Podcast Unlocked

By IGN

Games & Hobbies Video Games

What's Podcast Unlocked about?

Love Xbox? IGN's Podcast Unlocked is your source for everything Xbox One and Xbox 360. If you live and breathe Halo, Gears of War, Forza, and more, Podcast Unlocked has you covered. Tune in every week for the latest video game news for Xbox junkies around the globe.

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LAST EPISODE

Making Sense of Microsoft's...

01.27.2021

What a week! There's so much to discuss on this episode, from Microsoft shockingly doubling the price of Xbox Live Gold only to just-as-shockingly walk it back later that same day, to the insane new Star Wars: Knights of the ...

Podcast Unlocked episodes:

01.27.2021 Making Sense of Microsoft's Averted Xbox Live Gold Disaster What a week! There's so much to discuss on this episode, from Microsoft shockingly doubling the price of Xbox Live Gold only to just-as-shockingly walk it back later that same day, to the insane new Star Wars: Knights of the ...
01.20.2021 Where Will Ubisoft Take Star Wars? The new Lucasfilm Games publishing umbrella once again dominates our conversation this week, as the first new non-EA Star Wars game in a decade gets announced. We discuss Ubisoft and Massive's upcoming open-world Star Wars adventure, including what it might ...
01.13.2021 Will Bethesda's Indiana Jones Game Be an Xbox Exclusive? Will the just-announced Indiana Jones game from Bethesda, Machinegames, and Todd Howard be an Xbox exclusive? We discuss this fascinating announcement. Plus: is Star Wars gearing up for life after EA? And we sort through the revelation that Microsoft tried ...
01.05.2021 Discussing 10 Xbox Exclusives for 2021 Happy New Year! On our first Unlocked episode of 2021, we look ahead to the (long) list of Xbox exclusives coming this year. Plus: Gears 5: Hivebusters rocks, Fortnite's developer moves into...a mall(?), Games With Gold for January includes an ...
12.22.2020 1-on-1 With Double Fine's Tim Schafer: Psychonauts 2, Being Acquired by Microsoft, and More! Our final episode of 2020 is a special one! Ryan welcomes Tim Schafer, the head of Double Fine (aka one of the newest Xbox Game Studios), for a 40-minute conversation about life since being acquired by Microsoft. But don't fret ...
12.16.2020 Cyberpunk 2077's Current-Gen Nightmare + Perfect Dark Reboot Is Finally Real Our penultimate show in 2020 is a big one! We spend the first half of the show discussing the nightmare scenario that is Cyberpunk 2077 on the current-gen consoles. After that, we dig into the big Xbox news from The ...
12.09.2020 Analyzing BioWare's Big Shakeup Digital Foundry's John Linneman and Gamertag Radio's Danny Peña join us to talk about all sorts of Xbox stuff this week! Topics include: the future of BioWare after their big studio leadership shakeup, next-gen sports games on Xbox Series X, ...
12.02.2020 What Will Cyberpunk 2077 Multiplayer Be Like? What will Cyberpunk 2077 multiplayer be like? Special guests Ray Apollo from Twitch and Cam Hawkins from DualShockers join Ryan and Brandin for an extra-fun episode that also discusses Microsoft's underrated next-gen efforts, more awesome stuff coming to Xbox Game ...
11.24.2020 Hitman Devs' James Bond Could Be the Best 007 Game Ever The developer of Hitman has a new James Bond game in the works. We discuss why it could be the best Bond ever. Plus: Phil Spencer says an Xbox smart TV app is closer than we think, some of us ...
11.18.2020 Analyzing the Xbox Series X\|S's Fast Start Next-gen is now officially current-gen! The Xbox Series X and S are out, and we talk about our first week of living with them. Plus: we analyze Microsoft's big first-week numbers, address shortages expected well into 2021, talk about another ...
