Michael Stevens

EA just killed Anthem after seven years, and the gaming industry's brutal lesson is crystal clear: even $100 million budgets can't save a game built on false promises. In this episode, Michael Stevens breaks down three seismic shifts happening in gaming right now that reveal exactly how studios are adapting to survive an increasingly unforgiving market. 🎯 What You'll Learn: • Why Larian Studios lost their golden reputation overnight despite Baldur's Gate 3's massive success • The real reason EA finally pulled the plug on Anthem and what it means for future live service games • How Microsoft's Minecraft mobile strategy targets 2 billion potential users in emerging markets • Which major studios are hemorrhaging community trust over AI controversies and how it's costing them millions 👤 Perfect for: gamers, tech enthusiasts, and anyone curious about how billion-dollar industries adapt when everything starts falling apart. 📍 Chapters: [00:00] Michael Stevens introduces gaming's brutal week of reckonings [01:45] Larian's AI backlash: how success became scandal overnight [04:20] Anthem's final death: EA's $100 million lesson in humility [07:10] Minecraft goes mobile: Microsoft's 2 billion user gamble [09:30] The AI trust crisis: which studios are losing their communities [11:15] What these meltdowns reveal about gaming's future The parallels to historical collapses are striking. Just like overextended empires that couldn't adapt to changing times, gaming giants are discovering that past success guarantees nothing when player expectations shift overnight. Stevens connects these modern industry implosions to the same patterns that toppled civilizations throughout history. 🔔 Never miss an episode: Follow When Rome Burns and turn on notifications. New episodes drop daily, and next week Stevens is covering the cryptocurrency exchange collapse that just wiped out $50 billion in investor funds. 🔍 Topics: gaming industry, EA Anthem shutdown, Larian Studios controversy, Microsoft Minecraft mobile, AI gaming backlash Stream the full show at When Rome Burns -------- Keywords: historical disasters, cultural disasters, nazi germany, civilization collapse, battleships, catherine the great, byzantine empire, operation citadel Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Epic Games just made a $200 million bet that could destroy the very game that made them billions. Michael Stevens breaks down how Fortnite's new pay-to-win Creative islands are fundamentally changing what made the game great in the first place. 🎯 What You'll Discover: • Why Creative islands now pull in $320 million annually while killing competitive balance • The shocking truth about how 60% of daily players avoid the main game entirely • How $8.50 purchases are creating two-tier gameplay that mirrors historical class systems 👤 Perfect for: gamers, parents, and anyone who's watched a beloved institution slowly self-destruct. 📍 Chapters: [00:00] Michael Stevens introduces Epic's $200 million gamble [02:15] How Creative islands generate more revenue than Battle Royale [04:30] The 60/40 split that's breaking Fortnite's foundation [06:45] Why $25 advantages mirror Rome's bread and circuses [09:00] Three historical parallels that predict Fortnite's future [11:30] What this means for gaming's next decade This isn't just about video games. It's about how successful empires always make the same fatal mistake: they prioritize short-term profits over the very principles that made them dominant. Epic's decision follows a pattern Stevens has seen play out for centuries, from Roman gladiator games to modern social media platforms. The numbers don't lie. When half your revenue comes from pay-to-win mechanics and most players avoid your core product, you're not innovating. You're cannibalizing. Stevens connects Epic's strategy to historical moments when civilizations chose easy money over sustainable growth, and why those choices always backfire. 🔔 Never miss an episode: Follow When Rome Burns on Spotify and turn on notifications. New episodes drop daily, your next favorite insight is one tap away. 🔍 Topics: Fortnite, Epic Games, pay-to-win gaming, creative monetization, historical patterns Stream the full show at When Rome Burns --- Keywords: nazi germany, empire decline, naval warfare, hitler, war stories, fall of empires Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Discord just asked 800 million users for permission to scan their faces. The company claims it's about keeping kids safe, but Michael Stevens breaks down why this move signals something much bigger and more troubling about how tech platforms handle our most sensitive data. 🎯 What You'll Learn: • Why Discord's facial recognition push connects to a broader pattern of platform overreach that's happened before in history • The real story behind age verification laws and how they're reshaping every app you use • How platforms use "child safety" as cover for data collection (and why the pattern always repeats) 👤 Perfect for: anyone who's noticed their favorite apps asking for more personal information and wondered what's really going on behind the scenes. 📍 Chapters: [00:00] Michael Stevens breaks down Discord's face scanning announcement [02:00] The UK law forcing platforms to verify every teenager's age [04:30] Why current age checks are basically useless (and platforms know it) [06:30] The accuracy problem with facial recognition that nobody talks about [08:00] Historical pattern: how "safety" becomes surveillance [10:30] What this means for your privacy on every platform Stevens connects Discord's move to historical moments when authorities used crisis to expand control, showing how the "think of the children" playbook works every single time. The episode reveals why this isn't really about protecting kids and what it means for anyone who values digital privacy. The technology Discord wants to use gets your age wrong about 15% of the time, but that's not stopping them from rolling it out. Stevens explains why that error rate isn't a bug in their system, it's actually part of the plan. 🔔 Never miss an episode: Follow When Rome Burns on Spotify or Apple Podcasts and turn on notifications. New episodes drop daily, your next favorite insight is one tap away. 🔍 Topics: Discord privacy, facial recognition, age verification, tech surveillance, digital rights Stream the full show at When Rome Burns ---- Keywords: operation citadel, naval warfare, civilization collapse, historical catastrophes, historical failures Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

