TWIG #402: Xbox Bets on Kojima, Halo Gets Handed to CoD and AppLovin Hits the Road

Xbox is cutting niche studios and signing a niche Kojima project in the same month. We try to make it make sense.

Sony pulled funding on Physint after budget concerns, and Xbox picked it up as a franchise with film and TV rights attached. Meanwhile Microsoft keeps restructuring into clean verticals, with Halo moving under Activision and Obsidian joining Bethesda, which has us asking whether Xbox is getting organized to sell. We also look at Build A Rocket Boy closing after roughly $250M raised and one troubled launch, Apple's new ATT prompt in Europe, and why AppLovin's CEO is suddenly on every stage talking about a $50B mobile ad market.

Topics Covered:

• Apple rewrites the ATT prompt in five EU countries.
• Sony ends Physint funding and Xbox picks it up.
• The transmedia bet behind Xbox's Kojima deal.
• Halo moves to Activision in the latest Xbox cuts.
• Is Microsoft packaging Xbox to spin off or sell?
• Build A Rocket Boy closes after MindsEye.
• What big gaming losses do to investor sentiment.
• AppLovin's buyback, Axon and the fingerprinting debate.
• Why AppLovin's CEO is on a speaking tour.

CHAPTERS:

00:00 Intro
01:35 DICE Athens Hometown Events
03:07 LA Games Conference Plug
04:36 Roundtables and Global Meetups
05:41 Newsletter and Founder Story Tease
10:08 Apple ATT Prompt Changes EU
13:30 Kojima
27:41 Microsoft Restructure and Halo Shift
30:06 CoD Studios Under Pressure
33:45 Can Xbox Be Sold Off
36:10 Halo Moved to Activision
46:34 Build A Rocket Boy Collapse
51:05 AppLovin Stock and Axon
53:58 Fingerprinting Cheating Debate
58:01 Why the CEO Is Touring
01:02:25 Wrap Up and Sign Off