AJS News- Marathon ART THEFT is SETTLED, Saudi Arabia OWNS 93.4% of EA, Total War Medieval 3, MetaVR

Quick Overview

The Angry Joe Show crew discusses several recent news items, including the settlement of the Marathon art theft case involving Bungie, the Saudi Public Investment Fund's near-total buyout of Electronic Arts, the announcement of Total War: Medieval III, the surprising departure of Tekken boss Katsuhiro Harada from Bandai Namco, and Meta's delay of its Reality Labs glasses, all while reacting to various game trailers and clips.

Key Points: The Marathon art theft dispute between Bungie and an artist has been resolved to the artist's satisfaction, likely involving financial compensation and the artist retaining the IP for their work (3:39). Saudi Arabia's Public Investment Fund plans to own 93.4% of Electronic Arts if the deal closes, which the hosts note is a large portion of the company (2:27:18, 2:28:28). Creative Assembly announced Total War: Medieval III, which the hosts are excited about because they prefer historical settings over sci-fi like the Total War: Warhammer series (8:16, 10:34). Tekken boss Katsuhiro Harada announced his departure from Bandai Namco after 31 years, stating it was the fitting moment to bring one chapter to a close (2:58:00). Meta pushed back the release of its new mixed-reality glasses, codenamed 'Project Cambria' or 'Phoenix,' to 2027 due to budget cuts and the high cost of the hardware (21:13). The hosts reacted positively to trailers for Dragon Age: The Veilguard (11:58) and a new title called 'Split Fiction' (23:05), while expressing mixed feelings about an EA Originals title. The group jokingly highlighted the strange advertising for Quiznos subs featuring animated rodents (26:27) and the absurdity of VR experiences being used for training AI (25:18).

Context: This episode of The Angry Joe Show features the usual hosts discussing recent news from the gaming and tech industries. The segment transitions between discussing industry acquisitions (like the Saudi fund buying EA stock), major creative departures (like Tekken's Katsuhiro Harada leaving Bandai Namco), game announcements (Total War: Medieval III, Dragon Age: The Veilguard), and technology news (Meta's delayed VR glasses). The hosts intersperse their commentary with clips from various game trailers and old commercials to illustrate their points.