Ubisoft’s BIG Shakeup plus Google’s LOCKING DOWN Android development | OTC EP 23

Find this episode’s show notes, subscribe to our RSS feed, and engage on the Fediverse at: https://podcast.subscribeto.me/@OffTheConsoleShow/episodes/ubisofts-big-shakeup-plus-googles-locking-down-android-development

Join @Th3Brink, @HiTechLoLife and @GardinerBryant as we discuss this week’s hottest gaming and tech news.

— Chapters —
00:00:00 Welcome
00:01:15 What have we been playing this week?
00:08:17 The March 2025 Nintendo Direct
00:22:54 Ubisoft spins off three big franchises, gets major TenCent cash infusion
00:32:25 Publishers are planning on delaying their games to not compete with GTA VI
00:40:47 Gamestop plans to close “”significant number’ of stores & invest in Bitcoin
00:44:16 A quick digression about malls
00:56:37 Like A Dragon devs defend their re-using assets
01:01:26 Cristiano Ronaldo (Footballer) is now in Fatal Fury
01:14:13 Game Informer is back!
01:23:30 Japan’s AAA Industy is back on the rise
01:30:26 HP wants to make a SteamOS handheld
01:44:11 Google’s making Android development private

*Links & Resources*
* Nintendo Direct for March 27th 2025: https://www.ign.com/articles/nintendo-direct-march-2025-everything-announced
* Ubisoft’s Tencent deal has us scratching our heads: https://finance.yahoo.com/news/ubisoft-carves-top-games-unit-164015707.html
* Major publishers are going to delay their games to not compete with GTA VI: https://www.thegamebusiness.com/p/major-publishers-plan-to-delay-games
* Gamestop Closes Down More Stores, invests in Bitcoin?: https://www.ign.com/articles/gamestop-plans-to-close-a-significant-number-of-stores-and-invest-into-bitcoin
* RGG Studio justifies the reuse of assets in the “Like a Dragon” series: https://www.ungeek.ph/2025/03/rgg-studio-directors-explain-their-approach-to-reusing-assets-in-like-a-dragon/
* Cristiano Ronaldo is now a fighting game character in Fatal Fury: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fbeEWm4%5Fqeg
* Game Informer is BACK: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eoVfBvxKdm0
* Japanese Publishers are on the rise: https://automaton-media.com/en/news/japans-aaa-game-industry-performs-strongly-as-5-out-of-8-major-companies-hit-record-breaking-share-prices/
* There’s hope for Hollow Knight: Silksong: https://steamdb.info/app/1030300/history/?changeid=U:60144384
* HP’s SteamOS ambition: https://www.videogamer.com/news/hp-doesnt-want-windows-on-its-steam-deck-competitor-but-valves-simple-steamos/
* Google closes down Android Development: https://www.techtimes.com/articles/309791/20250327/google-makes-android-development-private-will-os-no-longer-open-source.htm