Show Notes
Blink and you might miss the new big thing Xbox is doing! Last week, it was XP. This is the home to Xbox's Products, Places, Partnerships, and Productions. Basically, where everything that is beyond the "box" goes. Sure, fine, that's a lot to talk about on its own. However, a wave of recomps, games running on browsers, and AI powered mods have led to yet another initiative to be stood up rather quickly. This time, it's Xbox Labs, and Xbox aims to take hold of the emerging "creator" space where they will sell new products. If that wasn't enough, a new survey leaked online and tells us that Xbox is looking at making literally everything exclusive outside of Call Of Duty. So, the Dukes heads are spinning to say the least. Let's chat through it all as we always do in what has become an incredibly unpredictable time for all of gaming.
Please keep in mind that our timestamps are approximate, and will often be slightly off due to dynamic ad placement.
0:00:00 - Intro0:08:32 - Health Is Wealth0:34:05 - Super Mario World slander0:38:36 - The last game mechanic to make you go “huh, that’s neat”0:46:20 - Xbox still wants new IP0:54:41 - Xbox announces the Nano controller1:01:04 - Gears Of War: E-Day sales estimates are in1:32:41 - Destiny 1 Remaster inbound?1:38:54 - Epic is making a full AI game2:17:46 - College Football is in jeopardy and Todd Howard is likely depressed to hear this2:26:34 - Physical games are doing just fine2:35:14 - More Silent Hill games inbound2:38:28 - Great news for Star Wars: Zero Company2:41:26 - What We’re Playing3:00:59 - Xbox Labs is the newest Xbox initiative to be announced3:27:26 - Xbox reveals XP3:53:08 - Major exclusives coming to Xbox? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
More from Defining Duke: An Xbox Podcast
The aggression of Asha Sharma and Xbox's new leadership group continues on! In a leaked town hall, we learned of many of Xbox's plans for the future including a "family" of devices for Helix, incoming changes to Game Pass, and the streamlining to how games reach the platform. One of the more noteworthy comments was Asha's insistence that Xbox has not "earned the right" to avert their gaze beyond the console platform. This is something clearly in staunch opposition to what the prior leadership team stood for as they explored everything from gaming through TV apps to the Cloud. With the focus on the current generation of consoles, what does this mean for games even in the 2030s? The Dukes think you should get very cozy with the idea of still playing games on these devices even up to a decade from now.
Happy 300 to all our fellow Dukes! For those of you have stuck by our side through both personal and professional highs and lows, we're eternally grateful that you're here. To the surprise of some of you, the Dukes DO take a lot of time to reflect and celebrate. Beyond that, we get into the main attraction. Xbox's first console exclusive in years is here in Gears Of War: E-Day. Cog and Matty have played the campaign. Did it deliver? There's only one way for you to find out.
Round 2 of the Xbox Reset has arrived thanks to none of other than the Green Reaper. Joining us is Gene Park to discuss the fallout of these events. Halo is now officially run by Activision as Xbox finally chopped down 343 aka Halo Studios. It has been a long time coming as 343 managed the franchise for 15 years. Their tenure brought us Halo Anniversary Edition, Halo 4, Halo 5 Guardians, Halo Infinite, Halo Wars 2, and Halo Campaign Evolved. Almost all of these were disasters in their own way and as Asha Sharma's team cleans house, this felt inevitable in the wake of poor sales for the latest Halo remake. So, how can Activision rebuild the franchise? What direction do they take things in? Is it time to rebuild from scratch and ignore literally anything done before? Are sprint, ADS, and mantling returning features? How long will all of this take? It is a seismic undertaking and one thing is clear: another 343 led Halo game that sucks would sting, but another new beginning that results in disaster would drive us all to the point of insanity. Xbox must nail this, but that goes for a number of their IP they're now looking to nurture. Obsidian has joined forces with Bethesda and it's no doubt that these two will be at the hip for a very long time as Fallout continues to peak in popularity. What is Obsidian's creative future? Are they forever attached to Fallout or are more experiments on the way? Plus, will InXile join the fold at Bethesda eventually as the Xbox Game Studios family has become incredibly lean. It's our largest episode ever, so do get comfortable, settle into the conversation, and enjoy!
