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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!
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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!
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No, you're not imagining it! We have been getting a LOT of Xbox showcases as of late. Just weeks removed from their Tokyo Game Show panel and they have returned once more with a Partner Preview that ran for almost thirty minutes. Before that was Gamescom and before THAT was their massive summer show. Joining the Dukes are LSM's very own Gene Park and Bradley Ellis to discuss all the announcements and gameplay (or lack thereof) during the Partner Preview. Did it deliver like prior Xbox shows or was it a bit of a nothing burger? Naturally, we get into that. We also discuss Xbox Game Studios' new lead as well as rounding out our latest criticism of Bethesda, Metaphor's impressive sales, Destiny Rising, and the future of Xbox's streaming tech!
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Following the post launch support of Halo Infinite, 343 Industries has become one of Xbox's more divisive first party studios. The leash for them has been unnaturally long given the ups-and-downs the flagship franchise has seen since they've taken up the Halo mantle beginning with Combat Evolved Anniversary and, now, Xbox is doubling down on the team. Joining us is resident Halo expert, Chris Ray Gun, to discuss the absolutely massive news that broke this week. Not only is 343 Industries rebranding, but all future games will be made on Unreal Engine 5, they're hiring after a massive amount of layoffs, and there are multiple Halo projects in development. One such project beyond the obvious next mainline entry is rumored to be Halo Combat Evolved Remaster. The Dukes plus Chris get into this very familiar path that Halo Studios is now walking plus the daunting challenge that lies before them
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Starfield faced a mighty amount of criticism throughout its 2023 launch. In today's gaming climate, this set the stage for what could be a big comeback for Bethesda Game Studios with the Shattered Space expansion. So, did it deliver? Matty has played 16 hours and finished it with Cog just getting his adventure started, so they both have much to say!
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On the week of September 22nd, the games industry was blessed with not one, but two showcases! Today, the Dukes dive into both the State Of Play and Xbox's Tokyo Game Show 2024 presentation. With the State Of Play, much was announced for the Xbox platform! As for Tokyo Game Show, Xbox is showing that developers of all sizes are looking to support the "challenger brand." While the presentation was absent of any major reveals, games such as Threads Of Time or the long desired Final Fantasy Pixel Remaster did get us excited! Beyond the minor showcases, we also dive into the latest for Assassin's Creed Shadows where the writing is on the wall here with Ubisoft. It's clearly a do-or-die situation for them and based on their recent statement to investors, this game absolutely must perform. Will the delay help and how deep do Ubisoft's issues run? We get into just that plus a new Yakuza game, Xbox's 25th anniversary, Metaphor Re:Fantazio's demo, and much more!
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This week's episode is quite the unorthodox one! In the spirit of our friends over at the Friends Per Second podcast, we've split this episode between our usual news coverage and a fun interview the Dukes has the opportunity to conduct! Joining us this episode are Gabriela Leskur and Brian Stone. Gariela is the Narrative and Experience Lead at Oxide Games and Brian serves as Product Leader and Head Of Engineering at Xbox Game Studios Publishing. Together, these two answer our burning questions about the upcoming historical turn-based strategy game. Furthermore, we dive into the thick of Starfield's Shattered Space preview which gives us nearly ten minutes of gameplay to understand just what this is. Fortunately, it appears to be a direct response to much of the criticism laid at Bethesda's feet last fall. We also get into what may be going on with Tony Hawk, Marathon possibly being $40, more layoffs at Xbox, their strong dependence on Call Of Duty, and much more!
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Much has been said about Xbox's lack of desire to do a mid-generation refresh. For some, it symbolizes the platform's lack of care for the future of its own hardware and, for others, a sign that the green team has their eyes on the next generation instead. In a surprise move, it is not Xbox who stepped on the rake this week! PlayStation has sneakily experienced a troublesome year much like Xbox between Concord, the rollercoaster ride that is Helldivers 2, and now the pricing of the PlayStation 5 pro. Of all our write-ins this week, 90% were asking one question: Did Xbox dodge a bullet by not going down this hardware rabbit hole? Naturally, the Dukes debate and discuss the ins-and-outs of this initially innocent announcement from PlayStation. In other news, Xbox will be returning to Japan for their own Tokyo Game Show event in 2024 and State Of Decay 2 support is finally over! We also get into the exclusivity situation surrounding Black Myth Wukong, the return of some classic Transformers games, and plenty more!
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The Dukes are off to San Diego and that means we had to get a little crafty compared to our usual episodes! Since we’re recording in advance, we forged an episode in the spirit of Defining Duke Ultimate and leaned heavily into one topic: the Series X/S generation thus far. Easily our most asked question is whether or not to dive into a Xbox at this point, so we dedicated an entire episode to the idea! Matty and Cog sift through every first party release and discuss the highs and lows they’ve brought. Furthermore, we analyze every Day 1 Game Pass drop since the service began introducing third party with Outriders. We also happily indulge in another conversation of where Xbox could stand to improve and even what could be green lit to shift some of the optics around the brand. Indeed, this is the all-encompassing conversation on Xbox’s star in 2024 and we hope you do enjoy!
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As always, we like to source questions, comments, and concerns from our lovely audience each and every week. Many times, that alone defines the theme of the episode and that's certainly the case here. Following the news of Indiana Jones headed to PS5, plenty of Xbox fans have been left flat-footed. What does this mean for the future of the console's exclusives and will any of their competitors follow suit? Phil Spencer has shared his thoughts on the matter and now it's time for the Dukes to chime in!
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For the first time ever, the Dukes are gathering in person to record an episode! What a time for it to happen too as we have plenty to discuss. For starters, we’re got our hands on a plethora of upcoming Xbox titles. Avowed, Ara History Untold, Towerborne, Atomfall, Metaphor Re Fantazio, and plenty more! As we were on site, we even had a chance to speak with a ton of the devs meaning we have added insight beyond the games themselves. Beyond the scoops, we naturally have to discuss the Indy situation as the game has been announced for PlayStation. We knew multi-platform was Xbox’s future, but this was quite an aggressive move. How do the Dukes feel about such a play from the green team? Naturally, we have much to say on top of the announcements at Opening Night Live itself.
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In a year chockful of layoffs and studio closures, we needed a W like this. What was originally considered one of the biggest losses amidst these changes was Xbox's closure of Tango Gameworks. Originally known for survival horror titles, Tango stormed out the gate last year with the beloved action rhythm game, Hi Fi Rush, to critical acclaim. Krafton seems to have liked the numbers they saw because they've stepped in to take Tango and the Hi Fi Rush IP off Xbox's hands. While The Evil Within and Ghostwire Tokyo remain in the hands of Xbox, the people's champion lives to fight another day. Naturally, the Dukes have plenty of thoughts. It's still a loss of talent for Xbox at the end of the day, so is there more to a partnership here? What happens to the lingering IP from Tango? We dive into the jaw dropping news and an otherwise slower news week.
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Avowed is getting moved back to February 18, 2025 out of respect for our backlogs. How kind of Xbox to do such a thing! Avowed was a subject of much debate for the Dukes. While the game looked solid coming out of the January Developer Direct, it clearly needed more time. Come June, Avowed looked to be in much better shape and has now found itself a new date away from the noise of the holiday season. This sets up Xbox for a rare top quarter of the year game, a second for them in this generation. The Dukes settle into what this means for the roadmap moving forward and if it spells any trouble for the anticipated fantasy RPG.
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The results for Microsoft Gaming's FY24 Q4 is in and it's mighty telling of where the company is at. On one hand, Xbox is making more money than ever before, but it's come at the loss of hardware sales which are down a staggering 42% YOY. Can Xbox afford to keep this trend up in a world not yet ready for digital only? According to Microsoft CFO Amy Hood, this is all well and fine as the company marches toward content and services. The Dukes dive into all the numbers, including Activision's ability to make the entirety of Xbox a boatload of money in spite of the remaining parts of Xbox plateauing. We also dig into the newest Starborn trademark, Bungie's daunting task ahead of them after massive layoffs once more, and plenty of other subjects in yet another busy week!
Please keep in mind that our timestamps are approximate, and will often be slightly off due to dynamic ad placement.
0:00:00 - Intro
0:33:22 - World Of Warcraft team are unionizing
0:38:39 - Stalker 2 delayed to November 20th
0:44:37 - A new Playground Games studio has opened
0:47:44 - Some Game Pass leaks
0:51:31 - Halo Infinite’s Operation Fleetcom details
0:53:06 - Double Fine’s “PsychOdyssey” documentary is getting a blu-ray release
0:56:01 - New Xbox transparent controller revealed
0:57:46 - 500K players for Flintlock: Siege Of Dawn
1:00:06 - What is happening at Bungie?!
1:24:06 - An open world Patrick Star game has leaked
1:27:34 - Legacy Of Kain 1 and 2 remastered spotted at SDCC
1:29:42 - Visions Of Mana demo available now
1:30:37 - Wildermyth comes to consoles on October 22 this year
1:32:18 - Dragon Age Veilguard Steam details
1:35:34 - Mortal Kombat 1 “Khaos Reigns” and Kombat Pack 2 revealed
1:40:56 - What We’re Playing
2:16:09 - Microsoft Gaming FY24 Q4 results
2:38:12 - Starborn Zenimax trademark
2:40:33 - An update on the Xbox-Capcom issues
2:42:53 - Game Pass Pick Of The Week
2:49:15 - Our Xbox 360 Memories
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AI, layoffs, restructuring, and so on. Indeed, we're in the midst of interesting times for our beloved industry, but the clash between creator and executive has never been greater. Jobs are being lost to AI as we expected, but it's happening now. Not later, but now. Every publishing label is claiming that times are tough, but no adjustments on spending has been made. As the industry continues to bleed talent, who will want to join it? This subject matter is the very heartbeat of this episode as the Dukes collectively recognize the missteps being made. So, how do things get better? What can be done to improve an industry controlled by misers? The Dukes have thoughts and hopes such as unionization which is what Bethesda Game Studios has recently done. We also hear from our old friends again at the FTC on how Game Pass Standard is losing its value and what the source of Xbox's faltering marketing initiative is.
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Please keep in mind that our timestamps are approximate, and will often be slightly off due to dynamic ad placement.
0:00:00 - Intro/Patron Write-Ins
0:34:02 - Quiet: Level One kickstarter from Jonah Lobe
0:37:12 - Elder Scrolls VI has a strange leak
0:42:39 - Xbox working on cloud only version of Game Pass?
0:47:15 - MW3 officially on Game Pass
1:07:27 - Dungeons of Hinterberg dev needs your help
1:14:57 - Halo TV Show canceled by Paramount+
1:25:24 - Halo Combat Devolved gameplay
1:27:13 - Tales Of Xillia Remastered leaks
1:32:00 - Heihachi announced for Tekken 8 at EVO
1:41:12 - First Player Games has been acquired by Warner Bros Games
1:49:12 - Multiple games are skipping Xbox
1:56:11 - Shadows Of The Damned: Hella Remastered returns this Halloween
1:57:03 - Humble Games is undergoing restructuring
2:01:57 - What We’re Playing
2:25:40 - The FTC criticizes Game Pass changes
2:36:13 - Xbox's Marketing isn't blessed like Sony... Says Xbox...
2:52:37 - Bethesda Game Studios has unionized
2:58:15 - Game Pass Pick Of The Week
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A rather peaceful July continues on as we dig through the aftermath of Xbox's major changes to Game Pass. For starters, we now have clarity on the wait for Day 1 games in the service at the standard tier and those who remain will be seemingly waiting a long time for their shiny games to arrive. Furthermore, Xbox is potentially pulling out of regions like Europe, Africa, and the Middle East when it comes to their consoles. With all these parts of the business shifting in real time, many are trying to predict where Xbox will be at the end of all these changes. Well, much of it hinges on Call Of Duty which is tying its beta to Game Pass subscribers. Indeed, it's a different Xbox we're looking at in 2024! Does this new Xbox consider Crash 5 important enough to resurrect? How cutthroat shall they be with 343 in their next Halo? There is quite a bit to discuss, so enough briefing and let's get to chatting!