What if Nazi Germany's most advanced battleship was actually a massive strategic blunder disguised as a triumph? In this episode, Michael Stevens breaks down how the Bismarck became Hitler's floating monument to German engineering excellence and accidentally triggered one of World War II's most legendary naval disasters. 🎯 What You'll Learn: • Why Germany spent $2 billion (in today's money) on a ship that violated every naval treaty • How 823 feet of steel and 1,800-pound shells became a symbol of Nazi pride • The fatal design flaw that would doom this "unsinkable" battleship from day one 👤 Perfect for: history buffs who want the real story behind the legends, and anyone curious about how national pride can become a nation's biggest weakness. 📍 Chapters: [00:00] Michael Stevens introduces the Bismarck's impossible mission [02:15] Building the beast: 50,300 tons of German ambition [04:45] Main guns that could hit targets 22 miles away [07:20] Why Britain's Royal Navy went into panic mode [09:30] The strategic mistake hiding behind the engineering marvel [11:45] What this teaches us about power, pride, and fatal overconfidence The Bismarck wasn't just a warship. It was Nazi Germany betting everything on the idea that bigger, stronger, and more advanced always wins. Spoiler alert: it doesn't. Stevens connects this floating fortress to the psychology of authoritarian regimes and why they always build monuments to their own destruction. 🔔 Never miss an episode: Follow When Rome Burns on Spotify and Apple Podcasts. New episodes drop daily, and next week Stevens is covering how the British turned this German masterpiece into the greatest naval hunt in history. 🔍 Topics: Bismarck battleship, Nazi Germany naval power, World War 2 naval battles, German engineering, British Royal Navy Stream the full show at When Rome Burns ----------- Keywords: fall of empires, battleships, political meltdowns Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

What if America's first government was such a disaster that it nearly killed the country before it even got started? That's exactly what happened with the Articles of Confederation, and Michael Stevens breaks down this spectacular failure that almost ended the American experiment before it began. 🎯 What You'll Learn: • Why Congress could only beg states for money (spoiler: it didn't work) • How having zero executive power created total governmental chaos • The unanimous consent rule that made changing anything basically impossible • Why states started economic warfare against each other 👤 Perfect for: history buffs who want to understand how America's founders learned from their biggest mistakes. This isn't just ancient history. Stevens connects these early American struggles to modern political challenges, showing how the Constitution was basically a desperate response to everything that went wrong under the Articles. You'll see why some of our current political debates echo fights that started 250 years ago. 📍 Chapters: [00:00] Michael Stevens introduces America's first government disaster [01:30] The "please give us money" tax system that broke everything [04:00] Why having no president was worse than you'd think [07:00] The unanimous consent trap that paralyzed the nation [10:00] How states turned into economic enemies [12:00] Why this failure saved America in the long run The Articles of Confederation were supposed to unite thirteen colonies into one nation. Instead, they created a mess so bad that fixing it required starting completely over. Stevens shows how this "failure" taught the founders exactly what not to do when they wrote the Constitution. 🔔 Never miss an episode: Follow When Rome Burns on your podcast app and turn on notifications. New episodes drop daily, and your next favorite historical disaster is just one tap away. 🔍 Topics: Articles of Confederation, American Revolution, Continental Congress, Constitutional Convention, early American government Stream the full show at When Rome Burns -------------- Keywords: history podcast, naval warfare, war stories, historical failures, catherine the great Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

