💰 The $55 Billion Question: Are Games Geopolitical Assets Now?
This week on UNBOXING, Laine and Joost unpack the Saudi-backed $55 billion buyout of Electronic Arts, breaking down why the math ain’t mathing on this...
👥 “Pod Friends” with Colleen Macklin
This week on UNBOXING, Laine and Joost touch on Trump’s proposed $100,000 H-1B visa fee and what it means for the game industry—–read a more in depth take on...
📊 Back to School Pt. 2: What Our Students Are Playing
This week on UNBOXING, Laine and Joost dive into the results of their student gameplay survey to see what the next generation of players is really up to....
🎮 Zigging with Nintendo & Scrambling with Roblox
This week on UNBOXING, Laine and Joost discuss Nintendo’s uncanny ability to thrive––from the Switch 2’s record-breaking launch to the company’s long legacy...
📚 Back to School Pt. 1: Teaching Games in 2025
In this back-to-school episode of UNBOXING, Laine and Joost share what actually made the cut for their fall syllabi, comparing notes on pedagogical tweaks...
🍂 A 2-Week Hiatus for Unboxing!
UNBOXING is on hiatus for the next two weeks while we get those fall syllabi in order and soak up the last rays of summer. But don’t worry—we’ll be back the...
UNBOXING Brings You: More Game Gains and Platform Pains!
This week on UNBOXING, Laine and Joost dig into fresh earnings reports from EA, Take-Two, and Krafton, plus updates from Sony, Microsoft, and Capcom. Then,...
Roblox's Gains, Epic’s Courtroom Victory, and a Union Milestone
This week on UNBOXING, your co-hosts chat about Roblox’s quarterly earnings report. Then Laine and Joost unpack and decode what the major appellate court...
UNBOXING’s Censorship Gone Wild Week!
This week on UNBOXING, Laine and Joost break down the recent wave of game removals from Steam and Itch.io and offer some insight into what triggered it....
Do All Games Go to Heaven? Platforms, Power, and Preservation
UPDATE: UNBOXING is coming to you… well… pre-recorded but hey, we’re on video now! Watch this week’s episode on our YouTube channel! This week, Laine and...
UNBOXING Goes Professor Mode With Mid-Summer Syllabi Exchange
This week on UNBOXING, Laine and Joost dive deep into the academia side of things, giving listeners a rare behind-the-scenes look at how they design and...
Charts, Cuts, and Change: Layoffs at Microsoft and the ESA’s Annual Report
This week on UNBOXING, Laine and Joost tackle two major industry headlines. First up: the latest round of layoffs at Microsoft’s gaming division. They break...
Union Wins, Summer Heat, and the Reorganization of Embracer
This week on UNBOXING, Laine and Joost kick things off with the progressive shake-up in NYC politics; they celebrate Zohran Mamdani’s victory in the...
Summer Game Mess and GameStop's Pokémon Pivot
It’s showcase season—but instead of excitement, Laine and Joost are left asking: who is any of this for? This week in UNBOXING, your two favorite co-hosts...
We’re Back, Baby––And It’s For Real This Time
June 13, 2025 After a much-needed (and much-longer-than-expected) hiatus, Laine and Joost return to kick off this season of UNBOXING with a new episode. What...
It's Been Awhile! We Missed You. Have an Episode.
We heard that absence makes the heart grow fonder...
Building the Creator Economy Part 2: Minecraft
Another Unboxing exclusive. We interview Minecraft's Kayla Kinnunen on Mojang's vision on user-generated content. Plus, why The Game Awards can't win
Team UNBOXING's live reaction to the GTA6 trailer
The worst of Florida as a canvas for the best in gaming
OpenAI's CEO musical chairs
Emmett Shear's short-lived stint. And PC Gamer's history issue causes Twitter fury over sexism, but did critics get it right?
The political economy of games journalism: Interview with David Nieborg
Plus Roblox earnings, Amazon layoffs, and DouYu's CEO disappearance
FaZe falls short, Bungie bungles layoffs, and Netflix can't convert
And a hearty welcome to AFTERMATH, the new worker-owned games journalism outlet
Building the creator economy, part 1: Roblox
Another Unboxing exclusive. We interview Roblox's VP of Economy, Enrico D'Angelo, on where one of the most popular games for kids is headed next. Plus, our view on the ABK/MSFT saga coming to a close.
Riccitiello retires from Unity and Polish devs unite
What's next for engine maker Unity post-Riccitiello, Poland gets its first game union, and fossil fuels are fun in Fortnite says Big Oil
Epic layoffs, EA's FIFA fallout, and the future of gaming haptics
Exploring Epic's extensive layoffs, EA's triumph over FIFA following their split, and the frontier of haptics tech with insights from expert David Parisi.
Video game actors vote to strike, Unity's walk-back, and the Xbox data leak
It's a week of gaming shakeups--SAG-AFTRA performers vote to authorize a strike, Unity rolls back its revenue plans, and there were some glaring discrepancies in last week's leaked Xbox documents.
Worst games industry decision of 2023
Unity's reasons and repercussions in pursuit of revenue
Roblox's child gambling lawsuit. Starfield lights Xbox's plans. And, boy, do our students love the Switch
Starfield may not be the Game Pass' killer app, but it could still hold the key to Xbox's future
Gamescom 2023 kick off. Microsoft's second run at ATVI. And VC's role in gaming.
Laine is OOO, leaving Joost in charge. Woo boy.
Asia gaming declines. Embracer loses sugar daddy. Nicki Minaj dolls up for CoD
Laine stayed up past their bedtime, but Joost gets a third wind from his wilderness wonderland detox
Investors drop Roblox. Take-Two revs the GTA6 money motor. Kai Cenat owes New York a check
Wall Street likes to play games but not with its money. And fame does not make you smart, apparently.
Blizzard's billion dollar quarter. Gang gang, data so good. And a teardown of the industry essential facts
Earning season has begun. WTF is NPC streaming. And can industry research be any cheaper?
Overwatch League faces elimination. Microsoft starts overtime. And the plea for game preservation
Microsoft escapes the wrath of Kahn and extends the deal deadline. The OWL hangs in the balance. And we explore a future for protecting gaming's past. [s03e03]
FTC licks its wounds. Google embraces blockchain gaming
What the regulator's loss means for competition in the games industry, and an early read of Google embracing digital currency. [s03e02]
Season 3 begins! Sega's past gets exposed. Niantic cuts staff
The Sega data dump explained. Niantic layoffs are a mixed reality. And a preview of the coming summer semester. [s03e01]
School's out, UNBOXING is back!
Season 3 of the best podcast on games begins, new and improved
Required Reading: Books by the Hosts
The Apple II Age: How the Computer Became Personal An engrossing origin story for the personal computer—showing how the Apple II’s software helped a machine...