Kotaku Splitscreen

At E3 in Los Angeles, Jason sits down with CD Projekt Red co-founder/co-CEO Marcin Iwiński to talk about the studio-wide effort to finish their much-buzzed-about RPG Cyberpunk 2077. They also talk about workplace crunch and game development labor issues, video game piracy, and a bunch of other things.

At E3 2018, Jason sat down for an entertaining conversation with game design legend Warren Spector (Deus Ex, Ultima Underworld, System Shock) about his storied career in video games, his wildest game design idea, and his return to immersive sims with Underworld Ascendant and System Shock 3.

Jason sits down with with Kotaku senior reporter (and resident Smash Bros. expert) Cecilia D'Anastasio to discuss their thoughts after playing the E3 demo of Super Smash Bros. Ultimate. 

Still at E3 in Los Angeles, Jason sat down with CD Projekt Red quest designer Patrick Mills to talk about his work on the studio's impressive-looking RPG Cyberpunk 2077. Kirk, meanwhile, sat at home in Portland mixing and editing podcasts while wishing, ever so faintly, that he'd gotten to see the the game's press demo.

At E3 in Los Angeles, Jason linked up with Sea of Thieves executive producer Joe Neate to talk about the challenges of working on a service game, the expansions that are in the works, and Neate's take on the now-infamous player who became the game's first "Pirate Legend."

At E3 in Los Angeles, Jason sits down with former id general manager Garrett Young to talk about making 2016's Doom, what it was like working at id, and game development crunch. 

Jason and Kirk link up one more time to talk about Sony and Nintendo's E3 2018 showings. They also talk a bit about the E3 press conferences overall, and what to make of the fact that there were fewer major surprises this year than in recent times. 

Kirk and Jason are back to talk about more E3 press conferences. They start with Bethesda's Fallout-centric show, then move to Square Enix's disappointing nothingburger, before ending on Ubisoft's dancing panda-bear parade.

Jason and Kirk kick off E3 2018 by discussing the opening press conferences from EA and Microsoft. Cyberpunk! Dying Light 2! Gears of War 5! A new ninja game from the people who make Dark Souls! There's so much to talk about. 

It's time again for E3, that wonderful time of year full of excitement and trailers for games that will never come out. What will we see this year? Kirk and Jason go through each conference one by one: EA, Microsoft, Bethesda, Square Enix, Ubisoft, Sony, and Nintendo, to talk about their hopes, their expectations, and their wildest predictions.

Jason and Kirk open up the ol' mailbag for a pre-E3 Q&A! First they talk new Pokemon and Fallout before answering YOUR questions about E3's importance, the problems with reviewing games like Destiny 2 and Anthem, what we know will be announced at E3, and much more. Also: online Fallout! Whoa.

Is Detroit: Become Human any good? No. No it is not. Kirk and Jason talk about that before getting into the news of the week (24:46) on Call of Duty: Black Ops 4, Xbox One accessibility, and HBO's Watchmen. Then Compete staff writer Maddy Myers joins the show (43:20) to talk about her journalism career at the Boston Phoenix, her love for Metroid, and why Samus Aran is just so much better when she's by herself.Check out Maddy's album here: https://maddymyers.bandcamp.com/album/recovery-mission

Kirk and Jason talk about cults and audio tricks (clearly it's Laurel), then get into the news of the week on Boss Key shutting down, a Destiny 2 secret entering real life, and legalized gambling. Then Kotaku's Cecilia D'Anastasio joins the show (37:13) to talk about the Dungeons & Dragons one-shot she ran for Kirk and Jason, her experiences DMing, and why she's writing a campaign about Guy Fieri. Finally, Kirk and Jason talk Destiny 2 and Pillars of Eternity 2.

Why is the video game industry so obsessed with secrets? Kirk and Jason are joined by Polygon's Chris Plante to discuss that topic and way more. FIRST, the Splitscreen Gang talks about Westworld, escape rooms, and news on Nintendo, Rage 2, and Trump's connections to Everquest (14:16). Then Plante comes on to talk about video game leaks, how Polygon has evolved over the years, and whether it makes sense for game companies to be so secretive (32:03). Finally, Kirk and Jason talk Destiny 2 and the delightful Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze (1:11:58).Notes:Audio from the Google AI talk via Evan Kirstel (https://twitter.com/evankirstel/status/993935454985744384)DKC Tropical Freeze Alp's Fall Theme music via https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kJAXs_HLzG4

Kirk and Jason talk about playing D&D, games as a service, and CEO salaries before bringing on io9's Evan Narcisse for a spoiler-heavy talk (28:54) about The Avengers: Infinity War, THAT ending, what the deal is with Captain Marvel, and expectations for Avengers 4.

SPOILERS! God of War director Cory Barlog drops by the show for a fun, wide-ranging chat about all sorts of things, including his take on the message of this game, what's next for the series, and That One Moment. We also talk about why God of War took five years, labor issues in video games, and whether Barlog would ever make a God of War game about Christianity. Don't listen to this one until you've finished the game!

What is this, a crossover episode? Jason and Kirk talk about Paris, Valve buying Campo Santo, Quantic Dream suing journalists, and Destiny 2 before they're joined by Kotaku's Gita Jackson and Patricia Hernandez of Fave This (43:57) to talk about how Fortnite got so popular and whether Nintendo Labo is as fun as playing with cardboard boxes. 

Kirk and Jason talk about the season two premiere of Westworld, "Journey Into Night."

Jason's eating pain au chocolat on the Seine this week, so Kirk is joined instead by Kotaku's Heather Alexandra and Stephen Totilo to talk over some recent news, as well as the games they've recently been playing. (Stephen: Assassin's Creed Origins. Heather: Far Cry 2.) After that (22:17), Kirk talks with award-winning composer Austin Wintory (Journey, Assassin's Creed Syndicate) about his upcoming stage production A Light in the Void, as well as the arduous process of auditioning to be the composer for Star Trek: Discovery, and why he feels like it was worth it even though he didn't get the gig. Music and Audio Clips Used: "Nascence" and "Apotheosis" from Austin Wintory's Journey Soundtrack "This is Saturn," a 2007 TED talk by Carolyn Porco "Wonder Woman Main Theme," performed by Tina Guo Three clips from Austin's Medium post "Star Trek Discovery, In a Parallel Universe." "Ai Giochi Addio," performed by Natasha Marsh 

The new God of War is astounding, and Kirk and Jason are here to tell you all about it (don't worry; no spoilers!). First they talk about the news of the week on PlayStation 5, The Simpsons, and Westworld before gushing about God of War (26:32)'s combat, storytelling, and incredible production values. Then they bring on Twitch streamer Ryann Weller (46:31) to talk about his transition from making games to making videos about games.