Kotaku Splitscreen

Maddy and Kirk talk about what they're playing; in Maddy's case, that involves a brand new gaming monitor that makes Outer Wilds look so, so good. She's also playing Madden NFL 20. Meanwhile, Kirk beat Death of the Outsider, started up Wolfenstein: Youngblood and Fire Emblem, and tried Burgle Bros with his tabletop group. We then bring in Kotaku senior reporter Cecilia D'Anastasio (35:06) for discussion about her article, "For Men Who Hate Talking On The Phone, Games Keep Friendships Alive," and also, the importance of gaming etiquette, especially for competitive games. We close out with off-topic discussion (1:11:32) about Veronica Mars... again.Music pick of the week: “What A Wonderful World” by Sam Cooke

Kirk and Maddy talk about the games they're playing (still without Jason): Marvel Ultimate Alliance 3 in Maddy's case, and Dishonored: Death of the Outsider on Kirk's end, as well as Tetris Effect. Then, Kotaku's newest staff writer Joshua Rivera comes on for a segment (22:27) about the concept of being "tilted," (or frustrated by a game), and also, the perfect squad size. We close with off-topic discussion (58:57) of Billions, Good Omens, and Veronica Mars (again).Music pick of the week: “Remind Me” by Emily King

Maddy and Kirk, left to their own devices, talk shop about the best gaming monitors and Kirk's continued Google-free lifestyle. Then they get into games they're playing, with Maddy on Outer Wilds, House Flipper, and a few board games including a bluffing game called Skull. Kirk's still playing Betrayal Legacy and has gotten back to playing Dishonored: Death of the Outsider. After that, they invite in Kotaku's Gita Jackson (34:28) for a segment about Fire Emblem: Three Houses, which sounds delightful, and some discussion of Gita's article, "The Video Games That Made People Question Their Beliefs." Lastly, we get into off-topic talk (1:10:37) about the podcast Criminal, Veronica Mars, and more.Music pick of the week: “Bicyclops” by Bela Fleck and Chick Corea

Episode 187: Jason, Kirk, and Maddy talk about the games they've been playing, including Metro Exodus, West of Loathing, Mario Maker 2, and Dragon Quest Builders 2. Then it's time to talk about news (33:25) on Nintendo's new Switch Lite... Lite Switch?... as well as G2A shadiness (would YOU give up your integrity for $50 million?) and a Wind Waker discovery in Breath of the Wild. Then the gang talks Stranger Things, Veronica Mars, and Spider-Man: Far From Home (54:23).Music pick of the week: “Crazy on You” by Heart

Episode 186: Happy fourth of July! Kirk, Jason, and Maddy talk about some video games (Mario Maker 2, Metro Exodus, Cadence of Hyrule) before cracking open the mailbag (22:32) for some listener questions about video game streaming in schools, how to review video games, whether Final Fantasy VII Remake will still be going until the 2030s, and much more. Then, off-topic chat (1:20:18) on Fullmetal Alchemist, Veep, and a very important question about Toy Story's Woody.

Episode 185: Jason, Kirk, and Maddy speedrun their way through a new episode of Kotaku Splitscreen, starting with some ranting and raving about Outer Wilds before talking Harry Potter: Wizards Unite, the Xbox Elite controller, and Bloodstained. Then they get into news (29:01) on Tifa's boobs, Auto Chess, and Jason's recent article about Treyarch's treatment of contract staff and the development of Call of Duty: Black Ops 4. They close things out with off-topic chat (52:16) on Evangelion, Veep, and The Journalist and the Murderer.Music pick of the week: James Brown, “Mother Popcorn,” released as a single in 1969Show notes:How video game breasts are made (Patricia Hernandez): https://kotaku.com/how-video-game-breasts-are-made-and-why-they-can-go-so-1687753475Veep Is Over. Is America Next? (Jen Chaney): https://www.vulture.com/2019/05/veep-series-finale.htmlDOOM: The Fake Outrage (Shaun_Jen) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l63nY0AYebI

