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PODCAST

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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All Episodes

00:47:25

Where's Xbox going, and what happens when it gets there?

The GameDiscoverCo Show ·

2026/09/29

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.Join Simon Carless & Chris Plante in the latest GameDiscoverCo Show as they look at these questions and more.Mentioned in this episode:The next part of the Xbox re-org just hit,

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00:45:00

Could Game Pass get a tier with ads soon?

The GameDiscoverCo Show ·

2026/09/22

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.)Join Simon Carless & Chris Plante in the latest GameDiscoverCo Show as they look at these

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00:45:50

Why is Xbox betting big on Kojima?

The GameDiscoverCo Show ·

2026/09/15

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.Join Simon Carless & Chris Plante in the latest GameDiscoverCo Show as they look at these questions and more. Mentioned in

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00:46:27

Xbox and PlayStation Go Back To Their Old Ways?

The GameDiscoverCo Show ·

2026/09/08

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.Join Simon Carless & Chris Plante in the latest GameDiscoverCo Show as they look at these questions and more. Mentioned in this episode: We often reference

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00:44:30

Steam's biggest genres have changed a ton since 2021

The GameDiscoverCo Show ·

2026/09/01

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.Join Simon Carless & Chris Plante in the latest GameDiscoverCo Show as they look at these questions and more

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00:39:20

'Advance Access' games - why should you pay more?

The GameDiscoverCo Show ·

2026/08/25

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. Join Simon Carless & Chris Plante in the latest GameDiscoverCo Show as they look at these questions and more. Mentioned in this episode: -

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00:49:28

How long should a game wait to enter PlayStation Plus?

The GameDiscoverCo Show ·

2026/08/18

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.Join Simon Carless & Chris Plante in the latest GameDiscoverCo Show as they look at these questions and more. Mentioned in this episode: - PlayStation just surprise dropped Helldivers 2 onto PlayStation Plus Game Catalog, about 2 and a half years

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00:45:45

Is Miyamoto right: console specs don't matter?

The GameDiscoverCo Show ·

2026/08/11

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.Join Simon Carless & Chris Plante in the latest GameDiscoverCo Show as they look at these questions and more. Mentioned in this episode: - Roblox’s results late last week weren’t stellar for the platform, as “daily active users (DAUs) fell 7% sequentially

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00:37:02

Too many 'compulsion loops' in PC games?

The GameDiscoverCo Show ·

2026/08/04

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.Mentioned in this episode of the GameDiscoverCo Show: - Simon Carless on Marvel Tokon: Fighting Souls & the rise of PC games as the 'lead' platform for tech: https://www.linkedin.com/posts/simoncarless_with-the-rise-of-pc-games-as-the-key-pc-ugcPost-7487147115043844096-ziP-/

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00:41:23

Do Steam player reviews matter for your game?

The GameDiscoverCo Show ·

2026/07/28

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.

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00:42:50

How much AI do players want in their games?

The GameDiscoverCo Show ·

2026/07/21

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.

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00:36:55

Should devs center their plans on Next Fest?

The GameDiscoverCo Show ·

2026/06/30

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?

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00:40:54

Summer Game Fest: worth it for devs?

The GameDiscoverCo Show ·

2026/06/22

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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40:40

Podcast: Mod.io's Scott Reismanis on the impact of...

The GameDiscoverCo Show ·

2022/05/18

Welcome to the fourth Tales From GameDiscoveryLand podcast in Season 1. In this episode - recorded a few weeks back - we talk to Scott Reismanis, founder of platform-agnostic game mod host/platform Mod.io about the evolution of UGC (user-generated content), the impact of this content in games, and the future of the space.Presented by Simon Carless, founder of GameDiscoverCo, this bi-weekly, limited series podcast features conversations with smart people in the video game industry on how games get

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47:53

Podcast: Devolver's Clara Sia on the streamer-led...

The GameDiscoverCo Show ·

2022/05/04

Welcome to the third Tales From GameDiscoveryLand podcast in Season 1. In this episode, we talk to Clara Sia. She’s currently the ‘influencer strategist’ at noted indie publishing label Devolver Digital, but has previously worked in streamer relations for a number of years, and streams on Twitch herself. Our subject? The vitally important - and very complex - YouTube and Twitch ecosystem, one of the primary ways that PC and console players discover games in the 2020s. Below is a lightly edited full

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43:15

Podcast: Dread Hunger's James Tan talks the hit...

The GameDiscoverCo Show ·

2022/04/19

Welcome to the second Tales From GameDiscoveryLand podcast in Season 1. In this episode, recorded a few weeks back, we talk to James Tan of Digital Confectioners, one of the key creators of smash hit social deduction game Dread Hunger. He talks about the project’s ‘hook’, its surprise Chinese success, and post-1.0 path to 1 million units sold (!).Presented by Simon Carless, founder of GameDiscoverCo, this bi-weekly, limited series podcast features conversations with smart people in the video game

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45:36

Podcast: Kate Gray on how media discover your games

The GameDiscoverCo Show ·

2022/04/04

Welcome to the first Tales From GameDiscoveryLand podcast in Season 1. In this episode, we talk to Kate Gray - a veteran writer for sites like NintendoLife, Kotaku, and RockPaperShotgun - about what the media expects from game creators, how to attract media attention, and most importantly, the things NOT to do.Presented by Simon Carless, founder of GameDiscoverCo, this bi-weekly, limited series podcast features conversations with smart people in the video game industry on how games get discovered

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