Defining Duke: An Xbox Podcast

Today's main topic would have set the internet on fire earlier this year. Xbox's complete admission of a mutli-platform push, delayed handheld and mobile plans, as well as a desire to acquire more studios? Team Green is typically in a meltdown state by this point, but this time around, the news was met with indifference. Why is that the case? Well, for one, many who paid close attention to Xbox's actions, or even lack of action, knew that all this was inevitable. Xbox is seemingly abandoning its exclusive games initiative as Phil Spencer has stated there isn't a red line for quite literally any first party game in its stable. The Dukes break down his comments alongside the third party scene to see if there is any vindication for the Xbox leader's words earlier this year. Long anticipated was a Xbox handheld, but with Phil confirming that it's years out, where will this leave Xbox if they are the last to enter the ring as a handheld competitor? Steam, Logitech, Nintendo, PlayStation, ASUS, and so many others have brought their own ideas to the market with varying degrees of reception. Can Xbox succeed in an inevitably saturated market where players have already made their choice by the point they show up? The Dukes hash it out! Plus a deep dive into Indiana Jones's new gameplay, Halo 2's famous E3 demo is now playable, OG voice actors are returning for Gears E-Day, and so much more in one of our biggest episodes of the year! Please keep in mind that our timestamps are approximate, and will often be slightly off due to dynamic ad placement. 0:00:00 - Intro 0:01:57 - Health Is Wealth 0:15:25 - Game Dev Talk 0:20:06 - John Dimaggio and Carlos Ferro are returning for Gears Of Way E-Day to voice Dom and Marcus 0:22:14 - The Halo 2 E3 2003 demo 0:25:32 - Death Stranding is now available on Xbox 0:31:44 - Indiana Jones & The Great Circle gameplay deep dive 0:39:29 - South Of Midnight previews are out 0:46:22 - S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2 has gone gold 0:56:20 - Phil Spencer on future Fallout games 1:05:14 - Black Ops 6 is collabing with Halo, Gears, and DOOM? 1:07:04 - Spyro Reignited Trilogy is now available in Xbox Game Pass 1:07:37 - Warner Bros is plummeting 1:15:29 - GOG announces game preservation program 1:21:30 - SEGA is delisting a ton of retro classics 1:27:38 - 2K opens up on future games lineup 1:32:54 - GTA Trilogy: Definitive Edition gets a surprise update 1:34:28 - Tom Henderson’s report on Ubisoft’s Project U 1:39:23 - Sea Of Stars gets a massive free update 1:46:28 - Hideaki Itsuno joins Tencent 1:52:17 - Why exactly did Konami choose MGS3 for a remake? 1:55:24 - A Mass Effect TV series is in development at Amazon 2:05:41 - What We’re Playing 2:53:16 - Phil Spencer tells all in an interview with Bloomberg 3:39:05 - Bethesda goes on strike 3:46:14 - Game Pass Pick Of The Week Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

In a week with minimal major beats, the Dukes are able to sink their teeth into a plethora of smaller topics such as Xbox's recruitment of Insomniac's creative director, the fate of PlayStation's Wolverine project, and what this means for Perfect Dark! Furthermore, we try our hand at some data analysis by breaking down the early numbers for Call Of Duty and what impact this can have on Game Pass as well as its future. Indeed, many including us still believe that Black Ops 6 needs to be an absolute smash hit to justify Xbox's tampering with its golden goose. So, what does the limited data say and how does it fare for Xbox? We discuss that, plus more in Remedy's puzzling financial situation, BioWare's uncertain future, Ubisoft's response to recent criticism, and Monster Hunter Wilds smashing records with its beta. Please keep in mind that our timestamps are approximate, and will often be slightly off due to dynamic ad placement. 0:00:00 - Intro 0:06:02 - A new creative director for Perfect Dark 0:13:50 - Xbox showing new hardware in 2025? 0:25:02 - HoYoverse is bringing Zenless Zone Zero to Xbox? 0:26:19 - The future of Gears 0:34:05 - Arkane Studios founder speaks out against Xbox 0:40:37 - Dragon Age: The Veilguard is not getting DLC 0:44:25 - Is Dragon Age getting a Legendary Edition? 0:50:11 - Some updates in the world of Ubisoft 0:59:22 - Monster Hunter Wilds has insane beta numbers 1:01:02 - Remedy's financial situation 1:07:15 - LEGO Horizon Adventures length revealed 1:10:46 - A sequel to HogLeg is in development 1:13:08 - Kingdom Come Deliverance has sold over 8 million units 1:16:24 - Meta’s staggering earnings 1:24:53 - Private Division has been sold off by 2K 1:26:07 - SEGA confirms a new Virtua Fighter game 1:28:44 - What We’re Playing 1:59:50 - Call Of Duty updates 2:15:59 - Some Undead Labs updates 2:18:57 - Coming soon to Xbox Game Pass 2:25:19 - Game Pass Pick Of The Week Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The annual Call Of Duty release is here and it's a remarkable improvement from Modern Warfare 3! From the blockbuster campaign crafted by the underrated hands at Raven Software to its multiplayer and zombies that the Dukes have some mild concerns with. It's also the week that, for many, can define a lot of Xbox's big business decisions moving forward as well! With Game Pass subscribers stagnating a bit, many have looked to this Call Of Duty as the shot in the arm it needs to keep its stellar offering going. Keep in mind, the Game Pass tiers saw a major shift ahead of this release with some feeling like day one Game Pass releases may soon be off the table if this bet doesn't pan out. While the numbers aren't in yet, things are looking solid and the Dukes have much to talk about in this area! Plus more with Indiana Jones' framerate, updates on the tone of the next Mass Effect, Concord being shut down, and so much more! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

As every October 23rd comes around, Fallout fans are reminded of the missed opportunity for Bethesda to have their own "N7 Day" with the franchise. Well, 2024 is the year they finally took action and put fan demands into motion! What took place is, quite frankly, a whole lot of nothing. The Dukes sift through the fallout (!) of this showcase and what Bethesda can do to make 2025's showing a much better, more worthwhile one. While it's Fallout Day, it also appears to be Digital Day for Xbox! 91% of US players are buying games digitally and half of Xbox's customers have bought into their discless console. Has Xbox's push into cloud gaming and Game Pass been vindicated in light of these statistics? Plus, we have info on 2025's Call Of Duty the very week that Black Ops 6 drops! What does Activision have in store for us? More changes, it seems! We also get into the Banjo Kazooie kerfuffle, Helldivers 2 on Xbox, Cog's love of Metaphor, the surprise that is TMNT: Mutants Unleashed, and plenty more! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices