The Expansion Pass

Gears of War: E-Day reportedly cost Microsoft more than $500 million, but is that enormous investment actually a problem? Luke and Captain Logun examine the reported budget, early sales estimates, Game Pass, and whether Xbox exclusivity makes financial sense for one of gaming's biggest franchises.

The conversation also turns to Xbox's damaged brand and the difficult road toward rebuilding consumer confidence. With hardware revenue declining 14%, rising console prices, and concerns surrounding supply and availability, can Microsoft's latest strategy reverse the trend?

Plus, new Bloomberg reporting sheds light on BioWare's closure and EA's reported decision to prioritize Star Wars Battlefront 3 over Mass Effect.

Later, we discuss Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 4, Halloween: The Game, Dead by Daylight, overlooked horror games, Nintendo's Indie World Showcase, Zelda's 40th Anniversary hardware, and more.

Thoughtful discussions on gaming without the console war noise.

00:00 – Halloween Opening & Catching Up

10:22 – Words of Kindness & Community Appreciation

16:18 – Gears of War: E-Day's Reported $500 Million Budget

28:31 – Xbox's Damaged Brand & the Value of Exclusives

31:23 – Game Pass, Sales & Supporting Developers

36:16 – BioWare's Closure & Star Wars Battlefront 3

38:04 – Xbox Financials & Declining Hardware Sales

42:26 – Console Prices, Availability & Used Hardware

50:09 – AI, Hardware Costs & the Future of Gaming

53:28 – Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 4 Impressions

58:50 – No More Room in Hell 2 & Zombie Games

1:04:01 – Halloween: The Game vs. Dead by Daylight

1:07:14 – Horror Games & Halloween Recommendations

1:11:11 – Nintendo Indie World & Upcoming Games

1:15:30 – Zelda's 40th Anniversary Hardware

1:19:15 – Call of Duty Multiplayer & Streaming

1:21:14 – Phantom Blade Zero & Batman: Arkham Knight

1:23:40 – Recent Interviews & Channel Updates

1:28:41 – Halloween Movies & Spooky Season

1:34:39 – Closing Thoughts

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New episodes weekly. Clear takes. No console-war noise.

BioWare is closing after more than 30 years, and development on the next Mass Effect has been cancelled.

Luke Lohr and Captain Logun are joined by Brian Altano of The X Button to discuss BioWare’s legacy, what may happen to Mass Effect next, the realities of AAA game development, publisher expectations, monetization, and the growing pressure facing studios throughout the industry.

The conversation then turns to Xbox’s future, including Microsoft’s planned handheld, Project Helix, rising hardware prices, Game Pass, exclusivity, Play Anywhere, and what Xbox needs to offer players heading into another generation.

Brian also shares some thoughts on games media, launching The X Button, game development, and one particularly memorable Resident Evil interview.

Thoughtful discussions on gaming without the console war noise.

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Chapters

00:00 Welcome to The Expansion Pass

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 Chat

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:

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.

00:00 — Welcome The Coalition

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:

Halo is moving to Activision as Microsoft reshapes Xbox Game Studios.

Luke and Captain Logun examine what the restructuring means for Halo, Ninja Theory, Obsidian and Bethesda, Rare, Turn 10 and Playground Games—and whether putting Xbox’s biggest franchises under fewer publishing organizations can actually get them moving again.

Plus, we discuss Project Helix and physical games, Xbox’s broader strategy, Mythic Achievements, Wolverine, Control Resonant, and Gears of War: E-Day.

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00:00 Intro, Gears E-Day & What We're Playing

Xbox had a huge week. We break down its Tokyo Game Show push, Hideo Kojima’s latest Xbox appearance, and what the growing Japanese and Asian partnership strategy means for the platform.

Then BlizzCon delivers some enormous announcements: StarCraft is finally returning, Diablo V is already on the horizon, and World of Warcraft: Forever opens up a much bigger discussion about Blizzard’s future under Microsoft.

We also dig into Marvel’s Wolverine’s strong early sales, Gears of War: E-Day, AI-assisted game development, The Sinking City 2, Xbox achievements, listener questions, and more.

Clear takes. No console-war noise.

PlayStation walked away from Hideo Kojima’s PHYSINT — and Xbox stepped in. Luke and Logun break down what the surprising publishing deal means for Kojima Productions, Xbox, and a PlayStation brand facing growing questions about its first-party direction.

Marvel’s Wolverine reviews are also in. With Insomniac’s latest landing below the studio’s usual critical standard, is a score in the high 70s really cause for concern? Or has the conversation around review scores become disconnected from whether a game is actually worth playing?

Nintendo, meanwhile, had a massive week. The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time is getting its long-awaited remake, Metroid Ravenous is on the way, Persona 6 makes an appearance, and Switch 2 continues to build an increasingly impressive lineup.

Plus: Forza Horizon 6 and PlayStation, Fable vs. God of War, the future of physical games, Xbox’s disc-to-digital strategy, and whether dissatisfied PlayStation players would actually move to Xbox — or simply move to PC.

Clear takes. No console-war noise.

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