11.11.2020 Mass Effect's Future Just Got Brighter It's the week you've been waiting for: the next-generation of Xbox has officially arrived with the Series X and Series S. We discuss the launches of Microsoft's two new consoles. Plus: EA and BioWare finally confirm Mass Effect: Legendary Edition, ...
11.06.2020 Xbox Series X Final Impressions and Audience AMA Welcome to a special two-hour episode of Unlocked that was recorded live with all of you, along with special guest panelist Parris Lilly from Gamertag Radio! We played the Series X for two hours now that the review embargo has ...
10.27.2020 The Winners and Losers of Cyberpunk 2077's New Delay Cyberpunk 2077's last-minute delay affects everyone, from developers to gamers to media outlets alike. We sort through the fallout of this major news. Plus: a surprise Gears 5 update, Phil Spencer teases a possible 1 vs. 100-like replacement on Xbox ...
10.21.2020 Xbox Series X Launch Lineup Reactions Another busy week of Xbox news to discuss, from the Xbox Series X's launch lineup (to the best Xbox launch lineup in history) to what Phil Spencer said about Bethesda game exclusivity in a recent interview to what The Initiative ...
10.13.2020 Our First Xbox Series X Game Impressions We finally got to play a couple of proper Xbox Series X games. We give our impressions of those titles on the Series X, plus discuss The Medium's release date, Microsoft's new plan to get xCloud game streaming onto iOS ...
10.06.2020 Xbox Series Should Totally Own Western RPGs As inXile announces yet another Xbox Series RPG, we run down the Xbox's exclusive RPG and discuss how Xbox Series is going to be THE home for Western RPGs. Plus: the games we've been hyped-beyond-hype for in our gaming lives ...
09.29.2020 Living With the Xbox Series X So Far The fantastic Pikachulita joins our Xbox crew this week to discuss yet another big week of Xbox news! Topics include Ryan's life with the Xbox Series X in his house so far, Phil Spencer saying that there will be future ...
09.21.2020 Xbox Buying Bethesda Is a MEGATON The Unlocked crew discusses the massive news of Microsoft buying ZeniMax Media (Bethesda Softworks, id Software, Arkane, and more!) the day before Xbox Series X and Series S consoles pre-orders go live plus the growth of Game Pass.
09.16.2020 No, Bungie and Microsoft Are NOT Getting Remarried We discuss the rumors of Microsoft trying to buy Bungie again (which Bungie quickly and sternly refuted), the leaked Xbox Series S presentation that never got to air, the backwards compatibility capabilities of the Xbox Series S, our disappointment about ...
09.09.2020 Reacting to Xbox Series X/S Price and Release Date Gamertag Radio's Parris Lilly rejoins Unlocked to talk through the long-awaited Xbox Series S reveal, price, and release date – plus the alleged price for the Series X as well. Plus: The Witcher 3 returns for Series X, September's Games ...
09.02.2020 Halo Infinite's Fixer Is from Bungie's Old Guard MC Fixer from the My Xbox and Me podcast joins us to discuss another big week of Xbox news, from longtime Bungie veteran Joseph Staten being brought in to help lead Halo Infinite's campaign to Call of Duty Black Ops ...
08.26.2020 Where Is The Batman in Gotham Knights and Rocksteady's Suicide Squad? Special guest "Lord Cognito" from the Iron Lords Podcast joins us to discuss our reactions to the DC FanDome reveals of Gotham Knights and Rocksteady's Suicide Squad. Plus: our Battletoads impressions, Black Myth: Wukong's amazing debut, 343's track record with ...
08.18.2020 Xbox's First-Party Masterpiece Is...Flight Simulator?? Microsoft's first 10/10-rated game from IGN in quite some time comes from the most unexpected place: Microsoft Flight Simulator! Reviewer Seth Macy joins us to discuss the next-gen brilliance of the first-party masterpiece. Plus: taking stock of Xbox Game Studios' ...
