#73: Try, Try Again

Did you know that -- in the United States -- Anthem is the eighth best-selling game of the year? This little factoid tells us a whole lot. It indicates that our instincts as enthusiasts don't always speak for the wider market. It suggests a void in our understanding of meaningful metrics in the world of games-as-a-service. And it confirms perhaps the most unfortunate fact of all, at least for EA and BioWare: Lots of people paid good money to play their game, and few people cared to stick around. Yet, in a bold move, the publisher-developer combo are secretly planning to revive their beleaguered shooter with a slate of reported updates, tweaks, and overhauls, begging the question: Is such a move wise? We discuss. Then: DualShock 5's patents suddenly appear from out of Japan, it looks like Dreams may be hitting retail sooner than we thought possible, Microsoft's X019 event serendipitously reveals new PS4 games, and Deep Silver reaches out to the hardcore. Plus: Listener questions, comments, concerns, thoughts, and ideas! Could Sony engineer a PS4 buyback program to help sell PS5? Is Remedy running damage control over Control's sluggish sales? Does Shenmue III stand a chance? If vegans hate meat so much, how come they're so eager for food that tastes like meat? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices