A light smoke is emitting from sunny Santa Monica, but is there cause for concern? Sony's crown jewel studio Naughty Dog has recently let some contractors go, and -- worse yet, if reporting is to be believed -- its long-awaited Factions spin-off has been shelved, with an exiting bigwig and an unknown future. When combined with SEGA's cancellation of Creative Assembly's Hyenas, which was apparently the publisher's most expensive project ever, we simply have to ask: Do games-as-a-service have the bright and airy future once widely-assumed? Or is there a significant deficit of collective attention, time, money, and inclination necessary to support the long-tail of all of these games? Maybe Jim Ryan made the wrong bet, after all. Plus: Spider-Man 2 is the perfect length, GT Sport is going offline, KOTOR's PS5 remake enters a new and even more mysterious phase, Bungie's virtue signaling backfires, and more. Then: Listener inquiries! Will Assassin's Creed: Mirage satiate the old-school AC fanbase? How do we feel about the proper pronunciation of Final Fantasy VII's Cait Sith? If your girlfriend is jealous of your in-game relationships, is that a red flag? Has Colin's psychosis grown to such a degree that it rarely surprises his co-hosts anymore? Breakup habits with FUM. Save 10% at https://www.tryfum.com and use code Sacred Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices