Will Smith (of game development and Fortnite-streaming fame) joins us this week to unpack the mass Xbox/Activision/Blizzard layoffs and the general state of the games business, plus Tekken 8, more with Prince of Persia and Like a Dragon: Infinite Wealth, the secret language of grade schoolers, Taylor Swift's nation-state status, and more. Advertise on The Nextlander Podcast at Audioboom, or support us on Patreon! CHAPTERS (00:00:00) NOTE: Some timecodes may be inaccurate for versions other than the ad-free Patreon version due to dynamic ad insertions. Please use caution if skipping around to avoid spoilers. Thanks for listening. (00:00:10) Intro (00:00:56) Welcome Will Smith to the show! (00:03:09) What is Taylor's Version? (00:13:37) Tekken 8 [PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S] on Jan 26, 2024 (00:34:33) Fortnite and Lego Fortnite (00:39:43) Tunic [Xbox Series X|S, PC (Microsoft Windows), Mac, Xbox One] on Mar 16, 2022 (00:44:07) Rounds [PC (Microsoft Windows)] on Apr 01, 2021 (00:48:20) Palworld [PC (Microsoft Windows), Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S] on Jan 19, 2024 (00:59:37) Sea of Stars [Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S] on Aug 29, 2023 (01:02:49) Like a Dragon: Infinite Wealth [PC (Microsoft Windows), PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S] on Jan 26, 2024 (01:07:05) [SPOILERS] Prince of Persia: The Lost Crown [PC (Microsoft Windows), Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5] on Jan 18, 2024 (01:25:18) The state of video games (01:25:50) Microsoft layoffs and cancellations (02:05:50) Is the end near for physical releases? (02:12:02) Eidos layoffs and cancellations (02:12:50) Sega also has layoffs (02:17:54) Suicide Squad giving in-game currency to early access players (02:25:26) Switch 2 updates (02:39:37) Emails (02:43:27) Wrapping up and thanks (02:44:24) Mysterious Benefactor Shoutouts (02:46:04) Thanks Will Smith! (02:47:37) See ya!