Much Ink Spilled Over Sweet Baby Inc (And Sanrio)

On this week’s episode, Nathan, Chris, and Riley discuss the wild (and wholly inaccurate) conspiracy theory surrounding a small video game narrative studio called Sweet Baby Inc, which has recently taken the internet by storm. It begins with “wokeness” in video games and ends with multi-trillion-dollar investment company Blackrock, so buckle up – and if you feel your brain begin to melt, don’t worry, that’s normal. After that we dig into Chris’ long-awaited piece on Sanrio, the Japanese company that tried to create a film empire to rival Disney but mostly just ended up making a bunch of weird shit. Chris spent months researching the piece, so there’s tons to talk about. Then we spend some time ruminating on WB’s no good, very bad week, during which it doubled down on live-service games – even after Suicide Squad, a live-service game, flopped hard – and shut down Rooster Teeth, the media company behind foundational online series Red vs Blue and numerous other shows and events besides. And while we go on to lament the slate of bland productions companies are churning out when they’re not just completely setting fire to completed movies, we do learn of some bright spots, like a YouTube channel dedicated to pig racing. So at least there’s that.   Credits - Hosts: Nathan Grayson, Chris Person, and Riley MacLeod - Podcast Production & Ads: Multitude - Subscribe to Aftermath!   About The Show Aftermath Hours is the flagship podcast of Aftermath, a worker-owned, subscription-based website covering video games, the internet, and everything that comes after from journalists who previously worked at Kotaku, Vice, and The Washington Post. Each week, games journalism veterans Luke Plunkett, Nathan Grayson, Chris Person, Riley MacLeod, and Gita Jackson – though not always all at once, because that’s too many people for a podcast – break down video game news, Remember Some Games, and learn about Chris’ frankly incredible number of special interests. Sometimes we even bring on guests from both inside and outside the video game industry! I don’t know what else to tell you; it’s a great time. Simply by reading this description, you’re already wasting time that you could be spending listening to the show. Head to aftermath.site for more info.