Logan Plant

The last few days have been very noisy in my lil squirrel brain, but taking some time to breathe has helped. I don't use BSky for anything else but signal boosting causes I believe in, but lately, seeing waves of support from my former colleagues and friends has been wonderful and unexpected. (1/3)

❤️

NO, BANANA!

I finished a Zero Banana runthrough of DK Bananza to go along with my 100% file.

No Bananas and no Fossils (which means no skills or outfits), and I entirely skipped the Zebra Bananza, which was a fun challenge. I love this game so much!

UFO 50!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

We're devastated that Red will no longer be behind the NVC curtain. He's an incredible producer, collaborator, and friend. He always said yes to whatever ask or idea I tossed his way. Our best shows wouldn't exist without him. The show will go on, but please take a second to share Red's portfolio.

Shared with permission: my incredible colleague, NVC producer Red Rigos, was impacted by IGN's layoffs yesterday. We're heartbroken: Red is kind, funny, talented, and dedicated and has been a huge part of NVC's growth and success.

Please hire him: www.redrigos.com/ign

I know it's not the craziest skip ever, but Bananza is the first game I'm actually interested in sequence breaking and watching speedruns. I'm trying to learn the more advanced techniques, here I skipped a layer with the Ostrich!

Today, IGN Entertainment announced that it would be laying off eight members of the IGN Creators Guild. This is 12% of our bargaining unit, and comes just days after our sister union, the Ziff Davis Creators Guild, underwent similar layoffs impacting 15% of their members. It also comes just months after our multibillion-dollar parent company, Ziff Davis, instituted a company-wide buyout that shrunk our unit numbers, with the express intent of avoiding future layoffs. And it comes just a little over one year after three of our members were laid off almost immediately after our union went public. The company has told us that the reason for this layoff stems from a Ziff Davis-mandate to cut costs despite several quarters in a row of year-over-year revenue increases, to which IGN Entertainment responded by coming for our members' jobs. This is perplexing to us, as we are told again and again that IGN Entertainment has had a tremendously successful year thus far thanks to their hard work. In just the last few months, our members have been absolutely essential to major events and livestreams, including San Diego ComicCon, Summer of Gaming, and IGN Live. Every single person impacted today was involved in and critical to the success of those events. Meanwhile, IGN Entertainment continues to spend money on costly acquisitions, only to turn around and gut those companies in the same way it is cutting away at IGN itself. For instance, last year, it acquired Gamer Network, and almost immediately laid off a number of staff critical to making those sites successful. The company has not responded to the union's questions about whether its budget for future acquisitions is being reconsidered as a cost-saving measure alongside these other apparently necessary personnel cuts. At a time when it is more necessary than ever to support its creators, IGN Entertainment is choosing to eliminate the individuals who ensure IGN remains competitive as generative AI

threatens our reach. We have been told that expert opinion pieces, original interviews, and work that leverages our staff's deep knowledge of gaming, tech, and entertainment are all essential to combating AI summarization and regurgitation of our work. Management has responded by cutting several individuals who do that exact work, as well as others whose job it is to ensure that these written and video pieces are published in a speedy manner — another component of combating AI we're told is critical. This continued cycle of repeated, aggressive cuts to our staff and being asked to do more with less, only for management to continue to spend on new business it isn't interested in sustaining cannot continue. We will enforce our interim agreement that guarantees better severance and other protections to laid off members, as well as demand additional support for those impacted. We will continue to bargain over our first contract with the aim of enshrining even better protections against further layoffs, working conditions continuously degraded by understaffing, and the encroachment of generative AI. And we won't stop fighting to ensure IGN remains the best destination for trustworthy, original, exciting, and creative work covering video games, entertainment, and tech. While IGN Entertainment management may not value us, we value one another and the incredible work we can do together. Behind the articles, videos, social posts, playlists, and maps of IGN are human beings, not just numbers on a spreadsheet to be pushed around when some number at the top isn't big enough. Without us, there is no IGN.

Today, IGN laid off eight extremely valuable members of our union and workforce via directive from our parent company, Ziff Davis. This, after two incredibly successful live events IGN Live and SDCC, and yet another corporate acquisition.

Please take a moment to read and share our full statement:

Thank you so much! Glad you're enjoying the show!

Show me Phoenix Wright

Donkey Kong Bananza Returns

Six Nintendo Direct predictions:

1. Hyrule Warriors: Age of Imprisonment release date

2. Professor Layton release date

3. Ace Attorney 7 reveal

4. Hades 2 release date

5. Something Xbox on Switch 2 (Sea of Thieves makes sense)

6. UFO 50 Switch shadow drop

Age of Calamity was announced in a Partner Showcase, I think there's a good chance we get an Age of Imprisonment trailer/release date tomorrow. Also hoping for a Professor Layton release date and Ace Attorney 7's reveal.

They listened!

If you skip the Rambi Rumble in Bananza, Pauline comments on it when you're diving to the next layer. That's BotW/TotK DNA right there

This message applies to everyone, but especially young men:

If you're struggling, don't bottle it up. Call a friend. Ask for help. Go to therapy. Don't be ashamed. Give the people in your life a chance to share with YOU how much they love you instead of saying it at your funeral when it's too late.

How it felt reviewing Bananza:

Yes, you'll be able to do that but just no mouse games, which also means no motion games (they can only be toggled on and off together)

YouTube video by IGN Super Mario Party Jamboree - Nintendo Switch 2 Edition + Jamboree TV Review

youtu.be/SGi8aYaCObk?...

Super Mario Party Jamboree - Nintendo Switch 2 Edition + Jamboree TV is just as sloppy as its title. It completely separates its new and old content, and the Switch 1 side didn't even get a resolution bump. The cheaper S1 version is still the better choice. Check out my review, up on @ign.com.

You LOVE bananas, DK!

Gonna buy Super Mario Party Jamboree - Nintendo Switch 2 Edition + Jamboree TV to play on my Nintendo Switch 2 + Pokémon Legends: Z-A – Nintendo Switch 2 Edition Bundle

Is there some rule that they have to do a Pokémon Presents at 6 a.m. even if there's literally no reason to hold one at all?

Make your own: playlist.ign.com

My new top five games of all time:

Bananza is a perfect showcase of modern Nintendo game design. It has the freedom of BotW, the bonkers mechanics of TotK, the platforming chops of Odyssey, and the fresh creative spirit of Splatoon. DK takes these and makes every element his own. I love it more and more each day.

I have found every Banandium Gem, fossil, outfit, and record in Donkey Kong Bananza. What a game -- an easy top 10 all-timer.

So... how's Bananza?

10/10 amiibo for a 10/10 game