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Day Zero Podcast

Day Zero Podcast

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Day Zero is a podcast on video games featuring Rahul Majumdar and Rishi Alwani breaking down the bytes and bits behind the decisions that make and break the world's greatest entertainment industry.

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  • Everything You Need to Know About Roblox and Fortnite User Generated Content

    Everything You Need to Know About Roblox and Fortnite User Generated Content
    Mar 10 2026
    After a recent Shark Tank India episode featuring a father and son duo making $221,000 in Roblox, we’ve been inundated with requests from our listeners — mainly those working in the video games industry — to break down what user generated content is for platforms like Roblox and Fortnite, and how that differs from (or complements) existing live service pipelines for such games.To make this happen, we got special guest Rishabh Sabarwal to break down everything you need to know. Currently a gaming editor at Beebom India, focussing on live service games, he’s previously consulted studios making games in Fortnite. He sheds light on how game developers are making the switch and what are the common pitfalls of doing so.We also dive into how creators are earning millions by developing brainrot games that prioritise instant gratification and viral trends over complex design. This includes a deep dive into revenue which is primarily driven by engagement metrics and the sale of virtual items using in-game currencies like Robux. Finally, we also discuss how these kind of games/experiences built on Fortnite and Roblox live or die on basis of their update cadence and mobile accessibility rather than traditional gameplay loops. Time stamps as follows:Market Scenario* 0:00 – Introduction to the UGC Ecosystem* 1:30 – The Billion-Dollar Scale: we discuss how top UGC games on both platforms have already exceeded $1 billion in revenue, often outperforming traditional high-budget titles that are being shelved.* 2:45 – Monetisation: revenue streams breakdown including those where creators can keep up to 100% of the in-game currency spent.Case Studies: Brain Rot Performance Metrics* 5:00 – High-Performance Experiences: we look at Steal a Brain Rot” the top-performing game driving 6 million concurrent users (CCU) daily on Roblox.* 7:30 – The Fortnite Inflection Point: how UGC experiences in Fortnite broke records with 6.5 million CCU, surpassing the player count of Fortnite’s own core Battle Royale mode.* 8:45 – Platform Marketing Shifts: insight into Fortnite’s decision to rebrand its App Store presence to feature UGC characters, highlighting a creator who earned $50 million in five months.User Psychology and Retention* 10:15 – Demographics and the “iPad Kid” Economy: why 15-minute dopamine loops are more effective for younger audiences than 30-minute battle royale matches.* 11:45 – Advanced Retention Tactics: discussion on “offline progression” (e.g., Grow a Garden) and live events, such as the Bruno Mars concert, used to drive exclusive cosmetic sales.Where Studios Fail and India Insights* 13:30 – Common Studio Failures: why traditional studios fail by over-investing in “perfect” game design documents rather than chasing viral TikTok trends and memes.* 15:00 – The “Live Ops” Mandate: the requirement for daily updates to maintain UGC momentum, contrasting with the multi-week cycles typical of mobile or PC gaming.* 16:30 – Regional Market Insights (India): analysis of the gap in the Indian market where local studios are failing to target the primary 7-year-old demographic already playing brain rot games.What Next?* 18:45 – Why Creators Don’t Go Solo: Roblox and Fortnite handle all server infrastructure, publishing, and marketing, making it risky for successful creators to build independent games.* 20:00 – The Disney Play: early indicators of how Disney is licensing official IP to creators within Fortnite’s Unreal Editor (UEFN), signalling a new era of corporate-UGC collaboration.Welcome to Day Zero. This is a podcast about video games breaking down the bytes and bits behind the decisions that make and break the world’s greatest entertainment industry. Have a request? Hot take? Insider tip? Reach us at the handles mentioned below:* Twitter/X - @RishiAlwani* Threads - @rishi.alwani* Instagram - @rishi.alwani* Twitter/X - @darthrahul* Threads - @darthrahul* Instagram - @darthrahul This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit dayzeromedia.substack.com
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    25 m
  • Resident Evil Requiem Feels Like a Game That Can't Be Made Anymore and That's a Good Thing

    Resident Evil Requiem Feels Like a Game That Can't Be Made Anymore and That's a Good Thing
    Mar 3 2026

    Capcom’s on a generational run with its survival horror series Resident Evil. The ninth mainline entry, Resident Evil Requiem is out now for PS5, Xbox Series X|S, Nintendo Switch 2, and PC. In this episode of the Day Zero Podcast we discuss our thoughts on the game (spoiler-free) along with how it’s sold in the Indian market (spoiler: good) and how the likes of Games The Shop — the country’s biggest retailer as well as Nvidia, did their bit to hype up the game.

    We also talk about how Resident Evil Requiem fits into the greater context of AAA game development and how games like this are few and far between due to what the industry at large optimises for (i.e. economics, not AI and lay-offs or so we hope). Mad props to David Goldfarb for the tweets that sparked this part of the conversation (and the title of this podcast) to begin with.

    Furthermore, we talk about Marathon, Bungie’s first game since Sony’s acquisition of the Halo and Destiny maker. From font choices (bad) to its visual direction (good) every aspect of this extraction shooter is laid bare. Along with some choice for words for those pushing out “reviews” for a live service game that isn’t out in a wide enough fashion to warrant the exuberance (or gloom).

    Day Zero is a podcast about video games breaking down the bytes and bits behind the decisions that make and break the world’s greatest entertainment industry.

    We’d love to hear your objectively bad takes. Let’s start a dialogue, preferably with enough branching paths favouring us.

    * Twitter/X - @RishiAlwani

    * Threads - @rishi.alwani

    * Instagram - @rishi.alwani

    * Twitter/X - @darthrahul

    * Threads - @darthrahul

    * Instagram - @darthrahul



    This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit dayzeromedia.substack.com
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    1 h y 4 m
  • Will Xbox's New CEO Kill Game Pass?

    Will Xbox's New CEO Kill Game Pass?
    Feb 24 2026

    Industry staple Phil Spencer is moving on from Xbox. Megacorp Microsoft announced the Xbox CEO’s departure late last week. Heir apparent Sarah Bond revealed she would be moving on too. In their place is Asha Sharma is the new CEO of Xbox. She was previously the head of coreAI at Microsoft.

    In this episode of Day Zero, we discuss the ramifications of this move along with some community wisdom that’s probably done a better job of reading the room versus most (or even the official narrative).

    One of the points of discussion is deprioritising PC Game Pass and potentially Xbox Game Pass in itself given. Despite a strong slate of games and a rumoured new Xbox hardware next year, we may actually see Xbox being sold for parts or gutted completely.

    Before this, we discuss Sony’s scuppering of Bluepoint and how that it appears like an unwarranted move given that the company recently revealed its remaster plans for the God of War trilogy.

    And speaking of God of War, we also break down what we liked — and did not like — about God of War Sons of Sparta that was shadow dropped during the excellent State of Play earlier in the month.

    Day Zero is a podcast on video games featuring Rahul Majumdar and Rishi Alwani breaking down the bytes and bits behind the decisions that make and break the world's greatest entertainment industry.

    We’d love to hear your objectively bad takes. Let’s start a dialogue, preferably with enough branching paths favouring us.

    * Twitter/X - @RishiAlwani

    * Threads - @rishi.alwani

    * Instagram - @rishi.alwani

    * Twitter/X - @darthrahul

    * Threads - @darthrahul

    * Instagram - @darthrahul



    This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit dayzeromedia.substack.com
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    49 m
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