developer Niantic in deal worth $3.5bn

Follow Nate on Twitter @NateBenderama

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Checking in to let everyone know this podcast isn't dead. We've just had unintended things pop up in both Nate's and Aaron's personal lives over the last little while.

Follow Nate on Twitter @NateBenderama

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Today on Lets Play: Daily Gaming News -

• Palworld's developer gives staff day off after Monster Hunter Wilds causes 'a series of mysterious reports from many employees that they may feel unwell'
• Pokémon Presents | 2.27.2025.
• Unions slam Bobby Kotick's claims that Activision Blizzard harassment reports were "fake"

The Friday Re:Play -

• US game spending fell 15% to $4.5bn in January 2025 | US Monthly Charts
• Warner Bros. is closing three game studios and canceling Wonder Woman
• Twitch reckons cheating while livestreaming is a "low severity" violation

Follow Nate on Twitter @NateBenderama

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Today on Lets Play: Daily Gaming News -

• US game spending fell 15% to $4.5bn in January 2025 | US Monthly Charts
• Warner Bros. is closing three game studios and canceling Wonder Woman
• Twitch reckons cheating while livestreaming is a "low severity" violation

Follow Nate on Twitter @NateBenderama

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Today on Lets Play: Daily Gaming News -

• Everything announced at the PlayStation State of Play February 2025
• Take-Two CEO says AI could increase employment and productivity, as long as IP isn’t infringed
• E3 organiser ESA launches new event called ‘iicon’

Follow Nate on Twitter @NateBenderama

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