{"version":1,"type":"rich","provider_name":"Libsyn","provider_url":"https:\/\/www.libsyn.com","height":90,"width":600,"title":"PlayStation Price Hikes, CoD Dominance, Spider-Man Trailer Madness &amp; More","description":"PlayStation Price Hikes, CoD Dominance, Spider-Man Trailer Madness &amp;amp; More on episode 687. Here\u2019s what I talked about:  PlayStation Price Hike Sony quietly raised prices on PS Plus subscriptions in several regions. It\u2019s another sign that the old console business model is under pressure, and it stings when you\u2019re already feeling the pinch from rising game prices. Call of Duty: Modern Warfare continues to dominate on Steam. The current Modern Warfare title now has more players than the past few CoD games combined. It\u2019s a reminder that when Call of Duty gets it right, it still prints players like almost nothing else in gaming. Death Stranding 2: On the Beach crossed a major milestone. The PC release helped push the sequel\u2019s total sales past 2 million copies. Kojima\u2019s weird, beautiful vision is clearly finding its audience. Spider-Man: Brand New Day just broke the internet. The first trailer pulled an insane 718.6 million views in 24 hours, beating GTA 6\u2019s previous record. I broke down the psychology behind why it exploded so hard \u2014 nostalgia, FOMO, and emotional connection all stacking perfectly. Marathon and the live service struggle. Bungie says they\u2019re \u201cin it for the long haul\u201d despite early concerns about performance. We discussed how brutal the live service space has become, with Battlefield 6, Fortnite, Destiny 2, The Division 2, and Helldivers 2 all fighting for the same attention and player time. It\u2019s live service hell out there right now. Xbox Games Showcase + Gears of War: E-Day Direct Xbox dropped two big events back-to-back. We reacted to the lineup and what it means as they head toward Project Helix. Daredevil: Born Again Quick personal note \u2014 this show has easily become one of my favorite things on television right now. The writing and action are hitting hard.  Overall, it was a packed episode full of big numbers, tough industry truths, and a little bit of hope for what\u2019s coming next. If you want the full conversation, make sure to subscribe to TSR: Gaming x Entertainment on your favorite podcast platform. New episodes drop every week, and I\u2019d love to have you join the conversation. Recent Substack Articles While you\u2019re here, I also published two new pieces you might enjoy:  Sony\u2019s Price Hike Reality Check \u2013 My thoughts on what the recent PlayStation subscription increases really mean for players and the industry. Asha Sharma\u2019s Xbox Reset \u2013 Taking a deeper look at the changes happening at Xbox and whether this is the reset the platform needs.  Let me know what you thought of Episode 687 \u2014 which topic stood out to you the most?&amp;nbsp; ","author_name":"TSR: Gaming x Entertainment","author_url":"https:\/\/discord.gg\/hzxBKwdFrZ","html":"<iframe title=\"Libsyn Player\" style=\"border: none\" src=\"\/\/html5-player.libsyn.com\/embed\/episode\/id\/40677720\/height\/90\/theme\/custom\/thumbnail\/yes\/direction\/forward\/render-playlist\/no\/custom-color\/88AA3C\/\" height=\"90\" width=\"600\" scrolling=\"no\"  allowfullscreen webkitallowfullscreen mozallowfullscreen oallowfullscreen msallowfullscreen><\/iframe>","thumbnail_url":"https:\/\/assets.libsyn.com\/secure\/item\/40677720"}