Defining Duke: An Xbox Podcast

2023 has been a bit of an adventure through an Oblivion gate for Xbox, hasn't it? Funny enough, they also may be remaking the widely celebrated 2006 RPG that started as an Xbox 360 exclusive. Following a now deleted Reddit post from a verified ex-employee of Virtuos Studios, by the end of next year we may have an Oblivion remake in our hands. There are many worthwhile questions to ask such as why now, why Virtuos, what changed in Bethesda's stance on re-releasing a game, and is this merely a one-off? The Dukes are up to their ears in Starfield hype, so it's tantalizing to know that another BGS experience may not be much further off. However, could Xbox have pushed this and struck a deal with the Devil as Virtuos' last outing wasn't one to write home about. If that's not enough, Square Enix and Xbox have renewed their vows! With Final Fantasy 14 headed to the platform, many Xbox fans are left wondering what's next beyond the popular MMORPG? Can Final Fantasy VII Remake finally come to Xbox along with the staggering amount of games that the platform has missed out on? Plus, even Cog's very favorite Transformers games have found themselves in the headlines as a comeback may be on the way with Hasbro and Activision Blizzard exchanging words through headlines! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

August is coming and with that is an anticipated onslaught of Starfield marketing. Trailers, reveals, and details aplenty leaves us all wondering: Just how far will Bethesda go? Well, with three new animated trailers in our system and some analysis of the Fallout 4 marketing cycle, we may have a good idea of that! We also delve into the recent majority shareholder purchase by Tencent of Techland. How does this change the gaming landscape and is the industry giving Tencent's aggression the same vilification as the likes of Microsoft and Sony? "Lord Acquisition" has some thoughts you're going to want to hear on the matter. Plus, who's behind the recent wave of backwards compatible multiplayer improvements in the likes of Call Of Duty and Gears Of War? We get into all of this as well as Ubisoft's insistence on returning to tighter games, Activision's massive success on PC, a pizza scented TMNT controller, some wild food takes, and more! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

After much delay and public arguing, Xbox and PlayStation have finally signed a binding agreement to continue bringing Call Of Duty to PlayStation following the completion of the Activision Blizzard deal. However, PlayStation's delay has bit them in the backside as the Dukes had predicted. Indeed, this deal only pertains to Call Of Duty meaning that all bets are off for the vault of other Activision Blizzard content. Tony Hawk, Spyro, Crash Bandicoot, and many more can easily become exclusives. Will they? The Dukes dive deep into this wormhole of a topic. This week also finally saw the end of an era in Xbox Live Gold as come September 14th, Xbox will transition current subscribers over to a new tier in the Game Pass offering called "Game Pass Core." With 25 games to boot and guaranteed online multiplayer, what could go wrong? Well, there is a caveat which we'll explore in a bit of a potential hustle play by Xbox.Start hiring now with a $75 job credit at https://www.indeed.com/duke Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Well, it’s finally happened. Since January of 2022 it has been an absolute bloodbath, but now we can finally see the light at the end of the tunnel when it comes to the Activision Blizzard deal. With the FTC vying for a preliminary injunction that would effectively lead to the death of this deal, the two opposing forces did battle in court. Following Microsoft's victory, the FTC has moved to appeal the decision as this saga continues. As the July 18th deadline quickly approaches, it's very possibly that by the next Defining Duke episode that we'll finally turn the page on this long winded chapter in Xbox history. Naturally, we had to tap an expert on the shoulder for all this and who better to ask all our crazy questions than Hoeg Law? Joining us, we go through the FTC's appeal process, the ongoing negotiations with the CMA, potential console exclusivity, Game Pass content, and so much more. It's Hoeg's first time back in the realm of the Dukes since December so be sure to give him a warm welcome! Furthermore, we get into the Xbox x IGN indie showcase which displayed a strong amount of diversity as Xbox seems to do of late. We also dig into Starfield's absolutely bonkers PC specs and get to the bottom of some uncertainties surrounding the game.This episode is sponsored by BetterHelp. Give online therapy a try at https://www.betterhelp.com/duke and get on your way to being your best self  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

It's the calm before the storm as we await the court's decision on whether or not the FTC's injunction will be granted thus killing the Activision deal. With that on the horizon, we look at Gamescom where Xbox is currently not tempering expectations about their presence on the show floor. Naturally, the Dukes dive deep into the litany of titles that could appear. Considering the show's more European centric audience, its it time for neighboring UK studios like Ninja Theory and PlayGround Games to come out of hiding once more? Is it time for Hellblade II's combat to finally be shown off? What of other dated games coming to Xbox that may crawl its way into a show of some kind? The options are plentiful and leave us with much to consider. Once again, SEGA and Xbox's relationship continues to grow thus adding more credibility to Game Pass. Football Manager, one of SEGA's most lucrative games, continues to shine in the service as the Japanese publisher had much praise for Xbox to go around. Plus, are the Dukes alongside other Xbox creators bought and paid for? Is such interaction with big executives a major contamination to the integrity of ours and others' products?This episode is sponsored by BetterHelp. Give online therapy a try at https://www.betterhelp.com/duke and get on your way to being your best self  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

If you thought the Activision deal was inescapable already, Xbox's battle in court against the FTC just turned the notch up to eleven. In a plethora of poorly redacted documents and fully exposed e-mails, all of Xbox's plans that were supposed to be private are made clear. From their mile long acquisition watchlist to details on key upcoming exclusives, this is the peek behind the curtains many gaming enthusiasts have been seeking. Coupled in with PlayStation's true feelings on the deal and you have one of the most riveting news weeks in Xbox history. While much of this is exciting, there is more sour news about Perfect Dark. In a new scathing report - this time from IGN, we learn the truth about this "AAAA" game, alongside its unlikely first partner and troubled development history. We also dive deep in to Todd Howard's latest interview on Starfield! Plus more on E3, Starfield's physical copy, a new Metal Gear game making its way to Xbox finally, and plenty more! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Head of Xbox Game Studios Matt Booty spoke with Axios in a most telling interview addressing what the future of major unknowns are. From the doors of Arkane Austin remaining open "for now" to 343 being stripped of their title as the sole Halo developer, it lets us properly understand that the veterans are being replaced by the class of 2018 as Xbox seeks to reinvigorate its brand. Alongside that is the inevitable price hike for Xbox consoles and even Game Pass across respective regions. The timing before a potential closing of the ABK deal and even Starfield's recent showcase spells out to us that Xbox is making the most of this opportunity. Speaking of which, the ABK deal might finally be nearing its conclusion after all this time! Major Microsoft and Xbox executives are making the trip to battle the FTC in court and prevent an injunction from being granted. If successful, it could fast track their case. Plus updates on Avowed's visuals, Starfield's first preview. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The fallout from Xbox's showcase has left us with many tantalizing topics to tackle. Obsidian's upcoming epic, Avowed, received a deep dive from game director Carrie Patel where she reveals more story and gameplay details on the 2024 RPG. From a confirmation that this is a full single player game all the way to its in-depth melee combat, the Dukes have it completely covered. Furthermore, Xbox is feeling bullish about Starfield and it is showing. Across interviews with Todd Howard, Phil Spencer, and Matt Booty, there are scraps of new details lying about everywhere for us to pick up and analyze. Todd opens up on his potential final game, the evergreen support of Starfield while Mr. Booty makes a bold claim on Starfield being the least BGS title ever. Plus, a thorough examination of everything from the Xbox Games Showcase Extended, the latest move from the FTC involving the Activision acquisition, Fable updates, and plenty more to sort through!Thanks to our sponsors! If you're ever injured, go to https://www.forthepeople.com/duke for more info Start hiring now with a $75 sponsored job credit at https://www.indeed.com/duke Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Xbox needed a good showcase after all of the bad to remind folks why they bought their piece of plastic in the first place. Well, Xbox's 2023 showcase wasn't just good, it was close to perfect. First party arrived in spades with Fable, South Of Midnight, Avowed, Hellblade 2, Forza Motorsport, and Clockwork Revolution all showing out to varying degrees. Third party delivered in the form of Persona, Metaphor ReFantazio, Towerborne, Payday 3, Path Of The Goddess, 33 Immortals, and tons more. The icing on the cake was none other than Bethesda Game Studios who blew everyone out of the water with Starfield. A game that truly feels like a major turning point for Xbox as both a publisher and the quality at which their exclusives should launch in. The emotions are high, so let's settle into a groove through all the amazing games we saw in a showcase for the ages.Thanks to our sponsors!If you're ever injured, go to https://www.forthepeople.com/duke for more info Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

It's that time of year! As tradition dictates, the Dukes unite with Xbox Two and comb through all 23 Xbox Game Studios. This has been said for years on Defining Duke to be the "showcase of dreams." Xbox simply has so much backed up in their pipeline following massive acquisitions in 2018 and 2019 that this year has been pinned as the one to show it all off. From Starfield, Hellblade 2, and Avowed to Fable, Forza, and Fallout, there is a massive amount of potential to surprise and delight fans. What of third party partnerships, Game Pass deals, and our targets for possible exclusives? How about Bethesda who already has so much cooking this year? Do we hear from the likes of Machine Games and Roundhouse? We have many, many thoughts on a metric ton of possibilities to get into in what is Defining Duke's biggest episode to date!  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices