iiinova — where your digital self keeps evolving

Nick Calandra @nickjcal.bsky.social · 43m

Is there any actual official confirmation that Wolverine cost $300M to make? Or is that just an estimated number that everyone has seemingly run with? Serious question, trying to track down how that number came to be so widely reported.

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Brian Crecente @crecente.bsky.social · 2h

I wonder if companies have figured out yet that all of that (post)gamergate bullshit is just a bunch of people trying to monetize anger.

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Nick Calandra @nickjcal.bsky.social · 3h

I imagine this is the same face certain people who claim to be “journalists” had when they made videos about me while airing completely made up information on half-truths. Ego is a hell of a drug.

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Nick Calandra @nickjcal.bsky.social · 4h

Echoing this. Second Wind is in a strong position, but we also need to be bringing in more paid subs than we’re losing which right now is very much tied to economic conditions. Sad to see in our exit surveys why people are having to leave. Support the media you enjoy please. Every $ counts.

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Danny Weinbaum @dannyweinbaum.bsky.social · 4h

🎻🎵 📢 Songs of Glimmerwick, the witch academy RPG where music is magic is AVAILABLE NOW! 📢 🎵 🎻 store.steampowered.com/app/1706510/...

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Queen's Domain⚔️ - DEMO OUT NOW @queensdomain.bsky.social · 5h

Queen’s Domain is launching OCT 30TH!! ⚔️ Excited to announce our retro-fantasy action RPG with brutal combat and traversal-focused exploration will be available soon for PC and Consoles. Coming to Steam, Switch 2, Xbox Series and PS5!

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Nick Calandra @nickjcal.bsky.social · 14h

Big part of the reason where it is now… let new folks work.

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Nick Calandra @nickjcal.bsky.social · 17h

Did a pretty candid podcast about a lot of the nonsense going on over the last couple years. Of course the first comment on it before I even shared it was my stalker of two years lol.

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Nick Calandra @nickjcal.bsky.social · 21h

With a lack of games media jobs in the space right now... if you want to get started just start. Start a blog, start a YouTube channel, do whatever and just start putting your thoughts out there about games or stuff. Don't wait around for opportunities, go just attempt to make it happen.

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Nick Calandra @nickjcal.bsky.social · 23h

Got a new short essay out on The Blood of Dawnwalker today as it's use of time provides a solution that I find in a ton of open world games' main storylines - Urgency. I'm excited to see how other studios are inspired by it.

youtube.com

The Blood of Dawnwalker’s Interesting Solution to Urgency in RPGs

YouTube video by Second Wind

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Dicevaders @dicevaders.bsky.social · 29/09/2026

DICEVADERS IS OUT NOW! 👽 Roll the dice, build your alien army, and break the game. Play now!: Steam: tinyurl.com/2t3d9p8f Nintendo Switch: tinyurl.com/yrauhn93 Watch the trailer: youtu.be/eZRlAwco398 #dicevaders #roguelike #deckbuilder

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Darren Mooney @darrenmooney.bsky.social · 29/09/2026

So, with Zach Cregger’s “Resident Evil” being a smash - and very good - it has sparked something of a reappraisal and re-engagement with Paul W.S. Anderson’s films. So I made a video at @SecondWindGroup.com about those post-modernist action movie monuments. WATCH: youtu.be/fZ4qRmA-bBM?...

youtu.be

I Rewatched All of Paul W.S. Anderson's Resident Evil Films | The Backdrop

YouTube video by Second Wind

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Nick Calandra @nickjcal.bsky.social · 29/09/2026

Eric Schmitt is such a slime ball. The day he’s out of office and we never have to hear his idiocy again I’ll be popping a bottle of champagne.

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Nick Calandra @nickjcal.bsky.social · 29/09/2026

Naughty Dog doing sci-fi again has me real excited about what they’re cooking up.

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Nick Calandra @nickjcal.bsky.social · 28/09/2026

Movies are gonna start charging for the "Definitive Edition" like games are and I don't like.

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Nick Calandra @nickjcal.bsky.social · 28/09/2026

Wrapped up Wolverine. Nothing special but was basically what I expect from Sony first-party at this point and that was good enough for me. I’m a sucker for straight-forward action games just as much as I am Soulslikes and all that, so just a taste preference.

