Kotaku Splitscreen

Kirk and Jason talk a bunch of Final Fantasy XII (6:20), Grand Theft Auto IV (20:12), and Red Dead Redemption (26:58) before opening up the mailbag (33:15) and answering listener questions about weird JRPGs, video game release dates, the future of Nintendo, and much more.

Kirk regales us with stories from his backpacking adventures before settling down with Jason to talk Destiny 2 soccer (9:58), Mass Effect: Andromeda's lack of DLC (15:43), and Zelda's new content (24:44). Then they bring on Kotaku's Mike Fahey (33:50) to talk Final Fantasy XIV: Stormblood, Final Fantasy XII, and other JRPG nonsense. Finally, Kirk and Jason reconvene to tell their Kotaku origin stories (1:00:53).

Hope you're ready for a mega-Splitscreen! Kotaku features editor Chris Kohler joins the show to talk about Nintendo's bombshell Super NES Classic announcement, but first, Kirk and Jason talk about FFXV: Episode Prompto and Cave Story + on Switch. Then we get into Vidcon drama (19:27), Diablo III getting a Necromancer class (29:14), and Destiny 2 giving hardcore Destiny players some emblems (35:35). We bring on Kohler (38:08) to talk SNES Classic, retro games, and the Switch before closing things off with a Nier: Automata SPOILERCAST (1:16:52). 

E3 is over, which means Splitscreen is back to its weekly schedule. (We know--we're sad too.) This week, Kirk and Jason talk about some of the games they've been playing, like Nier: Automata (3:53), StarCraft II (8:15), and Wolfenstein. Then it's time for the news of the week including Final Fantasy XIV: Stormblood's troubled launch (21:43), IO Interactive going independent (25:43), and Pokemon Go getting an update (32:31). Insomniac CEO Ted Price joins Jason for an interview from E3 (34:13) to talk Spider-Man and VR, and then Kirk rejoins the show to talk about all the books he's been reading (1:03:12).

E3 is over, and we made it out alive. Jason and Kirk start their final E3 episode by talking a bit about Ni No Kuni 2, then discussing what they thought of this E3 overall (19:12). Then Jason interviews Shaun Escayg, creative director of Uncharted: Lost Legacy (29:21) and Clint Bundrick, design director on Crackdown 3 (37:40).

We're almost there. We've almost survived E3 2017. We can do this. Kirk and Jason catch up on how E3 is going today before Jason sits down with Jason Schroeder, game director on South Park: The Fractured But Whole. (18:45). Then Jason catches up with Adam Brennecke (35:26), executive producer and lead programmer on Pillars of Eternity 2, to get in-depth about how they're designing that game and how much work it takes to make a good RPG quest.

Kirk and Jason start off by talking about what Jason saw at E3 yesterday, then pivot  (15:38) to Sony's weak explanation for why they don't support cross-platform play in Rocket League and Minecraft. After that Jason’s joined by Destiny 2 game director Luke Smith (23:35) for a predictably lively chat about the game. He’s then joined by Days Gone director John Garvin (45:30) to talk about how that game is coming along, how much work it takes to make a big E3 demo like the one they just showed, and why it’s worth doing.UPDATE: For some reason, the first version of this episode cut off at 5 minutes. You may have to redownload it to get the full 58 minute version. Sorry about that!

Kirk and Jason are back for the third day of E3 2017. This time it's all Nintendo, all the time. Did Nintendo energize a generally low-key E3 by announcing two new Metroid games? (Yes.) Is Super Mario Odyssey as weird and ambitious as it looks? (Jason's played it, and the answer is yes.) All that plus Kirby, Rocket League, and Xenoblade Chronicles 2, the only JRPG to turn up at a single E3 2017 press conference.

Jason and Kirk talk about three more E3 2017 press conferences, starting with Bethesda. After that they discuss Ubisoft's surprisingly good show (7:36) and close out talking about Sony (20:55). Tomorrow: Nintendo.

Jason and Kirk kick off their E3 2017 coverage talking about EA's unexciting Saturday press conference (1:10). They then pivot to Microsoft's game-packed Sunday conference (6:00), and try to make heads or tails of the new Xbox One X.

We're just days away from the best time of the year: E3. Kirk and Jason open with some discussion of Mass Effect: Andromeda's turbulent development (4:03) before jumping into E3 talk, going through each press conference to talk about hopes and predictions. First up is Electronic Arts (17:17), then Microsoft (25:15), Bethesda (35:52), Ubisoft (43:44), Sony (49:44), and Nintendo (1:00:27). Last, a quick discussion about our podcast plans for the coming week (1:15:25).

