Ep. 72 - Is it time to cut the Discord?

It’s an episode jam-packed full of controversy, drama, and discourse! Where to begin?

Well, there’s lots of good news! Pokémon’s 30th anniversary is already in full swing, Sonic 4 has found its Amy voice, and This Bed We Made is getting a sequel.

But there were more layoffs, AI is gaining ground in the games industry, and the RAM shortage impacts are felt even more. And what else could go wrong? Since you asked, Yakuza Kiwami 3 removed a pro-trans storyline…

In the second half, I’m joined by Devona to discuss the Discord age verification news. What does it all mean? How worried should we be? Is there even a good alternative?

00:00:00 - Intro

00:03:41 - What We’ve Been Playing

00:11:56 - News

00:53:14 - Discord Age Verification Controversy

01:38:06 - Queer Game of the Week: Monster Prom

The news segment was recorded on February 21 2026 and the Discord segment was recorded on February 22 2026..

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Guests:

Devona: https://www.twitch.tv/heldevo

Sources:

https://x.com/pokemon/status/2024757682851233891

https://x.com/pokemon/status/2024756120313807015

https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/movies/movie-news/sonic-4-kristen-bell-voice-amy-rose-1236508342/

https://comicbook.com/movies/news/jim-carreys-dr-robotnik-return-in-sonic-4-gets-a-major-update/

https://www.videogameschronicle.com/review/yakuza-kiwami-3-dark-ties-review/

https://www.thegamer.com/yakuza-3-remastered-transphobic-sidequest-removed/

https://www.resetera.com/threads/yakuza-kiwami-3-cuts-the-original-games-trans-acceptance-substory-that-was-originally-removed-for-the-west-but-added-back-in-later-with-the-remaster.1430275/

https://www.reddit.com/r/yakuzagames/comments/1r0wgdn/people_focusing_on_the_removed_trans_substory/

https://www.nintendolife.com/news/2026/02/stardew-valleys-new-update-for-nintendo-switch-2-is-now-live

https://www.nintendolife.com/news/2026/02/stardew-valley-creator-teases-two-more-marriage-candidates-for-update-1-7

https://www.nintendolife.com/news/2026/02/bethesda-releases-skyrim-update-1-2-for-switch-2-includes-60hz-mode-and-much-more

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U3Ga_cAccQg

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qoInIGhXHYY

https://www.nintendo.com/jp/switch/blfga/index.html?modal=1

https://www.videogameschronicle.com/news/destiny-2-fans-face-long-wait-as-bungie-delays-and-overhauls-next-major-update/

https://www.videogameschronicle.com/news/steam-deck-is-out-of-stock-in-the-us-as-valve-warns-of-intermittent-memory-and-storage-shortages/

https://www.videogameschronicle.com/news/sony-is-considering-holding-back-playstation-6-until-2028-or-2029-report-claims/

https://www.videogameschronicle.com/news/huge-xbox-shakeup-phil-spencer-retiring-sarah-bond-resigns-microsoft-ai-boss-becomes-new-microsoft-gaming-ceo/

https://www.videogameschronicle.com/news/numerous-video-game-company-share-prices-dropped-following-googles-project-genie-ai-rollout/

https://www.ign.com/articles/tunic-night-in-the-woods-publisher-says-tiktok-is-creating-and-running-racist-genai-ads-for-its-games-without-permission

https://www.videogameschronicle.com/news/xcoms-jake-solomon-announces-his-new-studio-is-closing-reveals-now-cancelled-ai-driven-narrative-game/

https://www.linkedin.com/company/midsummer-studios/

https://www.videogameschronicle.com/news/ubisoft-confirms-layoffs-at-toronto-studio-but-insists-splinter-cells-remake-is-still-coming/

https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2026-02-19/sony-is-shutting-down-the-playstation-studio-bluepoint?accessToken=eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiIsInR5cCI6IkpXVCJ9.eyJzb3VyY2UiOiJTdWJzY3JpYmVyR2lmdGVkQXJ0aWNsZSIsImlhdCI6MTc3MTUyNzAyNiwiZXhwIjoxNzcyMTMxODI2LCJhcnRpY2xlSWQiOiJUQVBZWlBLR0lGUFkwMCIsImJjb25uZWN0SWQiOiJCMUVBQkI5NjQ2QUM0REZFQTJBRkI4MjI1MzgyQTJFQSJ9.utABYnI4m_K6kqNqybZarBQ9T5WW_aWCH6NI3kt8Q64

https://kotaku.com/sony-email-bluepoint-hermen-hulst-studio-closing-why-2000671437

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AAbyOXDwRXM

https://www.nintendolife.com/news/2026/02/assassins-creed-shadows-claws-of-awaji-expansion-lands-switch-2-release-date

Lost & Found: A This Bed We Made Story: https://store.steampowered.com/app/4333200/Lost__Found_A_This_Bed_We_Made_Story/

https://x.com/lowbirthgames/status/2024625302815518790

https://www.theverge.com/tech/875309/discord-age-verification-global-roll-out

https://discord.com/press-releases/update-on-security-incident-involving-third-party-customer-service

https://www.pcgamer.com/software/platforms/oh-good-discords-age-verification-rollout-has-ties-to-palantir-co-founder-and-panopticon-architect-peter-thiel/

https://www.pcgamer.com/software/security/security-researchers-claim-persona-the-provider-behind-discords-uk-age-verification-experiment-performs-269-individual-verification-checks-on-user-data-including-those-for-terrorism-and-espionage/

https://mashable.com/article/age-verification-may-impede-on-adults-rights-study-suggests

Ring Lost Dog Superbowl Ad: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OheUzrXsKrY

https://www.reddit.com/r/discordapp/comments/1r05vkj/comment/o4j5nl1/?context=3

https://discord.com/press-releases/discord-launches-teen-by-default-settings-globally#age-assurance-clarification