The Halo Studios layoff story just got a lot more interesting. Some coverage is pushing the explanation that the recent job losses were simply “external contractor shifts,” but the information I've found appears to complicate that narrative. I go through the receipts, the people affected, how long some worked on Halo, and why the attempt to dismiss this as ordinary contractor turnover deserves much closer scrutiny. Sources: - https://steamdb.info/app/2806050/charts/#1w - https://steamdb.info/app/976730/charts/#3m - https://x.com/HankFett/status/2085830155361018045 - https://x.com/SmashJT/status/2085053934415249535 - https://x.com/deantak/status/2085501755077636312 - https://x.com/deantak - https://gamesbeat.com/contractors-lose-jobs-but-xbox-says-no-layoffs-of-staff-at-halo-studios/ - https://x.com/SmashJT/status/2085771292746334303 - https://x.com/AI_EmeraldApple/status/2085747593129410757 - https://www.vice.com/en/article/call-of-duty-black-ops-ports-outsold-halo-ps5-sales/

Marathon's death spiral continues. After three straight days of sub-5K Steam peaks, Cryo Archive finally pushed Thursday to 5,286, still down from 5,667 last week and 86,718 at its March Thursday peak. Destiny 2 has now beaten Marathon for 61 straight days. Plus, I react to Paul Tassi's latest video... assuming I can stay awake. UNBLOCK ME PAUL! Sources: - https://steamdb.info/app/3065800/charts/#max - https://steamdb.info/app/1085660/charts/ - https://x.com/PolishTamales/status/2085896404304798185 - https://www.reddit.com/r/Marathon/comments/1vi5jbh/new_music_confirmed_for_season_3/ - https://www.reddit.com/r/MarathonHate/comments/1vgyviy/theyre_officially_broken/ - https://x.com/CoolRunnerCraig/status/2085433838746960287 - https://x.com/PolishTamales/status/2085776110978306219 - https://x.com/Grummz/status/1925533166493958498 - https://x.com/PolishTamales/status/2053885505868365836 - https://x.com/trulyyblu/status/2085790860512264430 - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q32sIgljy1s Thumbnail by @NobodyHasSpoken

The Jason Schreier fallout keeps getting worse. Now critics are digging back through years of controversial reporting, disputed stories, attacks on developers, and accusations of ideological bias throughout his gaming coverage. I go through the receipts, revisit some of Schreier's biggest controversies, and examining his past suddenly relevant all over again. Sources: - https://x.com/Pirat_Nation/status/2085108937188106708 - https://x.com/Sudsy0082/status/2085374581049536811 - https://x.com/Marakath/status/2085094979026727092 - https://x.com/Grummz/status/2085050133671235665 - https://x.com/jasonschreier - https://x.com/AftermathZGame/status/2085050330442526821 - https://x.com/madcap412/status/2084792125875798414 - https://x.com/Grummz/status/2084659376166776903 - https://x.com/RamblingsNerd2/status/2085387539591115030 - https://x.com/Mangalawyer/status/2084715075529736589 - https://x.com/AI_EmeraldApple/status/2084678753872167144 - https://x.com/EndymionYT/status/2038671728197709930

Halo: Campaign Evolved has been met with mediocre reviews, weak Steam numbers, disappointing player scores, reported low sales, backlash, and now layoffs at Halo Studios. If reports of Halo 2 and Halo 3 remakes are true, something has to change. I break down the disastrous launch and why Halo Studios leadership needs to rethink the future of one of gaming's greatest franchises. Sources: - https://steamdb.info/app/2806050/charts/#max - https://x.com/Art3misEntr3ri/status/2085398022347690250 - https://x.com/SmashJT/status/2085053934415249535 - https://x.com/deantak/status/2085501755077636312 - https://x.com/DunkinDonalds_/status/2085352093418668266 - https://x.com/SmashJT/status/2085417290837938506 - https://x.com/_Hero_Hei_/status/2085408906956976559 - https://x.com/madcap412/status/2085466491294454213 - https://x.com/YourPalRags/status/2085408856218206363 - https://x.com/EndymionYT/status/2085423508604281202 SUB to Doctor Disaster: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VjKDxaFkQpA

GTA VI: An Extended Look is premiering on Netflix August 27, and apparently putting a video game preview on YouTube like everyone else isn't good enough anymore. I react to Rockstar's bizarre Netflix announcement, the ridiculous level of GTA 6 hype, and ask the obvious question: how much did Netflix pay for this? Sources: - https://x.com/SmashJT/status/2085387298280268154 - https://www.netflix.com/title/83035795 - https://x.com/RockstarGames/status/2085335483685507211 - https://x.com/Grummz/status/2085388837749190889 - https://x.com/khaliltooshort/status/2085410807744221266 - https://x.com/SrcasticGamer/status/2085389265513411021 - https://x.com/SVegvari/status/2085393522660720918 - https://x.com/ALegendaryDrops/status/2085391441824539116 - https://x.com/_Tom_Henderson_/status/2085348545876374002 - https://x.com/Pirat_Nation/status/2081728842893283403 - https://x.com/Genki_JPN/status/2081782774600769567 - https://x.com/PhysicReleases/status/2081739740114518500

Mission Unprofitable. Marathon peaked at just 4,884 concurrent Steam players Tuesday, down from 6,273 last week and 66,593 at its March Tuesday peak. Destiny 2 has now beaten Marathon for 59 straight days while the Destiny 3 petition passes 407K. I cover the latest numbers, community frustration, Bungie's struggles, and the growing disconnect between Sony's messaging and the public data. Sources: - https://steamdb.info/app/3065800/charts/ - https://steamdb.info/app/1085660/charts/ - https://x.com/PolishTamales/status/2085557799787094094 - https://x.com/SmashJT/status/2042355840557203705 - https://x.com/PolishTamales/status/2085554906870759891 - https://x.com/MarathonDevTeam/status/2085406823428108651 - https://x.com/PolishTamales/status/2085358557697028557 - https://x.com/LordCharizard33/status/2085340080453902805 - https://x.com/DivideGaming21/status/2085290519538663699 - https://x.com/Shrevident91/status/2084734946498027695 - https://x.com/JayViperTV/status/2084801574707085741

Jason Schreier is back defending his reporting on Activision Blizzard with a new video claiming to set the record straight. I react to his arguments, examine the evidence he presents, revisit the Blizzard controversy, and discuss why many critics believe his latest defense raises more questions than it answers. Jason really wants to Belive All Women... NO MATTER WHAT. Sources: - https://x.com/Pirat_Nation/status/2085112207742812570 - https://x.com/bumbadum14/status/2085119276323639523 - https://x.com/SmashJT/status/2085048703937917008 - https://youtu.be/tzdkrgt6uiM?si=efZDVgAgWtwvQNH3 - https://x.com/Garaa0fTheRage/status/2085185238171623700 - https://x.com/Grummz/status/2085036382460985759 - https://x.com/Cryptmommy1/status/2084844167935500401 - https://x.com/Grummz/status/2085008270897684962 - https://x.com/Grummz/status/2085026372607701037 Thumbnail by @NobodyHasSpoken

Halo Studios has reportedly begun laying off employees following the troubled launch of Halo: Campaign Evolved. I cover the behind-the-scenes development issues, disappointing player numbers, LinkedIn posts of affected employees, and why this is only the beginning. This may be the END of Halo Studios. Sources: - https://steamdb.info/app/2806050/charts/ - https://steamdb.info/app/976730/charts/ - https://x.com/SmashJT/status/2085051806489673943 - https://x.com/SmashJT/status/2085053934415249535 - https://x.com/DAKKADAKKA1/status/2085123105622483377 - https://x.com/user45blank/status/2085072156442914890 - https://x.com/SmashJT/status/2085058253965434987 - https://x.com/AI_EmeraldApple/status/2085074943658930226 - https://www.linkedin.com/feed/update/urn:li:activity:7490546971913498624/ - https://www.smashjt.com/post/halo-dev-can-t-tell-the-difference-between-real-life-video-games - https://x.com/RealJohnRose/status/2085037035832631442 - https://x.com/Mr_Rebs_/status/2084794813069598865