Game Buoy Podcast Episode 191 – Designing Women: Interior Design in Gaming

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Ahoy, mateys, and welcome to the GAMEBUOY.ORG video game podcast – your port of call for gaming news and views that maybe aren’t on your radar, but most definitely should be! On this episode, recorded Sunday, March 15, 2026, Captain Spike and First Mate Slaggy McWaggy discuss interior design and housing customization as a game mechanic!

HOT TOPIC IS THE WAY THAT WE RHYME

• Next-Gen Xbox Codenamed Project Helix Will Play Your PC Games  (Kotaku)
• Microsoft Shoots Down “Blank Check” Rumor About Project Helix Budget (Kotaku)
• Project Helix “might be Microsoft’s last attempt to make their hardware business work,” analyst suggests: “There is nobody in this industry who believes there will be another Xbox if this next machine fails”  (GamesRadar+)
• Xbox Won’t Send Next Gen Dev Kits Until 2027 (Kotaku)
• Xbox Ditching Odd Marketing Campaign And Deleting It From Web (Kotaku)
• Xbox just revealed Gaming Copilot is coming to “current-generation consoles” later this year (GamesRadar+)
• Valve’s Steam Machine Console Is No Longer Guaranteed To Ship In 2026 Due To Memory Crisis [Update: Valve Now Says It Is]  (Kotaku)
• Bloomberg: NetEase to Halt Financing on Toshihiro Nagoshi’s Nagoshi Studio in May (Anime News Network)
• Bloomberg: Sony Interactive Entertainment to Stop Releasing PS5 Games on PC  (Anime News Network)
• Sales data indicates Sony’s PS5 ports are increasingly losing audience share on PC, but only because of release timing (GamesIndustry.biz)
• Fortnite will return to Android worldwide after Google slashes platform charges (GamesBeat)
• Google resolves dispute with Epic Games, reduces app store fees to 20% (GamesIndustry.biz)
• Nintendo sues U.S. to recover money from Trump’s illegal tariffs (GamesBeat)
• Resident Evil Requiem Story DLC And More Already In Development   (Kotaku)
• Highguard to end service on March 12  (Gematsu)
• I Fell In Love With Highguard And Now It’s Gone Forever  (Kotaku)
• Kena: Bridge of Spirits coming to Switch 2 this spring (Gematsu)  
• Yoshi and the Mysterious Book Release Date Set (Siliconera) 
• News Bandai Namco Unveils New ‘Sword Art Online’ Action RPG Echoes of Aincrad (Anime News Network)

RELEASE UPDATES

• Minishoot’ Adventures now available for PS5, Xbox Series, Switch 2, Xbox One, and Switch (Gematsu)
• Blue Prince now available for Switch 2 (Gematsu)
• Digimon Story: Time Stranger DLC ‘Additional Digimon & Episode Pack 3: Anti-ParadoX’ launches March 12 (Gematsu)
• DAMON and BABY demo launches March 19 (Gematsu)
• MARVEL MaXimum Collection launches March 27 (Gematsu)
• Sigma Star Saga DX launches April 7 (Gematsu)
• inKONBINI: One Store. Many Stories. adds Switch 2 version, launches April 30 (Gematsu)
• Mixtape adds Switch 2 version, launches May 7 (Gematsu)
• Denshattack! adds Switch 2 version, launches June 17 (Gematsu)
• Ratatan Game Launches for Switch 2, PS5, Xbox X|S, PC on July 16 (Anime News Network)
•  Kyoto Xanadu launches July 16 in Japan, Asia Gematsu)

RETRO RELEASE UPDATES

• Arcade Archives 3-5-26 – Plump Pop (Arcade, Taito, 1987)
• Console Archives 3-5-26 – Nobunanga’s Ambition (NES, Koei, 1988/1989) 
• NSO Classics (+Expansion Pack) 3-10-26 – GBA Mario & Donkey Kong
• NSO Classics (+Expansion Pack) 3-10-26 – Virtual Boy Mario Tennis
• NSO Classics (+Expansion Pack) 3-10-26 – Virtual Boy Mario Clash
• Arcade Archives 3-12-26 – Neo Geo Pop N Bounce (Neo Geo, Video System, 1997)
• Console Archives 3-12-26 – Sonic Wings Special (PS1, Video System,1996)

CULTURE CLUB

• Street Fighter Pro Detained By ICE Is Coming Home (Kotaku)
• Nacon postpones game showcase after filing for insolvency (GamesIndustry.biz)
• Major Fortnite Leaker Actually Worked For Epic Games (Kotaku) 
• “We are not powerless, every action matters” – Indie studio Speculative Agency returns Microsoft Xbox funding and urges others to boycott (Eurogamer)
• Tomb Raider 1-3 Remastered gets free challenge mode alongside mobile and Switch 2 release (Eurogamer) 
• Major investor is ‘shocked and sad’ that the games industry is ‘demonizing’ generative AI (PC Gamer) 
• Assassin’s Creed brand update – Assassin’s Creed Black Flag Resynced, Assassin’s Creed Unity frame rate patch, more (Gematsu) 
• Unannounced Hunter: The Reckoning game by Teyon leaked via RoboCop: Rogue City update – Gematsu (Gematsu)  
• One Person’s Unhinged Crusade To Erase An Obscure PC Game From Existence Has Finally Been Stopped (Kotaku) 
• 15 years later, infamous Konami producer shocked to discover his 3DS Frogger revival is now a collectible in the high-priced retro market: “Every price for everything gets ruined” (GamesRadar+) 
• Resident Evil Requiem sells 5M in 5 days in new franchise record (GamesBeat)  
• News Suikoden Anime’s New Video Reveals More Cast, October TV Debut (Anime News Network)    
• Final Fantasy XIV Live Letter 91 Summary – Patch 7.5 revealed (Nova Crystallis)
• Mobile Suit Gundam Announces Collaboration with Apex Legends (Anime News Network)  
• LET IT DIE to end service on September 1; Offline Edition launches this fall (Gematsu)
• GDC Awards 2026 to recognise Don Daglow and Rebecca Heineman (GamesIndustry.biz)  
• Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 wins Game of the Year at Game Developers Choice Awards 2026  (GamesIndustry.biz)
• Lego Finally Announces A Mario Minifig Is Coming After Making Fans Wait Seven Years (Kotaku)
• The 7th Guest Remake announced for PS5, Xbox Series, Switch, and PC – Gematsu (Gematsu)

MY OWN PRIVATE IDAHO

• First Pokemon Pokopia Event Stars Hoppip, Skiploom, Jumpluff (SiliconEra)
• Pokémon Pokopia’s first patch announced, tackles progress-halting bugs and makes progression a bit easier to figure out (Eurogamer) 
• After a successful launch weekend, Pokopia has become one of the best-selling Pokémon spin-offs ever (Eurogamer)
• Bandai Namco Making Resident Evil 2 Remake Arcade Game (Siliconera)  
• Arc System Works announces card-based survival game Goritaire for PS5, PS4, Switch, PC, iOS, and Android (Gematsu)  
• Bravely Default: Flying Fairy HD Remaster now available for Xbox Series, PC (Gematsu)
• 22 years later, Pokemon FireRed and LeafGreen’s Switch re-releases patch out a glitch that could make certain legendary ‘mons disappear from your game permanently (GamesRadar+) 
• WarioWare director Goro Abe leaves Nintendo after 25+ years (GamesIndustry.biz)
• Shinji Mikami forms AAA studio Unbound (GamesIndustry.biz)

