Gamertag Radio

In this episode of Gamertag Radio, hosts Danny Peña and Riana Manuel-Peña team up with MediaWise to explore the impact of online misinformation and toxic culture within video game spaces. They are joined by lead web developer at Poynter, Jay Tillery and veteran 3D artist Del Walker. The panel discusses how rumors spread rapidly across social media, why negative clickbait dominates the algorithm, and the real-world impact fake leaks and toxic discourse have on both game developers and gaming communities.
Key Topics Covered:

The Mechanics of Misinformation: Del Walker offers a developer's perspective on why bad-faith rumors, clickbait headlines, and claims of "lazy developers" gain traction online due to missing context around bug fixes, certification schedules, and studio pipelines.

Digital Ownership & Industry Trends: A candid discussion on digital licensing, game preservation, content removal on major console storefronts, and how consumer behavior impacts physical media.

Cleaning Your Digital Space: Actionable advice on curbing toxicity in online lobbies, curate social media algorithms, and combat information disorder.

Note: This live stream recorded in partnership with MediaWise leads into Gamertag Radio's upcoming panel at TwitchCon 2026 in San Diego on Nov 14 at 10:30am PT.

At Gamescom, Parris Lilly catches up with Lead Combat Designer from Rebel Wolves, to discuss the immersive combat systems in The Blood of Dawnwalker. He breaks down the design behind the game's directional sword fighting, optional accessibility options like Omni-blocks, and how the team balanced combat difficulty to keep players engaged. The conversation also covers player customization, skill tree trade-offs, and the mechanical differences between playing as a human utilizing witchcraft during the day versus a brutal vampire at night.

Fresh back in Los Angeles after Gamescom, Danny Peña and Parris Lilly break down their hands-on theater presentation and impressions of The Witcher 3 Remaster and its massive new story expansion, Songs of the Past!
In this episode, Danny and Parris discuss:

The Witcher 3 Remaster Announcement – Their reaction to the surprising Opening Night Live announcement, free current-gen upgrades, included expansions (Hearts of Stone & Blood and Wine), and massive quality-of-life improvements.

Songs of the Past Expansion Breakdown – Exploring the stunning new northern region of Lettin (ancestral home of Dandelion), returning fan-favorite characters like Roach, and updated combat, skill trees, ray tracing, and monster behaviors.

Lore & Witcher 4 Connections – Geralt coming out of retirement to solve Dandelion's disappearance and how this expansion bridges into the next era of The Witcher.

CD Projekt Red Events & Nintendo Switch 2 – Off-site highlights, including seeing The Witcher 3 running on the Nintendo Switch 2 and meeting the legendary voice of Geralt, Doug Cockle.

Special thanks to CD Projekt Red for hosting Gamer Tag Radio throughout Gamescom!

Parris Lilly and Danny Peña share exclusive hands-on impressions of the upcoming Fable reboot straight from Gamescom!
In this video, Parris breaks down his 45-minute hands-on combat demo from Playground Games:

Combat Breakdown – Swordplay, ranged mechanics, spell casting, and fighting through skeleton swarms and ghoul mini-bosses.

Difficulty Scaling – Playing through the demo on default and stepping up to Heroic/Legendary difficulty.

Visuals & Performance – Impressions from playing on PC and Series X, confirming smooth controls and non-clunky combat.

Campaign Length & Legacy – Discussion on the reported 15–20 hour campaign length, side quests, real estate, and whether Playground Games captures the true feel of Fable ahead of its release.

Parris Lilly and Danny Peña share hands-on impressions and co-op details for State of Decay 3 from Gamescom!
In this video, Parris breaks down his 45-minute hands-on gameplay session playing State of Decay 3 for the first time:

Co-Op & World Host Mechanics – How persistent co-op worlds work, host permission controls, and managing friends in your survivor group.

Scavenging & Gameplay – Exploring infected towns for resources, dealing with zombie swarms, and managing procedural survivors with unique perks.

Camp & Survivor Management – Recruiter mechanics, survivor morale, losing bases, and managing your community.

Visuals & Beta Plans – Upgraded visuals compared to State of Decay 2 and plans for the upcoming closed beta test.