How did a cult-classic Xbox game sneak onto a Netflix show?

Get your 30-day FREE trial to Epidemic Sound: share.epidemicsound.com/NickR...
Sign the petition for Yukio's Phantom Dust sequel: change.org/phantomdust2
Music used:
A Familiar Place (Plains Tutorial) - Shovel Knight: Pocket Dungeon OST
Everything Else Will Follow - Trevor Kowalski
The Awards Show - Patrick Smith
Paradigm Shift - Gavin Luke
Innuendo - Phello
Zen Den - Auxjack
Atlas 17 - Ooyy
Hanu Dixit - Realization
eerie - pearlescent sands (free)
Rise Of The Jinx - Rannar Sillard
fjaril - bomull
Meanwhile Uptown - Dusty Decks
Flower Burst - Giants' Nest
Worn Down (Scholar's Retreat) - Shovel Knight: Pocket Dungeon OST
Videos used:
ThelusioN - 64 synchronized Joe Rogans • 64 synchronized Joe Ro...
The 94th Annual Academy Awards
Elite, S2 E04 - "59 hours missing"
The Sopranos S1 E4 - "Meadowlands"
Ozark, S2 E03 - “Once a Langmore…”
Breaking Bad, S4 E07 - "Problem Dog"
Check out the bonus features playlist - with deleted scenes, director's commentary and more: • Bonus videos
here's my instagram: / babylonian
here's my twitter: / babylonian
follow me on twitch! / babylonian
subscribe: kzbin.info...
Want to directly support more videos like this one? Consider joining my channel! / @babylonian

[@Cimlite]

_"Why does the Netflix logo fly towards you? Why is it red? I couldn't stop thinking about it... I had to know... so I booked a flight to Japan."_ - Nick Robinson, probably

[@citypavement]

Lmao

[@citypavement]

@Latest Obsession They're not random, they always have a purpose.

[@Gameboygenius]

If you think of going to Japan as flying toward the flag, it really is as if something red is flying toward you!

[@AceSpaceSFS]

Better be truthful!

[@niklashegg]

It flies toward you because it turns into the Star gate from 2001 a space odyssey

[@Gameboygenius]

Basically, it will be so insignificant that no one in their right mind should care about it. Yet, I will be fully emotionally invested in it and almost cry at the end.

[@KoopaKaper]

Yup, that's literally all of his videos and I love it

[@dc4084]

Nailed it.

[@MrMctastics]

What a guy

[@ironcomics99]

Welcome to nick Robinson!

[@helenleomom]

Yup

[@EroticWhale]

This is why we love Nick, he will turn reviving dead pokemon into a half hour epic, but digging for 2 years on why an obscure game's pause menu shows up in a Spanish teen Netflix drama is just 14 mins. Spectacular lmao

[@efrengonzalez5638]

Are you trying to undermine the importance of Nick learning how to perform necromancy

[@WretchedRedoran]

@@efrengonzalez5638 Do not conflate necromancy and resurrection. Different things.

[@PanekPL]

Yea, he knows that Pokémon will be watched more than Phantom Dust

[@drph6674]

War mode ftw

[@Owlero]

The thing I'm most impressed with is that Nick's average video production is measured in *years* not days, or weeks.

[@tevineggnacho]

And it really does show. I feel like it really shows his passion for things like this and how he really enjoys solving these puzzles.

[@DarkWaWeeGee]

Homie goes, "yeah, I couldn't find anything about this game anywhere online. So I traveled to the creator's house and we became best friends" for just about every video he makes. Love this man

[@BlazeArceus777]

If I had a nickel for every time there was an inexplicable and prominent appearance of a multiplayer Xbox One game based on a decades-dormant piece of IP revived decades later by Microsoft as a Free-to-Play game developed under the supervision of Ken Lobb in Season 2 of a Netflix Original Series, I’d have 2 nickels. Which isn’t a lot but it’s weird that it happened twice.