SO CONTROVERSIAL

• “We sincerely apologize”: Final Fantasy 14 news blog goes down as Square Enix takes action against its admin for allegedly defamatory content against the MMO’s devs (GamesRadar+)
• Another Final Fantasy 14 news blog shuts down as admin cites “weight of responsibility” following accusations of defamatory content towards the MMO’s devs (GamesRadar+)  
• Fortnite Raising V-Buck Prices And Cutting Back Bonus Rewards ‘To Help Pay The Bills’ (Kotaku)
• Let Them Eat Skins: Fortnite Players Are Calling For A Boycott Over V-Buck Price Hikes (Kotaku)
• Arc Raiders Replacing AI-Generated Voices With Human Actors (Kotaku) 
• The Secretive Company Filling Video Game Sites With Gambling And AI (Aftermath)
• Don’t Buy Pokémon Pokopia From Amazon  (Kotaku)        
• Mega Man Voice Actor Drops Out Of Sequel After Being Asked To Work Without Union Protections By Capcom (Kotaku)  
• SAG-AFTRA issues a Do Not Work Order against Capcom for “failing to initiate the signatory process” (GamesIndustry.biz)
• Somehow, Someone’s Made A Bigger Pokémon Ripoff Than Palworld (Kotaku)

DOOM AND GLOOM

• Halfbrick cuts 41 jobs as it navigates “challenging period for the games industry” (GamesIndustry.biz)
• Killing Floor dev Tripwire Interactive lays off 23 employees (GamesIndustry.biz) 
• Build A Rocket Boy lays off staff and alleges corporate espionage (GamesBeat)

SMASH HIT

• Great Journalism Doesn’t Happen Overnight (Aftermath)

RUMOR HAS IT

• Report: US government may compel Tencent to divest gaming investments (GamesIndustry.biz)  
• Mario Kart World content update seemingly leaked by Nintendo itself as players reckon a fan-favorite mode is on track to return to the Switch 2 racer (GamesRadar+)

DISCUSSION TOPIC

This week, Captain Spike and First Mate Slaggy McWaggy discuss interior design as a game mechanic! They start with its roots in home design productivity software being used for entertainment purposes before diving into some notable uses of interior design and player housing, including The Sims, Animal Crossing, MMORPGS, and the newly released Pokemon Pokopia. The Podcast Pirates discuss other genres in which they would like to see these mechanics implemented, as well as their hopes for the future of these mechanics in games.

Sources referenced:

• Home Design 3D by Expert Software (Internet Archive)
• Sims 4 Fans Revolt Against EA’s Wild Paid Mod Marketplace Taxes (Kotaku)
• Popular “The Sims” YouTubers suddenly cut ties with EA Creator Network: “Stepping away is the strongest action” (Yahoo! News)
  

WHAT’S UP

Captain Spike has been playing Pokemon Pokopia and Animal Crossing: New Horizons. First Mate Slaggy McWaggy has been playing Pokemon Pokopia and Pokemon FireRed.

SOCIAL LINKS QUESTION OF THE WEEK

This week we’re talking about our experiences/opinions about Interior Design as a game mechanic. Do you enjoy this game mechanic? What are some of your favorite examples?

EXITLUDE

SHOUT OUTS – “FRIENDS OF BUOY”

• Orange Lounge Radio IIDX, where every geek has a voice
• Aftermath, an independent, worker-owned website about video games, other media and internet culture
• Game Mechanics, where TTRPG designers “kick tires and run diagnostics on tabletop experiences”
• Walloping Websnappers! A Spider-Man Podcast, a dive into every Spider-Man cartoon ever made
• Neo Geo Go!, a show that takes on the Neo Geo library chronologically and quickly.
• The Bobby Blackwolf Show, a weekly internet radio show and podcast discussing the latest news in gaming as well as sometimes reminiscing about gaming’s history
• Video Game Realness, a dose of gaming chit chat among friends
• Nintendo Pow Block, a dive into the week that was in the world of Nintendo
• Standard Issue Computing, retro and modern computer games, hardware, software, and history
• Sasha’s Retrobytes, “bytes” of vintage gaming including magazine scans and photographs
• Defunct Games, your daily source for modern video game reviews, exciting trivia competitions and old school magazine analysis
• Thomas Game Docs, where each video covers “a different aspect of video game history”
• Craig, Slaggy McWaggy’s robot boyfriend a multi-track voice channel recording bot for Discord