First off, a big thank you to the folks who checked out my draft video of a weekly format for survival news: I appreciated the feedback. I made (scribbled) a bunch of notes (post-its) and skipped making a second this week so I could finalize any tweaks (poke at ideas/changes).

What’s funny- and this is in an “I can see the relation because my brain works in this way, but maybe you guys are going to think this is a weird train of thought” - I was listening to Savage Love (podcast by Dan Savage), and he had this weird but fascinating guest interview.

Also, fair warning, this will seem a little weird and off-topic, but I promise I’ll bring it back on track! It also touches on ADULT content, but very lightly and casually. (Am I still making sense?)

So this guy being interviewed has a, well, I can’t recall if it’s a video series somewhere, a BlueSky thread, or what. Anyway. Basically, he reads erotica out loud while jerking off. That’s the story. Now, what does this have to do with survival games? (Or anything, really.) Glad you asked! (I was on a call this AM with my favorite 7D2D content creator, Snowbee, and he was both laughing AND confused by this point, so you’re in good company.)

So this guy does it basically because he was already doing both things and figured, Why not make it into a thing. Which I mean, fair. If you can do something for free OR do it and get paid for it, yanno? Anyway. Porn these days kinda reminds me of Livestreaming on Twitch, right? Like you need to be, what: very, very good/entertaining, have a following that you’re pulling from some other platform, or maybe a lot of luck, or a collab with someone immensely more popular.

Now, to bring us BACK ON TRACK. This made me reevaluate the original idea behind the video series, which was to showcase, kinda specifically, these new games. But there’s nothing different about it; it would be like tossing a home video on a mega porn site, it’s just done to death.

Hopefully this gif loads below! This is just a tiny scroll of UPCOMING SURVIVAL GAMES, MOST EXCITED SURVIVAL GAMES TO WATCH FOR NEW SURVIVAL GAMES, blah blah. I probably could have scrolled for ages.

So the real trick is to make something that will get eyeballs, the right kind of eyeballs, because that’s 70% of why I’m even bothering with YT, let’s be frank. And then, obviously, deliver value to you guys as well.
It also needs to fit with how I deliver content, so it’s sustainable and not a chore. I’ve got an idea, I need some time to try this new path.

Anyway, see? Told you it would all make sense.

The big news this week was Valve’s announcement of extra shiny new hardware. I’ll steal this description off their video announcement, “Valve unveils three new gaming devices launching in early 2026. The video showcases a new Steam Controller, boasting advanced features and extended battery life. A powerful Steam Machine and a next-gen VR headset, Steam Frame, complete the lineup, promising immersive experiences.”

Just from the initial video, I definitely want one of the controllers, unless it’s crazy fucking expensive. And really, in this economy, who could tell? I think the little cube machine is pretty cool, but I’m worried it’s going to be expensive AF - aren’t some of the consoles sitting like 600-800 bucks these days? (And the Switch 2 is 499?) Analysts think it’ll be pricey as well! Also, would it still allow you to mod your games? Because that’s practically all Becca does for Stardew Valley, and I’m the same way with DayZ. Linus Tech Tips posted a short, hands-on video with the controller and Steam Machine; it’s worth checking out.

Coffee & Code

The GamesIndustry.biz Investment Panel at MCM Comic Con dug into the current state of games investment, and the gist is: things are weird. The COVID boom dragged in a ton of “tourist capital”: people who didn’t understand games, threw money around, lost it, and bailed. (We see the same thing in the pet industry! There are a ton of hospitality folks buying boarding kennels: some flourish, some crash, some end up killing dogs.)

They also talked about money shifting into emerging markets and how a lot of the wins right now are coming from smaller, scrappier teams. Everyone on the panel agreed the bubble popped: too many games, too much noise, and not a lot of guaranteed bets anymore.

The part I actually cared about was Meg Clarke quoting Willem Dafoe (from some podcast): “Do the thing to do the thing.”
She followed it with: “Don’t do things to please other people, because if they don’t like it, you are making something that you hate… make something you enjoy that’s inspired by the stuff that gives you good vibes.”
Her whole point was that chasing trends is basically volunteering to drown with all the other clones. Sure, some get lucky! But you have to be fast AND bring something new to the table.

I love that “do the thing to do the thing” mindset. Make something because it matters to you, not because Steam’s tag roulette decided “cozy farming” was the flavor of the week. (This is kind of the opposite of how Seyed approaches things - or at least how he framed it in his spotlight. And seriously, read his interview with Hashtag about Unhinged - link is further down the post)!

You can absolutely build off something popular! We’ve got Stardew clones, Among Us clones, and Valheim clones out the ass. And while some succeed - though they never seem to do quite as well as the original- most of them vanish into the pile.

We’ve probably never even heard of 95% of them.

Comments of the Week!

Nothing here yet - but starting next week, I'll be pulling your best email replies, Discord comments, and hot takes into this section. If you want to be featured, hit reply or drop something in Discord!

Simply Hashtag

Don’t miss my Q&A with Seyed, the developer behind the upcoming survival title Unhinged. We cover some great stuff, including what happens after you pitch a game to 70 developers and they all say no. (You kill it. That’s what.)

(Pst, there are also two bonus posts with extra questions free on Patreon! Check them out and agree with me that games that loot directly to your toolbar are terrible and need to stop doing that. )

This week, I added Unhinged and updated The Front.

I spent a good chunk of the weekend without internet access, which was terrible because my phone provider has odd reception in my apartment building. Rip. So endless time going back and forth with my ISP, getting the “it’s not us, it’s you” talk until they finally sent out a tech. A very nice tech! But equally uncertain as to what the issue was, since apparently “everything checks out fine” on their end. I ended up getting them to swap me onto one of their modems to see if it was mine without spending the cash, and also shut them up about their equipment being better. (It’s not.) Symptoms so far: Daytime internet is largely fine, though sometimes speeds (which should be 500) are hitting in the low 100s. But every evening around 9-10 pm, the speed tanks, connection tanks, and the internet poofs.

If you have an idea, hit me up! Would love to game without endlessly disconnecting and wondering if I was the victor in whatever life-or-death struggle I was embroiled in, since that seems to be the only time I get DCed.
(Also, when I find a pristine ice axe and Namalsk and think I added it to my bag, but surprise! I’ve been disconnected for the past 60 seconds, and nothing stuck.)

- Jordan

P.S.: I respond to every email, so lemme know your questions, feedback, criticisms.