Episode 184: Jason and Maddy are back from E3, regaling Kirk with tales of sweaty convention controllers and all the video games they played in Los Angeles. First, everyone talks about the games they're currently playing, like Outer Wilds, Cadence of Hyrule, and Collection of Mana. Then it's time for E3 chat (34:29) about The Avengers, Final Fantasy 7 Remake, Cyberpunk 2077, Link's Awakening, Astral Chain, and many, many more games, followed by off-topic talk (1:17:18) on Dark Phoenix, Billions, and Chernobyl.Music pick of the week: “Lunchtime” off of Cory Wong’s new album Live in the U.K.

At the Devolver lot across the street from E3, Maddy sat down with Cullen Dwyer and Joseph Bourgeois, two of the developers of Gato Roboto and also the Devolver Bootleg, which features eight faux-bootleg versions of Devolver games like Hotline Miami and Ape Out. This is Cullen and Joseph's first E3, which they celebrated by buying themselves cool robes to wear. We spend a not insignificant portion of this interview talking about the robes.

E3 2019: Jason Schreier chats with Mateusz Tomaszkiewicz, quest director at CD Projekt Red on the much-anticipated RPG Cyberpunk 2077, about the scope of this massive game, how their approach to quest design has changed from The Witcher 3, and the importance of communication in game development.

E3 2019: Jason Schreier talks to Dave Lang, founder and C3PO of Iron Galaxy, about what it's like to run a large game studio that avoids excessive overtime, how to create a culture of healthy work-life balance, and why his title is C3PO.

E3 2019: Jason Schreier talks to Obsidian's Leonard Boyarsky, co-creator of the original Fallout and now co-director of The Outer Worlds, about what it's been like to go back into post-apocalyptic sci-fi after a decade at Blizzard, how his new game explores fascism and corporate governance, and how video game development has changed over the past 30 years.

E3 2019: Jason Schreier sits down with Marcin Iwiński, founder and co-CEO of Cyberpunk 2077 developer CD Projekt Red, to follow up on their conversation about crunch a few weeks ago. They also talk about Cyberpunk 2077's ambitious scope, controversies over trans issues, racial stereotypes, Keanu Reeves, GOG financial issues, and whether Cyberpunk will come to Switch.

At E3 2019, Maddy sits down with Alex "Goldenboy" Mendez, esports commentator and event host best known for his work on Overwatch League, Call of Duty, and Halo. Mendez actually used to cover esports for Kotaku years ago; now, he commentates and hosts massive esports tournaments in stadiums around the country. We talk about the traditional sports influences on the esports industry, the wide spectrum of esports personalities out there, and whether Mario and Sonic at the Olympic Games will be the next great esport (it will). Lastly, Mendez talks about his new show, LVL UP, which is like Pimp My Ride but for gaming rigs.

E3 2019: Jason Schreier sits down with Destiny bosses Luke Smith and Mark Noseworthy for a deep dive into the future of Destiny 2, which is an MMO now. They talk about RPG elements, story loose ends, technical challenges, cross-play (or lack thereof), whether there will ever be a Destiny 3, Stadia latency, and what 2020 looks like for this franchise.

E3 2019: Jason Schreier talks to Larian Studios boss Swen Vincke and D&D creative chief Mike Mearls about how the Baldur's Gate 3 deal came together, what it's like to make a video game based on Dungeons & Dragons in 2019, and whether Minsc and Boo will be in the game. They talk about the confusion of D&D spell slots, the "infinite possibilities" in a game like this, and how great role-playing games are made.

