The Era of Extreme Disruption

Episode 59 of Brands In Play features an in-depth conversation with Charlie Fink, one of the earliest voices shaping the XR and metaverse space. Nic and Val unpack decades of perspective across immersive tech cycles, from early VR waves to today’s AI-driven storytelling.

This week in the news: Epic Games announces major layoffs; Roblox introduces a controversial new ad policy; Minecraft expands into physical space with a theme park in London, and Pokémon GO data powers real-world robotics, as Niantic’s mapping system begins enabling autonomous delivery.

For the Real-Time Review, the team steps into Excurio, a free-roaming VR experience blending education, entertainment, and immersion. From walking inside ancient pyramids to shared group exploration, the experience highlights both the promise of location-based VR at scale and the current limitations around interactivity, NPC intelligence, and physical fatigue.

If you are liking the show, give us a follow. We break down how brands, platforms, and creators operate inside gaming, UGC Platforms and Immersive media.

The Brands In Play Episode 59 is now live on YouTube, Spotify, Apple Podcasts and everywhere else!

Chapters:
Intro - 00:00
Announcements - 01:34
News - 03:20
Excurio Review - 21:24
Charlie Fink Interview - 28:54
Subscribe - 49:00

Follow Charlie Fink - https://www.linkedin.com/in/charliefink/

Follow The AI/XR Podcast - https://www.youtube.com/ ⁨@TheAIXRPodcast⁩  

Follow Us:

Co-Hosts:
Nic Hill -   https://www.linkedin.com/in/nic-hill-6553873/
Val Vacante -  https://www.linkedin.com/in/valerievacante/

Producer / Editor 
Edward Regue -   https://www.linkedin.com/in/edward-regue-%C2%A9-44b0421b2/

Creative Producer
Dr. Giovanna Casimiro https://www.linkedin.com/in/ggcasimiro/

Creative Director 
Ben Caro https://www.linkedin.com/in/caroprofile/

Website: https://www.brands-in-play.com/

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