Nine years after its initial release, "Stardew Valley" has dethroned "Portal 2" as the highest-rated game on Steam. We discuss this huge achievement and the business of providing long-term value to players in a world of short-term thinking.

But it's impossible to kick off the pod without discussing Microsoft's latest round of layoffs, with 9,000 people out of the job, many in the Xbox division. This has led to the cancelation of many promising games. The looming specter of AI certainly plays a role here.

And speaking of people losing their jobs, the leaders of "Subnautica's" studio Unknown Worlds were recently told to kick rocks by their parent company Krafton, right before the release of one of the most-wishlisted video games of all time: "Subnautica 2." The community is livid, and new revelations hint at some unsavory details.

And Colette shares an update on her progress in "Expedition 33."

https://www.theverge.com/news/697125/microsoft-xbox-layoffs-2025

https://www.dexerto.com/stardew-valley/stardew-valley-dethrones-valve-classic-as-steams-top-rated-game-3224023/

https://www.wired.com/story/video-games-voice-actors-strike-over-artificial-intelligence/

https://gamerant.com/subnautica-2-founder-statement/

https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2025-07-09/krafton-delays-subnautica-2-game-ahead-of-250-million-payout

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