Nintendo just announced a sequel to Breath of the Wild?? Also, a bunch of other E3 press conferences happened, with some good-looking games, some Keanu-shaped surprises, a very good dog, and a lot of loud music.Kirk, Jason, and Maddy get together to talk through it all, breaking down highlights from Microsoft, Bethesda, Ubisoft, Square Enix, and Nintendo. Jason and Maddy will be back all week with interviews from the E3 show floor, so stay tuned to your feed for more.PRESS CONFERENCE ROUNDUPS:Microsoft: https://kotaku.com/everything-microsoft-announced-at-e3-2019-1835358411Bethesda: https://kotaku.com/everything-bethesda-announced-at-e3-2019-1835362095Ubisoft: https://kotaku.com/everything-ubisoft-announced-at-e3-2019-1835383676Square Enix: https://kotaku.com/everything-square-enix-announced-at-e3-2019-1835393070Nintendo: https://kotaku.com/everything-nintendo-announced-at-e3-2019-1835413325

Episode 182: Hell yeah, it's time for E3! Kirk, Jason, and Maddy talk about the games they've been playing (Outer Wilds, Timespinner, Gato Roboto) before jumping into E3 guesses, hopes, predictions, and rumors (32:46) involving EA, Microsoft, Bethesda, Ubisoft, Square Enix, Nintendo, and much more. Will The Avengers and FF7 live up to the hype? With Sony skipping this year's show, can Microsoft blow us all away as it fights for console dominance? And what kind of whispers has Jason heard about Ubisoft's showcase this year? You'll have to listen to the show to find out. The gang closes things out with off-topic talk (1:24:38) including Dragon Ball Z, 24, and Rocketman.SHOW NOTES:Music pick of the week: “Hangin’ with My Baby” by Tower of Power from their 2018 (!) album Soul Side of TownJon Bois on 24: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_P52G4Kyq5M

Episode 181: Baby Ghost... Recon? Kirk, Jason, and Maddy talk video games, from Dark Souls 3 to Observation, then dive into news of the week (29:00) including Death Stranding's ridiculous new trailer (and 2019 release date!), Call of Duty: Modern Warfare, and EA Play. The crew hears from a listener who does game analytics for a major video game company, then they get into off-topic talk on Veep, Educated, Fleabag, 24, 24, and 24 (1:04:54).Music Pick of the Week: “Grey Seal” by Elton John from his 1973 album Goodbye Yellow Brick RoadSHOW NOTESPolitico Article: https://www.politico.com/story/2019/05/25/how-silicon-valley-gamed-the-worlds-toughest-privacy-rules-1466148Justin McElroy on Anor Londo: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-5yw0wHQx9A

Episode 180: We've gotten so many interesting listener e-mails about privacy in gaming, we just had to keep talking about it! First, the Splitscreen gang talks about some of the games they're playing including Phoenix Wright, Rage 2, and Destiny. Then they get into the news of the week (28:18) on Minecraft Earth, the God of War documentary, and a major shakeup in Call of Duty-land. After the news, Kirk, Maddy, and Jason read some listener emails and talk more about advertisers using our data, targeted marketing, and whether the internet is just broken or what. Then it's time for off-topic talk (1:11:55) on Designated Survivor, Lemony Snicket, and much more.Music pick of the week: “Ageless Beauty” by Stars from their 2004 album Set Yourself On Fire

The game of thrones has ended, and so has Game of Thrones. On this final bonus episode, Jason and Kirk wrap up their coverage of HBO's grand fantasy series by recapping the events of "The Iron Throne," then looking back at the show as a whole.LINKS:Zeynep Tufekci on the series' shift from sociological to psychological storytelling: https://blogs.scientificamerican.com/observations/the-real-reason-fans-hate-the-last-season-of-game-of-thrones/Zach Kram on its shifting relationship with consequence: https://www.theringer.com/tv/2019/4/10/18304037/game-of-thrones-season-8-consequences-jon-sam-arya-cerseiGita Jackson on Game of Thrones' Fullmetal Alchemist problem: https://kotaku.com/game-of-thrones-has-a-fullmetal-alchemist-problem-1834512907