08.12.2020 Halo Infinite Is Delayed. Now What? Major Xbox news this week! Halo Infinite gets delayed, so what does it mean for the franchise and for the Xbox Series X launch? Plus: Apple blocks Microsoft on Project xCloud, the Xbox Series S gets confirmed via the strangest ...
08.06.2020 xCloud Might Be Xbox's Secret Weapon Project xCloud takes the next big step towards becoming a major part of the Xbox ecosystem, and we discuss how it's kind of like the "Xboy" handheld Xbox that we never got. Plus: the ramifications of Halo Infinite's multiplayer being ...
07.29.2020 More Thoughts on the Xbox Games Showcase Now that we've had time to sit with big Xbox Games Showcase, we reflect back on the big event and discuss how we thought Microsoft did and whether or not Microsoft has a "Halo problem" after how the Halo Infinite ...
07.23.2020 What We Thought of the Xbox Games Showcase IGN's Xbox crew (with special guest Parris Lilly) recaps and analyzes Microsoft's long-awaited Xbox Games Showcase. We talk Halo Infinite, Fable, and much, much more!
07.15.2020 More Series X Talk With Xbox's Jason Ronald Our Xbox crew reacts to the Ubisoft Forward event, including the Far Cry 6 reveal, Watch Dogs Legion and Assassin's Creed Valhalla contributing to an open-world bonanza this Fall, and what Valhalla's release date might say about the Xbox Series ...
07.08.2020 Xbox Series X Games Showcase Predictions Microsoft finally sets a date for their long-awaited Xbox Games Showcase, and we've got predictions for what we think we'll see. Plus: Microsoft is reportedly one of the companies interested in buying Warner Bros.'s game studios, and we discuss the ...
06.30.2020 Xbox Series S, Fable, and Perfect Dark Rumors Heat Up Lots to discuss in the world of Xbox this week, from the rumored timing of the Xbox Series S/Lockhart announcement (plus what else we think will happen when that does), Halo Infinite returns a familiar but long-dormant foe, Fable and ...
06.23.2020 EA's Disappointing Next-Gen Showing Special guest panelist and known Kinect superfan Cicero Holmes joins the show this week to discuss a busy stretch of Xbox news. We react to EA's not-very-next-gen-y EA Play press conference last week, what the Cyberpunk 2077 delay means for ...
06.16.2020 Talking Xbox Series X Smart Delivery With Microsoft's Jason Ronald Xbox Series X Director of Program Management Jason Ronald from Microsoft stops by halfway through the show to talk about the Series X's Smart Delivery feature. Plus: Xbox gamer and D&D podcaster Shareef Jackson joins us as a guest panelist ...
06.10.2020 Xbox Lockhart Seems Real, but Is It Out This Year? Parris Lilly from Gamertag Radio joins Ryan to discuss a busy week of Xbox news! Evidence of the Xbox Lockhart (aka Xbox Series S) surfaces, Bungie lays out the future of Destiny while job postings hint at its next game, ...
06.03.2020 Xbox Doubles Down on Compatibility, Sony Backs Off Spawn on Me host Kahlief Adams guest-hosts this week with Ryan, Miranda, and Destin as the Xbox crew discusses Xbox's and Sony's differing approaches to compatibility, EA's newly renewed exclusivity agreement with the NFL for Madden, the future of the ...
05.27.2020 Xbox Goes Unreal Engine 5 with inXile First-party Xbox studio inXile confirms they'll be using Unreal Engine 5 for their next-gen RPG. We dissect what this means for that game and other Xbox Series X games from other newly acquired Xbox game studios. Plus: Take-Two has a ...
05.19.2020 Xbox Series X's Second Wave of Games and COVID-19 IGN's Xbox team discusses Phil Spencer's recent comments about how COVID-19 might affect early 2021 games, the dates and details for Gamescom's all-digital event later this summer, the three classic games that Double Fine is bringing to Xbox this year, ...
05.13.2020 Is 30fps OK on Xbox Series X? Our Xbox crew debates whether or not 30fps is disappointing for Xbox Series X games in light of the Assassin's Creed Valhalla framerate revelation. Plus: more reactions to last week's Xbox event, Tony Hawk's Pro Skater returns, another publisher announces ...
05.07.2020 Xbox Series X Gameplay Showcase Analysis Xbox's first big salvo of next-gen games has been fired, and we've got reactions and analysis to all of the big third-party game reveals and showcases – from the good to the bad to the stomach-churning.
04.29.2020 Don't Sleep on Gears Tactics Our Xbox crew opens the show by talking about Gears Tactics, the new XCOM-style tactical strategy game from Xbox Game Studios that Xbox fans shouldn't sleep on. Plus: we discuss Xbox's impressive first-party efforts so far in 2020, what the ...
04.23.2020 A Smaller GTA 6 That Arrives Sooner? On this week's Xbox podcast, the next Grand Theft Auto is in development, and we discuss the report that it may be a more "moderately sized" offering that's updated continuously. Plus: Microsoft may have an opportunity to gain some market ...
04.14.2020 Cyberpunk 2077 Will Be Around for a Long Time Our Xbox team deep-dives on CD Projekt Red's big post-release DLC expansion plans for Cyberpunk 2077, the value of the ESRB's new loot box descriptor, a rumor about Mafia 2 and 3 remasters and the cyclical nature of remasters, and ...
04.07.2020 Phil Spencer Interview Analysis Our Xbox crew analyzes what Head of Xbox Phil Spencer said during our interview with him on last week's episode. We think he said a lot in his clever, indirect way... Plus: an Inside Xbox news recap, rumors about what ...
04.01.2020 Interview: Head of Xbox Phil Spencer, Talking Xbox Series X Head of Xbox Phil Spencer makes his long-awaited return to Unlocked for an exclusive one-hour interview. We talk about Xbox Series X price, whether coronavirus could delay the console, the first-party launch lineup, why there's no optical out port on ...
03.25.2020 Clarifying Xbox Series X’s Power Our Xbox crew discusses the recently revealed Xbox Series X tech specs in more detail after some added context arrives in our inbox from a software developer. Plus: Bleeding Edge is another new first-party release this week, we try to ...
03.17.2020 Xbox Series X’s Full Specs Have Us HYPED Microsoft has revealed the full tech specs for Xbox Series X and we are pumped. We discuss the ingredients of the next-gen Xbox that have us the most hyped for the new console, from Xbox Velocity Architecture to raytracing. P.S. ...
03.10.2020 Developers Talk About Xbox Series X Our Xbox crew celebrates the release of the fantastic Ori and the Blind Forest by discussing our final review impressions. Plus: developers talk to IGN about exactly what the Xbox Series X will mean for games, Call of Duty finally ...
03.04.2020 Ori and the Will of the Wisps Is Fantastic So Far Two of our crew have played the first couple hours of Ori and the Will of the Wisps, and they have nothing but good news to report. Plus: GDC's cancellation, Xbox Series X's Quick Resume feature is even better than ...
02.26.2020 Microsoft Isn’t Messing Around With Series X’s Power We are EXCITED about the new Xbox Series X technical details, including the whopping 12 teraflops of computing power that the next-gen Xbox is packing. Plus: EA canceled another Star Wars project, March's Games With Gold have been announced, and ...
02.20.2020 This is How Xbox Could Win E3 2020 - Unlocked 431 This week Parris joins us to discuss the latest interview with Phil Spencer about E3 2020, his plans for the Xbox Series X, and where he sees Microsoft in the competition against Sony. In addition to talking about Xbox strategy ...
02.11.2020 Big Changes for GTA, Gears, and Anthem Grand Theft Auto, Anthem, and Gears of War will be changing moving forward thanks to key staffing changes at the top for two of those and a major gameplay overhaul for the other. Plus: Activision is looking to its past ...

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