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Second Wind @secondwindgroup.com · 27/09/2026

A new episode of Bytesized is now available from @nickjcal.bsky.social checking out Blackwood and Sprawl Zero!

youtu.be

Blackwood and Sprawl Zero | Bytesized

YouTube video by Second Wind

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Nick Calandra @nickjcal.bsky.social · 26/09/2026

Can always track someone’s descent into clickbait and Twitter drama-farming videos by their lack of Patreon support and viewcounts. People will watch, but never want to pay for that stuff.

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Hilltop Studios @playhilltop.bsky.social · 24/09/2026

IT’S HAPPENING. Curse of Resthaven arrives October 29 on PC, Mac, PS5 and Xbox. Two days before Halloween felt like the appropriate time to unleash the curse. And there’s more: we're giving you a bit longer to play the current demo and earn your bonus gold + skill points…

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Nick Calandra @nickjcal.bsky.social · 25/09/2026

There's an art to giving your takes on things, and the quickest way to get people to not want to pay attention to what you're saying, even if it's a good point, is to be smug about it. Having some humility in your own work goes a long way.

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Nick Calandra @nickjcal.bsky.social · 25/09/2026

As sad as it is to see more jobs lost, Halo Studios just never found their footing with the franchise. After 18 years, it was time for Xbox to try a different direction with Halo no matter how you spin it.

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Abylight @abylight.bsky.social · 25/09/2026

S.O.N.A.R. (Submarine Operators Not Actually Ready) GIVEAWAY! Join our Discord and enter the ultimate championship to win the full game. It's on fire! discord.gg/gEDQEVGJn

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Nick Calandra @nickjcal.bsky.social · 24/09/2026

Welp, heart-condition I was born with has progressed enough that I'm now on the path to open heart surgery in the not-too-distant future. That's a little scary, cause originally I was told it wasn't gonna need to be invasive. Guess I'll have to put my return to playing hockey off a bit longer.

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Nick Calandra @nickjcal.bsky.social · 24/09/2026

Buy this game. Endlessly charming and a very good tactics game too.

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Nick Calandra @nickjcal.bsky.social · 24/09/2026

Big plans coming together for Second Wind’s third anniversary in November. That said, always on the lookout for new ideas too. What are some things you’d like to see on Second Wind in 2027?

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Chris Bratt @chrisbratt.bsky.social · 24/09/2026

In recent years, the media has quietly begun to change the way in which it writes about Bobby Kotick, the former CEO of Activision Blizzard. PMG investigates how Kotick used the threat of defamation to reshape his legacy in the games business, one article at a time. www.youtube.com/watch?v=kKwp...

youtube.com

Inside Bobby Kotick's Campaign Against the Press

YouTube video by People Make Games

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Nick Calandra @nickjcal.bsky.social · 23/09/2026

Legitimately stressful how many good games there are right now lol. My list of games that I want to finish, while keeping up with what's new for the job is getting out of whack and it's not slowing down anytime soon. ... and then I redownloaded Drop Duchy and now I'm stuck on that again.

store.steampowered.com

Drop Duchy on Steam

Build your duchy piece by piece in this refreshing hybrid rogue-lite game. Use block-dropping mechanics to collect resources, recruit troops to fight against belligerent armies, and let every block sh...

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Nick Calandra @nickjcal.bsky.social · 23/09/2026

I can't believe it has taken this long, but we're finally getting something useful...

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Nick Calandra @nickjcal.bsky.social · 22/09/2026

One good thing I’ll say about 343 / Halo Studios is they never made a bad feeling game. Gameplay was good in all their Halo games. Lotta Bungie and 343 people out of work right now… would be cool to see some new FPS studios with original ideas come out of that group of talented people.

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Nick Calandra @nickjcal.bsky.social · 22/09/2026

Personally, I think this move makes sense. Activision's bread and butter is live-service at this point and both Halo and Sea of Thieves having access to support teams there "might" work for the better. That said, what is Rare beyond Sea of Thieves at this point.

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Nick Calandra @nickjcal.bsky.social · 22/09/2026

Fun health update. Getting the heart imaging done at an independent facility for less than $1K in cash (they literally open tomorrow, yay) when the in-network coverage wanted $4K+ before insurance even kicked in. Insurance is an utter scam lol. Old news, but just blows my mind they get away with.

