iiinova — where your digital self keeps evolving

Ah yeah that channel has come up a fair bit, good to know. Hoping buying second hand will help budget-wise. Cheers Chris

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Seems like good advice, thanks! I'll see what I can pick up

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I can't see if ever becoming my default, mind! The threat of PvP just adds so much more depth

Yeah interested to see how it picks up. I do think you'll need properly powerful scary enemies to get any of the tension of the genre - something like what The Forever Winter does. But again I can see the fun in just going in and crushing stuff in both games, if only to test your best gear

This is all so helpful, cheers Dash!

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@dashiellwood.com what would you recommend above that budget? I can do some eBay hunting to get the price down

I agree that the most fun I've had with Arc Raiders is in lobbies where it's a mix of friendly and shoot-on-sight players. But I *do* see some merit to purely friendly lobbies. I think maybe there is space for both, and people will jump between based on mood? Interested to see where it goes

Patrick Klepek @patrickklepek.bsky.social · 08/10/2026

Any reccs for a sub-£100/$100 microphone for podcasting/recording? Replacing a very old, crackly, budget one. Second-hand Blue Yetis are pretty cheap on eBay, but does anyone have anything else they love? (paging @robzacny.bsky.social in case...)

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Reposted by Samuel Horti

Forever Ago is a sappy game, but I am a sucker for sappy stories, especially ones that center the anger and jealousy that people experiencing grief are often embarrassed to share or talk about. My chat with the game's developers for Remap: remapradio.com/articles/for...

Forever Ago: Anger (and Change) in the Face of Death

From the world of advertising to weaving a story about becoming better people, even as mortality stares back.

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Reposted by Samuel Horti

Dia Lacina @dialacina.com · 07/10/2026

Sometimes you remember an old piece in the middle of writing and think "fuck me, how am I ever going to pull that off again."

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Bo Moore @usebomswisely.bsky.social · 14/09/2026

Instead of celebrating that success, I'm mourning the loss of my and many of my talented colleagues' jobs. Please hire them. Please hire me. And please still read and watch our work. Our Steam Frame review is sharp and smartly critical of an extremely interesting piece of technology.

ign.com

Valve's Steam Frame Is a Great All-in-One Wireless PCVR Headset, but Is It Worth the Cost?

The Steam Machine is probably one of the first VR headsets that can do everything right out of the box, from standalone gaming to streaming 2D games from your PC. But the high price, short battery lif...

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Reposted by Samuel Horti

kheehoon chan Still Needs Work @crapstacular.bsky.social · 09/09/2026

"We’re looking for ambitious, high-volume writers who are eager to publish frequently and maximize their reach. With our sessions-based pay model, higher output and stronger-performing content lead to higher earning potential." This is bullshit collider.applytojob.com/apply/TzVU1N...

collider.applytojob.com

Polygon High-Performance Writer (Entertainment & Gaming) - Collider - Career Page

Apply to Polygon High-Performance Writer (Entertainment & Gaming) at Collider in Remote.

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Raj Patel @rajio.bsky.social · 04/09/2026

For most of the publicly traded companies with the most games job layoffs, their gross profit year over year has been increasing every year. The overall trend among most public companies doing layoffs is continued growth. This does not show a revenue consolidation causing the wider layoff trends.

parent companies known to have experienced layoffs for games industry jobs since 2020, sorted by most known total layoff headcount.

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Samuel Horti @samuelhorti.bsky.social · 28/08/2026

If you missed it yesterday among the GTA kerfuffle, I wrote about Whiskerwood for Remap. It may end up being an all-time citybuilder when Early Access is through, but I'm not *fully* convinced by how it handles its historical themes. Have a read!

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Reposted by Samuel Horti

Remap Radio @remapradio.bsky.social · 27/08/2026

Whiskerwood is already a charming and engaging city-builder, but where it’s ultimately headed is what makes it fascinating. remapradio.com/articles/of-mice-and…

Of Mice and Mercantilism: Whiskerwood’s Ambitious City-Building

A cat-and-mouse revolution.

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Samuel Horti @samuelhorti.bsky.social · 27/08/2026

And thanks to @lukeplunkett.com for highlighting this game in the first place (I know others have too, including Sin Vega on RPS). Luke's article and podcast are linked in my Remap piece

Samuel Horti @samuelhorti.bsky.social · 27/08/2026

Whiskerwood may end up being an all-timer citybuilder - but I have questions and doubts about the limits of its colonial themes. I put some of them to its creator for this @remapradio.bsky.social piece. Thanks as ever to @robzacny.bsky.social for wrangling my words. remapradio.com/articles/of-...

Of Mice and Mercantilism: Whiskerwood’s Ambitious City-Building

A cat-and-mouse revolution.

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Samuel Horti @samuelhorti.bsky.social · 29/07/2026

Yeah the customisation is amazing. As we discussed in the podcast, the granular difficulty is so much less fiddly than it seems at first

Samuel Horti @samuelhorti.bsky.social · 29/07/2026

Huge thanks to Rob for letting me chat baseball and one of my favourite games ever - it made me realise that I'm still a better writer than speaker, but I had a lot of fun! Please have a listen and read the accompanying piece if you can. Even if you're not a baseball fan, SMB4 is incredible.

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Reposted by Samuel Horti

Rob Zacny @robzacny.bsky.social · 29/07/2026

Abused my position to make @samuelhorti.bsky.social talk to me about Super Mega Baseball 4, a game I'm currently obsessed with mostly because of his retrospective. remapradio.com/podcasts/epi...

