Day Zero Podcast

Day Zero
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Day Zero is a podcast on video games featuring Rahul Majumdar and Rishi Alwani breaking down the bytes and bits behind the decisions that make and break the world's greatest entertainment industry. dayzeromedia.substack.com

  1. Will Xbox's New CEO Kill Game Pass?

    2D AGO

    Will Xbox's New CEO Kill Game Pass?

    Industry staple Phil Spencer is moving on from Xbox. Megacorp Microsoft announced the Xbox CEO’s departure late last week. Heir apparent Sarah Bond revealed she would be moving on too. In their place is Asha Sharma is the new CEO of Xbox. She was previously the head of coreAI at Microsoft. In this episode of Day Zero, we discuss the ramifications of this move along with some community wisdom that’s probably done a better job of reading the room versus most (or even the official narrative). One of the points of discussion is deprioritising PC Game Pass and potentially Xbox Game Pass in itself given. Despite a strong slate of games and a rumoured new Xbox hardware next year, we may actually see Xbox being sold for parts or gutted completely. Before this, we discuss Sony’s scuppering of Bluepoint and how that it appears like an unwarranted move given that the company recently revealed its remaster plans for the God of War trilogy. And speaking of God of War, we also break down what we liked — and did not like — about God of War Sons of Sparta that was shadow dropped during the excellent State of Play earlier in the month. Day Zero is a podcast on video games featuring Rahul Majumdar and Rishi Alwani breaking down the bytes and bits behind the decisions that make and break the world's greatest entertainment industry. We’d love to hear your objectively bad takes. Let’s start a dialogue, preferably with enough branching paths favouring us. * Twitter/X - @RishiAlwani * Threads - @rishi.alwani * Instagram - @rishi.alwani * Twitter/X - @darthrahul * Threads - @darthrahul * Instagram - @darthrahul This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit dayzeromedia.substack.com

    49 min
  2. PlayStation's February State of Play May Just Save Gaming In 2026

    FEB 17

    PlayStation's February State of Play May Just Save Gaming In 2026

    The PlayStation State of Play for February 2026 was perhaps the strongest showing from any console maker in recent times. From the likes of John Wick to Kena: Scars of Kosmora, there’s something for everyone. It harkened back to the time of the original PlayStation’s (and arguably PlayStation 2’s) peak — so many games to choose from for any kind of gamer. In this episode of Day Zero, we discuss why this matters. With the state of the games business in flux courtesy of AI, a weak Xbox, and Nintendo yet to find its footing with the Switch 2, we talk about why the State of Play for February 2026 was a show of strength and how it could shape expectations for the year to come. More so when you consider that GeForce Now’s launch event is done and dusted and we still don’t have an actual launch date, and Xbox appears to be content doing absolutely nothing of value. Along with this we discuss some of PlayStation India’s marketing snafus, complete with select comments from Twitter on how the company could change it for the better. From marketing professionals to editors (and friends of the podcast) and even streamers, it appears that PlayStation’s vocal and loyal fan base has a lot to say. And some of it is even worth surfacing. In addition with how to save some money on PS5 games that fans of the podcast would be familiar with. Finally, we tell you what we’ve been playing this week, including a certain mystery game that Rahul can’t tell you about (just yet) and Rishi’s adventures with the latest Suda51 title, Romeo Is a Dead Man. Day Zero is a podcast that breaks down the bytes and bits behind the decisions that make and break the world’s greatest entertainment industry. It’s run by Rahul Majumdar and Rishi Alwani. Comments? Criticisms? Industry tips? Leather jackets? You can find us at the following handles to discuss all of that and then some: * Twitter/X - @RishiAlwani * Threads - @rishi.alwani * Instagram - @rishi.alwani * Twitter/X - @darthrahul * Threads - @darthrahul * Instagram - @darthrahul This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit dayzeromedia.substack.com

    45 min
  3. We Attended Nvidia’s GeForce Now India Media Briefing: Here’s Everything We Know

    FEB 10

    We Attended Nvidia’s GeForce Now India Media Briefing: Here’s Everything We Know

    In this episode of Day Zero, we talk about Nvidia’s GeForce Now India media briefing which we were invited to ahead of its soon to be revealed release date. While the company valued at around $4.6 Trillion (at the time of writing this post) didn’t give us a concrete launch date or a price, it said enough and more importantly, showed just about enough to give us a modicum of confidence regarding its rollout. Considering the current competition from Xbox and Jio, the standard wasn’t really that high to begin with, but just enough that being pragmatic is the best way forward. For once, it was nice to see the business people in the room intensely aware of the market realities and more importantly — audience expectations. The silver lining aside from Team Green’s prudence, is that the Nvidia GeForce Now India launch is being helmed by the company itself, no local partners. This means Indian users should get the latest and greatest features the same time as those in regions like the US. Along with this, the company waxed eloquent at a host of features that go beyond just latency as well as highlighted a few key titles including Crimson Desert and Resident Evil Requiem, both which will make it to the service day one. Finally, we discuss what this means for gamers in the country, particularly those without access to high-end hardware and how the cost of GeForce Now’s accessibility may be thanks to AI companies, data centres, and perhaps even those of us buying GPUs — which Nvidia has reportedly dropped plans of shipping new ones this year. Welcome to Day Zero and thank you for stopping by. This is a podcast that breaks down the bytes and bits behind the decisions that make and break the world’s greatest entertainment industry. It’s run by Rahul Majumdar and Rishi Alwani. Comments? Criticisms? Industry tips? Leather jackets? You can find us at the following handles to discuss all of that and then some: * Twitter/X - @RishiAlwani * Threads - @rishi.alwani * Instagram - @rishi.alwani * Twitter/X - @darthrahul * Threads - @darthrahul * Instagram - @darthrahul This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit dayzeromedia.substack.com

    41 min
  4. Is GTA 6 Killing Video Games Culture?

    JAN 30

    Is GTA 6 Killing Video Games Culture?

    In this episode of Day Zero, we discuss GTA 6, yet again. This time to parse through and make sense of a particularly spicy rumour doing the rounds about the lack of a physical copy on disc at launch. We go into the origin of this GTA 6 rumour, why it has traction, what it means for you as a consumer, and why if Take Two decides on such an approach, it nukes accessibility for markets that aren’t the United States as well as takes away from one of the core aspects of video games culture (in markets that aren’t the US) — midnight launches. Furthermore, given the tools at the disposal of megacorps like this, leaks can be squashed with ease if it so chooses. Well, unless your team skipped the day they were told about how to spot social engineering before being partly responsible for the greatest leak of all time. Along with this we discuss recently released multiplayer shooter Highguard, the team behind it, why it’s getting a negative reception, and why having access to the affection and following of Geoff Keighley has probably done more harm than good for a shooter that we do hope gets better. Finally, Rahul reveals what to expect from Nioh 3, which seems to be shaping up to be something quite special from Team Ninja given how it expands on the series’ well-worn souls like inspirations. Thank you for stopping by. Day Zero is a podcast that breaks down the bytes and bits behind the decisions that make and break the world’s greatest entertainment industry. It’s run by Rahul Majumdar and Rishi Alwani. Comments? Criticisms? Industry tips? You can find us at the following handles to discuss all of that and then some: * Twitter/X - @RishiAlwani * Threads - @rishi.alwani * Instagram - @rishi.alwani * Twitter/X - @darthrahul * Threads - @darthrahul * Instagram - @darthrahul This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit dayzeromedia.substack.com

    31 min
  5. Are The Prince of Persia Remake Cancellation and Ubisoft's Restructuring the End of the Megacorp As We Know It?

    JAN 23

    Are The Prince of Persia Remake Cancellation and Ubisoft's Restructuring the End of the Megacorp As We Know It?

    New year, new bad news. This time, Ubisoft announced the end of its attempt to bring Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time remake to fruition along with a restructuring plan that is billed at a pricey € 200 million. We discuss the cultural relevance and importance of the Prince of Persia games, particularly touching on how an entire generation of gamers in India grew up playing Sands of Time on the PS2 and PC. Along with this, we dish out details on the first time the game was cancelled and taken out of the hands of Ubisoft’s Indian operations in Pune and Mumbai, which reek of corporate mismanagement. Furthermore, we also talk about Ubisoft’s new restructuring plans which doesn’t have us convinced that this has been done entirely for the right reasons. We also go through its recent financial performance (courtesy the fine people at GameMakers). All of it suggests a potentially elaborate system to ensure family control at the cost of the games and their fans. Finally we also talk about what to expect from Ubisoft’s future projects including Assassin’s Creed and Beyond Good and Evil 2. Welcome to Day Zero! This is a video games podcast where we break down the bytes and bits behind the decisions that make and break the world’s greatest entertainment industry. Comments? Opinions? Good takes or bad? Find us with yours at the handles below: * Twitter/X - @RishiAlwani * Threads - @rishi.alwani * Instagram - @rishi.alwani * Twitter/X - @darthrahul * Threads - @darthrahul * Instagram - @darthrahul This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit dayzeromedia.substack.com

    40 min
  6. Xbox Isn’t Dead but Sure Is on Life-Support

    JAN 16

    Xbox Isn’t Dead but Sure Is on Life-Support

    Xbox woke up and realised India is a market it actually where it sells controllers and Xbox Game Pass subscriptions (consoles have been unavailable here for quite a long while now) and in order to jumpstart that it did a marketing campaign focussing on the latest addition to its offerings — Xbox Cloud Gaming. In this episode of Day Zero we discuss what it did, what the outcome was, what’s next, and why we’re extremely skeptical of the future of Xbox in India, even if in the short term, Xbox has been able to win developer mindshare and interest with its Xbox Developer Accelerator Programme. Along with this we also discuss on-ground realities in terms of sales, user feedback, and why being at retail matters in markets that are not the US. In addition to this we dig into how Xbox Cloud Gaming’s infrastructure in India has impacted the overall experience, which seems to be a cause for concern. Furthermore, we also talk about what to expect from Xbox with its upcoming developer showcase later this month. Also, we zoom out on the bigger picture concerns plaguing Xbox, namely its parent company going all in on all things slop and how it ties into the tech billionaire delusion of ending consumer ownership of computers, consoles, and any kind of hardware, gaming or otherwise. To round off the warranted doomerism, we also muse on the possibility of Xbox pulling a Meta and gutting its studios wholesale to chase Microsoft’s AI ambitions. Oh and in one bright note: we also reveal the winner of the limited edition Ghost of Yotei controller — Darren Rodrigues. Congratulations, we’ll be sending it across soon. Day Zero is a video games podcast from Rahul Majumdar and Rishi Alwani. We break down the bytes and bits behind the decisions that make and break the world’s greatest entertainment industry. Comments? Opinions? Good takes or bad? Find us with yours at the handles below: * Twitter/X - @RishiAlwani * Threads - @rishi.alwani * Instagram - @rishi.alwani * Twitter/X - @darthrahul * Threads - @darthrahul * Instagram - @darthrahul This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit dayzeromedia.substack.com

    35 min
  7. Everything We Know About The Witcher 3 New DLC

    JAN 9

    Everything We Know About The Witcher 3 New DLC

    Of all the things to capture the headlines at the beginning of 2026, The Witcher 3 getting new content was not one we had on our bingo cards. And yet, here we are. Courtesy of some stellar reporting from Eurogamer’s Robert Purchese as well as welcome comments from Polish games industry insider Borys Nieśpielak and Noble Securities analyst Mateusz Chrzanowski, it’s quite likely that CD Projekt RED might usher in a new expansion/DLC to a nearly 11-year-old game that still holds up extremely well to this day. Along with this we discuss what we could expect from such an endeavour. Be it a potential release date, price point, impact on value-focussed markets like India, and of course, what to expect from an expansion/DLC to The Witcher 3 in 2026. Furthermore we also speculate on its potential creator — Fool’s Theory as well as the tech that’s being used given that CD Projekt RED has gone all in on Unreal Engine for its future games with The Witcher 3 being built on the in-house RED Engine. Day Zero is a podcast on video games featuring Rahul Majumdar and Rishi Alwani breaking down the bytes and bits behind the decisions that make and break the world’s greatest entertainment industry. We’d love to hear your objectively good takes — they surely can’t be worse than some of ours. Find us with yours at the handles below: * Twitter/X - @RishiAlwani * Threads - @rishi.alwani * Instagram - @rishi.alwani * Twitter/X - @darthrahul * Threads - @darthrahul * Instagram - @darthrahul This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit dayzeromedia.substack.com

    29 min
  8. These Are the Best Games of 2025 You Should Play

    JAN 2

    These Are the Best Games of 2025 You Should Play

    2025 was an incredible year for video games. And while it was an even better year for self-inflicted industry drama with lay-offs, genAI (and lack of disclosure for such), platforms playing fast and loose with indie devs, and megacorps imploding, the games, were impeccable. With that in mind, we discuss the best of what the year had to offer. From the obvious such as Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 to the obtuse like Vampire: The Masquerade – Bloodlines 2, we’re joined by special guest (our first!) editor-in-chief of Story Mode, Karan Pradhan to let you know what you should have played. Be it indies like Herdling or jilted-at-The-Game-Awards-but-not-here games like Death Stranding 2, we got you covered. In addition to each of us listing our top five games of 2025, we also point out some honourable mentions to round things off. Eagle-eyed viewers would probably find the nearly hourlong length a concern as we’re usually a lot shorter for most episodes. With that in mind, we’ve kept timestamps for all sections for you to peruse through. 00:00 Introduction 02:15 Karan’s favourite games of 2025 11:33 Rahul’s favourite games of 2025 30:04 Why Dispatch surprised us all 32:17 Who did you pick in Dispatch? 32:39 Rishi’s favourite games of 2025 39:47 Karan’s honourable mentions 42:15 Rahul’s honourable mentions 46:47 Rishi’s honourable mentions 50:42 Outro Day Zero is a podcast on video games featuring Rahul Majumdar and Rishi Alwani breaking down the bytes and bits behind the decisions that make and break the world’s greatest entertainment industry. We’d love to hear your objectively good takes — they surely can’t be worse than some of ours. Find us with yours at the handles below: * Twitter/X - @RishiAlwani * Threads - @rishi.alwani * Instagram - @rishi.alwani * Twitter/X - @darthrahul * Threads - @darthrahul * Instagram - @darthrahul You can also check out our special guest Karan Pradhan right here: * Twitter/X — @karanpradhan_ * Instagram — @right_arm_over_ This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit dayzeromedia.substack.com

    52 min
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About

Day Zero is a podcast on video games featuring Rahul Majumdar and Rishi Alwani breaking down the bytes and bits behind the decisions that make and break the world's greatest entertainment industry. dayzeromedia.substack.com

Information

  • Creator
    Day Zero
  • Years Active
    2025 - 2026
  • Episodes
    15
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © Day Zero
  • Show Website
    Day Zero Podcast