Defining Duke: An Xbox Podcast

Contraband was announced back in 2021. Since then, we've seen just about nothing from the game. No messaging beats, no trailers, and even the Xbox executives didn't yap about this one! After four years of development, this collaboration between Xbox and Avalanche has come to a close. Adding it to the list of canceled Xbox titles, this one feels different to Dependable Cog and Choco Matty. Part of it is apathy, but it's also a new angle from the previous shutdowns where we really don't know much about what was lost. It's a valuable lesson in why Xbox shouldn't announce things early. Beyond our headline, we get into Xbox's president offering her talents to Tyson Foods (?!), Halo coming to PlayStation, a legend leaving Xbox, and diving deep into Matty's recent interview with ex-BioWare vet, Mark Darrah.

Please keep in mind that our timestamps are approximate, and will often be slightly off due to dynamic ad placement.

0:00:00 - Intro
0:10:29 - Cog wears diapers & Matty goes viral for cleaning
0:40:34 - Health Is Wealth
0:48:38 - Mafia: The Old Country "Controversy"
0:58:16 - Are games giving what the fans want?
1:04:19 - Ex BioWare dev on Dragon Age remasters
1:25:35 - PlayStation is moving away from hardware?
1:43:25 - Rod Ferguson is leaving Blizzard
1:51:15 - Sarah Bond joins… Tyson Foods
2:00:50 - An update on the future of Forza
2:05:48 - The release date for the Xbox Ally has leaked
2:07:58 - Heretic + Hexen re-release shadowdropped
2:12:09 - A Halo game is coming to PlayStation
2:17:13 - Halo ODST is coming to Helldivers 2
2:21:52 - Bungie’s leash tightens with Marathon
2:28:48 - S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2 is getting a massive roadmap
2:34:14 - LEGO Batman is getting the Skywalker Saga treatment?
2:44:11 - Crimson Desert has been delayed to Q1 2026
2:45:40 - What We’re Playing
3:25:42 - Contraband has been canceled
3:33:39 - Game Pass Pick Of The Week

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The year of the Ninja rages on! Fresh off Ninja Gaiden 2 Black and Ninja Gaiden Ragebound, we have more ninjas to talk about thanks to the new Shinobi demo alongside Ninja Gaiden 4. In a seemingly impossible move, Xbox brought together two legendary Japanese developers to reactivate a franchise that had laid dormant since 2012. There were still question marks even after a strong showing at this years Developer Direct. At the top of everyone's list following a ton of layoffs was simply: Does PlatinumGames still have it? Well, it appears that despite the winds of change blowing through the studio, the new wave of talent at Platinum is more than up to the task.

Please keep in mind that our timestamps are approximate, and will often be slightly off due to dynamic ad placement.

0:00:00 - Intro
0:07:28 - Health Is Wealth
0:20:25 - Starfield’s PS5 port and Expansion 2 won’t be out until 2026
0:42:12 - Xbox financials update
0:50:54 - Pouring one out for BioShock fans
1:03:17 - Battlefield 6 multiplayer reveal reactions
1:16:12 - Nintendo Direct announces new Xbox games
1:23:55 - THQ Nordic 2025 showcase breakdown
1:31:25 - Kojima on OD when speaking to SSense about his career
1:34:15 - EA is working on more games with Disney
1:40:31 - So, uh, Ubisoft threatened to sue Edward Kenway’s actor?
1:45:37 - Ninja Gaiden 4 / What We’re Playing
2:39:34 - Coming soon to Xbox Game Pass
2:44:01 - Game Pass Pick Of The Week

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A new job listing over at PlayStation shows that more games are headed to Xbox. Naturally, the internet did its thing and we saw some crazy titles get tossed out as ideas for ports: The Last Of Us, Uncharted, Spider-Man, God Of War, and so on. Others have suggested that PlayStation is folding just as Xbox has. Have they? Joining me is Sir Bradley Ellis to dive into what ends up being a semi-painful reminder of the current state of Xbox as we shift from topic-to-topic.

Please keep in mind that our timestamps are approximate, and will often be slightly off due to dynamic ad placement.