Samuel Horti on Super Mega Baseball

Samuel Horti joins Rob to talk about Super Mega Baseball. They discuss its brilliant “traits” system, never-to-be-beaten difficulty settings, delightfully sl...

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Remap Radio @remapradio.bsky.social · 28/07/2026

Bruno Dias makes the case for Destiny’s Crucible as one of the last great deathmatch games. remapradio.com/articles/let...

On saying goodbye to Destiny’s Crucible

Letting the Fires Die

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Samuel Horti @samuelhorti.bsky.social · 23/07/2026

For Remap I wrote about EA's double-edged influence on Super Mega Baseball, the best sports series of all time. It's the story of a giant swallowing a talented indie and what happened next, for better and worse. Please read (and subscribe!). Thx @robzacny.bsky.social remapradio.com/articles/sup...

Super Mega Baseball 4 and the Quest for the Perfect Game

How Metalhead achieved the ideal form of the baseball sim-cade game, thanks to the double-edged influence of EA.

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Remap Radio @remapradio.bsky.social · 26/07/2026

For an enjoyable Sunday read, here's @samuelhorti.bsky.social on what allowed Super Mega Baseball to so perfectly capture the essence of baseball… and why we won't see its like again. remapradio.com/articles/sup...

Super Mega Baseball 4 and the Quest for the Perfect Game

How Metalhead achieved the ideal form of the baseball sim-cade game, thanks to the double-edged influence of EA.

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Samuel Horti @samuelhorti.bsky.social · 26/07/2026

As somebody who has been arguing with a friend for 3 years about which of the two is better, and knowing yours and Matthew's original takes, I'd be so up for another episode on this!

Chris Schilling @schillingc.bsky.social · 26/07/2026

Reposted by Samuel Horti

Feels faintly archaic saying things like "the weekend crowd" in space year 2026, but on the off-chance that's still a thing, I'll reshare this piece about a really fascinating upcoming video game because people seemed to quite enjoy it. www.theguardian.com/games/2026/j...

theguardian.com

‘An anthem for the co-dependent’: Bad Magpie’s corvid carnage with a side of existential angst

Going by the mantra, if you want to make someone laugh, make them cry first, the game’s developers have created a lonely magpie who fills the void by wreaking havoc

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Chris Bratt @chrisbratt.bsky.social · 26/07/2026

Reporting on the R* firings has meant multiple trips to London, Edinburgh & Glasgow over the last several months in order to be on the ground as the story developed. It's been a different style of video for us, with more frequent updates, rather than one big doc right at the end of the process.

Chris interviewing Rachel Crawford, one of the fired Rockstar workers, during a demonstration outside Rockstar North.

Chris attaching a lavalier microphone to the shirt of Nestor Uriarte, ahead of their interview about his role as union rep at Rockstar Games.

Chris reporting to camera outside the Glasgow Tribunals Centre during the preliminary hearing between Rockstar Games and its fired workers.

The fired Rockstar workers and their supported protesting outside the entrance to the Rockstar North offices.

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Samuel Horti @samuelhorti.bsky.social · 26/07/2026

Need a weekend longread? Here are several thousand words on Super Mega Baseball: why I think it's the best sports series ever, plus original reporting on what changed at developer Metalhead after EA bought it. Thanks @robzacny.bsky.social for giving me time + space! remapradio.com/articles/sup...

Super Mega Baseball 4 and the Quest for the Perfect Game

How Metalhead achieved the ideal form of the baseball sim-cade game, thanks to the double-edged influence of EA.

Samuel Horti @samuelhorti.bsky.social · 24/07/2026

Thanks to everyone who shared this so far - if you worked on the series, or were part of the deal from the EA side, my DMs open and email is sphorti@gmail.com

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Samuel Horti @samuelhorti.bsky.social · 24/07/2026

Agree and think it's the best *sports* series in past 15 (although might be in a minority...)

Dave Jackson | Tales from the Backlog @realdavejackson.bsky.social · 24/07/2026

Reposted by Samuel Horti

This was a great read and it made me want to play more Super Mega Baseball. Hell yeah.

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Chris Bratt @chrisbratt.bsky.social · 23/07/2026

Back in October, Rockstar Games fired 34 employees for alleged gross misconduct. The severity of these firings could have spelled the end for a burgeoning union effort that was underway, but it didn't. In fact, the union is now *bigger* than it's ever been before. www.youtube.com/watch?v=ym4z...

youtube.com

Rockstar Fired 34 People, but the Union Is Bigger than Ever

YouTube video by People Make Games

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Samuel Horti @samuelhorti.bsky.social · 23/07/2026

I absolutely loved putting this together. Writing for Remap is an absolute delight - please do read and support!

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Samuel Horti @samuelhorti.bsky.social · 23/07/2026

Super Mega Baseball 4 and the Quest for the Perfect Game

How Metalhead achieved the ideal form of the baseball sim-cade game, thanks to the double-edged influence of EA.

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Samuel Horti @samuelhorti.bsky.social · 17/07/2026

From what I can see Gavin was ISS Pro, not 100% sure about 64...

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Samuel Horti @samuelhorti.bsky.social · 17/07/2026

Good find Jon - Gavin, were you the famous ISS64 voice? I asked Konami but they couldn't confirm! Would love to hear how it came about