[@darknarax]

Courious about the first time lmao

[@BlazeArceus777]

@@darknarax He said it in the video, Killer Instinct 2013 being featured in Season 2 of Ozark

[@JaredConnell]

If i had a nickel for every time someone used this joke id be pretty rich which is weird because its not even funny

[@fabricatedreality418]

Pretty sure the only time I've found that joke humorous is when Squidward used it against Spongebob (or Patrick?) saying if he had a dollar for every brain Spongebob (or Patrick?) didn't have, he'd have 1 dollar

[@buchaneb]

Is Killer Instinct obscure? Was a very popular arcade game at one point.

[@Ikcatcher]

Nick Robinson on his way to blow my mind and get me emotional with his perilous journey to solve a mystery no one even considered until now

[@citypavement]

I'm looking forward to this, too, but I'm not on my knees for the guy. Lol

[@kristanner3933]

Sounds about right.

[@aadipie]

There needs to be a trip to Japan in there.

[@lordkanti8260]

I got some more lore to add to the phantom Dust rabbit hole. Back when Microsoft announced the remaster of PD but before the trailer was shown at that games conference. A radio station was hosting Vincent Gallo on one of their shows. The DJ was named Brian, or Ben, something simple. I don’t remember the name of his show but it was late evening, 11p or 12 am idk. They were taking calls and you could ask questions. So when I was able to make it through, I first shared my appreciation for his art but followed up my question with; if he remembered phantom dust. I then told him that they were making a remaster and asked if his music was going to be used in the games credits again. He said he didn’t hear anything from Microsoft or knew anything about a remake but he said he was onboard if they wanted his music for the credits. Then shorty after it was announced that phantom dust was on hiatus. Then all the other things about the development team. I always tried to find that broadcasting but that was almost 10 years ago now. Just a cool moment to speak to the guy who was apart of my favorite game.

[@user-sn8zx5mv1x]

"In order to find out what happened here, someone would have to spend time painstakingly hunting down multiple radio stations, find someone named Bri-"

[@lordkanti8260]

@@user-sn8zx5mv1x I tried to find it myself after writing this. All I was able to recall was that the radio station was KXLU. They had shows with different DJs and his was an evening show around 8-10. I still cant remember his name but Brian / Ben is the best shot. During that time I used to record music during that time on a MP3 player but I’m still looking for that MP3 player and then listening to the recordings. I can update you later but I couldn’t find anything in the website because KXLU has horrible archives.

[@tomaandkile]

I almost cried a little when you showed it to the creator. He looked so happy

[@Shrek_Has_Covid19]

i also pissed and shitted too when he showed his reaction

[@SectorfiveYT]

@@Shrek_Has_Covid19 oh, I think I'm gonna go piss now while reading and writing this.

[@thenarrator6846]

This man is probably the only person who could get me interested about this topic

[@applehazeva2739]

And we love him for it

[@urielruiz1083]

Nick is still, somehow, going to end up in Japan

[@Dr.Quarex]

He should really preemptively fly to Japan before embarking on his quest to solve literally any mystery

[@_kupo]

i have bad news for you

[@TankEngine75]

"Desperate in some sort of answers and resolution, I booked a ticket to Spain to get in contact with people who worked on Elite"

[@D4YT0N4]

He's a culture vulture like PewDiePie

[@metalslugfest]

@@TankEngine75 "Upon landing in Spain, I had one simple question to aid my research, "¿Donde esta la biblioteca?"" -Nick, probably

[@z-beeblebrox]

Asking Yukio about it was totally a win-win question. You got to capture his reaction to seeing the pause menu, which was totally great, but had you shown it to him and he had said "Oh yes I know about that", it would've ALSO being an astonishing moment.

[@boahneelassmal]

working on various movies on set I learnt two things: 1) budgets are tight, therefore production is cheap where-ever it can be and 2) there are massive geeks working on movies that will hide easter eggs to their cultural upbringing when-ever they can but it is extremely difficult. meaning: any live gaming you see is in 95% of the cases a youtube video with the mouse and keyboard disconnected (yes, we did exactly that and yes, even pause screens, because this will cause the least potential issues). such dominant shots are rarely gonna contain something someone on set is a massive geek of. These are going to be hidden much more subtle because you should not visibly influence the chracter's personality and properties. in other words: the personality of a character is defined by the script, not by set designers. hiding small items in the background is rarely an issue though, so this is where you'll find little items placed by on-set crew sometimes.

