Save State Plus

I sat down with Andrew Eiche, studio head at Owlchemy Labs, to talk about why the games industry is struggling right now and what this moment of contraction actually means.We discuss how funding expectations have warped game development, why investors chase only massive breakout hits, and how that pressure stifles innovation across both VR and traditional games. Andrew explains why this downturn feels less like a collapse and more like a reset, similar to past industry corrections, and what tends to emerge on the other side.The conversation also covers Meta’s influence on VR studios, the risks of being locked to a single platform, how generative AI hype is already cooling investor confidence in games, and why discovery and sustainability matter more than ever. Andrew shares insight into how studios survive these cycles, why mid-sized and niche games often endure, and what developers are quietly preparing for as the market recalibrates.This is a candid, developer-led look at the financial realities shaping the future of games and why the industry may need this reset to move forward.

I sat down with Devin Reimer, co-founder of Astrobeam and former Owlchemy Labs co-founder, to talk candidly about where VR gaming stands today and what developers believe comes next. We discuss why Devin left Owlchemy to start Astrobeam, the importance of VR-native controls, and why the industry feels stuck in a holding pattern right now. Devin also shares his three-year outlook for VR, thoughts on Meta’s recent pullback, wearables, fitness-driven VR, and what developers often get wrong when designing immersive experiences. The conversation touches on Stellar Cafe, startup runway and sustainability, LLM-powered NPCs, ethical AI use in games, and what still gives developers reason to be optimistic about VR’s future. This is an honest, developer-focused discussion about VR’s growing pains, its missed opportunities, and what it will take for the medium to truly break through.

In this interview, Denis Dyack explains why innovation disappeared from AAA games and why he’s trying to build something that can outlive servers, platforms, and shifting business models.We talk about Deadhaus Sonata, player ownership, live-service shutdowns, why modern games feel disposable, and how AAA development became risk-averse despite unlimited resources. Dyack also reflects on Silicon Knights, Legacy of Kain, game engines, moderation, Gamergate, and what kind of legacy he can still leave behind.This is a long, honest conversation about where he believes games lost their way and what comes next.(00:00) Intro(01:36) Deadhaus Sonata Explained(03:48) Legacy of Kain Inspirations & Comparisons(07:02) The Tarot System & Why It’s Different(08:50) Deadhaus Sonata’s Story & Worldbuilding(15:50) Who You Play As in Deadhaus(19:40) How Player Choices Shape Outcomes(23:00) Community-Created Stories(24:38) Community Marketplace & Compensation(26:00) Denis Dyack on Legacy & Mortality(32:23) Why AAA Games Look Better but Play Worse(34:10) What’s Broken in AAA Development(38:15) Legacy, Memory & What Games Leave Behind(44:30) NFTs, Ownership & Misused Technology(47:00) When “Gamers” Became a Dirty Word(49:30) Casual vs Hardcore Design(50:50) Gamergate, Ethics & What Changed(54:03) Moderation in 2026(56:10) The State of Online Conversation(58:45) Who Should You Hire Today?(01:03:10) Staffing, Team Size & Industry Issues(01:05:38) Nintendo’s Treehouse Philosophy(01:20:00) Working With Hideo Kojima

Anthem is now offline forever. In this exclusive postmortem, BioWare Executive Producer Mark Darrah explains what really happened to Anthem, what Anthem NEXT was supposed to be, and how the game’s failure reshaped Dragon Age Veilguard Mass Effect 5 and the future of BioWare.This Anthem retrospective covers the internal fallout from BioWare’s live-service experiment, why Anthem NEXT was canceled, and how its collapse changed the studio’s future RPGs. Featuring candid insight from BioWare insider Mark Darrah, this interview connects the dots between Anthem, Dragon Age, and Mass Effect in a way that has never been publicly explained.If you’ve ever wondered why BioWare feels different after Anthem, this is the real story of how Anthem died and what it left behind.(00:00) Intro(01:56) How Mark feels Now That it's Gone(03:00) Will EA Bring Anthem Back?(04:26) No One Played It Before Launch?(07:40) What Would Have Saved Anthem?(09:00) Secrets Ruined Anthem(12:05) The Flight Problem(13:45) Was Jason Schreier Right?(15:15) Casey's Vision was Unrealistic(18:55) Why Not Call Casey?(19:28) Threatened by Leadership(23:25) Who Was Really in Charge(24:20) BioWare Leverage Lost(28:05) Anthem NEXT (29:45) Was Anthem Profitable?(31:20) What was Anthem NEXT?(32:15) Dedicated vs P2P Servers Killed Anthem(33:55) Anthem Affect on Dragon Age(35:55) Will Anthem Hurt Mass Effect 5?(37:40) Setting the Record Straight

I sat down with Mikey Spano, Chief Creative Officer at Squanch Games, to talk about High on Life 2, launching February 13. We dig into the realities of finishing a comedy-driven game, why humor is one of the hardest things to pull off in games, and how Squanch balances creative ambition with the risks facing modern studios.We also talk about funny games that actually work, why big studios struggle to take risks, how indie games break through via virality, and what players should expect from High on Life 2’s guns, humor, and final act. If you’re curious about comedy in games, indie versus AAA development, or where the industry is headed, this conversation goes deeper than most.