Defining Duke: An Xbox Podcast

5 hour Duke? Happy days! Please keep in mind that our timestamps are approximate, and will often be slightly off due to dynamic ad placement. 0:00:00 - Intro0:05:17 - Health Is Wealth0:43:37 - Nicknaming The Dukes0:46:23 - Disc to digital benefits0:48:41 - Is Xbox moving too fast?0:54:03 - When are more retro Xbox games getting achievement and PC support?0:56:23 - What is the rest of 2026 gaming schedule looking like?1:01:10 - Fallout Day 20261:06:45 -Xbox hasn’t forgotten physical media1:20:23 - Xbox buyout was explored1:39:32 - Xbox Cloud Gaming prices revealed1:44:58 - AMD FSR 4.1 is coming to Xbox consoles and handhelds1:50:14 - BioWare is shutting down2:40:04 - A new sub franchise is headed to Call Of Duty2:43:04 - Nuance in the AI conversation?3:13:36 - Star Wars Battlefront 3 is on the menu3:31:47 - Another new update is coming to Cyberpunk 20773:35:46 - What We’re Playing4:10:06 - Massive investigation on Xbox reveals next gen pricing, changes to Game Pass, and plenty more Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The aggression of Asha Sharma and Xbox's new leadership group continues on! In a leaked town hall, we learned of many of Xbox's plans for the future including a "family" of devices for Helix, incoming changes to Game Pass, and the streamlining to how games reach the platform. One of the more noteworthy comments was Asha's insistence that Xbox has not "earned the right" to avert their gaze beyond the console platform. This is something clearly in staunch opposition to what the prior leadership team stood for as they explored everything from gaming through TV apps to the Cloud. With the focus on the current generation of consoles, what does this mean for games even in the 2030s? The Dukes think you should get very cozy with the idea of still playing games on these devices even up to a decade from now. Please keep in mind that our timestamps are approximate, and will often be slightly off due to dynamic ad placement. 0:00:00 - Intro0:10:09 - Health Is Wealth0:28:54 - What game are we dropping everything for to obtain the Thic?0:39:53 - A licensed game that could finally get its due0:45:11 - What is next for Xbox Game Studios?0:55:13 - Gaming for spooky season0:59:26 - Fear of layoffs looming at The Coalition1:19:44 - The Forza Bros are getting upset1:30:48 - Rebs Gaming drops new Halo leaks1:49:08 - A used PS5 pro is $1,400 at GameStop2:03:29 - State Of Decay 3 Beta coming soon2:10:03 - Layoffs begin at Ninja Theory2:17:45 - Fan favorite PlayStation series set to make comeback?2:32:16 - Capcom looking to turn RE Engine into an AI Generation Engine2:41:28 - Kena: Scars Of Kosmora delayed to 20272:43:47 - What We’re Playing3:12:22 - Xbox Helix details leak from internal Town Hall Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

 Round 2 of the Xbox Reset has arrived thanks to none of other than the Green Reaper. Joining us is Gene Park to discuss the fallout of these events. Halo is now officially run by Activision as Xbox finally chopped down 343 aka Halo Studios. It has been a long time coming as 343 managed the franchise for 15 years. Their tenure brought us Halo Anniversary Edition, Halo 4, Halo 5 Guardians, Halo Infinite, Halo Wars 2, and Halo Campaign Evolved. Almost all of these were disasters in their own way and as Asha Sharma's team cleans house, this felt inevitable in the wake of poor sales for the latest Halo remake. So, how can Activision rebuild the franchise? What direction do they take things in? Is it time to rebuild from scratch and ignore literally anything done before? Are sprint, ADS, and mantling returning features? How long will all of this take? It is a seismic undertaking and one thing is clear: another 343 led Halo game that sucks would sting, but another new beginning that results in disaster would drive us all to the point of insanity. Xbox must nail this, but that goes for a number of their IP they're now looking to nurture. Obsidian has joined forces with Bethesda and it's no doubt that these two will be at the hip for a very long time as Fallout continues to peak in popularity. What is Obsidian's creative future? Are they forever attached to Fallout or are more experiments on the way? Plus, will InXile join the fold at Bethesda eventually as the Xbox Game Studios family has become incredibly lean. It's our largest episode ever, so do get comfortable, settle into the conversation, and enjoy! Please keep in mind that our timestamps are approximate, and will often be slightly off due to dynamic ad placement. 0:00:00 - Intro0:07:02 - Addressing the nuclear Brad strike0:14:02 - Health Is Wealth0:17:02 - Is Trails 2 Remake worth it if you already played the original?0:19:59 - The next chapter for Bungie0:48:49 - Gene Park’s interview with Hideo Kojima1:27:31 - Xbox’s platinum equivalent is here1:37:46 - Why Fable was given a decade1:47:36 - Undead Labs has gone independent1:52:44 - Starcraft won’t be Xbox exclusive1:58:55 - Blood Of Dawnwalker cost just $40 million2:12:44 - Final Fantasy 7’s difficulty controversy2:37:01 - Valor Mortis makes admirable price move2:44:11 - What We’re Playing3:20:16 - Round 2 of the Xbox Reset commences Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

In the wee hours of the night, an absolute stunner landed. Prolific and beloved game director, Hideo Kojima, has killed off his partnership with PlayStation for his upcoming action-espionage title, PHYSINT, and signed on with Xbox. According to the man himself, PlayStation was ready to cancel his game this June! After three months of searching, he found his partner in XBOX. It's a partnership where Kojima claims that they "share a common vision for the future" which says more than just about anything else within this next. Those who recall the PHYSINT announcement in 2024 will also remember that this was TV/movie deal as well. According to the XBOX Wire, they've got that too! So, what gives? Is this just a money play? Has Sony lost touch with optical wins when it was only last generation that they reaped the massive benefits of saving Kojima from Konami? What is XBOX's end goal in all of this? There is much to discuss! Beyond that, we talk about the Cloud Gaming snafu, the diabolical Steam achievement leak, and so 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 (Gamescom and Pax West Debriefing)00:34:17 - Health Is Wealth00:46:26 - Will Metaphor: ReFantazio get a definitive edition?00:49:43 - Cog’s thoughts on GTA 6 gameplay00:55:41 - Nintendo Direct recap01:04:04 - Ocarina Of Time Remake impressions01:30:30 - Developers opt out of Xbox’s disc to digital program?01:37:55 - Every NPC in Fable is handcrafted01:41:42 - Hideki Kamiya once again requests to make Scalebound01:48:31 - Rumors suggest Forza Horizon 6 isn’t coming to PS5 in 202601:50:43 - Blood Of Dawnwalker sequel in the works01:55:54 - More Final Fantasy 7 beyond the remakes01:59:20 - Capcom is focusing on reactivating IP02:02:31 - Witcher 1 Remake is on hold02:05:45 - PlayStation is looking to bring back Killzone02:12:05 - Venom game is still in development02:13:38 - Game Releases for September 202602:21:55 - What We’re Playing03:04:45 - Hideo Kojima jumps ship to Xbox03:54:14 - The catastrophic Steam achievement leak03:18:37 - Xbox’s Cloud Gaming Snafu Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices