In this week's episode of The Game Informer Show, host Alex Van Aken returns from a secret trip to Japan with Marcus Stewart. The pair chat with Kyle Hilliard about the first two episodes of HBO's The Last Of Us series and share their initial reactions to the show. Unfortunately, the video game industry was subject to massive layoffs this week, with reports of large companies like Microsoft, 343 Industries, and Bethesda reducing their workforce by over 10,000 employees. At the same time, on the media side, our talented peers at Giant Bomb, GameSpot, and Fandom were also affected. 

During The Playlist, the crew chats about recent games they've been playing, including Tchia, PlateUp!, Pentiment, and The Case Of The Golden Idol. 

Follow us on social media: Alex Van Aken (@itsVanAken), Marcus Stewart (@MarcusStewart7), Kyle Hilliard (@KyleMHilliard)

The Game Informer Show is a weekly gaming podcast covering the latest video game news, industry topics, exclusive reveals, and reviews. Join host Alex Van Aken every Thursday for a chat about your favorite games – past and present – with Game Informer staff, developers, and special guests from around the industry. Listen on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or your favorite podcast app.

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Jump to the timestamps to get to a particular point of discussion:

00:00:00 - Intro

00:04:12 - Fandom + Microsoft Layoffs

00:21:42 - The Last Of Us HBO Show

00:32:07 - The Playlist/Tchia

00:37:01 - PlateUp!

00:46:07 - Pentiment

00:50:02 - The Case of the Golden Idol

00:56:03 - Housekeeping and Listener Questions