[@Problematist]

Like Nick said in his last video "Everything about Phantom Dust is an anomaly" and it seems like it will continue to be.

[@officialblimp]

I love how the creator of the game didn’t even know about his game’s appearance in Elite

[@Ozhull]

Why would the creator be alerted? You realize how dumb that is?

[@SectorfiveYT]

I mean why would he watch a random spanish drama, he's japanese.

[@cymbrol438]

This is like the time Cave Story was being played in the background on an episode of Suite Life on Deck.

[@cymbrol438]

ok not really

[@PartnershipsForYou]

Zack always seemed like a cave story bro

[@grimmreaper5349]

"in order to find out who and why this game appeared on this show, I booked a flight to spain." - Alternate timeline Nick

[@RyutaShinohara]

Élite is known in Spain because of how incongruous its argument is, apart from being one of most mainstream Spanish shows nowadays. This is definitely the cherry on top.

[@Pedrithor]

Yo creo que ver un vídeo de Nick hablando sobre un personaje de Élite jugando a Phantom Dust es de las cosas que menos me esperaba en... no sé... la vida xD

[@charlibiris]

Es para cargarse y no limpiarse. Bastante wtfquesco

[@Xeogin]

EXCUSE ME?! I'm in shock you didn't track down the original video the pause screen was from, the angle of the game camera should be somewhat unique and there shouldn't be that many HD videos of Phantom Dust from that time frame, right?

[@DustyDigits]

I was just thinking this too. That's the next step then...

[@Death_Skull]

The hunt is on

[@parknich081]

you have peaked my interest

[@boobah5643]

@@parknich081 Unless you mean your interest has reached *_maximum,_* you mean 'piqued.'

[@chinad34th]

I'm sure that's what his next video will cover!

[@Cyranek]

surprised nick didn't fly to japan to meet the guy who's game recording was used in the show

[@DaRealBruner]

So, if it was a random playthrough found on KZbin, that means we outta search to find that original playthrough.

[@Jsslade]

Believe it or not, Nick actually tried searching for it by booking a flight to the Internet, but was immediately killed by trolls upon stepping foot onto KZbin. The Nick in the video is a paid actor.

[@DaRealBruner]

@@Jsslade It... it can't be... *no.*

[@astral_plane_crash]

Is that a WAR MODE podcast shirt Nick?

[@Lost_n_Found_1]

"Very skinny, very feminine boys," had me rolling, lmao.

[@zeurumvr]

This game is a historical treasure that needs to be kept in a museum, like this game is only in the minds of the people who play it, it’s almost it doesn’t exist and we are hallucinating all of this, so underrated seriously!

[@MrLIEberal]

WAR MODE!? Hell yeah brother

[@hagriddy8]

ever since he started doing these I love the sheer passion this man puts in to his videos

[@communistwookiee4727]

On the same lines, it was always interesting to me when on Justified whenever anyone is playing a video game it was always a PS3 because the show was produced by Sony Pictures Television, until single season 5 episode where they had Killer Instinct as the prominent featured game, despite the show still being produced by Sony TV.

[@AbrahamLure]

That would have made me flip out as well, Sony have always been so careful to use only their products in their movies

[@tim.martin]

Setup for the killer instinct line was pure genius.

[@DanielRojasSinger]

Agree completely hehe

[@nobyra]

The mistery: why is this channel better than anything on netflix?

[@charliekelly735]

The mystery: Your spelling

[@GalaxyChoke]

note: besides arcane specifically

[@sxturnidx]

hi Futaba, nice to see you here

[@Jack-sy6di]

@@charliekelly735 a mistery is where you go to find misters

[@niallmcardle7]

@@charliekelly735 It's a bad day when Charlie Kelly even points out your bad spelling.

[@jetsracingdesigns]

If he circles back to Netflix's handling of Little Witch Academia years later...

[@Neobot21]

Remind me, what did they do with LWA? I didn't watch it but I vaguely remember Nick talking about it. Did they do the same thing they're doing with JJBA Stone Ocean?

[@lucylu3342]

i need context pls

[@TrashyBag]

@@Neobot21same thing they are doing with stone ocean. They had English subtitles for LWA in Japan but it took them 6 months to release the first 12 episodes in the West and then a further 3 months for the rest.

[@PaigeMackyy]

The thumbnail is all right, but it could use more red arrows and circles

[@Ryan-mn2dd]

OK, never watched this dude before to my knowledge. So far it seems like everything he undertakes takes two years. MUCH RESPECT.

[@krievv]

The dedication that Nick has is insane. Spending *YEARS* on a single video over some small thing that nobody else has cared to think about is crazy.

[@Gold_Yoshi]

Nick going out of his way to make a really dramatic, heartfelt video basically giving the most accurate answer to questions nobody asked, while making us wonder why we never asked despite never hearing about half the stuff he talks about.

[@pixeltaku]

I legitimately got SOOOOO excited bouncing up and down on my chair when he started building up to the reveal of Tsubutaki

[@R3AL-AIM]

You know, I kind of feel bad for never playing that game when it first released or when it dropped on Xbox One... Honestly seemed like it was decent. I remember seeing it on the Store for the first time, just going "Ah, that's sweet to see" and going right past it. :/ for shame on my younger self.

[@Minionz]

I love that you spent so much time and effort on this. This is one of my favorite youtube channels because of the crazy tangents it goes on some times. What a rollercoaster.

[@tewks4458]

I love how in your vids you don't just report your findings, but you also walk through the journalistic process. Very interesting to learn about the various obscure gaming stuff you dig up.

[@Lendorien]

You can always rely on this guy to go down some crazy rabbit hole and discover something fun and interesting that while not necessarily important, definitely enriches your life in a small way

[@carslayer]

Now he just needs to find what KZbin playthrough paused at that moment and ended up being used as the still frame

[@perpetualcollapse]

There’s no way the video is 14 minutes and 20 seconds long.

[@perpetualcollapse]

It was.

[@alyndavis]

At 7:00 that “entirely possible” bit really threw me for a loop. I wasn’t watching and all of a sudden I was like whoooo tf is talking rn?!? Lol thanks for that one, Nick. Really good.

[@terabitez3374]

This is like when the kids in Locke and key were playing Spyro just random moments in shows where they play random games

[@TheSonicBros1]

6:02 "Now, this was a very crucial question that I needed the answer to right away. So I booked a flight to Japan, to see if it was truly possible to see on the Japanese Netflix after all."

[@TheHenshinGuy]

I was just thinking about this dude's channel yesterday, and here he is... Dropping bomb 💣

[@jcdranzer25]

Okay, I've played the game and I've watched the series too. Elite is a teen murder-mystery series, it's pretty good and those scenes are actually very important as the one he's confessing to is actually the brother of the murdered girl who was killed off in the first episode of season 1.

[@coyoteartist]

The enthusiasm Nick gives to these searches and the human element with his being able to end up talking to people, can't be undersold.

[@laraalvarezzz2]

I don't care about this game but wow! Your research is impeccable.

[@DanielRojasSinger]

Give it a chance. It's actually a very fun game with great atmosphere, music, and story. 😊

[@rocioquiroz11]

I legit started replaying Rage last night and remembered that scene in Breaking Bad. I even looked it up and saw a whole article about how Id software were fans and Breaking Bad wanted some footage for the scene. Even Badger actor Matt Jones plays a character in the game. All this before I had even watched this video, Truly amazing.

[@DPedroBoh]

The amount of content this guy can squeeze out of any subject is unbelievable. And he holds some stuff from a video to make other videos about it. It's extreme efficiency and a marvel to watch unfold. Tldr cool videos brah.

[@Hambo325]

It's amazing how Nick can create mysteries that didn't exist before he found them, then solve said mystery. He's like Schrodinger's Detective.

[@stabbityjoe7588]

I don’t think that’s a correct application of shrodingers

[@Hambo325]

@@stabbityjoe7588 something Is in the middle of non-existence and existence unless viewed by the human eye, that eye being Nick. That something being a weird mystery. Sounds right to me.

[@SaraSpruce]

This stuff is exactly why I'm subscribed to you, and my favourite type of content on KZbin overall - deep dives into incredibly specific topics.

