AI Angst, ‘Final Fantasy Resonance,’ and ‘GTA III’ Turns 25

Ben and Matt James break down the good, bad, and ugly of gaming’s recent reckoning with AI-driven development, decompilation, and cloning, and they assess whether it will fundamentally reshape the medium’s economic and creative model. Then they provide their impressions of the newly released Final Fantasy Resonance and Nintendo Switch Sports Resort and react in real time to the dissolution of storied studio Bioware. Finally, Ben sets the scene for GTA VI by bringing on The Atlantic’s Jeremy Gordon to reminisce about the October 2001 release of Grand Theft Auto III and discuss how it altered the trajectory of open-world gaming and created the GTA juggernaut.

Host: Ben Lindbergh
Guests: Matt James and Jeremy Gordon
Producer: Isaiah Blakely