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Pocket Gamer Podcast Episode 99 Puts Game Collabs in Focus

Sarah ChenBy Sarah Chen·

Pocket Gamer’s Podcast Episode 99 dives into crossover collaborations, highlighting Balatro, Vampire Survivors, and CookieRun: Kingdom. The episode title sums it up as “basically all about collabs.”

The summary doesn’t include show notes, timestamps, or guest information. We can’t pinpoint which collaborations the hosts discuss or the conclusions they come to. However, the title does suggest they’re exploring three games from different sectors of the gaming market, all linked by this collaboration strategy.

Vampire Survivors brings some impressive data to the table. Developer poncle launched this action RPG on October 20, 2022, and it boasts a remarkable 98% positive rating from 136,434 Steam reviews. Very few games maintain that level of acclaim with such high review counts.

The price plays a role in its popularity. Currently, Steam lists the game at just $3.74, which lowers the entry barrier for a title that’s attracted enough players to warrant podcast discussions. At the time of writing, Steam showed 3,087 players actively in-game, even more than three years after its release.

Pocket Gamer primarily focuses on mobile games, and Vampire Survivors fits into several categories: Casual, Indie, Action, and RPG. This genre blend makes it a fitting companion to a mobile gacha game like CookieRun: Kingdom. Questions about platform reach keep popping up, and a recent Is Vampire Survivors Cross Platform? Crossplay Guide 2026 article from April 9, 2026, indicates readers are still eager for answers.

By The Numbers
Steam reviews 98% positive (136,434 reviews)
Current Steam price $3.74
Current players (Steam) 3,087
Release date October 20, 2022
Developer / publisher poncle / poncle

Community Pulse

The community’s response to Vampire Survivors is mostly positive across 10 tracked signals. A common theme here is accessibility. One Steam reviewer captures it well: “Fantastic game that you don’t have to put a lot of thought into!” This low-friction appeal makes it easy to pair with other franchises.

What To Watch

  • Episode details: Check out Pocket Gamer’s full Episode 99 listing for a rundown of the collaborations discussed.
  • Player count trends: Keep an eye on whether Vampire Survivors’ 3,087 concurrent Steam players changes with any new crossover content.
  • Platform questions: The search for crossplay and cross-platform availability remains a hot topic for the game in 2026.
Sarah Chen

Sarah Chen

Sarah Chen is the Reviews and Guides Editor at Explosion.com. With a background in game design studies and 6 years of gaming journalism, Sarah brings technical insight to her reviews and creates comprehensive guides that help players get the most out of their games. She has reviewed over 200 titles across PC, PlayStation, Xbox, and Nintendo platforms. Her current obsessions include FromSoftware titles and indie roguelikes.