Halo Moves to Activision as Xbox Restructures Again

The Expansion Pass crosses over with The Nerd Chat for a late-night discussion covering GTA 6, Xbox’s evolving strategy, new hardware, and what everyone has been playing. The crew digs into reports that GTA 6 could arrive on PC in Q1 2027, whether Rockstar still benefits from delaying its PC releases, and the role PlayStation’s marketing agreement could play. From there, we break down the new Xbox Nano Controller and Xbox Labs, including the potential implications for game preservation, backwards compatibility, AI-assisted development, mobile gaming, and Xbox’s next generation. Then the conversation turns to one of the bigger questions surrounding Xbox: should Microsoft keep more games exclusive? We discuss Minecraft, Clockwork Revolution, Elder Scrolls, increasingly expensive console hardware, and whether Xbox’s multiplatform strategy ultimately helps or hurts its hardware business. Plus: early Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 4 impressions, Gears of War, World of Warcraft Forever, Warhammer 40,000: Boltgun 2, Ninja Gaiden: Ragebound, The Witcher 3, and plenty more. Chapters: 0:00 – The Expansion Pass x The Nerd Chat6:45 – GTA 6 PC in Q1 2027?22:42 – Xbox Nano Controller35:18 – Xbox Labs, AI & Game Preservation49:17 – New Releases & Modern Warfare 455:36 – Should Xbox Bring Back Exclusives?1:08:30 – What We’ve Been Playing1:15:53 – World of Warcraft Forever & Boltgun 21:24:28 – Best Food We Had This Week1:37:11 – Closing Out the Crossover

Mathieu Côté of Behaviour Interactive returns for his third conversation with The Expansion Pass to discuss the future of Dead by Daylight. Mathieu shares new details on the 2027 overhaul, including how long it has been in active development, how Behaviour is balancing the current live game against the rebuild, and what the update could mean for legacy licensed characters like Michael Myers. He also responds to the recent Terrifier / Art the Clown criticism, discusses why Art may be the most intense killer Behaviour has ever created, and explains whether characters that have left Dead by Daylight could eventually return. Additional topics include the Dead by Daylight movie with Blumhouse and Atomic Monster, Jason Voorhees, Halloween and the growing asymmetrical horror genre, Behaviour’s work with The Coalition on Gears of War: E-Day, The Division 2 crossover, UGC tools, Stephen King, Pennywise, Scooby-Doo, Goosebumps and more. Chapters:0:00 Mathieu Côté Returns0:59 Dead by Daylight’s 2027 Overhaul10:01 Licensed Characters and Legacy Updates16:27 Rebuilding DBD While Supporting the Live Game23:14 Behaviour’s Gears of War: E-Day Connection26:31 Skins, Chapters and the Future of DBD Content33:56 New Players and the Asymmetrical Horror Genre36:34 Dead by Daylight Movie, Blumhouse & Atomic Monster42:16 The Division 2, Fortnite and DBD in Other Games47:14 Halloween, SAW: Genesis and Asymmetrical Horror50:50 Scooby-Doo, Goosebumps and Terrifier54:37 Stephen King, Pennywise and Dream Licenses57:19 Maps, Bots and UGC Tools1:01:43 Cult Horror and Religion in DBD1:05:14 What’s Next for Dead by Daylight1:06:25 Art the Clown: DBD’s Most Intense Killer1:08:09 Could Michael Myers Return?

The Coalition joins The Expansion Pass for a launch-day conversation about Gears of War: E-Day. Nicole Fawcette, Aryan Hanbeck, and Matt Searcy discuss making the Locust frightening again, building and destroying Kalona, and developing Marcus and Dom before they became the iconic brothers fans know. We also dig into how the team approaches changes to established Gears lore, why the franchise has such a powerful connection with the Hispanic and Mexican communities, and how much freedom Horde Siege has to bring characters from across Gears history into the fight. Plus, the team reflects on E-Day’s reception and what it means to have Gears back at the center of the gaming conversation. CHAPTERS 00:00 — Welcome The Coalition00:39 — Why Gears Resonates With the Hispanic Community03:59 — Building and Destroying Kalona08:49 — Making the Locust Terrifying Again14:27 — Marcus & Dom Before the Brotherhood18:13 — Changing Gears Lore Without Breaking It21:32 — Horde Siege, Canon & Returning Characters24:39 — E-Day’s Reception and the Xbox Conversation27:59 — The Coalition’s Message to Gears Fans

Gears of War: E-Day takes center stage as Captain Logun is joined by Jesse Norris from Day One and Joseph Moran from The Trophy Room: A PlayStation Podcast. Jesse breaks down his review of E-Day, including the campaign, multiplayer, Horde Siege, visuals, and why The Coalition’s latest is landing so strongly with longtime Gears fans. The conversation also covers Xbox’s new Mythic Achievements, reports addressing whether Xbox is actually for sale, God of War: Laufey pre-orders, PlayStation’s apparent retreat from traditional Collector’s Editions, physical vs. digital games, accessibility and game design, and the rising cost of AAA development. A wide-ranging discussion on Gears, Xbox, PlayStation, and where the industry may be heading next.

Former Chairman of PlayStation Studios and former CEO of Sony Interactive Entertainment America Shawn Layden joins The Expansion Pass for an extensive conversation about PlayStation, Xbox, and a games industry undergoing major change. Layden discusses the strategic bets platform holders make, the future of physical games, subscription services like Game Pass and PlayStation Plus, the changing purpose of console exclusives, and how PlayStation’s approach to PC fits into the larger evolution of the platform. We also look back at his years with PlayStation, including the importance of first-party studios, Sony’s acquisition of Insomniac Games, the balance between single-player experiences and live-service ambitions, and an era when PlayStation communicated with players very differently. It’s a conversation about where PlayStation has been, where the console business appears to be going, and what may be lost—or gained—as the traditional boundaries between platforms continue to change. Topics include:Shawn Layden • PlayStation • Xbox • Physical Games • Digital Games • Game Pass • PlayStation Plus • Console Exclusives • PC Gaming • Insomniac Games • First-Party Studios • Live-Service Games • Single-Player Games • The Future of Consoles