[@verylostdoommarauder]

This is indescribably incredible. This kind of extremely niche reference (Although it might be unintentional) is incredible and I wish it happened more.

[@ice-choco-Icecream]

I have no idea about this game, nor care about Elite but seeing someone talk so enthusiastically about something they like it's the best

[@Jupex]

Your videos and topics are so obscure but yet so intriguing, love it!!

[@brandonwells4171]

An even more obscure game that was a childhood favorite of mine is a scene in the show eureka in a gaming store they fly past a scene of someone playing kameo. It’s literally seconds into the game so they booted it up and started playing it just for this scene

[@o0l0iillooiliill4]

I love a good mystery conspiracy video on 9/11

[@otherlego]

I still think he should figure out who composed the 2009 storm alert theme

[@cyborg5228]

now we have to find the video where the pause screen is from

[@PaGGeZ]

"entirely possible" killed me

[@dyo1001]

I hope the Phantom Dust 2 team acquires Nick Robinson to guarantee success. I play phantom dust 4 times a week now lmao Best game to be a kid in again. just loads right to the game, no BS. Just game and mechanics to improve your playstyle. Amazing.

[@SStyle5]

Guessing the sponsor will be a VPN

[@SStyle5]

Rip

[@polipix_]

nick’s video topics are so niche and strange to talk about, but he puts so much effort into every video. i love it

[@murkinstock]

Maybe the documentaries that release the second someone dies?

[@citypavement]

I bet there's a few about the Queen of England already. I haven't even bothered to look.

[@glenngriffon8032]

I couldn't possibly care less about the game but as a fan of something obscure I can relate to feeling joy at seeing the thing you love featuring in a show. Also I have to give you some major respect for reaching out to the creator and telling him. His reaction was priceless.

[@TappingDasVein]

That joke at 4:19 was soooo good. I was curious why he just kept talking about how niche the category was, and phantom dust wouldn’t even win 😂

[@RageOfAquarius9595]

"I'd have two nickels... Which isn't a lot, but it's weird that it happend twice"

[@caitiemoriarty]

8:53 is where anyone who has watched Nick’s content before went “oh god he did it again didnt he”

[@LUSCIOUSDUNCAN]

dude, i looked away from the screen slightly at 7:00 so when i heard you say "entirely possible" i didn't notice the visual edit and thought i was going fucking insane for a second

[@ericedwardsjr3459]

Phantom dust is one of the most interesting original games ever made. I wish part 2 got finished, I still play this till this.

[@DCGMatthew1]

Hmm, this shall be interesting. I'm assuming it has to do with some game on Netflix or something. Edit: Technically yes, a part of me kind of thought it'd have something to do with Phantom Dust if it didn't have to do with a game itself on Netflix. I gotta feeling he figured out who put the game in the show though and why.

[@minganmorissette]

I love the enthusiasm in his voice when he talks about stuff he's passionate about, it's contagious

[@kfriedricen46]

A quick anecdote on the free Microsoft 4k remaster that involves myself and serendipitous timing. I made a Twitter back months before the port made it's way to the Xbox one, following the cancelled reboot, directed at Phil Spencer featuring my boxed copy of Phantom Dust. It went from photo of box, photo of box open, photo of just disc, and photo of just the game manual - all on separate days - in a small campaign for something to come of Phantom. I still hold minor credit in bringing it back.

[@aaronaaronsen3360]

That is an insane level of dedication on a tiny detail. As usual, you perfectly succeeded in making a potentially insignificant fact SUPER interesting. Thank you for this video !

[@DanishingAct]

Love the shirt. Been killing it since gb.

[@TheRealEvilSink]

it was first Phantom Dust that brought me here, and it brought me back again. im glad it did, your productions are great.

[@Sam-hz7nk]

Nick, I fucking love that you put drum and bass in almost all of your videos. Makes me very happy.

[@ProtomanBlues87]

My crackpot theory is that this is the video you actually wanted to make, and made the 45 minute Phantom Dust video as a preface for this.

[@ProfMannion]

It's amazing how much work you put into this.

[@turkicnomad5632]

I actually screamed at Tsubutaki’s last message. Amazing.

