Some Patches Required
Hello everybody, and welcome to Some Patches Required. Every other Thursday, your hosts Aaron and Zak use their backgrounds in game development and analysis to discuss various facets of the ever-turbulent games industry. From interviews with AAA/indie devs to deep dives on timely topics, the duo hopes to entertain and educate you on this wild medium we all love.
Episodes
123 episodes
Dragon Age: Homogenizing Video Games
Among the bombastic trailers showcased in the Xbox showcase at Not E3™ — er, I mean Summer Game Fest™ — was one particular reveal that some fans have been waiting for for the better part of a decade: Dragon Age: The Veilguard. And boy ...
IGN: Corporate Consolidation's Impact on Games Media
Hello, everybody, and welcome to the latest episode of Consolidation Watch - a show where we puff out our proverbial chests and celebrate all of the excellent acquisitions that mega-corporations have completed recently! This week, we've got a d...
Josh Bowlby Interview: UI/UX Design & Community Building
This week, Zak and Aaron chat with Josh Bowlby, a UI/UX designer (user interface and user experience, for the neophytes out there) who has experience at companies like Virtuix and Wayfinder developer Airship Syndicate, among others.
Fallout: A New Era of Multimedia Franchises?
War. War never changes... but the media landscape sure does. With Amazon's new Fallout show dominating headlines and streaming charts alike, Zak and Aaron returned to the vault this week to dust off an old favorite topic: video game adaptations...
Epic vs. Apple Lawsuit: The Fate of Platform Monopolization
Ahh, Apple. Creators of the smartphone, pioneers of industry, the gold standard for excellence, the last bastion of inspiration in a world that's gone dull, and... an illegal monopoly? That's what a recent set of lawsuits allege - and they're g...
Dragon's Dogma 2: Does Review Bombing Work?
Rejoice, RPG fans, for Dragon's Dogma 2 is finally here! The reviews are in, and the consensus is... well, complicated as hell. While critics are stoked overall, fans seem to have some grievances — and they're quite happy to share them...
Suicide Squad: The Desperate State of AAA Games
When you think of AAA games, does your mind fill with excitement imagining what spectacular worlds dedicated artists have crafted for you with the benefit of near-limitless resources? Or do you imagine boardrooms filled with disinterested peopl...
Adam Powell Interview: Union Organizing and the Games Industry
At this point, trying to find a new or clever way to say that the games industry is in turmoil is a profound exercise in futility. There is no one way to "fix" the problems that seem to follow developers from studio to studio, but there's one p...
Palworld: Imitation, Inspiration, and Poké-Plagiarism
If you've spent any time on the internet as of late, odds are you've stumbled across something about a new game called Palworld - otherwise known as "Pokémon with guns." Hell, with north of 19 million downloads and record-breaking player counts...
Chasing Pre-Orders: Early Access Monetization Madness
Hello, everybody, and welcome to season three of Some Patches Required! Our intrepid hosts have been away for a while, but the games industry certainly didn't take a break with them, as mass layoffs, leaks, hacks, studio closures, and more domi...
Baldur's Gate 3: Breaking the AAA Mold
Have you ever felt exhausted by the neverending onslaught of updates, microtransactions, generic mechanics, and performance issues that seem to define modern AAA games? Well, do we ever have a new title for you!This week, Zak and Aaron ...
Alan Wake 2: Physical Distribution & Game Preservation
The world is changing, and media is changing with it. What do you own? What does renting even mean in the era of subscription services and online storefronts? More importantly, what happens to a work of art when it's lost to time?This w...
Graphics vs. Gameplay: BattleBit & Stylized Games
After a few unfortunate delays, Zak and Aaron are back to ask you a simple question: Do you value visual extravagance over gameplay excellence, or do you think they can work together? Moreover, is there a seat for style at the table?Bet...
Apple Vision Pro: Is this a Watershed Moment?
This week, Zak and Aaron chat about what the semi-recently-announced Apple Vision Pro could mean for the VR, AR, and MR market. Will it fall flat on its face like Google Glass? Will it spur on competition like the original Oculus or HTC Vive? O...
Alex Malcolm Interview: Music Licensing in Video Games
This week, Zak and Aaron chat across three different time zones! Was that sensationalist enough to grab your attention?? Good, because the third time zone is occupied by Alex Malcolm, who works in music licensing for Warner Music Group.
Cameron Paxton Interview: Composing Music for Indie Games
This week, Zak and Aaron sit down to talk with the profoundly talented Cameron Paxton - the composer for the game Dome Keeper - about the intricacies of writing music for games. Naturally, Aaron rambles on about esoteric ideas, Zak stays on top...
Tears of the Kingdom: What Makes a Successful Sequel?
At this point, it's only a few degrees shy of impossible that you haven't heard of the newest Legend of Zelda game, Tears of the Kingdom. Was that sentence confusing? Well, so is trying to evaluate what makes a good sequel. And yet, Zak...
Fortnite: The Evolution of UGC Platforms
This week, Zak and Aaron hop right back into the maelstrom that is the modern games industry. Wait, were you expecting something different? Maybe you don't know their particular brand.On this particular, acronym-filled venture, Zak and ...
RE4 Remake: The Ethics of Post-Launch Microtransactions
Hello everybody, and welcome to an unseasonably spooky episode of Some Patches Required! This week, Zak and Aaron dive back into the murky waters of microtransactions, this time within the context of the Resident Evil 4 Remake. Is it ok...
Press Reset: The Human Cost of Making Video Games
Well, would you look at that!? This one's on time! And it's interesting, to boot.This week, Zak and Aaron have a chat about Jason Schreier's exceptional book "Press Reset," and each chooses a few topics that fascinate them. Zak is mostl...
Dungeons & Dragons: The Influence of TTRPG's on Gaming (ft. Undercommon Taste)
This week on SPR, Zak and Aaron team up with the crew from the Undercommon Taste podcast to discuss the lasting impact and influence of TTRPGs (or table-top roleplaying games for you neophytes out there) on the world of video games. It's a fun ...
The Last of Us: Challenges in Translating Games to Film & TV
With all evidence pointing to The Last of Us being HBO's next big hit, Zak and Aaron decided to take a moment to discuss a few things surrounding the show, especially the difficulties intrinsic to translating games to film and TV. Natur...
Pokemon: When Fandom & Consumerism Limit a Franchise
Hello everybody and welcome to season two of Some Patches Required! If you're new to the show, we're happy to have you! If you're already familiar with our particular brand of games-industry coverage/conversations, we're thrilled that you stuck...
Bayonetta 3 Controversy - Voice Actors and Fair Payment
This week on Some Patches Required, Our intrepid hosts tackle a slightly out-of-date topic that sends them down a rabbit hole that may just take them a few months to get out of.* Of course, the inciting incident is the controversy surrounding <...
Overwatch 2 - How Games Shift from Premium to Free-to-Play
This week on Some Patches Required, Zak and Aaron take on a topic of particular interest related to the rocky launch of Overwatch 2. No, it's not 2016, so Tracer's butt has nothing to do with it. Instead, our intrepid hosts try to dissect the c...