Jason explains to Kirk why gambling is the best thing ever and talks wedding catering before we jump into ARMS (11:54) and Star Trek Bridge Crew (19:21). Then, Kirk and Jason talk about "service games" (22:53), how the Final Fantasy VII remake will never come out (29:34), and Far Cry 5 hot takes (35:45). Kotaku staff writer Cecilia D'Anastasio joins the show (43:08) to talk about Overwatch, reporting, and her favorite animes. Then we cap things off with listener questions (1:11:05) on E3 Judge's week and free video game updates. 

Jason and Kirk talk about YouTube copyright strikes (10:21), Red Dead Redemption 2's delay (21:10), and Overwatch's one-year anniversary (27:19) before bringing on Giant Bomb editor Dan Ryckert to chat about working at Giant Bomb, unhealthy eating habits, and what it'll be like to get married at Taco Bell. Then we sign off with some light TV talk (1:06:20).

Join Kirk and Jason for a VERY SPECIAL BONUS EPISODE dedicated to the Destiny 2 reveal.

Industry luminary Chris Avellone joins the show once again to talk about his recent work on Prey. First, Kirk and Jason talk a bit about Nier: Automata (6:55) and the Nintendo Switch (11:15) before jumping into this week's news: Zelda reportedly coming to smartphones (16:24); Tom Brady appearing on the cover of Madden 18 (21:19); and Alan Wake disappearing from Xbox Live and Steam (28:55). Then we speak to Avellone (34:30) about his writing work on Prey and how he constructed all of those great characters. We even BLOW HIS MIND with the revelation of a fantastic easter egg. Finally, we've got a couple of listener questions (1:04:17) including one that really Takes a Chance.

The new Zelda has been out for two months now, so let's spoil it! First, Kirk and Jason talk this week's news including the rocky future of Mass Effect (5:20), an eleven-year-old getting GTA V and finding a bag of meth instead (11:41) and Assassin's Creed/Far Cry leaks (15:38). Then Stephen Totilo joins the podcast for a nice chunk of Breath of the Wild spoiler talk (22:56). And Kirk and Jason finish things off with some Prey (1:06:55).

Jason just started Nier: Automata, so he and Kirk talk about that for a bit (7:17) before jumping into the news, starting with Zelda's first DLC (18:33). Then, they chat New 2DS XL (24:42) and Darksiders 3 (31:59) before pulling open the listener mailbag to take YOUR questions on all sorts of things, from Switch's VR potential (38:16) to Mass Effect: Andromeda (53:51) to what Kirk and Jason would do if they were put in charge of Bungie and asked to make up some new Destiny games (1:18:02). Assuming Bungie didn't oust them in a grand coup, that is.

Kirk and Jason start off the show by talking about the new indie games What Remains Of Edith Finch and The Sexy Brutale before jumping into this week's news: the announcement of Call of Duty: WWII (13:01), an Overwatch player's racist tirade (21:48), and Persona 5 localization complaints (28:02). Then they bring on veteran programmer Brett Douville (38:12) to talk about the stresses of LucasArts, his work at Bethesda on Fallout 3 and Skyrim, and his lovely podcast, Dev Game Club.

There's lots to discuss on today's Splitscreen, starting with some brief chat about Kirk's cool Undertale cover (3:37) and some of the games we've been playing including Mario Kart 8 and Dungeon Keeper (10:23). Then, we dig into the week's news, starting with Nintendo discontinuing the NES Classic (23:44) and selling nearly a million Switches in the United States last month (29:21). We talk about why we're optimistic for Star Wars Battlefront II's campaign (34:10) and then Jason disappears so Kirk can talk to Kotaku staffers Mike Fahey and Heather Alexandra about what makes Nier: Automata so rad (42:59). Finally, Kirk and Jason reconvene to talk about The West Wing and answer a listener question (1:00:47).

Actress and writer Ashly Burch joins the show to talk about what it was like to play Aloy, the protagonist of Horizon Zero Dawn. But first, News Hour, with stories on PlayerUnknown's Battlegrounds selling a million copies (14:59), Star Wars: Battlefront II's first trailer (17:34), and Scorpio specs (19:27). Then Ashly comes on to talk about voice acting for Horizon, perfecting the voice of Aloy, and how her character has the most badass video game hair of all time (29:34). We close things off with some listener mail about video games changing after they launch (1:04:38).