The Dukes have Starfield and will have to navigate that landmine for an entire episode! One thing we can discuss is our plans for the game, the content, and so on as it’s been a long time coming. While Cog sits out to rest, Gene Park joins the show to talk all things Xbox. For starters, we dive into the thick of Opening Night Live. From stage crashes, to new Starfield content, and a plethora of new trailers, we have much to talk about! There’s also a surprise turn in the ABK deal where now Ubiso...
Aug 27, 2023•3 hr 47 min•Ep. 138
It's time to start believing, folks. Starfield has gone gold following multiple delays and it looks like you can finally put that September 1st (or 6th!) release date "in ink!" Alongside going gold, the information is finally starting to pour in for the game. We have a deep timeline of 300 years worth of lore to mull over. For those less grimoire inclined, we have a brand new Q&A from Will Shen and Emil Pagliarulo that is chockful of new bits of information of the next Bethesda epic. In a week t...
Aug 20, 2023•3 hr 45 min•Ep. 137
Baldur's Gate has, well, stormed the gates of PCs around the globe and has managed to amass a staggering 800K+ concurrent players. Such a feat is difficult to accomplish, especially for a hardcore turn-based RPG despite how much many love them. To say Larian Studios deserves such attention and celebration would be an understatement. However, as an Xbox podcast, the eyes of many of our listeners and writers has shifted to Bethesda Game Studios Starfield where some may worry of history repeating i...
Aug 13, 2023•3 hr 16 min•Ep. 136
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...
Aug 06, 2023•3 hr 16 min•Ep. 135
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 v...
Jul 30, 2023•3 hr 31 min•Ep. 134
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. ...
Jul 23, 2023•3 hr 5 min•Ep. 133
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 possi...
Jul 16, 2023•3 hr 24 min•Ep. 132
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 t...
Jul 09, 2023•3 hr 8 min•Ep. 131
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 ...
Jul 02, 2023•3 hr 57 min•Ep. 130
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 timi...
Jun 25, 2023•3 hr 35 min•Ep. 129
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, ...
Jun 18, 2023•3 hr 49 min•Ep. 128
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 ic...
Jun 11, 2023•3 hr 42 min•Ep. 127
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. W...
Jun 04, 2023•4 hr 48 min•Ep. 126
If there was any moment to put their foot on Xbox's throat, this showcase felt like a most opportune time. PlayStation only comes out of hiding every so often meaning it stand to reason that you'd think they'd have plenty to show off. You see, Xbox and PlayStation aren't too different. The mid-generation outlook for both consoles is eerily similar with very little knowledge on what is cooking for first party. Fortunately for Xbox, PlayStation left their audience in the dark on major teams such a...
May 28, 2023•3 hr 17 min•Ep. 125
We're under a month away from Xbox's defining (!) showcase and PlayStation is officially set to strike first. In our last episode, we mulled over the pressure that Xbox faces as the morale is low for both fans and executives alike if Phil Spencer's recent interview was anything to go by. One aspect we tackled following the increasing rumors was a reality where Xbox would be on the receiving end of a most unfortunate double edged sword. That blade being the incompetency shown in Redfall and the b...
May 21, 2023•3 hr 43 min•Ep. 124
Recently, Phil Spencer joined the Kinda Funny XCast to discuss everything from Redfall's disappointment and the Xbox Games Showcase to their stagnant pipeline and even their goals as a game publishing platform. This transparent look provided little for Xbox fans to feel confident about as the pressure continues to mount between Starfield needing to be an "11/10" experience and PlayStation's rumored showcase lingering just days ahead of Xbox. Indeed, there's no denying that if Xbox doesn't absolu...
May 14, 2023•3 hr 42 min•Ep. 123
E3 2021 concluded with the "one more announcement" moment and that game was Redfall. Since then, Xbox has closely tied itself to the game as one of its big, AAA, premium exclusives. Following the vacancy of 2022, Xbox fans hoped to have their patience rewarded when the delay for Redfall released on May 2, 2023. Well, it's here and it has arrived unspectacular fashion. Redfall currently sits at a 62 on OpenCritic across 77 critic reviews and the brand has suffered yet another brutal, embarrassing...
May 07, 2023•3 hr 21 min•Ep. 122
As the bad news snowballed for Xbox in recent weeks, it felt like fans could at least hang their hat on the Activision deal seemingly trending in the proper direction. Well, that seems to have gone south too. The UK regulatory body known as the CMA has moved to block the merger of Xbox and Activision due to cloud based concerns. With the FTC and CMA collectively against Microsoft, their sliver of hope rests on the impending decision of the EU regulatory body. Xbox certainly wasn't in a position ...
Apr 30, 2023•3 hr 40 min•Ep. 121
Following the Redfall 30 FPS surprise and the Square Enix debate, Xbox fans are certainly on edge now. With "check-to-check energy" in their veins, another game has skipped the platform while reaching literally every single other. That game is Oxenfree II which follows in the footsteps of Capcom's Mega Man Battle Network Collection, Larian Studios' Baldur's Gate 3, as well as the abundance of Square Enix games. With hardware sales falling for Series consoles in the EU as PlayStation 5 is up an i...
Apr 23, 2023•3 hr 25 min•Ep. 120
Xbox fans, we have reached an impasse. It's Team Delay versus Team "Get Your Game OUT!" Arkane has confirmed that Redfall, an Xbox first party exclusive, will launch at 30 FPS on consoles with 60 frames down the line. It's clear that this generation has tested the patience of fans and, naturally, this news has led to a big blow up. The optics for this situation are clearly bad, but would things be worse if Redfall were to receive a second delay? Some fans feel that it's time for Xbox to finally ...
Apr 16, 2023•3 hr 40 min•Ep. 119
Live A Live, Octopath Traveler 2, Final Fantasy 7 Remake, Final Fantasy 14, Final Fantasy 16, Babylon's Fall (lol), Forspoken, Theaterhythm: Final Bar Line, and many, many more games out of Square Enix have skipped Xbox. Some to people's dismay while others leave us thankful it never graced our piece of plastic in the first place. The fact remains: There's an astonishing amount of titles skipping the platform and Xbox fans want to know why. The Dukes tackle this topic following the announcement ...
Apr 09, 2023•3 hr 44 min•Ep. 118
There's no denying the Dukes have tried to rally behind E3, but doubt began to seep in following Xbox's exit from the show floor. This week, we learned of three major players pulling out of E3. Those being SEGA, Ubisoft, and Tencent. With reports from IGN stating that there has been next to zero communication from the ESA and ReedPop as well as no one else attending, it very well may be curtains for E3. What comes next to fill E3 shoes and what led to the fate of a once prestigious and celebrate...
Apr 02, 2023•3 hr 44 min•Ep. 117
Xbox and PlayStation may have their differences, but they admittedly stay at the same pace when it comes to the release of new hardware. Outlet Insider Gaming has reported a "PS5 Pro" of sorts is inbound by the end of 2024 and naturally our audience has inquired if Xbox can expect much of the same. The report also says that the next generation involving the PlayStation 6 aims to begin in 2028. With Cloud Gaming being such a vital part of their plan moving, is Xbox thinking the same thing? The Du...
Mar 26, 2023•2 hr 41 min•Ep. 116
We recently learned of a Starfield Developer_Direct that will be taking place around the same time as Xbox's very own summer showcase which is undoubtedly chockful of content. Now, Xbox has pulled back the curtains on some of their plans and the Dukes has some disagreements to iron out. Xbox will not be on the show floor at E3 and plans on holding their Starfield Direct right after their own summer showcase. One Duke is in favor of this plan while another is not. Who will take the L? We'll learn...
Mar 19, 2023•2 hr 51 min•Ep. 115
After much anxiety and anticipation among Xbox fans, Bethesda has finally broken their silence on Starfield and revealed that the game will be releasing September 6th, 2023 with a showcase arriving on June 11th. There is much to be said about another "delay" for the game that puts Starfield near a holiday window for a second time. Fortunately, there is an equal amount to be said about the glimpses we've seen of notable improvements thanks to said delay. Its Xbox's biggest game of the generation ...
Mar 12, 2023•3 hr 15 min•Ep. 114
There's much to go over as Xbox fans wait with bated breath for information on Starfield's Developer Direct. With the Activision deal pending, the media is claiming that if it is to fail that Microsoft is ready to shut down Xbox. Just how much validity is there to such a claim? The Dukes dig into the facts and find out. We also have updates from Phil Spencer in a new interview on upcoming game announcements, Obsidian clamoring for a New Vegas remaster, Shinji Mikami leaving Tango Gameworks, conf...
Mar 05, 2023•3 hr 28 min•Ep. 113
Xbox and Nintendo have seemingly grown close during this generation and there's not a stronger sign of that than the latest agreement between the two. We already knew about bringing Call Of Duty to Switch, but if the words of Xbox Vice Chair/President Brad Smith are anything to go by then there are more Xbox games headed to Nintendo platforms. This is deal was struck as Xbox set to swing big as regulators began to put pressure on them with suggestions of divesting parts of the business. Nvidia a...
Feb 26, 2023•3 hr 7 min•Ep. 112
Much as been said about gaming's most popular subscription service. While many have detracted its boons to the game development scene, Game Pass has stormed on to surpassed 25 million subscribers. At the same time, it seems Xbox has been caught talking about both sides of their mouth. In an admission to the CMA, Microsoft has stated that game sales do fall off across 12 months titles in Game Pass. While some see this as a mark of defeat, it only seems to highlight the lack of knowledge many of u...
Feb 19, 2023•2 hr 50 min•Ep. 111
We haven't heavily discussed the Xbox-Activision deal in months following many of us being fatigued from constantly revising it. Since December, we said it would take something truly noteworthy to move it into our headline and given the current scuttlebutt across the community -- it appears now is that time. The CMA has made its stance clear that Xbox will have to relinquish plenty to get the deal done, but how much is too much for the two seeking to make a deal? With calls for divestiture and e...
Feb 12, 2023•2 hr 54 min•Ep. 110
With E3's return to an in-person event, you wouldn't be foolish to assume Xbox would have a presence given the endless vocal support the brand has for the convention. Following financial complications and maybe even Developer_Direct's success, it appears Xbox is heading in a different direction. IGN reports the all of the "Big 3" including Xbox will not have a presence at E3. While Xbox will have a showcase as they confirmed last week, this opens up a slew of possibilities for what Xbox could lo...
Feb 05, 2023•3 hr 9 min•Ep. 109
