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The GameDiscoverCo Show

Simon Carless & Chris Plante

How do PC and console games get popular? Hosted by GameDiscoverCo founder Simon Carless & Polygon co-founder and Post Games/The Besties co-host Chris Plante, this companion to GDCo's popular newsletter talks about the latest game platform & discovery news trends, weekly.

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18 episodes
weekly
Avg 42 min
English

Episodes 18

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#18
Tuesday · 38 min
Discord: a new public 'hot spot' for game discovery?
We talk about an important discoverability change for Discord servers, why average wishlist count increases in October's streaming showcases were slower than earlier in the year, the significance of a game citing dev costs in increasing its post-launch default price, and what Roblox's latest results say about the platform.
#17
October 27 · 39 min
People Can’t Stop Playing These Games
We talk about 2026's debuts that got played a lot by the average player on Steam, a survey into AI use at bigger game studios, Sony fighting back against the PlayStation console jailbreaks, and how often the average player actually buys games - might be less than you think!
#16
October 20 · 46 min
Should devs change their release plans due to AI clones?
We talk about the surge in AI decompilation of games and whether releasing demos early is now bad, some learnings from Forbidden Solitaire from a long-term indie game dev, the state of the Meta Quest game scene, and if Epic's vibecoded Epic Games Launcher is going to change the velocity of the PC store
#15
October 13 · 44 min
The next Steam Next Fest is going to be how busy?
We talk the different structure and the amount of games currently lined up for October's Steam Next Fest, how making 'regular' trailers vs. short-form video influencer output differs, whether Xbox is going to be making Minecraft more commercially minded in the medium term, and how video games need to compete in the 'attention economy' with the inexorable rise of gambling.
#14
October 6 · 38 min
Can a Bad Name Hurt a Good Game?
We talk about the most generic names for games on Steam and whether it really matters what your game is called, a PvE mode in extraction shooter standout ARC Raiders, a lawsuit in Roblox exposing the (lack of) contracts behind many Roblox successes, and the question of Xbox/PS platform split on GTA VI getting spicy…
#13
September 29 · 47 min
Where's Xbox going, and what happens when it gets there?
We talk about the next part of the Xbox re-org, how a media smart guy says 'the relationship between time and value is breaking down' in media, the rise of Steam demos whose saves transfer to the full game, and Meta's announcements of a revamped, AI-centric Horizon game creator and the latest iteration of Meta's VR plans.
#12
September 22 · 45 min
Could Game Pass get a tier with ads soon?
We talk about a rumor around a dual-tier Game Pass system with and without ads (but without Day 1 games), the switch-up of the Triple-I Initiative streaming showcase to twice per year, the Roblox announce that it's allowing standalone app for all its games on PC, console and mobile, and the latest 'AI in games' controversies (around a Steam festival and the Independent Games Festival AI disclosure.)
#11
September 15 · 45 min
Why is Xbox betting big on Kojima?
We talk about how Xbox doubling down on Hideo Kojima after PlayStation decided to drop Physint, Ubisoft's move away from its intrusive Ubisoft Connect PC launcher on Steam, smaller Steam games getting better personalized visibility on the front page of the site, and CliffyB talking about how AAA should 'faceplant for a while' in this new PC/console game creation paradigm.
#10
September 8 · 46 min
Xbox and PlayStation Go Back To Their Old Ways?
We talk about how PC game hardware increases might also stretch the game biz in similar ways to console, discuss how Xbox and PlayStation are in some ways getting 'less multiplatform' - or at least signaling that they are. And we also look at some great points from Arrowhead's CEO and chat about August's top new PC & console games.
#9
September 1 · 44 min
Steam's biggest genres have changed a ton since 2021
We talk about Valve's 30 year anniversary and the inexorable (?) rise of Steam as a platform, ruminate on Battle.net getting more third-party game additions with The Witcher 3: Wild Hunter - Remastered, examine a change to more personalized midweek deals on Steam, and discuss how hit PC game genres have changed since 2021, according to a GDCo analysis of tags for popular new games.
#8
August 25 · 39 min
'Advance Access' games - why should you pay more?
We talk about changes for GDC 2027 (and the history of the event), why pre-orders and Advance Access for many games seem increasingly to be 'pay to get access early', why some PlayStation 'shovelware'-adjacent publishers are being kicked off (and then re-instated!) on the platform, and discuss Big Walk's success and the future of the 'co-op only' game genre.
#7
August 18 · 49 min
How long should a game wait to enter PlayStation Plus?
We talk about Helldivers 2 finally making it onto Sony's console subscription service, the state of paid mods/UGC in 2026, how AI interfaces may (or may not!) change how people pick out their media, and discuss which game showcase might be right for devs.
#6
August 11 · 45 min
Is Miyamoto right: console specs don't matter?
We talk about Roblox's market-disappointing financial results, how to think about Steam 1.0 releases vs. Early Access, Shigeru Miyamoto's recent comments on console tech specs being less relevant, and get into Simon's 30 years (!) in the game biz.
#5
August 4 · 37 min
Too many 'compulsion loops' in PC games?
We talk about whether your target PC/console device, technically, should always be the PC, chat about vertical video taking over the Internet, the rise of 'compulsion loops' in games, and analyze new Steam demo hit Guildrun.
#4
July 28 · 41 min
Do Steam player reviews matter for your game?
We talk about GDCo's survey around how Steam fans treat player review when they buy games. Also: an academic's view on the 'deprofessionalization' of games, Gamescom 2026's role in the industry, and improvements to Steam gifting and wishlist categorizing.
#3
July 21 · 42 min
How much AI do players want in their games?
We talk about GDCo’s recent player survey of AI in games, whether Steam refunds for short games are bad news & how the Apple Arcade catalog has settled in over time. Plus, we discuss where Meccha Chamelon fits in the Steam ecosystem.
#2
June 30 · 36 min
Should devs center their plans on Next Fest?
How does Steam Machine's pricing reflect the new reality of hardware costs? What's the state of physical video game sales in the U.S. in 2026? And what is Next Fest's relative importance for marketing your game?
#1
June 22 · 40 min
Summer Game Fest: worth it for devs?
In a pilot episode, Simon & Chris talk about Summer Game Fest & its discovery ramifications for devs, as well as GTA VI's release, Epic's State Of Unreal showcase and UK social media-related legislation that may affect games.

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