What Roblox’s Meltdown Really Exposes & The $55 Billion Saudi Takeover is Way Worse Thank You Think

What is really going on with this Roblox bloodbath and why you have this GTA 6, EA, and Microsoft news showing us it's going to get even worse?You have Tucker Carlson just dropping a manifesto for Republicans abandoning MAGA.And we go inside the huge problem of more election deniers now overseeing key swing state elections to break down what happens from here.We're talking about all of that and even more on today's brand new Philip DeFranco Show, your daily dive into the news, starting with this.You are now witnessing the Roblocalypse, right?The robot bloodbath.

No, Roblox apocalypse.There we go.My mouth worked this time.And if you haven't seen, one, it's gotta be one of the most dramatic implosions I've ever seen in video game history.And two, it just exposes so much of what's happening right now regarding the entertainment industry, kids, and privacy.And really, depending on whatever happens next, you could be seeing the shape of the entire industry transforming sooner than many people realize.

But where we got to start is with Roblox, right?Because the stock has fallen 70 % over the past year, 36 % in the last month alone, and $9 billion in market value was just gone, poof.in a single day.And notably, you saw this downfall coming after its insane peak last summer, when it attracted more players in every title on Steam combined.They were rocking 152 million daily active users.But since then, they shed nearly 30 million.

And again, that's in less than a year.That's why you're the investment research firm Morningstar, calling the numbers atrocious, saying virtually every engagement and payment metric is terrible.Though you then also had Rock Paper Shotgun putting it way more simply, writing the second quarter earnings report made for sobering reading if your name's Cash McInvestor Person.Now, if you are unfamiliar with Rock Paper Shotgun, which is completely normal if you are an adult person with no children and you're not a developer.Basically, Roblox itself is not a game by itself per se.Think of it more as a platform where players and developers make the games themselves using its design tool.

Though also to a certain degree, you can lump it into a category of IPs that capitalize on the popularity of user -generated content like Fortnite and Minecraft.Though those arguably have very successful core games in them.And it's important to understand all that because according to the head of Roblox, the reason that they declined so much, it has to do with the types of games that people are playing on it.Basically, their version of Roblox of events, the way they explain it is that fewer users are playing the games that went viral last summer.Games like Steal a Brain.Rot and Grow a Garden, which would squeeze the most money out of players per hour through in -game purchases.

And instead, more users are gravitating towards games that squeeze less money out of them per hour, but also keep them playing longer.And in fact, you have Roblox claiming that this shift was intentional, claiming that they changed their recommendation algorithm to prioritize long -term retention over near -term monetization.But what they say is that they just didn't expect the shift to be as big as it was, and that it proved to be too much of a shock to their balance sheets.And here, you saw just a number of reactions.

with some saying it was roblox blaming their users saying that it was their fault for not creating more viral games even though they do not work for them you then also had a lot of frustrated players arguing that the company did all this to themselves by worsening the player experience with a string of bad updates they add ai moderation with bands a bunch of people for no reason at all and they force everybody to have a dynamic face ruining basically everyone's avatar but now the lack of original and viral experiences yes that is the issue and because of the face id verification and whatever I just think if they would have put out like slightly less updates and not a over the developers and the player base so much, you know, by doing things like cutting their revenue and making you pay to put a good game out and stuff like that.

You know, I really think that this wouldn't have happened, but you know what, lucky guess, wild guess, I don't really know.

around adults grooming children inside of the games.Where you had numerous cases of documented actual abuse happening after an in -game meeting.You even had it leading to lawsuits from multiple states.And so the company, they put in place age verification and stricter moderation.Of course, a lot of people not in love with the solution of a video game scanning the internet.face.

But then also like even the platform's algorithm changes.you were the chief executive arguing that those were necessary.Right, because as you had New York Magazine putting it, currently, Roblox is a place where some of the most insidious trends of the contemporary internet, gambling, compulsive distraction, mindless consumption, and overall insidification have hardened into governing realities.And so you had many saying that if Roblox is gonna be sustainable, it's got to shift from being a casino slot machine that's bilking 12 year olds out of their parents' money to more high quality games that prove durable over the longterm.So that's in part why you have the CEO trying to paint the stock tanking as a short -term pain for long -term gain.Writing to investors, It's still early, but our data shows a positive lift in quality stickier engagement games.

And adding the benefits of higher retention, we believe, outweigh the near -term impacts we're seeing as improved retention and engagement compound into future growth.But in the meantime, you have some thinking that Roblox is just very vulnerable right now for a surprise attack from one of its competitors, namely Xbox.Because Xbox, it's home to Minecraft, which is actually still smaller than Roblox, even after the past year.But to a certain degree, they are fighting for the same market.I mean, it's even sometimes called Roblox before Roblox.And if you really want to dive into a rabbit hole there, there are cool deep dives into how custom servers, minted millionaires, but then also the problems with those servers.

Right, not all, but some.But with all that in mind, you then also see Xbox's new CEO recently listing four overarching goals for the company going forward.And one of them is to make Minecraft the world's creator platform.And that also really stood out because the other three goals were, I'll say, more abstract.Were things like grow great games into global franchises or extend the worlds that fans love.So the fact that Minecraft got its own goal and its own specific mention, That stands out.

But also the timing here matters because that company is also going through its own challenges.In the last fiscal year, you've had their revenue drop by $1 .7 billion.Meanwhile, the cost of hardware components, especially memory chips, those have shot way up.And as far as staffing in this environment, the company laid off 1 ,600 employees and spun off four game studios and more layoffs are expected through the middle of next year.But also you have people noting that since its new chief executive arrived in February, she's been trying to get Xbox back on track with a series of reforms.And so for example, she's bringing back console Xbox One.

with Gears of War E -Day later this year and Clockwork Revolution in 2027.Right, moves that stand out and an environment where you can actually play Halo on PlayStation.But then also with that, part of the plan is to capitalize on the big existing franchises like Halo, Fallout, and Minecraft.Right, but then again, it is important to take an even wider look because Xbox is not the only giant that might be taking advantage of the Roblox apocalypse.Right, especially because you have GTA 6 shaping up to become the biggest game launch in history.it doesn't look like they're trying to do this alone.

Last year, you had Rockstar, the publisher behind GTA, even reportedly starting talks with Roblox and Fortnite creators about potentially creating custom experiences in the game.One, it's important to know that there is a core game and then also what's going to happen online.But basically the idea is that these creators would have the ability to modify the game's environment with their own IP and maybe even sponsors.And it's seemingly all part of Rockstar's plan to make GTA 6 the next big metaverse platform.Right now, it even has multiple job listings open for its creator platform.And then even today, you got an example of just how big this is going to be partnerships and understanding how to move the culture.

And one of the reasons you have people talking about Rockstar and GTA six today is that they just announced at the end of this month, they're going to make its next big GTA six reveal.on Netflix.And apparently they're not just dumping a video.It's going to be part of a first of its kind of live stream.They're trying to create that moment in time and one of the biggest places that people consume content.And you had Netflix's VP of nonfiction calling it a reflection of what we hope Netflix is becoming.

Because one, games aren't just games anymore.They're becoming entire platforms.And two, with all the negative press, it seems like Roblox is actively losing out on these kinds of deals.But then all of this is also so much bigger because the whole gaming industry right now is going through another seismic shift, right?And one of the latest examples of that is this news with EA, the maker of hit games like Battlefield of the Sims and Madden, ending its 36 year run as a publicly traded company.But actually not because they're dead, they're going private in a $55 billion deal, which is one of the largest private equity buyouts in history.

So really standout isn't just the numbers, but rather who is buying it.Because you have this group of investors, the first being Saudi Arabia, which ends up being as controversial as it is unsurprising.Or because you've had human rights organizations long accusing the country's regimeof sports -washing by investing into the sports and entertainment industries.But then also as far as the other two investors, they're both private equity funds, Silver Lake and Affinity Partners, with the latter of which being run by Jared Kushner.Because of course, the Trumps, they're just involved in every single thing that happens on the planet right now.

And so for a number of reasons leading up to this buyout, there was a blocked EA deal campaign trying to pressure EU regulators not to approve it.Obviously that failed.And so now you have its organizers saying, with this deal, Saudi Arabia and Jared Kushner just bought access to 700 million players worldwide.And adding with the increased use of AI in the creative sector and video games, the potential for data misuse by a foreign sovereign is high and poses significant international security risks.But then also you have critics saying, it's not just bad for consumers, it could actually threaten the employees of EA itself.Because usually huge acquisitions like this are followed by huge layoffs.

And there ends up being no shortage of examples.It happened with Microsoft bought Blizzard for $69 billion, right?They cut almost 2000 employees.And as far as EA, they already cut several hundred jobs in May, with more layoffs rumored to come.Plus, with this deal, they're taking on $18 billion in debt, putting it on the hook to pay $1 .8 billion per year in interest.And so reportedly, you have the company telling its debt investors that it's gonna cut $700 million in annual costs, including $170 million in organizational efficiencies.

Which of course, for investors, shareholder value, when you're looking at a P &L, it can be good.But of course, it is definitely not good for the workers making these games, and it might not be great for the people playing them.But hey, with all that, whether you are a gamer yourself, you just care about business news, privacy news, any, this is just so all encompassing.I would love to know your thoughts and reactions in those comments down below.But then jumping from that, I actually have an awesome update and a cool opportunity, but I'm gonna have your other favorite DeFranco give you the news.

Hello everybody.It's your lucky day.It's me again.Don't worry.I won't keep you for long.Like you gave me 12 minutes of your time last time.

Thank you so much.I'm just here to stop in to say thank you so much for helping us achieve our goal.And more.Last week I asked you guys for help for fundraising for my campaign where I'm running for state house in district 47 in Georgia, which is Milton Alfred.Roswell, Freeholm, Mountain Park.My goal was to raise $100 ,000 in five days, and we actually raised $125 ,000.

I know.Did we set a record?Maybe.Maybe.We may have set a record, I would say.But the most important element to me is that we took a chance and found a new way to fundraise.

Most of the time candidates have to be on the phone calling strangers that they don't know and it's very uncomfortable or holding, you know, closed -door fundraisers.I wanted to try something different based on what my career has been and it worked.So we did live streams, we did the video, and I just wanted to say thank you so, so, so much.This proves that there is a model that we can tap into as candidates, and I think we can make it more common.And it also proves that campaigns can be run without special interest money.You just have to be creative.

So lucky for you, I'm not here to ask you for anything today.I'm actually here to invite you to something really fun that's happening this weekend.So Phil and his podcast partner, Alex Pearlman, are coming to one of my canvases this weekend in Milton, Georgia.You can show up anywhere from 9 to 10.Phil and Alex and I will be there.Gonna give a little speech.

Gonna get everyone psyched.If you've never canvassed before, it's totally fine.is really just where you go around and knock on doors and you talk to people in the community and see what matters to them and you talk about the campaign.It's very simple.It's very easy and you'll never be alone.You'll always be in a group and I am just so excited to see all of you guys and be able to say thank you in person and also to Have you guys meet Phil and Alex.

So if you wanna join, you can go to lindsay4ga .com slash crashing out.You RSVP there, and then a couple days beforehand, we will send you the address.It will be in Milton, Georgia.We're just not giving out the full address yet until we know how many people are coming and all that kind of stuff.So again, thank you so, so, so, so, so, so, so much.

I'm so grateful for all of you and your support and for believing in me.All right, I'm not gonna take too much of your time.Bye, I love you, and remember LFG.

LFG stands for Lindsay for Georgia, not let's fucking go.You wouldn't be able to put that on a billboard.Yeah, y 'all, if you were even remotely nearby.We'd love to have you around on Saturday.Just sign up at Lindsay4GA .com slash crashing out.

You'll be able to be a part of one, something that really, really matters and is important.And two, probably the closest I'll ever get Alex to going on a hike with me.And then you've got more that we got to dive into in just a minute.But first let me thank a sponsor and say, you know, I feel completely on top of my money until I actually check and realize three different things renewed that week.But thankfully today's sponsor Rocket Money makes it so much easier for me to stay on top of everything.It helps me keep track of all my financial stuff that's easy to lose sight of.

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Also, the alerts are super helpful.You can get a heads up about big purchases, upcoming bills, and low balances before they become a problem.the biggest benefit is just having a clearer picture instead of just wondering whether I forgot something.So hey, take more control of your finances and try Rocket Money for free.Just go to rocketmoney .com slash phil or scan that QR code to get started today and unlock even more features when you sign up for premium.

But then diving right back into the news, we got to talk about the increasing number of election deniers that are holding local election administration roles as the midterms are inching closer and closer.Because while we've known that this was generally happening, you just got this major report from the New York Times alleging this morning that many of these officials are going to be overseeing some of the most competitive races that will determine to determine control of Congress.You had them reviewing data from the nonprofit Voting Rights Lab, and they found that at least 25 county level election officials who have taken office in 2024 have aligned with election denial movements.And understand, you have this on top of the 69 election skeptic officials who were in office before that.Most of which took office after Trump lost in 2020 and went on a misinformation bender.And since then, 41 of those officials have either taken direct action to interfere with their local elections, or they have direct ties to activist election denier groups.

And with how big the country is, you might think, hey, these sound like small numbers.Whether you think about the population in general, or even the thousands of people who work in elections across the country.But one, as the Times explained, an examination of every local election worker is a near impossible task.So the reality is, is that the number of election denying election officials, it's probably much higher.With this Times review, even in their words, meant to analyze a slice of the wide universe of officials.And that's important to keep in mind, especially because what might matter even more than the exact number of officials is how much power they have, right?

Because while it varies from state to state and role to role, the Times said that many have broad authority over election policies and maintain voter lists.And then with that, the power to remove people from the roles.And then providing examples, you have the Times pointing to an official in Michigan who took office in 2024 and used her position to spread conspiracies.And then also this year, she reportedly removed some voters from the roles, flagged others to local clerks in the area and sent notices to voters that she determined had moved or died.And while you had her saying that she based all this on change of address forms or a lack of voting, a group run by election denial activists claim that she also relied on their information.And then with all this, she was warned by Michigan Secretary of State Office that she lacked the authority to do this and lost access to voter records until she completed compliance training.

And that's also as you would state police reportedly opening an investigation into her and her husband.Then also over in North Carolina, you have people tied to the North Carolina election integrity team, which the Times described as a group of right -wing election activists who have at times espoused false conspiracy theories and they've been able to secure county offices.And one of those is actually one of the group's founding members who filed complaints over the 2024 election of a state Supreme Court justice and even requested And while you ended up seeing that effort fail, he then moved on to other things like trying to restrict voting on Sundays.And while even these are just small examples, they are part of an emerging pattern nationwide at an incredibly critical time.I feel like I've been saying this about pretty much every election for the past decade, but this one, this truly might be the most important midterm yet.And so with how unpopular Trump and his lackeys are right now, based on everything that they're doing and the threats of Trump's efforts to get election deniers posted in as many places as possible, This is a large threat.

And that's why just this week, you had a group of attorneys who prosecuted January 6th cases writing a letter urging the Senate.stop confirming Trump's election denying nominees.But so far, the Senate has confirmed nearly 60 deniers to the judiciary.When you had them confronted about their beliefs, none of them called January 6th an insurrection, nor have they been able to give a straightforward answer to who won the 2020 election.So you had these attorneys writing, and the results of the 2020 presidential election.No Senator, regardless of party, should vote to confirm a judicial nominee who is unable to state the most simple facts about the attack of January 6th.

Anyway, Senator Richard Blumenthal amplifying this message during a press conference this week saying, is a danger to our democracy.

