The latest episode of the Waypoint UK Podcast—as always hosted by the site's senior editor Mike Diver (who is me, hello)—welcomes Laura Kate Dale of Let's Play Video Games and several freelance gigs and Julian Benson of Kotaku UK to go over what it takes to break news in the gaming industry, when publishers and PRs are doing whatever they can to keep information under wraps.Is reporting on new console—the Nintendo Switch, for example—and software leaks a legitimate public service, or does it comprise a kind of spoiler for gaming fans who like to be surprised at high-profile system launches? What boundaries do gaming journalists forever fear crossing—and which do they stride across without concern for "blacklisting" or any other professional relationship fallout? What happens when a developer shows you something off the record, but it's just too good to keep quiet about? When is breaking an NDA okay? What do you do when you have a console in your house, boxed, but the company behind it refuses to acknowledge its existence? And how do any of us find the time to do a proper deep dive on a game, a developer or a scene, as Julian did with Star Citizen in 2016?These are just some of the topics we're discussing over an hour and a quarter, so settle down for some fascinating insights into just what it takes to put your reputation, and that of the outlet you're writing for, on the line for an exclusive. And what can happen when that exclusive doesn't go down so well elsewhere in the industry.Please note that this podcast was recorded the week before the Nintendo Switch reveal.Stream or download episode four of the Waypoint UK Podcast below, subscribe to the UK podcast on iTunes, or check out all previous episodes—including the old VICE Gaming Podcasts from before Waypoint's launch—on Soundcloud.Of course, the US side of Waypoint runs its own podcast, Waypoint Radio, which runs twice per week. Check out recent episodes of that here.Follow this episode's guests on Twitter at @jbenson and @laurakBuzz.The next episode of the Waypoint UK Podcast will be a little romantic, coming to the internet this side of Valentine's Day, with guests Kate Gray (Waypoint, the Guardian, Kotaku) and Pete Donaldson (Absolute Radio, The Football Ramble). I'm not going to lie to you, there may be smut.Editor's note: We had a few microphone issues when recording this podcast, plus there was kind of a party going on outside the room we were in. So you'll sometimes hear some unusual background noise. Also, I had (I still have) an awful cough, which you will definitely hear a few times. You can also tell that I am totally bunged up on this. Sorry, sorry, sorry. We do what we can. I'll try to be less ill for February's podcast.
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