Aftermath

Need we say more? (OK, we’re gonna say a little more.) On the latest Aftermath Hours, we’re joined by Tyler Colp of PC Gamer to discuss an extremely pressing business matter: Chris wrote almost 9,000 words about his favorite FromSoftware farming spots, and somehow, he still has more to say about them. Tyler, a fellow FromSoft sicko, happily indulges him.

Microsoft is in full damage control mode following last week’s catastrophic layoffs of 1,600 game workers—with another 1,600 to come—and if you observe its efforts (not very) closely, you’ll spot a theme: Fallout. Last week, it was Obsidian pivoting back to Falloutall these years after fan favorite New Vegas. This week, it’s Bethesda uttering words gamers have been waiting a decade to hear: Fallout 5.

The adults are in the room again Published: July 17, 2026, 11:28 am | {shareOpen = false}, 2000)"> Share to X {shareOpen = false}, 2000)"> Share to Bluesky {shareOpen = false}, 2000)"> Share to Facebook {shareOpen = false}, 2000)"> Share to LinkedIn {shareOpen = false}, 2000)"> Share by email Netflix has been in the video game business for a while now, and for most of that time the company's presence has wavered between 'quiet surprise', 'irrelevant' and 'comedically inept' on the success scale.

After toying with polymer and air dry clay for a few months, I got a miniature pottery wheel and a microwave kiln. Why not take on an even more finicky, more painful version of the same hobby? I've been taking lessons on making ceramics on a pottery wheel for a few months, and playing around with polymer and air dry clay. I've made a lot of polymer clay hockey skates since I wrote that last post in May, and I've gotten pretty efficient at it.

Last week, Communications Workers of America, the union that helped organize thousands of workers across numerous Microsoft-owned video game studios, promised that it would “take all necessary legal and contractual action to defend our members and their rights” following layoffs of 1,600 employees. Now it’s making good on its word.

Welcome signs on the road into Maryland bear a slogan chosen by the governor. The last guy went with “Open for business.” In 2023, the new governor updated the signs with his own motto, the one I saw driving to Rockville on Wednesday to cover a rally in support of ZeniMax workers laid off by Microsoft. “Leave no one behind.” It fit the occasion.

Sea shanties don't need remakes Published: July 15, 2026, 8:28 pm Last updated: July 15, 2026, 8:30 pm | {shareOpen = false}, 2000)"> Share to X {shareOpen = false}, 2000)"> Share to Bluesky {shareOpen = false}, 2000)"> Share to Facebook {shareOpen = false}, 2000)"> Share to LinkedIn {shareOpen = false}, 2000)"> Share by email I've been playing the Assassin’s Creed Black Flag remake this week, and one thing that struck me beyond the pointlessness of the whole thing was how, in one small way...

My feelings on Civilization VII have, I hope, been made very clear at this point: I don't like it. I think it's an extremely disappointing video game, one that doesn't just fail to understand or build on the series' legacy, but actively takes several steps away from it.

I highly recommend becoming best friends with someone more versed than you in a shared hobby, as I have with a bosom buddy who works at a bookstore. Out of the blue, they recommended I read Franz Kafka’s The Metamorphosis after recounting, for the umpteenth time, how much of an extinction event the thankless job of journalism and the landscape I cover have become since we last spoke. “I think you’d like it,” they said. Little did I know their recommendation was a gentle call-out.

The craterous impact of last week’s Xbox layoffs continues to ripple outward, sending shockwaves through numerous sectors of the industry. Microsoft executives, for now, are standing firm in their haphazard decision making while workers, unions, and increasingly, fans beg them to reconsider. It’s not just thousands of game makers who found themselves on the chopping block, either; it’s also many of those behind the platform itself.