Triple Click - Our Predictions For 2023

Starting point is 00:00:03 Now this card, the tower, is associated with sudden change or revelations. In this case, it's about the switch two. Welcome to Triple Click, where we bring the games to you. This week we talk about our predictions for 2022. The person who got the most predictions right gets to make the other two people play a game of their choice, and you know how this works, right? Plus, we make 2023 predictions too. I'm Maddie Myers. I'm Jason Schreier.

Starting point is 00:00:32 I'm Kirk Hamilton, and hello and happy new year. Happy New Year. I predict that we will have an excellent episode of Triple Click for you all today. Wow, Jason's already out front. Thank you. So much for reassuring the listeners as to which episode this is because they've just been out there panicking every week. Is this it? Yeah, we've been getting tweets saying, hey, where's the prediction?

Starting point is 00:00:54 I thought this is it. We got at least one tweet. Is this the prediction episode? Well, we're finally here. Now the person who's been guessing every single week is this the prediction episode is spot on. one out of 50. You got it. Yeah, finally.

Starting point is 00:01:08 Finally, it's the predictions episode. And it's the greatest and most competitive episode of the year. And if you like listening every week, wondering if it's going to be the predictions episode, you might be thinking to yourself, wow, I'm really into this show. I love it. How could I support it even more? And I also love that there's no ads on it. And I like Maximum Fun as a network.

Starting point is 00:01:32 That's cool. Well, you could go to Maximum Fun. doterx slash join and you could become a member and if you were to do that then you would get bonus content for every podcast including our own even if ours is the only one that you choose to financially support you still get access to the entire bonus feed and we put out an episode every month personally so we just safely predict that you would get an episode from us every month you'd get that prediction you don't need to predict it you can expect it because that's true do that. And our most recent one was a beans cast. We spilled the beans about Andor. That was our most

Starting point is 00:02:09 recent one, right? I feel like I've really been off in terms of the passage of time. Yeah, time gets a little wobbly here at the end of the year. Yeah. I don't know what's going on. But Andor is the most recent one that we did. But we have many, many other bonus episodes in the feed. So many. We did a beans cast on the Second Horizon game, God of War Ragnarok. There's a bunch of old ones. There's ones where we talked about our childhood favorite games. Anyway, maximum fun. Dotterick slash join. Become a member.

Starting point is 00:02:38 Get more triple click than you already get. Which everyone should just be constantly craving more triple quick. I mean, they are. They are. Let's get to it. People are eager to find out who won last year's best. We have a lot to get to. Yes.

Starting point is 00:02:52 We have a lot to get to. Today, we are going to go over our predictions from last year, see who got the most right. And we're also going to make predictions for 2023. So quick refresher. So at the beginning of every single year, all three of us make 10 predictions plus a bonus prediction these days. And whoever gets the most right gets to pick a game that, well, has already picked a game that the three of us will then play throughout the year. So each of us at the beginning of 2022 made predictions and picked a game and we'll be going through those. And then we're going to do new ones, start from scratch. So the rules are we're going to go through one by one. Each of us is going to say, our game and go through each predictions. You can advocate if you think that your prediction should be a winner and the rest of us are like now. There's no half points by the way.

Starting point is 00:03:42 No half points. And it's a two-thirds vote essentially. So you just have to sway one of us to see things your way. And without further ado, let's see who won this year. Kirk, first let's start with you. Give us your game and then your predictions. Great. I get to go first.

Starting point is 00:03:57 I always go first and then I take forever and then the two of you need to rush through things. So I'll try to go fast. So make it speedy. This will be, it'll also put my predictions out of their misery because I did not do well. Okay. Unfortunately, I don't think.

Starting point is 00:04:10 Start with your game and then give us the questions. Yeah, what was your game that I had picked was I had initially picked Alan Wake and then I changed my mind the next week and the you two allowed it. So I changed my mind to Dead Space 2, which would have been really cool. Which is kind of sad because we didn't play Alan Wake either. Like the reason we made you change that was because we were like, we're totally going to play Alan Wake remastered.

Starting point is 00:04:27 We didn't. Well, I didn't even realize that came out. I know. Yeah, there was, and it's not like there were that many games last year either. But anyways, there will be a Dead Space remake that we'll play this year. So that'll be my consolation, as much as I'd love to play Dead Space 2 with you all. So that was my pick. And here are my predictions.

Starting point is 00:04:46 My first prediction was Nintendo will announce what they will call the Switch 4K model. I believe that's what it was. Yeah, we made you stick to the name. That was the point. Yes, because it wasn't just that they would announce a new Switch. So, no. I got that one wrong. That's a big no. Next, Hollow Night Silk Song will be announced and released on the same day.

Starting point is 00:05:08 It breaks my heart, but no. I got that one wrong as well. Next one, Valve will announce a new non-VR half-life game for 20203. No, that did not happen either. Unfortunately, that would have been cool, but no. Next. I mean, they all would have been cool. I mean, that's true, I guess. Most of these are things that I was hoping would happen and not things I didn't want to happen.

Starting point is 00:05:33 Next up, a new in-canon matrix video game will be announced. I liked this prediction. That should have happened. Yeah, I think it was just kind of a fun one that I wished had happened, but it didn't. It did not happen. So that's a big no. Next up, a studio or major segment of studio will successfully vote to unionize, and it cannot be Activision Blizzard. like it can't be Raven Software, for example.

Starting point is 00:06:01 Because when you made this prediction, they had already been during it. Yeah, so I had made, I think I made this prediction after Vodio games unionized. And then, so they don't count. You said, well, your prediction was specifically one of the big. It needs to be like a big one. And so that is a no. Am I correct in that? That that did not happen?

Starting point is 00:06:20 If there were half points, you might get one because Xenamax workers said they were going to unionize, but they have not voted yet. So they do not have a union just yet. I think that would be a no then, unfortunately. I think so too, yeah. I kind of thought this was, when I saw this prediction, I was going through and I was like, Shirley, I feel like I saw so much union news. But it's really a very like smoke, smoke, smoke and no fire thing, which feels like we're so

Starting point is 00:06:43 close. Like we're so close to this prediction being true. Well, the ones that happen were all at Activision. That's the thing. That's right. The successful ones so far have all been within Activision Blizzard. But it is very, I mean, I guess to continue the fire metaphor, it does seem like the kind of thing where there will be a spark.

Starting point is 00:06:57 And I think Jason, you've said this, but Jason, I'm remembering you saying this, that basically once someone unionizes, the benefits of that will quickly become apparent, and it will be a lot easier for other studios to get into it. Yeah, what I've said is once they form a contract, once they have a contract that shows what they can, what they get out of it.

Starting point is 00:07:16 That's the really hard part because there's no deadline for the first contract. So it could just go on forever and ever until they get it. Which we have some experience with. We do. Yeah. And it was, I mean, even though we had a very supportive, generally pretty supportive management for our union drive, this was at Gawker Media when we unionized. The first time. The first digital outlet to ever do that.

Starting point is 00:07:36 So I didn't know what it meant and whatever. This is a tangent. But I didn't know what it meant to have a union contract. And that is the tangible thing. You look at it and then you're like, oh, okay. So like now all this stuff is guaranteed. Well, that's actually pretty nice. And then other people can look at it and be like, well, I want that at my job.

Starting point is 00:07:51 That sounds great. Yeah. So anyways, it hasn't happened, but it does seem like it'll be a bit of a. small rock leading to an avalanche kind of a thing. Okay, so moving on with my predictions. So that's a no. Moving on with my predictions. The world of Eldon Ring will turn out to be connected to a song of ice and fire.

Starting point is 00:08:09 That would have been so fun. I know, and it didn't happen. Is there not an Easter egg in there? Yeah, but like, I think it would have taken more than just a little, like, you know, reference to Valeria. I mean, I guess a reference to Valeria would have counted. But something like, it's like that berserk sword that's in all of Miyazaki's games. Like, that doesn't mean. actually in the world of berserk, right?

Starting point is 00:08:28 So not something like that. It would have needed to be like an actual thing. And that did not happen. So that's a no. Valve will announce a steam subscription service. Jesus, that's an like ambitious prediction that did not happen. I don't know. It seemed plausible.

Starting point is 00:08:44 I feel like anything seems plausible. It's actually your next one is the most ambitious, implausible one of all. Yeah. Well, this one is like me trying to disaggregor. So this predict that. So anyways, Valve will announce the scene subscription service. No. Next one is, a new game will use the blockchain in an interesting way, in a way that we think is cool.

Starting point is 00:09:04 I remember a year ago. But it's funny because we were so talking about NFTs a year ago, and it's wild how quickly things I moved beyond. How badly it crashed in burn. I was watching Mythic Quest, and they were talking about NFTs, and I was like, wow, this already feels dating. It's funny because Squarianix just put out. like a letter from their CEO this week saying they're all in to NFTs. They're like

Starting point is 00:09:31 we can't wait to make more NFT games and everyone's like what? Why? The thing is that like the block I'm trying to disaggregate blockchain and like Web 3 does like decentralized technology from cryptocurrency and NFTs because like they don't actually have to be considered

Starting point is 00:09:47 the same thing. So I was doing that as a mental exercise and then I was like well wouldn't that be a fun prediction? But no, that did not happen and it did not happen this year. So two more. The next one is, Harmonics will bring back rock band in some form. This did not happen.

Starting point is 00:10:03 There are more and more musical experiences in Fortnite that seem to have harmonics' fingerprints all over them, but they are not rock bands. So that one is a no. And finally, Sony will announce that Blue Point is making a PlayStation 5 Bloodborn remake the saddest no. The saddest, uh, buzzer. Did you get zero points?

Starting point is 00:10:24 I got zero points. What about your bonus? Wait, the bonus. Oh, you're right, of course. That one actually, that one totally could have happened. My crazy prediction, which would have been worth two points, was that a video game AI or a video game character will become sentient. Which didn't happen, but in which I was explaining to you both off air before we recorded,

Starting point is 00:10:44 that there was the guy at Google who was claiming that Google's, like, chat learning model was sentient, even though it is not sentient. That we know of. We're closer to that happening. That we know of. So I got a big, a fat goose egg, zero for me. Maddie, take us away. Start with your game and then go through your predictions.

Starting point is 00:11:06 Sure. So my game for the bet is the 2010 game Perfect Dark, which I think is still on GamePass. Anyway, it's playable. This is a remake of the N64 game, correct? The 2010 version of Perfect Dark. Very fun. So my first prediction, we will see a Metroid Prime Fort. trailer this year. We didn't.

Starting point is 00:11:28 Nope. Two, Bobby Codick will not step down or be fired from his position as CEO of Activision Blizzard. I won this one. Correct. You got it. Yay. Number three. Someone will confirm the switch will get a hardware refresh, but it won't come out in 2022. No one has confirmed this. Unbelievably. In fact, there's like new reporting that there isn't one coming. I feel like that's latest rumor I saw. That it was canceled.

Starting point is 00:11:58 Yes. It is just not happening. I think, did all three of us have switch, hardware refresh related predictions? I feel like we keep waiting for this one. But yeah, anyway. I did not. Didn't get it. Number four, this is one of my classic replacement predictions.

Starting point is 00:12:13 Nintendo will announce a game starring Princess Peach. Obviously didn't happen. Number five, the Mario animated movie will include a joke implying Mario's mushrooms or drugs. So when I made this prediction, the Marius' March is. Mario movie was actually supposed to come out last year. And it got delayed to 2023. So that certainly complicated the prediction, but we saw so many

Starting point is 00:12:33 trailers and footage in this movie. And you guys, I was on tenor hooks for every single trailer in clip. I was like, please, please make a joke about how the mushrooms can get you high. It didn't happen. It's like such a kid, like kid-friendly movie. I don't think they would do that. But it doesn't need to be

Starting point is 00:12:49 overt. It's an illumination movie. That's exactly the kind of hacky joke that they make. Oh, magic mushroom. It feels like it was like right in. Anyway, it's not in there. I lost the prediction. Maybe it will. Either way, you'll still be wrong, even if it does happen. Yeah, it could still come true. It could still come true, but spoilers for my future predictions, I did not include this one.

Starting point is 00:13:08 Number six, the Master Chief TV show will not show Master Chief's face. This is hilarious, because not only did they show his face. They showed his dick. They showed his dick, but also they did flashbacks to, like, child Master Chief. They showed, like, his full life story. Like they went so far the other direction They were like, we're going to humanize The heck out of Master Chief.

Starting point is 00:13:31 You are going to get to know John in ways You've never gotten to know him before. I was like hilariously wrong about this prediction. I don't think they actually showed his dick. I didn't watch it, but I know that there was, he had sex. And I'm just imagining I really like the version of this where your prediction is correct and he kept his helmet on. And he also kept his helmet on the head of his dick as well.

Starting point is 00:13:50 It would have to be a scene where like he talks, I haven't seen it But he talks to the woman and he's taking it off and the woman is like, no, keep it on. Keep it on. Yes. Incredible. Anyway, none of that happened, sadly. Number seven.

Starting point is 00:14:08 Now this one, I'm really at the mercy of the court, folks. By this time next year, it will be possible to just buy a PS5 or Xbox Series X. So here is where you have to show your work. So can you go to Target.com right now or whatever and buy both? You can. I believe you can. Depending on where you live. So there is a very good and comprehensive article at Kataku by Levi Winslow

Starting point is 00:14:30 called Getting a PS5 or Xbox Series X is sort of easier two years later. And this article was written on December 23rd. So this is during the Christmas rush. Okay. So I would say that biases things a little bit. But even during this time period, Levi called a ton of stores, by the way. Really like getting on the phone is what this is what this article is. Thank you, Levi.

Starting point is 00:14:52 Yeah. And at Target in Manhattan, there were PS5s on the shelf when Levi was making these calls, which is interesting. However, Walmart didn't have them, Best Buy didn't have them, but you could order them online. So this is kind of a tricky scenario. Like you can order both of these things online, depending on where you live or if you're lucky, you might be able to go into a store and buy them. My friend Todd Harper walked into a GameStop randomly earlier this year and bought a PS5 on a whim. I thought that was crazy. in that moment made me think to myself,

Starting point is 00:15:21 I'm going to win my prediction, this was a few months ago, citation, a real person that I know. So I kind of feel like I won this, but I also get why you guys would say I didn't, because you kind of need to order it online. The spirit of the prediction is that like the crisis is over,

Starting point is 00:15:40 and it's easy to just buy one, right? Like that would be my kind of like interpretation of what you predicted. And I don't know if that's the case. I think that it is the case. Like, I think that just in general, buying electronics right now is, like, a little bit of a weird world of availability and ordering online and, like, weird workarounds and stuff. But I think that's just true across the board in a way that maybe is just true of the world now. And that feels separate from this prediction, and that in the spirit of the prediction, like, if I wanted a PlayStation 5, I could buy one right now.

Starting point is 00:16:15 That's my argument. I think I just kind of could. And then Xbox, first of all, the Xbox, easily. available. So this is really just a question about the PS5, which is more popular, seemingly. And the fact that when Levi called before Christmas and Target had PS5s on the shelf, that to me is like, yeah, if you want a PS5, you can buy one. I'm convinced. I think this is a yes. I think it's a yes, too. But the Mario 64 is still posting when the PS5 is a pill. Of course he is. But he's posting when like Mario Odyssey is on sale. Like, come on. You did. All right. Thank you guys. That is a point for me. So far. Two points. Okay. Number eight. The Steam Deck will have a significant problem with its launch. You should get negative points for that. I know. In fact, it'll be like the most incredible thing. It's the greatest thing ever. I feel like this is a good prediction though. Oh, it's a good prediction. It was, and it was actually, you seem like you were on track to be right before. I got a review copy, a review version. And it was super janky at that point.

Starting point is 00:17:15 But they like nailed everything down just in temperament. I really did. I valve really turned it around. Also, you predicted a hardware problem for the most part, as opposed to UI stuff, which can be fixed pretty easily. And no, yeah, I mean, Steam Deck is in great shape. Absolutely. Number nine, by this time next year, we will say NFTs are a failed trend in games. That was the spirit of my prediction, and you guys made me amended further. Because at that point, I remember, well, I actually relistened in the episode.

Starting point is 00:17:42 My point in response to that was we'd already say NFTs are failed trend in games at this point last year. So I made you specify at least three major game studios will say, our game publishers will say they are no longer pursuing NFTs in games. So here is where you have to show your work if you think that is the case. Yeah, I think it is. So Digital Trends has a pretty good rundown of every canceled NFT video game project that I can send to you guys. Stocker 2 is probably the example most people know best.

Starting point is 00:18:13 Sega did one as well. The Ubisoft one is a little shaky because although Ghosts, Recon Breakpoint did get canceled. Ubisoft has claimed they're going to continue to try to make NFT projects. Yeah, well, hold on, hold on. For you to win this, I think you have to bring up three major game publishers and be like, this one, this one, and this one all said we are no longer pursuing NFTs. That's the criteria.

Starting point is 00:18:37 So are you not counting Stocker 2 as a major game? You don't think GSA game world is major? If you can, if there are two other big ones. Let's talk about this criteria. So my only issue with that criteria, is that no publisher will ever say we are not pursuing this possible avenue for money. Like, that's not a thing publishers would ever say about anything. Like, I think...

Starting point is 00:19:00 Did someone say that about NFTs? Yeah. Yeah. Stalker 2 did. They said, quote, we've made a decision to cancel anything NFT related in Stocker 2, which is about as clear as it's ever going to get. For like a specific game. I think that's sufficient for me.

Starting point is 00:19:14 Like, it doesn't have to be like them saying we're never going to pursue NFT's. and ifs forever. Hold on, hold on, hold on, hold on, hold on, hold on. Stogger 2, that happened in December of 2021, a month before you made your prediction. All right. We'll move on to Sega. Okay. Well, you need to have three. You need to have three examples. Okay. I've got a whole list here. I'm not counting Discord because I'm assuming we don't think Discord is gaming related, even though I would say it is.

Starting point is 00:19:39 It kind of is, but they don't make games, so no. Uh, um, let me, let me click on the Sega thing. I didn't realize my date. were off with stock or two. Sega. Sega says it will scrap NFTs if gamers think it's a money-making scheme January 5th, 2002. Our episode was January 6, 2020.

Starting point is 00:19:59 Oh, that counts though, because that's like you made the prediction the day prior. But the point that I'm making, you guys see that like the point I'm making is that at that point there was already tons of backlash. You let me make the prediction. Yeah, but the prediction exists. Well, I made you the prediction with a criteria that three major publishers

Starting point is 00:20:15 would say that no longer pursuing it. Okay, that's close enough, though, to when Maddie made the prediction. Like, that that timing is fine. Well, do you have, okay, do you have two other big ones, Maddie? That, like, two other examples of big companies being like, hey, we're not doing this anymore? I mean... This is a lengthy pause.

Starting point is 00:20:37 Okay. So, EA did an earnings call in February where they backed off NFTs. But the quote is not, it's not as good as I'd like it to be, but here's what it says. Okay. Okay. This is from CEO Andrew Wilson from EA. I believe that collectability will continue to be an important part of our industry and the games and experiences we offer our players. Whether that's as part of NFTs in the blockchain, well, that remains to be seen.

Starting point is 00:21:01 No way. We're going to evaluate that over time, but right now it's not something that we're driving hard against. So that's like he's leaving the door open for NFTs, but backing off. GoStreacon breakpoint is the example that I think is the better one of these. But again, it was canceled. It still has it. I thought they pulled Breakpoint off of servers. No.

Starting point is 00:21:25 Are you sure? You can still buy it right now. Jason's like, I'm buying it. I just paid money for it. You can go to the Epic Game Store right now and buy GoStreacon Breakpoint standard of digital. I think this is a no. And I think that like, I think the reason that the criteria were so strong is because we already were saying that NFTs were a failed. Yeah.

Starting point is 00:21:46 So I think, unfortunately, Unfortunately, this is, and I think that the thing, there's like a fatal flaw in the prediction, and that is just that it required game publishers to completely rule out something, which is just not something that they are constitutionally capable of doing. Like, no one at a publisher will be like, we're never going to pursue an NFTs. They would be like, we're still weighing the option. They would say something like EA said. Well, I mean, or if three different game companies put out NFTs that like announce games with NFTs

Starting point is 00:22:14 and then backtracked on those specific NFTs. That would count too. I mean, I made a similar prediction. Right. You have a similar prediction. That's wrong. Which also didn't come true. But they did backtrack on it in breakpoint. No, Maddie, I don't think that there are enough. Like, I don't think this is concrete enough. And again, I think we could all, we were all shitting all over NFTs at this point last year.

Starting point is 00:22:33 So I don't think it's like, oh man, NFTs. Everyone thinks they're hot, but we're going to zag against it. Yeah, I think, okay. So I'm getting some clarity here. Like, I'm trying to really judge it because, like, your initial prediction is absolutely true, which is by this time next year, NFTs will be a failed trend. But what Jason is saying is also true, which is

Starting point is 00:22:53 that that was already established going in, and that was why you had to add additional criteria. And then the additional criteria are, like, three major games have to be like, we're pulling NFTs, like we're not doing this thing, like in a really clear signal, and you just, you kind of

Starting point is 00:23:09 got two and like one had already happened, and it's just not quite like three solid examples. And we're not counting Discord, basically. Right, because Discord isn't a video game. It would need to be three games. And they have to be three major games. Yeah, it'd have to be pretty clear.

Starting point is 00:23:26 And like the Sega thing works. And then like it's like a little dicey after that, even though like it feels like it should have happened. Well, we'll agree to disagree. I would say I won this prediction. And I think the listeners will be on my side, but it's fine. Maddie, enlisting the triple click army. It doesn't matter if they're on my side. That's not how you win.

Starting point is 00:23:46 It kind of matters. I have to convince the two of you, and I've failed to do so. I think sometimes we risk, just because of the nature of this, it's a year later, we risk forgetting what the climate was like. And I think you guys, or Maddie, you might be forgetting just how avidly everyone was like. I see that seems like revision is history to me. I said it. If you re-listen to the episode, my immediate reaction.

Starting point is 00:24:06 We all re-listened to the episode. Yeah, we all re-listened. Whatever. All right, I've lost this one. Number 10, Overwatch 2 will announce a second playable black female care. I lost this one too. Instead, they were like, do you want another Asian woman? Yeah, so it was just...

Starting point is 00:24:24 Well, they put in the Junker Queen, and then they added in, what's her name, Kiroko? Okay, and then what's your bonus prediction? Oh, Waluigi will get a video game, and he didn't. He did not. Okay, so you have two points. So I have two points. Okay, so Maddie, you have two points, Kirkazero. And now it's up to me to see if I can...

Starting point is 00:24:46 beat or tie Maddie with my predictions. Let's go. My video game is StarCraft 2. So if I win, we will play one campaign to be decided between the three of us in the trilogy. And then we'll also play a little multiplayer, maybe stream a little multiplayer. All right. Number one, Disney will cancel Star Wars Eclipse. This did not happen as far as I know. Although another Star Wars game did get axed or at least transferred developers. I don't think I'll ever come out. Two, Silk Song will be revealed. re-revealed and released on the same day. That did not happen.

Starting point is 00:25:20 Three, Apple Arcade will shut down. Nope. Four, Destiny will get a TV series. Nope. Although I think that'll still happen like this year or something. It seems plausible. Five, a major publisher

Starting point is 00:25:30 will announce to release an NFT game and then cancel it within the next few months. Nope, that did not happen. Microsoft will announce six. Microsoft will announce a new Xbox console. That did not happen. Seven, Bobby Kodick will still be CEO of Activision.

Starting point is 00:25:46 the end of 2020. Ding, ding, ding, ding. He gets it. That one is correct. Number eight, and I just want to say I gave you guys both ample opportunity to potentially veto this one. We almost did. We came so close.

Starting point is 00:25:59 Listening to back to this was torture. This is the roughest moment. It's very hard to listen to. I can't talk about this. I can't talk about this. This is going to happen. This is going to happen. And then it happened.

Starting point is 00:26:08 Why do we allow this? Madden 23's cover will be John Madden with no players and no alternate covers, which we happen to make it more difficult. Okay, but Betty White isn't on the cover. Even worse. I'll say even worse, there are three variant covers, and they all have told mad at them. Which is just, that should be extra points for me, really. No, it shouldn't.

Starting point is 00:26:29 It should be no points because we never should have allowed this to happen. No, I know. But we did, and that's on us. So you got this one. Even in the moment, we're like, why are we allowed this? Once again, I gave you guys, I said. Yeah, no, I know. I said like three times.

Starting point is 00:26:42 You guys are already. Yes, this is absolutely our fault. You get to crow with victory. So that's two points. Two points. Two points for you so far. It all comes down to this next couple of predictions. Will it be a tie or a win?

Starting point is 00:26:54 I don't know. Number nine, both Sony, Santa Monica and Gorilla Games will release and announce new games this year. Man, I was so close on this one. You were very close. I know. Reala games released the game and then almost immediately after our show announced their VR game. Sony, Santa Monica released the game. So you were like, yeah.

Starting point is 00:27:13 Yeah. Everything's coming up Jason. Sony said Medica did not announce anything else. No, there was like a report that they posted like for hiring for like an unannounced game, but it was not an announcement. Because like Corey is working on something else and everything. Yeah, because Corey Barlach has been very clear that he's working on something else. They just haven't announced it. Hiring requests do not announce to.

Starting point is 00:27:34 So that's a no. And we were very specific that this has to be both announced and release. Number 10, Nintendo will release remakes. remasters of Wind Waker, Twilight Princess, and both Oracle games. None of the above happened. What's funny is that, I think Kirk is you was like, oh, of course that's going to happen.

Starting point is 00:27:53 And I was like, no, I'll make it all four. Really, it was not, of course, that's going to happen. It was, yeah, that we were denying things based on rumors, and that thing had been rumored forever. And so that's why I stuck in all four. But regardless, it didn't happen. It's so, that's funny to listen back, like the things that were like, that's so obvious that they don't happen.

Starting point is 00:28:11 It truly shows. Yeah, Apple's totally. going to release a VR has said. The folly and also how much fun this game is because none of us really know anything, but like we get to pretend that we do every year. Exactly. And my bonus absurd prediction, Microsoft will buy Ubisoft. I was so close. So close to get in this one. Honestly, yeah, you're in the realm. A little too close. We can't let people make bonus predictions that are too close to reality. That kind of prediction this year would be like a little too believable. Yeah, yeah. Microsoft buying Activit should know.

Starting point is 00:28:43 Nobody saw that coming. That would have, that was in, that is in the realm of the absurd predictions. A realm of the two-point prediction. I know. Last year we thought that was absurd. So it looks like it's a tie. It's a tie. We've got a tie, ladies and jets.

Starting point is 00:28:55 We will be playing both Perfect Dark and StarCraft 2. Yay. So we'll have to figure out our schedule for that. Yeah, that'll be fun. And in my view, I won because I believe that I should have won three points. So I'm going to go ahead and enjoy feeling like I won. Yes. You got two and a half.

Starting point is 00:29:13 points, Maddie. Maddie, you won, you can make us both play perfect dark. Congrats. Yeah. I'm looking forward to it. I've never played perfect dark. And Jason, I guess you'll have to decide which campaign of StarCraft 2 that we're playing to.

Starting point is 00:29:26 Yes, that's right. It was going to be one of them. Yeah, we'll talk about it. Yeah, we can talk about it off here. We can talk about that after. Figure out timing. All right. So we'll probably, we'll go over like our full schedule for the year at some point soon

Starting point is 00:29:37 once we figure it out. As the one loser, I will just say congratulations to you both on defeating me. personally. I have been defeated by Jason and Johnny. Well, it's a good thing that you have a whole new slate of predictions to make and see if you can take the throne once again. So now we're going to go over our predictions for the coming year. Kirk, start us off with your, why don't you do predictions, then bonus, then game. Keep us all in suspense. Let's go over the rules real quick. So I believe our rules are one, no inside info. Two, nothing that's like already out there and reported in the ether by like a, professional sources, like trustworthy sources. Three, no delays. And four, I guess, is just kind of a little bit easy. Nothing incredibly obvious. But I think at this point, we all kind of, we know what we're doing.

