Defining Duke: An Xbox Podcast

• #235 | Xbox Is A Disaster... - Multiple Games Canceled & The Initiative CLOSED!

  To be apathetic to something is to experience a lack of feeling or emotion in response to an event. For the Dukes, it's the word of the show. Xbox has been mismanaged for an entire generation and it has come at the cost of losing world class talents alongside studios. It was just in 2024 that we lost Tango Gameworks, Arkane Austin, Roundhouse Studios, and Alpha Dog Games. There was also the formidable Toys For Bob that went independent. That alone was more than enough to last us a generation, but today we learned that Xbox has closed down the studio they started back in 2018: The Initiative. Alongside that, Rare's Everwild has been canceled on top of a new IP from Zenimax Online Studios. There's no other way to slice it. For Xbox to improve, leadership must be held accountable. The question is if they ever will and given how situations at teams like Bungie have gone down, we expect a meek, weak willed level of accountability to the bloodbath at Microsoft this week. Indeed, much of the frustration is built off the back of constant, mind-numbing, inconsistent messaging. It was only in February that CEO of Microsoft Gaming, Phil Spencer, said Everwild was really shaping up. It was canceled today. With such wishy-washy messaging to their fans, the brand is at a point where no one can believe anything they say. Sure, a partnership with AMD to do next-generation consoles was announced within the last month. How can we trust that? It's the lowest level of trust asked of a consumer that you can believe an announcement when you see it. Instead, the only message we're left with is that if you're not a mega-hit in the making, Xbox wants to have no part of you. What does this say to teams like Compulsion and Ninja Theory or larger developers like Obsidian that like to split off in pursuit of smaller titles? It's amusing that Xbox has done this in the name of creating a sustainable business yet their methods and approach to making games is arguably the least sustainable thing we've seen. They're all in on a subscription service while putting tens of millions of dollars into making games. How it'll all shake up will be interesting to watch, but many of us know how this story will end. 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 Wealth
 0:20:27 - Xbox layoffs Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

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• #234 | It's Happening AGAIN - More Xbox Layoffs Inbound...

  It was supposed to be a slow news week, so naturally we talked for almost four hours on the latest in gaming. Heading up our show is a recurrent subject: layoffs at Xbox. Despite Phil's claims about a sustainable business, the cuts keep coming. Of course, that leaves us in a bit of a pickle. What parts of Xbox business are faltering? We're about a year removed from last year where Xbox began shutting down multiple teams, so it's not a far cry to say we may be approaching that point. We haven't seen Game Pass numbers in a hot minute, titles like South Of Midnight and Hellblade 2 have questionable sales at best, and the green team is all but officially confirmed to be out on physical games. So, which is it, if any? We gab quite a bit before leaving it to next week where we'll get official confirmation. Plus, Xbox integrating other PC storefronts into their app, righting the record on Final Fantasy XVI, diving into Lies Of P sales figures, and so much more in what was an unexpectedly meaty (oh!) episode of Defining Duke. Please keep in mind that our timestamps are approximate, and will often be slightly off due to dynamic ad placement. 0:00:00 - Intro0:16:24 - Health Is Wealth0:32:22 - Correcting FF16 information from last week0:41:52 - A new Halo game is releasing… kinda0:54:16 - Meta Quest 3S Xbox Edition announced1:01:46 - SEGA sales data leaks1:14:08 - Persona 4 Revival & Stranger Than Heaven release info1:17:35 - Blood Of Dawnwalker Gameplay deep dive1:22:58 - Cyberpunk 2077 update 2.3 has been delayed1:27:54 - Layoffs headed for Mindseye developer1:40:01 - Blood Message reveal reaction1:43:03 - Rematch devs respond to crossplay issues1:48:34 - Third party Switch 2 sales below estimates1:59:03 - Splitgate 2 devs face layoffs2:12:25 - Lies Of P difficulty settings2:23:24 - What We’re Playing3:08:15 - Major Xbox layoffs inbound3:33:13 - Steam library comes to Xbox PC App3:45:03 - Game Pass Pick Of The Week Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

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• #233 | ONE MORE CONSOLE! - Xbox Reveals Next Gen Details...

