#35: Farewell, PogChamp Emote!

The Mash Those Buttons Show

This week Jarret and Nick are back for the new year, talking about what is going on in gaming news. First, Nick talks about how he has been playing Final Fantasy XII with his son and how the introduction is so dry but his son is enjoying it. Jarret meanwhile has been playing Cyberpunk 2077 and working on more of the different endings.
Twitch announced that they will be removing the PogChamp emote after the personality it is based, Ryan Gootecks Gutierrez, on tweeted out support for the mob that attacked the Capitol. Jarret runs through some of the events of the siege and then he and Nick discuss what exactly this means for him. Jarret points out that the streamer had made pro-Trump comments before, so the fact that this happened now is surprising. He also argues that most people wouldn't associate the emote with the tweets, and so this seems like a bit of an overreaction from twitch. They both agree Gootecks will not be casting any events any time soon as a result of this.
Next, they discuss a story that Microsoft tried to buy Nintendo around the time of the first XBox launch, and Nintendo laughed Microsoft out of the room. The article also mentions that Microsoft considered buying EA, Midway, and Square. They consider how those purchases might have changed the industry. Then they talk about how Microsoft's strategy for the XBox has evolved over the years while struggling to get the names of the consoles right.
Also, Epic announed they are buying a mall in Cary, North Carolina. This will be their new headquarters, which Jarret believes will be the largest game development studio campus on the East Coast. They discuss Epic's requirements to contribute to the community as the result of their purchase.
Additionally, Jarret looks at an article complaining that Cyberpunk 2077 lost players over the last month, but did so disingenuously.
Finally, it was revealed that Microsoft has an agreement with Duracell to provide AA batteries for XBox controllers. This is due to the decision to keep using AA batteries as that gives players more choice for how to charge their controller since Microsoft can sell a rechargable battery separately. Both Jarret and Nick talk about how they keep their controllers charged, revealing that not everyone uses their controllers in the same way.

Episode URL: http://mtb.gg/2nn
Show Twitter: twitter.com/themashnetwork

Hosts:
Jarret Redding
twitter.com/jaastradamus
Nick Zielenkievicz
twitter.com/WookieeBH

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Website: mashthosebuttons.com
Twitter: twitter.com/themashnetwork
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