Episode 113: So… What Did We Miss? (Season 3 Premiere, News Show)

Jan 17, 2022

We’re back for the start of Season 3 with some trends chat from Steam’s Best of 2021 report, PSVR2, the latest labor news, and a whole lot of acquisitions to discuss (Embracer, Take-Two, and Tencent took some big swings). And we need to talk about E3...

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TIME STAMPS

• [00:04:24] - Trends and Learnings from Steam’s Best of 2021
• [00:27:15] - PSVR2 Details
• [00:35:36] - Investment Interlude (Embracer Group acquires Asmodee, Dark Horse, and more; Tencent acquires Turtle Rock; Take-Two plans to acquire Zynga)
• [01:04:43] - Quick Hits
• [01:29:16] - Labor Update (Vodeo, Activision, Bungie, Riot)
• [01:47:16] - FAFO Award

SOURCES

• Steam - The Best of 2021
• PlayStation VR2 and PlayStation VR2 Sense controller: the next generation of VR gaming on PS5
• North America has its first video game union at Vodeo Games
• Armor Games adopts four-day work week permanently | GamesIndustry
• Court denies DFEH objection to Activision Blizzard lawsuit settlement | PCGamer
• Activision Judge’s Ruling in Turf War Draws California Appeal | Bloomberg Law
• Activision Blizzard Pushes Out Dozens of Employees Over Workplace Misconduct | WSJ
• LEGO Overwatch 2 Titan (76980) Release Delayed | The Brick Fan
• Riot Games agrees to pay $100 million in settlement of class-action gender discrimination lawsuit | Washington Post
• Bungie's Head of HR Has Stepped Down | IGN

INVESTMENT INTERLUDE

• EMBRACER GROUP INTENDS TO MAKE A STRATEGIC ACQUISITION OF LEADING BOARD GAMING GROUP ASMODEE THAT WOULD FORM THE NINTH OPERATING GROUP
• EMBRACER GROUP ENTERS INTO AGREEMENT TO ACQUIRE PERFECT WORLD ENTERTAINMENT
• EMBRACER GROUP ACQUIRES SHIVER ENTERTAINMENT
• EMBRACER GROUP ENTERS INTO AGREEMENT TO ACQUIRE DIGIC
• EMBRACER GROUP ENTERS INTO AGREEMENT TO ACQUIRE SPOTFILM NETWORX
• EMBRACER GROUP ENTERS INTO AN AGREEMENT TO ACQUIRE DARK HORSE AND FORMS THE TENTH OPERATIVE GROUP
• Tencent acquires Turtle Rock Studios
• Acquisitions of Waste Creative and Wicked Witch
• Russo Bros.’ AGBO Sells 38% Stake To Video Game Firm Nexon For $400M In Embrace Of Virtual Worlds | Deadline
• Team17 acquires Astragon for €75m | GamesIndustry
• Take-Two and Zynga to Combine…