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Nick Calandra @nickjcal.bsky.social · 22/09/2026

It’s so funny moderating comments sometimes. You do it long enough and you just know the direction someone will take with the lightest amount of pushback on them being an ass to one of your team. Goes from “stop slurping the slop” to “put the fries in the bag” so predictably every time.

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Devin (AKA Ryuuga Hideki) @ryuugahideki.bsky.social · 22/09/2026

Part of me is sad that this story arc is ending, but I'm also immensely grateful that it was able to reach an actual conclusion after The Escapist's demise. Even having never watched any D&D-based stories before, I cannot recommend this series enough. Easily one of the best things on YouTube.

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ProPublica @propublica.org · 22/09/2026

Sen. Susan Collins helped steer millions in federal defense contracts to Navatek, whose CEO illegally funneled thousands of dollars to her campaign. The FBI sought to launch a probe and was eyeing Collins and other lawmakers. Then Trump gutted the unit in charge. THREAD 🧵

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Nick Calandra @nickjcal.bsky.social · 22/09/2026

If Halo is moving under Activision Blizzard… I wonder if Raven might be the new home for it. Would be nice to have one of these Call of Duty studios get to do their own thing again.

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Nick Calandra @nickjcal.bsky.social · 22/09/2026

I know people say "ignore them, don't give them the attention, don't do this or that" but if you've never been a target of these morons, you don't understand how relentless it is. As soon as your name makes them money, they will track every single move you make to create "drama" around you.

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Erika Ishii @erikaishii.bsky.social · 22/09/2026

I was already honored to be a voice in their game, but now I’m DOUBLY grateful to have @doublefine.com’s continued support as they unabashedly celebrate our collab! (And please don’t worry. While my success & public joy seem to be upsetting to some, I feel like I’m getting to live my dream life!)

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Nick Calandra @nickjcal.bsky.social · 21/09/2026

Controversial if you’re brain is made up of a bunch of marbles bouncing around. Polygon is a clickbait factory now and the writers there I know are better than that. Shame.

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Nick Calandra @nickjcal.bsky.social · 21/09/2026

Gotta love the US healthcare system. “What do you mean you haven’t gone to get your heart checked in three years??” Bro, costs me like $2500 every time they wanna image me and I can’t afford that to have them keep telling me - maybe next year you’ll actually need the surgery.

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Top Hat Studios, Inc. @tophatstudios.bsky.social · 21/09/2026

Well Dweller launches very soon on September 22, for Nintendo Switch, PS5, XBOX Game Pass (with Play Anywhere), and Series X|S! Before you set out on your journey, take a moment to brace yourself for what lays across the Queen's lands.

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Rubeki Games 🛩️The Hollowing Demo Live!🛩️ @rubeki.bsky.social · 20/09/2026

✈️Just announced in the PC Gaming Show✈️ The Hollowing is an atmospheric first-person horror flight sim Your job is to maintain communications towers at various airports and outposts in the Megastructure FREE DEMO OUT NOW!! link below 👇

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Nick Calandra @nickjcal.bsky.social · 20/09/2026

Working on a number of cool things atm. Gotta be careful not to burnout though… so my addiction to Rematch is currently being revived. 😏

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Nick Calandra @nickjcal.bsky.social · 19/09/2026

If you're not watching Adventure is Nigh, I'm telling you you're missing the best D&D show on YouTube. Big plans ahead. Get caught up before the finale of our first campaign Saturday after next.

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Nick Calandra @nickjcal.bsky.social · 19/09/2026

Since Smash was more than happy to amplify a "takedown" video aimed at me that was full of lies, I'm more than happy to return the favor with a video that is far better researched and lays out the life and failures of a cry baby grifter.

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Second Wind @secondwindgroup.com · 18/09/2026

Onimusha: Way of the Sword has 2026's best combat system, and @sigmagears9.bsky.social to explain why. www.youtube.com/watch?v=l3kM...

youtube.com

Onimusha: Way of the Sword Loves It When You Parry

YouTube video by Second Wind

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Nick Calandra @nickjcal.bsky.social · 18/09/2026

Gettin close to time to take a break again. My patience for "online" people is running out very quickly haha.

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Nick Calandra @nickjcal.bsky.social · 18/09/2026

Bulkhead Interactive did some really great work behind the scenes detailing the development of WARDOGS and ties into the talk I gave last week about developers taking charge of their own content creation.

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