  The green team is sticking with making hardware. Consoles, handhelds, maybe even more. They're in! In a push to put their games in more places than ever alongside a massive decline in Series console sales, the understanding was Xbox has no place in the hardware business and may as well bow out. With today's news, it appears to be quite the opposite. Alongside this news presented by Xbox President, Sarah Bond, we also learned there will be more storefronts and games will continue to go everywhere. The moves made by Xbox have even extracted comments out of PlayStation execs during a fireside chat about their financials. As they continue to turn heads, we'll do our best to unpack how this even makes sense for Xbox. Please keep in mind that our timestamps are approximate, and will often be slightly off due to dynamic ad placement. 0:00:00 - Intro0:03:16 - Health Is Wealth0:24:50 - Xbox's video capture issue0:30:22 - Will Xbox deliver a GOTY winner?0:44:22 - Marathon has been indefinitely delayed1:02:47 - Borderlands 4 will cost $701:11:27 - Final Fantasy 16 is flopping on Xbox?1:26:06 - PlayStation comments on Xbox’s hardware direction1:37:45 - Outer Worlds 2 director responds to the $80 concerns1:47:58 - Crash Team Racing reaches 10 million sales1:51:51 - Silent Hill 1 Remake confirmed1:56:19 - Expedition 33 “improvements” are on the way1:59:48 - What We’re Playing2:25:10 - Xbox details their next generation consoles3:01:24 - Coming soon to Xbox Game Pass3:05:17 - Game Pass Pick Of The Week Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

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• #232 | The $80 Xbox Games Have ARRIVED...

  The fallout of any Xbox showcase is always our favorite episodes to record as a duo! It gets us all involved and allows to pick with greater detail at whatever is on the community's mind as consuming so many trailers. Well, there's mostly one thing on Xbox fan's minds at the moment and it's if Outer Worlds 2 should be the second ever $80 game. There's no doubt about it that there are more to come, but should Call Of Duty have taken the fall? Is this price tag going to prevent The Outer Worlds 2 from reaching its peak popularity? We have many thoughts on this touchy subject, but also on the future of Windows combining itself with Xbox. With Xbox Play Anywhere, things are changing. However, many fans are noticing that most of their library CAN'T play anywhere. Will Xbox ameliorate this and, if so, how quickly? Plus more on Cog's incredible Shinobi story, MindsEye first impressions, the future of Halo's story as a multi-platform title, when we'll get Persona 6, and plenty more! Please keep in mind that our timestamps are approximate, and will often be slightly off due to dynamic ad placement. 0:00:00 - Intro0:06:58 - Health Is Wealth0:20:43 - Persona 6?0:31:42 - Should Xbox go full Nintendo?0:50:20 - Xbox console games on PC1:13:05 - What is in the water at Obsidian?1:22:25 - The future of Halo’s story1:28:56 - Does Matty truly hate Forza Horizon?1:33:53 - Phil on Xbox & Windows team1:35:14 - Why does Grounded 2 exist?1:43:29 - Oblivion Remaster gets its first update1:45:32 - What We’re Playing3:14:39 - Game Pass Pick Of The Week Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

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• #231 | A Slow Year? - Our Reactions To The Xbox Games Showcase 2025

  Xbox has been the gold standard for showcases these last two years. Whether it be their summer showcases or Developer Direct, they just seem to have a death grip on the rhythm needed to put on a good show along with well timed announcements. Well, no one stays hot forever, so it was inevitable that Xbox would come down to earth at some point. The question is, when they do, where would they end up? Fortunately, it wasn't terrible! We got a deep look at The Outer Worlds 2 while Double Fine finally came out of hiding with their atmospheric adventure game, Keeper. Clockwork Revolution stole the show with a 5+ minute trailer and, naturally, Call Of Duty is coming back again this year. Perhaps most noteworthy was the reveal of the ROG Xbox Ally X. As long reported, this partnership with ASUS will be the beginning of Xbox's handheld journey. Cog went hands-on, so we have to-the-minute thoughts on the user experience, UI updates, and performance testing! Please keep in mind that our timestamps are approximate, and will often be slightly off due to dynamic ad placement. 0:00:00 - Intro0:03:24 - General Impressions0:12:28 – Outer Worlds 20:30:16 – High On Life 20:33:49 – Resonance: A Plague Tale Legacy0:37:45 – Rog Xbox Ally X0:56:10 – Blood Of The Dawnwalker0:58:08 – Super Meat Boy 3D0:59:35 – Ninja Gaiden 41:04:54 – Indiana Jones: The Order Of Giants1:11:02 – Beast Of Reincarnation1:13:48 – Clockwork Revolution1:24:52 – Grounded 21:31:37 – Chronos: The New Dawn1:36:19 – Aphelion1:40:05 – There Are No Ghosts At The Grand1:43:03 – Mudang Two Hearts1:45:50 – Planet Of Lana 21:51:37 – Animo1:55:51 – Tony Hawk Pro Skater 3 + 41:57:00 – At Fate's End1:59:06 – Gears Of War Reloaded2:01:58 – Persona 4 Revival2:11:06 – Invincible VS2:16:00 – Final Fantasy has come to Xbox2:27:17 – Keeper2:34:19 – Phil's 2026 Teases2:54:51 – Black Ops 7 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

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