The 99th episode of the Press Row Podcast features an in-depth, candid interview with NBA 2K15 Senior Producer Rob Jones all about the upcoming PS4 and Xbox One version of 2K Sports’ basketball game. Host Rich Grisham talks with Rob about a number of key subjects, including how the team put their plans together for this year’s game, his thoughts on the controversy surrounding the implementation of VC in NBA 2K14 (and how it is changing this season), core gameplay features, and some of the cool new features and options players will have across NBA 2K15’s impressive number of game modes. It’s a fascinating look into the mindset of the NBA 2K team, and can only be found here at Operation Sports on the Press Row Podcast. 

Joining us this week:

Rob Jones, Senior Producer, NBA 2K15 (@RobJones2K)

And your host, Richard Grisham (@richgrisham)

Send us your feedback! We love to hear from you and can’t wait to read your stuff on the air in a future episode. Do it one of these ways:

1) Follow the show on Twitter at @PressRowPodcast and send us some Tweets while you’re there

2) Email the show at PressRowPodcast@gmail.com 

Also, the Press Row Podcast is now available on iTunes (https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/operation-sports-press-row/id563624090), Stitcher Radio (http://www.stitcher.com/podcast/operation-sports/press-row-podcast), and the Windows Store, so subscribe to it and rate it too!

Enjoy the show!

Run Time: 1:10

Press Row Podcast – Episode 98 –Madden 15 Review Roundtable

The 98^th episode of the Press Row Podcast is one of our most-anticipated shows of the year. Host Rich Grisham is joined by regular panelists Kat Bailey, Bryan Wiedey, Chris Sanner, Owen Good, and T.J. Lauerman to break down the PS4 and Xbox One Madden 15 from top to bottom. Find out what we love and hate about everything from the presentation to the play calling, on-field gameplay to CFM and Ultimate Team. So much to discuss - enjoy the show!

Joining us this week:

Owen Good, Polygon (@owengood)

Kat Bailey, US Gamer (@The_Katbot)

Chris Sanner, Operation Sports (@ChrisSnr)

T.J. Lauerman, ThatSportsGamer (@ThatSportsGamer)

Bryan Wiedey, PastaPadre (@PastaPadre)

And your host, Richard Grisham (@richgrisham)

Send us your feedback! We love to hear from you and can’t wait to read your stuff on the air in a future episode. Do it one of these ways:

1. Follow the show on Twitter at @PressRowPodcast and send us some Tweets while you’re there

2. Email the show at PressRowPodcast@gmail.com

Also, the Press Row Podcast is now available on iTunes (https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/operation-sports-press-row/id563624090, Stitcher Radio (http://www.stitcher.com/podcast/operation-sports/press-row-podcast) , and the Windows Store, so subscribe to it and rate it too!

Enjoy the show!

Run Time: 1:56

The 97^th episode of the Press Row Podcast is a deep dive with three of the creative forces behind Madden NFL 15. Host Rich Grisham goes in depth with Creative Director Mike Young, Senior Designer Josh Looman, and “Ratings Czar” Donny Moore about the approach to design that each of them take for their specific responsibilities. Among other things, Young discusses the overall vision of the Madden franchise and how this year’s version came together, Looman details the challenges and surprises behind Connected Franchise Mode, and Moore describes how the ratings process has evolved over the years. It’s an interesting view into how a game as huge as Madden NFL 15 gets made. Enjoy the show!

Joining us this week:

Mike Young, EA Sports (@MYSportsPhotog)

Josh Looman, EA Sports (@Josh_Looman)

Donny Moore, EA Sports (@Donny_Moore)

And your host, Richard Grisham (@richgrisham)

Send us your feedback! We love to hear from you and can’t wait to read your stuff on the air in a future episode. Do it one of these ways:

1. Follow the show on Twitter at @PressRowPodcast and send us some Tweets while you’re there

2. Email the show at PressRowPodcast@gmail.com

Also, the Press Row Podcast is now available on iTunes (https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/operation-sports-press-row/id563624090, Stitcher Radio (http://www.stitcher.com/podcast/operation-sports/press-row-podcast) , and the Windows Store, so subscribe to it and rate it too!

Enjoy the show!

Run Time: 2:22

It’s happening! As we approach the busy fall sports game season, the Press Row Podcast takes a look at all of the sports releases on the docket and what each one has at stake. The new console generation has been terrific in some regards and challenging in others; what lessons have each franchise learned and how will they apply them this autumn? After that discussion, as an added bonus section a smaller group convenes to discuss the growing concern over the potential exclusion of key modes from NHL 15 in its next-gen debut. It’s a packed episode this week. Enjoy!