Please keep in mind that our timestamps are approximate, and will often be slightly off due to dynamic ad placement.
0:00:00 - Intro
0:16:10 - Microsoft Rewards not fueling Game Pass?
0:19:23 - Amazon is now selling a Xbox Streaming bundle
0:31:09 - Microsoft releases dynamic Xbox 360 blades background
0:37:26 - Forza Horizon 5 has reached 40 million players
0:44:35 - TMNT: Mutants Unleashed gameplay revealed
1:00:23 - Yakuza developer announcing their next game at Tokyo Game Show
1:07:15 - A sequel to Aliens Fireteam Elite leaks
1:09:36 - Deadpool controller
1:11:09 - What We’re Playing
1:49:51 - Crash Bandicoot 5
1:57:38 - Day 1 Game Pass clarification from Jez Corden
2:04:59 - Call Of Duty Black Ops 6 beta details
2:09:46 - Xbox marketing is possibly exiting some regions
2:16:10 - Xbox GeForce Now integration available now
2:18:24 - What's going on with Halo's future?
2:39:04 - Microsoft is reportedly moving on from their DEI teams
2:52:50 - Leaving Game Pass soon
2:54:22 - Game Pass Pick Of The Week
3:01:34 - What system do we grow our game library on?
3:12:48 - Wrap-up
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After years of conversation on the topic, Xbox has finally made long anticipated adjustments to its popular subscription service. Day one Game Pass games are gone from its standard tier and all have seen a price hike. The conversation naturally navigates itself to the "why" in this situation. All subscription services go up whether it's Netflix, Disney+, or Spotify. Is it because of Black Ops 6 impending? Is Day One Game Pass hurting Xbox? Is $20 enough to stop any form of bleeding with that in mind? Are they extracting maximum value from the service at its peak? Are they setting a newer, higher standard for the batch of new subscribers that will join with the launch of a new Call Of Duty game? There's many ways for us to assess, so we'll comb through all of them carefully! Furthermore, we have details on Hellblade 2's performance on the market. From sales to engagement, there are question marks about what this game has done for the platform, so the Dukes dissect what information Circana has provided on that matter. Plus more on Banjo Kazooie, LEGO Horizon on Xbox, the questionable Fire Stick TV ad, Bioshock updates, Dragon Age: Veilguard romance options, 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 - Intro
0:31:56 - Banjo Kazooie rumors
0:38:41 - Guerilla Games on Xbox version of LEGO Horizon Adventures
0:42:38 - Atlas Fallen coming to Game Pass?
0:44:48 - Xbox summer sale 2024 is live now
0:46:35 - Cities Skylines 2 will be missing its Xbox console release
0:49:21 - Xbox Amazon Fire Stick TV ad
0:54:20 - Cloud Chamber is heavily recruiting for BioShock
0:56:28 - Dragon Age: Veilguard romance details
1:02:46 - Star Wars: Outlaws planet details
1:04:58 - Piranha Bytes is the latest studio to be shutdown by Embracer
1:07:45 - New Yakuza Game?
1:12:07 - Bleach Rebirth Of Souls announced
1:17:07 - What We’re Playing
1:41:54 - How do we celebrate our birthdays?
1:47:48 - What Xbox franchise could get a Lego version?
1:50:06 - Will Metaphor: ReFantazio get an enhanced edition?
1:50:55 - Game Pass Changes
2:31:46 - Xbox's Hardware and Software sales
3:04:41 - Game Pass Pick Of The Week
3:10:41 - How would we improve our recording area?
