After two weeks of R&R, the Duke boys are back! Plenty happened while we were away. Everything from Oblivion Remake leaking (again) to a supposed Xbox console dropping in 2026 circulated, so we have much to pick up at the start of the new year. For starters, a Developer Direct looms and the lineup could be stacked if it's to include The Outer Worlds 2, Fable, DOOM: The Dark Ages, and South Of Midnight as expected. The question on the tip of everyone's tongue is simply this: "What is the mystery fifth game appearance?" In year one, it was Hi Fi Rush. Year two gave it to a rare third party appearance in Square Enix for Visions Of Mana. The Duke debate what could show up! We also dive into Xbox's sudden competition with Valve as they've lept headfirst into challenging Windows with their own OS. How has this accelerated Microsoft's plans without a handheld ready? Plus, grim estimates of Xbox's current console sales and, even worse, Xbox's sales hits to Game Pass titles!
Please keep in mind that our timestamps are approximate, and will often be slightly off due to dynamic ad placement.
0:00:00 - Intro
0:35:13 - Dispelling the Black Myth Wukong… myth?
0:44:29 - Series X & S sales estimates are bleak
1:03:08 - 80% of sales lost on Game Pass titles
1:11:44 - Xbox Cloud Gaming is headed to LG Smart TVs
1:12:38 - Kojima's OD sees a setback
1:16:40 - Xbox rejected a Halo/DOOM crossover for Secret Level
1:21:22 - Jez Corden on more Indiana Jones games
1:24:19 - Season 1 of Marvel Rivals revealed
1:30:54 - Splash Damage cancels Transformers: Reactivate
1:33:52 - SEGA considering its own subscription service
1:37:24 - First look at Virtua Fighter 6
1:41:31 - PlatinumGames says they’re planning some things..
1:44:22 - Will Shen, former lead quest designer at BGS, on massive games
1:52:33 - So, this is where the former Annapurna Interactive team went
1:55:46 - SteamOS is available for third party devices
2:04:14 - Destiny 2 has lost 90% of its Steam players in seven months
2:13:37 - What We’re Playing
2:51:47 - Matty's 74 Hours on Xbox
3:06:31 - Xbox Developer Direct soon?
3:30:03 - Oblivion Remake rumors
3:48:17 - Coming soon to Xbox Game Pass
3:51:00 - Game Pass Pick Of The Week
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#210 | Is 2025 The Year That Xbox Delivers? | Defining Duke: An Xbox Podcast - Listen or read transcript on Metacast