Joining us this week:

Owen Good, Polygon (@owengood)

Bryan Wiedey, PastaPadre (@pastapadre)

T.J. Lauerman, ThatSportsGamer (@ThatSportsGamer)

Kat Bailey, US Gamer(@atPeteDodd)

Samit Sarkar, Polygon (@SamitSarkar)

Send us your feedback! We love to hear from you and can’t wait to read your stuff on the air in a future episode. Do it one of these ways:

1)     Follow the show on Twitter at @PressRowPodcast  and send us some Tweets while you’re there

2)     Email the show at PressRowPodcast@gmail.com 

Also, the Press Row Podcast is now available on iTunes (https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/operation-sports-press-row/id563624090, Stitcher Radio (http://www.stitcher.com/podcast/operation-sports/press-row-podcast) , and the Windows Store, so subscribe to it and rate it too!

Enjoy the show!

Run Time:  2:15

It’s the middle of summer, and while there’s a bit of a lull in the release calendar before the fall blitz, plenty is still happening in the sports video game world. The 95^th episode of the Press Row Podcast is a combination of several conversations. Up first, host Rich Grisham (@richgrisham) is joined by Owen Good (@owengood), Chris Sanner (@ChrisSnr), and Bryan Wiedey (@pastapadre) to discuss the implications of the just-announced EA Access subscription program. After that segment, Rich is joined by Bryan as well as T.J. Lauerman (@thatsportsgamer) and Pete Dodd (@atPeteDodd) to analyze the sports game ‘patch culture’ as well as whether sports commentary matters. Finally, Madden 15 producer Joe Alread (@Palejo) joins Rich to describe all the new changes and improvements coming to Ultimate Team in this year’s upcoming Madden.

Joining us this week:

Owen Good, Polygon (@owengood)

Chris Sanner, Operation Sports (@ChrisSnr)

Bryan Wiedey, PastaPadre (@pastapadre)

T.J. Lauerman, ThatSportsGamer (@ThatSportsGamer)

Pete Dodd, Dodd Scientifics (@atPeteDodd)

Joe Already (@Palejo)

Send us your feedback! We love to hear from you and can’t wait to read your stuff on the air in a future episode. Do it one of these ways:

1)     Follow the show on Twitter at @PressRowPodcast  and send us some Tweets while you’re there

2)     Email the show at PressRowPodcast@gmail.com 

Also, the Press Row Podcast is now available on iTunes (https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/operation-sports-press-row/id563624090, Stitcher Radio (http://www.stitcher.com/podcast/operation-sports/press-row-podcast) , and the Windows Store, so subscribe to it and rate it too!

Enjoy the show!

Run Time:  1:50

It’s unheard of! Developing, publishing, and supporting an independent sports games on next-generation console platforms? In 2014? The sports game landscape may have gotten smaller in the past few years, but the team at HB Studios saw an opportunity where others saw risk. The result is “The Golf Club”, a simulation golf experience that will soon hit the PS4 and the Xbox One (and is already available on Steam Early Access). The 94^th edition of the Press Row Podcast features an extended 1-on-1 discussion between host Richard Grisham (@richgrisham) and The Golf Club Executive Producer Peter Garcin (@rawktron); the two discuss a host of issues, including key game design decisions, how the team navigated and processed the Early Access feedback,  going through the console submission process, and the freedom and anxiety that comes from attempting to self-publish a sports game in today’s complex landscape. It’s an open, honest conversation that provides a unique look at how The Golf Club is coming together in its stretch run.

Send us your feedback! We love to hear from you and can’t wait to read your stuff on the air in a future episode. Do it one of these ways:

1)     Follow the show on Twitter at @PressRowPodcast  and send us some Tweets while you’re there

2)     Email the show at PressRowPodcast@gmail.com 

Also, the Press Row Podcast is now available on iTunes (https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/operation-sports-press-row/id563624090, Stitcher Radio (http://www.stitcher.com/podcast/operation-sports/press-row-podcast) , and the Windows Store, so subscribe to it and rate it too!

Enjoy the show!

Run Time:  58:38

The 93^rd edition of the Press Row Podcast takes a long, hard look at how Microtransactions are influencing the way developers design and consumers play big-time sports games. Spurred on by an interesting piece published on USGamer by our own Kat Bailey (http://www.usgamer.net/articles/pes-2015-microtransactions) the panel discusses the history of Ultimate Team and its offshoots, the way Microtransactions impacted the PS4/Xbox One launch, and where they are heading in the near- and long-term future. Are these modes and features ultimately positive or negative? We weigh in with our thoughts and experiences.

Joining us this week:

Owen Good, Polygon (@owengood)

Kat Bailey, US Gamer (@The_Katbot)

Chris Sanner, Operation Sports (@ChrisSnr)

Samit Sarkar, Polygon (@SamitSarkar)

T.J. Lauerman, ThatSportsGamer (@ThatSportsGamer)

Bryan Wiedey, PastaPadre (@PastaPadre)

And your host, Richard Grisham, GamesRadar (@richgrisham)

Send us your feedback! We love to hear from you and can’t wait to read your stuff on the air in a future episode. Do it one of these ways:

1)     Follow the show on Twitter at @PressRowPodcast  and send us some Tweets while you’re there

2)     Email the show at PressRowPodcast@gmail.com 

Also, the Press Row Podcast is now available on iTunes (https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/operation-sports-press-row/id563624090, Stitcher Radio (http://www.stitcher.com/podcast/operation-sports/press-row-podcast) , and the Windows Store, so subscribe to it and rate it too!

Enjoy the show!

Run Time:  1:51

The 92^nd edition of the Press Row Podcast sees host Rich Grisham (@richgrisham) joined by Press Row regular T.J. Lauerman (@thatsportsgamer) on a trip to New York City to get some hand-on time, presentations, and demonstrations of three key EA Sports fall releases. Rich gets a tour of some new features in Madden NFL 15 with producer Danny Doeberling, sits down with the head of NHL 15 Sean Ramjagsingh (Rammer34), and gets a demonstration of the key elements of FIFA 15 along with a 1-on-1 discussion of it with its lead designer Santiago Jaromillo (Santiagoj83). Then, Rich and T.J. are joined by fellow Press Row regular Samit Sarkar (@samitsarkar), who also attended the event, to summarize their feelings and compare notes.

It’s a fun episode that – like we love to do here at Press Row – gives you a bit of a peek inside press events to see what goes on at these kinds of sessions.    

Send us your feedback! We love to hear from you and can’t wait to read your stuff on the air in a future episode. Do it one of these ways:

1)     Follow the show on Twitter at @PressRowPodcast  and send us some Tweets while you’re there

2)     Email the show at PressRowPodcast@gmail.com 

Also, the Press Row Podcast is now available on iTunes (https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/operation-sports-press-row/id563624090, Stitcher Radio (http://www.stitcher.com/podcast/operation-sports/press-row-podcast) , and the Windows Store, so subscribe to it and rate it too!

Enjoy the show!

Run Time:  1:11

The 91^st edition of the Press Row Podcast brings the full team together to discuss the loss of the NCAA Football franchise now that it’s the time of year when it would be released. We discuss what it means to each individual, what it means to EA Sports, and what the potential future may be for any kind of college football game in the future. Also, the crew discusses the critical reception of UFC a month after release and what the implications are to the game and the market with its less-then-stellar Metacritic number.

Joining us this week:

Chris Sanner, Operation Sports

Bryan Wiedey, PastaPadre

T.J. Lauerman, ThatSportsGamer

Kat Bailey, USGamer

Samit Sarkar, Polygon

Owen Good, Polygon

And your host, Richard Grisham, GamesRadar (@richgrisham)

Send us your feedback! We love to hear from you and can’t wait to read your stuff on the air in a future episode. Do it one of these ways:

1)     Follow the show on Twitter at @PressRowPodcast  and send us some Tweets while you’re there

2)     Email the show at PressRowPodcast@gmail.com 

Also, the Press Row Podcast is now available on iTunes (https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/operation-sports-press-row/id563624090, Stitcher Radio (http://www.stitcher.com/podcast/operation-sports/press-row-podcast) , and the Windows Store, so subscribe to it and rate it too!

Enjoy the show!

Run Time:  1:31

The 90^th edition of the Press Row Podcast is combination of two in-depth sessions diving deeply into EA’s new UFC title. Up first, host Rich Grisham (@richgrisham) discusses UFC with Operations Sports’ resident UFC expert Glenn Wigmore (@glennwigmore). After that lengthy chat, Rich is joined by PastaPadre’s Bryan Wiedey (@pastapadre) and ThatSportsGamer’s T.J. Lauerman (@thatsportsgamer) in the audio pulled from last week’s live Press Row Hangout. You’ll have every perspective possible – hardcore UFC fan, casual observer, and in-between – on the good and not-so-good aspects of UFC.

Send us your feedback! We love to hear from you and can’t wait to read your stuff on the air in a future episode. Do it one of these ways:

1)     Follow the show on Twitter at @PressRowPodcast  and send us some Tweets while you’re there

2)     Email the show at PressRowPodcast@gmail.com 

Also, the Press Row Podcast is now available on iTunes (https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/operation-sports-press-row/id563624090, Stitcher Radio (http://www.stitcher.com/podcast/operation-sports/press-row-podcast) , and the Windows Store, so subscribe to it and rate it too!

Enjoy the show!

Run Time:  2:24