In this episode of M2 Podcast, we explore the deep cuts and shifting strategies shaking up the games industry. Warner Bros. reports a 48% drop in Q1 games revenue, pointing to no major releases and the underperformance of Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League. Square Enix unveils a three-year reboot plan aimed at consistent, high-quality, multiplatform game releases. Meanwhile, former Ubisoft director Guillaume Broche slams AAA development bloat, praising indie freedom as the true path to innovation. And Microsoft is back in the headlines with another massive layoff, cutting over 6,000 employees as it restructures for "agility"—just months after shuttering several studios. Let’s unpack the future these moves are shaping.

0:00 Intro

1:11 Updates

12:12 Warner Bros games revenue drops 48% in Q1 2025 https://tinyurl.com/mtnnmm7y

23:35 Square Enix Reveals Its Plan To "Reboot" https://tinyurl.com/25a464pb

32:41 Former Ubisoft director slams AAA dev bloat https://tinyurl.com/s5k527zf

53:06 Microsoft is laying off more than 6,000 employees https://tinyurl.com/bh7thxx5

1:03:12 Outro

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In this episode of M2 Podcast, we dive into Microsoft's sweeping Xbox price hikes—consoles, controllers, and even first-party games are getting more expensive worldwide. We also unpack Bungie’s bold Star Wars crossover with Destiny 2’s new Renegades expansion, lightsabers and all. Plus, EA teases a full Battlefield reveal coming this summer with a release still expected before April 2026. And leaked images of the Asus ROG Ally 2 confirm Microsoft’s Xbox-branded handheld is real—and it's packing serious heat. Let’s break it all down.

0:00 Intro

0:44 Updates

14:30 Microsoft is raising prices https://tinyurl.com/yc6xck43

23:29 Full Battlefield reveal coming “this summer" https://tinyurl.com/y9a6swfh

31:14 Destiny 2 is going Star Wars https://tinyurl.com/zvafycs7

38:28 Xbox handheld appears in leaked photos https://tinyurl.com/y4d8vf4v

47:06 Rockstar Games GTA 6

54:05 New Video Games for May

58:25 Outro

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PODCAST ►► https://anchor.fm/m2podcast

AMAZON Music ► https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/091902c3-b83b-487c-8fe7-4c96787434fe/M2-Podcast

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In this episode of the M2 Podcast, we dig into EA's turbulent week, from cutting 300 jobs—including roughly 100 at Respawn—and reportedly canceling a Titanfall project, to spotlighting their impressive anticheat tech, EA Javelin, which boasts a 99% accuracy rate in banning cheaters. We also explore the shutdown of the iconic Wii Homebrew Channel amid serious code theft allegations that have rocked the modding scene. And finally, we check out the GPD Win Max 2, a pint-sized laptop that’s turning heads as a viable gaming handheld and desktop hybrid. There's a lot to unpack—let’s get into it!

0:00 Intro

1:09 Update

14:51 EA Cuts Around 300 Roles Reportedly Cancels Titanfall Game https://tinyurl.com/47hmk5fv

22:27 Wii Homebrew Channel development shuts down https://tinyurl.com/4whfw3dd

31:06 This surprisingly competent laptop https://tinyurl.com/2v8n38vu

46:47 EA Anticheat Bans Cheaters With 99% Accuracy https://tinyurl.com/3edzftd4

58:07 Outro

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