3:19:30 - Wrap Up
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It's finally a slow news week which means we get to settle into some stories that we'd typically breeze over! Leading the charge this week is Avowed which continues to sound amazing! With new details from director Carrie Patel, the Dukes settle into a discuss about character building, choice and consequence, and the oft-debated romance. Alongside that, rumors of Activision games arriving on Game Pass are starting to percolate to the top as the Transformers games have been relisted. At the same time, we are hearing how games like Crash and Tony Hawk are due out on Game Pass shortly. What does the cadence of release look like for Activision's catalogue and how does Xbox handle the licensed, backwards compatible games? There's plenty of room for a discussion there, so let's have one! Plus more Xbox's handheld UI, Assassin's Creed Remakes inbound, Xbox Cloud Gaming arriving on Amazon Fire TV sticks, and 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 and write-ins
0:32:37 Xbox Cloud Gaming is coming to Amazon fire TV Sticks
0:37:53 Activision Transformer games relisted, currently unavailable for purchase
0:46:32 Lost Odyssey remaster dream is dead
0:51:47 Dead Rising Deluxe Remaster release date
0:57:37 A new Resident Evil is in development
0:59:45 Dragon’s Dogma 2 performance update
1:02:16 Ubisoft is remaking multiple Assassins Creed games
1:07:44 Star Wars Bounty Hunter is coming to Xbox
1:12:57 Shadow of the Erdtree has sold 5 million copies
1:15:04 Flintlock Siege Of Dawn has gone gold
1:17:00 Crazy Taxi update from SEGA
1:21:59 What We’re Playing
2:00:56 Avowed interview
2:17:42 What's this Xbox mobile dashboard?
2:24:01 Activision Games to Game Pass soon
2:30:39 Coming soon to Xbox Game Pass
2:36:19 Game Pass Pick Of The Week
2:39:12 Another Mt Rushmore
2:53:31 Wrapup
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In a relatively slow week, we're able to settle into a major interview conducted by Variety with the one and only, Matt Booty. Sitting as Xbox Game Content and Studios President, Matt Booty was a major factor behind Xbox's decision to shut down four Bethesda studios. In the brand's third attempt to answer the deeper reasoning behind these closures, we get a few more breadcrumbs that leave room for assumption on the matter. Alongside that, Booty speaks on the Xbox exclusive situation with remains relatively unclear moving into the future. Plus more on Forza Horizon 4's delisting, Hellblade 2 initial sales, and 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
0:14:25 - Forza Horizon 4 being delisted
0:24:43 - Avowed is fully playable in third person
0:29:16 - Harvey Smith on Redfall’s final update
0:32:07 - Xbox's statement on Black Myth Wukong
0:39:24 - Bethesda Game Studios Montreal is unionizing
0:44:52 - Hellblade 2 fails to crack top 100 sales in Europe
0:53:49 - Disney Epic Mickey: Rebrushed release date
0:57:20 - Katsuhiro Harada on why Soul Calibur disappeared
1:10:26 - Jet Set Radio Remake leaks online
1:17:55 - BioWare on Dragon Age Veilguard’s name change
1:20:34 - What We’re Playing
1:47:13 - Warm Up Question
01:57:42 - Matt Booty interview with Variety
02:43:06 - Game Pass Pick Of The Week
02:51:40 - Ending Question
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Well, this is a first. Matty had the opportunity to sit down with Bethesda Game Studios lead Todd Howard to discuss everything from Starfield and Elder Scrolls VI to Fallout and the company's shifting design philosophies! In an otherwise slow news week, the Dukes sink into all Todd had to share with Matty. What's going on with Fallout ports or New Vegas? How far along is Elder Scrolls VI and what technology is being used to build it? What's going on with Starfield Year 2 and will it be supported longer than prior BGS games? He shares a lot, so let's talk a lot!
Please keep in mind that our timestamps are approximate, and will often be slightly off due to dynamic ad placement.
0:00:00 - Intro
0:17:22 - BO6 file size
0:18:42 - Multiple games announced for Xbox at the June 2024 Nintendo Direct
0:33:40 - Sea Of Thieves sales are insane on PlayStation
0:36:07 - Xbox release date rumors
0:43:17 - New Gears E-Day Details
0:50:56 - State Of Decay 3 release window rumor
0:56:10 - Forza Horizon 5 gets a “Universal Icons Car Pack”
0:56:31 - Lollipop Chainsaw RePOP
0:57:01 - Alone In The Dark Studio “Pieces Interactive” has been shutdown by Embracer
0:58:06 - What We’re Playing
1:21:49 - Finishing games
1:33:45 - Todd Howard Interview recap
2:34:40 - Coming soon to Xbox Game Pass
2:37:46 - Game Pass Pick Of The Week
2:43:41 - Ending
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