From trade-ins and promo cards to midnight launches and penny-out merch, this week we dive headfirst into the used-game economy and the GameStop culture that shaped a generation. Nostalgia, chaos, and a little emotional damage included.

In Episode 11 of The Midnight Release, Chase and Austin go full GameStop nostalgia mode with “Used and Sometimes Abused.”

This week’s Story Mode focuses on the wild, wonderful, and sometimes unhinged world of used games and trade-ins — from questionable customer trades and brutal trade values to Edge cards, PowerUp Rewards, midnight launches, and why GameStop (and its competitors) felt like more than just a store.

Along the way, we reminisce about:

• The weirdest things people tried to trade in
• Trade values then vs. now
• Game Informer, promo deals, and conference perks
• Store remodels, TVs, penny-out merch, and early access experiences
• Why midnight launches hit different — and why we miss them so much

For Side Quests, we jump into:

• Disc of the Day, spotlighting Pokémon across generations — past, present, and future
• Rewind Select, where we rewind even further to music stores, CD listening stations, anti-skip lies, MP3 players, iPods, and the wild west of Limewire

To close things out, we reflect on whether it’s nostalgia, aging, or something deeper that keeps pulling us back — and tease next week’s gaming-focused episode, “Retro Resurrection.”

As always, some memories are worth lining up for.

The way we consume movies, games, and media has fundamentally changed. In this episode of The Midnight Release, we dive into the end of physical media and the rise of digital, unpacking what we gained, what we lost, and why nostalgia still hits harder when something can sit on a shelf.

From VHS tapes and DVD binders to digital storefronts and streaming libraries, media has gone through a massive transformation over the last few decades.

In Episode 10: End of an Era, Chase and Austin kick off 2026 by breaking down the shift from physical to digital media across movies, games, and entertainment as a whole. They reflect on formats that defined generations, the rise (and fall) of retailers carrying physical media, and how gaming — especially consoles — made the pivot faster than anyone expected.

The conversation spans everything from:

• VHS, DVD, Blu-ray, and steelbook collections
• Streaming services changing how we watch movies
• Physical vs digital gaming ownership
• GameStop’s fight to stay relevant in a digital-first world
• Collector’s editions, midnight launches, and nostalgia that can’t be downloaded

Along the way, they jump into side quests covering social media trends, character guessing games, and deep-pull New Year memories that remind us just how much has changed — and how some traditions still stick around.

As always, this episode blends gaming culture, pop culture, and nostalgia, asking the big question: Was the convenience worth the cost?

🎧 Line up with us — some memories are still worth holding onto.

Growing up doesn’t mean putting the controller down.
In Episode 9 of The Midnight Release, we reflect on what adulthood looks like through a gamer’s lens — the memories that shaped us, the media that stayed with us, and how we balance nostalgia with real-life responsibilities as we close out 2025 and look ahead to 2026.

This week, Chase and Austin take a step back to talk about what growing up actually feels like — how childhood dreams compare to adult realities, how gaming and media still play a meaningful role in their lives, and why “feeling like an adult” is often more complicated than expected.

They dive into:

• Childhood dreams vs. adult reality
• How GameStop shaped their early professional lives
• What “being an adult” looked like as kids vs. now
• Games, movies, and anime that left a lasting impact
• Funny real-life “achievements” and milestones

Side quests this episode include Bonus Level, where Chase talks about his first experiences with Dungeons & Dragons and fandoms like Critical Role, and Next Gen, where the guys look ahead to 2026 — upcoming games, movies, personal goals, and podcast plans for the new year.

Whether you’re leveling up in life, grinding through responsibilities, or just holding onto the things that still bring you joy, this episode is a reminder that some achievements aren’t tracked by trophies — but they still matter.