[@ramblenote]

props for the bodysync record in the background

[@dennisoftheflies9580]

War mode...Billy and Spud???? Good man.

[@scg4305]

Very cool, reminds me of that one time there was a Gitaroo Man reference on an earlier episode of Steven Universe, another quite loved and obscure game showing up on a (less obscure and more wide known) tv show.

[@andrewwong3556]

Now we need to find the exact KZbin video and timestamp

[@thenickster015]

Your videos are always so wholesome. Whether it's finding an obscure Nintendo Christmas Flash game, or buying forgotten classics with Subway gift cards, or spending 2 years on finding out why a pause menu from a game appears in a Spanish Netflix drama, I always end your videos with a dumb smile on my face!

[@Diminisherrr]

Okay the delivery and punchline on that "Award" joke was fucking perfect. Deserved like. Good job 👍

[@dragonofthenight9084]

I was watching gremlins 2: a new batch and after the scene where the gremlin flys out the window there is feint wording that says “game over” but nobody talks about it

[@HonkeyKong54]

If you play rage Tucos grill is in wellsprings at the sheriff's office. Gales adresss and name are on the walls in graffiti and Los Pollos cups are scattered around the world. That scene was before Rage even came out. Id software created that build and recorded it for the show.

[@VexKingYoutube]

"Don't really have an idea what's going on in this show, I just got here, I'm just here for the Phantom Dust." Someone should put that on clothing lmao

[@Rippertear]

Nice, a new Nick Robinson video on my birthday. Looking forward to it!

[@kfcbrazil7284]

Knowing Nick I was half expecting him to track down the exact KZbin video they got the capture from

[@johnmckenzie6661]

It absolutely would NOT get an Oscar nomination for "Best Appearance by a Multiplayer XBOX One Game Based on a Decades-Dormant Piece of IP Revived Decades Later by Microsoft as a Free-to-Play Game Developed Under the Supervision of Ken Lobb That Then Makes an Inexplicable and Prominent Appearance In Season 2 of a Netflix Original Series"... The Oscars are only for films, not TV shows.

[@Nodsbane]

Man, that was amazing even if it's a topic I didn't much care for since I didn't know anything about it. But, the lengths you went to so you could figure it out kept me watching for the whole video. Love your stuff!

[@babylonian]

thanks Brandon!

[@fritzwilder8193]

That “Killer Instinct” punchline flip was phenomenal brother.

[@orion10x10]

Oh my god the soundtrack to this 14 minute video SLAPS. 14 songs 🔥🔥🔥 you go above and beyond in all aspects, every time

[@OrsoGabriel]

The single set of moments that compose the second between 7:00 and 7:01 now lies between the God Edits of all time youtube history

[@JayboCorp.2014]

I'm wondering what happened to that A.I. Netflix had for awhile, seemed like a cool idea. Wonder who voiced him. Loved the personality too, of course it was gone after about a year or so.

[@shinoataya]

Wait which AI

[@JayboCorp.2014]

@@shinoataya: Did a bit more research; it was named Max, really cool apparently launched around mid 2013. Also Max might've been PS3 exclusive, from what I'm reading.

[@shinoataya]

@@JayboCorp.2014 Ooh that sounds really interesting

[@SectorfiveYT]

Here's my guess, since the game is free on windows store and sometimes random games get recommended, this game will also show when you filter by free games, my guess is that the studio recording the drama show didn't care about what game they will do much, because that's not the focus of the story so they downloaded a random game on that windows computer from Microsoft store which just happened to be Phantom Dust.

[@PrestonGraff]

Thank you for continuously making the most interesting gaming videos I've ever seen. The amount of depth and detail you go into about obscure stuff like this is just awesome. It blows my mind how far you've come since that Halo Reach video you uploaded a decade or so ago. Your 1 million+ subscribers are beyond well deserved. Please keep making videos like this forever.

[@gguioa]

Amazing video, honestly I can't really say much that other people haven't said. The quality, effort, care you put into your content. All of it. I love it.

[@anieldevans8056]

I actually recently watched Elite and can tell you that 'Guy number 1' is called Polo and 'Guy number 2' is called Guzman 😂

[@jinnjaninja]

lovin your new backround