The Expansion Pass

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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Xbox Cloud Gaming is getting worse at the exact moment Microsoft wants xCloud on more devices. Game Pass Ultimate subscribers are being capped at just 15 hours of cloud gaming per month, with even tighter limits for Premium and Essential — and we have some serious questions about what that says about Microsoft’s cloud strategy.

Then there’s PlayStation. Sony’s latest State of Play was a rough watch, even if a surprising number of the games shown are also headed to Xbox. We break down what went wrong, what actually looked good, and why Sony’s showcase strategy continues to feel strange.

Nintendo, meanwhile, is doing the opposite: two Nintendo Directs are coming, including a Zelda 40th Anniversary presentation, and expectations are already climbing.

We also get into Onimusha: Way of the Sword, which is earning excellent reviews and has quickly become one of our favorite releases of the year; Halloween: The Game, IllFonic’s latest attempt to break through in the asymmetrical horror genre; and The Blood of Dawnwalker, which is already celebrating strong reviews and major sales.

Plus: Tim Schafer and Double Fine’s bizarre post-Xbox independence video sends Luke over the edge, GTA VI is already moving PS5 and Xbox hardware, Xbox’s disc-to-digital program gets even more interesting for handheld players, and we indulge in some TMNT: Mutants in Manhattan remaster speculation.

Xbox Cloud Gaming limits. Sony State of Play. Nintendo Direct. GTA VI. Onimusha. Halloween. Double Fine. There is a lot to fight about this week.

Clear takes. No console-war noise.

Rockstar's Grand Theft Auto VI gameplay reveal shows the enormous scale of Leonida, including reports of an 80-hour playthrough and a map roughly three times the playable size of Red Dead Redemption 2. We also debate GTA VI's potential 30 FPS target and whether Rockstar gets more leeway than other developers.

Microsoft's next generation comes into focus as Xbox details its new disc-to-digital entitlement program and Project Helix is described as a “family of devices.” We break down what that could mean for physical games, Xbox Play Anywhere, future consoles, the $899 Xbox Series X25, the ROG Xbox Ally X20, and rapidly rising gaming hardware prices.

Plus: The Witcher 3 Remastered and Songs of the Past, what Bethesda needs to change for The Elder Scrolls VI, Marvel's Iron Man gameplay leak, Aliens: Fireteam Elite 2 impressions, and more from Gamescom 2026.

CHAPTERS

00:00 Introduction

GTA 6 has been hacked again—and this time Take-Two is going after the source. Microsoft and Discord have been pulled into the investigation as Rockstar faces yet another major leak surrounding gaming's most anticipated release.

Meanwhile, Xbox is changing how it does business. Microsoft has stopped providing digital sales data to Circana, PlayStation and Steam logos are disappearing from Xbox marketing, and the reported Xbox Disc-to-Digital program could fundamentally change how physical Xbox libraries survive into the next generation.

We debate what these moves actually mean for Xbox, whether physical games are dying on the platform, and whether Microsoft's increasingly digital ecosystem is becoming more—or less—consumer friendly.

Plus: Gears of War: E-Day vs. Modern Warfare 4, rising console prices, PlayStation's digital ownership problem, Horizon Hunters Gathering, Xbox dashboard improvements, and more.

The E-Day beta is drawing impressive numbers, including an estimated 1.2 million Xbox players, while Steam engagement has already surpassed recent Gears releases. Luke and Captain Logun break down what the early response means for Gears, whether Siege could broaden the franchise's audience, and why Xbox needs to capitalize on the opportunity.

Plus, we dig into the first hands-on impressions of Marvel's Wolverine, the leaked Zelda 40th Anniversary Switch 2 hardware, Xbox's Elite Series 3 leak, Gears E-Day controllers, Ghost of Yōtei Complete Edition, the increasingly crowded fall release calendar, and Xbox's upcoming Gamescom 2026 presence.

Can Gears E-Day become the flagship win Xbox has been waiting for? And is Wolverine shaping up to be PlayStation's next major hit?

The Expansion Pass covers Xbox, PlayStation, Nintendo, and the biggest stories across gaming—without the console-war noise.

Apple's own creator guidance supports this approach: descriptions should quickly communicate what the episode covers and why someone should listen, while naturally incorporating terms people might actually search.

Xbox is making major changes to backward compatibility, Achievements, game preservation, and the overall Xbox experience — while Gears of War: E-Day may be shaping up to be something special.

This week on The Expansion Pass, Luke Lohr and Captain Logun break down Xbox’s expanding backward compatibility plans, including what they could mean for original Xbox and Xbox 360 games across console and PC. We also discuss the latest Achievement updates, Xbox’s renewed focus on its existing community, physical game preservation, and where the platform may be heading next.

Then we get into our hands-on impressions of the Gears of War: E-Day beta. Horde Siege has us impressed, but can The Coalition convince players outside the existing Gears audience to give E-Day a chance?

Plus, QuakeCon 2026 delivers new Quake content, Grounded 2 prepares to head Into the Abyss, Nintendo shows more Fire Emblem, Ghost Recon Wildlands gets a substantial update nine years after launch, and Luke has a warning for anyone considering Jotunnslayer on Nintendo Switch 2.

Topics include:

• Xbox backward compatibility and game preservation

The Expansion Pass delivers thoughtful gaming discussion without the console-war noise.