Lotus, Niki, and John recovered from Summer Game Fest 2026 and reconvened (in home studios, not John’s car) to discuss an extremely busy news week, including Xbox preparing major layoffs, Nintendo Direct revealing the Ocarina of Time remake, and more information dropping about Pokemon Go and its role in data gathering for defense purposes.
00:00:00 Intro & how waffle fries are made
Go to nogamesforgenocide.com to learn more about the BDS movement and Microsoft’s continued role in the ongoing atrocities in Gaza.
00:08:20 Asha Sharma writes memo to Xbox staff; heavy layoffs reported
00:25:00 Xbox console exclusives are returning
00:37:30 Lotus’ 50 most anticipated indies from the week’s showcases
00:40:10 Nintendo Direct reveals Ocarina of Time remake; is Nintendo bored?
00:47:10 Kingdom Hearts IV is here and looks like it looks
00:49:00 Final Fantasy Resonance strips the gacha out of mobile game inspiration
00:52:00 God of War Laufey creates an interesting branch for the series
00:55:37 How do waffle fries work? (part 2)
00:56:38 RGG wants to explore what Tupac’s life could’ve been in Stranger Than Heaven
01:01:17 PlayerUnknown facing layoffs
01:03:56 RPG Maker forums shuttering and migrating
01:11:20 Team17 eliminating marketing department
01:13:24 Crazy Taxi reboot working with generative AI art flow
01:16:45 GOG sends out email with Nazi symbols in subject line
01:25:06 Ubisoft shutting down two studios
01:28:05 Pokemon Go likely being used to collect data for defense contracts
01:31:15 Blood Dungeon is Vampire Survivors in platformer mode
01:35:10 Onimusha: Way of the Sword is perfectly competent action combat from Capcom
01:40:18 John (almost) corrects the record on last week’s Code Veronica misadventure
01:43:55 NBA The Run is a shallow facsimile of better arcade basketball games
01:46:20 Niki opens a Magic: The Gathering Marvel Super Heroes pack
01:50:45 Lotus went to Distant Worlds (the Final Fantasy concert) and did not have a great time
02:19:25 We answer your burning Hive Questions
02:44:06 Outro
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VGBees is a weekly games media podcast hosted by Niki, John, and Lotus.
