I Left AC Shadows Off of My 2025 List… For a game I spent so much time in, its absence in my mind was…confusing.

Well… @lubwub.bsky.social forgot to include AC Shadows in his 2025 list. Come along as he tries to understand how it slipped his mind.

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All the Games I Played in 2025 Probably…I think…mostly…

2025 was…a lot. @lubwub.bsky.social played a lot of games last year and has thoughts about all of them. So here’s his list, in no particular order, probably.

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How poor leadership slows down game development No tool—AI or otherwise—can speed up game development if leaders don't rise to the occasion.

A topic near and dear to my heart. www.gamedeveloper.com/production/h...

#gamedev #indiedev

ARC Raiders Feels…Different… Surviving Topside is a dangerous endeavor. But something is happening amongst the raiders that even I didn’t fully expect…camaraderie.

ARC Raiders feels…different…

Come check out why @lubwub.bsky.social fell in love with @arcraiders.bsky.social so fast. And why he feels it works so well.

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A Blown Call Years ago I believed Microsoft was on the right path. It seems I was very far from correct.

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Tron: Ares (Disney, PG-13) Encom and Dillinger Systems are back at each other’s throats. Can the Grid’s return to the big screen reignite a cult-classic sci-fi franchise?

Tron: Ares has a lot to live up to. Can the cult classic franchise surge back into the spotlight in Joachim Rønning’s explosive film about a Program gone rogue? @lubwub.bsky.social certainly thinks so!

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'Microsoft has no place being accomplice of a genocide:' Arkane union workers demand Xbox maker sever ties with Israel Arkane Studios' STJV section in France has published an open letter in support of the Palestinian-led BDS movement.

'Microsoft has no place being accomplice of a genocide:' Arkane union workers demand Xbox maker sever ties with Israel

Battlefield 6 Rant A long Bluesky post, unrolled so people can read it more easily.

The first phase of the BF6 Beta has passed. What are @lubwub.bsky.social’s thoughts? Read here:

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Superman James Gunn’s DCU is properly launched on the shoulders of the Man of Steel. Can he get it right?

James Gunn understands who Superman is, and it’s going to make some people angry. Read @lubwub.bsky.social’s review.

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28 Years Later (Sony Pictures, R) A return to the Rage infected British countryside. How have things changed since we first visited this vicious hellscape?

28 Years Later is an amazing movie. The zombie franchise helmed by Danny Boyle makes a triumphant and poignant return. Read @lubwub.bsky.social’s review.

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chipping in my take on this:
It's amazing how fiddly making a game can be. There's a conflict between the boilerplate systems built to make Stuff you find in modern engines and the need to hand-tune things to make any game actually feel good. That friction is where a huge amount of dev time is spent

Sonder-Core and Other Thoughts A conversation with Gareth Damian-Martin prompts an introspective look at video games as a whole.

What is “sonder-core” and, is it everywhere? Join @lubwub.bsky.social as he ponders the sonder of it all.

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The fact that I've never been able to get into a Jenna Moran game is actually kind of the point. Moran proved that the ground we sow our stories in has so much potential for diversity and I run out of fingers trying to count the number of RPG writers I know of whom Jenna inspired.

A Stick of Deodorant and A Memory How a smell drummed up a very specific period of my life and left me wishing for a new standard in baseball sims.

Sometimes you remember something for a weird reason. Sometimes it’s a smell memory unlocked by a deodorant you’ve never bought. Who knows? Join @lubwub.bsky.social as he investigates one such instance.

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WARFARE (A24, R) A story of terror and camaraderie, told in real-time, rattles the teeth and tenses the muscles.

Warfare doesn’t feel like a movie. It’s a visceral and deeply unsettling experience drawing a raw focus to the terror of combat and the people impacted by it. A movie with fewer answers than questions, but with one resounding message, this is what hell looks like.

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Oooooooooooooo!!!

A Working Man (Amazon MGM, R) Jason Statham is working with David Ayer again. Time to punch bad guys with bad aim!

Jason Statham is at it again. This time punching and shooting his way through an increasingly inaccurate group of villains. Read @lubwub.bsky.social’s thoughts on #AWorkingMan.

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TNBSolo 01: FOMO, A**holes, and Liking Things Listen now | It's the first subscriber-only podcast Caleb has ever made! Ohhhhh boy...

Our first paid member content is coming out today. Paid content is new for us, so feedback is welcome.

Come listen to @lubwub.bsky.social as he digs into FOMO, what he wants this paid content to be, why assholes ruin everything, and more!

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Episode 076: Spring Training is Over The spring camp is broken, the season is just a few days away. Caleb and Coz dig into what the future looks like.

Another episode of NerdyBats is up! Spring Training is over, opening week is here, and @nerdybatscoz.bsky.social is 1 year older! Come hang as he and @lubwub.bsky.social chat about what spring training means and what we are looking forward to in the 2025 campaign.

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Love that this visual makes it really clear that people that “care” about historicity really care way more when women are shown in games.

Episode 075: Citizen Sleeper 1+2 Creator Gareth Damian Martin Returns Listen now | Starward Vector is out. Caleb picks the creator’s brain about inspirations and aspirations.

We had the good fortune of having @jumpovertheage.com back on the show to talk with @lubwub.bsky.social about Citizen Sleeper 2: Starward Vector. The conversation, as we expected, was deep and rewarding and expansive. Come listen!

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Episode 074: Jan/Feb Bounty Board A regular update on all the games the crew has been digging into for the last few months.

Our Jan/Feb Bounty Board episode is out! Happy St. Patrick's Day! Come hang with the crew as they talk about all the games they have been playing so far this year!

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Check it out!

I had a blast talking to @lubwub.bsky.social last week about art, life, and GRAFT. Thanks for having me on, Caleb!

Episode 073: Amor Fati and Evolution w/ Mike McCain EP of Harebrained Schemes' upcoming title GRAFT stops in to chat about rolling with the punches, creativity, and making time to recenter.

A new episode of The NerdyBits Show is up! Come hang @lubwub.bsky.social as he interviews @mikemccainart.bsky.social EP over at @webeharebrained.bsky.social, hard at work on the studios next game GRAFT.

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@lubwub.bsky.social has been talking about doing a St. Louis Cards podcast for years. Finally started!

#stlcardinals #springtraining

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Come join Caleb, Ryan, and Patrick in this weeks episode of The NerdyBits Show! This week we return to the old format of topic based episodes and to start it off we tackle the struggling AAA level of the gaming industry.

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Episode 70: *2021 Repost* Inclusivity, Magic, and Food w/ Rami Ismail Listen now | A few years back I had the opportunity and privilege to talk to Rami Ismail.

Almost 4 years ago we recorded an amazing podcast with @ramiismail.com.

In the interest of consolidating podcast feeds, completing our move to Substack, we are reposting our interviews in our main feed. Starting with this conversation with Rami.

www.nerdybits.com/p/episode-70...

Next Tuesday we are launching something fun to celebrate this wild journey that has been Citizen Sleeper 💛