What if everything you learned about South America's greatest hero was a carefully crafted lie? In this episode, Michael Stevens tears down the mythology around Simón Bolívar and reveals the complex, flawed human being behind the legend. Turns out the "Great Liberator" wasn't exactly the selfless freedom fighter your textbooks made him out to be. Stevens digs into the uncomfortable truths that most history classes skip over, showing how Bolívar's real story is actually more fascinating than the sanitized version we all grew up with. 🎯 What You'll Discover: • How Bolívar's family owned 1,000 enslaved people and massive plantations before he became a "liberator" • Why he lost more battles than he won early on, including the crushing defeat at La Puerta in 1814 • The shocking truth about his 1828 power grab when he suspended Gran Colombia's constitution and declared himself dictator • How his "noble" decision to free enslaved people was actually a military recruitment strategy 👤 Perfect for: history lovers who want the real story behind the legends, not the whitewashed version schools serve up. 📍 Chapters: [00:00] Michael Stevens introduces the Bolívar mythology problem [01:45] Born into wealth: the plantation fortune nobody mentions [04:15] Military failures: when the future liberator kept losing [06:30] The dictator years: how Bolívar grabbed absolute power [09:00] Slavery and strategy: the uncomfortable military calculations [11:00] Why these lies matter for understanding Latin American history today This isn't about tearing down heroes for fun. Stevens shows how understanding Bolívar's real complexity, his genuine achievements alongside his authoritarian tendencies, gives us better insight into why Latin America developed the way it did. The mythology serves nobody when we're trying to learn from history. 🔔 Never miss an episode: Follow When Rome Burns on Apple Podcasts or Spotify and turn on notifications. New episodes drop daily, and next week Stevens is covering why the Boston Tea Party story you know is completely wrong. 🔍 Topics: Simón Bolívar, Latin American independence, historical myths, Gran Colombia, Venezuelan history Stream the full show at When Rome Burns ------------ Keywords: naval warfare, military history, battleships, hitler Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

What happens when the man who freed an entire continent becomes the very thing he fought against? In this episode, Michael Stevens breaks down how Simón Bolívar, South America's great liberator, watched his dream of unity crumble while power slowly corrupted his ideals. By 1826, Bolívar controlled Gran Colombia - over 1 million square miles with 3 million people. But size became his curse. Stevens reveals how the hero who defeated Spanish rule couldn't defeat human nature, including his own. 🎯 What You'll Learn: • Why Bolívar's 1826 Congress of Panama failed spectacularly (only 4 countries showed up) • How Gran Colombia lost 40% of its territory in just 4 years through rebellion and secession • The psychological toll of leadership revealed in Bolívar's 10,000+ letters and documents • Why even revolutionary heroes aren't immune to corruption's pull 👤 Perfect for: anyone who's ever wondered how good intentions turn into authoritarian nightmares, and history lovers who want the real story behind Latin America's most complex figure. 📍 Chapters: [00:00] Michael Stevens introduces Bolívar's impossible dream [01:45] Gran Colombia's massive scale becomes unmanageable [04:20] The Congress of Panama: when grand visions meet harsh reality [06:30] Power's gradual corruption of the great liberator [08:15] Rebellions tear apart everything Bolívar built [10:30] The human cost of trying to hold it all together This isn't just about one man's fall from grace. Stevens connects Bolívar's struggle to every leader who's watched their vision collapse under the weight of reality. The patterns repeat, and the lessons still matter today. 🔔 Never miss an episode: Follow When Rome Burns and turn on notifications. New episodes drop daily, and next week Stevens tackles another empire's spectacular collapse. 🔍 Topics: Simón Bolívar, Gran Colombia, Latin American independence, political corruption, leadership failure Stream the full show at When Rome Burns --------------- Keywords: american revolution, paper money, history podcast, catherine the great, political meltdowns, ned kelly Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