0:00:00 - Intro
0:04:50 - Xbox's game price landmine
0:21:12 - Satya’s statement lol
0:28:31 - More Xbox games to PlayStation
0:34:31 - Holy cow, Xbox is getting more physical games?!
0:44:20 - Fallout 76 is going to Ohio?
0:53:08 - Oblivion Remastered reaches 9 million players
0:56:31 - Xbox falls in like with UK’s age verification process
1:01:37 - Video game subscription spending is at an all time high
1:04:18 - Wolfenstein is getting a TV series
1:07:42 - Dead Space director Glen Schofield may have directed his final game
1:23:15 - Mortal Kombat: Legacy Kollection had its release date leaked
1:27:34 - Dying Light: The Beast has been delayed by 4 weeks
1:32:16 - Silent Hill 1 Remake is closer than we thought?
1:35:45 - A new Spongebob game has LEAKED
1:48:20 - Can The Witcher 3 even be beat? CDPR doesn’t know
1:53:20 - Mafia: The Old Country is longer than expected?
1:58:28 - A Star Wars Outlaws sequel has been canceled
2:03:45 - What We’re Playing
2:33:41 - More PlayStation games coming to Xbox according to a job post
2:48:22 - Xbox will have a significant presence at Gamescom
2:56:58 - Game Pass Pick Of The Week

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Hell has frozen over! Xbox has moved the price of The Outer Worlds 2 down to $70 after fan backlash. What does this mean for the future of Xbox's lineup and the games industry as a whole?

Please keep in mind that our timestamps are approximate, and will often be slightly off due to dynamic ad placement.

0:00:00 - Intro
0:21:27 - Health Is Wealth
0:35:02 - Clarifying the Fable rumor
0:39:57 - MachineGames has multiple projects in development
0:42:09 - Contraband lives on
0:47:26 - Xbox is working on next gen cloud gaming
0:49:54 - Starfield ACTUALLY gets an update
1:02:37 - Xbox is adding a play history tab
1:05:18 - Oblivion Remaster's Virtuous Studio sees layoffs
1:17:08 - From Software has ANOTHER game on the way
1:21:14 - Ubisoft on why Star Wars Outlaws failed
1:31:53 - Saber Interactive reveals Clive Barker’s Hellraiser: Revival
1:35:17 - Battlefield 6 reveal happening this week
1:37:39 - Splitgate 2 unlaunches
1:42:50 - What We’re Playing
2:23:39 - The Outer Worlds is $70
2:51:39 - No Rest For The Wicked is skipping Xbox
3:05:24 - Game Pass Pick Of The Week

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Xbox saw Matty was slipping, so in a bold strategy to reel the Dukes back in, they have opted to greenlight Fallout 5. Despite what many will try and say to downplay this, there is a strong chance that Fallout 5 goes beyond the borders of Bethesda for the first time since 2010. Considering it's a mainline entry, this is a massive shakeup. It gets even more dicey when Obsidian Entertainment gets taken off the board. So, who makes a new Fallout game? The 76 team? InXile? Larian? Dare we say, a new studio? Oh, boy. Each choice outside of the obvious like Larian or InXile has their caveats. So, let's get into the thick of the future of the Bethesda's valuable post-apocalyptic IP.

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 Wealth
1:08:15 - Arkane Lyon is safe for now
1:10:18 - Zenimax hasn't seen layoffs yet
1:13:52 - Rare has commented on the layoffs for the first time
1:18:24 - Guitar Hero easter egg in Tony Hawk
1:22:10 - Tony Hawk Pro Skater 3 + 4 is fully on the disc
1:23:51 - Forza Horizon 5 sold 2 million copies on PlayStation 5
1:25:52 - Fallout 76 is getting TV show content
1:28:16 - Oblivion Remastered gets a crucial patch… and a physical edition?!
1:32:24 - Jez Corden on Starfield’s next DLC
1:37:00 - The Alters has sold 280K copies
1:38:49 - Ken Levine on Judas
1:40:35 - Xbox is paying how much for Game Pass deals?!
1:43:49 - Halo 1 Remake rumors
1:54:05 - What We’re Playing
2:20:40 - Fallout 5 has been greenlit
2:52:08 - The Xbox Ally will be $1,000?
3:01:19 - King is replacing workers with AI
3:12:49 - Coming soon to Xbox Game Pass
3:18:01 - Game Pass Pick Of The Week

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A conversation involving such dramatic shifts in the brand requires as much nuance as we can gather! Summoned to the realm of the Dukes are none other than Last Stand Media's own Gene Park and Rick Hoeg to help us sift through the fallout of last week's Xbox layoffs. Any single one of these stories could be our lead for the week, but let's get it started with Microsoft's $80 billion investment in their AI infrastructure. Sadly, it has been reported that this is the root cause of the layoffs. Naturally, an investment to the tune of almost $12 billion more than Activision doesn't sneak up on you. The question we're left asking in wake of these claims is how leadership was able to blindside staff within Xbox despite likely knowing about these impending changes for months. Why meet with teams like Zenimax Online Studios and Romero Games, prepare hardware investments, create long term production plans only to axe them by the following weekend? A fired up Rick Hoeg will certainly let us know how he feels on the matter (IYKYK). Speaking of Zenimax Online Studios, we now have details on the canceled Project Blackbird to parse through thanks to multiple insider reports. Blackbird was an online, open world RPG focusing on shooting and traversal mechanics with a planned release window of 2028. With the pedigree of this studio being clear and the risk being low compared to most live service initiatives out there, why shut down something with such great potential? Well, perhaps that's because in a "hits only" business, you need to go with the guarantee. There's no greater guarantee for money than the Fallout IP and, finally, it appears Xbox has come to their senses. Multiple Fallout games are in production! Reason for celebration, no? We'll get to that. Plus, our thoughts on Helldivers 2 coming to Xbox, a Halo project potentially in trouble, and returning once more to the "Great Game Pass Profitability Debate."

Please keep in mind that our timestamps are approximate, and will often be slightly off due to dynamic ad placement.

0:00:00 - Intro
0:07:15 - Write Ins
1:02:59 - What We’re Playing
1:46:33 - Microsoft's $80 billion investment led to last week's layoffs
2:40:54 - Details on Project Blackbird
3:21:40 - Multiple Fallout games in development
3:39:53 - The next Halo game is in trouble?
3:50:59 - Helldivers 2 is coming to Xbox on August 26th
4:11:14 - The great Game Pass profitability debate

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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 - Intro
0:02:40 - Health is Wealth


0:20:27 - Xbox layoffs

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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 - Intro
0:16:24 - Health Is Wealth
0:32:22 - Correcting FF16 information from last week
0:41:52 - A new Halo game is releasing… kinda
0:54:16 - Meta Quest 3S Xbox Edition announced
1:01:46 - SEGA sales data leaks
1:14:08 - Persona 4 Revival & Stranger Than Heaven release info
1:17:35 - Blood Of Dawnwalker Gameplay deep dive
1:22:58 - Cyberpunk 2077 update 2.3 has been delayed
1:27:54 - Layoffs headed for Mindseye developer
1:40:01 - Blood Message reveal reaction
1:43:03 - Rematch devs respond to crossplay issues
1:48:34 - Third party Switch 2 sales below estimates
1:59:03 - Splitgate 2 devs face layoffs
2:12:25 - Lies Of P difficulty settings
2:23:24 - What We’re Playing
3:08:15 - Major Xbox layoffs inbound
3:33:13 - Steam library comes to Xbox PC App
3:45:03 - Game Pass Pick Of The Week

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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 - Intro
0:03:16 - Health Is Wealth
0:24:50 - Xbox's video capture issue
0:30:22 - Will Xbox deliver a GOTY winner?
0:44:22 - Marathon has been indefinitely delayed
1:02:47 - Borderlands 4 will cost $70
1:11:27 - Final Fantasy 16 is flopping on Xbox?
1:26:06 - PlayStation comments on Xbox’s hardware direction
1:37:45 - Outer Worlds 2 director responds to the $80 concerns
1:47:58 - Crash Team Racing reaches 10 million sales
1:51:51 - Silent Hill 1 Remake confirmed
1:56:19 - Expedition 33 “improvements” are on the way
1:59:48 - What We’re Playing
2:25:10 - Xbox details their next generation consoles
3:01:24 - Coming soon to Xbox Game Pass
3:05:17 - Game Pass Pick Of The Week

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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 - Intro
0:06:58 - Health Is Wealth
0:20:43 - Persona 6?
0:31:42 - Should Xbox go full Nintendo?
0:50:20 - Xbox console games on PC
1:13:05 - What is in the water at Obsidian?
1:22:25 - The future of Halo’s story
1:28:56 - Does Matty truly hate Forza Horizon?
1:33:53 - Phil on Xbox & Windows team
1:35:14 - Why does Grounded 2 exist?
1:43:29 - Oblivion Remaster gets its first update
1:45:32 - What We’re Playing
3:14:39 - Game Pass Pick Of The Week

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