Archive • The UNBOXING Podcast • Buttondown

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

December 14, 2023

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

December 6, 2023

The worst of Florida as a canvas for the best in gaming

OpenAI's CEO musical chairs

November 26, 2023

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

November 15, 2023

Plus Roblox earnings, Amazon layoffs, and DouYu's CEO disappearance

FaZe falls short, Bungie bungles layoffs, and Netflix can't convert

November 8, 2023

And a hearty welcome to AFTERMATH, the new worker-owned games journalism outlet

Building the creator economy, part 1: Roblox

October 18, 2023

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

October 11, 2023

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

October 4, 2023

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

September 27, 2023

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

September 20, 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

September 14, 2023

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.

August 25, 2023

Laine is OOO, leaving Joost in charge. Woo boy.

Asia gaming declines. Embracer loses sugar daddy. Nicki Minaj dolls up for CoD

August 18, 2023

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

August 11, 2023

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...