Starting point is 00:30:24 We're not going to make anything super obvious. All right. That's it. Kirk, take his way. Okay. First prediction. Microsoft will not own Activision Blizzard at the end of 2023. This is a straight up or down one.

Starting point is 00:30:37 And I'm saying down. They will not own Activision Blizzard. So that's the first one. Second, Nintendo will announce. a Legend of Zelda movie. I don't mind this for reasons that will become clear later. T's at the end of Mario. Smash Brothers T's at the end of Mario, the Smash Brothers Initiative.

Starting point is 00:30:55 Not going to predict any drug references in this old movie. Why not? Number three, someone will announce a game that is being written by an artificial intelligence. Yeah, all right. Interesting. Entirely? Yeah, like, it's, well, I. I don't know, entirely like 100%.

Starting point is 00:31:14 I almost feel like you're making this too hard for yourself and I want to help you out. No, yeah, not 100%. Just like a game where an artificial intelligence is like helping write this game or it's, you know, it's like a... But specifically writing. Specifically the script. Yes, not the art, right? Because like I feel like that's already going to... That's already happening.

Starting point is 00:31:33 That's almost too easy over prediction? Well, yeah. Because that's probably already happening. Like a major game? Because I feel like Indies would do this as like a twine game just for fun. Like have the chat bought. I'm just. helping you make it work. Let's just say it's a major game. And we can decide when we get there.

Starting point is 00:31:47 I don't think, yeah. I think there will be a game that's being written by an AI or is written by an AI. Like I think we'll, we'll know whether or not that that is a winner or loss. It has to feel like, yeah, it has to feel like a professionally released game as opposed to like, oh, I just put this on my website as a fun. Yeah, exactly. Yeah, yeah, right. Yeah. Not just like someone builds a chat GPT thing. How about it's sold? Does that, does that, does that help that you have to pay money to as opposed to a free thing. That's tricky only because I don't know how monetization of AI works. But you can put things on itchio so easily.

Starting point is 00:32:18 I feel like that doesn't actually help either way with us determining whether this is a significant release. Because I also don't even know whether people can like sell things like how that works. So let's just say a game that's written by an AI. Like that'll be an answer. It'll come out. Okay. Okay. Next.

Starting point is 00:32:33 Gabe Newell will retire as president of Valve. Interesting. Wow. Okay. I just, uh, I wanted to have a vassier. I'll have prediction, but a kind of different one. So I picked that one. I like that one. It feels like you have inside info, but I know you have. I have no inside info. Well, that feels more plausible than them announcing a game. Exactly. I was kind of trying to like pick things that might come

Starting point is 00:32:53 true this year rather than like Half Life 3. And he's six, he's coming up on 60, I think. He's probably ready to just go like work on his knife collection full time. I mean, I think he lives in New Zealand. So he's basically like half retired as it is. Right. That was my thinking of the downside is that Maybe he's like, whatever. He doesn't have to do that much anyway, so why not hang around? Just putting stamps on Steam decks and vibing. Occasionally, like, posting on Reddit. Okay, next, Amazon will buy Roblox.

Starting point is 00:33:21 Interesting. I think that would be a really big acquisition, but I also felt like, yeah, just predicting a big acquisition. It seems plausible, though. I like it. I went back and forth around a lot of different possible ones. You just got zero predictions, so I'm feeling very endeared to you. Yeah, I feel like, well, these are stronger.

Starting point is 00:33:37 whatever you want. I put a lot of thought into these. I was trying to pick some. What number are you up to? That is one, two, three, four, five. So this is number six. Okay. House House will announce a sequel to Untitled Goose Game.

Starting point is 00:33:50 And it will feature both a goose and another animal. Oh, I thought you were going to say I'm a gander. Well, it might be a gander. But I didn't want to be, I wanted to give myself a little wiggle room. Could it be a second goose? Are we including that? It just needs to be a second animal character. A second animal, yeah.

Starting point is 00:34:05 I think it's going to feature a goose and something else. That's fine. I'm fine with that prediction. Okay. Spider-Man 2 will include a menu toggle for NPC puzzle suggestions. Spider-Man 2 is what you went with for this. Okay. Does Spider-Man didn't even have puzzles?

Starting point is 00:34:22 Yeah, I was, well, that's kind of my, that's my thinking on this. So I could refine this a little bit and be like, instead of Spider-Man 2, it could be two, like, two games will include this. But I was thinking that given- again, I'm actually trying to make it easier for me here. Yeah, that might make things easier for you. Okay, let's say it's two games. Two games. Yeah, to just say like two AAA games.

Starting point is 00:34:41 Has that happened yet? Do some games already have that option? They might. It's hard to know. I feel like every time someone has insisted to me a game has it, it has turned out to not be true. Right. I can't think of a single example of it being true.

Starting point is 00:34:55 Yeah, I think there's like you can turn off hints, but that's not what I mean. I mean like it will specifically be like turning off NPCs. Yes. Suggesting you. Or I guess like your protagonist too. I think you need to hit that bottom. over there. Yeah, that sort of thing.

Starting point is 00:35:08 Like, you need to freeze that thing to make that gear move and you're like, oh my God, I just got here. I think you're making that too, you're making it too hard on yourself by making it Spider-R-R-2 because Spider-Man 2 doesn't have that many. Yeah, yeah, yeah. That was my, yeah, I was thinking that going in. I initially had it as two games. Then I was like, well, maybe we'll make it so many. So anyways, okay, so two games will include a menu toggle for NPC puzzle suggestions. That's what that is. Yeah, I mean, the thing that's hard for you there is that two games like that, like the God of style have to come out this year.

Starting point is 00:35:37 Right. That's true. Next up, FromSoft will announce an Eldon Ring TV series. Hmm. I don't think that's going to happen, but sure. You never know. Give us your numbers before you try. That two, three, four, five, six. I didn't write down numbers. So seven. That was number eight. Number nine, Xbox Cloud Gaming will come to Nintendo Switch.

Starting point is 00:36:01 Now, this is a prediction I made several years ago. Yeah, this is an oldie, but a goody. But it might still happen, so I'm going to make it. Okay. And then number 10. I don't think it's going to happen. But go ahead. Atlas will announce persona 6 and the mascot character will be a dog.

Starting point is 00:36:17 So really, the prediction is that the mascot character and persona 6 will be a dog. And that'll be like, I think it'll count if they show the trailer and there's like a funny cartoon dog running around. And it's like, okay, it's going to be a dog. So that's my prediction is that it's a dog. So those are my 10 predictions. Wow. And then my outlandish prediction. is Disney will announce a video game console.

Starting point is 00:36:41 Because I don't think that will happen. If it did it, it would be crazy. Okay, so really quick, I'll just run down mine. Microsoft will not own Activision Blizzard at the end of 2023. Nintendo will announce a Legend of Zelda movie. Someone will announce a game or a game will come out that's being written by an AI. Gabe Newell will retire as president, CEO. He has a whatever his titles are of Valve.

Starting point is 00:37:05 Amazon will buy Roblox. House House will announce a sequel to Untitled Goose game and it will feature both a goose and another animal. Two games will include a menu toggle for NPC puzzle suggestions. FromSoft will announce an Eldon Ring TV series. And I mean, that's really just like there'll be an

Starting point is 00:37:23 L and Ring TV series. If it's announced by Netflix or something. You know what I mean? Like FromSoft will announce it's weird. Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. We'll freaking count it. Don't worry about that. There will be an Eldon Ring TV series.

Starting point is 00:37:33 It's actually going to be not against it. Not against FromSoft's permission. It's going to be crazy. Netflix is making an unauthorized. And unauthorized YouTube version does not count. Xbox cloud gaming will come to Nintendo Switch, and Atlas will announce persona 6, and the mascot character will be a dog.

Starting point is 00:37:51 And then Outlandish prediction, Disney will announce a video game console. And that's me. I hope that happens. Me too. That would be funny and weird. That would be so funny. Okay, Maddie, you're out.

Starting point is 00:38:01 Oh, wait. No, Kirk, your game. Your game. Yeah, what's your game? Oh, my game. My game will be one that I picked a couple of years ago that I still really want us to play on the show. My game is the Resident Evil 2 remake, which you both haven't played, and I want you both to play it for different reasons. Jason, because I want you to appreciate Survival Horror and Maddie because I know you like Resident Evil.

Starting point is 00:38:20 I just would enjoy it. And I think that you would enjoy it, and it would be fun to talk with you about it. So it would be very fun. All right, Maddie, you're up. Okay. Number one, this is a repeat prediction. Princess Zelda will not be playable in tears of the kingdom. I try not to do repeat predictions, but this is one where I feel that I should have won two years ago.

Starting point is 00:38:41 And it's like definitely coming out and we're definitely going to find out. It's definitely coming out. I'm just, I'm so confident about this. I will be vindicated. Number two. Nintendo will announce a movie or TV adaptation of another one of its games, e.g. A sequel to the Mario movie, a Metroid movie, a Legend of Zelda TV show, etc. I could narrow this more if you feel.

Starting point is 00:39:02 it's unfores. Since Kirk's is so specific, it's only fair if you also do a specific one. How about I do a specific one where I'm like, Nintendo will announce a Legend of Zelda movie because Kirk said TV show. Oh no, mine was movie.

Starting point is 00:39:15 Oh, then I'll do TV show. Just for fun. Zelda TV show. Yeah, to make them different. That's very fun. I almost said TV show. I just, I think it's a little more fun if we don't have identical versions.

Starting point is 00:39:25 Yeah, yeah. I like it. All right, cool. Number three. This one's kind of hard to word. So we're going to maybe argue over this. Facebook and meta will make a significant pivot due to the failure of meta to take off with anyone ever, e.g. Shutter VR entirely or acquire Twitter and lead hard into Twitter as the new metaverse,

Starting point is 00:39:45 or basically something else that indicates they've completely changed everything and they're not doing meta as it is currently described. Okay, I think that's a fair prediction. And they have to change their name? No, they don't have to change their name. I think they're stuck with that. but I think they will have to insist that the Metaverse isn't legless Zoom calls. Right, like they move away from VR and to something else. I think that's like a pretty bold, that's a pretty bold prediction. So like I'm, is it though?

Starting point is 00:40:14 Because they are scrambling. Well, yes. But like, but also they went really all in and Zuckerberg seems super committed to it. So like, yeah. So it is a bold one only and like thinking about it from his perspective. Yeah, I think it's fair. It just has to be something really tangible. And yeah, we can debate.

Starting point is 00:40:30 is something that you two next year can similarly decide if it's just them canceling Horizon or something like that's not enough. That's not what I'm in pivot. It has to be them saying. It really has to be a quote from Mark Zuckerberg being like look, we're going in a new direction and this is not we're doing anymore. And it has to be like my

Starting point is 00:40:46 bad. I beefed it on that one. We're going back to pictures and memes. I'm not agreeing to those terms. He's going to lie and say this was his plan all along but it'll be a completely different thing. Yeah. That's what it is. Okay, number four.

Starting point is 00:41:02 Number four, this is a very Kirk prediction, and I don't know why this made it in my final list. The Switch 2 will be announced and will be called the Super Nintendo Switch. I don't know why I read this down. Number five. All right. The use of AI art will become normalized in game development to the extent that at least three major AAA studios

Starting point is 00:41:22 will use it in a similar way to high-on-life. I don't know if you two are familiar with the high-on-life usage of it, but AI art was used for background images in the game. And Justin Morrowland confirmed that. That's not just people noticing it. That's for real something that happened. They just are fully doing it. So it's at least three games will fully just use it.

Starting point is 00:41:43 Yeah, like big budget games. Yeah. Yeah. I mean, I think that is going to happen at some point, but it's like whether it's a dicey prediction for it to happen next year with three games. And I feel like, you know, yeah, like that's, That's okay with me. I've got back-ups.

Starting point is 00:42:00 Here's where you can get into, well, you can get into a lot of technical nitty-gritty here because like technically when people, technically AI has been used for years to like help fill in like there's a term that's slipping my mind right now. Procedural generation.

Starting point is 00:42:15 No, no, no, no. To help fill in like it's a very graphic, like technical art term to help like fill in spaces in certain images like AI is used. AIs sometimes used to generate. Yeah, I don't mean proprietary. AI tools that are already

Starting point is 00:42:30 normalized in the game industry. I mean, high on life used like dolly and similar programs to generate paintings that appear on the wall and posters that the player looks at in rooms in the game. That is the usage of AI art. I think I'm cool with this.

Starting point is 00:42:45 You know, when you think about it, like an AI just takes a bunch of art that it's seen and it makes new art and I mean, that's just what people do. So like, the art of games is kind of... Wow, I've never heard that argument before. Anyways. Like, Kirk is a sentient AI? Well, food for thought.

Starting point is 00:43:04 Wow. Okay. Makes you think, doesn't it? I feel like this is a situation where we're all saying it's obvious and next year I'll be like, I lost this one. Right, right. I don't think it's obvious necessarily, but I think you'll have to bring up specific. Yeah, it'll be kind of a pain to demonstrate, but that's on you. So that's, if you're up for that, that's fine.

Starting point is 00:43:22 I don't know why I chose that. Here's another one's going to be hard for me to prove. Number six, Hogwarts Legacy will do a great job with queer representation. but will fumble the ball on fantasy racism into the Goblin Rebellion. I don't know how I would prove. You have to make this somewhere specific than fumble the ball. Yeah, that's too subjective because that was a rule

Starting point is 00:43:38 that Jason didn't mention but that we tried to avoid subjective things. I'm going to replace it. I'm going to replace it with a prediction that actually makes sense. Okay, here's a different prediction. Three major games this year will be ones that we could reasonably call mom games rather than dad games. I have a definition of what a mom game is as well.

Starting point is 00:43:59 I think that's pretty self-explanatory and I think that's a good connection. Yeah. Cool. Number seven, Marvel Spider-Man 2 will not at the Spider-Verse and include Spider-Gwen as a playable

Starting point is 00:44:10 character. Oh, shit. Okay. I like that prediction. Playable makes it tough. So, yeah, I think that's good. Yeah. Number eight.

Starting point is 00:44:18 But it has to be playable Gwen. It has to be Spider-Gwen. No, it has to be Spider-Gwen. Yeah. And you're zipping around using spider powers because you're Spider-Gwen. Number eight, Twitter will continue to exist for the whole year.

Starting point is 00:44:30 I don't think that's... Yeah, I think Twitter will definitely exist for the whole year. So that's true. The chances of Twitter not existing, that would be a wild prediction. I think a wild prediction might be that like Twitter stays as usable. Won't exist? No, Twitter stays as usable and like good as it is. That's too hard to determine.

Starting point is 00:44:50 Yeah. I don't want to have to argue that. I don't think you can do this one. Yeah, because Twitter will say. All right. I'm replacing it with one of my more boring prediction. which is one of the major video game corporations, Sony, Microsoft, Nintendo Valve,

Starting point is 00:45:03 will announce cloud gaming hardware in 2023, like an Xbox cloud. Hmm. Boring, but... So that means, like, a, like, hardware with no... Nothing, it's just a cloud gaming piece of hardware. Hmm. So, like, the Stadia hardware, but, like, Microsoft makes one.

Starting point is 00:45:19 Right. I will not include Amazon in this. Stadia isn't hardware. It's just... But it included hardware, like, included, like, the fire stick. Like, the controller. No, the Firestick was just for launch. Like, you didn't need that after the launch period.

Starting point is 00:45:32 There was a Chromecast, I think. But there was the controller that you, I think, could use, but you didn't have to use. So, yeah. So I guess, right, let's specify the language. Okay, so what you're saying is that someone will create a service that's the equivalent to Stadia, not hardware. It's just like a platform, a cloud gaming platform. I don't mean, like, Xbox will, Xbox already has a service that's similar to Stia. I'm like, they need to produce a hardware solution.

Starting point is 00:45:57 for people who don't own any video game stuff. So maybe that's like a cloud gaming controller. Well, no, X cloud you can just use on your phone or whatever. Yeah. To help you out here, Maddie,

Starting point is 00:46:09 I think maybe saying a new entrant will create their own competitor to XCloud and Stadia. All right. Then I will say Sony or Nintendo or Valve will create a new cloud gaming competitor. Sony or Nintendo or VAL. Okay.

Starting point is 00:46:26 To XClure. Bing. Kirk here is eight at the episode, and there's a little adjustment to that prediction that Maddie wanted to make after the fact, because we were all talking and we realized that PlayStation Now does exist, and it's kind of nebulously in the realm of an X-Cloud-style game streaming service, but we're just going to take Sony out of the prediction. So the prediction is that either Nintendo or Valve will launch a streaming game service, and that's the prediction. Bing! Cool. All right. Number nine. Netflix will release an exclusive

Starting point is 00:46:59 game for its mobile app that becomes extremely successful on the scale of Pokemon Go or Genschen Impact. I think I'm the only one who played Point P this year. That's the Netflix game. Really fun game. Not successful on the scale of Pokemon Go, but... You need something,

Starting point is 00:47:16 you need a hard number or something here, because successful is a little bit subjective, unless you really want to say, like, it has to be a cultural phenomenon like Pokemon Go, which is a very... That's what I'm saying. Because I predicted that... I predicted that prediction in the past and won, in the past.

Starting point is 00:47:30 Right. I'm basically saying I think Netflix will make a good mobile game. Right. Well, but there's a difference between good and

Starting point is 00:47:37 like cultural phenomenon. Like Pokemon Go. Right. I'm trying to think like what the, what a metric for that is. I'm trying to help you out here, Maddie.

Starting point is 00:47:43 That only comes like once every few years. Like it's something like Pokemon Go. Yeah. I know. But also it doesn't because like Genshin impacts a huge deal now. Yeah. And that's only a few years.

Starting point is 00:47:54 It's like Pokemon Go. Then a few years later Genshinepal. Like it's very rare to have a cultural phenomenon type game. Among us? also a thing? I don't know. I feel like mobile gaming is kind of having a moment.

Starting point is 00:48:03 If it's exclusive to a Netflix app, it's never going to happen. I'm just trying to help you out. I'm doing the opposite of what I... So you play those games through the Netflix app, like on your phone? You download them from the Netflix app, and then you just play them normally. Normally. Yeah, but nobody in the world is going to be like, oh, I'm going to get this hot new game

Starting point is 00:48:21 by downloading the Netflix app and then downloading a game. It would pretty much have to... You know what, I should stop helping you out. Okay, if you want to get a tough prediction. I think that makes it a kind of you know, like a less likely thing to happen. No, I think it's impossible to happen regardless. Like, I think, I think you should set a level. Well, then you should be supporting this, Jason.

Starting point is 00:48:39 Sure, go for it. Okay. I mean, if it happened, it'd be like, oh, cool, wow, unexpected thing. And that's like a fun type of prediction. I just think the next Pokemon or Genshin is just so unlikely. But okay. Well, you're saying like it would be a big successful game. It doesn't have to like have more users than Genshin impact.

Starting point is 00:48:54 No, Maddie is saying it has to be a cultural for a lot. So read back the prediction, just so I can be clear on what it is. I mean, okay, Netflix will release an exclusive game for its mobile app that becomes extremely successful on the scale of Pokemon Go Orgenion Impact. I'm really pinning myself in. Yeah, it's super hard, but yeah, if you want to keep it, go for it. Cool. I don't have that many more back in predictions. Yeah, no, you're good.

Starting point is 00:49:16 You're good. Number 10. This isn't going to happen either. There will be a video game announced or even released where playing it involves also the use of a household smart tech item. So like a horror game that taps into like your Samsung. some smart fridge and makes it make scary uses and shit. It's a fun idea.

Starting point is 00:49:34 I just think someone should do that. Like, isn't that a good idea? Like, that would be fucking terrifying. Yeah, that's a great. And, like, the Alexa already has games on it. So, like, there's the potential there. So you're playing and it's like, your milk is spoiled.

Starting point is 00:49:48 Yeah, I just think that would be really sick. It gets colder and colder in your house because there's a ghost. Yeah, it also breaks your smart devices. I don't know, just some ideas. Oh, man. My bonus, crazy prediction is that Cloud and Sephiroth will kiss. Specifically in Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth,

Starting point is 00:50:05 but I'm going to say all Final Fantasy 7, anything canonical, because I'm not sure if rebirth will actually come out this year. Right. But I like, the thing that makes that the most outlandish prediction is that it is predicting that FF7 rebirth will actually come out. That's the less likely part of that prediction. And my game for the bet is Super Metroid because I love you guys. And I just think we should play something fun. It's a good game. It's a good video. game. All right. I am up last. Okay. So, Maddie, do you want to do a quick recap of your predictions? Oh, yeah, yeah, sure. One, Princess Zelda will not be playable in Tears of the Kingdom. Two, Nintendo will announce a Zelda TV show. Three, Facebook and meta will make a significant pivot

Starting point is 00:50:47 due to the failure of meta to take off with anyone ever. Four, the Switch two will be announced and will be called the Super Nintendo Switch. Five, the use of AI art will become normalized in game development to the extent that at least three major AAA studios will use it in similar ways to high on life. Six, three major games this year will be ones that we could reasonably call mom games. Seven, Marvel Spider-Man 2 will nod at the Spider-Verse and include Spider-Gwen as a playable character. Eight, Sony or Nintendo or Valve will create a new cloud gaming competitor to X-Cloud.

Starting point is 00:51:19 Nine, Netflix will release an exclusive game for its mobile app that becomes extremely successful. 10, there will be a video game announced or even released involving a household smart tech item like the Samsung Smart Fridge, etc. Bonus outlandish prediction, Cloud and Sephiroth will kiss in Final Fantasy 7 rebirth or in Final Fantasy 7 canon. And my game's Super Metroid. Hell yeah.

Starting point is 00:51:43 When Square announces a Final Fantasy dating sim, you're going to be like, yeah. Yes. Why would that be canon? I feel like even if they did that, they'd be like, it's not canon. I'd be like, damn it. It can be a dream in canon. It can be a dream. Yeah, it can be a dream.

Starting point is 00:51:56 I just mean they're going to kiss. It happens in the game, yeah. Yeah. Cloud had a dream about kissing Sephiroth. Yeah, well, because if you dream about something of Sephiroth, it's also really happening because he can do that with like his weird mind powers. Okay, my turn. I am going to go over my predictions and the bonus in the game.

Starting point is 00:52:14 All right. Number one, at least three Final Fantasy games will come out, not counting ports. So right now there's Final Fantasy 16 is announced for June. And then Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth is announced for winner of next year. So I'm saying that those two will come out plus a third Final Fantasy game of some sort. So it could be one of the rumored things like the tactics remaster. This seems to be a, oh, so this could be a remaster. So it can be a remaster.

Starting point is 00:52:41 It does not count the pixel remasters, which are ports. Because those that already come out, Final Fantasy remaster would count. Final Fantasy 9 remake would count and another option that we don't know about would count. And then also Rebirth would have to make it. So that's a difficult prediction because Rebirth isn't going to come out. That's fine. Yeah, that could be January. Because you've got two different avenues of difficulty.

Starting point is 00:53:05 So three Final Fantasy games. Number two. So this one, well, all right, I'll read it and then we can discuss. Someone will put out a video game created largely by AI is what I wrote down, which is similar to what you guys had talked about, although I was thinking that like the game itself, like the design and the programming would also be like in part created by AI. So mine is a little bit, I guess, more. It's harder.

Starting point is 00:53:30 Right. I suppose. Yeah, it's a little harder than mine. So it's basically like if you get yours, I would also get mine. Yeah, but like yours is harder to get. Well, not necessarily. If the script, if the writing isn't by AI or there's no writing in the game. Yeah.

Starting point is 00:53:43 Okay. Yeah. That's true, I suppose. Oh, so you're saying. like the design is somehow done. Well, I'm saying it could be any part of it, but the concept is that like it's largely created by AI. So it's not like AI did a small part of this thing

Starting point is 00:53:58 that was mostly made by humans. Okay, okay. It's a slightly different version of our predictions. We each have ones that could come true independently. It's funny that we all have AI ones. And that they kind of work separate from one another. Yeah. Number three, Civilization 7 will be announced.

Starting point is 00:54:16 Oh. Civilization 7. Okay, is there like, can you add anything to that? And come out. Let's say and come out in the same year. Okay. And come out, sure. Yeah, that's never going to happen. I mean, you know. She said confidently.

Starting point is 00:54:29 It'll be announced and come out. Okay. Okay. Okay. Okay. It's been seven years since the last seven games. Yeah. That's why it needs something.

Starting point is 00:54:37 Yeah. It does seem like they're going to announce it at some point. Number four, Nintendo will announce and release a brand new 3D Mario game. so they will announce a 3D Mario game and release it the same year. Okay, sure. Yeah. Number five, Dragon Age 4 will not come out.

Starting point is 00:54:56 So this is a game that has been pecked for 20, 23. I don't think that game's ever going to come out. Yeah, that's a little easy. I feel like my gripe with it, just gut-level gripe with it, is that that seems like by far the most likely thing that will happen.

Starting point is 00:55:15 It won't come out. I'm supposed to it actually coming out? Yeah. That would be surprising. Well, because it doesn't, it doesn't even have a release date, does it? No, but there were reports that it was targeting. No, it's not going to come out.

Starting point is 00:55:29 Especially because they have no incentive to come out in this super crowded year. Yeah, hit us with a backup. Who even knows. Yeah. Okay. It's just going to be funny when it's like an announcement comes out and you guys are like, oh, well, we gave that one away. But that's always how this is.

Starting point is 00:55:42 Yeah, that's fine. I'm fine with that. number five EA will be acquired okay EA will be acquired that's my backup sure the reason this is much harder is because in this economic climate

Starting point is 00:55:58 they're going to be way fewer acquisitions than last year at this time it could happen but yeah it's unlikely I agree yeah it's gonna be it's a tough time yeah I mean it makes me think that my Amazon buying Roblox acquisition is like no I feel like that's good though but it but whatever Because it makes sense for Amazon and what they're doing right now.

Starting point is 00:56:15 And Amazon is one company that does have infinite CB money. Yes. They should do. It's, yeah, yeah, yeah. Okay, EA will be acquired. E.A. will be acquired. Number six. It's a thing that could certainly happen, but it could also not happen.

Starting point is 00:56:27 So that's a good prediction. Number six, Tony Soprano will come to multiverses. I love it. Yes, because you've been wanting that to happen since the game came out. I hope that happens. And he, like, eats a sub and then. He eats some gabagoole. and then calls in Polly Walnuts to punch the guy.

Starting point is 00:56:46 He doesn't actually fight. Yeah, he doesn't fight. No, he doesn't fight. No, he doesn't fighting in the show. Number seven, one of the major sports games, such as Madden, EA's new soccer franchise or NBA2K, etc., etc., will switch to a two-year cycle. So they will say, so this could either mean they skip this year or it could mean they say this year, we're releasing this game and then skipping next year.

Starting point is 00:57:06 So it doesn't have to mean they skip this year. It just means the two-year cycle has to be announced this year. That's the thing. It's not just that they don't. come out for a year. It's that they say we're moving to a two-year cycle. Okay, yeah. I mean, that could definitely happen, but it doesn't have to be a permanent thing. It could be like we're skipping next year to allow the franchise to develop more, whatever. It doesn't have to be like, we're permanently moving, because they wouldn't say it.

Starting point is 00:57:29 Oh, well, because they wouldn't say, it's the same as Maddie's prediction for this year. Yeah, they would say Madden is skipping next year. Yeah, yeah. Let's not screw ourselves the way I screwed myself. I get what you're saying. Right, right. Okay, number eight, PlayStation boss Jim Ryan. will either step down or be asked to resign. I almost predicted this. Yeah. I mean, I think this could definitely happen.

Starting point is 00:57:51 Like, it's a, but I almost predicted this. It's a good prediction and it might not. So who the hell knows what will happen in corporate boardrooms? How would we make this harder? Does it have to be because you're canceled? You don't have to make it harder. It's a tough prediction. It's already an up or down prediction that may or may not happen.

Starting point is 00:58:07 So I could totally see it happening. It's a good prediction because I was almost like, you know, instead of, Gabe, I almost predicted that. But anyways, yes, that's fine. Number nine, the Legend of Zelda will finally get Lego sets. Interesting. There are no Lego sets. People have wanted this for decades. Yeah, there's no Lego sets. And there's no Legend of Zelda Lego sets and people wanted them for years and years. Yeah. I'm kind of surprised. I didn't even realize that.

Starting point is 00:58:32 Yeah, well, it's number 10. Bungee will announce and release a new game. The end release is the thing that makes this work. So yeah, and this is not based on any inside information, since you are someone with many sources in Bungi. I mean, I know that Bungi is working on something else, and I know what it is, but I have no idea when they'll announce and release it. I mean, because it is a little, just that you have so much knowledge of the studio. It's not inside. Well, but the inside info has nothing to do with the timing. Okay.

Starting point is 00:59:03 I'll take your word for it. Yeah, I swear to God, I have no idea when it's planned for it, no idea what the release schedule is or anything like that. Or when they plan to announce it. I just know they're working on something else. Right, which is kind of common knowledge at this point, even though you know more about it than most people. Yeah, yeah, yeah. It's not like a secret.

Starting point is 00:59:19 Yeah, it's not a secret that they're doing. I think it's even been rumored that it's out there floating around. If you Google bungee, other game, you'll probably find it somewhere. Anyway, so that's the 10. Bonus, my wild prediction. This is a fun one. Get ready. Hogwarts Legacy will include some sort of subtle Easter egg that's an FU to J.K.

Starting point is 00:59:41 Rowing. So not just a pro-trans thing, but like an actual straight-up FU. This is too likely. To J.K. Rally. No, no, no, no. This is like a real. Yeah, because I think, I think a lot of people who are working on the game are angry with her. Yeah, and you think that it's going to make it into the game that she's, you're

Starting point is 00:59:57 saying subtle Easter egg. Yes, I do think so. But I don't even think maybe remove subtle. Like something that everyone interprets as like, wow, this game is saying like, fuck you, like, JK Rally. Like a character, like a character who like has transphobic views and is like, ostracized or something like straight up. Yeah, the thought that I have

Starting point is 01:00:15 though is like a broader thought and that's just that I'm already thinking of this along the lines of a regular prediction. When it should be like this should be like ridiculous. Like it should be like I don't even know. Like something completely beyond the realm of possibility. Hogwarts Legacy will hide a message somewhere in it that says fuck you, J.K.

Starting point is 01:00:35 Rowley. Specifically those words. Those words. People will find that hidden in Hogwarts It's like going somewhere. That's fine. That's more along the lines of what I'm talking about. But it counts of people like cracking in the code base and like find it in a comment or something like that.

Starting point is 01:00:49 But it has to be those words. Those words. Fuck you. Fuck you. We won't accept it. No, it's got to be vulgar. Fuck you. If it's,

Starting point is 01:00:58 if it's J. Relling is like a bigot. If it's like a bigot or something, that doesn't count. It has to be fuck you, J.K. Relling. Okay. Specifically that. Okay. And my game is The Witness.

Starting point is 01:01:09 Yeah. I'm excited. Brilliant puzzle game that I enjoy quite a bit. We played a little bit of us to play. I think that'd be really fun to talk about. All right, quick recap. Number one, at least three Final Fantasy games will come out, not counting ports. Two, someone will create a, put out a video game

Starting point is 01:01:26 created largely by AI. Three, Civ 7 will be announced to come out. Four, Nintendo will announce and release a brand new 3D Mario game. Five, EA will be acquired. Six, Tony Sabrano will come to multiverses. Seven, one of the major sports games, will switch to a two-year cycle. Eight, Jim Ryan will be fired or stepped down.

Starting point is 01:01:43 Nine, the Legend of Zelda will finally get Lego sets. Ten, Bungee will announce and release a new game. Bonus. Hogwarts Legacy will say, fuck you, J.K. Rowling. Great. Wonderful. All right. Great stuff.

Starting point is 01:02:00 What an adventure this has been. So to recap, we will be playing Perfect Dark 2010. And StarCraft 2, also from 2000. 10 at some point in the near future. Wow, 2010 vibes. 2010 vibes. And for now, why don't we take a break and then we'll come back with one more thing. My fellow graduates for 500 episodes, My Podcast, the JV Club with Janet Barney, has gathered story after story of all the scandalous things we've done throughout our childhoods. Stories like how Jamila Jamil survived a horrific house party and she was on crutches.

Starting point is 01:02:40 This is great. Or how how Lublin. learned a Shakespearean monologue in his pajamas. This is not the speech we approve. Without your love and life tragedies, there would be no podcast. In fact, I'll have an exclusive look at how Maggie Lawson's mom confronted her after a sneaky basement meetup with her crush. Spill the T.J.B. Security. Listen to the JV. Club with Janet Varney.

Starting point is 01:03:01 Thursdays on Maximum Fun! Class of Forever! Hey, that's Ben. And that's Adam. And together we host a show called Greatest Trek on Maximum Fun that covers. all of the new Star Trek shows, Lower Decks, Strange New Worlds, Picard, Prodigy, Discovery, and any other Star Trek show Paramount throws at us. Come check it out for our funny and formative recaps of all the new stuff

Starting point is 01:03:29 that Star Trek Industrial Complex churns out. It's in your podcatcher every Tuesday. Subscribe to Greatest Trek. It's a new Star Trek podcast from The Makers of the Greatest Generation. And we are back. Kirk, Maddie. It is time for one more thing. Take us away. Sure.

Starting point is 01:03:48 So I've been playing a video game on my Steam deck, and that video game is called Metroid Prime. And I'm so happy that I finally did this. I'm happy you did too. Really hadn't gotten that far down the track of putting emulated games on my Steam deck. But my retro game-loving co-worker Chris Grant DM'd me and was like, hey, did you know that you can do this? There's the whole article in the verge.com about precisely how to set it out.

Starting point is 01:04:20 And I've been doing this and it's really fun. And here are some instructions on how you can do it if you have the ISO file for Metroid Prime, which of course I have. You should note here, by the way, for all the NARCs out there that you own a copy of the name legitimately and therefore this is legal. I own Metroid Prime legitimately in multiple formats and copies on multiple discs. At this point, like we each own like five copies of it. I own multiple versions of every Metroid game. We'll soon own the Switch game whenever that comes out.

Starting point is 01:04:49 This version of Metroid, the original. I'm holding up a cart. Wow, yes. The original Metroid. Anyway, I own every version of Metroid many times over. So don't worry about that. They've gotten my money. And goodness knows, if Nintendo ever decides to put the Metroid Prime trilogy on the Switch,

Starting point is 01:05:04 I will buy it again. Oh, yeah. But they're taking their damn time. They are. And there is this emulation tool. called Prime Hack that has adapted the trilogy to be very easily emulatable. Again, if you have the ISO file, they're assuming you own it. And it's really great.

Starting point is 01:05:24 It's a really great version of the game. It sands off a lot of the weird edges. There were some weird issues with the crosshair being kind of annoying in the first game. And the adaptations use the Wemo. You had to point it at screen to aim. It was very difficult. You can do that with a mouse and keyboard. If you want to play it on PC, or in my case, you can just play it on the Steam Deck.

Starting point is 01:05:42 And I am almost done with Metroid Prime 1, which I did not expect to happen. I played a lot of it. And couldn't stop because I really love Metroid Prime. And I'm... You're just not going to... Are you going to play the new one even though you just played? Like if Nintendo and else is a new remanded... Of course, Matt.

Starting point is 01:05:59 Of course. You're talking to Maddie Myers. Of course I am. First of all, Metroid Prime isn't that long. And also, I've already like replayed it by accident because this is an old game and there's no save states. So I lost a couple hours of progress because I forgot to save and then I just played them again. And I was like, that's fine.

Starting point is 01:06:17 That's fine. I've done it all before. Love it. I'm having a great time. I really recommend doing this, especially if you're a listener who's never played prime before. They're kind of tricky to get a hold of. So I recommend this as a way. But please, buy the ISO.

Starting point is 01:06:31 I don't advocate not doing that. But yeah, it's really fun. Fun video games. It is a good game. Kirk, what's your one more thing? My one more thing is a YouTube documentary, or it is 90 minutes long and incredibly well produced. I watched this at the advice of a friend of the show, Justin McElroy, who just sent it to me and was like, this is some extremely Kirk Hamilton shit.

Starting point is 01:06:52 And I was like, okay, I'm going to watch this. And I'm so glad I did. It was incredible. So what it is is a defunct land documentary called Disney Channel's theme, a history mystery. And it was just an absolutely wonderful, fascinating autops. a see into the history of the Disney Channel theme from the mid-2000s, which I'm a little bit too old for that era of the Disney Channel. I never really watched the Disney Channel,

Starting point is 01:07:18 even when it was a TV channel, like when I was younger in the 90s. But in the 2000s, I was out of college. I mean, I was not watching Lizzie McGuire. So this wasn't really, you know, it wasn't really a thing that I was aware of. But it's this, there's this little stinger that played during all of the interstitial, like the teasers that come after, you know,

Starting point is 01:07:38 you're done watching. You're going to commercials, but there aren't commercials on the Disney Channel, so it's like you're going to all the additional stuff and the cross-promotion of other Disney things

Starting point is 01:07:46 and the cool little interstitials. And it's, you know, the people stand with the wand and they draw the Mickey Mouse ears? If you see it, you'll at least remember it because I never watched the Disney Channel and I remember it.

Starting point is 01:07:57 So during those sequences, it's always the actors from the shows, high school musical, and Lizzie McGuire, there's this stinger, and it's like, bum, bum, bum,

Starting point is 01:08:07 and it's just four notes. It's like a major key D-S-E, right? That sounds like, that sounds like Mighty, Mighty Bostons. The impression does. That's what everybody says, and that comes up in the documentary because it's the same notes as the beginning of the riff from the impression that I get by the Mighty, Money Bostens. But so what this becomes is the host of Defundland,

Starting point is 01:08:24 whose name is, I believe, Kevin Perjurer. Yeah. And hosts this. Is he a perjure? He uses a voice modulator on all of his content. Yes, and you never see his face. dot com spelled P-E-R-J, like his last name is his website. He's a very, I have also coincidentally been watching a lot of defunct land, so it's very

Starting point is 01:08:44 weird to me that Kirk is talking about defunct land this week. Well, this is my first interaction with defunct land. Does he perjure himself in all his documentaries? He does not, at least not in this one. No, but he does kind of make fun of his name in the sense that the purge.com is his website. Yes, yes. Yeah, he's a very, he's a very detail-oriented YouTuber. Yes.

Starting point is 01:09:04 is perhaps a good way to describe his content. And defunct land is generally about like defunct amusement parks and amusement park attractions. Is that right? Okay. And defunct land is the name of the fictional amusement park that he imagines he will put every defunct ride that he has been documenting on his YouTube channel. I see. Okay. So it's, yeah, it's definitely like the work of a sort of obsessive historian slash investigator.

Starting point is 01:09:28 And that's the narrative of this, this 90-minute story, which I will not spoil because it is spoilable. and also just fabulous. I mean, it's like a great story about art and about practical art, about the musicians and artists who make things like the interstitial sequences that played in 90s and 2000s-era Disney Channel content, which is like, you know, all these amazingly talented people were just cranking out this stuff for Disney kind of anonymously under the ages of like some big, you know, production house that's like a third party outside house that gets tired, which like I know people who work for those houses and have always been fascinated in that

Starting point is 01:10:04 kind of work, like LA's session work and stuff. This gets into that, but it's also just, it's a history of the Disney Channel, which I didn't really know and was fascinating. And then it just winds up being a personal story about the different people who work together at this time period. He tracks down like everyone and talks to them. It's also just really well produced and funny. I can't recommend it enough. It's a great way to spend 90 minutes. And I'm so impressed. It's a little overwhelming that stuff of this quality just exists on YouTube. I mean, I mean, that's where we're at these days with independent creators. I mean, he has a Patreon, and he has been doing it for years.

Starting point is 01:10:36 But I really recommend his channel. It's very good. Very well done. Yeah, like, he's on Patreon. He's making money off of this and doing well. But it's still like the fact that this is, I mean, there's a team of people that worked on it. It's not just one person.

Starting point is 01:10:47 But it still is on the level of a documentary you'd see, you know, wherever. Like, it's really impressively done. And just seeing it, having not even heard of it until a friend of mine just sent it and was like, watch this. And then it just makes me realize. I was like, God, there's probably like 30 things like that that came out this year that I haven't watched, which is a little overwhelming. But anyways, it's really good. I wanted to recommend it to anyone out there who thinks that sounds interesting.

Starting point is 01:11:09 And so that's Defunct Land's Disney Channel's theme, a history mystery. And we'll link it in show notes. Awesome. Cool. All right. My one more thing real quick is a book called The Man Who Died Twice by Richard Osmond. This is the sequel to the Thursday Murder Club. I have read this book as well.

Starting point is 01:11:24 I talked about last year. I just started reading this. I've made kind of a New Year's resolution to myself to read more books this year because after a book filled 2021, I read like very an embarrassingly low number of books in 2022. Yeah, I'm with you on that. Why? Did anything change about your life in that year? Well, not that I know of. Maddie, you know what the answer to that is?

Starting point is 01:11:49 You probably think the answer to that is that I had a new child. It is not. The answer to that is that the steam deck came out. I was going to say. That's a totally fair, real answer that I completely understand. I do play Steam Deck instead of reading. All of my reading time is in bed before bed. It's in visual novels and JRP.

Starting point is 01:12:10 We're still reading. It's been switching Steam Deck games. So instead I made a resolution to myself to be like, no, I'm going to read more books this year, which I'm usually an avid reader, so this won't be a problem. Anyway, this book is a sequel to the Thursday Murder Club. There's a third book also that just came out. He's cranking these out.

Starting point is 01:12:28 Thursday Murder Club was this awesome book about this group of octogenarians who solve mysteries for fun. They go through the newspaper and find cold cases and stuff. And then, of course, they wind up. Some of them are septuagenarians. That's true. And then they wind up in a real life murder mystery. And this book, of course, is the same thing. This one spends a lot of time.

Starting point is 01:12:48 I haven't finished it. I'm about halfway through. This one spends a lot of time focusing on one of the four main characters, Elizabeth, who is a former MI5 agent and is now this just badass 80 year old super spy lady who is just the best character and so this this book explores her past a little bit more and dives into some really cool mystery stuff and very extremely enjoyable it's just a really good series for a couple of reasons one because the characters are so good and so unexpected and so charming and and full of warmth and heart and character.

Starting point is 01:13:22 But two, because it's very good at just like setting up schemes. And I love a good scheme book. Love a good book about Rube Goldberg type effects. And just read through this part where the main cast is working together to take revenge on someone for doing something bad. And they concoct a fun little scheme. So yeah, I'm just really enjoying it. Once again, The Man Who Died Twice by Richard Osmond.

Starting point is 01:13:45 But don't read that until you've read the first book. Go out and read The Thursday Murder Club. And then you can get to this one. And then I'm sure I'll be talking about the third one in a few months once they get through that. So really enjoying that book. I know we've gone long and I won't spoil anything. But just because I finished this book and absolutely loved it. My thoughts on it just very briefly are that, yeah, it's a direct sequel in a way I thought it was interesting.

Starting point is 01:14:05 Like it really takes the events of the first book and builds on them since Joyce was new to the group in the first book. And now she's like an established part of the group. And her dynamic with Elizabeth is incredible. Joyce and Elizabeth are the best pairing. And I think it's very smart that it goes more into Elizabeth's backstory since she's the character that her backstory lends itself most to this kind of thing. And then it allows him to do over and over again this very English but very fun thing of the normal,

Starting point is 01:14:31 the like normal competency of good English folk up against the like conniving, you know, spies and liars and all the people from Elizabeth's backstory and like seeing those two things bounce together is very fun. And honestly, in the end, I thought that it was stronger than the first book. Like the mystery, which you will see, and I will say nothing else about, is really, really good. And it continues, I think actually the unsunger, the strongest thing about this series is the compassion and interest that it has in the lives and inner thoughts of elderly people, which I just think is, it's really beautiful over and over and over again.

Starting point is 01:15:04 The way that it just, mortality is always there, not in a, not in a, like, morose bummer way, but just in a way that really treat, it's like, you know, he's not an elderly man, Richard Osmond, but, but I think he just, he puts you in that mind space in a way. that's so cool for me, especially as someone whose parents are like in their 70s and getting pretty old. And, you know, I think about that kind of thing more and more. And I really get a lot out of that. Like, I think it's a beautiful thing about these books that is sort of on a different level than all the fun whodunitness. Anyways, we're over. I could talk about this book forever. I'm excited for you to finish.

Starting point is 01:15:36 And I want to know what you think when you finish. Agreed. Yes, I'll text you when I finished. All right. Cool. That is it for this week's episode. Once again, we'll be playing StarCraft 2. Perfect Dark.

Starting point is 01:15:45 Very excited to dive into both of those. 2010, here we can. Yeah, let's start. Now we start. Yeah, 2010. Happy 2010 guys. Excited for a new year. 2010.

Starting point is 01:15:56 Extended for 2010 predictions. The 2010s are going to be great, you guys. Nothing's going to go wrong. It's going to be awesome. We're going to be on Twitter having fun. It's going to be great. Nothing's going to happen in 2020. Taking this new job writing about video games.

Starting point is 01:16:13 2016, going to be a great year. First female president? Nothing will happen bad at all. It'll see me the best. All right, guys. We'll see you next week. Bye. Bye.

Starting point is 01:16:25 Triple Click is produced by Jason Schreier, Maddie Myers, and me, Kirk Hamilton. I edit and mix the show and also wrote our theme music. Our show art is by Tom DJ. Some of the games and products we talked about on this episode may have been sent to us for free for review consideration. You can find a link to our ethics policy in the show notes. Triple Click is a proud member of the Maximum Fun Podcast Network. And if you like our show, we hope you'll consider supporting us by becoming a member at maximum fun.org

Starting point is 01:16:50 slash join. Find us on Twitter at triple click pod, send email the triple click at maximum fun.org and find a link to our discord in the show notes. Thanks for listening. See you next time. Maximum fun.org. Comedy and culture.

Starting point is 01:17:27 Artist owned. Audience, audience supported.

Triple Click - Our Predictions For 2023

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