What if the most catastrophic economic decisions in history started with good intentions? In this episode, Michael Stevens reveals how two presidents dismantled the gold standard in moves that seemed logical at the time but changed money forever. 🎯 What You'll Learn: • Why Britain lost 25% of its gold reserves in just two months during 1931's financial panic • How FDR made it illegal for Americans to own gold with $10,000 fines (that's $230,000 today) • The shocking truth: countries that abandoned gold first recovered from the Great Depression fastest • Why Nixon's 1971 decision to end Bretton Woods was actually inevitable, not impulsive 👤 Perfect for: anyone who's ever wondered why we can't just "go back to the gold standard" and wants to understand the real story behind our current monetary system. 📍 Chapters: [00:00] Michael Stevens introduces the gold standard's death spiral [01:45] Britain's 1931 financial panic that started the dominoes falling [03:30] FDR's gold confiscation: why Americans couldn't own the shiny stuff [05:15] The Great Depression recovery pattern nobody talks about [07:00] How World War II broke the system for good [09:30] Nixon's weekend that changed global economics forever [11:00] What this means for today's dollar debates Stevens connects each decision to its real-world consequences, showing how yesterday's "temporary" fixes became today's permanent reality. No dry economics here, just the human stories behind the policies that still shape your paycheck. 🔔 Never miss an episode: Follow When Rome Burns on your favorite podcast platform and turn on notifications. New episodes drop daily, and next week Stevens is covering the tulip mania that makes crypto crashes look tame. 🔍 Topics: gold standard, FDR economics, Nixon shock, Great Depression recovery, monetary policy, economic history Stream the full show at When Rome Burns ----------- Keywords: ancient rome, economic collapse, nazi germany, paper money, hitler, naval warfare, historical disasters, catherine the great Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

What if I told you that one man's phone call in 1907 literally saved America from complete financial collapse? Michael Stevens breaks down the wild story of how J.P. Morgan became a one-man central bank when the entire US financial system was minutes from total meltdown. This isn't just ancient history: it's the blueprint for how modern governments learned to control money. 🎯 What You'll Learn: • How bank deposits crashed 11% in three weeks during the 1907 panic, nearly destroying the economy • Why the US once had 30,000 different types of paper money floating around (complete chaos) • The genius move that Sweden's 1668 central bank pulled that still works today • How the Bank of England figured out the government money hack that changed everything 👤 Perfect for: anyone who's ever wondered why money actually works and how close we've come to it not working at all. 📍 Chapters: [00:00] Michael Stevens opens with the 1907 panic that changed everything [02:00] The 30,000 paper money problem that made shopping impossible [04:30] J.P. Morgan's legendary bailout move [06:45] Sweden's 350-year banking secret [08:30] The Bank of England's government money breakthrough [10:15] Why these lessons matter for today's economy This is part 4 of Stevens' paper money series, but it stands alone perfectly. You'll walk away understanding how governments actually control money and why that matters every time you swipe your card. 🔔 Never miss an episode: Follow When Rome Burns on your podcast app and turn on notifications. New episodes drop daily, and next week Stevens is covering the South Sea Bubble disaster that makes today's crypto crashes look tiny. 🔍 Topics: banking history, paper money, financial panics, central banks, economic collapse Stream the full show at When Rome Burns ------------- Keywords: strategic bombing, war stories, historical catastrophes, founding fathers Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

What if the most powerful empire in Europe wasn't European at all? Michael Stevens reveals how a poet-warrior sultan built an empire so vast it made European monarchs tremble, and why his story explains everything about how real power actually works. 🎯 What You'll Learn: • Why Suleiman's 2 million square mile empire was more culturally advanced than anything Europe had to offer • The genius military strategy that brought 120,000 Ottoman troops to Vienna's gates (and nearly conquered the heart of Europe) • How a sultan who wrote 3,000 love poems created a legal code that outlasted most civilizations 👤 Perfect for: history lovers who want to understand how empires actually rise to power, not just the sanitized textbook version. 📍 Chapters: [00:00] Michael Stevens introduces the sultan Europe feared most [02:15] How Ottoman military genius revolutionized warfare [05:30] The 1529 siege that almost changed European history forever [08:00] Why Suleiman was writing poetry while conquering continents [10:45] The legal system that lasted 300 years and still influences us today This is peak empire territory. Suleiman didn't just conquer land, he created a civilization that combined military dominance with cultural sophistication in ways Europe couldn't match. Stevens breaks down exactly how the Ottomans did what Rome couldn't: build something that actually lasted. The siege of Vienna alone is worth the listen. Picture 120,000 troops surrounding the most important city in Europe while Suleiman personally leads the charge. If that siege had succeeded, your world map would look completely different today. 🔔 Never miss an episode: Follow When Rome Burns on Spotify and Apple Podcasts. New episodes drop daily, and next up Stevens is covering another empire that made all the wrong moves at exactly the wrong time. 🔍 Topics: Ottoman Empire, Suleiman the Magnificent, siege of Vienna, military history, empire building Stream the full show at When Rome Burns ----------- Keywords: historical catastrophes, world war 2, political meltdowns, hitler, economic collapse, cultural disasters, paper money Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

