Defining Duke: An Xbox Podcast

• #245 | Getting REAL About Xbox Game Pass...

  Much of the conversation surrounding Game Pass and its sustainability has been about whether or not it can turn a profit. The Dukes themselves have pondered on this very subject for dozens of episodes. At this point, Game Pass is here to stay. The conversation has evolved from how much money the service makes to whether or not it dramatically impacts how games are made. At first, PlayStation alumni Shawn Layden brought attention to this subject. While well respected and incredibly knowledgable, many believed that Shawn bled a bit too much blue for their taste and that his points may be biased. That's fair to say, but what happens when many of Xbox's own start to say the same? Much of our conversation is about what Pete Hines, the former SVP of Communication and Marketing at Bethesda, had to say on Xbox's premier service. However, it's really about the fallout from it. Shannon Loftis, a Xbox lifer who spent 20+ years at the company, sang a similar tune to that of Pete and Shawn. Even MachineGames currnet studio head had thoughts on how Game Pass players dip very quickly. Even recently, Larian's own Swen Vincke had his concerns about Game Pass. Raphael Colantonio, formerly of Arkane and now at WolfEye, shared a similar sentiment. While indie and even AA have found a pocket from which they very much benefit from Game Pass, AAA is speaking out. The question remains: Are players willing to listen in the face of such value? Please keep in mind that our timestamps are approximate, and will often be slightly off due to dynamic ad placement. 0:00:00 - Intro0:17:57 - Health Is Wealth0:22:02 - Bethesda finally teases Starfield DLC0:30:16 - Wolfenstein lives on0:38:37 - Hollow Knight Silksong breaks records0:51:10 - Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth due out on Xbox in 20260:53:27 - Physical games live on for another generation?1:05:37 - Dead Island 3 on the way1:12:19 - Helldivers 3 basically confirmed1:16:05 - Resident Evil 5 Remake isn’t happening1:22:44 - Old KOTOR Remake concept art leaks1:24:35 - Metal Gear Delta sells 1 million copies in 2 days1:25:22 - 2K is making a “college basketball experience” while EA bails1:34:37 - Batman Arkham Shadow is getting a sequel1:39:35 - IO Interactive finally talks about Mindseye launch1:44:20 - What We’re Playing2:23:54 - Pete Hines opens up on Xbox & Bethesda3:12:04 - Xbox’s Tokyo Game Show plans3:20:02 - Game Pass Pick Of The Week Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

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• #244 | It was almost SAVED... - The Truth On Perfect Dark

  Today in news that we wish we never knew about: Xbox's reboot of Perfect Dark was nearly saved! Their dance partner? Take Two Interactive who serves as publisher of Rockstar. Yes, indeed, a recent report states that these two were working out a deal similar to Xbox selling off Tango Gameworks alongside the Hi Fi Rush IP to Krafton in order to help the company. Unfortunately, a falling out between both sides occurred over an IP ownership dispute. Now, Perfect Dark is doomed to sit in "IP Jail" with many of Xbox's other abandoned properties. At least Banjo has some company now. Please keep in mind that our timestamps are approximate, and will often be slightly off due to dynamic ad placement. 0:00:00 - Intro0:02:40 - Health Is Wealth0:23:57 - Our preview philosophy0:35:17 - Is The Outer Worlds 2 hate overblown?0:50:30 - What games should you play soon?0:54:23 - Call Of Duty is entering the movie business1:00:49 - Gears Of War Reloaded numbers are in1:12:16 - Helldivers 2 is the #1 paid game on the Xbox store1:23:23 - Grounded 2 seems to be doing very well1:28:52 - 007 First Light impressions1:36:14 - PlayStation 6 will be a handheld?1:48:20 - Epic responds to Unreal Engine 5 concerns2:02:20 - Ubisoft’s 2026 and 2027 games2:10:54 - What's going on with Cyberpunk 2077?2:14:25 - Kojima event may show off OD2:17:05 - What We’re Playing3:10:24 - Perfect Dark was nearly revived3:28:05 - Coming soon to Xbox Game Pass3:40:56 - Game Pass Pick Of The Week Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

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• #243 | We played The Outer Worlds 2 EARLY and...

  It's been a bit of a rough go for Obsidian as of late. Compared to their usual RPG triumphs, Avowed felt quite a bit less than that. However, not all of it was entirely their fault. At one point, Xbox chose to make this the $80 game that would lead the charge in a new era of high prices. After considerable pushback, they chose to drop the price to $70. While a welcome sight, some have debated if even that is a fair price point for what appears to be a AA RPG. Now, marketing has kicked the hornet's nest with the latest companion trailer. So, here we are. Cog and Matty played the prologue section of the game and our thoughts are mixed. There certainly wasn't a "sound the alarm" moment, but it read to the Dukes like a less confident showing. Much of what makes an Obsidian RPG great is here. However, after the preview failed to show how that would be executed, both Dukes were left feeling like there is more that could've been done. Now, the tough decision falls to Xbox. Do you risk another preview and overexpose the game to try and correct things? Do you ride into launch and hope for the best? Time will tell, but we only have to wait until October to learn just how worth it Outer Worlds 2 will be. Please keep in mind that our timestamps are approximate, and will often be slightly off due to dynamic ad placement. 0:00:00 - Intro0:15:07 - Write Ins0:37:33 - Pete Parsons is leaving Bungie0:51:25 - Tim Schafer on Double Fine’s future games0:55:32 - Hollow Knight Silksong finally has a release date1:11:32 - Xbox Ally preorder date leaks1:12:39 - The reason that Switch 2 ports of Xbox games are delayed?1:23:00 - Xbox Cloud Gaming is coming to Game Pass subscribers1:29:48 - New Starfield updates detailed1:35:13 - High On Life 2 will include 5 playable games1:37:14 - Replaced is set to release Spring 20261:38:59 - Activision responds to Call of Duty concerns1:50:34 - More Clair Obscur is on the way2:04:51 - Atari has acquired 5 Ubisoft games2:09:26 - Ken Levine opens up on Judas2:16:53 - Vampire The Masquerade Bloodlines 2’s Wild DLC situation2:23:20 - Naoki Yoshida says there’s no need for new consoles2:26:52 - Herman Hulst on Concord’s failure2:31:46 - Skate enters early access on September 16th2:40:02 - What We’re Playing3:48:09 - Forza Horizon 6 will be set in Japan3:59:05 - Coming soon to Xbox Game Pass4:00:22 - Game Pass Pick Of The Week Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

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• #242 | The TRUTH About The Xbox Ally Is Here...

  Gamescom took place this week! On top of Opening Night Live which was home to many reveals, Xbox held their own show the day after. It's there that we finally got information on the Xbox Ally. Everything from its official release date to features, specs, capabilities, and so on. With the rumored price tag floating at $549.99 and $899.99 respectively, is this handheld doing enough to justify its enthusiast status? Despite everything being an Xbox, it seems like the Xbox Ally will only function as such if a title supports "Play Anywhere." While not a concern for future games as we've seen many releases support the future, what this means for your established Xbox library isn't great news. We parse through it all... and a lot of Lego Batman. Please keep in mind that our timestamps are approximate, and will often be slightly off due to dynamic ad placement. 0:00:00 - Intro0:07:28 -  Health Is Wealth0:31:52 - Xbox is safe from Tyson... for now0:33:26 - Grounded 2 is outpacing the first0:38:08 - Ex-PlayStation Exec Shawn Layden on Game Pass0:57:15 - Details on the Helldivers x ODST collab1:01:21 - Rod Fergusson is the new Head of the BioShock Franchise1:08:28 - High On Life 2 is releasing February 13th, 20261:11:31 - Triangle Strategy shadow drops on Xbox1:15:35 - Mafia: The Old Country sales thus far1:17:34 - Shenmue 3 Enhanced Edition announced by ININ1:36:41 - What We’re Playing2:02:23 - Gamescom recap2:45:29 - Updates on Xbox Ally3:01:30 - PlayStation hikes console price3:08:56 - Leaving Xbox Game Pass3:10:21 - Game Pass Pick Of The Week Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

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• #241 | ANOTHER Canceled Game Hits Xbox... - What's Next?

  Contraband was announced back in 2021. Since then, we've seen just about nothing from the game. No messaging beats, no trailers, and even the Xbox executives didn't yap about this one! After four years of development, this collaboration between Xbox and Avalanche has come to a close. Adding it to the list of canceled Xbox titles, this one feels different to Dependable Cog and Choco Matty. Part of it is apathy, but it's also a new angle from the previous shutdowns where we really don't know much about what was lost. It's a valuable lesson in why Xbox shouldn't announce things early. Beyond our headline, we get into Xbox's president offering her talents to Tyson Foods (?!), Halo coming to PlayStation, a legend leaving Xbox, and diving deep into Matty's recent interview with ex-BioWare vet, Mark Darrah. Please keep in mind that our timestamps are approximate, and will often be slightly off due to dynamic ad placement. 0:00:00 - Intro0:10:29 - Cog wears diapers & Matty goes viral for cleaning0:40:34 - Health Is Wealth0:48:38 - Mafia: The Old Country "Controversy"0:58:16 - Are games giving what the fans want?1:04:19 - Ex BioWare dev on Dragon Age remasters1:25:35 - PlayStation is moving away from hardware?1:43:25 - Rod Ferguson is leaving Blizzard1:51:15 - Sarah Bond joins… Tyson Foods2:00:50 - An update on the future of Forza2:05:48 - The release date for the Xbox Ally has leaked2:07:58 - Heretic + Hexen re-release shadowdropped2:12:09 - A Halo game is coming to PlayStation2:17:13 - Halo ODST is coming to Helldivers 22:21:52 - Bungie’s leash tightens with Marathon2:28:48 - S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2 is getting a massive roadmap2:34:14 - LEGO Batman is getting the Skywalker Saga treatment?2:44:11 - Crimson Desert has been delayed to Q1 20262:45:40 - What We’re Playing3:25:42 - Contraband has been canceled3:33:39 - Game Pass Pick Of The Week Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

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