" And as far as why you have the judiciary being so important, well, the Trump administration has filed 31 lawsuits trying to access state voter data.Though there, I'll say some of the good news is that so far, judges appointed by both parties have largely rejected a lot of those efforts.You have some calling Trump's requests unprecedented and illegal and comparing them to fishing expeditions.But if Trump, he gets loyalists in every corner of our government, that check it might just go away.He could get a green light to just bulldoze over election safeguards.And then of course with that, even if he can't get what he wants through the branches of government, he's made it very clear that he's hell -bent on sowing distrust about the elections.

And as you've had primaries taking place nationwide, he's questioned election security and integrity in some of the most prominent races.And yesterday, it was no different.He spread misinformation about the Michigan Senate primary, which as we talked about, was won by Abdul El -Sayed and a major victory for the left.And so with that, yesterday you had Trump taking to shoe social to write, third world.Miracles happen in Wayne County, including more votes being cast than there are voters by a lot.Therefore, the communist who is not like to do

is potentially in voter counter trouble.The radical left socialist has a real shot and don't discount all of those fake mail -in ballots that will surprisingly show up at the last moment.Get ready for another rigged election.Right, so it's not a new story, but it is happening again.Before people vote in November, he is pre -concluding that there's just fraud.You have him basically telling all his followers to be prepared to fight the results.

If he wins, the people spoke.If he loses, the people spoke.But he repeats it, it takes up so much air, it fills the brains of his followers to the point where they just think it's real.And understand, you had Trump saying this even after his DOJ sent poll watchers to cities in Michigan, which you should also know is a threat that he's levied at other states.And all of this, I'll just end this with my opinion, it's crazy because he could have just not been one of the worst presidents ever.Like he genuinely won the popular vote this time.

But he got in there and like immediately switched on half of the things he said he was gonna do.Insane war of choice in Iran that spiked prices for pretty much fucking everything.Also in the process, more debt, including dead Americans, and then of course that school that got bombed.And in the States, he got his so -called big beautiful bill passed, which hurt some of the most vulnerable people in our country, gutted things that are gonna just drastically worse in people's lives and decided to terrorize cities with what many people have called his stormtroopers, which ended up getting other Americans killed.And in addition to incentivizing independents and the left to get out there and vote as much as possible or be very involved in this primary process and then come November, it's resulted in a lot of people that were on his side ditching him, which we'll touch on again in a moment.But also as we've seen in these primaries, just being anti -Trump is not enough, right?

More voters are shouting at the establishment and also these new candidates that are promising change saying, well, what are you going to actually do?And yet still I'll somehow see establishment Democrats not like understanding the message, not understanding how people have shift and what they care about.But hey, time will tell.And in the meantime, I'd really love to know your thoughts on any and all of this.And then finally today, before I let you go back into the horrible real world, let's cram in some more news you need to know quickly.Starting with big and potentially scary news for those in Trumpistan because Tucker Carlson just released a 10 point manifesto about

he sees the country going now that he and other Republicans are turning their backs on MAGA.And you had him recently saying that he'd actually be building a third party for that group.So this seems to be giving us a sneak peek into whatever the hell that is.So you have him calling for a country that's fair to everyone, leadership included, sovereign from foreign influence, productive in our industries, beautiful to look at, and his version of healthy, which for now means following RFK Jr's food agenda.And then things kind of get or kind of stay general from there with him saying that he wants as a country that's honest, optimistic, wise, decent, and lastly, united.And while right now he's definitely not the leader of the Republican Party, this is a space that's gonna be important to pay attention to.

Because Trump, he's not gonna be around forever, but he does take up a lot of space, and whatever fills the vacuum once he leaves, Who knows?And so with Tucker, you got some people saying that he's kind of become the sort of intellectual hub for what I'll call the ex -MAGA coalition.And you actually had him hosting some of them last weekend, Marjorie Taylor Greene, Thomas Massey, Joe Cant, the whole gang.And you have him saying, you know, Trump betrayed them all and now the movement's begun.And so it seems like the support, it's growing.And well, in addition to that, you have some people even pushing for him to run for president.

Apparently you have the White House at least publicly facing, not phased by any of it.Saying that that faction is just an embarrassing coalition of mostly whiny turncoats who dramatically overestimate their influence and relevance.But to them, I'd say be careful.Remember, there was a time where Obama mocked the idea of Trump becoming president.But then also you've got big tech and entertainment news because you have Disney and TikTok apparently striking a deal that allows TikTok users to use Disney clips in their videos for the first time.For that, including content from FX, Pixar, and Marvel.

And with that, Disney Plus will actually start allowing some of those TikToks onto their streaming apps.Right, so you've got another first, and you have industry experts saying, all of this is coming because streaming services are just dying for more vertical content.It's widely seen that younger audiences just love that kind of content.And actually, they're not alone.Services like Peacock and Paramount Plus, they've already gotten on board.Netflix, they're also offering short form.

But with this move specifically, it's seen as kind of more of a collaboration.Disney and TikTok going, hey, can we raise both ships together?And you've got Disney officials saying, this collaboration creates a new bridge between the stories we tell and the creativity they inspire, giving creators a chancestage to share what they've made and audiences more to discover on Disney Plus every day.Anyway, TikTok adding, those creators' creativity extends the life of films and shows.We're bringing the authentic creator expression of the TikTok community to Disney Plus, inviting audiences to experience the shared creativity that makes fandom so powerful.

And while this is probably just a small sliver of the content they're talking about, this completely makes sense to me because I've seen edits or trailers on TikTok that just blow away the official trailers that you see from the studios.There is just so much underappreciated and undervalued content from just a lot of up and coming creators.But also, I do have my reservations because we are still talking about massive corporations and the devil is often in the details.So we're gonna see how this plays out.And then lastly today, I can't leave you without catching you up on the latest in the Fauci situation.Because you just had Republicans, as expected, holding him in contempt to Congress after pleading the fifth all through his hearing about how he handled COVID last week.

You could sit for InStyle Magazine But you can't answer questions for the American people.You could sit for InStyle magazine, but you're here taking the fifth.You could sit for InStyle magazine and get a million bucks in cash awards.But now the cat's got your tongue.

I bet he does.So at the root of this decision, you've got pissed off Senator Rand Paul saying that Fauci was out of line for pleading the fifth because he already has protection for his work during the pandemic through a preemptive pardon from Biden.But also the counter to that is Republicans and especially Rand Paul, they've had it out for Fauci.They were even essentially transparently saying that they were trying to set a perjury trap for him.And so pretty much everyone familiar with the law was like, yeah, him pleading the fifth was not a surprise.

The only conclusion I can reach is that the sole reason he is calling me before this committee is to get me to say something, anything, that could vindicate his repeated public pledges that I end up, in his words, quote, behind bars.

would normally then get passed or the full Senate where people are pretty sure that it's going to get shot down.Because even if all the Republicans were on board, they still need 60 votes to bypass the filibuster, which they're probably not going to get.But then also you have the fact that they're out on recess.And so Paul says that he's planning to push it straight through to the DOJ.And while the Democrats tried to block that, they were obviously outvoted.So with all that, that's why you now have Senator Gary Peters calling this a damaging precedent and saying, none of this provides the committee with any additional information or compels Dr. Fauci to provide answers to our inquiries.

And adding that it could harm our ability to conduct future investigations and disregards constitutional protections.long recognized by the U .S.Senate.And so while this was pretty much expected to happen, it also seems like the chaos, it's far from over.But that my friend, you beautiful bastard, is the end of today's show.

Thank you for caring about what's happening in the world and being a part of another daily dive into the news.Also, I hope to see some of you guys this Saturday.Remember you can sign up at Lindsay4GA .com slash crashing out.But also no matter what, I'll see you on Monday at the latest with a brand new Philip DeFranco show.Love ya, mean it, bye.