What if I told you an emperor once came within hours of losing everything because he pardoned the wrong criminals? In this episode, Michael Stevens reveals how Emperor Justinian's single political miscalculation triggered the deadliest riots in Byzantine history and nearly handed his throne to a rival with a better claim to power. 🎯 What You'll Learn: • Why pardoning Blue and Green faction criminals sparked five days of pure chaos that destroyed half of Constantinople • How Hypatius, nephew of former Emperor Anastasius, became the unlikely figurehead of a revolution that killed 30,000 people • The brutal decision Justinian made in the Hippodrome that saved his reign but changed him forever 👤 Perfect for: history lovers who want to understand how political miscalculations can destroy empires overnight. 📍 Chapters: [00:00] Michael Stevens sets up Justinian's fatal mistake [02:15] The pardon that lit Constantinople on fire [04:30] Meet Hypatius: the reluctant rival emperor [06:45] Five days of destruction across the capital [08:30] The Hippodrome massacre that ended everything [10:15] How this crisis reshaped the Byzantine Empire The original Hagia Sophia burned to the ground. Senators declared a new emperor. Justinian nearly fled the city in the middle of the night. This wasn't just political theater, it was a complete breakdown of imperial authority that almost rewrote history. Stevens breaks down exactly how crowd psychology, political legitimacy, and imperial paranoia collided in the most violent week of the 6th century. You'll see why understanding this crisis explains so much about how power really works when everything falls apart. 🔔 Never miss an episode: Follow When Rome Burns and turn on notifications. New episodes drop daily, and next week Stevens covers the conspiracy that brought down an entire dynasty. 🔍 Topics: Byzantine Empire, Justinian, political riots, imperial succession, Constantinople, ancient Rome Stream the full show at When Rome Burns ---- Keywords: nazi germany, civilization collapse, paper money, d-day, fall of empires Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

540 CE: Justinian has just reconquered half the Mediterranean, but his greatest victory is about to become his biggest nightmare. In this episode, Michael Stevens reveals how the Byzantine emperor's military triumphs triggered a financial collapse that would haunt the empire for decades. What if everything you thought you knew about successful conquest was wrong? Stevens breaks down the brutal math behind Justinian's "glorious" campaigns and shows how winning wars can still destroy empires. 🎯 What You'll Learn: • Why Justinian's 320,000 pounds of gold in military spending nearly bankrupted Byzantium • How the plague of 541 killed 40% of Constantinople and crippled tax collection • The real reason Italian territories rebelled immediately after "liberation" • How harsh taxation policies pushed entire provinces toward open revolt 👤 Perfect for: history buffs who want to understand how empires really fall apart (spoiler: it's usually money, not armies). 📍 Chapters: [00:00] Michael Stevens breaks down Justinian's expensive victory [02:15] The 320,000 pound problem: when conquest costs too much [04:30] Plague hits Constantinople: 40% population loss [06:45] Italy rebels: why "liberated" territories fought back [09:00] Egypt's ultimatum: pay us or we're out [11:30] The pattern repeats: why military success breeds financial ruin This isn't just ancient history. Stevens connects Justinian's mistakes to modern empire-building disasters, showing why the same financial pressures still topple governments today. The emperor who dreamed of restoring Rome accidentally created a blueprint for imperial collapse. 🔔 Never miss an episode: Follow When Rome Burns and turn on notifications. New episodes drop daily, and next week Stevens covers how Theodora's death left Justinian completely exposed. Your next favorite historical disaster is one tap away. 🔍 Topics: Byzantine Empire, Justinian, ancient warfare, imperial economics, plague of Justinian Stream the full show at When Rome Burns ------------- Keywords: economic collapse, strategic bombing, australian history, ancient rome Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices