This week, Joseph and Luke sit down and breakdown their thoughts on the state of the games industry in 2026. From what publishers are making the biggest impact to their thoughts on the importance of the indie scene, this is a wide ranging fireside chat ahead of the summer showcase season.

Episode Resources:

• Joseph’s Mixtape Article on CantPause
• MinnMax Spotlight - Virtue and a Sledgehammer

Find Timestamps for this Episode Below:

• 0:00 - Intro
• 1:30 - Icebreaker: Who is your favorite publisher in gaming currently?
• 7:44 - How do you feel about the industry as a whole right now?
• 38:27 - Are AAA vital to the games industry?
• 57:16 - What’s your most anticipated first-party and indie games for the reminder of 2026?
• 1:01:45 - Outro

Find us on BlueSky for show updates and more:

• Podcast: @crossplayconvos.bsky.social
• Podcast on Instagram: @crossplayconvos
• Jacob: @jacob.bsky.social
• Luke: @lukewarmlewis.bsky.social
• Claire: @clairebearrose.bsky.social
• Joseph: @th3hoopman.bsky.social
• CantPause on Instagram

Check out our other shows:

• Player Player Podcast

• Left Behind Game Club

• The LukeWarmGames Podcast

• Cutscenes: A Video Game Movie Podcast

• Video Game Trivia **

On this week's show, Joseph and Jacob are joined by Travis Colenutt to talk about some new indie gaming hotness!

Find Timestamps for this Episode Below:

• 0:00 - Intro
• 2:00 - Icebreaker Question: "What's going on with the Left Behind Game Club ?"
• 9:00 - Replaced
• 22:45 - Titanium Court
• 34:30 - Mouse P.I. For Hire
• 42:40 - Gambonaza by Blukulélé
• 56:40 - Outro

Find us on BlueSky for show updates and more:

• Podcast: @crossplayconvos.bsky.social
• Jacob: @jacob.bsky.social
• Luke: @lukewarmlewis.bsky.social
• Joseph: @th3hoopman.bsky.social
• Claire: @clairebearrose.bsky.social

Check out our other shows:

• Player Player Podcast
• Left Behind Game Club
• The LukeWarmGames Podcast
• Cutscenes: A Video Game Movie Podcast

This week, the crew chats about their time playing three recent indie releases including Dosa Divas, Fishbowl, and Planet of Lana II. Spoilers for the episode: these games are great and there’s something for everyone! Thanks to Popagenda and Wholesome Games for providing review code for this episode.

Games Discussed During Today’s Episode:

• Dosa Diva - Outerloop Games
• Thirsty Suitors - Outerloop Games
• Fishbowl - imissmyfriends.studio
• Planet of Lana II - Wishfully

Episode Resources:

• The Super Mario Galaxy Movie as Reviewed By A Four-Year Old - Jessica Cogswell | GameSpot

• Video Game Trivia: Judgement Hour (PAX East 2026) VOD

• Game-Pardy! A PAX East Quiz Show Event VOD - Featuring Jacob and hosted by Adam Gumbert

Find Timestamps for this Episode Below:

• 0:00 - Intro
• 2:19 - Ice Breaker Question: What did we think of the Super Mario Galaxy Movie?
• 16:07 - Dosa Divas
• 24:56 - Fishbowl
• 34:40 - Planet of Lana II
• 46:09 - Outro

Find us on BlueSky for show updates and more:

• Podcast: @crossplayconvos.bsky.social
• Podcast on Instagram: @crossplayconvos
• Jacob: @jacob.bsky.social
• Luke: @lukewarmlewis.bsky.social
• Claire: @clairebearrose.bsky.social
• Joseph: @th3hoopman.bsky.social
• CantPause on Instagram

Check out our other shows:

• Player Player Podcast

• Left Behind Game Club

• The LukeWarmGames Podcast

• Cutscenes: A Video Game Movie Podcast

• Video Game Trivia **