XBOX's continued investment in an avalanche of tentpole IP's came full circle at BlizzCon 2026! The Dukes enlist "The Reaper" of Overwatch and all things BLIZZARD to break down the latest ramifications! From World Of Warcraft's roadmap/controller future, Diablo 5, and StarCraft announcements to how far out some of these releases are! We also discuss a plethora of XBOX news, the Kojima and XBOX partnership aftermath, Asha Sharma handling your customer support tickets and more!Timestamps:Please keep in mind that our timestamps are approximate, and will often be slightly off due to dynamic ad placement.0:00:00 - Intro/Health is Wealth0:12:09 - Warm Up Questions0:27:14 - Inside report on Kojima and PlayStation’s split0:54:02 - Are Day 1 Game Pass Games done in 2027?1:13:32 - Apparently, Asha Sharma is helping Xbox support herself1:22:02 - The PlayStation Blackout failed1:28:10 - Wonders Of O trademarked by Neowiz1:33:34 - Major updates for Bungie & Marathon1:46:07 - FF7 Remake team is handling Kingdom Hearts 41:57:05 - Injustice 3 inbound?2:00:29 - SEGA is going all in on adaptations2:10:04 - GenAI use is crushing Level 52:12:24 - Capcom Announcements from TGS 20262:16:36 - Sea of Thieves Signs Of Life2:21:36 - What We’re Playing2:49:05 - The Big Blizzcon Blowout Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
In the wee hours of the night, an absolute stunner landed. Prolific and beloved game director, Hideo Kojima, has killed off his partnership with PlayStation for his upcoming action-espionage title, PHYSINT, and signed on with Xbox. According to the man himself, PlayStation was ready to cancel his game this June! After three months of searching, he found his partner in XBOX. It's a partnership where Kojima claims that they "share a common vision for the future" which says more than just about anything else within this next. Those who recall the PHYSINT announcement in 2024 will also remember that this was TV/movie deal as well. According to the XBOX Wire, they've got that too! So, what gives? Is this just a money play? Has Sony lost touch with optical wins when it was only last generation that they reaped the massive benefits of saving Kojima from Konami? What is XBOX's end goal in all of this? There is much to discuss! Beyond that, we talk about the Cloud Gaming snafu, the diabolical Steam achievement leak, and so much more!Please keep in mind that our timestamps are approximate, and will often be slightly off due to dynamic ad placement.0:00:00 - Intro (Gamescom and Pax West Debriefing)00:34:17 - Health Is Wealth00:46:26 - Will Metaphor: ReFantazio get a definitive edition?00:49:43 - Cog’s thoughts on GTA 6 gameplay00:55:41 - Nintendo Direct recap01:04:04 - Ocarina Of Time Remake impressions01:30:30 - Developers opt out of Xbox’s disc to digital program?01:37:55 - Every NPC in Fable is handcrafted01:41:42 - Hideki Kamiya once again requests to make Scalebound01:48:31 - Rumors suggest Forza Horizon 6 isn’t coming to PS5 in 202601:50:43 - Blood Of Dawnwalker sequel in the works01:55:54 - More Final Fantasy 7 beyond the remakes01:59:20 - Capcom is focusing on reactivating IP02:02:31 - Witcher 1 Remake is on hold02:05:45 - PlayStation is looking to bring back Killzone02:12:05 - Venom game is still in development02:13:38 - Game Releases for September 202602:21:55 - What We’re Playing03:04:45 - Hideo Kojima jumps ship to Xbox03:54:14 - The catastrophic Steam achievement leak03:18:37 - Xbox’s Cloud Gaming Snafu Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices