The Level Up Times Show - Episode #006 - Cautiously Moving Forward

Cautiously Moving Forward: EA has been sold for US$55 billion and the hammer falls on the biggest leveraged buyout in corporate history, with the Saudi sovereign wealth fund now owning 93% of one of gaming's biggest publishers.

In Episode 006 of the Level Up Times Show, Adrian breaks down the EA deal in full: the $210-a-share payout, the $36 billion in equity, and the $20 billion of debt that now sits squarely on EA itself. What does a publisher with that much debt even greenlight? And what happens to disclosure when the investor relations site simply disappears overnight?

Plus, Sony's CFO Lin Tao finally responds to the physical disc backlash to investors (not to players!), while a petition asking Sony to stop their plans nears 360,000 signatures.

Xbox console prices rise sharply in Australia, with the Series X disc model now over AU$1,000. The disc-to-digital project keeps advancing, and leaked documents point to Xbox 360 games running on Project Helix.

And the fallout from the Xbox reset continues with Double Fine laying off 23 staff just weeks after "winning" its independence from Xbox, with Tim Schafer putting his name to the statement.

On the lighter side, Wizards of the Coast brings Universes Beyond to Dungeons & Dragons with a full World of Warcraft expansion, plus Dark Sun, Greyhawk, a Star Wars set in 2027, and a gameplay reveal for Warlock at Gamescom.

What have we been playing? Halo: Campaign Evolved: is it a a well-executed dud? And Mistfall Hunter, an extraction ARPG with a great combat loop and a US$1,000 cosmetic.

What's out this week? Beast of Reincarnation, Big Walk, Gunstoppable, Marvel Tokon: Fighting Souls, and Final Fantasy XIV, and Lies of P: Complete Edition hit the Switch.

Got questions? Send them through to us at [email protected]!

Check out our full Show Notes over here: https://leveluptimes.com/shows/the-level-up-times-show/the-level-up-times-show-episode-006-cautiously-moving-forward

Like the show? Check us out at https://www.leveluptimes.com!\

Markers:

[00:00] Intro and Welcome
[00:42] News: EA Sold: The Biggest Leveraged Buyout in History Closes
[01:44] EA's Investor Relations Site Vanished Overnight
[03:04] Battlefield 6 Broke Records — Then Came the Layoffs
[04:35] Who Owns EA Now: PIF, Silver Lake & Kushner
[07:00] No More Earnings Calls: The Case For and Against Going Private
[07:42] Sportswashing, Gamewashing & the Long-Term View
[10:35] News: Sony's CFO Responds to the Disc Backlash — To Investors
[13:34] News: Xbox Console Prices Rise in Australia
[15:48] News: Disc-to-Digital: Project Positron Keeps Moving
[19:46] News: PS6, Project Helix & the $1,500 Console Question
[22:30] News: Double Fine Lays Off 23 Staff After Going Independent
[25:55] News: D&D x World of Warcraft: Universes Beyond Comes to the Tabletop
[30:38] Dark Sun, Greyhawk, Star Wars & the D&D Icons Line
[32:06] Warlock Gets a Gameplay Reveal at Gamescom
[33:07] Does Universes Beyond Erode D&D's Identity?
[35:46] The Drop: This Week's New Releases
[36:12] The Drop: Beast of Reincarnation
[37:40] The Drop: Big Walk
[38:58] The Drop: Gunstoppable
[40:29] The Drop: Marvel Tōkon: Fighting Souls
[43:15] The Drop: Final Fantasy XIV on Switch 2 (and That Second Subscription)
[44:22] The Drop: Lies of P: Complete Edition
[45:07] What We're Playing: Halo: Campaign Evolved
[51:12] What We're Playing: Mistfall Hunter and Its $1,000 Skin
[57:14] This Week on Level Up Times